Yoshioka Kenji
Aoyama Gou: 9:30 PM
Ikegawa was like a tyrant.
She could do whatever she wanted, using her father's influence.
And those three got roped into it?
No, they were loyal to her! You could say they were her faithful attendants.
What is she, some kinda princess? That’s insane.
Ikegawa’s the one who made them kill that guy.
And why's that?
Just for fun, I guess she was bored.
That’s sick.
They're not exactly people I'd want to hang out with.
They seem rotten to the core.
Her father was the one who sold her off to Saburi.
He got tired of her schtick and wanted to get rid of her.
That’s why she was turned into a Chiropteran.
What a shitty dad.
We're here.
From: Akama Subject: Ikegawa's house
Akama heeeere~.
I forgot to tell you, Ikegawa's house is in the back of the residential area.
You'll know it right away, it's a pretty big mansion.
If you're still not sure, check the map screen on your phone.
Good luck. - Akama
From: Phone Mail Novel Subject: ■The Tonkotsu Reaper■ Chapter 2
I wanna eat a cheeseburger.
One of those with two beef patties.
With some French fries and a cola, too.
That's what a woman told me once.
It was a very long time ago.
-Shiki Central Park - West Gate-
The appointed time.
A young man approached me from the other side of the park.
I wondered if he was the client.
“Hey, you the disposal guy? You are, right?”
He seemed like a laid-back guy.
“That’s right.”
I prefer to give short, direct answers to guys who ask about the obvious.
“That so? This is the first time I’ve seen one of you. You look surprisingly normal.”
“That’s to be expected.”
“I guess that’s true. Wearing weird clothes would just make you stand out.”
“Who are you? Judging from your voice, you’re not the one I spoke to on the phone.”
I braced myself so that I could escape quickly if he started acting weird.
“Pfft, hehehehe! Can you tell? You can, can’t you? You know, right? Hahahahaha.”
I couldn’t get a read on the guy. He had a dangerous smell.
Should I escape...?
“Don’t try to run, now,” muttered the man.
Things were getting more and more dangerous.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you? Where’s the client?”
“The client is in a different location. He’s watching you, even now.”
“Why'd you have to do this? I already got all the details about the job on the phone. I can start at any time — even right now.”
“Well, that's just how I like to do things. Setting the mood is pretty important, don’t you think? You’re not a salaryman, no reason to obsess on work, work, work. You have to enjoy life a little bit more, don’t you agree?”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“For starters, head to Cabaret ISZK.”
“And then? Is that where you want me to start the job?”
“Who knows?”
“What? Aren’t you the middleman here?”
“Me? This is just a part-time gig.”
It seemed like it was definitely gonna be another troublesome job.
Me and my bad luck...
“By the way, asking 'What do you want me to do?' makes you sound like a real amateur, wouldn’t you say? Hehehehe.”
I don’t wanna hear that kinda crap from a damn amateur.
That’s what I thought to myself as I headed off to my next destination. - To be continued...
From: Phone Mail Novel Subject: ■The Tonkotsu Reaper■ Chapter 3
I was thinking about UFOs.
You know, those things that fly in the sky.
They’re... pretty cool.
-Cabaret ISZK-
That woman was nauseating.
She had been sitting next to me for the last 45 minutes, endlessly going on about pointless bullshit.
“So that’s why doggy-chan and kitty-chan get along soooo well together. Even when they sleep, they’re like so snug together. Like all cozy... They’re cuddled all close like this. Really, like all nestled and stuff... Hey... are you listening?”
I wasn't listening at all.
“And then, puppy-chan, right, when he gets fed, kitty-chan just like stares right at him. Like, reaaaaally stares.”
Why does this woman use “chan” when talking about cats and dogs?
Maybe she just adds “chan” to every single living creature?
“OK... Kumi-chan. You’ve got a request from the customer at table 15.”
The waiter who had made the announcement sounded kinda slow.
“Huh? I guess I have to go then. Hehe. Oh yeah, that’s right...”
The woman stood up and then suddenly turned toward me and said,
“Don’t try to run, now.”
This is the fucking worst.
That was the perfect time to go to the toilet, even if I didn’t have any particular reason to.
I wondered how long I would have had to wait until I could finally start this job.
-Toilet-
I carelessly opened the toilet door. That was a big mistake.
I really am unlucky...
A man, covered in blood, stood in front of me, holding a katana.
In situations like this, it's crucial to keep your cool.
