Chapter 43: The Alcohol on Top

After the initial celebrations, the Metropolitan Police Department had no choice but to confront the severe situation at hand.

With the Tsuchigumo possibly preparing for their Hyakki Yagyō, and the abduction of Hattori Heiji’s only son—the chief of Osaka Police Headquarters—and Kudo Yusaku’s only son—a famous detective and mystery novelist—there was an outcry against America’s domineering actions.

However, considering the heavy casualties suffered by American soldiers this time, Lieutenant General Lytal was likely in a difficult position, which ironically made the most troublesome part somewhat easier to handle.

The Hyakki Yagyō was not something they could deal with at present.

The options were clear.

“Me? Handle this?” Tetsu Yamagami looked at Director Shirouma in disbelief.

Director Shirouma stood with his arms crossed on the desk, speaking calmly.

“The kidnappers have been identified, through cross-referencing, as members of an international terrorist organization. Interpol has clashed with them multiple times but failed to capture them. For insurance, only you have the best chance within the Metropolitan Police Department to rescue the hostages.”

“As for support from the department, you needn’t worry.”

Yamagami’s surprise was anticipated.

Putting himself in the same position, he would feel the same if the organization agreed to send him out knowing his importance.

Some high-ranking officials did worry about accidents, but Director Shirouma dismissed their concerns.

“No pain, no rainbow.”

Besides, this was the best time to test real combat capabilities.

The purpose of artificially created supernaturals is to prepare for increasingly severe supernatural incidents in the future; enhancing individual strength is inevitable.

Though modern weapons suppress many supernatural threats, against truly formidable ones like Tsuchigumo—beings not only physically powerful but wielding elemental forces—most modern arms seem laughably inadequate.

Nuclear bombs? Thermonuclear devices?

Are you certain?

Who knows where those elusive supernatural beings will appear next? What if they throw a massacre party in your own backyard?

It was reminiscent of the silence that fell worldwide when nuclear bombs first emerged.

Wars are often driven not just by grassroots revolutions but by power struggles among vested interests. Even the fiercest battles never truly harmed the elite; captured senior officers were treated well as bargaining chips. But nuclear weapons show no mercy.

Similarly, you cannot expect powerful individuals to spare so-called elites. Those elites once held the power—has anyone ever seen them spare ordinary people?

“Section Chief Asakawa will assist you. If you have questions, ask him.”

Indeed, the ever-reliable Section Chief Asakawa… now part of the Metropolitan Police.

Director Shirouma felt helpless about this.

---

With American informants among his subordinates, and no one else possessing Asakawa Yuuya’s execution skills and supernatural combat experience, they had no choice but to rely on him, even if it meant offering extra allowances.

Besides, with him watching, they need not worry about Yamagami running off.

Although Shirouma believed the man wouldn’t, as head of the department, he had to take necessary precautions.

Thus, the Metropolitan Police Department’s first artificially created supernatural and a team of elite officers from the Supernatural Division set out for Chiba Prefecture.

---

Unlike the celebratory mood among the Japanese dignitaries, Lieutenant General Lytal at Yokosuka Port wore a grim expression, furiously pondering countermeasures.

Then he realized: unless he returned the powerful supernatural entity—the "Necromancer"—this matter would never end.

Paying a price to acquire something valuable could be justified; after all, a soldier’s life was less important than the interests of the elite.

But paying the price without achieving the goal?

His position was partly due to being white; if handled well, it wouldn’t cause much trouble.

If it were someone of the "correct" ethnicity, he would have been reprimanded by America already.

---

“This unspoken harmony,” Mizuki Shirou muttered, watching the three parties mobilize together.

This had nothing to do with him, he vowed to himself.

Though it saved him trouble.

“Training Miku Nakano’s supernatural abilities… never mind, she’s just a side character, more of a morale booster.”

“Ryō Yamada barely counts as third-tier, Kazuto Sakata second-tier; with reinforcements from the Ground Self-Defense Force and the Metropolitan Police, breaking through the minor demons’ defenses shouldn’t be a problem.”

The Tsuchigumo had gathered over fifty yokai born nearby.

The Hyakki Yagyō didn’t require a specific number; with this scale and the enhanced great yokai Tsuchigumo, they could easily storm Tokyo and cause chaos.

After all, Tokyo and Chiba were adjacent.

Mizuki spread his hands. It wasn’t his doing to redraw Japan’s borders; no one owed him an explanation.

As for Chiba Prefecture...

“We can’t deploy the Washing Machine or Soy Sauce Youth yet.”

Not that they couldn’t be deployed—just not yet.

After all, they were detectives, or rather high school detective prodigies, one of whom loved the spotlight; rushing their supernatural powers would be ineffective.

They had to be granted their abilities at their most desperate, most ambitious moments, as a blessing.

What was that saying again?

“Once rational and intelligent people go mad, villains have nothing to worry about.”

When the Hyakki Yagyō happens, it will be time for him to ascend to the grandest stage.

---

Chiba Prefecture, located in central Honshu, bordered Edogawa to the northwest facing Tokyo and Saitama, across the Tone River to the north facing Ibaraki, and across Tokyo Bay to the west facing Kanagawa.

Interestingly, drawing a circle centered at Chiba City with a compass would encompass nearly all of the Japanese archipelago within a 1,000-kilometer radius, excluding only the Ryukyu Islands.

Historically, it played a crucial role in defending against foreign invasions and revivals of hegemony.

Added to that was its status as the modern nation’s heart.

Tokyo.

Right next door, Chiba had long held a notable reputation, benefiting from the era’s dividends, boasting a prosperous agricultural economy and balanced development.

Yet, to the "true Tokyoites," it was nothing but the countryside.

At this moment, inside a factory in Chiba City housing a distillery’s base, Gin calmly smoked a cigarette while listening to intelligence reports from his subordinates.

A short distance away, eerie whimpers echoed through the empty factory, chilling to the bone.

Hattori Heiji shifted aside to avoid being kicked by the legs of a spinning washing machine.

Yes, the kid had been restless again last night, caught red-handed by the guards and now sedated with vodka.

The alcohol served as a disinfectant.

“Phew—” The hazy smoke rings drifted upward and dispersed; Gin’s eyes grew cold.

“The kid’s got some brains, but he’s too lively.”

Vodka immediately understood, splashing the alcohol onto the injured leg of Kudo Shinichi.

“Ugh—!!!”

“...” Gin was speechless.

He had only spoken out of feeling just now… never mind, it was rare for Vodka to be so reliable.