IV

A new threat

Telling her friends that she would see them again tomorrow, Mayu continued on her way home. She had decided against using the bus this time as she wanted to make a small detour and see what had become of the small hut that Bando used during his stay.

Even though he had a different place to stay these days, it wasn't uncommon to still find him keeping an eye out on the beach or to make one of his many patrols throughout the city. She wasn't really expecting to see him but that wasn't going to deter her from seeing the old hut for herself, plenty of good memories were still attached to it.

In her mind though, she was starting to go back over the letter she had gotten. The one she had discussed with two of her club mates, both of them had given their opinion about it. She had to agree that both of them had made good points though she was really starting to lean towards what Mei had said.

"It is easy for her to say, she is much braver than me when it comes to addressing boys."

She had to even smile thinking about it. She didn't have any issues when it came to boys or talking to them. For Mayu, it was a far more difficult task and although she had befriended boys in the past it felt very different if it was because she had received a love letter.

"What should I say to him? How should I even ask the question?"

She felt rather nervous about it. She wasn't that good at it either as the only men she really felt comfortable around with were Kouta and Bando. Sure, Aki was a good friend and somebody she did trust to a considerable degree, but she could never truly trust him enough to tell him about the people she was living with.

"I wonder if Aizawa-san would be the same. If he did send me the letter would it be safe for me to introduce him to the rest of the family? He will meet them sooner or later but will he understand it or will he expose us?"

There it was again, the constant risk of being exposed that kept existing and casting its dark shadow over her family. With other friends she had been very cautious and so far they had all been very fortunate as none of her friends had started to ask question why her two adopted sisters had these weird ornaments in their hair. Maybe upon finding out had found it very cute and had actually started to consider in making something similar for herself. It had certainly led to a tense moment that a few days later she was wearing her own set of horns.

Luckily she didn't talk much about on school as she knew that if word got out that the one getting hit hardest by it would be Saeko. It was clear that she was struggling to deal with the mental challenges of attending school and although she was pretending to be having fun, Mayu had known since the first look on her face.

"Saeko-san, don't pretend you're somebody that you're not. It is okay to let us know that you need help. We are all there for you and you know that."

Deep inside, she had hoped that there had been a chance for Nana as well as the twins to go to school as well, but it had proven to be impossible for the time being. A shame really... As Saeko could have certainly used their support. She stopped as the hut started to appear in the distance, from where she was it looked to be in good shape but the moment she started to get close enough it changed dramatically. Standing next to it, she could tell that it had seen better days. Although it was still standing, it was hardly worth calling a hut anymore; so much of the planks and boards that made up the walls and roof were gone. It couldn't even provide shelter anymore.

"I guess it has been too long since I last visited this place, I should have expected this though. It's such a shame…" She felt somewhat sad looking at the remains. She gazed at her watch.

"Perhaps it would be better if I went home as well, it is getting late already." Taking one last look at the hut like she was saying goodbye she turned around and headed back towards the ramp and with that her trip back to home. "I am looking forward to hearing how their day has been…"


Getting out of his car, Dai noticed that it was getting late already and for the day he was finished with going through those old reports. There was just one thing on his mind and that was getting inside the house and grabbing a rest along with a good meal. He just hoped the twins had behaved and done what they could to prepare dinner. He wouldn't mind if he needed to do the rest as Mako was certain to be home late and it would be up to him, along with the support of Ryou, to get dinner ready in time.

"Good girls," he told himself as he turned the key. It was still locked like they had told them. Each day was also interesting to see if they would listen. He knew that Ryou would as she was more than willing to follow rules or advice, but Kyou on the other hand was one to cause them headaches.

She was a sweet girl and god knew the times she had just approached them both for wanting a hug and spending some time together but she was also very strong willed and more than willing to test her limits.

"Good evening! I'm home!"

Putting on his slippers, he made his way to the main living room and just as he had expect Ryou was sitting there with little Sei in her lap.

"Welcome home, oto-san," she giggled as she noticed him, "How was your day?"

