Durarara!! SH Vol 3 Chapter 4

Durarara!!SH×3

CHAPTER 4

Go On Ahead, Leave This to Me

Somewhere in Ikebukuro. Commercial Building Hall of Treasures, 4th Floor.

It was a commercial building some distance from Ikebukuro station.

The fourth floor was used as an event space for the resident businesses by rotation, but when unoccupied oftentimes it was borrowed by some people as a hangout, specifically the group of Ei Li-pei, a relative of the landlord and leader of Dragon Zombie.

“That’s how it is. So do you have any idea who the Slugger might be, Li-pei-san?”

“No… You came all the way here to ask that?”

“Good job finding this place.”

Yahiro answered calmly. Li-pei snorted.

Li-pei’s sisters stood beside him, and other Dragon Zombie members loitered around the event space, keeping a wary eye on Yahiro from a distance.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s terrifying.”

“But leaving the Slugger unchecked is, um, scarier…”

“Please don’t. I don’t know why that name spread…”

Li-pei was the very person who had popularised the name, but he kept that tidbit to himself and shook his head.

“Really?”

“Then maybe it’s okay…?”

“Well; it’d be a great help to us as well if you caught the Slugger. We’ll help you in any way we can if it comes to it, yeah?”

“But well, we’ve been trying to investigate the case, too. To be frank, it became our business since the moment we became suspect ourselves.”

“There are two culprits… That’s what some people are saying. But there are also those pointing fingers at us. Or Blue Square.”

Kuon’s sister had spread the rumour on her website that same morning, and as it had come up in conversation with both Aoba and Himeka, he was far from surprised.

“…Right, you have connections there too, don’t you?”

“You’re safe with me, but you’d best keep that to yourself, yeah? You can get on Toramaru’s bad side just by being friendly with Blue Square.”

“Damn, I really hate to work with them. I guess it’s still way better than working with Jyan Jyaka Jyan, but… There’s no way we can be seen cooperating on the surface. If we’re careless and rumours get out that we’re acting in concert, people will start to put their guard up. They’ll think we’ve formed an alliance.”

“That’s how it works.”

Yahiro was musing on how similar this conversation felt to the one with Kuronuma-sempai, when the thought came to him.

“Is that so? You’re one thing, but aren’t the kids with you trying to use us?”

“Hmm… I’m not very good at understanding that kind of thing.”

“Ah, but I know he’s using me, at least. He said so.”

Li-pei shrugged. Yahiro told him,

“Huh? Is that the problem?”

“…Well, if you don’t mind, I guess it’s fine. In any case, neither Dragon Zombie nor Blue Square can take any drastic action. Unlike before this time you don’t have the advantage of numbers over the Slugger, okay? Ah, well, though that time you did it all yourself, in the end.”

“That’s why… If a mysterious guy like Snake Hands did the Slugger in, the case can reach closure without us nor Blue Square interfering or being suspected. Make sense?”

After some thought, Yahiro nodded firmly.

“Oh look, he accepted that.”

After mumbling this to himself, Yahiro looked up brightly, and bowed.

“Thanks, Li-pei-san! I think I get it!”

A few minutes later.

Li-pei watched him leave, and as his back disappeared into the distance, his smile faded, and he murmured,

With a face genuinely worried but simultaneously wary, he said to himself,

“Hopefully he has a friend to put brakes on him; whether that friend is the good or bad sort.”

A certain apartment. Kotonami residence.

Kuon, having returned home, prepared his sister’s meal and placed it before her room as always, before going back to his own room and opening his laptop.

“Now… Things have come along nicely.”

Right at that moment, the phone he had left on the desk began to vibrate.

‘Hi~, Kuon. Doing fine?’

‘Yeah, I know, I know. Just thought I should talk to you a little before that.”

It was not to put space between them; rather, Kuon knew that this was how he could be closest to her—to Nozomi.

‘Are you planning to wrap up the Slugger case within the holidays?’

Kuon said tiredly. Mischievously, Nozomi told him,

“I’m not.”

“He’s not! I’ve always had friends!”

