Chapter 37: The Flame of Passion Never Dies

“Still nothing.”

Emerging from the shrine behind him, Shinichi Kudo sighed deeply. Yet, his spirit quickly rekindled, his eyes blazing with fierce determination.

“I will find your trail, no matter what!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Who’s there!? Hattori?”

The sudden voice startled the fired-up Shinichi, who instinctively turned to face the newcomer, his expression one of surprise.

A high school student with a soy-sauce-colored jacket—a familiar rival.

From Kansai, a high school detective—Heiji Hattori.

“What are you doing here?”

Before Shinichi could finish, Heiji tugged him aside. “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s find somewhere private.”

In the park, while office workers and students were all trapped in their own prisons of routine, two high school detectives joined forces to discuss their case.

“You’re investigating the supernatural too?” Shinichi asked, surprised that Heiji had also encountered the extraordinary.

Meeting Shinichi’s astonished gaze, Heiji sighed with resignation, resting his hands behind his head. “I witnessed the entire appearance of the Earth Spider firsthand. Because of that, my old man grounded me.”

Shinichi’s eyes widened at Heiji’s plight.

“So what now?”

“Unless he’s given up on having a son, I’m stuck here indefinitely.” Heiji rolled his eyes, the whites stark against his skin.

Sitting up, he glanced around and lowered his voice. “And let me tell you, there have been rumors of many yokai sightings lately. My dad and his colleagues have been busy with it late into the night.”

“Are there a lot of supernatural cases?” Shinichi frowned, coming back to the present from Heiji’s story.

“Don’t know yet. That’s why I came to Tokyo to find you,” Heiji said, spreading his hands before standing and formally extending an invitation.

“Let’s work together. With both our minds combined, we’ll uncover the yokai stirring trouble behind the scenes.”

A confident smile curved Shinichi’s lips.

“Since it’s you, I’m in. Let’s show the world the power of our combined intellect.”

Their hands clasped firmly. At eighteen, these young men thirsted for the spotlight. As famed teenage detectives, they were destined to shake the world to its core.

As for any confidentiality agreements… ha, youthful ambition is never swayed by such trifles.

They believed wholeheartedly.

*Click.*

Two cold, metallic tubes pressed against their waists. Their eyes blinked as their fervor cooled.

---

“You were just talking about yokai, right?”

A tilted bowler hat, eyes half-hidden beneath silver hair, fixated sharply on the two high school detectives. Gin smiled faintly, the Beretta in his hand gleaming enticingly.

Moments later.

A black Porsche sped along the road, bringing together four people who seemed to belong to different worlds.

“Boss, the one in the soy-colored jacket is the son of the Osaka Police Chief, the white-haired one is the son of the famous mystery writer, Yusaku Kudo,” Vodka reported into his earpiece, sharing the intel he’d just gathered with Gin.

Bound tightly like a wrapped dumpling, Heiji wriggled like a caterpillar.

Gin nodded slightly, making no comment on their recent discussion about the supernatural.

He glanced in the rearview mirror at the tied-up Heiji. Given his background, it wasn’t surprising he knew about the supernatural.

How best to exploit their value…

---

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Director Shirakawa offered gentle comfort to the young woman before him.

“The police have confirmed—nothing happened last night. Get some rest now.”

Yukino Yukinoshita wore a stiff smile. Facing the director, a man far beyond her family’s reach, and weighed down by last night’s unexpected incident, her well-practiced perfect smile was beginning to falter.

Fortunately, the police only required her to sign a confidentiality agreement and released her after an overnight observation.

Stepping out of the station, it was already nine in the morning. Bathed in warm sunlight, she grasped the car door handle and breathed in the fresh morning air, finally regaining her composure.

Recalling last night felt like recalling a lifetime ago.

“Wah, I need Yukino’s comfort!”

Igniting the engine, she spun the car out with a graceful drift, vanishing in an instant.

Director Shirakawa harbored no worries about Yukino Yukinoshita.

According to their intel, the true head of the Yukinoshita family was her mother, Yuko Yukinoshita.

Strong-willed yet prudent and tactful.

Even if Yukino told her mother what happened last night, it wouldn’t be a problem.

A mere powerful family in Chiba Prefecture—Director Shirakawa could easily keep them in check.

---

Four floors underground, armed police guarded the only passage, stationed every ten steps with sentries every five, silence mingling with a tense, lethal atmosphere.

Director Shirakawa strode in, followed closely by Toshirou Odagiri.

“Director,” Yuya Asakawa, who had been on watch all night, saluted.

He was deeply impressed by this capable director.

Taking the lead against the supernatural, personally arriving at the battlefield, decisive and efficient—the events of last night remained unknown to the Americans, he was sure.

Especially since there were no casualties.

Good, very good.

“How’s the phantom situation?”

“Thanks to Master Chiriku’s guidance, we’ve successfully subdued the phantom. Under the effect of a tenfold special sedative, it remains very calm.”

“Also, we found the corpse of a black phantom in an abandoned apartment not far from the scene. It’s been brought back to the station; the lab is studying it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t establish contact with that supernatural being,” Asakawa regretted.

Director Shirakawa patted his shoulder encouragingly. “No contact is no contact. As long as we keep working and harness the power of the Land of the Rising Sun, we’ll catch up eventually.”

It was a pity they couldn’t connect with that mysterious supernatural entity, but their understanding of the supernatural was still too limited. They had no choice but to forgo this chance.

Setting that aside, the group entered the laboratory, walked down the corridor, and reached the department storing supernatural materials.

Chiriku had been waiting there for some time.

“Thank you for your trouble, Master,” Director Shirakawa said respectfully.

“The monk merely stands here; the true labor belongs to these diligent workers,” Chiriku replied with a slight shake of his head.

“Master is right. The police will surely ensure these contributors are well treated.”

Director Shirakawa’s words held truth.

Not only researchers, but almost all officers who had faced the supernatural had been recruited into the special supernatural division, even the newly joined patrol officer Nanami Sakura.

This man in charge of the police was building strength almost greedily.

Returning to the matter at hand, he observed the ‘hairball’ floating in a special container through the glass.

It looked harmless, but it was actually a deadly phantom—a marvel of the world.

With these supernatural resources, the police would surely secure their footing in this new era!

Both Odagiri and Asakawa thought so.

No other reason—recent operations had gone smoothly.

The dismembered arm of the Crow Tengu, last night’s black and phantom cases—the police’s supernatural materials were expanding at a visible rate. Harnessing this power would bring a leap forward for the police force.

Hmm? Are there influential people involved here?

Ahem, the police bear the safety of the nation on their shoulders; it’s only right that the powers they develop first serve the police.

Suddenly, Asakawa noticed Chiriku’s worried expression and asked puzzled, “Master Chiriku, have you noticed something amiss?”