TBITW Chapter 31

Chapter 31 – His Pet

Main Story 2, Chapter 6, Part 1

Novel Title: 獣はかくして交わる (The Beasts Intertwine This Way)

Author：沙野 風結子 (Fuyuko Sano)

Illustrator：小山田 あみ (Oyamada Ami)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 鹿倉 陣也 (Kagura Jinya -MC) & ゼロ (Zero -ML)

*Please read at novels.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office Kudan Building, where the Special Investigations Department is located, lies directly across from the Metropolitan Police Department’s headquarters, separated by the vast Imperial Palace.

That afternoon, Kagura visited the Kudan Building.

He had contacted Kiriyama, claiming he had a direct report regarding the involvement of a foreign crime organisation in a specialised fraud case.

That was merely an excuse; his true objective was to make contact with Kiriyama.

It wasn’t that he disregarded Zero’s warning.

However, he believed he could handle the aspects they were unable to.

Zero labelled Kiriyama as a ‘non-citizen’, but no matter how much power Kiriyama wielded, he still held citizenship.

Likewise, Kagura himself was a citizen and a detective in the Organized Crime Department, which allowed him to confront Kiriyama openly.

He was well aware from their previous encounter that Kiriyama wasn’t the kind of person who would easily reveal information through subtle manoeuvres.

Indeed, Kiriyama saw through him immediately.

“Detective Kagura, you’re not the sort to make half a circuit around the Imperial Palace just to report something so trivial.”

Kiriyama said this while gazing down at the green landscape of the Imperial Palace from the conference room window.

Kagura, still seated, forced himself to respond in a bitter tone.

“I thought it necessary to make things clear.”

Kiriyama’s slick black eyes turned toward him.

“Clear about what?”

Kagura stood up and walked closer to Kiriyama. He found this man unsettling, a sensation like he was on the verge of being wrapped up by a chameleon’s tongue, which sent a chill down his spine.

“One matter is Enwu.”

How much did Kiriyama know about his relationship with Enwu―――also with Zero? This was something Kagura needed to ascertain, as it would indicate how much the Eastern Alliance had uncovered.

This was why Kagura purposely brought up Enwu himself.

“I see all criminal organisations as my enemies. I would never connect with Enwu. I can’t rest until that’s made clear.” He glared at Kiriyama, speaking with a forceful tone.

“I see.” Kiriyama’s fingers caught Kagura’s chin, and their faces drew closer.

His gaze roamed, as though searching for even the subtlest expression.

―――…Disgusting.

Suppressing his revulsion, Kagura kept his anger displayed on his face.

If Kiriyama was truly certain of a connection, he wouldn’t need to probe this way.

―――…It’s likely that neither the Eastern Alliance nor Kiriyama have completely confirmed my relationship with Zero.

They were only relying on circumstantial evidence, deducing that there was a strong possibility of a connection.

“That was the first point. And the second?”

“The matter of the Eastern Alliance. Just because some prosecutor advised me doesn’t mean I’ll back off from the Eastern Alliance.”

A ripple of irritation spread across Kiriyama’s expressionless face.

With this, Kiriyama should now recognize Kagura Jinya as someone he couldn’t simply ignore.

―――…How will he respond?

As Kagura waited for Kiriyama’s reaction, Kiriyama’s fingers moved from his chin to his neck.

“I’ve heard from the prosecution about your dedication. Shall I interpret this visit as a clarification, motivated by your pride as an organised crime detective?”

With that ambiguous, patronising remark, his cold fingers slipped inside Kagura’s collar.

“Has the mark already faded?”

He kneaded the spot where the kiss mark had once been. The touch sent a creeping chill that spread across Kagura’s skin, tingling as it invaded a larger area.

―――…This man, after all…

Even if it was just to provoke him, this kind of touch was something only someone sexually attracted to the same sex would do. Kiriyama had a wife, who was the daughter of a ruling party lawmaker and a prime minister candidate. They had no children. It was a purely political marriage, and Kiriyama was likely either bisexual or homosexual.

―――Or are you the type who gets excited by sadism, whether with women or men?

A peculiar intensity characteristic of a sadist emanated from both Kiriyama’s gaze and his fingers. With his overly refined appearance, he seemed to possess an unsettling allure, almost overpowering.

When Kagura furrowed his brow in distaste, the edges of Kiriyama’s eyes reddened. It seemed that breaking down resistant people aroused him―――something Kagura had suspected from their previous interactions.

―――So, in short, I’m on this guy’s target list.