"It was pretty boring to be honest dear. How have things been here in the house? How has your sister behaved?" He was surprised that Kyou wasn't to be seen in the room. That always worried him though he had come to understand that as long as Ryou remained calm that her sister would be close by. As diclonius twins, they shared a very special bond with each other.

"Onee-chan is taking a bath. There wasn't much for her to do so she went to take a long bath. Otou-san…" she mumbled as she started to twirl with her fingers. "Onee-chan and I are starting to feeling rather caught within this house, we would like to go out more often."

Ah, there it was again. Dai chuckled as he knew damn well that it was Kyou who had put her up to this. She could never formulate her words that well and with her sister being better, she had decided to let her do the talking. But she was right, they had been basically trapped inside this house for long enough. Perhaps it would not be a bad time to start seeing if they could go out on their own while doing little errands.

"I'll discuss this with your mother this weekend. We'll be going to visit the Inn anyway so why don't we discuss it with them as well. Might be that you can go out a few times with your other sisters. What would you say about that?"

"I-I…" She stumbled to find the right words. Much like her sister, she likely hadn't expected such an answer so easily.

"Come on, let's get dinner ready. I'm pretty certain that when your mother comes home and your sister drags herself out of the bath, they will both be hungry."

Lifting Sei up, she brought him back to his own room so he could get some sleep while she and Dai went to work in the kitchen. They wanted to get everything for when Mako was going to come home.

Just as he was to put on the apron, he could hear his phone ringing. Somewhat confused at who could call him at this hour, his immediate thoughts went out to it being Mako telling him she was going to be late. Looking at the number he could tell that it wasn't her at all. No, this one belonged to a very certain royal pain in his ass. Letting out a sigh, he took the call.

"Please let this be something that isn't going to get me into more trouble than I already got after your last call. Seriously, just let it go already."

Ryou didn't know to whom her father was talking to, but she could tell that by the way he was keeping the phone away from his ear that the person on the other side was likely yelling and she could actually hear some of his disgruntled words.

"Oh come on, you brought that on yourself need I remind you. Will you just listen to me? For god's sake will you just listen to yourself. No, I won't go through with that and now if you'll excuse me I have dinner to make. For whom? Well, who do you think I'm making dinner for? Could it possibly be for my family?"

It seemed those last words didn't sit well with the other person and now Ryou could see that Dai was keeping the phone at arm's length.

"Of course that was meant to be sarcastic, can't you even tell? Yeah, yeah. I will see you at our usual place tomorrow. You have a good night as well."

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he dropped the phone. "Seriously that man is going to be the death of me one of these days." seeing the rather shocked looked on her face, he patted her on the head. "Don't worry dear, you know the one I'm talking about. Come on, let's get dinner ready for the others."


With the last of the dishes cleaned up and stored back in the closets, Yuka was satisfied. Now that everything had been cleaned up, she could spent some time for herself while the girls would keep themselves busy with either their homework or play with each other. Peeking through the window, she could see that Kouta was busy outside in the garden tidying things up. That was a bit unusual for him to do so but she figured that with the Hirano's' coming to visit tomorrow it made sense.

"Perhaps I should go out and help him a little?" she asked to nobody in particular as she took off her apron and hung it next from the wall. It would allow them both to spend some time together and have a little talk. For some reason, when she got to the door, she froze on the spot. She could just faintly hear him cry on the other side. She knew painfully well what the reason for his pain could be, a pain she shared with him.

Over time they had found a certain comfort on having each other to express their grievances, but even so it remained painful for both of them. They grown much closer together and their feelings for each other had blossomed as well. But even so the reason that brought them both together was also the pain that caused them the most pain—the death of their friend Nyu. The strange and curious girl they had stumbled upon on the beach of Kamakura.

"Those were the days…" she mumbled to herself as she thought back to when they stumbled on to the naked girl. Ever since that day, their lives were be changed forever. If it was for the better or worse, she did not know. She just knew that she did not wish for it to have gone any other way.

