A few more months passed, and both Byakuya and Eto had published their second books.
Byakuya's was Black Bullet, while Eto's was The Black Goat's Egg.
In the original timeline, The Black Goat's Egg was also Eto's second published work, released only after it was fully written.
With most of her time taken up by school, her third book, Winter Shower at Night, was progressing slowly.
Byakuya, on the other hand, had started a long-term serialization and wasn't planning to begin a new series for now.
After all, the original Black Bullet had been left unfinished for a long time, so he had to invent the continuation himself, publishing a new volume each time he finished writing one.
But right now, both Byakuya and Eto had something even more important to focus on — the National Unified Exam.
This was Japan's standardized test for graduates, somewhat similar to a university entrance exam.
The real challenge was in each university's individual entrance exam — especially at elite schools like Kamii University.
The unified exam was more of a formality; what really determined your future was how well you did in the institutional exams.
"Byakuya, Eto, good luck to both of you!"
Before the exam began, Minami gave some words of encouragement to them.
Arima was also with them.
All four had been assigned to the same exam hall — a lucky coincidence.
"Thanks, you guys do your best too" Byakuya nodded.
"Good luck" Eto said with a slight smile.
"Once we finish the final exam this afternoon, how about we take a trip to the beach tomorrow? Maybe Okinawa?" Minami suddenly suggested.
"Sounds good to me" Eto responded immediately.
"Sure, we can start preparing right after the exams are done" Byakuya agreed, seeing Eto was genuinely interested.
"Looks like I'll need to go buy a swimsuit tonight..." Arima added calmly.
He had never been to the seaside before, so of course, he didn't own one. Now that Minami had brought it up, the idea of seeing the ocean intrigued him.
...
After the final exam ended...
Students poured out of the exam halls, some smiling, some clearly anxious.
Some had done well; others, not so much.
Even though results hadn't been posted yet, most already had a good sense of how they performed.
Byakuya and Eto were in high spirits — they both had a good feeling about it.
"How did it go?" Byakuya asked when he saw Eto outside.
"Pretty solid. I'm guessing the same for you?" Eto replied.
"Yeah, now we just wait for the university entrance exams."
Byakuya nodded.
"Looks like Minami and Arima are done too."
Eto waved at the two as they approached.
"You guys don't even need to be asked, right? I'm sure you both crushed it" Eto said with a grin.
Minami and Arima were always at the top of the class — barring some massive mishap, they weren't likely to fail.
"Sort of. A few tricky questions in there, though" Minami said modestly.
Still, if only a few questions were tough for her, she was far ahead of the curve.
"So, what's the plan for tonight? Go shopping for swimwear?" Eto asked.
"Sure! Wait—don't tell me you guys don't have swimsuits either?" Minami suddenly realized.
She and Arima didn't own any — they never had the chance to visit a beach.
But she hadn't expected Eto and Byakuya to be in the same boat.
"Nope. I've never been" Eto said, shaking her head.
She'd spent most of her life surviving in the 24th Ward — playing on a beach wasn't even in the realm of possibility back then.
"Same here. So let's all go swimsuit shopping tonight. Should we invite the others from the 20th Ward too?" Byakuya asked.
"Yes, I was thinking the same. Let's head back to the café first" Minami said.
20th Ward — Anteiku Café.
"We're going to the beach tomorrow? I've never been!" Hikari said excitedly after hearing Minami's invitation.
He turned to Arata
"Arata, what do you think? Should we bring Touka and Ayato too?"
"I think it's a great idea" Arata replied with a smile.
"Beach! Beach!" Touka cheered happily.
"Hey, shouldn't you invite Kaneki too?" Ayato reminded Touka.
"Oh, right! I'll go get him now"
Touka immediately started to head out.
"Don't run off alone — go with Dad" Ayato said.
So Arata accompanied Touka to fetch Kaneki.
Soon, everyone from Anteiku had decided to join in on the beach trip.
"You know, we've never really left the 20th Ward" said Koma, a bit emotional.
"Same here. There's no ocean in the 20th" Irimi agreed.
"I've seen the sea once before... but going alone isn't the same. It's better when everyone's together" Roma said with a laugh.
She had been alive long enough to travel extensively — even venturing into the Underground — so the seaside wasn't new to her. Still, the idea of going with friends made it special.
The only one still undecided was Yoshimura.
"I think I'll stay and watch the shop. This old man probably doesn't belong in such a youthful setting" Yoshimura said with a warm smile.
"I'd really like for you to come with us" Eto said suddenly.
Even though their relationship had improved significantly, there was still some distance between them. Complete reconciliation was impossible — but mutual respect had been established.
It was rare for Eto to initiate conversations with Yoshimura, especially ones like this.
Yoshimura was briefly stunned. He hadn't expected her to ask.
But with her extending the invitation, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
"In that case... I'll come along" he said gently.
A genuine smile spread across Eto's face.