CHAPTER 35

Kagami remembered sitting in this clinic's office what seemed like a lifetime ago. She came here to get an STD test, but circumstances kept preventing her from finding out the results. She went there the day of her intervention that ended in failure after Patricia Martin posed as a fellow junkie to earn Kagami's trust, only for her to lead her to where her friends and family waited. Kagami was nervous this time, though. Not about the test results, but the potential behind another test.

She tried to keep her mind busy by any means necessary. She read all the anatomy charts hanging on the walls, tried to count how many lollipops were in the candy jar, even tried to find a clear image in the black dots on the ceiling panels around the fluorescent lights. Everything that could be a potential distraction was free game for her over the alternate thought fighting for her attention. Kagami knew for a fact that she felt something in her uterus. Was it possible? Was she really pregnant? The very thought of it was so scary for her that she started to count the patterns in the floor.

How could she raise a child in her state? She had no home, barely any money, and was still fighting off a heroin addiction. And given her work record right out of high school, she could hardly be considered a positive role model for a child. She continued to dismiss the paranoia as nothing more than fantasy. It was the STD test she was waiting for, not her pregnancy test, though couldn't help but laugh at herself at how far she had fallen. Only a few months ago, she graduated high school with her sister. Now, she sat in a free clinic in the inner city waiting to be given the bad news and the potentially worse news.

The door opened and Kagami groaned to herself when it was the same nurse who took swabs of her groin on the day of her intervention stroll in. She held two folders. Seeing Kagami again in an even lower point than before made the nurse sigh to herself and acknowledge that the streets had won again. She often questioned if her career even made a difference in people's lives, but for now, the tests had to be read.

"Well, honey, I have your test results. I'm sorry to have to say this, but you do have a few things." The nurse lamented.

Kagami gulped.

"Your bloodwork came back positive for chlamydia, but we can cure that with antibiotics. Unfortunately, your bloodwork also came back positive for HIV." The nurse added.

Time suddenly stood still for Kagami and she could no longer feel her own heartbeat. Her mouth unhinged slightly in a silent scream of both shock and dismay. She was speechless at first until autopilot spoke for her.

"I…I have…AIDS…?"

"You have the disease that causes AIDS, yes. I'm sorry, honey." The nurse added.

Kagami couldn't even cry anymore. It was over for her. Now she could hear the clock ticking again. Her death clock.

"As for your pregnancy test…I don't know if this will be of any consolation, but you are four weeks pregnant." The nurse added, looking at the other test.

Kagami's heart leapt into her throat and a new wave of emotions crashed through her mind. She suddenly remembered what her mother told her at her intervention. The words of Miki Hiiragi now fueled a growing fire of renewed life and charisma in Kagami upon hearing she was with child.

"From the moment I first held you in my arms, I saw your entire live before you had even lived it. I saw you making lots of friends, doing good in school, going to college, meeting that extra special someone, and to one day know the true joy of becoming a mother yourself one day."

It was all suddenly very true. Kagami felt nothing but love. Her perspective on the whole world suddenly changed. The dark and stormy night that was her reality began to fade and comprehending the fact that she was pregnant sent the first rays of sunshine into her world. She felt her hand move to her womb. She couldn't help but smile as the nurse's words on STD care drowned away. Not even having HIV was enough to dampen the new light on Kagami's soul. She suddenly envisioned it all. Turning her life around, getting off drugs once and for all, stop prostituting herself, getting a full time job, getting her own apartment, raising her child as a single mother. It would be hard, sure, but not impossible. Kagami had already escaped the hellish clutches of Yuka Miyakawa, something only a few weeks ago thought impossible, especially given the latter's lust for violence and taste for sadistic torture. Nothing was impossible for Kagami now. She was going to give birth to this baby, rebuild her life, and once again make her family proud.

"And I'll schedule an appointment to terminate the pregnancy."

This final sentence snapped Kagami out of her distant fantasy and brought her back to planet Earth. She stuttered, "Wh-wh-what?"