"If only she could be here as well, it would be nice for all of to be together and get to enjoy the spring…" Leaning against the door now, she started to cry herself as she gently dropped to the floor. Burying her face in her hands, she kept on crying, knowing full well that those times would be never coming back.

No matter how hard anybody could wish for, there was just no chance for Nyu ever coming back. How she missed hearing her voice or her company. Hell, she was even missing her little antics from time to time.

"If you were here now, what would you be saying to me? Would you comfort me by saying that it is alright for us to move on with our lives? That you are fine with me having a relationship with Kouta? Would you say all those things or would you resent me for it...?"

Would she ever get an answer to those questions? Could her consciousness ever allow her to stop feeling guilty over it? Rubbing away her tears, she forced herself to get back up. She couldn't allow the others to see her like this unless they would get sad as well. All of the girls had found it difficult to grief and it wouldn't take much for them to be reminded of Nyu. She couldn't let the girls see her crying because they would be crying then as well. She had to be strong for the sake of her family. Perhaps it would not be so bad for her to already go to bed. That way nobody would see her tear-stained eyes.

Making her way upstairs she felt sad that she tried to keep her grief hidden from the others.


There was a knock on her door and as Mako looked up, one of her assistants appeared. "Takebe-sensei?" she asked as if wanting her approval. "There is a woman here to see you, but I am afraid that she doesn't have an appointment. Shall we ask for her to make one?"

"What is her name, Amaha-san?" Mako asked, if it was urgent then she could spent some time helping her as she had time in her schedule.

"Arakawa Sakura-san, sensei."

Hearing the name, Mako looked at her. If it was Arakawa then surely it had to be something important with regards to the girls. Did she already possess the lab results from the blood samples she had provided her? Surely, it had to be that otherwise she would not have come.

"Tell her that she may come in and bring us both something to drink will you?"

The assistant bowed. "Yes sensei." Allowing Arakawa to enter her office she bowed and then left them. Already in her hand, Mako could see a briefcase.

"Good day. So Arakawa-san, what bring you to my office?"

Holding up the briefcase, Arakawa smiled as she explained why she was here. "I found some interesting anomalies in the blood samples you provided me with. I have to say that I find it more fascinating than when I worked on either the vector virus or the vaccine."

Leaning back in her chair, Mako started to listen as Arakawa started to hand her several of the papers. She understood plenty of it, but some of the more intricate details did require for her to ask for a more detailed explanation.

A second knock on the door made them both stop as the assistant came back, carrying a tray and several cups. She placed it neatly on the desk before excusing herself.

"What kind of tea would you prefer, Arakawa-san?" Mako asked as she already poured the boiling water in both of the cups. "Also please keep explaining to me what exactly is wrong with Saeko's DNA?"

Taking off her glasses, she wiped them clean. "Absolutely nothing, that is just it. Compared to the others, her's is perfectly fine. The flaws that the other girls have are not present. Even her cells aren't breaking down as fast as the others. It's actually quite the opposite I dare say."

"Well that would explain why she ages much slower than the other girls. Do you happen to have an explanation for the sudden change as when she was at the DRI? She followed the same growth pattern as all other sileplits?"

Taking the cup with tea, Arakawa shook her head. "I don't have the faintest idea. I cannot explain it and yet it is before my very eyes. Personally, I would like for a more extensive investigation and other tests but you have made it clear how you feel about having them go through those."

Mako nodded. Tests of the girls were to be kept at the absolute minimum needed to keep them from having too much stress, but in a case like this, there was also the increasingly growing need to closely monitor their health. "So how is her life expectancy compared to the others?"

Arakawa chuckled in response to that. "Far better than any of us. Like I said, her cells are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. They're dividing and forming new cells at a ratio that is far higher than normal for even the healthiest of people. At that rate, I would be inclined to say she could likely outlive all of us. This rapid dividing and forming of new cells is also in a controlled manner and not like cancer or something. I'm left scratching my head how she has managed this and then of course there is her ability to heal wounds which is even better than the other diclonius."