However, it was those times when I fretted about whether to go big or go small.
“Are you the disposal guy?”
“I guess that would make you ‘893’ then?”
“Would you kindly answer my question first?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah, you got a point. You asked first. Yes, I’m the disposal guy.”
This guy was really finicky about the details.
“Is that right? Then what are you doing here?”
I wanted to ask him the exact same question, but there was something else that I wanted to say first.
“Are you just going to ignore my question?”
“I never said anything about answering your question...”
This guy really pissed me off, but I was the one at a disadvantage in this situation.
“I came here to take care of some business.”
“What, in the toilet?”
I hated him.
Nothing I said was getting through to him.
“Oh, maybe I was mistaken then. I guess I’ll be going now.”
“You don't have to just agree with what I’m saying. But this place is a toilet.”
This guy was terrible... he was making a complete fool out of me.
“You must take me to the main gate of the school.” - To be continued...
From: Phone Mail Novel Subject: ■The Tonkotsu Reaper■ Chapter 4
It was the afternoon of a beautiful sunny day.
I stepped out onto the veranda in a daze.
In one of the rooms of the apartment building across from me, I could see a man and a woman beating the shit out of each other.
-In front of the main gate of Shiki High School-
“By the way, I never asked your name, did I?”
“It’s Goutama.”
“Goutama...? That’s a weird name.”
“You don’t get to decide if it’s weird of not.”
As usual, this guy really pissed me off.
“And you’re 893?”
“Yes. What of it?”
It was just as I thought...
I had stumbled upon something really troublesome.
893... It’s a shitty number.
“No, it’s nothing. By the way, what exactly are we doing here? I'll be straight with you, I don’t really have time to mess around.”
“I’m aware of that, Mr. Assassin.”
“Woah, looks like there's been a misunderstanding here. I’m no assassin; I’m a disposal guy. They’re completely different things. I don’t kill people.”
This would happen every single time, but it still got on my nerves.
My job is disposal.
It’s completely different from being a professional hitman.
But most of these punks think it’s the same damn thing.
You know how red king crabs aren’t crabs? It’s just like that.
“O-OK, there’s not need to get so mad about it.”
“I’m not mad. So? Is there something here?”
“No clue...”
“I’m not playing around here. I think it’s time for me to take my leave.”
“Don’t try to run, now.”
Again...
“Huh? What are you two around doing here?”
A cop. Not good.
“Hmm... I’d like you to come with me to the police station.”
“Sounds like fun. I’m in.”
I couldn’t tell how much of what this 893 guy said was genuine.
I didn’t really have a choice, so I just went along with it. - To be continued...
From: Phone Mail Novel Subject: ■The Tonkotsu Reaper■ Chapter 5
There’s a place where I used to play at when I was a kid.
It was a hill with a single tree.
Now they're building a nuclear power plant on it.
-Shiki Police Department — Interrogation room 2-
“So you say that this 893 called Goutama or whatever asked you to go to the school and you don’t know anything beyond that? That’s what you’re trying to tell me?”
“That’s right.”
“And you really expect me to believe a story like that, Mr. Disposal guy?”
Obviously, I knew that he wouldn’t.
These guys always used the same old tricks.
“By the way, disposal man. You hungry?”
“Not especially...”
“You’re lying. I know you’re hungry.”
“I’m really not."
Why was this detective trying to get me hungry?
“No, no, I'm sure you are hungry. Your stomach’s practically empty, isn’t it? Or maybe I’m the one who’s hungry.”
“If that’s the case, then why don’t you get something to eat?”
“No, no, that’s not it. That’s not the problem here. And besides...”
“Besides?”
“There’s a... you know. What do you call it? Like a hierarchy in society? A system?”
This guy had no clue what he was trying to say.
Or maybe... I was the one who didn’t understand.
“So, what do you want to eat?”
I suppose I’ll have to eat something.
“Tonkotsu, tonkotsu ramen.”
“Huh?”
The detective’s expression changed markedly.
“What is it? Is there something wrong with choosing tonkotsu ramen?”
The detective scratched his head and said,
“Disposal guy, do you know the story about the building in the Shiki apartment complex?” - To be continued...
From: Phone Mail Novel Subject: ■The Tonkotsu Reaper■ Final Chapter
A lot had happened.
Some fun things, some shitty things.
I can accept that.
Even if none of it amounted to much.
-A laneway near the Shiki apartment complex-
It took them 16 hours to finally release me.
It really sucked.