"The pregnancy, dear. I said I'll schedule an appointment so we can terminate it so we can focus on getting you on your medications to control the HIV." The nurse repeated.

Kagami quickly shook her head. "I don't want to abort my baby."

The nurse gave her a skeptical look. "Honey, I'm afraid that the longer you prolong this, the harder it's going to be for you. There are so many complications if you decide to keep it. It'll only make you sicker, there's a chance the baby could be born with your disease, or you could miscar—"

"I don't care! I don't care about any of that!" Kagami proclaimed and wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if to shield it. "I want to keep it! Ever since my sister and friend died, my life has been one endless hell right after another! For the first time in my life, I'm actually happy! I'm happy that I'm pregnant! This baby…this baby is my chance to change everything about myself! To start over and begin my life again!"

As a mother herself, the nurse could understand where Kagami was coming from. When she remembered how she first felt when she learned of her pregnancy, it was without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to her. Having a child gave her more than the simple reasons to live. To know that they were responsible for carrying and ushering in a life that would depend on them for everything was more rewarding than the hard work they had to put in as mothers. The nurse could already see that Kagami was seeing her child's birth, its first day of school, graduation from school, its wedding day, everything. However, her education and training allowed her to see the future that the blinding light of the future hindered Kagami from seeing.

"I know you want this to work, but statistically speaking, I just don't think it will be possible." The nurse replied, catching Kagami's attention again. "Honey…if you try to keep this baby…it will only end badly for you."

Kagami leered at her. "Please. Give me this chance. Let me have this. I need this to work. Ever since I started destroying my own life, I have been judged for the last thing I did wrong. This was wrong…but I want and need the chance to make it right. Please…let me have that chance."

The nurse sighed and admitted defeat to herself. It wasn't too long ago that she found herself in a similar setting and she could connect with the notion of always being judged by the mistakes of the past and the uphill battle to rebuild one's name. She prescribed Kagami prenatal medication and drugs to help with her future battle with HIV.

Late that day, Kagami returned and checked out of that dingy motel room. She rented a room in a more upscale hotel for the night with some of her sordid paycheck, but it didn't matter now. Tomorrow, she was going to have a long day. She was going apartment searching, put in job applications, and stock up on healthy foods for her baby.

As she rested on her bed, she smiled warmly to herself and began to stroke her stomach.

She cooed, "Hello, baby. I'm your mommy…and we're going to figure out all of this together."

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Tsukasa Hiiragi slowly stirred from her sleep the next morning. The first thing she could comprehend was pain. Her head felt like it was split like a brutally peeled banana. She groaned in agony and moved her hand to rub her head. Her hand's approach was suddenly stopped, but not by her intent. Something was holding her hand back. Slowly opening her eyes, she suddenly became startled when she realized she wasn't in her own room. Panic began to strike when Tsukasa was able to look about her body and realize she was strapped to the bed. Straps held her torso firm to the bed and thick belts bounded her wrists to a limited stretch.

Her panic came so quick and fast that she couldn't comprehend that she was in a hospital. She started crying and thrashing under the constriction of the straps and screamed for her mother. In a flash, a wave of doctors and a few police officers stormed into hospital room.

"What's going on?! Where am I?!" Tsukasa cried and thrashed.

"Tsukasa-chan! Calm down! You're in the hospital!" One of the doctors exclaimed. "We have to keep you restrained until we know for sure that all those drugs are out of your system!"

"What are you talking about?! Where's my mommy?!" She wailed again.

"Your family is outside, Tsukasa-chan." Another doctor added as he helped to hold the panicking girl down. "You need to calm down. Everything is going to be okay."

Tsukasa was able to take a few deep breaths as she was beginning to realize she wasn't in any danger. She took a few deep breaths and huffed, "But…but why am I…strapped down?"

