America Intervenes

Taito Ward,

Ousakura Girls' School,

"Why is this woman here?"

Akiyu Sora, who had walked out of the school gates with an umbrella, spotted Ai Nao beside her brother at a glance. Her expression immediately turned cold.

"Ahem, Nao brought me here with her umbrella."

After recalling the "conflict" between the two, Akihi Yu took the initiative to ease the tension.

"It's enough for you to share an umbrella with me!"

She grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him toward her.

Although Akiyu Sora's strength was nowhere near enough to pull Akihi Yu, whose body was protected by chakra, Akihi Yu could not simply stand there unmoving. After giving Class Monitor Nao an apologetic look, he stepped beneath Akiyu Sora's umbrella.

"Yu, Sora, and Nao, we'll be heading off first~~"

Led into a black luxury car by the aloof Young Lady Nagisa Kazuha, Amame Ei waved goodbye to the three of them from the window.

"See you tomorrow."

After waving farewell to the sisters, Akihi Yu turned to Ai Nao.

"Let's go home together too."

"Huh? Is that okay?"

Facing the surprised Class Monitor Nao and Akiyu Sora, whose expression was growing increasingly unpleasant, Akihi Yu gave a grand wave of his hand.

"Of course."

"Brother, after what that woman did, why are you still walking with her?"

Back at the Akihi House,

Akiyu Sora, who had held it in all the way home, finally exploded.

"That was all years ago. Besides, I don't mind—"

"I mind!"

Realizing she had misspoken, his younger sister snorted coldly.

"Anyway, don't associate with that kind of bad woman anymore."

"And we have our own trouble. If the police come knocking—"

Akihi Yu waved off Akiyu Sora's worries.

"Don't worry."

"They're just a few pieces of society's trash. What time would the police have to care about them?"

The police...

It was about time they got "busy."

"It's time to move."

In an empty apartment, Tanimura Wataru, who had been resting against a wall, opened his eyes.

As the saying went, when one transcended the ordinary in a single thought, the world suddenly became vast. After gaining "demon power," especially after personally killing several enemies last night, Tanimura Wataru's mindset had undergone a drastic transformation.

He no longer felt the slightest bit nervous about sneaking into someone else's apartment.

Compared to what he was about to do, what did this little "crime" amount to?

"One day, my soul will be absorbed by this stone too, won't it?"

He raised a hand to touch the Sessho-seki fragment embedded in his forehead, gave a bitter laugh, and stood to leave.

Click.

At that moment, the sound of a key turning came from the front door.

The next second, an office worker pushed the door open.

"Huh?"

After changing his shoes, the office worker entered the living room and looked suspiciously at the fluttering curtains.

"Did I forget to close the window?"

Could a thief have broken in—

"How could that be?"

Walking to the window, the office worker looked down and could not help laughing at his own absurd thought.

This was the fifth floor, and as a rental apartment, what could a thief steal besides everyday furniture?

Downstairs, a young man tugged down his baseball cap and slowly walked away.

Flap flap~~

A Crow perched on the rooftop silently glided into the air as well.

Tokyo's urban greenery was fairly decent. Its many parks provided ideal habitats for crows, while the large amounts of household garbage provided them with food. Furthermore, although people of the Island Nation disliked crows—for example, there was a tradition of quickly shutting the door if a crow cawed outside—it was also considered unlucky to harm them.

Even though the government had a dedicated "Crow Countermeasures Task Force," it merely kept their numbers within a certain range.

So seeing crows fly through the sky was perfectly normal.

Elsewhere,

Bunkyo Ward, Jippo Temple.

"Yes, Mom."

"I'm at Jippo Temple. I'll be back later. Don't worry. Mm, take care of yourself too."

After hanging up, the young Kishida Jun stood among the graves and looked at the classical Japanese-style tombstone before him. Here lay his regret, his beloved.

Miyashita Ryoko's Grave

"Ryoko, I don't know whether what I'm about to do is right or wrong, but—"

"I want you back by my side, sharing this umbrella with me."

He brushed his fingers over the Bear Umbrella in his hand, and the youth's gaze gradually became resolute.

"For that, even if I must fall into hell, I will not hesitate."

"Please forgive me."

