TBETW Chapter 30

(M) Chapter 30 – Returned -END-

Main Story 2, Chapter 7, Part 1

Novel Title: 獣はかくして囚われる (The Beasts are Ensnared This Way)

Author：風結子 沙野 (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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Kagura stepped into the apartment in Nakameguro.

After five months, he had ‘returned’ here.

As they sat side by side on the sofa, Kagura was struck by the illusion that they had been sitting like this just yesterday.

“It seems like no one followed us,” Zero said, his voice heavy.

A deep wrinkle, as though he had been slashed, was etched between his eyebrows.

After a long silence, Kagura opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Do you think it’s true?”

Could it really be true that Zero and Kiriyama were half-brothers?

Could it have been just a falsehood, made up to reverse the situation when Itou had a gun pointed at his head?

…However, the more Kagura tried to gather reasons to deny it, the more reasons for acceptance emerged.

To begin with, Kiriyama had been trying to make excessive contact with Kagura, who was merely an average detective, likely because he had learned that Kagura was connected to Enwu—Zero.

―――So, the reason he wanted to keep me close was for surveillance?

Moreover, if Kiriyama knew that Zero’s maternal grandfather had been a death row inmate, it would make sense if they were related by blood.

Kiriyama’s late father had been expected to become the Attorney General.

If he had fathered a child with a death row inmate’s daughter while already married with children, it would have been something he had to cover up at any cost.

―――…So, is that why Zero became an orphan with no registered family?

And above all, there was even more blatant proof right in front of him.

As he stared, Zero slowly lifted his eyelids, and his gaze, sharp like the darkened abyss, fixed on Kagura.

The dark rumors about Zero, along with the intense energy they compressed, were of the same nature as those surrounding Kiriyama.

“She looked into my eyes, and she said they were the eyes of the prince,” Zero remarked.

Zero’s mother was said to have seen the man she loved in her son’s eyes.

Perhaps, the intense glare from both Zero and Kiriyama was something inherited from their father.

The answer had already been reached.

Kagura felt as if something large and foreign had lodged in his throat, making it difficult to breathe, and he averted his gaze from Zero’s eyes.

“I feel like vomiting.”

Zero continued with a groan. “What’s so great about being a prince?”

Zero’s mother had said that her father became a death row inmate, and that her two younger sisters had died as a result. Kagura didn’t know how they met, but for her, wandering alone in such a dark world, the son of an elite prosecutor must have indeed seemed like a prince straight out of a dream.

She became pregnant with his child, and when her son was born, she saw ‘the prince’ in his eyes, as if she had brought her dream into reality.

However, the man, likely knowing that she had given birth to his child, pretended to be ignorant of it.

Kagura spat out what had been stuck in his throat.

“A worthless prince.”

The sofa shook slightly.

Looking to the side, Kagura saw Zero trembling his shoulders.

His expression seemed like a mix between crying and smiling.

“Yeah, a damn worthless prince.”

Zero’s brow furrowed deeply.

“She was such a foolish woman to be deceived by a man like that.”

Kagura reached out and grabbed Zero by the neck, pulling him in halfway before pressing his lips to Zero’s.

As soon as Kagura felt the thickness of Zero’s lips tremble, Zero responded with rough movements, kissing him fiercely.

Their lips were rubbed, bitten, and licked, and Kagura’s breathing became uneven from just the kiss.

After a light cough, Zero pulled back slightly from his lips.

The look in Zero’s eyes, so close, seemed both like a threat and like the look of a child testing the waters.

“Zero…”

Kagura confessed his true feelings.

“If it’s not with you, there’s no point in doing anything.”

Even if it meant pulling each other down or gaining fatal weaknesses… he had made up his mind to carry it all forward.

***

The cold paralysis that had covered his body slowly started to melt from the places Zero had licked. It felt like a fierce sensation was being drawn out, as though his nerves were being caressed by a sword.

“Ugh… nn.”

<Click here to read the rest of the Mature Chapter on my blog in order to adhere to novels.space’s rules.>

***

“Go see a doctor first thing tomorrow morning.”

The man who had pushed his injured body to the limit responded with a groan.

As for Kagura, he too was sprawled face-down on the bed, still in the final position, exhausted. Throbbing pain was spreading in waves from within his body.

When his consciousness began to grow murky and he closed his eyes, Zero asked in a murmur next to him.

“You really wanted to kill Itou, didn’t you?”

Kagura’s core felt chilled, and he opened his eyes slightly.