"Hiiragi-chan," one of the officers stated, more professionally and formal now. "There was an incident last night. You're being held down because you attacked a nurse last night after having a nightmare caused by a new street drug."

Tsukasa froze. "I…I what?"

The officer nodded. "We didn't think you would remember. We're talking to your family out in the hall now and they said you were abducted by a criminal we've been hunting for a long time now. During your captivity, she injected a new form of heroin into you and it triggered a nightmare that also triggered some sort of rage attack in the midst of the high and you…you attacked a nurse and…repeatedly stabbed her in the throat with one of her pens."

Tsukasa's face went white as a fresh snowfall. The increasing beeping of the heart rate monitor showed how Tsukasa's fragile mind couldn't comprehend that she was responsible for such an abhorrent act. As her eyes bled water, her family rushed in and Miki wasted no time in pushing her way through the crowd, even nearly knocking a police officer to the floor to get to Tsukasa.

Miki hugged her daughter tightly and Tsukasa screamed if what the officer was saying was true. Miki didn't answer and tried to keep her own tears in her head. She held her daughter tighter. Tsukasa demanded to know the truth again. Miki held tighter.

As the full reality of what had taken place the previous night began to sink in to Tsukasa, her meltdown only increased. One of the police officers took Tadao and Inori into the hallway for privacy.

"I uh…I guess you're going to tell me that I should look for a lawyer now, right?" Tadao asked as Inori held his hand. "My daughter isn't a murderer…and the fact that that nurse has died is tragic to all of us, but my daughter is still a victim, too."

The officer nodded. "We understand that, Hiiragi-san. We're still investigating the matter since the nurse did die from the attack, but from what the doctors have been telling us, a large amount of that drug was found in your daughter's system, which made her kill. We believe that she was under its influence and seeing as how it was injected into her against her will, for now, we suggest you don't find a lawyer. After all, the real murderer in this matter is Yuka Miyakawa."

"Have…have you found her yet?" Inori asked.

The officer remained silent. Not because he didn't have the right answer, but because he did. He as a civil servant, especially in this case, was able to reassure that Tsukasa would most likely not face criminal charges for the nurse's death, but he couldn't open the floodgate concealing the top secret police operation that was scheduled to be executed later tonight with even help from the Special Assault Team, Japan's equivalent of an American SWAT team. The information provided to them by the Hiiragi family led to the confirmed whereabouts of Yuka Miyakawa at that sordid strip club known as Teasers. Tonight, a raid was going to be carried out to apprehend the deranged psychopath, her cousin, and other accomplices.

No, none of this could be public knowledge. The local law enforcement agencies have been working too long and too hard to bring that devil to justice for all her crimes against the human race. If Miyakawa caught wind that the laws were closing in on her position and she escaped, God only knew how long it would be until their next break came and how many more innocent people would have to die along the way. Tonight would be the night that the long arm of the law would "put the wrath of the gods themselves up the ass of Yuka Miyakawa," as one police chief so eloquently put it in his memo to the Special Assault Team's commander.

"We're still working on it, ma'am." The officer replied.

The three of them stood silent, Tsukasa's endless wails of torment still echoing in her room. Hearing her own voice damn herself as a murderer made Tadao and Inori cringe. The father and daughter were both thinking of one individual they could really use the help of right now. As if on cue, she arrived.

"Oh dear…I feel horrible." A voice similar to Miyuki Takara's stated.

They turned and saw Dr. Nagisa Kishimoto standing before them, her conjoined hands before her torso gripping her satchel. She wore a somber expression, already knowing the story behind Tsukasa's dismay so naturally, she came to do her best for the poor girl.

Inori, who was always skeptical of Dr. Kishimoto in the beginning, was able to shove her ego aside and dash over to the family therapist and embraced her in a hug. Dr. Kishimoto dropped her satchel and happily returned the hug to the oldest Hiiragi child. The police officer left the family alone as Tadao joined his daughter and family doctor.

"I'm happy you could make it." Tadao said with a smile.