‘Just saying, Kuronuma-kun doesn’t count, okay?’

‘I mean, you don’t have a speck of trust in one another, do you?’

Kuon said, sighing. His sister laughed.

“I certainly don’t. That’s just his niceness talking.”

“It’s proof enough that I’ll be forcing him to do the dirty work again this time.”

While, surfacing in his mind, was the chance encounter with a researcher he had had a year ago.

One year ago. Somewhere in Ikebukuro.

“You want to know about that fool?”

“I heard you’re the most well-versed when it comes to him.

“…I only come back to Japan now and then for work, and this is what I get. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead but he’s still a load of trouble.”

Even saying this, she who had once been Izaya’s assistance—Yagiri Namie—began to share in her own way about Izaya.

“You’re asking how he managed to control the city? You have it wrong just asking that question.”

“In most cases, he never controlled the circumstances at all. He only planted seeds. And he was entertained regardless of whether those seeds sprouted or rotted away. No matter the situation he acted like things were turning out his way and enjoyed it, so from an outsider’s perspective it looked like everything was in the palm of his hand.”

A dark fire filled Kuon’s eyes as he spoke.

Seeing the light dwelling in his eyes, Namie, perhaps curious, softened.

“No, I…”

“For that to happen, there was one criteria. It’s the number one reason he was so insane, and it’s not something you can imitate easily. It’s something people in their right minds would never do.”

“Whenever he truly desired to be in control, he always put himself in the most dangerous position. The deepest, darkest place in the eye of things. It was where he could lose his life at any time that he pulled off the most depraved of things.”

“At the same time, while he remained in a risk-free position, he never succeeded much. Perhaps it was the difference in resolve. People often say the only people who can kill are those prepared to be killed themselves, but Izaya was the kind of man ready to be killed just to punch someone’s face.”

“If you want to be like him, whether you can go that far is the question.”

Even while overwhelmed by her pressurr Kuon looked back at her unflinchingly, and Namie sighed.

Why had she not been consumed by Izaya?

When he asked this, Namie looked into the distance, and said, with an enamoured expression,

“My heart has an unbreakable pillar supporting it. It’d take much more than a guy like that to overcome me.”

—Yeah.

Remembering the conversation with Namie, Kuon silently mustered his resolve.

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah, I know.’

But after saying that, Kuon added,

‘Are you saying that for yourself to hear?’

‘It’s okay. That’s what siblings are for.’

At the sound of his sister’s chuckling, a small smile appeared on Kuon’s face.

Some time after ending the call, Kuon tightened his fingers around his phone.

“I can be as evil as it takes. I’ll even do things Orihara Izaya couldn’t; I’ll even use my friends as pawns and go down into hell.”

Kuon’s expression became faintly sorrowful as he added one last sentence.

“…Sorry if I make things hard for you, Nee-chan.”

Last day of Golden Week. Somewhere in Ikebukuro.

One of the Sluggers, Ajimura Shōya, was walking in Ikebukuro with a complicated expression.

That man with dreadlocks who should have been knocked out in one blow had instead dodged the attack.

“Shit… Even though he was scum…”

Ajimura knew that Heiwajima Shizuo was inhumanly strong.

But his attack had been dodged by a hairsbreadth and a commotion had occurred, and he had only barely escaped being destroyed himself.

—And I never expected that Horada guy previously to hit back either, shit! Shit!

There Ajimura went abruptly silent, and he sunk deep into thought.

But—there was a single point that puzzled Ajimura.

After being struck by the initial retaliation—

—Who did that?

He did advocate to his site’s members that it was not assault but the execution of justice, but he had never gone so far as to admit he had been responsible.

It was too early.

At that time he would truly become one with OPD.

With that, he arrived at the answer to his doubts.

The one who had knocked Horada to the ground could have been an ally of his who sympathised with his cause.

Perhaps the other Slugger had done it purely out of hate for Horada.

Was this not proof that the world had chosen him?

With such thoughts, Ajimura nodded fiercely.

Even if he were caught by the police, the charges would probably be lenient.

Packing his belongings into a Boston bag, Ajimura smiled.