The crawling sensation he felt wasn’t pleasant, but it was one of the things he’d wanted to confirm.

Kagura grabbed Kiriyama’s hand and pulled it away from his neck.

“If the misunderstanding is cleared up, I’ll be taking my leave.”

As he turned to go, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pressing him back against the wall. Kiriyama braced his hands against the wall, blocking his exit.

“You said you had no intention of withdrawing from the Eastern Alliance.”

“That’s right.”

“I could crush someone like you easily.”

Though they looked nothing alike, the air of arrogance Kiriyama held, one typical of those outside the bounds of law, reminded Kagura of Zero.

And then, there was that darkness.

A dense blackness, like the depths of night, seemed to envelop Kagura’s vision.

Although his throat wasn’t being strangled, a stifling sensation filled his chest.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to pursue the Eastern Alliance.” Kagura pressed his point. 

Kiriyama hooked a finger around the knot of Kagura’s tie and yanked it down. He flicked open the top button of Kagura’s shirt with a casual movement.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

“If you’re so determined to be involved with the Eastern Alliance, I could make you my pet.”

“…”

Every word he chose was sickening.

Kagura had to summon every ounce of self-control to resist the urge to punch him.

“As my pet or crushed beneath me―――which will it be?”

“I…”

The idea of being treated as a pet by this man was revolting.

But his true purpose in visiting today was to make Kiriyama believe that he needed to be kept under surveillance.

Kagura intended to get close, to lure him in by any means necessary, to gather information. He needed to uncover the Eastern Alliance’s movements and determine how much Kiriyama knew about Zero.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve my goal.” Kagura reiterated.

Kiriyama’s fingers traced over the second button of Kagura’s shirt, then slipped it open.

“Whatever it takes, huh? Good to know.”

He pulled the collar aside and lowered his face to Kagura’s neck, his tongue sliding coldly over Kagura’s skin.

Even as his skin crawled, Kagura clenched his teeth.

Raising his head again, Kiriyama stared at Kagura’s tense face, eyes narrowing.

“From the marking I saw, your partner must be a man.”

Kagura glared back in silence, and Kiriyama lowered his face to his neck again, pressing his chilled lips to Kagura’s skin.

A surge of deep disgust rose up, surprising even Kagura. His eyes wandered, unable to hold his gaze on Kiriyama.

When Zero had marked him in that same spot, he hadn’t felt this way. In fact, feeling Zero’s scent and lips against him had stirred up pleasure.

Kiriyama shifted slightly and began sucking on his neck once more.

With each pull of his lips, a creeping revulsion spread through Kagura’s body. He shut his eyes tightly.

Finally, Kiriyama pulled his lips away from his neck.

“A mark for my pet. I’ll give you another before the last one fades.”

Swallowing down the stream of curses that threatened to spill out, Kagura hastily buttoned his shirt, adjusted his tie, and left the conference room at a brisk pace.

In the restroom at the subway station on his way back, Kagura checked his neck. A patchy red bruise had spread across his skin.

A powerful chill resurfaced.

As he scratched his neck, the sensation of Kiriyama’s lips and tongue faded slightly.

“I almost thought a vampire had attacked you,” Sanae said as he closed the first aid kit.

“You’re always so dramatic,” Kagura replied.

“I’m not being dramatic! Coming back with your dress shirt covered in blood…”

On the way back from the Kudan Prosecutor’s Office to the Metropolitan Police Headquarters, he’d kept scratching his neck, and by the time he noticed, his fingertips and the collar of his shirt were stained with blood.

When Sanae saw it, he jumped in alarm and ran to grab the first aid kit.

“But you went to see Prosecutor Kiriyama, right?” Sanae’s voice trembled, his body shuddering as he seemed to recall a recent terrifying experience.

“That man looks totally like a vampire, doesn’t he?”

Come to think of it, Kiriyama’s appearance and demeanour were indeed reminiscent of a vampire from an old Western movie. If anyone had seen him sucking on his neck, it would have seemed exactly like that.

“If he were a vampire, I’d be dead by now.”

“What? Did Prosecutor Kiriyama really do something to you?”

“…No way,” Kagura replied.

“Right. Oh, but there’s also that setup where if a vampire bites you, you become one too.”

Sanae pressed a hand to his own neck.

“Uh, I’m not tasty, so no thanks,” he joked.

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*Translator’s Note: He should’ve listened to Zero. But without Kiriyama, we won’t get to see the crazily jealous version of Zero. Hahaha… -K

Next update: 2025.10.04

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