Setagaya District, Oyamadai Station.
Morimoto Chiyoda stepped out of the station, her hands tucked into her trouser pockets, her right hand gripping the gun concealed within. If she sensed anything amiss, she could draw her gun and kill the enemy instantly.
Firing a gun in a crowded area was a serious violation of police regulations and a punishable offense. But in tis of danger, Morimoto Chiyoda wouldn't care whether she was in a crowded area or not. When it was ti to act, she would definitely take action. This was Morimoto Chiyoda's principle.
She scanned her surroundings vigilantly as she walked towards a room she had rented in Oyamadai. The rent was covered by the special task force.
Dio's case had caused such a commotion in Tokyo that the Police Director was giving them the green light all the way. As long as they could catch Dio before the Ministry of Public Security did, it would allow the Police Director to make a favorable impression on the National Public Safety Commission. Funding was not an issue. That man had always aspired to climb higher, not content to remain rely the Police Director.
Morimoto Chiyoda wasn't keen on risking her life for the Police Director's future. She walked cautiously down the street, indifferent to the scenery on both sides, alert for potential enemies that could appear at any mont.
Morimoto Chiyoda had specifically researched KGB assassination thods. She found they liked to transform ordinary, commonplace objects into deadly weapons. For example, they might modify an umbrella into a murder weapon, hiding a poisoned needle at its tip. A re poke could break the skin. Within three seconds, the person stabbed would die on the spot. Such thods were incredibly difficult to defend against, forcing her to be wary of anyone who might approach her.
Oyamadai Station was less than three hundred ters from the rented apartnt. Halfway there, Morimoto Chiyoda could see the four-story Floral Checkered Apartnt.
"Don't move."
A seductive voice suddenly sounded in her ear. Morimoto Chiyoda's pupils dilated in shock, her forehead even breaking out in a cold sweat. Despite her constant vigilance, she hadn't detected him approaching; it was as if he had materialized out of thin air. By the ti she noticed, he was already standing on her shadow.
A knife pressed against her back.
Should I draw my gun? The thought flashed through Morimoto Chiyoda's mind, but she quickly dismissed it. Her face showed no sign of panic. Instead, her lips slowly curved into a smile as she said, "It's ungentlemanly to press such a cold, hard object against a woman."
Her sultry voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, revealed the strength of her ntal fortitude in the face of danger.
"Sorry about that. But if I don't press this against you, I'm afraid you'd react excessively. And it's even more ungentlemanly to lay hands on a lady."
"Heh, I didn't expect Dio to be a man who 'cherishes the fairer sex.'"
Morimoto Chiyoda guessed this was the target Emily was so determined to find. According to Emily, Dio had a voice with a wicked allure that, once heard, was unforgettable.
"I've always been a man who cherishes the fairer sex. As long as you aren't tainted with sin, I won't lay a finger on you."
"Do the KGB have such principles?"
"Rember, I have my own way of doing things. No one can influence ."
Morimoto Chiyoda's eyes showed a hint of contemplation. It seed this person's relationship with the KGB was not quite as she had imagined. She continued to probe, "Do you think you're a god?"
"No, I never considered myself a god. I'm just a mortal who transcends gods. I will punish the sinners that gods cannot."
Aozawa's voice was serious as he softly said, "Even though you are pursuing , I still see you as a group of diligent, good people. I hope you can maintain this kindness and not fall into the abyss of evil."
Morimoto Chiyoda breathed a sigh of relief internally. It seed her and Emily's previous judgnt of Dio had not been wrong—this person was an extrely fanatical idealist. And his relationship with the KGB was likely one of cooperation, not a clear hierarchical one.
Very dangerous. A will unswayed by anything, coupled with exceptional ability—such people often cause trendous upheaval. The weak, rather than thinking independently, yearn to be dominated by strong-willed individuals. And Dio fit the criteria of the kind of strong figure people desired to be ruled by.
"Goodbye. I hope you won't look back."
Fearing his transformation ability wouldn't last long enough, Aozawa said this and then retreated, walking backward.
Morimoto Chiyoda didn't look back, patiently waiting.
About ten minutes later, Morimoto Chiyoda turned around, but Dio's figure was no longer on the street behind her.
A breeze blew by, and her black and white checkered T-shirt clung to her back, exuding a slight chill. The scare had left her back drenched in cold sweat.
"I'm saved."
Morimoto Chiyoda exhaled in relief, imdiately took out her phone, and dialed Emily's number.
After two beeps, the call connected.
"Morimoto, what happened?" Emily's tone was very serious. She knew that Morimoto Chiyoda wouldn't call her unless it was sothing important.