—How exciting.

Dyeing his hands with the act of assault he had felt truly alive for the first time.

While feeling, hidden in the false bottom of his Boston bag, the weight of the bandage-wrapped hammer.

Evening Yahiro’s apartment.

It was evening when Yahiro returned back to the front of the apartment he lived at.

The man whistling while washing his van—Togusa Saburō—greeted Yahiro happily.

“Where’d you go?”

Yahiro decided that there was no real need to hide where he had gone, and answered truthfully.

“Ah, yeah.”

“All right~, there’s that Slugger going around recently, so be careful!”

At that point Yahiro remembered that he had yet to ask Saburō about the Slugger, and so he tried,

“Hm? …Oh, you mean the Slasher?”

It did not go unnoticed by Yahiro.

—Huh?

Yahiro was choosing his words so as to continue, but just then, his phone rang.

‘Ah, hi~! This is Karisawa. Yappi~, are you free tonight?’

‘Yappi~’ seemed to be a nickname for him.

“Yes, I’m free.”

“…I see, that’s a good idea.”

If the Slugger case escalated further, it would truly begin to affect OPD, which would not do.

“Yeah, no problem. Thank you very much.”

“Sorry, Saburō-san, it looks like I have to go out again.”

This time it was Togusa’s phome that rang mid-sentence.

Togusa said as he put his phone to his ear.

“Oh… Got it. I’ll go now, then. …Ah, Yahiro wait!”

“Are you heading towards Ikebukuro station?”

“Great! That’s just nice.”

Yahiro tilted his head, and Saburō opened the van door, smiling.

“Some people I know just called. I’ll be going there too, so hop on.”

Dusk. Shinra’s apartment.

While watching the 6 o’clock evening news, Celty confided in Shinra her doubts.

It would be in her favour should the police catch the criminal first.

There was the slim possibility that Shizuo would storm into the detention centre bare-handed, but it seemed that Shizuo was deeply indebted to the police, so Celty felt that he would not go that far.

She had spoken to Shinra with these hopes, but—

‘Why? Can’t they just track down people who bought those pajamas?

‘What about it?’

“It’s a trend right now in Ikebukuro. So there could be hundreds of people who own it, I think?”

“It started of as a pajama set sold as fan merchandise, but when word about the Slugger spread online, and people began to worry the company would stop selling it, a huge number of people went to buy it… Furthermore, once stores started announcing they would stop selling for prudence’s sake, all those who bought and hoarded the pajamas popped out online and resold a large number. Hahaha.”

Celty’s knees went weak at this information, but Shinra was not done yet:

Those people should just be ar’

—I’m not one who should be saying that, huh.

Remembering the image of the traffic police squad chasing after her, she shuddered.

‘…These people have way too much time…’

‘Underrars?’

“Yep. The Dollars are gone, right? The kids who couldn’t accept that reality banded together to make another anonymous online group to replace it. They spray graffiti along roads saying it’s guerilla art, or plant radishes on unoccupied space in the city; a willful bunch.”

“It’s probably a portmanteau of Dollars and Under. Under Rars. I wonder what Rars means?”

“Huh?”

‘In Icelandic. It means a plan, or advice, along those lines.’

“Oh I see! Amazing as always, Celty! You even know Nordic languages!”

Celty changed the topic casually, making a sigh-like gesture.

“Actually. Isn’t it something you can hide easily? Since you just need to attach something hard and heavy to a rod and wrap it up with bandages. You could even use a pestle and any rock on the street.”

“It’d be a snap if you could catch the person in the act. I’ll be bait if it comes to it, Celty.”

‘How would you attract the criminal? Anyway, even if you could, don’t do dangerous things.”

‘Yeah, I am. This is my selfishness. Is it bad?’

Shinra said with the smile of a mischievius child, before he clapped his hands.

‘Really?’

‘Rejected.’

Just then, her phone rang.

“Yumasaki-kun and friends?”

Celty said, checking her mail.

And there, written in a nonchalant tone, was:

[We will be capturing the Slugger tonight. Please come outside my apartment.]

