BEEP. BEEP.
The shrill sound of a police siren approached the warehouse. The car stopped, and the passenger door swung open.
A long, jade-pale leg emerged first. Using it as a pivot, the woman exited the car, her jet-black hair draping over her shoulders.
She wore an oversized, loose-fitting white tank top with light blue denim shorts underneath.
The tank top covered the shorts, also concealing the gun at her waist.
She strode to the warehouse door in a few steps, opening it with her left hand, her right gripping the pistol's handle.
The other party had called the police, effectively surrendering, but that didn't guarantee they wouldn't have second thoughts or attempt something desperate before dying.
In the throes of intense emotion, people could make any kind of decision.
Morimoto Chiyoda didn't want to capsize in some gutter.
She kicked open the door and was immediately met by a thick stench of blood mixed with a foul odor.
Revolting.
She saw Shimakawa Masao sitting by the doorway and, on the floor below him, an old man beaten almost beyond recognition, presumably Doctor Anda.
Morimoto Chiyoda's gaze swept the scene. "Cuff him," she ordered.
She continued inside, where she saw Ayako Soma's body, smashed into a pulp on the floor, as if struck by a cargo container dropped from a great height.
The culprit's strength is immense.
This level of destruction wasn't impossible for Martial Artists; some indeed possessed the power to achieve this.
However, there was one thing that was absolutely beyond any Martial Artist.
She stopped, staring at the ball of flesh embedded in the wall.
GUSH. GUSH. Torrents of fresh blood gushed from it, staining the wall red and forming a large pool on the ground.
Morimoto Chiyoda stared at the orb, fashioned from human bodies, a flicker of shock in her eyes.
Such a feat couldn't be achieved with mere brute strength—to meld two people completely into one. Judging by its appearance, the hands that created the orb must have been extraordinarily large, not human hands. It seemed the scene wasn't as simple as she'd initially thought.
With this in mind, Morimoto Chiyoda called out, "Okayama! Call Ito to examine the bodies, then seal off the warehouse. You stay here and secure the scene. I'm going back to interrogate Shimakawa Masao."
"Understood," Okayama Takeo replied.
Morimoto Chiyoda headed outside.
「...」
Okubo Police Department, interrogation room.
Morimoto Chiyoda closed the door, poured a cup of tea herself, and offered it to Shimakawa Masao with a smile. "Have some tea. It'll soothe your throat."
Shimakawa Masao glanced at the tea, then at her. "You seem highly educated. Which university did you graduate from?"
"Tokyo University," Morimoto Chiyoda replied, taking a seat across from him.
She didn't rush her questions. Before questioning him further, she needed to calm Shimakawa Masao, to better learn what had transpired.
Shimakawa Masao lifted his head and murmured, "Tokyo University, huh? Ryoko was a student there too. I thought she could change her fate, live a life different from mine. Tell me, why do you think things turned out this way?"
"As I see it now, it's karmic retribution. You were willing to do anything to pay for your sister's education. So, to punish you, your sister had to bear the consequences of your actions."
"But she was innocent!"
"But you're not," Morimoto Chiyoda replied coolly. Having worked this job for years, her heart had long grown numb to such cases. She wouldn't be swayed by a criminal's display of weakness either.
"Shimakawa Masao, I don't need to remind you of the things you've routinely done. If you can suppress your conscience for your family, others can do the same for theirs, or for themselves. If you want to atone for your sins, your only way is to cooperate fully with our investigation now. Tell me, did you encounter Dio? Did you witness things that defy common sense?"
Shimakawa Masao pondered for a long moment, then shook his head. "I don't know who Dio is. Only that a Rock Giant suddenly emerged from the ground. He called himself a god and killed those people from the New World Church. He's also the one who untied me, allowing me to kill Anda."
A Rock Giant... that must be Dio's work, Morimoto Chiyoda concluded. Information from the Police Director indicated that Dio had transformed into a Rock Giant during his battle with Onofre in Kochou's bedroom.
"Please describe in detail what happened at the scene," she requested.
The special task force had few ways to counter Dio's superpower, but they needed to understand its nature as thoroughly as possible.
From Shimakawa Masao's description, Morimoto Chiyoda concluded that Dio could either turn himself into stone or create a giant figure of stone on his body's surface, manipulating it at will. This stone entity could burrow into the ground to move with incredible speed. Any injuries it sustained could heal automatically, even erasing splattered blood.
Her preliminary assessment was that Dio, in that form, was likely immune to physical attacks.
Morimoto Chiyoda noted these points, frowning. The more she learned about Dio, the more she understood the despair humans must feel in his presence and the utter futility of modern science against him.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Confess your past crimes. Then, depending on the circumstances, I'll decide whether you get life imprisonment or the firing squad."
