Ikebukuro had become a boiling pot of oil on the internet.
Terms like #IkebukuroCurfew #BeastCity and #RealMonsters were furiously burning on the hot search list, only to be repeatedly extinguished by an invisible hand.
The faster the authorities deleted posts, banned accounts, and took down videos, the more public panic and suspicion festered.
Fuzzy mobile phone footage spread virally in encrypted group chats: twisted giant figures flashed across street corners, non-human howls were drowned out by background music, and scale-covered limbs darted past burning vehicles... The real-world lockdown was even colder.
Traffic arteries surrounding Ikebukuro were completely cut off by heavy armored vehicles and roadblocks, while fully armed military police with masked faces stood ready for battle, their dark muzzles pointed at any vehicle or pedestrian attempting to approach.
Piercing sirens wailed continuously, and the cordon spread like an expanding plague, designating more areas as forbidden zones. The radio broadcast a pale announcement on loop: "Large-scale harmful gas leak, citizens please stay away," which no one believed.
Panic silently spread through the air of Tokyo.
The roar of an engine shattered the silence of a desolate path outside the cordon.
Fuuki straddled a black heavy motorcycle he had forcibly "commandeered," like a dormant steel beast.
He held the handlebars with one hand, and with the other, he lightly pressed his trench coat, where a small, warm bulge was visible.
His golden hair was blown by the strong wind, and the deep shadow on his face still covered his features.
He turned his head to look at the purple cat girl in a helmet on the small electric scooter next to him.
"Let's part ways here." His voice came through the wind, a statement, not a discussion.
"You definitely can't go back in your current state, but it's definitely safer outside the city."
Nyamu's cat ears under her helmet twitched keenly.
'Safe? Perhaps. But the main support is running away!'
Nyamu felt a surge of unease; the scene of Fuuki slaying gods and demons in the hell of Ikebukuro was still vivid in her mind.
This man and the light green cat in his pocket were like SSS-tier support characters in those apocalyptic novels! The template for a divine teammate in the early stages of a shonen manga!
"Then what about you? Where are you going?"
"Old Tokorozawa Water Distribution Hub..."
The vehicle slowed down, eventually stopping completely in a deserted corner, isolated by high walls, where only crows circled.
Without the intelligence support of [Spider], Fuuki could only rely on cold technology. He pulled out his phone, his fingers rapidly sliding, typing, and searching on the screen.
However, the name "Old Tokorozawa Water Distribution Hub" yielded no search results on conventional navigation maps. The screen was either blank or showed unrelated sporadic markers.
He then connected to the intelligence network, but the feedback was like looking at flowers through a fog, only vague general directions like "eastern Tokorozawa City" or "near the old airport's leveled ground," like a few grains of sand scattered in the desert, offering no practical guidance.
Frustration, like a cold vine, quietly wrapped around his heart.
Just as Fuuki frowned, determined to drive to Tokorozawa City alone for a carpet search based on this vague information—
Ding!
A clear system notification sound rang in Yuutenji Nyamu's mind.
The infuriating blue panel in front of her refreshed mercilessly:
[Mission: Go to the Old Tokorozawa Water Distribution Hub and find the mastermind!]
[Do you want to select navigation service?]
'There's even this function?'
Nyamu, who had also found no results on her phone's navigation, gently tapped the confirm button.
Immediately after—
[Purchased: 'Route Navigation Service']
[Cost: -20,000 yen]
[Current total debt: -200,000 yen (3.5% daily interest, compound interest)]
The girl felt another stab in her heart.
However, the situation was urgent, and she had no time to waste.
The changes in her body couldn't be hidden; her claws seemed to have grown a bit longer, and her tail twitched restlessly under her uniform.
The beastification was intensifying, like a slowly tightening noose.
Hoping for a savior to drop from the sky and solve everything? Better to hope this crappy system has a change of heart and offers a discount!
The path had to be forged by herself!
"Wait!" Nyamu abruptly twisted the throttle of her electric scooter, blocking Fuuki's motorcycle just as he was about to start it.
She took a deep breath, removed her helmet, revealing her sweat-soaked purple short hair and cat-like eyes filled with determination.
The girl's finger swiped forcefully through the air—a translucent, complex route map flowing with blue data streams instantly unfolded before her, precisely suspended in real space, with "Old Tokorozawa Water Distribution Hub" clearly marked as the destination.
"I know the exact, fastest route! That cursed place can't be found on ordinary maps at all!" She spoke rapidly, her gaze fixed on the shadow on Fuuki's face.
"If we waste time on navigation, Mutsumi-san's situation will get worse, and so will mine!"
She extended her hand, not in supplication, but as a warrior's invitation.
"I need your firepower, and you need my navigation. How about we cooperate to catch that bastard mastermind? As teammates!"
Fuuki's fingertips tightened on the cold grip of his motorcycle.
The frustration he had felt earlier had not dissipated from his heart.
Uika's whimpers still echoed in his ears, the memory of Sakiko being forced into dormancy by him, the uncontrolled beast horde in Ikebukuro, his friend on his shoulder completely transformed into a cat... The enemy was hidden deep in the fog, and the people he cared about were falling one after another.
This feeling of powerlessness, like a catalyst, reignited the persistent whispers in his mind:
"Solitude is strength... The journey to 'Heaven' is destined to be a solitary one."
"You can only trust yourself... and 'us'."
The voice echoed coldly, tempting him to return to the familiar, enclosed island.
Just like the first time he encountered the meteorite fragment, a strange sense of urgency drove him to act recklessly.
'The way to ascend to 'Heaven'... can only be defined by me!'
A stronger, more self-willed resolve erupted in Fuuki's heart.
'No will, even if it comes from 'my' echo—shall interfere.'
'Establishing connections, gaining followers, this is my choice!'
Beneath the shadow, Fuuki's lips seemed to twitch upwards ever so slightly; it wasn't a smile, but a decision to break free from shackles.
He released his tight grip on the handlebars, not looking at the floating navigation map, but his gaze pierced through the shadow, falling on Nyamu's outstretched hand, covered in fine, soft purple fur.
"I understand."
A low voice sounded, and at the same time, the substantial shadow on his face receded silently, like morning mist dispersed by sunlight.
A face that was excessively handsome yet unusually pale was exposed to the afternoon light.
Golden hair framed deep black eyes, within which surged a settled, almost ruthless determination.
He extended his hand, his fingertips briefly and firmly gripping Nyamu's small cat paw.
"Pleasure working with you." His voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of a new chapter beginning.
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