TBITW Chapter 27

Chapter 27 – Associated

Main Story 2, Chapter 3

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 glossy, black Bizen square plate accentuated the vibrant contrast of the red and white seafood placed on it.

After taking a sip of sake with a fin inside, Aizawa exhaled deeply.

“This place is tight-lipped, and both the ingredients and sake are top-notch. I thought I’d let you in on it.”

Aizawa had brought Kagura here, to a restaurant in Shimbashi, after Kagura mentioned he wanted to discuss something private.

“Remember when you said there was a writer you wanted to keep close? How’s it going with him?”

This was from a time when Kagura still knew little about Zero’s true nature and had mentioned it to Aizawa. It had been around the time they went to confirm the body of a freelance writer named Machida Shogo, who had once worked for Aizawa and had been found dead in Tokyo Bay. Perhaps he had brought Machida to this restaurant too.

“He’s not tamed yet,” Kagura replied.

“I see. Well, it’s better if he isn’t easy. That way, he’ll be more devoted to you,” Aizawa said as he took a bite of his favourite simmered radish, signalling for Kagura to go on.

Lowering his voice, Kagura asked, “I’d like to know a bit about Prosecutor Kiriyama.”

Aizawa, who kept many writers on his payroll, was a self-proclaimed information maniac, well-versed in personnel matters. He knew the details of prominent individuals among police, prosecutors, judges, and lawyers alike.

“I was out of the loop for a bit, but it seems Prosecutor Kiriyama dropped by our office. And he called only you after the meeting, didn’t he?”

“How did you know that?”

“Sanae told me. He said Kiriyama overheard him badmouthing him, and he was trembling. Then he asked me, all pale, ‘What kind of person is Prosecutor Kiriyama, anyway?’”

No doubt, Sanae’s small-animal-like heart had taken a significant blow.

Possibly for the second time, Aizawa began to speak about Kiriyama with ease.

“Kiriyama Shungo, age 37. Passed the bar exam while studying at T University’s law faculty, became a prosecutor upon graduation. After working in the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office’s criminal and trial divisions, he was appointed to the Special Investigation Department, focusing on political and financial bribery cases. He’s a classic elite. Comes from a line of legal aristocrats―――his great-grandfather was the Attorney General, his grandfather was a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and although his father has passed away, he would have likely become Attorney General as well.”

“Just hearing it makes me feel nauseous,” Kagura muttered, to which Aizawa laughed and added, “Sanae nearly fainted.”

“Is Kiriyama aiming to reach the top of the prosecution, then?”

“Rumour has it he’s already formed a large faction, even involving the judiciary.”

If Kiriyama were to rise to the top of the prosecution, he would likely eliminate anyone he disliked with a chameleon-like tongue, wiping them out of existence.

…And this man has his eyes on Enwu…

Not only that, but he had warned Kagura to stay away from the Eastern Alliance.

Aizawa shared numerous cases that Kiriyama had handled, all of them noteworthy, though none seemed to involve Enwu or the Eastern Alliance directly.

Kagura couldn’t gather any clues as to why Kiriyama suspected he was connected with Enwu.

Kiriyama’s current case involved a foreign crime organisation, but judging from his demeanour, it seemed he had been watching Enwu and the Eastern Alliance for quite some time.

“If the prosecution is serious, they could even take down a politician. Pinning a wrongful conviction on an ordinary detective like us would be a piece of cake,” Aizawa hinted, warning Kagura against making an enemy of Kiriyama, and they ended their discussion.

About a week later, Kagura had contact from Zero.

After finishing his work, he got off at Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Line and started walking toward his apartment. A familiar van was parked by the curb. Passing by it, and then his apartment, he walked a good distance before turning left. The van caught up and stopped. Kagura slipped into the open back door.

The driver was Kataware, while Zero sat in the rear seat. Kagura sat across from him.

Without a word, Zero handed him a tablet. Kagura’s face stiffened when he saw the image displayed on the screen.

Two men sat on a sofa in what appeared to be a VIP room in a garishly decorated rococo-style high-end club.

One of them was Prosecutor Kiriyama, and the other…

“…Toono.”

It was Toono Ryouji of the Eastern Alliance.

In the past, Toono had ash-grey hair with blue highlights, but at forty-two, he had dark brown hair, a short beard, and wore a black T-shirt under his suit. He looked like a startup CEO but exuded a brazen vulgarity in both his gaze and posture.

Kiriyama, seated on a sofa positioned ninety degrees from Toono’s, had the same blank expression he wore even when interviewing criminals.

The photo seemed to be a covert shot by an employee, as neither man appeared aware of the camera.

“So, Kiriyama’s connected to Toono?”

“If he suspects you’re connected to Enwu, it’s probably from information via Toono.”

That would explain a lot.

Kagura had been picking up small incidents like assaults and threats, supposedly committed by Eastern Alliance members, as there had been no major movements by the group lately. However, many of these cases had been dismissed by the prosecution. After explaining this and Kiriyama’s powerful influence in the legal world, Zero frowned.

“So basically, prosecutors in Kiriyama’s faction are covering up cases involving Eastern Alliance members?”

“It seems likely.”

“This is more complicated than I thought.”

To make matters worse, Kiriyama’s climb to become Attorney General seemed highly probable.

As he rose, the Eastern Alliance would be granted increasing leeway.

…This was something Kagura could not allow.

Clenching his fists, he looked Zero square in the eye.

“I’ll bring Kiriyama down and dismantle his faction. Just leaking this photo would be damaging enough.”

However, Zero stared at the tablet image in silence.

“Are you listening?” As Kagura leaned in, Zero returned a surprisingly calm look.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself on this.”

“What?”

“You’re not getting involved in this. Leave Kiriyama alone.”

Kagura was stunned.

They had been working toward the same goal of taking down the Eastern Alliance.

“Kataware, take the car back to Kamiyacho.”

“Zero, hey!”

“This photo isn’t going to be leaked.”

Zero’s unreadable, dark gaze turned toward him.

“Focus on your own work for now.”

For the ten minutes it took the van to return near Kagura’s apartment, Zero didn’t say another word.

Neither did Kagura, as he got out.

He felt as though he had lost sight of a man who had been running alongside him.

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*Translator’s Note: Zero didn’t want his beloved to be at risk. But you know Kagura and his stubborn ass. *Sighs* -K

Next update: 2025.09.30

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