The Collar

The police officers left,

Only after the four officers' scents had completely faded did Tanimura Wataru finally relax.

"Mm-mm-mm~~"

The girl in his hands struggled again, but with the strength of an ordinary person, she wasn't even a match for a kitten in front of Tanimura Wataru.

"Listen carefully. I'm going to let you go."

"But you can't scream. Understand?"

The girl, whose mouth was covered by one hand, nodded. Tanimura Wataru then released her as promised.

"Phew... huff, huff~~"

As expected, the girl didn't try to shout for help. After catching her breath, she turned toward the window in astonishment.

"This is the third floor!"

"How did you get up here?"

Hey, wasn't that beside the point right now?

Faced with the girl's astonished yet excited expression, Tanimura Wataru couldn't help feeling speechless.

The girl he had released hurried over to the window and stuck her head outside to look.

"There's no ladder. That's amazing—"

Whoosh.

She had only just turned around when a sharp claw, as keen as a dagger, stopped in front of her eyes, cutting off her excited words.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Didn't you even consider that I might kill you?"

Looking at the girl before him, whose face had stiffened and who was trembling under his threat, Tanimura Wataru sighed inwardly. In the end, he lowered his hand.

"This world isn't as beautiful as you imagine. If you go looking for thrills, you'll end up in pieces."

"Forget everything that happened just now. Studying hard is what you should be doing."

"What's that supposed to mean? You sound just like my dad."

The girl muttered under her breath. Those familiar words made Tanimura Wataru's expression shift.

"I'm sorry!"

Seeing the bearded man's unhappy expression, the girl with a hime haircut hurriedly pressed her palms together in apology.

"D-do you want money? I only have a few thousand yen in allowance."

Perhaps she had realized that the person in front of her wasn't a "good guy." The girl clumsily dug out a pink wallet.

"No, you don't need to apologize."

"And I don't want your money."

Lowering his eyes, Tanimura Wataru spoke more gently than he had since gaining demonic power.

She was—

Too much like her.

The girl in front of him looked remarkably like his younger sister, Tanimura Akemi.

Of course, as her older brother, Tanimura Wataru could tell the difference between them at a glance.

But her tone and gestures still left him feeling dazed.

Even her carefree personality was exactly like Akemi's.

"I'm the one who broke into your home without permission. I should be the one apologizing."

He walked to the window, then paused.

The burly Tanimura Wataru turned around again.

"Things are going to be pretty dangerous in Tokyo for a while. Don't go out at night, and don't leave your windows open."

Whoosh.

With that, he leaped out the window once more,

Landing lightly in the alley. He tugged at his hood, and in a flash, his figure disappeared into the night.

As for whether the girl would call the police, Tanimura Wataru didn't really care.

Put simply, he avoided the police not because he was afraid of them, but because he didn't want to attract trouble.

Ordinary handguns couldn't threaten him.

"What a weirdo."

The girl peered down through the window. With her traditional hime haircut—also known as a princess cut—she muttered to herself, then obediently closed the window and sat down to study.

She looked like a perfectly normal high school girl. At least, that was how it seemed to Tanimura Wataru, who was watching her from the shadows.

Enjoy your youth while you can.

Girl who reminds me of Akemi.

"Great!"

"The first step of the plan was a success!"

In a room on one of the floors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in Chiyoda Ward, Director Takeya pumped his fist.

The surveillance footage clearly showed Tanimura Wataru leaving, along with his final glance and the silent movement of his lips.

This office had been specially set up for the Collar Project. Every member of the staff had been carefully vetted; their families had been Japanese for three generations, and none had any personal connections with foreigners—or, to be blunt, with Americans.

The staff included psychologists, experts in microexpressions, and lip-reading specialists.

They had only one task: to analyze everything Tanimura Wataru said and did, build a psychological profile, and use it to "predict" his next move.

"Don't get too excited, Director."

Beside him, Iori Ichika habitually poured cold water on her superior's enthusiasm.

"This was only our first encounter. We're still a long way from success."

"Ichika, has anyone ever told you that you'd have been promoted long ago if you spoke less?"

"Yes. You told me that last time you demoted me."

Iori Ichika answered without a hint of restraint, dressed like the leader of a biker gang. Even her immediate superior couldn't help shaking his head.

He had to admit that Ichika was capable, but that mouth of hers... She'd brought the demotion on herself!

"Anyway, Akemi successfully made contact with him and wasn't killed on the spot. Without a doubt, that's a major victory—and it's all thanks to you, Ichika!"

"You give me too much credit, Director."

Looking around the room, its walls plastered with photographs of Tanimura Wataru and surveillance screens tracking his figure as he moved through the city, as well as Akemi diligently doing her homework, Iori Ichika—the plan's creator—still couldn't help feeling awed by the power of the state.

That was right.

This whole thing was a "scene" arranged by the Metropolitan Police Department.

The members of the Broken Tooth Gang who had been forcibly held in place, the electrician repairing the sewer lines, even the patrol officers' routes—

They were all carefully arranged parts of a stage, designed to create a chance encounter for the "male and female leads"!

Tanimura Wataru and Akemi!

The dead couldn't truly be brought back to life. At least, the Japanese government didn't have that ability.

But finding a girl who looked seventy—or even ninety—percent like Tanimura Akemi wasn't a problem.

With the full machinery of the state in motion, they had scoured the land and sea, finding a girl with features similar to Akemi's in no time.

Motivated by the national interest, the girl had agreed readily. Then came intensive rehearsals and a list of things to keep in mind. Although, in the eyes of the professionals, the girl's performance just now had been full of flaws, she wasn't dealing with a seasoned actor. She was dealing with a college student who had suddenly gained supernatural powers.

"Maybe her inexperienced acting felt more realistic?"

"That makes sense. A performance that's too polished might have the opposite effect."

Several acting experts were discussing the matter. Since being told what their job entailed, they had cut off all contact with the outside world. They also understood how important their work was.

That was a "demon"—no, a "supernatural being"!

If he lost control, his destructive power could cause massive casualties in an instant.

So they couldn't overlook a single detail or expression. They had to make sure they could bring him to heel in a "gentle" way.

The girl, "Akemi,"

Was the government's "collar" for Tanimura Wataru.

Given Tanimura Wataru's current wariness and hostility toward the government, approaching him directly would only lead to a fight. If force wouldn't work, they would try gentleness. Everyone had a weakness, and without a doubt, Tanimura Wataru's was his younger sister.

The real Tanimura Akemi was dead, so they would "make" him another one!

"Tanimura Wataru has returned underground."

Cameras had been hastily installed around manhole covers throughout Adachi Ward.

After the battle in Kita-Senju Town's First District, Tanimura Wataru's blood trail had vanished at a sewer entrance. The government hadn't sent anyone down to investigate because they were waiting for him to show himself.

This time, they weren't just going to make Tanimura Wataru work for the government; they were also going to use him to secretly investigate the supernatural beings lurking in Japan!

Meanwhile, in Kita-Senju Town, experienced experts had already found a second battlefield:

The traces of a fight between Tanimura Wataru and other "supernatural beings"!

The government had originally thought that the supernatural being who created the mist was Tanimura Wataru's ally, helping him escape.

But judging by the traces, that person had actually been after Tanimura Wataru! And from the evidence left behind, Tanimura Wataru had clearly suffered a serious defeat.

Considering the American Black Hawk Fighter's crash, it was possible that even more supernatural beings had been at the scene!

All the more reason to investigate what those unknown supernatural beings were plotting.