Night time. Somewhere in Ikebukuro.

Shirobishi Yōko was panicking.

She had even found the perfect target.

While Yōko remained in this turmoil, the voice of a young man reached her ears.

Standing before her was a slit-eyed young man, holding a fire extinguisher that spouted fire.

About just how she had ended up in this situation.

10 minutes ago.

What Yōko’s eyes saw as she combed Ikebukuro for the day’s sacrifice was the one thing she loathed most at this point.

The wave of evil that had started all this remained rampant in the city even now.

—How can everyone still laugh when all this has happened?

She began to glare at her surroundings as she walked on the street.

Being the last night of Golden Week, it was less crowded than the day before; chances were people were preparing to work the next day.

But had that been wrong?

Thinking this, she murmured with determination,

She labelled the other Slugger a false Samaritan in her mind, her eyes clouding over with hate.

There was a van parked in a car park.

—Ahh, disgusting. Printing a manga design on the car, what are they thinking?

One of them, a young man with narrow eyes, was holding an OPD fan while talking excitedly.

Moving closer, she could hear him delivering an impassioned speech.

Yōko felt as if she had been punched in the stomach.

Her head spun.

—I never imagined there to be such fools in Ikebukuro.

Was there anything else so harmful?

Was it not the existence of such a thing that had brought her to lose herself in assaulting others?

It was possible her mind had no logic at the moment.

She had chosen.

And she went on to justify herself with cyclical logic.

Those eyes captured by evil things would be awakened by the blow she struck.

What kind of tragedy awaited those fallen to their path.

So she, at least, believed.

She targeted the silt-eyed man.

—Ahh, things are moving in my favour.

—I knew it, I should have chosen my sacrifices!

And setting her mind on an unpopulated location, she made her preparations.

Yōko saw it as her chance.

In seconds she was clad in the Dark Owl costume she had worn beneath, and walking towards the man’s back.

And then faster and faster.

Suppressing her breathing so as to be silent, she took out the bandage-wrapped hammer she had hidden in her bosom, and swung it hard.

But in the next moment—

“—Watch out!”

A yell from afar shifted the attention of the slit-eyed man to behind him.

Where holding his phone, turning around obliviously—head-on he met the eyes of Yōko, who had the hammer raised.

“…”

After an instant of blankness, Yōko, panicking, brought her hammer down hard.

The slit-eyed man dodged by a hairsbreadth, and fell on his backside on the road.

A glance behind told her that there were two figures running this way, but there was still time before they made it. The distance was sufficient that she could injure the man and escape.

She had to sacrifice the scum who worshipped that vile owl.

It was that vile owl’s fault that she did this.

For that to happen, she had to offer one last sacrifice.

Because she thoroughly believed this, without wavering, she brought her hammer down on the man still fallen on the road.

Without the time nor care to ensure it was non-fatal, it was a blow purely meant to immobilise him.

Yet—

“?!”

The strangeness of his reaction filled Yōko with anxiety and shock.

What happened in the next moment answered her questions, while generating even more.

The slit-eyed man whispered this, and took something out of his backpack.

—A fire… extinguisher…?

And the very next moment—the fire extinguisher spewed fire.

A few minutes before the fire extinguisher spewed fire.

The boy who shouted ‘Watch out!’ had been sitting in the back of Togusa’s van.

Togusa Saburō sighed deeply from the driver’s seat as he said this to Yahiro sitting in the back.

When he was about to let Yahiro off the van at the meeting point, Karisawa and Yumasaki had greeted the boy before Togusa, and so Togusa slowly came to realise that they were already acquainted.

—”Ehh?! Why’s Yahiro-kun coming down from Togucchi’s van?! Magic?!”(K)

—”Huh? You know Saburō-san?”

—”I see, actually, I’ve been staying at Togusa-san’s apartment…”

—”Nonono! Wait! Guys, wait! What’s happening?!”

After that excitement, both sides had explained the situation, and Togusa had accepted it for now.

Despite being annoyed, Togusa had given up as this always happened, and had passed the time outside with another of his friends.

