Today, Byakuya received an unusual call.
It came from Sphinx, a company that had once served as a front for CCG—the predecessor of the current TSC.
For years, Sphinx had supplied the CCG with RC liquid, a crucial material used in manufacturing Quinques and RC suppressants.
Of course, the CCG and the Washuu Clan were perfectly capable of producing RC liquid themselves. There was no real need to outsource. The truth was that Sphinx had been nothing more than a convenient cover, a way for the CCG to conduct its darker business away from prying eyes.
The "president" of Sphinx, Nanao Yasuhisa, was deeply entangled in that secrecy. Beneath his company's facilities lay one of the CCG's most classified underground laboratories—where horrific experiments on ghouls and humans alike took place.
Among these were the first attempts to create artificial half-ghouls.
In the original timeline, the Washuu Clan eventually abandoned those experiments after repeated failures—until Kanou succeeded years later, transforming Kaneki into a half-ghoul.
When the Washuu abandoned the project, Nanao — who knew too much — was silenced.
Only his twin daughters were left behind: Kurona and Nashiro.
Later, Kanou would seize control of the now-defunct Sphinx laboratories. With the Washuu gone and Nanao dead, no one stood in his way. There, he deceived the twin sisters into becoming his test subjects—turning them into the next generation of artificial half-ghouls.
The experiments worked… but at a terrible cost.
Kurona and Nashiro survived, but Nashiro was gravely injured by Suzuya. Desperate to save her sister, Kurona absorbed Nashiro's body into her own—keeping her soul alive through sheer will and endless obsession.
When Kurona had once begged Kanou to save Nashiro, he had coldly refused. He already knew she couldn't be saved.
Years later, when Kurona confronted him again as an SS-rated half-ghoul, he told her bluntly that Nashiro was as good as dead.
After the "Dragon War" Kurona left Japan, wandering through Europe and the Middle East, still carrying her sister's remains.
Their story—two sisters forever bound by tragedy—was one of the most sorrowful in the Tokyo Ghoul world.
But now… Byakuya's timeline was different.
Nanao shouldn't have died yet. That event was still years away.
After all, the Washuu Clan had already been erased from power—replaced and restructured by Byakuya. CCG had become TSC.
And Byakuya himself had little reason to interfere with Nanami's affairs. In the original world, only the Washuu cared about keeping their ghoul experiments buried.
So when Byakuya received word that Nanami Anjiu had died, he was genuinely surprised.
"What happened exactly?"
he asked the voice on the other end of the call.
"It appears Nano was drowning in debt," the contact explained. "He'd borrowed heavily, using Sphinx's facilities to secretly cooperate with the old CCG. That collaboration was what kept him afloat financially. But since the CCG's restructuring, all that funding has been cut off. With interest piling up for over a year… no one knows how much he owed. Last night, he jumped from the roof of the Sphinx building."
Byakuya was silent for a moment.
So that was how it ended.
Whether by Washuu execution or by his own hand, Nanao's fate had always been death.
He'd gambled everything when he agreed to let CCG perform those inhumane experiments in his company's basement. There was never going to be a happy ending for him.
If Byakuya had chosen to save him—ordering the Washuu's replacements to cover his debts—it would've gone against the natural order of things.
Sympathy or not, a man like that didn't deserve to walk free.
The only tragedy… was for the two little girls left behind.
"He left behind two daughters. Do we need to arrange care for them?"
"I'll handle it myself," Byakuya said.
He decided he would take Kurona and Nashiro into custody, placing them in the same kind of TSC-run orphanage that once housed Suzuya.
When he hung up, Eto, sitting nearby, spoke softly.
"I'll go with you."
"Alright," Byakuya nodded.
The two of them drove together to the late Yasuhisa's estate—a lavish villa that stood eerily silent.
The front door was unlocked.
"Is anyone home?" Byakuya called as he entered.
No response.
He moved through the halls carefully, then up the stairs.
When he opened a bedroom door, he found them—two small figures curled up on a bed, clutching each other tightly.
Tear-streaked faces. Puffy eyes.
They had already heard the news. Their father's suicide had shattered them.
Even when strangers stepped into their room, neither of them moved.
They were still children—no older than Hinami or Hu Tao.
The resemblance between them was uncanny. Twins, identical and delicate.
Kurona's hair was jet black, her dress dark to match. Nashiro's hair was white as snow, her clothes pale and ghostlike.
Byakuya stepped closer.
"You must be Nanao's daughters—Kurona and Nashiro, correct?"
He showed his TSC credentials.
"We're with TSC. We came after hearing about your father's death."
No answer.
A long silence passed before Kurona finally spoke, voice trembling:
"Where… are you taking us?"
Her wide eyes met theirs.
Byakuya could see the fear there.
Despite everything, they still tried to read the strangers' faces—to decide if they were safe.
And perhaps because both Byakuya and Eto looked calm, almost kind, they didn't immediately recoil.
Byakuya knelt slightly.
"Where would you like to go?"
Kurona blinked, confused. "I… I don't know. We don't have anyone left."
Nashiro stayed silent, her eyes empty.
"Then let's stay together for now" Eto said gently, smiling.
It was the first warmth either girl had felt since last night.
They both hesitated—but then Kurona's stomach growled softly. Nashiro's followed a moment later.
A blush crept across their cheeks.
"You haven't eaten?" Byakuya asked.
Kurona shook her head. "Not since last night…"
"I see," Byakuya sighed lightly. "Then let's fix that first."
Kurona's eyes flickered with faint hope. "You mean… you'll cook for us?"
Before Byakuya could answer, Eto spoke with a playful grin.
"If there's anything left in the fridge, I'll make you something warm."
That simple offer made Kurona stare in disbelief.
Her father's servants had fled the moment the debts were exposed. The house had been empty since dawn.
To have strangers—outsiders—step in and offer care without expecting anything… it was something the twins had never experienced before.
When Byakuya and Eto went to the kitchen, the girls exchanged a look.
"Nashiro, let's go downstairs soon" Kurona whispered. "It's… rare to meet kind people like them."
"Yeah…" Nashiro murmured softly. "And… I'm hungry."
In the kitchen, Eto stirred a small pot of miso soup, blowing on the steam before offering a taste to Byakuya.
"Try it. Does it taste okay?"
Byakuya sampled it, then nodded. "It's perfect. They'll love it."
"You always say that," Eto teased, smiling. "If they don't, I'll blame you."
They shared a quiet laugh before carrying out the plates—simple dishes, nothing extravagant, but enough for four.