In the end, the detective just rambled on endlessly about pointless shit and made no attempt to actually interrogate me.
On top of that, I didn’t even get to eat any tonkotsu ramen.
Haah... I’m just gonna have to forget about it.
That’s right. I still had a job to do.
Work.
If I didn’t hurry and get the job done, I was sure to incur the wrath of my client.
It was time to pull myself together and focus on my task.
Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation around my chest and reached into my breast pocket.
“What the hell is this?”
From my pocket, I pulled out a single flyer.
It was very odd flyer, though.
What was particularly strange was that there were no taglines or slogans on it.
It didn’t even have the name of the store it was supposedly advertising.
Because of that, I questioned whether it actually was, in fact, a flyer at all.
... That would have been the obvious conclusion, but it was definitely a flyer.
“Did I get this from someone?"
I stared at it fixedly, but I couldn’t remember a thing.
I looked around and happened to see a garbage disposal area.
This is perfect. I’ll just toss it over there.
I casually crumpled the flyer into a ball and threw it.
And at that very moment...
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing!!! You can only throw out the trash on disposal days!!!”
I had no idea where he came from, but an elderly man with a menacing expression had appeared to scold me.
I involuntarily flinched at his words.
“I’m sorry. That was trashy of me.”
A crow, sitting atop a telephone pole, cawed. - The end.
From: Kani-chan Subject: Grrrr!
Aoyama-san!
You requested another girl yesterday!
Did you think I wouldn't find out!?
I will never forgive you! (lol)
I got you a much better present than Aino-chan!
So you better request me next time!
TAKASHI: "Oh, you’re that handsome rooster-head guy! You came, you came!"
TAKASHI: "Kani-chan’s got a present for you~ Here you go!"
You received a shirt from Kani-chan! It has been added to the shirt gallery. To change your outfit, head to the second floor of the police station!
From: Akama Subject: Changing clothes
Akama heeeere~.
Aoyama-san, are you interested in fashion?
You are, aren't you?
I've got some info that's sure to be useful to a "fashion hunter" such as yourself.
You just got a shirt, didn't you?
And I bet you're wondering where you can change into your newly acquired shirt.
In that case, just go to the second floor of the Shiki police station.
You'll find a shelf in the back of the office; you can change your clothes there.
As per how to get new shirts, I don't really have a clue.
Maybe you should ask the ladies at the cabaret...
Well, anyway, you can change your clothes on the second floor of the police station.
Please, do your best to become the Public Security Fashion Leader. - Akama
COMBO BASTARD: "I’m the editor-in-chief of the men’s magazine 'Weekly Combo'."
COMBO BASTARD: "And you are... that rooster-head guy! Alright, I got some special info for you, so listen up!"
COMBO BASTARD: "Kicking is crucial for being a man. And as you level up, you'll be able to use combos!"
COMBO BASTARD: "You can do it by pressing the ◯ and ◻ buttons! Hmm... so manly!"
COMBO BASTARD: "Here's another manly tip: never button your shirt up all the way!"
COMBO BASTARD: "You're a man!"
COMBO BASTARD: "These combos will make you even manlier!"
COMBO BASTARD: "Give it your all!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "What are you doing here, at this time of night?! You're suspicious! You’re suspicious, I say!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "It was you! It was you, I say! You're the one who stole Mikatsuki-san’s ruby!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Don't play dumb with me! You stole her ruby ring!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Hm? What's that you're saying? You didn’t do it? Then who did?!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Mikatsuki-san’s extra-large ruby ring went missing."
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "She's been worried sick since this morning!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "She’s so upset that she’s locked herself in her house!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "If you really didn’t do it, then go catch the real culprit!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "This neighborhood council chairman will keep you on a tight leash!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Go on! Get to it already!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Nobody’s getting through here 'till you find the culprit!"
UZUKI: "Huh? A ruby? Belonging to that nouveau-riche, Mikatsuki-san?"
UZUKI: "Don't know, don't care."
UZUKI: "Ah, but I did see someone go into Ikegawa’s house..."
UZUKI: "That person’s suspicious! Dunno why the chairman hasn’t checked there!"
HAZUKI: "Mikatsuki-san’s ruby? Is that what all that fuss was about?"
HAZUKI: "They were asking around about the culprit, but why would he still be around?"
HAZUKI: "Mikatsuki's a real scatterbrain, it's almost impressive."
HAZUKI: "She once mistook soup base for black coffee."