—Now I think of it, he does look like a manga type. He might even be into dōjinshi or cosplay.

Just being aware of the duo’s more dangerous side made Togusa feel torn.

—It’s not like I can ask him to cut ties with them.

After being immersed in those thoughts for tens of minutes, he found that the trio had exited the van, perhaps having concluded their business.

Karisawa headed home through Tokyu Hands, while Yumasaki made his way on foot.

—Maybe I shouldn’t ask too much.

“I don’t know how you know Yumasaki and Karisawa, and I’m not going to ask, but… Well, choose your friends wisely.”

“Wait, that’s…”

“Hah… That’s touché for you, Togusa.”

The man with the bandana had already been introduced.

Perhaps sympathising with Yahiro’s awkwardness as to how to interact, Kadota turned around and said,

“Ah, okay. I’m Mizuchi Yahiro. Nice to meet you.”

“Akita.”

Just then Saburō, who was in the driver’s seat, told Kadota, smiling,

“Huh? Seriously?”

Yahiro nodded honestly, and Kadota’s eyes widened.

“Um… It was my fault. My friend from my class happened to make him angry… I tried to stop him, and then it turned into a fight.”

Kadota found it odd that Yahiro had used the word ‘fight’, but putting it aside, gave his advice as a more experienced resident of Ikebukuro.

“Yes, that’s what Saburō-san said too. I’ll say sorry when I meet him again.”

There, Saburō smiled wryly, and continued,

“That’s… actually impressive.”

“No, it was just coincidence. I, um, ended up at a convenient spot…”

“Speaking of which… Well, they say Shizuo’s toned down recently, but still…”

But seeing Yahiro looking outside the van anxiously as they spoke, he asked,

“No…”

“Um… Which way is Yumasaki-san’s house?”

“Will there be other people on the streets?”

The clockhand had already passed 10.

“Could you let me off the van? And please teach me the way to Yumasaki-san’s house?”

Saburōsaid this in worry for his tenant’s school life, but Yahiro replied, anxiously,

As if out of time, Yahiro cried out,

“Huh?”

“Please, I’ll explain later, please let me down. And call Yumasaki-san to ask him to be careful, if possible… Since now I think of it, I only exchanged numbers with Karisawa-san.”

Beside an increasingly perplexed Togusa, Kadota, seeing how serious Yahiro’s eyes were, said,

“Oi, seriously?”

Kadota removed his seatbelt, and stated to Yahiro,

“I’ll lead the way. Follow me.”

And so things led to the present.

Yōko, feeling part of her suit burn, began to strip it off hurriedly.

—What is this?

—What is going on!

Meanwhile, Yumasaki as well was sweating from his palms.

He had come to carry this fire extinguisher-turned-flamethrower around since back when he had been searching for the culprit of Kadota’s hit-and-run.

It was the same way he had in his school days fantasised about what would be the coolest way to fight back if a terrorist were to attack the classroom at that moment—

If a terrorist or the Slugger really appeared before a normal person, they would probably be unable to move as they had fantasised, and be frozen in fear.

It was as simple as that.

On the other, the young man chattering strangely, wielding a flamethrower in the guise of a fire extinguisher.

He even felt he wouldn’t mind being charged with excessive self-defence or other crimes if he could stop the Slugger’s attacks once and for all. ‘I’m not an OPD fan, I prefer news programmes with shocking footage instead of manga,’ Yumasaki reminded himself to say in his testimony, and he gave the lever a gentle squeeze.

The Slugger flailed and retreated, but Yumasaki yelled,

“What… What are you saying! I’m not afraid of you!”

“Being scared would be an insult! No one said I can’t use a flamethrower to level up my strength!”

“I don’t understand anything you’re saying! You freak!”

“What do you want! You freak!”

In the duration of their exchange, Yumasaki had caught sight of two human figures running their way.

Yahiro was ahead of Kadota, and Yumasaki shouted to him,

Yumasaki almost said Yahiro’s name in front of the Slugger, barely managing to stop himself.

With this in mind, Yumasaki planned to disarm his opponent and have Kadota restrain her—

But the words of the boy running towards him threw a wrench in those workings.

