Okubo Police Departnt, interrogation room.
Morimoto Chiyoda propped her cheek on her hand. She watched the fifty-year-old witch before her wave a Divine Artifact and perform the Kagura dance to drive away Evil Spirits. The so-called Divine Artifact was rely a wooden stick with a zigzag-shaped white paper strear tied to it.
"Evil Spirits, begone! Evil Spirits, begone!"
The witch swung the artifact, earnestly sprinkling so clear water into the air while muttering. The ritual to drive away Evil Spirits filled Morimoto Chiyoda with helplessness, yet she didn't stop it. It was almost ti to clock out. Stopping this witch would only an calling in the next one. Better to let this one dance until the end of the shift, she thought.
As her mind wandered, the interrogation room door suddenly burst open. "Morimoto, we've got action! Let's move!"
Hearing this, Morimoto Chiyoda's spirits lifted instantly. She stopped daydreaming, stood up, and said to the witch, "You can keep dancing. I have an ergency." With those words, she had already run out of the interrogation room.
She hurried to catch up with Okayama Buji and asked, "Where did Dio kill soone this ti?"
Okayama Buji replied, "Kabukicho, 2-cho 25-3. Let's get to the car, quickly."
"Okay." Morimoto Chiyoda nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. Finally, no more dealing with those charlatans.
At the departnt's parking lot, she, Okayama Buji, Emily, and Katerina ford one team. Ito Oto, Kitanotake, and Miyaji Yosuke ford the other. Iwaki usually handled online matters and rarely went out. He would monitor using a drone that followed alongside the vehicles. With four additional officers needed for support at the scene, the Okubo Police Departnt dispatched a total of six police cars, which sped off, sirens wailing.
They blared their sirens, ignored all traffic rules, and rushed to the scene at top speed, splitting into two groups upon arrival. One group covered the front, the other the rear, surrounding the three-story building.
"Seal off the scene quickly and don't let anyone else get close!" Okayama Buji began directing the officers from the two support police cars. He chose not to enter, instead stationing himself outside to prevent any unauthorized entry.
Morimoto Chiyoda, Emily, and Katerina went in through the front entrance. Ito Oto, Kitanotake, and Miyaji Yosuke covered the back entrance. Iwaki's drone hovered overhead, ready to coordinate and provide information if any issues arose. This deploynt was based on the possibility that Dio might still be at the cri scene. Although they suspected Dio had likely already left, they had to proceed with utmost caution in case of unforeseen developnts.
Katerina, the special task force's muscle and shield, was the first to open the door. Her eyes swept the room as she said in a low voice, "Careful, it's dangerous inside." Her past experiences on battlefields had honed her intuition to an animalistic sharpness, allowing her to sense danger instantly. The mont Katerina stepped through that door, she felt as if a large predator was targeting her. It was like a 350-kilogram Siberian tiger lurked sowhere within, ready to pounce and tear into her at any second.
"Is Dio still here?" Morimoto Chiyoda quickly drew her M500 revolver, a flicker of excitent in her eyes.
Emily doubted Dio would have remained. She shouted into the building, "Hey! We're from the tropolitan Police Departnt's special task force! Is the person who reported this here? To avoid any misunderstandings, please show yourselves imdiately!"
A mont later, a timid voice called from the top of the stairs, accompanied by raised hands, "Don't shoot! We're the ones who called!"
Ruriko Yokoo decided to trust them this once and stepped forward. Sunaga Takashi followed closely. He didn't raise his hands; instead, his right hand remained on the hilt of his sword, his stance vigilant. In the past, he might have trusted the police. But things were different now. He trusted the sword in his hand more.
Katerina quickly identified the source of the dangerous aura, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. She hadn't expected the young man before her to exude such a potent sense of danger. Katerina had t many exceptional martial artists, but this was the first ti she'd encountered such a master of bladed weapons. She could feel danger just from the way he held his sword. A combative spirit welled up inside Katerina, but she suppressed the urge to fight.
Emily glanced at the girl's injuries, then at the wary Sunaga Takashi. A flicker of understanding crossed her mind, but she said nothing. She asked, "Where is the victim's body?"
Ruriko Yokoo shook her head. "There's no body."
"Are you joking?" a cold voice interjected from the other side. Ito Oto entered from the back door. Dressed in a white lab coat, her voice held a trace of annoyance. She wasn't one to slack off and actually enjoyed dissecting bodies. Hearing there was no corpse, her first thought was that these two kids were playing a prank. But how, she wondered, did these two kids know the na Dio?
Ruriko Yokoo quickly shook her head. "No! The person exploded—BANG!—right in front of ! Flas and smoke erupted from within, but there wasn't a single drop of blood. The person just... vanished into thin air. Then Dio made fall asleep. I passed out. When I woke up, the Vulcan Machine Gun that was next to , and the three blonde foreigners, were all gone. Not a single drop of blood on the floor. I think Dio vaporized them all." Having said sothing so fantastical, Ruriko Yokoo felt a surge of anxiety, afraid they wouldn't believe her. She quickly added, "Everything I said is true! I even rember the man had black patterns on his face!"
