"You can eat me, sure — but eating other girls? That's no good."
Although he'd just been blushing, Furuta's mind worked in unexpected ways.
"Then I won't eat you," Rize replied sweetly. "But I will eat any girl you fall for."
Listening to the exchange between the two, Byakuya couldn't help but think:
"These two really are made for each other."
After all, both Furuta and Rize had a touch of the yandere in them.
In the original timeline, we all know what Furuta ended up doing... and it mostly stemmed from the fact that, by then, Rize had lost interest in him entirely. Crushed under years of oppression from the Washuu clan, her mind was only focused on indulging her hunger.
"You don't have to worry about that" Furuta said with a grin. "I'd never fall for anyone but you, Rize."
That pure, confident declaration made Rize's cheeks flush red as she froze for a moment.
And just like that, Furuta had unknowingly won the round.
"You said it, Furuta. I'm holding you to it."
Rize crossed her arms and nodded firmly.
"Oh, right!"
Suddenly remembering something, Furuta perked up.
"Rize, my father and I are heading to Germany for a while. Will you come with me? Just think of it as a little vacation."
"..."
Rize hesitated.
As much as she liked Furuta , she hated his father, Yoshitoki.
"If I have to be around that old man all the time, I'm not going."
Blunt as ever, Rize had no problem insulting Yoshitoki — even if he was Furuta's father.
"Don't worry" Furuta said quickly. "He's got important business there. Most of the time, it'll just be us exploring and having fun."
"Alright then" Rize agreed. "When are we leaving?"
"Right now" Furuta said.
At that, Shachi sprang into action.
He moved like lightning — his figure vanishing in an instant, only to return moments later with a suitcase and a pile of clothes. Judging by the style, all of them belonged to Rize.
Handing her the luggage, he simply said, "You can go now."
"Got it" Rize nodded.
After packing her essentials, she followed Furuta out the door.
"Thanks, Byakuya. Thanks, Eto!" Furuta said gratefully as they left.
Byakuya smiled and waved farewell to the two.
After they were gone, he and Eto stuck around to chat with Shachi for a bit before heading off themselves.
Time passed.
Under the pen name "Hajime Fujimoto" Byakuya had completed and published Attack on Titan. The entire process took just a few short months.
Now, the books were already on shelves across major bookstores.
Thanks to Byakuya's public standing and a deliberate push by Shoeisha Publishing, it didn't take long for people to connect "Hajime Fujimoto" with the Speaker of the TSC.
Sales were strong from the very beginning. Everyone was curious to see what kind of story the top ghoul diplomat would write.
And Attack on Titan didn't disappoint — its quality was rock-solid. It was only a matter of time before it became a breakout hit.
But today, Byakuya had returned to Shoeisha Publishing for a new reason: to sign a contract for his second series.
"Chairman Byakuya, your writing speed is absolutely terrifyin," said Shunji, the editor overseeing his contract.
"You've already finished your next project?"
"Yeah" Byakuya nodded. "What I gave you includes several volumes' worth."
His second project was Black Bullet. Naturally, he could only write up to the point where the original author left off — the rest, he'd have to invent himself.
Still, that was basically like writing a fanfic. Much easier than creating something completely new.
A few thousand words a day — a great way to pass the time.
"You never cease to amaze, Chairman" Shunji praised.
After wrapping up the paperwork at Shoeisha, Byakuya headed home.
Recently, he and Eto had moved again — this time, he'd outright purchased a villa in the 1st Ward, planning to make it their permanent residence.
"How are your sales going?" Eto asked casually from the sofa, a book in her hand.
"Pretty decent" Byakuya replied. "Though Dear Kafka is really flying off the shelves now. Just like I told you it would."
"You do know the future of this world" Eto said dryly. "Of course it'd turn out how you said."
During this period, the two would occasionally visit the Attack on Titan world — just to check in on how things were going.
Unless something unusual was happening, they'd usually just look around and return quickly.
"After lunch, let's meet up with Minami and Arima for some study time at the library."
As she spoke, Eto hopped off the couch and put on the apron hanging beside the kitchen.
"This time, I'll cook."
She'd come a long way since her first attempts in the kitchen — now, Eto's cooking was genuinely good.
After enjoying a delicious meal, Byakuya and Eto met up with Arima and Minami to study at the library.
They had talked before about preparing for university entrance exams, and they were following through. All the materials were ready.
For Byakuya, the exam content was child's play.
But Eto had never attended school, so the beginning had been tough.
Fortunately, with Byakuya teaching her, she caught on quickly — her learning ability was nothing to scoff at.
At the library, they found Arima and Minami already seated and reviewing their notes.
"You're here early" Eto said in a hushed tone. Then she smirked mischievously.
"Say, are you two living together already?"
It was just a tease, but Minami's face instantly turned red — the blush creeping all the way to her ears.