TBCTW Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – Time’s Up

Chapter 8, Part 1

Novel Title: 獣はかくしてまぐわう (The Beasts Copulate 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*

֍֍֍

He reached for the smartphone, which kept ringing.

December 25th, 2:30 a.m. Kagura answered Arita’s call.

“Did you pick up anything?”

In a low, muttering voice, Arita replied, “Within the hour, a foreign plane is scheduled to land at Chofu Airfield for emergency maintenance. It’s a Gulfstream G650ER.”

Kagura bolted upright in bed, instantly awake.

“A Gulfstream G650ER…”

That matched one of the private jets owned by Li Azhar.

“Chofu Airfield only allows visual flight operations, and night takeoffs and landings are banned. The fact that they chose Chofu instead of Haneda is clearly suspicious.”

Even under the guise of emergency maintenance, it was something that should never happen.

Kagura hurried into the living room and slipped on his coat. He always prepared so he could rush out at a moment’s notice, sleeping with only his coat and shoes left to put on. The essentials were already in his coat pockets.

“Thank you for the tip. I’m heading to Chofu Airfield now.”

“I’ll contact Aizawa-san myself.”

“Appreciate it.”

Kagura descended to the apartment building’s underground parking garage and mounted his bike. He could reach Chofu Airfield in about thirty minutes.

―――…But I didn’t expect them to target such a close location.

He had assumed they’d use a method that would allow them to sneak in discreetly from a more remote area, either by air or sea. Chofu Airfield hadn’t even crossed his mind as a possibility.

Kagura sped down the highway in the dead of night, weaving past large trucks lumbering along as if they owned the road. The used bike he had bought for undercover operations lacked the power he wanted, so he felt frustrated as he pushed it to its limit.

He glanced up at the sky repeatedly, searching for the aircraft’s navigation lights.

He exited at Chofu IC and left the bike near the entrance of a park adjacent to the airfield.

The control tower was lit up. They must be standing by to receive the incoming aircraft.

Kagura climbed over the gate and trespassed onto the airfield grounds, taking care not to be spotted by the air traffic controllers.

The fact that the airfield was permitting a nighttime landing despite the ban suggested that it had fallen under Li Azhar’s influence. …A tempting offer like an invitation card to the ‘Invincible Castle’ would be enough to sway a municipal airfield to his will.

In that case, he’d have no choice but to infiltrate illegally.

If the police’s involvement became apparent, the private jet would divert its landing, and they’d lose the chance to capture Toono.

He advanced across the grounds toward the hangar. Since the airfield was adjacent to a large park, the darkened ground allowed the wide, open sky above to reveal stars in sharp clarity.

The Big Dipper shone brightly.

He strained his eyes and found the faint light of Alcor, the Death Omen Star.

That was Zero’s star.

“The faint one, the forgotten one, and the rejected one…”

Whispering to himself, he felt a tightness in his chest, and a deep emotion welled up naturally.

―――…I want to protect him… to be someone he can rely on for protection.

To do that, he had to capture their mutual enemy, Toono, and prove to Zero that he was someone trustworthy.

He reached the hangar and concealed himself in its shadow when he saw a small navigation light appear in the sky.

“That must be it.”

As he focused on it, he was suddenly blown forward. His body rolled across the ground, his breath momentarily cut off as if struck hard on his back. Gasping, he tried to stand while kneeling, only for a leg to swing toward him. He evaded by rolling sideways.

The lower part of the hangar’s shutter was slightly open.

Another kick came flying at him, and Kagura slid into the hangar to evade it.

The next moment, the hangar lights flicked on, instantly brightening his surroundings.

A man crawled in through the gap beneath the shutter. With a lithe body, he stood up, stretching like a cat. He wore a purple turtleneck, leather slacks, and a black down coat that hung open.

A crazed smile spread across his androgynous face as he said; “…Renjou~~.”

Kagura quickly scanned the surroundings. The hangar housed two Cessna planes and a helicopter, providing many blind spots, but there was no sign anyone else was hiding. Likely, it was just Renjou and whoever operated the lights.

―――…If Renjou is here, then I was right.

If Toono was returning to the country, his most devoted follower, Renjou, would naturally be there to welcome him.

Arita would have informed Aizawa, who should also be mobilising the police as planned, but the private jet was already close. If things continued like this, Toono might slip away.

―――…I have to get out of here and capture Toono.

But he had seen Renjou’s berserk fighting style many times in the underground arena. There was no way he could match him directly. His only option was to slip out through the gap in the shutter when an opening arose.

Renjou raised his right hand, which was equipped with brass knuckles, and twirled his wrist.

The lights suddenly dimmed.

“Let the match begin,” a shrill voice echoed through the hangar.

Kagura started to dash toward the shutter, but Renjou reacted instantly, leaping at him as if to guard the goal. Kagura decided to lure him deeper into the hangar.

He ran to the Cessna plane and hid behind it. Footsteps thudded above him.

Renjou had climbed onto the opposite wing and leaped over it to approach him from the top. Reaching Kagura’s side of the wing, he jumped. Kagura, targeted by a flying kick to the head, leaned his torso sharply to the right, guarding his head with his arm. Renjou shifted the angle of his kick mid-air, striking Kagura’s left shoulder. The impact spun him around, but he managed to stay on his feet.

Renjou hit the floor hard, but instead of groaning, he let out a burst of crazed laughter.

That laugh jolted Kagura’s nerves for an instant. He snapped out of it and sprinted toward the shutter, but the laughter trailed behind him. Just as he attempted to dive through the gap, Renjou tackled him.

He fell onto his back, pinned beneath Renjou, who straddled his lower abdomen triumphantly.

In the dim light, the seductive, ambiguous beauty of the man on top of him stirred something deep within Kagura. …Perhaps those who faced Renjou in the underground arena experienced the same disturbing sensation.

Nearby, the shutter began to vibrate, emitting a soft, persistent noise.

A thunderous sound and gust of wind poured into the hangar.

The private jet had likely entered the runway.

Time was up.

Renjou’s hands tightened around Kagura’s throat.

֍֍֍

*Translator’s Note: No one can beat Renjou, you know… -K

Next update: 29th Oct 2025. If you see no updates, wait for announcement on Discord

֍֍֍