KISARAGI: "That business about the ruby... I think it started around the time when the trash got taken out this morning."
KISARAGI: "Yeah, right after the garbage truck left..."
KISARAGI: "Mikatsuki-san started making a scene, like she was possessed by a demon."
KISARAGI: "It was pretty funny to see, coming from that nouveau-riche... heh."
NAGATSUKI: "Huh? Mikatsuki’s ruby?"
NAGATSUKI: "Ah yeah, she was whining about it all morning."
NAGATSUKI: "It was loud as hell, couldn't believe it... like c’mon."
NAGATSUKI: "Nothin’ but ‘wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah’."
NAGATSUKI: "It was loud as hell, couldn't believe it... like c’moooon."
Found a ring. Suppressed the desire to pocket it.
Subjects File
A list of subjects who were administered with Delta67. Yoshioka is listed among them.
Ruby Ring
Ruby ring A ring with a ruby so big that it can only be seen as tasteless.
Handed the ruby ring to the chairman. Felt kind of frustrating.
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Oh... This radiance, this is the ruby!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Ohh, ohh... So, where'd you find it?"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "...... What? It was in the trash...?"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Hm... Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm... I see, I see..."
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Well, I'm sorry for doubting you."
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "You really did look suspicious."
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Anyway, thank you! You have my gratitude!"
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: "Farewell!"
Akama heeeere~.
Need to save?
Got it!
Hold it right there, suspect.
Huh? Oh, it’s you, Momoyama-san.
I've got a package for you. Here.
For me? Really? You sure it’s not a mixup?
Spare me the routine, it’s not funny.
Well thank you, Momoyama-san. Maybe I could treat you to a meal sometime?
If it’s a three-star restaurant or above, I’ll consider it.
What’s ‘three-star’?
Here.
What’s this?
These are very powerful. They were confiscated from a smuggler who got them in the Middle East.
Not to mention, these ones have a special kiss mark from yours truly.
Sweet! Fighting those things'll be a breeze with these! I gotta take them all down, yeah?
Well, do your best!
Uwaoooh! My motivation’s at an all-time high!
Hey, what's wrong!?
What are you doing here?
Could you be... Yoshioka-kun?
Don’t interrupt me, I was just getting to the good part.
I’ll tear you limb from limb, you bastard.
What, you think you’re cool 'cause of that outdated hairstyle?
Nice, nice, at least you’re lively. Bring it on!
From: Akama Subject: About Chiropteran Yoshioka
From: Akama Subject: Chiropteran: Yoshioka Akama heeeere~.
Aoyama-san, I'm sending you some info about Yoshioka's Chiropteran form.
Now that he's turned into a Chiropteran, Yoshioka is going to be invulnerable to attacks from the front.
So if you want to hurt him, you're gonna need to sneak up on him from behind.
It may sound cowardly, but you've gotta be careful if you want to survive.
Well then, give it your all. - Akama
Well, there’s my answer.
Killers are killers. It doesn't matter if they’re pawns to a princess or failed experiments.
Sins have to be atoned for.
Normally you’d just get locked up, but there's no cell in Japan that could hold a monster like you.
So it can’t be helped. Just give it up.
You can atone for your sins in the afterlife, alright?
I better hear an apology from you. You understand?
If you do, then answer me!
Good enough for me!
Damn, you won’t die. Guess it’s jail for you, then.
Yoshioka-kun has confessed, so our organization’s gonna deal with him. Cheer up!
Hey Akama, what can I even do from here on out?
Now we gotta make sure that the Chiroptera don't grow in numbers.
We must nip it in the bud.
Guess I gotta go to Saburi then.
I'll drive you.
I still got a question, though.
How come they didn't just take Ikegawa? Why did those three have to become test subjects as well?
They did it of their own volition. In their eyes, without Ikegawa, their lives would lose all meaning.
I really can’t understand that.
That's just how these things go.
But what’s their criteria?
I mean, how does Saburi even choose their subjects?
It's not easy to erase a person like that.
It's hard to get rid of someone with relatives or other relations, but she was given up by her own family, which made things easier.
People with no relatives also make for easy prey.
Which makes a group like that the ideal target for Saburi.
You're saying that they were chosen out of convenience because they didn't have any family?
You could call it a 'closed society' or a 'divergent society', but I think 'isolated society' would be more correct.
Yeah, but it's not just here.
Japan is full of 'isolated societies'.
It's just that nobody notices it.
Now you're just stressing me out! C'mon, let's go.