With that, Kishida Jun turned and left with the umbrella in hand, leaving only the smiling photograph of the girl on the tombstone to watch him depart.

"Target sighted!"

"There's a... dog beside the target?"

"It's a Shiba Inu. Is it for easier disguise?"

Inside the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Operations Room, rows upon rows of computers stretched as far as the eye could see, displaying surveillance feeds from countless public facilities across Adachi Ward.

At the same time, more than a hundred plainclothes officers had spread out around Ayase Town, forming a dense surveillance network.

A considerable number of drones also silently moved through Tokyo's skies.

Heaven rewarded the diligent. They had finally located Tanimura Wataru, wearing a baseball cap and mask while leading a Shiba Inu.

"The target is moving toward Kita-Senju Town."

"There are two Broken Tooth Gang 'sales points' there, located at the Creative Bar in 1-chome, and—"

Information continuously poured in. Even though Tanimura Wataru had discarded all electronic devices and disguised himself, before a fully mobilized state machine, he was still effectively naked.

In modern society, if the state truly resolved to find someone, it could dig them up even if they had been burned to ashes!

The so-called "wanted criminals" and "heinous fugitives" of ordinary times were only matters on an individual scale. Forget the state—even a single police station sending out two teams would count as a major case. Arguing with other departments and handling cases across jurisdictions wasted enormous amounts of time.

But this was different.

This was the supernatural!

And it was unprecedented. At the very least, none of the upper echelons across the entire Island Nation had ever heard of any trace of supernatural beings.

The entire nation would scour mountains and seas! Unless it was an existence like Mr. Three, who came and went without a trace and might not even be human, it was impossible not to leave evidence behind.

"Execute Plan A!"

As Director Takeya, who oversaw everything, gave the order, countless commands traveled through electromagnetic waves to the ears of personnel on the front lines.

"Move!"

"Hm?"

Leading a Shiba Inu through the brightly lit city, a trace of confusion flashed through Tanimura Wataru's eyes.

In his view, that mysterious being had bestowed upon him the demon power of a "wolf demon," turning him into the classic "half-demon" from anime. In reality, however, he was still a pure human, merely possessing an ability called chakra and the Secret Technique of the Inuzuka Clan from the World of Fire.

So-called Secret Techniques had not strayed beyond the bounds of ordinary ninja arts, but they were more difficult than regular ninja arts.

Besides commanding dogs in battle, the Inuzuka Clan themselves could transform into canines. The Four-Legged Technique allowed one to become a dog, though deep in his subconscious, Tanimura Wataru preferred to believe he was a wolf.

Combined with chakra, the "Werewolf" he transformed into could easily crush ordinary armed forces.

Since this ability had been granted directly by Akihi Yu, an Otsutsuki, there was naturally no need for hand seals.

And—

Pulling down his mask, Tanimura Wataru wrinkled his nose.

His sense of smell had also been greatly enhanced, and he caught a great many "strange" scents.

"The target has stopped."

"Did he notice something?"

"Watch his movements. Based on the supernatural traits he has displayed... it's superhuman smell!"

In the Special Operations Room in Chiyoda Ward, the elites of the police system quickly reacted. Since the plan could not keep up with the changes, then—

"Inspector Iori, act immediately!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

On a street in 1-chome, Kita-Senju Town, Iori Ichika, dressed in a leather jacket with belts visible beneath the open front and combat boots on her feet, scratched her hair with a thoroughly displeased expression. She looked every bit like a street gang boss.

Not only had she been reinstated, she had even skipped two ranks to become an Inspector.

At twenty-seven, it was practically like riding a rocket!

This was a height that an ordinary family could never hope to reach in an entire lifetime.

Of course, behind such rocket-like promotions came the danger of having to step up whenever trouble arose—

"Yo, isn't that Tanimura?"

?

Just as Tanimura Wataru sensed something was wrong, a flippant voice rang out.

"Officer Iori?"

Seeing the woman with one hand in her pocket and the other waving to greet him, Tanimura Wataru first smiled, but then his muscles tensed.

He smiled because he knew her, and she had helped him quite a bit before. He was tense because she belonged to the Organized Crime Division. In theory, she was now his enemy too!