The two women disconnected their hug and she smiled weakly at him. "But of course, Tadao-san. When I heard what happened, nothing could've stopped me from being here."

Inori didn't waste any more time and she led the doc into Tsukasa's room as Tadao stood back and watched. He sighed and lamented, even when Dr. Kishimoto was met with a teary but still accepting notion by Tsukasa. Tadao wondered how long Tsukasa would have to keep seeing her until she was over an event such as this. Someone's death hanging over one's shoulder was as permanent as that infected tattoo on her arm.

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She was desperate at this point. The events at Saitama Central Hospital earlier today was the final straw. Konata Izumi already had to face the reality that one of her closest (if not her best) friends was gone, but after what happened to Tsukasa earlier today, enough was enough. The blue-haired girl hatched a plan and consulted with her friend Hiyori Tamura on it, only for it to be shot to pieces by the latter. It was crazy, stupid, and illogical. Still, Konata wouldn't take no for an answer. She begged and pleaded for Hiyori to help her until she had no choice but to concede to Konata's emotions.

The shorter girl stood in Hiyori's bedroom as the glasses-wearing otaku put the final touches on her latest creation. First incepted on her sketchbook, it eventually came to fruition in the physical form of a wardrobe. It wasn't just a wardrobe, if it could even be called that and Hiyori had to admit to herself that it made her gag on the inside.

Konata stood in front of a mirror and eyed the two-piece outfit barely covering her body. Her torso was hardly concealed by a tight black and pink tube top, while a pair of black short shorts complemented the seductive ensemble and fishnet leggings coiled around her with even more sinister intent, though Konata's intentions were far from putrid. As crazy and irrational as her true intent was, it was still pure.

Konata intended to sneak into the Aku District tonight as, unbeknownst to her, a large ensemble of Special Assault Team agents and police officers were beginning to meet at their rendezvous point to go over the final details of their assault. The blue-haired girl would disguise herself as a prostitute (one that would go without any transactions) and comb the area in a desperate Hail Mary to find Kagami and bring her home. Still haunted by the intervention, Konata concluded that she had nothing left to lose. When it became clear to her that Kagami might actually stay there until her last breath escaped her lips, Konata had to take it upon herself to change the future. These thoughts of her had awoken feelings for Kagami not even she knew she had.

"Okay, that should do it," Hiyori said and finished the last stitch.

"I definitely look the part for this place." Konata stated drearily.

Hiyori stared at the mirror and sighed. "Regretfully so. It's been a strange journey; going from those cheerleader outfits to this. Listen, Konata, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, this is the Aku District we're talking about. You saw what it turned Kagami into."

"I know…and no, I know for a fact that this isn't a good idea. But it's all I've got anymore." Konata sighed and turned to her. "You're a good friend, Hiyorin, and I can't thank you enough for helping me."

Hiyori blushed slightly and looked away. She stuttered initially: "Uh-uh-of…of course, Konata. An-anything ta-to help you."

Konata was so blinded by her nocturnal mission, she didn't pick up on Hiyori's strange behavior. "Well, I need to get going. It's almost dark out and that's the only time I'll be able to move around."

Konata started for the door.

"Do you have your…you know?" Hiyori asked.

Konata stopped when she touched the doorknob and reached into her pocket. She produced a bottle of pepper spray. "Yep, I got it. No one will have their way with me."

Before Konata could leave, Hiyori stopped her one more time. "Ka-Konata?"

"Hmm?"

"How…how long are you going to keep doing this?"

Konata turned away and opened the door before saying, "Until this is all over."

She left.

Hiyori turned away and sank to her knees, feeling her heart beat. She frowned at the floor at the thought of the twin-tailed girl Konata was willing to put herself in danger for. She murmured, "Kagami is so selfish. She has no idea how lucky she is…to have someone like her…"

Konata hopped a bus that would take her to the decrepit part of town. She didn't glance at anyone, let alone talk to any of the passengers. She had enough street smarts to know when to keep quiet and to keep her eyes to herself as the only people who were on this bus would kill you if you shot them the wrong word or stare.