Getting up and taking her place at the window offering her a nice view on the park, Mako was about to ask a question when Arakawa held up her hand.

"Please, do not ask me that question again. I do not know how this is possible and you are much more likely to know. Given you spend much more time with her, surely you must have asked her yourself right?"

Mako remained silent. She had indeed asked on several occasions but the answer she had gotten a long time already and even then she still wanted to refuse it. It was still the only real answer she had ever gotten. The man Saeko affectingly called 'master' had done something to her body. Something that none of them could explain, much less replicate.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" Arakawa mused as she suddenly fell silent.

Looking through the window, Mako could fully anticipate what favor that could be. She wanted to see the girls for herself and perform some tests. "You know I can't do that, I really have to ask you to keep it a secret. I can't run the risk of them being discovered."

As she leaned back in her own chair, Arakawa mentioned that she fully knew where the Inn was located. If she really wanted to, she could just go on her own. But she was also fully aware of the consequences it would have for all of them.

"I'm doing this out of respect for you. I want to help you and them as well. Really… there isn't much to do for me anyway after those government boys let go of me. Honestly, I felt more like a pariah to them."

"It hasn't been an easy time for all of us. We have all had to endure though I am praying that we can get to live on in peace." Walking away from the window, she took her place again back at her desk. Mako had prayed often for better times. "Nearly all diclonius were wiped out and those girls are the only surviving ones we have left. They're our only chance to right the wrongs that were done to them. They became monsters because of own foolishness and ignorance chose to turn them into ones."

"Then we had better be very careful. I have no doubt that if those government boys were to find out, they would be on top of that Inn and your place within seconds. Still, I find that you have all taken a far greater risk by allowing one of them to go to a school. At some point, she will lead to trouble even with the best of self-control."

Mako smiled. "I have full confidence in Saeko-chan. I know that she won't let me down. She has come a long way and I know that she can set an example."

"Are you saying this as a professional or because you are her aunt. Don't get me wrong Takebe-sensei, but you should not let your personal feelings get in the way when judging her."

Holding her cup in hand, she was feeling somewhat guilty about having to say this, but it simply had to be said. If Saeko was a potential risk then they couldn't allow for personal feelings to cloud their judgment.

"You're right," Mako agreed just as there was a knock on her door. Opening it, her assistant came in, letting her know that a patient was here to see her. Unlike Arakawa, this one had an appointment.

"Thank you. Well, it seems like our little chat is over. I will talk to them about this and I will let you know of their opinion. Take care of yourself Arakawa-kun and be safe."

"The same to you Takebe-sensei. Take care of yourself." She bowed and then left the office. Guess she was going to have to wait a little bit longer, but she had learned that patience was a virtue.


Looking across the street, Dai could already see the cafe where they had agreed to meet. Over the months, it had become kind of a place of meeting for him and Bando. This time however, he hoped that it would be really important and it had better nothing to do with the remnants of his yearning for revenge. Approaching the entrance, he could already see him sitting there at his usual spot. Already sipping from the coffee he had ordered no doubt. It wouldn't surprise him if it would already be his second or even third cup.

Sitting there with his sunglasses on and sipping the coffee, Bando did not give out any sign or response that he was aware that Dai was approaching him. To any other man, he might appear to be oblivious or even unaware of him but Dai knew him better than that.

"Shut up! Sit down! Don't dare to ask me any question until you have read these!" Dai wasn't even given a chance to say hello or say anything for that matter as Bando, in one swoop, handed him the files. Already from holding it, Dai could easily tell that it contained plenty of photos and other files.

"This had really be important," he remarked as he opened it, but when he looked at the first photo he felt confused over what exactly he was looking at. The second, third and fourth and every other photo that came after only added to his confusion. "So what am I looking at here? These are just pictures of crime scenes and—dare I say it—plenty of dead bodies. You know how I feel about that last bit, right?"

Putting down the coffee, Bando threw a foul glance at him. "Are you just so fucking daft or what!? Perhaps I was expecting too much from a high ranking member of the mighty Saseba!" He sneered as he took off his glasses. "This is important you dummy! Something that could be even bigger than anybody held possible until recently. Have another closer look at those photos and then dare to tell me that you don't fucking understand."

