With the message delivered, Clone No. 4 gave an elegant bow before melting back into the shadows.
Higuchi Ichiyō licked her dry lips and lowered her voice. "Boss, what she just said—"
"I heard everything," Mori Ōgai's voice came through the earpiece, smooth and unhurried. "I never doubted Tokisaki-san's ability to complete the mission. In truth, the purpose of this task was simply to understand her powers. I expected tonight to be a dead end, but it seems we've been fortunate."
"She mentioned handing things over to the main body... Does that mean the one we saw was a clone?"
"Most likely. So far, Tokisaki-san has displayed four distinct abilities—phasing into shadows, teleportation, memory reading, and creating clones." Mori sounded almost amused. "What kind of ability grants such unrelated powers? Or is she simply playing tricks on us?"
By now, Higuchi had abandoned any lingering doubts about Tokisaki Kurumi.
She didn't think the clone had lied—after all, Kurumi was about to personally visit the factory. There'd be no point in deception.
Taking a deep breath, Higuchi stepped forward, moving cautiously toward the abandoned building.
--+--
A night of howling winds and shrouded moonlight.
Thick leaden clouds choked the silver glow of the crescent moon, plunging the world into darkness.
The outskirts of Yokohama were lifeless, a desolate wasteland abandoned to silence and cold.
The biting night wind slipped through her collar like the sweep of a reaper's scythe, stealing away what little warmth remained in her body.
In the suffocating blackness, Higuchi could barely see a thing. Only after flicking on her flashlight did the path ahead become visible again.
When she reached the factory gates, she saw her—a breathtaking girl in an extravagant dress, standing perfectly still as if waiting just for her.
"Higuchi-san, I've retrieved the information you wanted."
Tokisaki Kurumi looked as composed as ever, not a trace of exhaustion or disarray. Nothing like someone who'd just completed a mission.
Behind her came the sound of something heavy being dragged.
Higuchi raised her flashlight slightly, casting its beam into the factory, barely illuminating the scene.
Her pupils shrank when she saw what lay beyond Kurumi.
Inside, four identical copies of Tokisaki Kurumi were dragging the factory's workers, lining them up against the wall to clear a path.
Yet none of them resisted. They might as well have been corpses.
"Do they bother you?"
Noticing Higuchi's gaze, Kurumi spoke lightly. "They're just employees. The Port Mafia can deal with them as they see fit."
"Understood. We'll interrogate them."
"Interrogate? Unnecessary. I already have all the information." Kurumi shook her head. "This is a hideout for the Kansai-based Oumi Alliance—a drug production facility. They wanted to expand their operations into Yokohama. This factory was their first attempt."
She handed over a stack of documents. "These are the addresses of smaller distribution points in the city, as well as evidence of organizations secretly dealing with the Oumi Alliance. I trust you can handle the rest."
"Your investigation was flawless, Tokisaki-san. Leave the rest to us." Higuchi gave her a slightly surprised glance. "Drug trafficking in Yokohama is a death sentence. One of the Port Mafia's ironclad rules. We won't tolerate anything that harms this city."
"After all, it's the Port Mafia's duty to fight evil with evil, isn't it?" Kurumi nodded in understanding. "Then I'll leave the rest in your hands."
"Of course. Now that we have what we need, they're worthless." Higuchi's voice was flat. "We'll send someone to dispose of them later. No need to dirty your hands."
"Dirty... my hands?"
At that, Kurumi's lips curled into a strange smile.
From the Bluetooth earpiece linking her to Mori, a low chuckle echoed.
Higuchi tensed. Had she said something wrong?
"Did you hear that, everyone?"
Kurumi turned toward her clones inside the factory, her grin widening uncontrollably. "Did you hear? Higuchi-san says we shouldn't dirty our hands."
Behind her, the other stunningly beautiful girls couldn't hold back their laughter.
Their voices were clear and lovely, like a mountain spring, soothing enough to calm a restless heart.
And yet—
Somehow, when their laughter intertwined, it carried a soul-freezing chill that sent Higuchi plunging into an abyss of terror.
In that moment, the elegant young ladies transformed into bloodthirsty specters of the night, exchanging cruel, mocking glances.
The clouds obscuring the moon finally drifted apart, allowing its feeble silver light to spill onto the earth.
And so, Higuchi saw them—
The strands of white hair fluttering in the wind.
The withered, mummified corpses, drained of life and vitality, reduced to husks of old age.
Like creatures from legend, sucked dry of essence, leaving behind only decaying shells.
When the full horror of the factory's interior finally registered, Higuchi's pupils contracted violently. She stumbled back a step.
It was as if she'd wandered into a vampire's lair.
In the darkness, pairs of crimson and golden eyes gleamed, fixed on her like predators eyeing helpless prey.
At last, Higuchi understood Mori's words.
These weren't sheltered noble ladies.
They were the embodiment of sin.
The purest evil this world had to offer.
Worse than Akutagawa Ryūnosuke.
True monsters.
"Is something wrong, Higuchi-san? You look pale."
With exaggerated concern, Kurumi took a step closer, as if to examine her condition.
Higuchi's face stiffened. "I... I'm fine..."
She knew exactly what mistake she'd made now.
That innocent, caring expression was nothing but a mask. Beneath that enchanting facade lurked a bloodthirsty beast.
And she—she had been trapped in a car with this monster?
She'd actually worried for her future, treating her like some naive young girl?
Looking back, that smile Kurumi had given her in the car—had that been politeness?
Or had it been mockery all along?
Higuchi's entire body ran cold.
"Is that so? Good." Kurumi smiled faintly. "My task ends here. Please inform Mori-san that I'll meet him tomorrow at nine."
Higuchi couldn't respond. Fear had seized her completely. The fact that she was still standing was a miracle in itself.
"Then let's go, everyone."
At Kurumi's command, the clones inside the factory stepped forward one by one, sinking into her shadow.
"I'll leave the report to you. I trust you can explain everything to Mori-san, yes?"
When Higuchi managed a stiff nod, Kurumi's smile deepened. "Wonderful. Until next time, Higuchi-san."
With a slight bow, she vanished.
Only after she was gone did the oppressive air lighten. Higuchi gasped for breath, the icy wind filling her lungs as she collapsed to her knees.
The cold had leeched every trace of warmth from her body, leaving her trembling.
But the shiver running through her soul had nothing to do with the chill.
Through the earpiece, Mori's voice came, laced with pity.
"You've worked hard."
--+--