Lying on his back, Zero was gazing intently in his direction. In the darkness, the bluish-white of his eyes was strikingly vivid.

This man adept at seeing through the darkness could not have failed to notice the change in Kagura.

“…Yes. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed him.”

The black irises wavered slightly, and Kagura watched it through the pain.

“I can now kill without hesitation, if necessary.”

He knew that was not what Zero desired.

“For my purpose, to protect you, I can kill people. …The light that binds you is gone now.”

He had to carve his way through the darkness without choosing means. That was the world of Zero, and he had stepped into that world.

“I see.”

Zero reached out and stroked his head.

Amid the pitch black of the shaft, specks of light had emerged.

Does Zero himself realize the change that occurred within him when he prevented Kagura from killing Itou?

Just as Kagura had taken in the world of the ‘Non-citizens’, perhaps Zero had also taken in the world of the ‘Citizens’.

Wouldn’t that be a dangerously fatal thing for Zero?

―――But there’s no going back now.

Kagura Jinya cannot separate from Zero. Zero too cannot separate from Kagura Jinya.

In that case, they should just continue to change by catalyzing each other.

Kagura also reaches out to Zero.

And he strokes the black hair that blends into the darkness, with a hesitant touch.

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*Author’s Postscript: 

Hello, I’m Fuyuko Sano.

‘The Beasts…This Way’ series has now reached its third volume.

This work includes the previously published ‘The Beasts are Ensnared This Way’ (Main Story 1) and the newly written ‘The Beasts Understood Each Other This Way’ (Main Story 2).

This time, Zero’s background is revealed. He underwent a change by giving up the light in order to survive. Similarly, Kagura also experiences a change after placing himself in hell.

It’s not exactly the warmth of mutual understanding, but it’s true that they’ve both incorporated elements from each other.

Kiriyama’s revelations… I had subtly set up foreshadowing, so some of you may have already figured it out. This is what it was about.

Li Azhar, who was only mentioned by name, also makes a solid appearance. His very existence symbolizes a seamless world, where if there were borders, it would lead to conflict. But if there weren’t, it would give rise to a new dimension of survival of the fittest, unfolding uncontrollably. I was circling around this idea as I wrote.

In this volume, I ended up making Sanae cry quite a lot. The otter boy, who continues to move his heart earnestly, might truly be the strong one in the real sense.

Ah, the underlying theme this time was Kagura’s ‘nawame’ (a term referring to a man’s “weakened” state or a fall in his resolve, which paradoxically leads to emotional attraction). The adult man’s ‘nawame’ increases the ‘moe’ (attraction) exponentially.

Thank you again, Oyamada Ami-sensei, for the wonderful illustrations of the ‘cool men’ intertwining! The adult men’s charm that you depict is the backbone of this series, and it has supported both my imagination and writing. I truly appreciated the illustration of Kagura smoking a cigarette on the introduction cover of ‘The Beasts Understood Each Other This Way’.

To my editor, thank you once again for your support. I always appreciate your accurate advice. I also thank the designers and the publisher, and everyone who was involved in this work.

Lastly, to all of you who have been following this series, thank you so much.

The characters are now all introduced, and it’s time for the final volume. I will do my best to put all my energy into it, so I hope you continue to watch over us.

📝 Fuyuko Sano

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*Translator’s Note: Meow~ I finally finished translating all three volumes! Phew! It’s gonna take some time for me to translate the final volume. I haven’t read it yet. I will probably start reading and drafting during my winter break. And the final draft might only be done by next year. I won’t be free during working time so yeah, it’s gonna take a while. Anyway, thank you to those who had been reading this from the first volume. It had been a hell of a ride. Oh. By the way, I skimmed through the last volume. I noticed that there will be a threesome scene between Zero, Kagura, and Kiriyama. Heh. I guess that’s something to look forward to, eh. Hahaha. *smacks my perverted head* -K

*P/S: The last illustration is NSFW, so it’s only available on the blog.

FINAL VOLUME ANNOUNCEMENT:

*Translation=

‘The Beasts…This Way’ Series Final Volume.

The changes that occurred within Kagura, and the changes that occurred within Zero. 

The two gradually walk towards each other’s worlds. As they continue to fight together, will they be able to achieve their goals? What lies ahead of them…?

The men’s special relationship finally reaches its conclusion!!!

Scheduled for paperback release around Winter 2025!!

(Release date may be subject to change)

SHINSHOKAN / Dearplus Bunko

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Links to my other translations are available on my blog: https://kin0monogatari2.blogspot.com/