Dai sighed. "Just knock it off with the sarcasm alright. Besides, how are you doing? It has been a while since we last spoke. Mayu-san has been asking about you."

"I'm fine," Bando grumbled as he held up his right arm, "Damn thing is still giving me fits though and I still have that lovely reminder of that wonderful night out the three of us had. Still hurts from time to time and the scar isn't going away."

Looking up from the photos, Dai knew what night he was referring to. Back then they had all thought Bando had died that night. How wrong they were proven to be when months later, Dai found out what had happened. For nearly four months, Bando had been stuck in a government hospital as he was being kept under observation. It had taken quite a story to get him out of there.

"Bastards just wouldn't me go, but at least they did a pretty good job at patching me up."

"You were a complete mess from what I was told. Damn, I can't imagine you actually managed to survive all that trou-"

"Focus again on the fucking photos or do I need to do it for you!" Bando growled as he was done reminiscing about the past. "We have something else to worry about. Now tell me exactly what you see on those photos and you had better be straight with me."


"Saori-chan?" Saeko asked as she opened the door. Looking around, she was anxious to see if she could try and persuade her to take a bath this time. If anything, she just wanted to have some alone time with her and try to reason with her.

"Saori-chan, would you like to take a bath? I promise to be really careful so you won't get water on your head. Would that be alright with you?" She felt rather nervous about it, but the talk she had earlier with Yuka had convinced her again that she needed to try at least. She was determined not to let her past doubts hold her back any longer. She was going to do her best from now on to help Saori in any way that she could. She would be the one that would look after her and do her utmost best to help her in life.

"Saori-chan are you there?"

Not hearing an answer or any kind of response she got a little worried as she just knew that Saori was in here, she could sense her presence even though it was rather faint at the moment.

"Are you playing hide and seek? Do you want me to look for you? Saori-chan you know that I don't like this, I am getting a little scared."

The room was, for the most part, dark. She never liked it when it was too bright as it made it too easy for people to see her and she hated it when people saw the scars and burns on her body. Everybody who knew her, of course had seen them. Although they were unsettling, they all decided to respect the girl's wish and pretended they had never seen them.

"O-Onee-sama doesn't like to play with me anymore…?" Her voice seemed to come from somewhere, but with the softness of it, Saeko was finding it difficult to find the origins of it. What confused her even more was that her presence was becoming increasingly faint.

"I do like playing with you but there is something that we need to do first. Please Saori-chan, it is really important that you come and listen to me, I only want what is best for you. Please?"

Finally she appeared again and it was not that Saeko saw why her presence had become so faint. Even from where she was standing and with the darkness of the room, she could clearly see there was something wrong with the device on her head.

"Saori-chan, are you alright? Is it causing you pain again?" she asked as she noticed that Saori's pace was sluggish and the poor girl seemed to have considerable difficulty in keeping her footing. More than once, she nearly slipped as she reached out to grab a hold of something else. Her body was shaking with sweat running down from her forehead.

"O-Onee-sama… I'm not feeling so well… my head hurts… onee-sama… can take… pain away right? That is what… onee-sama is good at… right? If I'm… a good girl… pain… my… go… away… my…"

After saying those words, she dropped to the floor. Scared and worried, Saeko raced forward. Pulling her up, she noticed that Saori was running a high fever and that her breathing had started to become irregular. Was the device causing this or was she getting ill? Panic was overtaking her mind. No, this couldn't possibly be happening now.

"YUKA-SAN! NANA-SAN! PLEASE HELP ME!" She yelled as loud as she could. She didn't know what to do and she desperately needed the others to help her.

"SAORI-CHAN IS SICK! PLEASE HELP ME! SHE IS SICK! SHE NEEDS OUR HELP! PLEASE!" She kept on screaming and crying until finally—and much to her own relief— she could hear people running up the stairs. They couldn't come here fast enough. She needed them right now.

