"You're asking me? Wait—are you saying you're currently in a relationship with Chairman Byakuya?"
The girls froze for a moment before realization hit them.
"Not just currently—I'll always be" Eto replied with a serene smile.
But there was no malice or hostility behind her expression. To her, these girls were no threat whatsoever.
"W-Wow… that's kind of incredible…"
The girls were stunned by her confidence, poise, and that overwhelming queen-like aura.
"Wait, during that big Battle for Tokyo... wasn't there a mysterious figure—the One-Eyed Owl—who showed up near the end? Rumor has it she had close ties to Chairman Byakuya… could it be...?"
One of the girls suddenly made the connection, eyeing Eto with wide eyes.
"That's right. I am the One-Eyed Owl" Eto said casually.
By now, her identity wasn't exactly a secret anymore.
And honestly, there weren't any real threats to her left, so there was no need to keep hiding it.
Hearing that confirmed, the girls were visibly shaken. The One-Eyed Owl had once been the stuff of nightmares. Even though there were now campaigns promoting peace between humans and ghouls, that reputation still lingered.
"There's no need to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you" Eto reassured them gently.
"R-Right…"
Even so, fear was hard to shake. The girls awkwardly bowed out of the conversation and made their escape.
"Seriously, it's not like I'm going to eat them. What's with all the panic?" Eto sighed with mock exasperation.
"C'mon, let's head inside" Byakuya said. "The longer we stay out here, the more people will swarm us."
They slipped into the café.
To keep things quiet, Byakuya and Eto went straight up to the second floor to speak with Yoshimura.
"Something important?" Yoshimura asked, reading the room.
"It's about me and Eto…" Byakuya began.
"We're going on a honeymoon" Eto interrupted brightly. "To another country. So we probably won't be back for a while."
Byakuya gave her a side glance.
Nice way to put it…
"I see… then I hope you both enjoy yourselves. Just… be careful about certain things" Yoshimura said with a meaningful look.
Those "certain things" clearly weighed on him.
"Why? Don't you want to become a grandpa soon?" Eto teased playfully.
"That would be… a little too soon…" Yoshimura muttered, clearly flustered.
"Got it, we'll be careful" Eto grinned, ending the joke.
After that, they also made sure to say goodbye to Kurumi.
"Mayu, we're heading somewhere far away for something really important. So… we can't take you with us this time" Byakuya explained gently.
This wasn't just a vacation — they were literally hopping into another world. Not exactly kid-friendly.
"Aww… will it take a long time before you come back?" she asked.
"Not too long. We'll pop in from time to time," Byakuya assured her.
"Okay. Be safe, both of you."
She was surprisingly mature about it — no tears, no complaints. With so many friends now and the whole 20th Ward community looking after her, she knew she wouldn't be lonely.
"Good girl." Byakuya smiled, ruffling her hair.
He also gave a quick heads-up to Marude and the other TSC higher-ups.
But honestly? His absence wasn't going to affect much. He never really micromanaged anyway.
With preparations almost complete, Byakuya opened the System Shop in his mind and navigated to the second-tier items.
He found the Dimensional Transfer Device (Attack on Titan) and made the purchase.
[Ding! Purchase successful. Dimensional Transfer Device (Attack on Titan) acquired. Attribute Points -500. Current Attribute Points: 500.]
After earning a hefty reward for defeating Dragon he still had plenty left to spend.
"Before we head out, if there's anything you want to bring, just toss it into my eye" he told Eto.
"Really? Then I'm bringing my laptop. And a few outfits too" she said, already grabbing her things.
Even if the laptop couldn't access the internet in that world, she could still write—which was all she really needed. As for charging it, well, if they could pop back anytime, that wouldn't be a problem.
That way, if she got bored in the new world, she could just write novels from inside a parallel reality. Talk about a writer's dream.
Once she was done packing, Byakuya stored everything in Kamui's dimension, meaning they could summon it at will wherever they were.
"You know" Eto said, "I've never actually seen what the inside of your eye-space looks like."
"Wanna check it out?" he offered.
At this point, there were no more secrets between them. With a slight glow in his eye, Byakuya pulled them both into the Kamui dimension.
In an instant, Eto found herself inside that mysterious space.
It was vast, dark, and eerie. Towering gray pillars stretched out in every direction, as far as the eye could see. No sky, no floor—just an endless void of silence and stone.
Even before stepping into the world of Titans, this space alone felt like stepping into the unknown.
"Alright. You've seen it—now it's time," Byakuya said as he activated the device.
A golden portal shimmered open before them—an elegant ring of light, humming softly.
It looked like something straight out of fantasy, and it was their gateway to a whole new world.
Hand in hand, the two stepped into the portal.
Together, they entered the world of Titans.