"Hello, hello, Naoto, it's me, it's me."
"Why am I suddenly calling you? Of course I miss you~"
"Oh, don't hang up in such a hurry, I have something serious, really serious, don't think of me as so boring!"
Inside a Livehouse in Tokyo that anyone could easily find, a man dressed in a punk-style performance outfit was sitting in front of a laptop, laughing and talking on the phone, drawing glances from a pair of girls in Tsukinomori school uniforms at a nearby table.
Noticing someone watching him, the man became even more excited, making exaggerated funny faces at them, sticking out a split tongue with silver studs, and greedily licking the girls' aura through the air, scaring the two young ladies, who had not yet experienced the harshness of society, into fleeing the shop as if for their lives.
"Kato-san, could you please restrain yourself a bit?" The waiter from the bar, with a face full of black lines, rushed to the scene and found that this frequent performer had scared away two more customers, saying helplessly.
"Hey hey~ Beautiful lady, today I'm just... hey! A little excited."
"Alright, alright, I'll keep myself in check. Mako-san, please bring me two more strawberry parfaits, and a super sweet smile~"
After sending off the displeased waitress, the man called Kato held the phone to his ear with his shoulder and skillfully typed on the keyboard.
"Naoto, Leader's new orders have come down."
"The man in the picture is the next 'target'."
"'Target', do you understand? It means, following our usual style, either leave him in pieces, or leave him everywhere."
"But be careful, remember to bring his head back intact. Tomato is still waiting to do the analysis report."
"Why is it a sketch? Tomato's head isn't a Polaroid camera, it can't just spit out what it sees?"
After packaging and sending the relevant information, the punk youth looked at the man in the picture again. His drooping eyelashes slowly lifted, and a layer of frost appeared deep in his irises.
Dark skin, around forty years old, white hair.
The most striking features were the star-shaped pattern on his forehead and the clerical attire embroidered with a cross.
"Will someone dressed like this really appear on the streets of Tokyo?"
"Also, Naoto, your figure appeared in the scene predicted by Tomato. I will now convey Tomato's exact words to you."
"Do not be alone, especially in confined spaces."
Hearing the automatic door outside the shop open, Kato paused and closed the laptop in front of him.
"I hope you can participate in next week's performance as scheduled, Bassist."
Hanging up the phone, the punk youth once again adopted a frivolous demeanor, stood up, and invited today's guest to sit down.
"Di molto! From the first moment I saw you, I knew we would have a pleasant time today~"
The newcomer seemed accustomed to his style and showed no intention of sitting down. Instead, she picked up the sheet music placed next to the computer and began to flip through it.
"Feels good, when do we start?"
"Anytime~ Yahata-san."
============
The smartphone groaned under immense pressure, and Maehara Naoto's indifferent pupils contracted to pinpricks.
The man in the image was staring at him through the screen, the deep darkness in his eyes seemingly ready to swallow all light.
His knuckles squeezed out scar-like pale blue, and his palm was marked with bloody crescent moons by his fingernails. A beast-like intuition exploded along Maehara's spine—the tremor of being preyed upon that fills the body when a frog is targeted by a venomous snake and its scales brush past.
But at this moment, the thought that occupied Maehara's mind was not escape.
Instead, it was to effectively resolve the other party's killing intent!
This was very abnormal. Why would he, who considered his mind normal, inexplicably feel fear towards a complete stranger, and then immediately turn it into intense killing intent?
Before Maehara could think of an answer, he noticed two men in Police Officer uniforms walking directly towards him.
"Excuse me, sir." The young Police Officer jogged a few steps to stop Maehara, who was about to leave, his metal badge glinting in the sunlight, making Maehara's eyes twitch.
Another older Police Officer walked around to his side and explained their purpose in a gentle tone.
"Tokyo hasn't been peaceful lately. An extremely dangerous arsonist has already committed several bloody crimes, causing widespread panic."
"We have received reliable intelligence that the arsonist is currently in Asukayama Park and is carrying a large amount of dangerous material. For your safety, sir, and to help us bring this dangerous individual to justice as soon as possible, we hope you can cooperate with us."
"Cooperate?" Maehara immediately became alert.
"Oh, it won't take much of your time, sir. We just need to ask you about what you saw today at the guard post at the park entrance."
"Or, sir, do you have something you can't tell us, something you can't communicate with the police?"
The older Police Officer's smile revealed a certain unrefusable quality, and the young Police Officer beside him timely pulled out his walkie-talkie, reporting the situation to someone.
"I didn't say I wouldn't go..."
Maehara Naoto's expression darkened, and he gestured with his hands to show compliance.
"Hahaha, thank you for your cooperation, young man. There's also barley tea and snacks in the guard post, and you can watch TV as much as you like, as long as you can snatch the remote control from the old men."
The older Police Officer laughed heartily, and with the young Police Officer on either side, they escorted Maehara towards the park guard post.
Along the way, Maehara didn't see a single tourist, only several Police Officers in uniform guarding the main intersections.
He hadn't heard of any team members acting today, and besides, everyone else knew that he went to Asukayama Park every morning for a stroll.
So what was going on now?
Soon, the three arrived in front of the guard post at the park entrance. After opening the door, Maehara specifically looked inside and found that, just as the older Police Officer had said, there were many familiar faces in the room, all regular visitors who came to the park in the mornings.
In the center of the guard post's hall was a long table made of several pieces, on which were placed some fruits, snacks, and a large bottle of barley tea.
He looked around and noticed that the girl he had encountered earlier had also been brought here. She was sitting obediently in a corner, rubbing a transparent "stone."
No, it wasn't a stone, but a crystal.
"A meteorite fragment! Why does she have this, and why isn't the detector reacting at all?"
Maehara subconsciously reached for the detector hidden in his pants pocket, and at that moment, the door to the reception room slammed shut.
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