Emily's expression was complex. Of course, she knew the girl was telling the truth. And she understood: Dio had gained another Superpower. A Superpower capable of completely disintegrating a human body. Scientifically speaking, an explosion of that magnitude should have been powerful enough to destroy this building, and even damage adjacent ones. That was the kind of horrifying explosion that would leave not even a drop of blood from a human body. But was it truly an explosion? Superpowers defied scientific explanation.
Emily bit her thumb, deeply agitated. Dio had acquired an incredibly terrifying Superpower. From now on, he could kill without leaving a single trace. He could silently erase soone from existence. If they wanted to investigate, without eyewitnesses, it would often take a long ti before they even realized soone had vanished. The more Emily considered it, the more a chill ran down her spine.
Simultaneously, a question flashed through her mind. If she recalled correctly, last week's incident had also occurred on a Monday. Emily began to review the timing of Dio's previous attacks. A suspicion ford in her mind: Could it be... Dio gains a new Superpower every Monday?
The air fell silent.
Morimoto Chiyoda saw Ruriko Yokoo's nervousness and knew how to ease it. She stepped closer. "Don't be afraid. We're not bad people. Your injuries must hurt, right? Let the doctor lady over there take a look."
"I am a forensic doctor." Ito Oto, completely unconcerned with the girl's feelings, stated bluntly, "Any injuries she has can be checked at a hospital."
"Are you an idiot?" Morimoto Chiyoda retorted. "She already knows Dio is a Superpower User. As long as the CIA wants to maintain secrecy, they'll definitely try to control her. I suspect this kidnapping was orchestrated by the CIA. A Vulcan Machine Gun... not even the Self-Defense Forces have access to those." Morimoto Chiyoda had wanted to play the part of a caring older sister, but Ito Oto's uncooperative attitude made her instinctively switch to an aggressive tack.
Stung by the mockery, Ito Oto wanted to argue back but had to concede Morimoto Chiyoda's point. With a scowl, she said to Ruriko, "You, co with ."
Ruriko Yokoo glanced at Sunaga Takashi. The young man nodded. He could tell these people weren't hostile.
"What a well-behaved child. I wish my own kid were this obedient." Morimoto Chiyoda smiled, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Aozawa used to be so obedient and cute too. The older he gets, the more disobedient and rebellious he becos. It's quite a handful.
Sunaga Takashi frowned slightly. He felt like he was being looked down upon. But he kept silent on that, instead asking, "Dio killed Hazama Michio. Does this an anyone who searches for Hazama Michio's na will be targeted by the CIA?"
"That's right. It seems you knew Hazama Michio. Truly unfortunate." Morimoto Chiyoda sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "The fact that Katerina sensed danger from you ans you're no ordinary high school student. Has that sword of yours ever killed anyone?"
Ruriko Yokoo had already left with Ito Oto. Sunaga Takashi no longer held back. He nodded. "I killed two n in black ard with guns. They were likely CIA agents sent to capture ."
"With your sword?"
"That's right." Sunaga Takashi gripped the Red Sakura slung at his waist. Even this simple movent sent a chill through Morimoto Chiyoda. It was as if the icy blade had already been unsheathed and was resting against her neck, a bone-deep chill seeping into her through her very pores.
"A master swordsman, are you? Quite an achievent for your age." Morimoto Chiyoda clapped her hands. "What's your na?"
"Sunaga Takashi. I'm a student at Kamiya High School, class 2-A." He stated his na and school, his compliance with Morimoto Chiyoda stemming from a bold idea forming in his mind.
A flicker of understanding crossed Morimoto Chiyoda's eyes. She seed to grasp the boy's unspoken thoughts. She smiled. "So, what are your plans? Regardless of what you want, you're already embroiled in a very dangerous situation. The CIA won't easily let go of anyone who knows Dio is a Superpower User. If you want to protect the girl, you have only two options: join the CIA, or join our special task force. Beco one of us, and you'll be spared further trouble. What's your decision?"
Without any hesitation, Sunaga Takashi nodded. "I want to join the special task force!" He harbored no goodwill towards the CIA, the ones who had kidnapped Ruriko Yokoo. Joining them was absolutely out of the question.
"Excellent. Our special task force gains another strong fighter."
"Hey! I'm the leader of this special task force!" Emily finally snapped back to reality. She looked at the black-haired young man, then at his sword, and muttered, "Guns are probably useless against Dio. Our only hope might be bladed weapons... We should try to find soone to enchant this."
Sunaga Takashi breathed a sigh of relief. To be able to join the special task force this smoothly was the best possible outco.
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