"I just encountered Dio. He was standing behind with a knife pressed against ."
"What? Are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance?" Emily suddenly beca very anxious, bombarding her with questions, worried that Morimoto Chiyoda was in danger.
"Don't worry, Dio didn't do anything to . We've misjudged Dio all along. His relationship with the KGB may not be hierarchical." Morimoto Chiyoda truthfully relayed her guess and what Dio had said to her.
After hearing those words, Emily suddenly understood why Dio had approached her that night. Perhaps the reason wasn't as complicated as she had thought; Dio had co simply to test whether she was soone who deserved to die. If she were one of those corrupt governnt officials, her body would already be in a coffin, awaiting cremation.
"So that's it. He's more dangerous than I imagined," Emily murmured to herself, clearly aware she had encountered an extrely tricky enemy.
As long as Dio refrains from harming the innocent, once word of his actions spreads, he could be revered as a new era's saint in this age of information explosion. He would garner countless fanatical followers.
Just like Dio, always challenging her worldview. While shocked by the danger Dio represented, Emily couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitent. Only such a person was worthy of being caught by her.
She thought for a mont and changed her strategy. "Since Dio is that kind of person, why not search online to see if he's been promoting his ideology there?"
In Emily's opinion, if Dio intended to be a pioneer kindling the flas of reform, he would inevitably promote his ideology. This could be online or offline, through so channel. Sifting through ssages on various platforms and comparing them one by one could lead to clues about Dio's whereabouts.
Just thinking about it gave Emily a headache; the workload would be trendous. She decided to ask the Police Director for help and to recruit more people for the screening task.
"If there's nothing else, I'll continue with the surveillance."
"Sure, thank you for your efforts." Emily paused, then said, "Contact imdiately if you have any news. Goodbye."
"Okay."
Morimoto Chiyoda hung up, feeling exceptionally lighthearted. Dio's nature as an extre idealist ant he was unlikely to target Aozawa; that wouldn't align with his ideology. She just needed to do her job properly to avoid any attacks.
Life without threats was indeed comfortable. Morimoto Chiyoda exhaled deeply, suddenly finding the street scenery interesting again.
This was Setagaya District. With her financial situation, she could never afford a house here in her lifeti.
Morimoto Chiyoda strolled leisurely down the street, admiring the scenery on both sides, montarily forgetting to track Aozawa's movents.
...
「The next day.」
At six o'clock sharp in the morning, the alarm on the cell phone on the nightstand rang on ti.
Aozawa was awakened by the noise. He reached out, swiped the phone screen, and turned off the alarm.
He sat up and looked around the room. The surveillance cara that had been on the wall had been removed.
Aozawa heaved a sigh of relief. The forty thousand Yen I spent wasn't wasted after all. A man must have his own secret stash of cash. That way, when money is needed, he doesn't have to ask a woman for it and can handle it himself. I'll keep saving up my private fund.
Aozawa got out of bed, shed his pajamas, changed into his black school uniform, and walked out. "Good morning, Chitose."
"Hmm."
The charming nasal voice was as provocative as ever. Morimoto Chiyoda, as always, was in the living room, practicing a high-difficulty yoga pose, her legs split straight to the floor in a perfect line.
Aozawa glanced at her and asked knowingly, "What happened to the cara in my room?"
"I've taken them all down," Morimoto Chiyoda replied. With the KGB threat eliminated, there was no longer a need for surveillance caras in the house. Besides, after the Iwaki Kususuke incident, she didn't trust modern high-tech gadgets that much. If a hacker breached the caras, her and Aozawa's private lives would be completely exposed. She didn't want her privacy invaded, so she had removed all the caras.
"I told you not to buy those things. What a waste of money."
"Don't try to take credit. I didn't consult you at all when I bought them," Morimoto Chiyoda retorted.
"You used my money without consulting ?"
"Hey, that was money *I* earned, okay?"
"Your money is my money, and my money is still my money."
Morimoto Chiyoda was sowhat shocked by Aozawa's brazen logic. I'm raising quite the formidable freeloader here, she teased. "You can say that to , but don't you dare say it to other girls. You'll get beaten to death."
"I was just kidding. You actually took it seriously?" Aozawa shrugged. He was in high spirits, humming a tune as he headed toward the washroom.
Ti flies. It's Thursday already. Tomorrow's Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday, and then it's Monday again. Right, what should I wear for my date on Saturday afternoon?
Aozawa stepped into the washroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror. With a face this handso, anything I wear will look good.
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