“Watch out! Behind! Behind you!”

“Huh?”

And there he saw a figure clad in Dark Owl mascot pajamas—

Raising its hammer high to strike him down.

At the same time. Somewhere in Ikebukuro.

Ajimura Shōya was taking his time following his ‘target’.

—Walking alone at night when the Slugger hasn’t been caught?

Scoffing, Ajimura slowly moved closer.

When the boy had banged into Ajimura in the street, he had complained unapologetically, ‘Ow, don’t get your smelly sweat on me, dumbass.’

While Ajimura had been angry at this boy a full generation younger, he had been grateful.

Was this not a sacrifice sent by the city itself?

His plan had been to target more famous delinquents, but it was best to lay low for now.

After tailing the boy carefully, oh so carefully, he finally arrived at a location suited for his ‘fan activity’ of assault.

The open gate of an apartment. A narrow alley. Behind a pile of scrap.

Ajimura had worn his mascot pajamas in preparation.

As his lower half was covered in only black cloth, it would be hard to distinguish the pants from regular track pants. It would be impossible right now in the night time.

With that he put on the hood. In the dark, Ajimura had transformed into Dark Owl in the span of seconds.

It was as always.

He had to make up for the damage he had failed to deal on Heiwajima Shizuo’s friend.

—This is it. This is the feeling.

—No, that’s not it, this is the real me.

One step after another, suppressing all noise, he closed in.

Ajimura saw a Dark Owl standing beside the delinquent, and nodded vehemently.

The Dark Owl was staring at him.

A Dark Owl that was not himself stood before his eyes.

Ajimura was bewildered.

—The real thing! Or the, real, the real Slugger?!

Ajimura’s voice had begun to stutter even in his thoughts. Sweat broke out over his whole body, seeping into the entire suit.

While he was experiencing this psychological shock, the ‘Other Dark Owl’ raised its hammer high in the air—

And swung it down on the delinquent boy.

After a frozen instant, the boy crumbled bonelessly to the ground.

That the being before him was his comrade in executing justice.

That the world was truly being born anew for him.

Ikebukuro Station. Before the east entrance.

“Are you okay, Horada-san? Didn’t you say you’d only be discharged next week?”

Horada, wrapped in bandages head to toe, hobbled along the street.

In truth he was in no condition to walk, but predicting that Izumii would visit again if he remained in the hospital, he had forcibly discharged himself, half-threatening the doctors.

With this in mind, Horada had felt it necessary to search for the Slugger personally as well, bringing his juniors along to march around Ikebukuro.

“How sure are you? The Slasher attacked people right next to the station, back then.”

His juniors, who had been walking around with him for half a day already, were beginning to complain.

—It feels like they’ve been looking down on me since Shizuo beat me up…

The juniors, unaware of Horada’s self-punishment, looked at him doubtfully.

“What the hell? Are you saying I fucking lied?! Huh?”

“But to have so many people would catch too much attention, right? If they had to change clothes secretly it must have been one or two at most…”

“? Oi, what’s wrong?”

There, he saw ‘black’.

Illuminated by the streetlights, a black silhouette stood in the middle of the street.

“Wh… Wha… How…”

The Slugger that had knocked him down with the hammer now stood before his eyes.

The people glanced oddly at the Dark Owl, but believing it impossible for the Slugger to show up so brazenly in front of the station, they assumed it was a prank or an OPD publicity event, and simply walked past.

“I, i-i-i-i-, it’s here! O, oi, protect me, you guys!”

“B, but Horada-san, there… Look!”

“H, huh?!”

“There’s one over there too!”

“Th, there!”

Just counting those visible from the station there were easily more than five Dark Owls spread around.

Just as Horada’s mind was in chaos, his junior said to him,

“Huh? Y, yeah. It’s fine so long as you know, it’s fine.”

Along with this thought, Horada was struck by a deep sense of unease at the possibility that he had been embroiled into something truly grave.

“I don’t even know…”

And noticing even more Dark Owls, he spun back quickly.

“Wait! Wait up, Horada-san!”