Morimoto Chiyoda spoke of such a severe sentence because she understood: for Shimakawa Masao to have clawed his way to a prominent Yakuza position without parental support, he must have had a great deal of blood on his hands.
Shimakawa Masao had no intention of hiding anything. After losing Ryoko, he had lost all will to live. For him, this chance for redemption before death was incredibly precious.
As he confessed, Morimoto Chiyoda decided on the death penalty. Forcing innocents into prostitution, human trafficking—in her book, such acts warranted this very judgment.
"May your journey be peaceful," she said, then drew her gun, her index finger squeezing the trigger.
BANG. Shimakawa Masao's head exploded. His headless corpse slumped in the chair, blood pooling on the table.
Morimoto Chiyoda holstered her gun, picked up her files, and walked out of the interrogation room.
Attracted by the gunshot, a police officer hurried over. "What happened?"
"Nothing. He tried to grab my gun, so I shot him. He's dead. Send someone to clean up in there."
Morimoto Chiyoda patted the officer's shoulder and strode outside.
"Uh-huh," the befuddled officer nodded and walked into the interrogation room.
His expression was conflicted. He'd been an officer for over a decade, yet this was the first time he'd seen a dead body—especially one inside an interrogation room.
Isn't this just silencing a witness? Scenes from movies flickered through his mind, but he said nothing. He wasn't the main character in some movie, after all; it was best not to try uncovering the truth.
「...」
DING DONG.
The bell signaling the end of class rang. Ayatsuki Iroha, who had been dozing, suddenly perked up. Her eyes shone, her thoughts snapping back from some distant place to the present.
She let out a "Woohoo!" then immediately slumped back onto her desk, sighing, "So tired!"
Tama Chan rolled up her textbook, rapped Ayatsuki Iroha on the head, and grumbled, "You didn't listen to a single thing the teacher said all class, just daydreaming the whole time, and you still have the nerve to say you're tired?"
"Maru, you don't understand! It's exhausting to sit through classes you don't want to listen to all day. I'm just not cut out for studying. Becoming a YouTuber is my true calling!" Ayatsuki Iroha defended herself.
Miyahara Kaoru approached with a smile. "If Ayatsuki Iroha really can't find a job later on, you can consider working at a farm in Hokkaido. My family's farm is very laid-back. There's nothing to do; you just lie around, and they even serve afternoon tea. Weekends off, and the pay is great."
"Is there really such a good deal?" Ayatsuki Iroha's eyes sparkled, then she suddenly shook her head. "No way! Hokkaido is just too remote. I still prefer Tokyo. On my days off, I can go shopping around Shinjuku and Shibuya, visit Maruzen Department Store, Rokkasen, or Disneyland. I need to be part of human civilization!"
Miyahara Kaoru explained, "Hokkaido is also part of civilization."
Takahashi Saeko shrugged. "Outside of Tokyo, everywhere else in the country is just countryside."
"That's prejudice," Miyahara Kaoru retorted. When I graduate, I'll ask my family for money so Ayatsuki Iroha can start a company. That way, she can stay in Tokyo, she mused. What kind of company? That will depend on what Ayatsuki Iroha wants to do.
Tama Chan changed the subject. "Ayatsuki Iroha, do you have plans to ask Aozawa out this weekend?"
"Yeah! Aozawa and I are planning to hang out at Shinjuku Central Park on Saturday afternoon," Ayatsuki Iroha nodded.
Takahashi Saeko placed her hand on Ayatsuki Iroha's shoulder, smiling. "Have you memorized the procedure for taming Aozawa?"
Ayatsuki Iroha nodded. "Don't worry, I've already read the notes Saeko wrote."
"What do they say?"
"Uh, well... I'll read them again later," Ayatsuki Iroha stammered, struggling to recall, a sheepish smile on her face.
Takahashi Saeko wasn't surprised by her terrible memory. She said earnestly, "You have to take this seriously, and don't be shy. You need to train him: reward Aozawa, and he'll obey. That needs to become a habit. With your subtle influence, over time, Aozawa will gradually change. From what I've observed, Aozawa's grades are currently average. You must work hard to help him raise them to excellent."
"Is that even possible?" Ayatsuki Iroha frowned. You can work hard at anything, but studying... no, that's really not for me, she thought.
Takahashi Saeko patted her shoulder. "You can definitely do it. Believe in your charm."
"But what if Aozawa becomes so outstanding that he doesn't like me anymore?" Ayatsuki Iroha looked worried. The current Aozawa was attractive enough; if he also had excellent grades... She felt her own appeal was in jeopardy.
Takahashi Saeko patted her head. "We have one hundred and eight techniques to teach you. Learn them, and he won't be able to leave you."