Twenty-two

“It's starting!” The officer in charge of monitoring shouted sharply, and at that moment, the entire Special Ability Task Force sprang into rapid action.

The special ability reactions began spreading swiftly, and alarms planted throughout Yokohama started blaring one after another.

Saruhiko Fushimi began tracking Tatsuhiko Shibazawa’s movements. The latter, who was now unleashing his abilities on a large scale, was far easier to trace than before.

“Tch.” Saruhiko pushed up his glasses and instinctively straightened up. “That hacker has disappeared, but he left a fallback. His goal is to buy time.”

“Sharp intuition,” Reiji Munakata said without surprise. Their previous encounters had already revealed their enemies to be cunning—so cunning it bordered on flawless strategy.

The Special Ability Task Force was being led by the nose. Only when the Blue Squad joined the fray did they manage a brief exchange, but even then, they suffered heavier losses.

If such clever individuals were not enemies, Munakata would have admired them greatly. Unfortunately, they stood on opposite sides.

“How long to crack this?” Kaito Taneda asked after a moment of contemplation.

Saruhiko scratched his neck. “Three hours. By then, the blossoms will have withered.”

Three hours…

Kaito’s heart sank. To survive three hours under pursuit by his own kind in Yokohama, the casualties would likely exceed half.

The stronger one’s power, the more of their ability was stripped away upon entering the “Between Ryuhiko.” Those who suddenly became ordinary faced a doppelgänger wielding their usual combat style and formidable abilities…

Few could withstand that.

Some with weaker mental fortitude broke down upon seeing their stripped abilities.

“The port’s gravity user from the Black Hand shouldn’t act now. I don’t want my comrades fighting to the death without even seeing the enemy.”

Munakata rose, hanging his sword at his waist. Serina Awashima stepped forward. “Chief, I…”

“Stay here. It’s not yet your time. Fushimi, watch for the right moment.” Munakata refused Serina’s request to join him.

Saruhiko, seated before the computer, glanced up wearily and exchanged a look with Munakata. Munakata smiled gently—a smile only they understood.

“Tch, got it. What a pain.” Saruhiko sighed, his face sour as he returned to his work.

Scepter 4 was largely idle, yet here he was, forced to play the lone hero. “What a troublesome boss,” he muttered internally, shooting a side glance at the expressionless Serina beside him.

“Don’t ask. The chief has his plans.” That one phrase shut Serina up. The stern beauty fumed briefly before returning to work.

No matter what, finishing here quickly meant he could go help the chief.

Saruhiko closed the current page and typed a new string of code, shifting to a green-hued screen.

“Let’s see what you intend to do, King of Green…”

——————————

Inside the Haisai Tower, a slender youth dressed all in white stared impassively at the messages on his phone.

[He has arrived.]

The glowing green text flickered briefly before vanishing without a trace.

Under the moonlight, Feodor’s pale face appeared even more ghostly and cold.

“Hmph.” His smile was devoid of warmth as he pocketed the phone.

Behind him, an unknown figure stood—a man clad in a similar white suit and cloak, his black hair neatly combed.

If Akira Sogi were here, he would immediately recognize this newcomer as a member of the detective agency he had encountered: Osamu Dazai.

“He sent me to find you. Honestly, just seeing you makes me sick. Could it be that Tatsuhiko Shibazawa is taking this chance for revenge?” Dazai’s casual tone belied the malice radiating from him.

“Doubtful. Dazai-kun, we’re on the same side now. No need to be so tense.” Feodor turned slightly, feigning innocence.

Dazai’s violet eyes flashed with impatience, his teeth clenched in disgust. “Stop being disgusting, rat. If you don’t come along, I’m done helping him.”

“Let’s go. Rare to have us all together.”

Feodor dropped the pretense. The two strikingly handsome men made their way through the white fog blanketing the Haisai ruins. Anyone witnessing them might mistake them for celebrity actors.

Yet the world within the white mist was eerily silent.

In the area covered by “Between Ryuhiko,” ordinary people were transported to another dimension, leaving only ability users and their stripped ability forms behind.

Abilities that could not harm ordinary people but were especially lethal to ability users—this was why those above desperately sought to protect Tatsuhiko Shibazawa.

“By the way, why must we wear these?” Dazai tugged at his cloak with a hint of disdain.

It wasn’t that the clothes were ugly; rather, his outfit clearly matched Feodor’s—a matching set.

Thinking of this made Dazai feel like choking on his food.

——————————

“No choice. If we don’t wear them, Tatsuhiko says he’ll cry.” Dazai fell silent.

Feodor jabbed further: “He says we’re a team now, and need uniforms to show it.”

Dazai sank deeper into silence. This excuse made his skin crawl. If the work weren’t unfinished, he’d have fled these two perverts immediately.

A team? Ha! With their fragile, plastic three-person relationship? Dazai wondered if Tatsuhiko’s brain was damaged long ago.

Feodor delivered the final blow: “Just think of it as fulfilling a designer’s wish. His labor fee is high, and the fabric’s not cheap—you’re profiting.”

Dazai: …

————————————

“Akira-sensei, I’m heading out.” Tomie Tsuji knocked on Akira Sogi’s door.

Since their last quarrel, Akira demanded Tomie notify him if leaving at night.

Rustling sounds came from inside as Akira opened the door. Tomie stood neatly at the threshold.

“So late?” Akira frowned slightly.

Tomie’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he reached out to touch the exposed chest beneath Akira’s open pajamas.

“If you sleep with me, I won’t go out.”

The delicate, docile boy seemed eager, his hand inching further inside.

Akira jolted fully awake, scowling as he grabbed Tomie’s hand, which was shamelessly making advances. “Where do you think you’re touching? Fine, go.”

Akira’s prompt consent displeased Tomie, who stepped forward in frustration, attempting to continue.

“Akira-sensei, we’re a couple. It’s normal for couples to do these things. I promise it feels great. Trust me.”

As a monster of desire, Tomie knew exactly what to do.

“...Enough.” Akira was overwhelmed. Did Tomie realize how mismatched their sizes were?

Tomie’s exquisite face showed confusion. “Why not? Many people want to do this.”

In an instant, the boy’s strong non-human aura surged forth again.

The disguised monster finally revealed its true nature.

“No means no. Just pretend I’m not ready. Now go.”

Akira felt his head almost explode.

Tomie fixed him with a steady gaze, then suddenly smiled—radiant, handsome, yet unmistakably inhuman.

“Alright, I’ll leave first then.”