Collar

The few police officers left.

Only after the scent of the four officers had completely faded did Tanimura Wataru finally set his mind at ease.

"Mmph! Mmphhh~~"

The young girl in his grasp began to struggle again, yet with her ordinary human strength, she didn't even count as a kitten in front of Tanimura Wataru.

"Listen well, I am going to let you go."

"But you must not scream or shout, do you understand?"

After the girl, whose mouth was covered by his single hand, nodded, Tanimura Wataru kept his promise and released her.

"Haa~ haa~~"

True to her word, the girl did not attempt to scream for help; instead, after catching her breath, she turned her head in surprise toward the window.

"This is the third floor!"

"How did you get up here?"

Hey, now is hardly the time for that, is it?

Faced with the girl, whose surprise was tinged with excitement, Tanimura Wataru couldn't help but be rendered speechless.

The girl he had released walked quickly to the window and poked her head out to look.

"There's no ladder, how magical—"

Swish.

Just as she turned back, sharp claws like daggers stopped right before her eyes, choking her excited words back into her throat.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Have you not considered that I might kill you?"

Watching the girl's face stiffen and seeing her begin to tremble under his threat, Tanimura Wataru sighed inwardly and finally lowered his fingers.

"This world is not as beautiful as you imagine; the end result of chasing thrills is to be smashed to pieces."

"Forget everything that happened tonight; studying hard is what you should be doing."

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

The girl muttered under her breath, and the familiar phrasing made Tanimura Wataru's expression shift.

"I'm sorry!"

Seeing the man with the 'beard' on his face looking displeased, the girl with the hime-cut quickly pressed her palms together in apology.

"Do, do you want money? I only have a few thousand yen in pocket money."

Seeming to realize that the person before her was not a 'good person,' the girl fumbled clumsily to pull out a pink wallet.

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

"And I don't want your money."

Lowering his gaze, for the first time since obtaining his 'yokai power,' Tanimura Wataru's tone was incredibly soft.

Alike.

Too alike.

The girl before him was very similar to his younger sister, Tanimura Akemi.

Of course, as her older brother, Tanimura Wataru could still distinguish the differences between the two at a glance.

But whether it was her tone or her movements, he couldn't help but feel dazed.

Even this thick-headed personality was exactly the same as 'Akemi's.'

"It was I who trespassed into your home; I am the one who should apologize."

He walked to the window and paused his steps.

The burly Tanimura Wataru turned his head back once more.

"Tokyo will not be peaceful for a while. Do not go out at night, and do not leave your windows open."

Swish.

Having said that, he leaped out of the window once again.

Landing lightly in the alleyway, he pulled up his hood, and his figure vanished into the night in a flash.

As for whether the other party would call the police, Tanimura Wataru didn't actually care much.

To put it plainly, the reason he avoided the police was simply because he didn't want to invite trouble, not because he feared them.

Ordinary small handguns posed no threat to him.

"What a weirdo."

Looking down from the window, the girl with the traditional hime-cut—the 'princess hairstyle'—muttered to herself, yet she obediently closed the window and sat down to study.

She looked like a perfectly normal high school girl, at least to Tanimura Wataru, who was observing from the shadows.

Enjoy your youth while it lasts.

A girl who looks like 'Akemi'.

"Yes!"

"Step one of the plan is a success!"

Inside a floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in Chiyoda Ward, Director Takeya threw a heavy punch into the air.

On the surveillance monitor, Tanimura Wataru's departing figure was clearly visible, along with that final glance and the silent movement of his lips.

This space had been specially designated as the office for the 'Collar Project'. Every staff member had undergone layers of screening; their ancestry traced back three generations as Japanese nationals, and none had any private connections to foreigners—or, to put it bluntly, to Americans.

These personnel included psychologists, micro-expression experts, and lip-reading masters.

Their sole task was to analyze every word and action of the man named 'Tanimura Wataru', build a psychological model, and thereby 'predict' his next move.

"Don't get too excited yet, Director."

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

"This was merely the first contact; we are still a long way from success."

"Ichika, has anyone ever told you that if you spoke a little less, you would have been promoted long ago?"

"Yes, you said that the last time you demoted me, Director."

The response from Iori Ichika, who carried the air of a biker gang leader, was delivered without a hint of hesitation, causing her boss to shake his head.

While he acknowledged her competence, that mouth of hers—it was no wonder she had brought the demotion upon herself!

"Regardless, 'Akemi' successfully made contact with the target without being killed on the spot. This is undoubtedly a major victory, and it is all thanks to you, Ichika!"

"You flatter me, Director."

Glancing at the room plastered with photos of 'Tanimura Wataru', the countless monitors tracking that figure moving through the city, and the 'Akemi' who was currently diligently studying her notes, Iori Ichika, as the architect of the plan, could not help but feel a sense of dread at the power of the state.

That's right.

Everything was a 'play' orchestrated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Whether it was the members of the Broken Tooth Gang forcibly trapped in place, the electricians repairing sewer lines, or the patrol routes of the police officers—

It was all a carefully staged set, designed to create a chance encounter for the 'protagonist and heroine'!

Tanimura Wataru, and 'Akemi'!

The dead cannot return to life, at least not with the capabilities of the Japanese government.

But finding a girl who resembled 'Tanimura Akemi' by seventy, or even ninety percent, was not a problem.

Faced with the full force of the state machinery, they had scoured the country and, in a short time, found a girl whose features were strikingly similar to 'Akemi'.

Driven by the greater good of the nation, the girl had easily agreed, followed by intensive rehearsals and briefings on various precautions. Although to the eyes of professionals, the girl's performance just now was full of flaws, she wasn't facing a veteran actor, but a college student who had suddenly acquired extraordinary power.

"Perhaps such raw, amateur acting is more realistic?"

"That makes sense. A performance that is too polished might actually backfire."

Several acting experts were in the middle of a discussion. Ever since they were informed of the nature of their work, they had cut off all contact with the outside world, fully aware of the gravity of their mission.

That was a 'monster'. No, they should call him an 'extraordinary'.

Once he lost control, his destructive power would immediately cause massive casualties.

Therefore, they could not overlook a single detail or expression, striving to make him submit in a 'gentle' manner.

That girl, 'Akemi', Was the 'collar' the government had prepared for Tanimura Wataru.

Given Tanimura Wataru's current vigilance and hostility toward the government, a rash approach would only lead to a fight. If the hard approach wouldn't work, they would try the soft one. Everyone had a weakness, and Tanimura Wataru's weakness was, without a doubt, his younger sister.

Since the real Tanimura Akemi was dead, they would simply 'create' another one for him!

"Tanimura Wataru has returned underground."

The areas around the sewer manholes throughout Adachi Ward had been fitted with a large number of emergency surveillance cameras.

During the previous battle in Kita-Senju Town, Tanimura Wataru's blood trail had vanished at a sewer entrance. The reason the government hadn't sent anyone down to search was that they were waiting for him to show himself.

This time, they didn't just want to bring Tanimura Wataru under government control; they intended to use him to secretly investigate the other extraordinaries lurking in Japan!

Over in Kita-Senju Town, experienced experts had already discovered a second battlefield:

The traces of a battle between Tanimura Wataru and another 'extraordinary'!

The government had originally assumed that the extraordinary who created the mist was Tanimura Wataru's companion, covering his retreat.

But judging by the traces, the other party had actually been targeting Tanimura Wataru! And based on the evidence left behind, it was clear that Tanimura Wataru had suffered a significant loss.

Combining this with the crash of the American Black Hawk Fighter, there might even have been more extraordinaries involved!

Because of this, it was even more imperative to investigate what those unknown extraordinaries were plotting.