"Saeko-san!?" Nana was the first one to enter the room. "What's wrong? What happened to her?" She kneeled down next to Saeko to hear what had happened. Her eyes were already aimed towards Saori.

"I-I don't know, I just came up here… to bring her something to eat… she felt faint and then… she just collapsed to the ground… She said she wasn't feeling well… too much pain." Saeko kept sobbing as she kept cradling Saori's head, refusing to let go of her. She wept until Yuka came as well.

"What happened? Oh my god," she gasped as she saw Saori lying there. "Did something happen to her? Did she fall? Saeko-chan, I need to know what happened."

Still weeping Saeko tried to explain what had happened. Though, with her sobbing and the rather poor description she provided them with, it seemed there was very little they could do at the moment.

"I'm calling Mako-san. I'll tell her she needs to come over as fast as she can." Yuka left the room again as she went downstairs towards the phone. Right now, that would be their best option as Mako was the person with the most experience when it came to the physiology of the diclonius.

"Saeko-chan, don't worry. Your aunt will come and help. It is going to be alright. You can calm down." Nana did her best to calm down the increasingly nervous Saeko as she was starting to look to be in an even worse shape than Saori. "Calm down, you're not going to be of much help to Saori-chan unless you calm down. Take a deep breath."

"B-But… she's…"

Not letting her get to finish her sentence, Nana hugged her to let her know that Saori's condition wasn't entirely Saeko's responsibility.

"I know you want to help our little sister, but you are not alone. We all want her to be better. Let me go downstairs and get you something to drink alright?"

Still somewhat shocked, but already starting to regain her calm, Saeko nodded in response. Though she still refused to move away from Saori's body. Nana wasn't surprised by it, it was something they had all come to expect from Saeko as she had been the most vocal, not to mention dedicated, about taking care of the little girl. Going down the stairs, she was already greeted by Yuka, as she had already made the phone call. "Nana-chan, could you grab some ice and put it in a towel? I want to give her something against the fever until Mako-san arrives. I already have the medicine here, but any bit should help."

"Do you think she will be alright?" Nana asked as she was concerned nonetheless.

"To be honest... I don't know. This isn't the first time she has such a fever but somehow this one appears to be more severe than usual. I just don't know how to handle this, not with that infernal device they stuck to her head. I still blame that thing for what she is going through."

"Yeah…" Nana sighed in agreement. "But still there is no way for us to remove it, right? Can it really be done or will she be stuck with it for the rest of her life?"

Yuka patted her. "You'll have to ask Mako-san. She can tell you more than I can, but for now, how about we worry ourselves more with lowering that fever of hers. After that, we can trouble ourselves with that thing. Now go on, I'll give her the medicine."

Watching Nana go, Yuka headed back up the stairs. For now, this was the best that she could offer along with the icepack. Mako would come as soon as possible, but right now she was in the middle of treating a patient. That still left them to try and deal with the fever themselves until she could come.

Part of her was deeply worried, not because of the fever, but rather how Saori was going to react were she to wake up when they were putting the icepack on her head. If they weren't careful, they could all be on the receiving end of her vectors and that was something she did not like the prospect of.

Shaking such gruesome thoughts aside, she entered the room again, seeming happy that Saeko was still keeping a close eye on her. That said, she seemed to be in just as a bad shape as Saori. It seemed odd to Yuka that she was getting herself so worked up over this.

"Go get some rest dear. Your aunt will be coming soon. You don't need to get worried alright?" Yuka comforted her. The last thing she wanted was for Saeko to get sick as well from all this worrying.

"Go downstairs and get yourself something to drink. Nana-chan will look after her while you get yourself better. Okay Saeko-chan?"

Reluctantly she got up after further encouraging from Yuka, though it was all too clear to her that Saeko was really not too willing. Yuka wouldn't be surprised if the time she would spend downstairs would be kept a minimum so she could be back up here as quick as possible. Yuka admired her dedication, but she also found that it should come at her own expense.

