Seeing Kitazaki's confidence, Takuma also calmed down. After all, the Orphnoch King hadn't even appeared yet, so he didn't need to be overly afraid. Saeko was visibly distracted; as a newly evolved species, she no longer cared about these Orphnoch squabbles. The only thing that truly interested her now was Raven.
A few days later, at the Nakano North Police Station.
A man in a police uniform with a long face and shoulder-length hair appeared before Detective Sawamura and Detective Soeno. He spoke in a very calm tone: "The investigation into Smart Brain stops here. You are to ask no further questions and know nothing more about this matter."
"Why? I don't understand!" Sawamura was the first to react strongly.
"I will only say this once."
This long-haired man was an elite from the National Police Agency, currently responsible for the secret research into the Orphnochs. His name was Masahiko Minami.
Seeing his uncompromising attitude, Sawamura was helpless; this was a person sent from higher up. He couldn't help but wonder how vast the power behind the Smart Brain Company truly was. The older Detective Soeno sighed deeply. The truth was clearly laid out before them, yet they couldn't pursue the investigation.
Minami stepped forward, patted Sawamura's shoulder, and—in a split second that was barely perceptible—revealed a cryptic smile before walking away.
He was, of course, fully aware of the Orphnochs' existence and that Smart Brain was their headquarters. In reality, the two sides were mutually utilizing each other. Smart Brain funded and sponsored the Metropolitan Police to establish this secret organization to study the Orphnochs. In return, the Metropolitan Police acted as Smart Brain's protective umbrella, suppressing the murder cases caused by the Orphnochs to maintain social order.
This was a necessary evil. To prevent panic and social upheaval, the secret of the Orphnochs could never be disclosed to the general public. After all, no one could guarantee they wouldn't spontaneously become an Orphnoch after death, as the transformations were seemingly random.
After leaving the Nakano North Police Station, Minami got into a black sedan and drove toward a secret underground facility in the suburbs. This was their dedicated laboratory for Orphnoch research. It initially held many test subjects, but most had perished under torture.
"Are the test subjects already depleted?" Minami frowned. The test subjects he referred to were the Orphnochs who had died under the painful experiments. The ultimate goal of the experiment he was leading was to permanently strip the Orphnochs of their human form, forcing them to remain as monsters. This would give the police a legitimate, morally unburdened reason to fully eliminate the Orphnochs.
"We must find new test subjects," Minami stated.
At the same time, Yuji Kiba had been recovering at Keitaro's home for a few days before finally returning to his old apartment. The moment he walked in, he saw Naoya Kaido wrestling with a small boy Kaido had apparently brought back from somewhere.
The small boy was hitting and kicking Kaido. "Okay, okay, stop hitting me, you brat!" Kaido cried out, though his tone was fond, and he didn't fight back at all.
"Kaido, who is this child?" Kiba asked as he entered.
"Ah… Kiba, you're back! I thought you were…" Kaido's eyes lit up when he saw Kiba, and he quickly hid behind him.
The little boy immediately fell silent, ceasing his attack.
Kaido breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain what had happened during Kiba's absence.
"Well, you see…"
After Yuji Kiba was attacked and failed to return to the apartment, Kaido had tried to look for him for two days. He had then stumbled upon a fire. Though he initially intended to leave, he heard a child crying inside, so he rushed in and rescued him. This heroic deed was even reported in the newspaper, making him a local hero.
The little boy he rescued was named Teruo. Since then, Teruo had been constantly asking for Kaido at the orphanage. Kaido, initially happy, thinking the boy wanted to thank him, was surprised when he went there, only to realize what kind of trouble he'd gotten himself into. The boy would start hitting and kicking him the moment he saw him, blaming him for not saving his parents.
To maintain his hero image in front of others, Kaido endured it, and even visited him often. As time passed, they developed a genuine bond. Today, he had seen Teruo being bullied by the other children at the orphanage and couldn't bear it, so he took him out to play.
Yuji Kiba couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. He hadn't expected this side of the usually abrasive Kaido.
However, unnoticed by both Kiba and Kaido, a pale blue shadow slowly materialized on the wall behind Teruo. It was the Orphnoch King, yet to fully awaken.
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