"What's with that outfit? Going out because you're socially anxious?"

The female officer, looking like a gang boss, walked up and casually hooked an arm around Tanimura Wataru's neck, making everyone behind countless surveillance screens hold their breath.

Fortunately,

The scene of the target suddenly erupting into murder did not happen.

"Come on, I'll treat you to ramen."

???

"Huh? Officer Iori, why?"

"Hahaha, because I got promoted. Don't be polite, it's my treat. Come on."

She dragged him toward the ramen shop nearby. Tanimura Wataru wanted to resist, but in the end, he allowed himself to be half-pushed, half-pulled into the store.

After all, this Officer Iori dealt with yakuza every day. She was a genuinely good person fighting on the front lines.

"Slurp~~ A good person?"

"Hey, slurp~~ what kind of evaluation is that!"

Inside the ramen shop, Iori Ichika ate her noodles as she casually retorted.

"The reason I became a police officer was to exercise violence legally. I got my detective rank by winning medals at international competitions."

"Being able to beat the crap out of society's trash is what I enjoy. So I'm not a good person, nor am I a 'good cop.' Don't get the wrong idea, Tanimura."

Tanimura Wataru laughed instead at the blunt words from the female officer beside him.

"As far as I'm concerned, Officer Iori is a good person."

"Oh, right. Officer Iori, you said you got promoted, but I haven't congratulated you yet."

Hearing Tanimura Wataru's words, Iori Ichika put down her chopsticks.

"Come to think of it, it's thanks to you."

?

"Because this morning, I cracked the case in 3-chome, Ayase Town."

?!

Clatter.

Tanimura Wataru abruptly rose to his feet, every muscle in his body taut as the "demon power" within him surged, completely changing his aura!

How formidable.

Iori Ichika, a former international karate champion who had earned her promotion through gold medals, suddenly felt a terrifying pressure bearing down on her. It was as if she stood before the bloody maw of a Fierce Tiger, and the next second, her head and body would be separated.

"Relax, Tanimura."

Iori Ichika slowly turned around and looked at the young man crouched before her, poised to pounce.

"You're collecting human 'souls,' right?"

"Looks like I was right."

Though Tanimura Wataru did not answer, the expression on his face had already betrayed his heart.

"Tanimura, you don't have to go through all this trouble."

"If you want to collect 'souls,' aren't prisons full of them?"

???

"So, Tanimura, why not cooperate with the government?"

Iori Ichika rose to her feet,

spreading her hands to show that she meant no harm.

"Look, I won a lousy gold medal and got promoted straight to police inspector. Plenty of old guys work until retirement and only ever reach that rank."

Iori Ichika's voice traveled back to headquarters over electromagnetic waves, leaving quite a few "Inspector Old Guys" looking awkward.

"With your strength, Tanimura, are you really afraid you won't make a name for yourself?"

Seeing that he did not argue, Iori Ichika pressed her advantage.

"As for imprisonment or dissection... to put it bluntly, you're more valuable than the prime minister right now. Something like that is absolutely impossible!"

What a joke.

Only trashy fiction kept throwing around the word "dissection" every day.

As if you could not be called a "mad scientist" without dissecting a corpse.

Yet a living specimen was worth far more than ten thousand corpses!

If anyone dared suggest dissecting such a valuable specimen, every scientist would drown them in spit. While his personal freedom might be restricted to some extent, Tanimura Wataru's life—as Iori Ichika had said—was now far more valuable than the prime minister's.

So that was it!

Tanimura Wataru suddenly understood.

That "strange smell" he had caught was the smell of propellant in loaded bullets!

And there was a large amount of it. Had he been surrounded?

"I need to use the restroom."

After thinking it over, Tanimura Wataru gave that answer.

"Go ahead."

Iori Ichika raised a hand toward the shop.

This place was already completely surrounded, and from what she knew of Tanimura Wataru, he was not the antisocial type.

A few minutes later,

Tanimura Wataru came out of the restroom with a grim expression, leading his Akita Inu.

"Let's go, Tanimura."

Though he looked unhappy, Iori Ichika did not mind. Her mission was complete anyway.

Inspector Iori, hurry!

America's people are here. Move the target, now!

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