"I wish there was something else I could do to take some of the burden you're carrying Saeko-chan. You shouldn't be carrying it all by yourself…" It was heartwarming to seeing her taking care of this girl, but she was just in way over her head. She wasn't alone in this.


"Triad, Yakuza and many other gangs," Bando remarked as the silence had gone on for long enough. After having taken his advice, Dai was firmly staring at each and every photo as he read through the documents.

"All members of organized crime organizations, right? Still, I am failing to see any other connection. I mean from what I can tell, this happened all across Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, China, South-Korea and these last ones here in Japan. Besides, it's not like this is unheard of. Rare, I will admit, but certainly not unheard of—like I said before."

Bando shook his head in disagreement as he grunted. "Still an idiot. Check the fucking dates and then tell if you don't see something else."

Somewhat annoyed at that remark, he sighed as he went through them again. Starting with the first one, it seemed this one happened about roughly six months ago. By the time he had reached the sixth photo and noted them on the map handed by Bando did he start to see a pattern.

"Am I seeing this correctly? Are these cases all in a certain order as I first see all of these in Thailand, then followed by Vietnam and so on?"

"Aye," Bando remarked as he ordered another cup of coffee for them both. "Something is doing a number on those organization, but what worries me here is that it is heading towards us. These last three have all taken place within Japan." Pulling aside his coat he grabbed one more envelope.

"This one provided us with the first real clues at what is going on. This incident took place four days ago just north of Hokkaido."

Dai grabbed it and looked at the location. It seemed that where it had first gotten ashore at Wakkanai was now well to the north. It had then went south, passing by Sapporo, and now was near Hokkaido itself. Staring at the photo's he could clearly see the truck and the contents which seemed to have been the center.

"Chains?" His eyebrows raised he looked at him.

Bando mumbled only a single sentence. "Human trafficking."

Before lighting a cigarette, he said, "That is what they all have in common. We are just starting to find out though we did get a few more clues." Taking a puff he gestured for Dai to look further. The next set clearly showed the interior of the truck and the modifications made for it to accommodate multiple people.

"They pulled out about thirty girls from across those countries you saw earlier. They were all blindfolded so they couldn't see what happened, but they all heard it. And felt it."

"Felt it?" Dai raised an eyebrow at hearing that, but as he got to the last five photos's he dropped them at the sight of what was left of a man he guessed. "Good god. Is this…?"

"Gruesome isn't it, poor bastard got used a chew toy. Not much left of him as you can see and all of those girls heard his screams right before something cracked him open. They all felt a tremor running across the length of the trailer right before it happened. No other noise other than a light hiss before that guy screamed his lungs out."

Picking them up, Dai forced himself to look again at the photos. Bando was not kidding as there was little left of this person save for the bloodied remains scattered all over the place.

"Who did this?" To him, the manner and the swift brutal nature of the wounds didn't give him a good feeling about this. No, this had to be the work of a twisted savage or a monster.

"Not who, but rather what. No person could have done this. No, some kind of thing did this." Bando placed considerable emphasis on the word thing, signaling to Dai that it was unnerving to him and that was something Dai did not get to see very often at all.

"You don't view this person as a human anymore? Well, looking at these, I can't say I can blame you. The people transporting these kids aren't exactly saints either."

"No, I'm not! But there is no fucking way in hell that any person could have done this. Not a person, not a human at all. No fucking chance in hell."

Dai had to swallow as he heard that. Something about that didn't sit right with him.

"What makes you say such a thing? Surely not based solely on the way this guy died, which I will admit is horrifying, but not something that is unheard of."

Tapping on the table with his fingers, Bando put down his cigarette. "You really have become daft Hirano. In all these cases, this thing went in, killed dozens of armed men and then vanished without a trace. No blood was recovered from the sites that did not belong to any of them, hundreds of spent shell casings and they never hit anything. And yet what killed them was very real as they were torn apart literally. They weren't gunned down but sliced and pulled into little bits."

"When you say it like that then you do have a point. Can I ask you where you got this information from? I thought you no longer had any connections to the government anymore?"