Horada escaped straight into the station, but being injured he could not run, and was overtaken by his juniors one by one.

“W, wait, guys! W… Don’t leave me behind!!!”

Himeka’s room.

“What is this…”

It was that a large number of Dark Owls were appearing in Ikebukuro right now.

As they did not seem particularly violent, the assumption was that it was a prank in bad taste, and netizens were in uproar.

Deciding to call Yahiro first, she took out her phone.

And pressed the call button for Yahiro from her call history, but—

‘The person you just called may have run out of battery or may be in a place without signal—’

“…”

She gazed at the lights of Sunshine Building through the gaps between the buildings outside, and her fists curled loosely in worry of her friend.

“I hope… Yahiro-kun’s not in trouble.”

Upper Ikebukuro. Alley.

Coincidentally, at this moment, Yahiro’s phone had become unable to take any calls.

Because it was a smartphone to begin with, and not the heavy-duty type that could withstand strong impact, it was hard to tell if it would still work. But he had with Kuon’s help made a backup of his information with cloud storage, so probably he could recover everything without problems after it was repaired.

For two Dark Owls were standing before his eyes, emanating a sense of danger.

At the cost of Yahiro’s mobile phone, Yumasaki had managed to avoid the attack of the Slugger by a hairsbreadth.

Yahiro’s mobile phone, thrown at high velocity, had struck the Slugger’s hammer directly.

Had it been luck or Yahiro’s inborn skill that had allowed not even a ball but a mobile phone to hit its mark?

“…”

Meanwhile Yumasaki, who had put distance between them and had been preparing his fire extinguisher, turned towards Yahiro—and widened his slit-eyes dramatically, yelling,

As said, Yahiro was currently both Yahiro and not Yahiro.

Moreover, he did not want others to see his face while there was the possibility he would be utilising extreme violence against the Sluggers.

A practically weightless, mystical black cloth.

With matching black pants, Yahiro was now black from head to toe.

In contrast to the Headless Rider’s dark rider suit, shadows writhing like dry ice wrapped Yahiro’s body.

The latest urban legend Snake Hands now manifested before the Sluggers—in this moment, in the district of Ikebukuro—as not myth but reality.

Two ‘Dark Owls’.

And a regular civilian with a fire extinguisher that was in fact a flamethrower.

Upon his late arrival, Kadota furrowed his brow, and uttered the one sentence most fitting to this scene.

“…What the hell?”

Underneath the almost comical appearance of this situation—

Sirens were going off throughout Yahiro’s body.

—Could I have misunderstood?

This was not simply a serial assault case.

But what if the real situation made even that theory seem naïve?

What if the people standing before him were not simply random assaulters, but something else—what then?

The possibilities flashed through his mind, and a chill almost like pain lanced through every cell.

It was not because the situation was so eerie; having two serial assaulters running amuck.

The two Dark Owls.

The atmosphere they emitted made Yahiro shudder.

“Ah, AheeEEAAaaaaah!!”

“Ah! Wait!”

“Kuh! Cloning jutsu is nothing! I’ll dispel the fake!”

The flamethrower had been built to spew flames as far as five to ten metres if he squeezed it properly, but even Yumasaki had the common sense to avoid setting fire to a residential area.

The controlled flames shot towards the second Slugger.

“?!”

The person had, with superhuman speed and reflexes, evaded the stream of fire easily, slipping up close to Yumasaki.

—Could this be—

A lightning-quick uppercut.

But just before it did, Yahiro kicked the arm from the side.

The kick diverted his arm, and the Slugger’s uppercut missed and grazed Yumasaki’s cheek.

—!

The current series of events confirmed it.

Yahiro’s kick had been to bodily topple his opponent.

His opponent had to have incredible balance, and strong lower half muscles.

But although the style was similar, the scale was on a different level.

The warnings had been blaring in Yahiro’s mind from earlier on.

—It’s scary.

—It’s the same.

—Strong. Strongstrongstrong.

—This person might be able to kill me.

The instant he recognised this as fact, fear usurped his body.

A feeling he had not experienced for a long tim