TBITW Chapter 34

Chapter 34 – As He Expected

Main Story 2, Chapter 7, Part 2

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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Holding a wound that seemed like a knife slash, the man groaned pitifully, replying in a weak voice.

“… Ugh, a guy in a black mask.”

From the man’s condition more than his words, Kagura sensed he wasn’t from Enwu but from the Eastern Alliance, and his chest swelled with excitement.

――― Zero trusted me and went along with the plan!

In his excitement, he accidentally kicked the man in the side as he stood up, making the man yelp in exaggerated pain.

From a container aboard a Cambodian cargo ship docked nearby, thirty boys and girls emerged. Some were severely dehydrated and were quickly loaded into ambulances. Five members of the Cambodian mafia were also aboard the ship.

Once the forty or so men sprawled on the pier, the smuggled children, and the Cambodian mafia members were mostly rounded up, the head of Organized Crime Division Section Two, Takizaki, spoke to Kagura.

“To confirm, this case involved the Cambodian mafia and the Eastern Alliance colluding to kidnap, confine, and traffic minors, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Originally, Enwu had planned to rescue the kidnapped children.

The Eastern Alliance, having learned of this, planned to ambush the Enwu members gathered for the rescue.

In response, Kagura proposed a plan: a small group of Enwu members would feign an attempt to rescue the children to lure out the Eastern Alliance attackers, who would then be captured by a large, concealed Enwu force. The Eastern Alliance members would be immobilised by targeting their legs, allowing the police Kagura had brought along to apprehend them.

This would enable them to capture more Eastern Alliance members than if the police had directly intervened at the illegal immigration site.

The police would protect the kidnapped children, and the Eastern Alliance would be publicly condemned for colluding with foreign crime groups in a human trafficking scheme.

Takizaki slapped Kagura’s upper arm firmly.

“We couldn’t tie in the Eastern Alliance during the Rong Lan incident, but we did it this time.”

Kagura nodded emphatically.

Even Kiriyama couldn’t cover up the Eastern Alliance’s involvement in such a major case.

――― We might even be able to bring down Toono as the ringleader.

Was this finally the time to exact revenge?

A tremor ran through Kagura’s body.

All forty-three men lying on the pier were Eastern Alliance members. Many admitted to conspiring with the Cambodian mafia in the kidnapping and illegal immigration of minors.

Some hinted at connections to the Vietnamese mafia’s Rong Lan trafficking ring, and the media repeatedly reported on the ‘Eastern Alliance’. Ironically, the gossip article that drew the most public interest was about a pop idol supposedly dating an Eastern Alliance executive.

Naturally, this led to the pursuit of Toono Ryouji, the Eastern Alliance leader. But an unbelievable report came in: Toono had already fled overseas with his executives.

Just after the news of Toono’s escape broke, a scandal rocked the public: a weekly magazine revealed that top prosecution officials had ties to the Eastern Alliance, with multiple cases involving the group dismissed without prosecution.

It quickly became a societal issue, sparking outrage from the public and leading to the resignation of both the Chief Prosecutor and the Prosecutor-General.

But what shocked Kagura most was that none of those who resigned belonged to Kiriyama’s faction.

Kiriyama was supposed to be the one aiding Toono and accommodating the Eastern Alliance―――so how had things ended up this way?

For the past month, Kagura hadn’t been in contact with Kiriyama at all.

Kagura had uncovered the information that the Eastern Alliance planned to attack Enwu, so Kiriyama must have quickly realised he’d been outwitted. Kagura braced himself for some kind of retaliation from Kiriyama, but instead, the resignation of the Chief Prosecutor and others followed without any reaction.

Without making an appointment, Kagura rushed to the Tokyo District Prosecutors’ Office.

“I’m quite busy at the moment, so please be brief.”

Leading Kagura into their usual conference room, Kiriyama checked his watch impatiently.

With his usual impassive face and no mention of the leaked information, Kagura felt a strong sense of unease.

“…You were aware, weren’t you?”

At Kagura’s question, Kiriyama raised his eyes from his watch , his gaze narrowing.

“I’m aware of everything.”

A shiver ran up Kagura’s spine, like being licked by a chameleon’s tongue.

“Could it be―――”

His mouth went dry.

“Did you…use me?”

Had Kiriyama kept Kagura close, knowing of his ties to Enwu, to let him gather information through surveillance?

Thus, letting Enwu expose the Eastern Alliance’s human trafficking scheme in a grand way―――

“No, that can’t be.”

Kagura murmured, strengthening his tone.

“You had a personal connection with Toono.”

He’d seen a photo of the two together with his own eyes. He’d heard him talking to Toono on the phone, right beside him.

“You were the one issuing orders to drop charges against the Eastern Alliance members.”

Kiriyama’s mouth lifted in a slight smirk.

“I never once aided the Eastern Alliance in that manner. In fact, it was people unconnected to me who ended up resigning.”

Indeed, what Kiriyama said was true.

The realisation shocked Kagura as well.

“They self-destructed. You did what you had to as a detective and even cleaned up the Prosecutor’s Office. Truly impressive work.”

Kiriyama clapped his hands three times.

Kagura was too shaken to feel any anger at being mocked.

“So you orchestrated this to take down a troublesome faction… Toono assisted you, sacrificing only his underlings and then fleeing.”

Toono likely gained a considerable reward in return.

Toono was a man who could heartlessly discard and betray his own people.

“All of you moved just as I expected, almost amusingly so.”

All of you―――Kagura, Enwu, the Eastern Alliance, the police, the Prosecutor’s Office, the media, and the public.

At last, Kagura threw a punch.

Kiriyama didn’t avoid it and took the hit to his cheek, only to reach for Kagura’s neck. He hooked his fingers on the collar and yanked it.

“Looks like it’s gone already. If I feel like it, I’ll mark you as my pet again.”

Kagura went to throw another punch, but this time Kiriyama dodged. He glanced at his watch.

“Time’s up. See you.”

As Kiriyama exited, Kagura, still unsatisfied, struck the tabletop hard with his fist.

Just as he was about to hit it again, his phone vibrated in his suit pocket. Clicking his tongue, he checked the incoming message.

‘Sakura 0831/23’

***

When he arrived at the Nakameguro apartment at 11 p.m., Zero was already there, lying stretched out on the bed with his eyes closed.

After putting his jacket and tie in the closet, Kagura entered the bedroom. The curtain was half-open, and the dim room was softly tinted a pale blue by the moonlight.

Even as he sat on the edge of the bed, Zero was breathing deeply, pretending to sleep.

Kagura picked up the smartphone placed by the pillow and, looking at the ‘family photo’ on the home screen, lay back with his head resting on Zero’s abdomen.

Zero’s stomach rippled in surprise.

“I know you’re just pretending to sleep.”

Kagura remarked dully, and this time Zero’s stomach shook with laughter.

Kagura, too, found himself smiling slightly.

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*Translator’s Note: Yup. Kiriyama is a sneaky bastard. -K

Next update: 2025.10.07

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