Bando smirked as he looked at him. "I do have some connections left. It would be foolish of me to pass up on anything that could be of use to me later. Also I got this from an acquaintance of mine. He passed me these as he needed help in case something bad was to happen."

Taking a sip from his coffee, which had by now started to get cold. Dai listened as Bando told him more of the story. Although it was a terrible case, human trafficking was not something that he or Saseba was involved with. This was something that belonged to other departments.

"How long have you been aware of this?"

"For about two weeks now. My acquaintance asked me not to discuss about it unless something were to happen to him. Well, I got that when they fished his body out of the river this morning."

Dai nearly choked on the coffee. "Surely you're not trying to tell me that he was murdered?"

"Make of it whatever you want, but I know what happened. Something bad is going on."

"Being all doom and gloom again?" Dai remarked as he started to clean up the spilled coffee. That said, he had to admit that from these photos and the rapport he getting a really bad feeling about this as well. God, he prayed that it would not come down to this city.

"Never, just being a realist. Keep your fucking eyes open in case something odd happens. Also, be ready when I tell you to move, don't let this catch you unprepared."

"To change the subject, as I'm getting enough of it, will you be visiting the inn as well? I know that Mayu-san would be glad to see you again after all this time."

Bando scoffed at his offer. "Like fucking hell I will be going there. Besides, the brat it better off without me and I don't like to get anywhere near those horned freaks."

Dai was about to object to that phrase but Bando was even quicker to stop him. "Don't you dare give me that look Hirano. Just because you and your wife adopted two of those brats, it won't change my view of them. Especially that Kyou one and her obnoxious habit of calling me ossan every fucking time she sees me. Seriously, it gets on my freaking nerves."

Dai sighed, yeah he had to give Bando a point for that. Kyou did indeed have that nasty habit. He certainly wasn't the last person to be called that way by her.


Grabbing her books, Mayu was quick to clean her desk and be ready to leave. She only had a short day at school today and frankly she was happy to be able to get home early as she wanted to get some things ready for tomorrow.

"Where did I put that…?" wondering, she was looking over as she knew that she had to have that book with her. Checking her book bag, she was curious why she couldn't find it. A quick tap on her shoulder only forestalled what could be coming next.

"Hey there Mayu-chan," a pitched voice greeted her. Looking over her shoulder, Mayu could see Mei standing there, holding the book she had been looking for.

"You dropped this on the floor. You should be lucky that the teacher hadn't seen it, otherwise you would have gotten a reprimand. He's pretty strict about taking good care of books."

"Thank you Mei-san, I'm glad you found it. I should be a bit more cautious."

Mei looked at her. "Are you okay Mayu-chan, you seem a bit preoccupied? Is everything alright with you?"

Mayu appreciated her concern but really it was nothing.

"I'm just busy with the preparations for tomorrow. We are having friends coming over to visit and I just want to be certain we have everything ready in the house."

"Oh! You mean that couple with the cute twins!?" Mei shouted at hearing the news. "They were so cute with that hair. Could I perhaps come and visit? I would love to see your other sisters as well. How are they doing anyway? If I recall, one of them also attends this school right?"

Mayu felt honestly surprised that Mei remembered all of this. Then again, she had been one of the first friends she had made when she had joined the art club and being the cheerful person, she had taken well when she had met her rather awkward family.

"They are fine, thanks for asking. Saeko-san is the one in school, but she is having some difficulty with adjusting to it."

"Having an unpleasant class? Yeah, I can understand that as I had that for myself. Not much she can do other than try to make some friends. Otherwise, it is going to be really hard for her. Some of the teachers will take it into account how you interact with the class when determining some of your grades so she needs to be careful."

She had raised a good point. One that Mayu hadn't even thought about. It was indeed true and one matter that she really needed to discuss with Saeko this weekend to make her aware of the dangers if she couldn't bond with the people in her class.

"Thank for the tip. Now if you want, you can come with me and ask my parents if it would be alright to visit us tomorrow." Mayu smiled as Mei packed her own bag while she nodded yes.