Bunkyo Ward,
University of Tokyo.
This was the famous Todai, the undisputed top comprehensive university in the country.
Any student who considered their grades top-notch set their sights on this place. Graduating from Todai was practically a badge of being an "elite among elites."
A black sedan silently drove out through the university gates, drawing curious looks from passing students.
It wasn't that they'd never seen a luxury car. Many Todai students came from wealthy families. A mere fancy car wasn't enough to surprise them. What truly surprised them was who was inside.
"Professor Osumi?"
As Todai students, how could they not recognize the white-haired old man with the white beard in the car?
He was a leading figure in molecular and cellular biology. His research might have been too advanced for ordinary people to understand, but one simple fact proved his stature: he was a Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine.
"Wasn't Professor Osumi supposed to have a lecture today?"
A biology student scratched their head in confusion.
"Maybe something urgent came up?"
Another student replied, pulling out their phone at the same time.
"Look, Professor Osumi's lecture has been canceled."
"Whaaat?!"
"I've been looking forward to that lecture for ages."
The students who heard the news let out disappointed sighs.
"In more than thirty years of teaching, this is the first time I've canceled a class for no apparent reason."
Inside the bulletproof sedan, the old man with the white beard slowly spoke.
"Now, can you tell me what's so urgent?"
He'd received an emergency order out of the blue, issued directly by a central agency like the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Even a Nobel laureate was baffled by it.
"Please be patient, Professor Osumi."
The man in the passenger seat sat upright, his face stern, as if ready to deal with any eventuality.
"You'll find out when we arrive."
?
"What?"
When they reached their destination and stepped out of the car, Professor Osumi was even more confused.
It was a warehouse in Setagaya Ward, a "traditional" wealthy district.
Almost everyone who lived here came from a "long-established" family, with ancestors traceable to the Shogunate's old aristocracy.
Other black sedans were already parked inside the warehouse. Nearly all the people getting out were familiar faces, including old acquaintances with whom Professor Osumi had once collaborated—and clashed.
Professor Osumi had assumed the Ministry's emergency order was meant for him alone. But judging by the scene, they'd summoned every prominent biology professor in the Tokyo area.
What could possibly warrant such a fuss?
The sight before him had already piqued Professor Osumi's curiosity. Without curiosity, no one could become an outstanding researcher.
"Osumi?"
A familiar voice sounded beside him.
"You're here too?"
The other man was also an elderly scholar with white hair. But unlike Professor Osumi, with his full beard, the old man approaching him had neatly combed silver hair and a gentle smile. He looked every bit like a renowned teacher whose students filled the world.
And indeed, he was. He'd been a professor for fifty years and had taught countless outstanding students.
"Honjo?"
Professor Osumi looked at him in surprise. Honjo was also a Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine, specializing in cancer immunology.
They were close in age, and both had reached the pinnacle of their respective fields. They were old acquaintances in every sense.
"You were called here in an emergency too?"
"Yeah, looks like you were as well."
"I was hoping you might know what the people upstairs are up to."
The two white-haired scholars chatted while the others greeted one another. Everyone present was a top professor in the field of biology. Without orders from above, gathering them all in one place would have been extremely difficult.
After all, where there were friends, there were rivals!
"Thank you for waiting, everyone."
A few minutes later, a government official in formal attire emerged from the depths of the warehouse.
He politely raised a hand in greeting to the elderly scholars.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Professor Osumi frowned and gestured at the people behind the official.
Besides the government official, several fully armed soldiers stood behind him.
"Please rest assured."
"You're all national treasures. No one would dare harm you."
The official patiently explained,
"These soldiers are here to protect this facility. Please follow me."
?
This...
There were several Nobel laureates present, all genuine top scientists in the country.
In theory, there was no reason to worry about their personal safety. Yet the scene before them was bizarre. They'd taken part in national-level experiments before, but never anything so secretive—and never with so many people gathered together.
"Let's go, Osumi."
Professor Honjo, his silver hair neatly combed back, stepped forward first.
At their age, what storms hadn't they weathered? Death was only a matter of time, after all.
"Let's see what the government is up to."
"Supernatural creatures?"
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with this place?"
Professor Osumi pointed at his temple and spoke bluntly.
Unlike the other polite scholars, he'd loved working out since childhood. When he was young, he'd even earned the nickname "Fukuoka's Mad Lion" on the playing field.
"Yes, everyone."
In the descending elevator, the government official earnestly explained the situation to the leading figures in biology.
"We captured a supernatural creature."
"We need your expertise. This way, please."
The elevator stopped. The elderly scholars followed the official into the underground facility and entered a room fitted with a glass wall. They looked inside at the creature:
"A Shiba Inu?"
"It really is a Shiba Inu."
The scholars exchanged baffled looks. The creature in the room had golden fur, a broad forehead, a long, narrow muzzle, small, upright, slightly triangular ears, and small triangular eyes. Its thick tail curled over its back, and it wore a cheerful expression. What else could it be but a Shiba Inu?
That was it?!
The biology professors' priceless brains nearly short-circuited on the spot. If not for their good manners, they would have started cursing.
"Please remain calm, everyone—"
The government official tapped his earpiece, and the thick metal walls of the room silently slid open.
"Roar!! Roar!!"
Amid a soul-shaking roar, a tiger sprang out.
?
With just one glance,
the biology professors could tell that the tiger had been drugged.
The frenzied tiger charged straight at the Shiba Inu as soon as it appeared!
One was about three meters long and weighed around 200 kilograms, the so-called king of beasts.
The other was a pitiful half-meter long and weighed no more than ten kilograms. It was questionable whether the Shiba Inu would even make a mouthful for the tiger.
Bang!
The next second,
the two vastly different bodies collided.
????
The biology professors behind the glass wall instantly widened their eyes.
"Woof,"
The Shiba Inu stuck out its two stubby legs and actually stopped the tiger's pounce!
The scene was as absurd as watching someone raise a hand to stop a speeding dump truck.
"Awoo~~"
With a feeble, almost comical "roar," the tiny Shiba Inu grabbed the tiger's head with both paws and flung it aside.
Thud!
The tiger weighed twenty times as much as the Shiba Inu, yet it was sent tumbling away.
???
"Roar—"
The tiger sprang back to its feet, roared, and lunged at the Shiba Inu again. Driven by the drugs and hunger, it wanted nothing but to kill.
Whoosh—
Faced with the king of beasts, the Shiba Inu dug in with its short legs.
It dodged the attack at terrifying speed, leaving a yellow streak across the retinas of the biology professors.
"This... this is..."
Professor Osumi pointed at the "battle" behind the glass wall, trembling all over, unable to get a complete sentence out.
"Yes."
"Everyone, this is the supernatural creature we captured."
The official nodded. Though it looked like nothing more than a Shiba Inu, after becoming "supernatural," it could fight a tiger to a standstill!
Of course, in the face of modern firepower, even a tiger was just a "big orange cat."
Across the entire planet, the only beings capable of standing against humans were other humans.
But this Shiba Inu represented something else:
"Everyone,"
"there's no doubt about it. This is a Dog Demon."
"And your job is to identify the source of its 'demonic power.'"
"This is for our country. No, it's for the evolution of humanity. I ask you to give this your all—"
With that, the government official bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
"Please!"