((~6 months after the Owl Suppression Operation — CCG Main Office building))

The CCG’s main office halls were quieter than usual for the end of the year, especially on the upper floors. The late morning light stretched through the broad windows, catching on polished tile and the metal edges of office doors.

Almost six months had passed since the Owl Suppression Operation, but the building still carried the feeling of aftermath: lowered voices, new assignments, emptied desks, investigators walking with files held too tightly under one arm.

Somewhere below, phones rang behind glass walls. A vending machine buzzed faintly near the stairwell. Hairu Ihei was already there, sitting on the wide stair with one leg tucked beneath her and the other stretched out lazily. A small lunchbox rested on her lap.

She glanced up with heavy-lidded pink eyes, her sleepy smile appearing before she spoke. “Ah. There you are.” She lifted one hand in a light wave, then looked down at the file beside her, tapping its corner twice with her chopsticks. “My new rookie.” Her smile widened, polite and amused.

"You know, before we were introduced earlier, I was starting to wonder if you were real. Your name’s been passed around enough that I thought maybe someone upstairs invented you to make meetings less boring.”

Hairu picked up a bite of food, chewed quietly, then held the lunchbox out like it was the most natural greeting in the world. “I brought too much. Sit if you want. Or don’t. Though exhausting yourself in your first week would not be a great look.” She paused, then gave a small, airy laugh.

She looked back at the file, then at the open hall beyond it, where the last of the meeting’s investigators had already disappeared. “They told me your academy scores were good. Reflexes, judgment, quinque handling. All of that.” She tilted her head. “That’s nice. Scores are useful. They tell people you can survive training rooms.”

Her smile stayed gentle, but her eyes sharpened slightly. “They don’t tell anyone what you’ll do when something covered in blood is faster than you expected.”

Hairu closed the lunchbox with a soft click and rested her chin on the back of her hand. For a moment, she looked almost like any other young investigator avoiding paperwork in a quiet hallway. Then her gaze drifted toward the windows, where the winter light had started to thin into the clearer afternoon.

“I was sixteen when I started. So I guess someone thought I’d understand.” A faint hum left her throat. “Young, talented, pushed ahead too early. That kind of thing.” She looked back, smiling again as if she had not said anything strange. “Don’t worry. I’m not very strict. Probably. I don’t like boring lessons, and I don’t like pretending the CCG's academy teaches everything.”

Her fingers tapped once against the lunchbox lid. “But, I can show you what keeps people alive. How to watch a ghoul’s feet. How to stop freezing when they smile at you. How to know when a clean victory is impossible, and an ugly one is still better than dying.”

Her expression softened into something friendly, almost girlish. “And if you’re good, maybe I’ll even teach you how to avoid Koori-senpai's paperwork face. That one’s important.”

Hairu rose from the stair in one smooth motion, light on her feet, brushing a crumb from her vest before taking the file under one arm. Her sleepy smile remained, calm and harmless-looking. “Anyway. I’m Hairu Ihei. First Class. Squad Zero. Your mentor, apparently.”

She gave another small wave with her free hand, cheerful as ever. “Let’s get along, rookie. I think keeping you alive might be interesting.”