It took close to an hour for the bus to make its stop at the Aku District limits but when it did, reality was finally home and the full burden of what Konata was getting herself in to hit hard when the icy winds of the city chilled her flesh. She gulped but kept picturing Kagami in her mind and that gave her strength to step off the bus.

The air stank of burning garbage and human excrement, making Konata's once innocent lungs heave at the scent. The bus closed its doors and sped off, leaving a cloud of exhaust and dust to assault Konata's already ambushed lungs. She coughed it out and quickly looked around. Darkness waited for her down every path, minus the flickering of the poorly glowing streetlamps. A few dogs barked in the night before her, while a few random gunshots echoed across town.

Konata took a deep breath and cleared her mind. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a copy of Kagami's senior portrait. The blue-haired girl tried to hold back the tears as she gazed at how beautiful the older Hiiragi twin once was. So pure, so majestic, so strong, so full of life and youthful exuberance.

Konata found herself blushing as she thought about Kagami this way. She shook her head to clear her mind again and started down the street. It didn't take her long to see why no one came to this area. Garbage and debris littered the streets, up to but not limited to used syringes and bullet casings. Most of the buildings were made of bricks and their construction allowed for alleys in-between the structures, where most residents called their homes. Konata passed a few people huddled around a metal trashcan that housed a roaring fire. A few rats the size of footballs scurried in the gutters, grossing her out. Most of the buildings themselves were condemned and boarded up.

Konata spotted a lone man sitting in a cardboard box rocking back and forth and cuddling something. She had to start her search for Kagami somewhere and she figured to do it one person at a time, rather than approaching a group and making herself a vulnerable target. She approached the man and held the picture, catching his attention. His haggard appearance startled her when she saw his mouth was vacant of teeth and his face was layered in dirty hair.

"Um…excuse me, but have you seen this girl?" Konata asked and held up the picture while keeping her hand near the pocket that held the pepper spray.

The man quickly stood, making her tighten her grip on the weaponized lump in her pocket. He snagged the picture and began to sniff it, as if it held the key to immortality within its fiberized scent.

"Hey…have you ever lit a cat on fire then pee-peed in your mouth?" The homeless man hissed.

Konata gulped. She obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with this one, now she had to get her picture back. Konata looked up and pointed while exclaiming, "Look! Phil Collins has come to take us home!"

The homeless man shot his head up and Konata seized the opportunity. She snatched the picture and took off running. Realizing he had been conned, the man called, "Hey! Bring back my salmon, midget bear!"

Konata sprinted down the street a while until she took a breather. She breathed deep and looked up to see three real prostitutes standing on the street corner. They were dressed equally as provocatively as she was while taking drags on cigarettes and all three looked just as haggard and defeated. Konata approached them and offered the same photo to them. They threatened to kill Konata, thinking she was a "new girl" trying to muscle in on their turf.

The blue-haired girl was discouraged but wasn't giving up. She pushed on. Konata walked down another street and began to hear police sirens in the distance. It wasn't a new sound in this part of the city, but the fact that they kept growing louder told her they were coming her direction. Did Hiyori break her promise and spill the beans to Yui-nee-san? The flashing lights of quite a few cars came over the hill and Konata quickly ducked behind a dumpster and let all of them pass.

Yui Narumi was sitting in one of the cars speeding towards Teasers, distracted by the case file on Yuka Miyakawa. If she wasn't distracted, she would've seen the distinguishingly long mane of blue hair hiding behind a dumpster as they passed. She didn't, though. Instead, she saw both the paperwork and the raid in her mind that was to come.

She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the sea of red and blue lights following her. Glancing skyward, she looked for the Special Assault Team helicopter that was promised to them that would have snipers in it. She didn't see it yet.

"This is a long time coming, Narumi." Her partner driving the car said. "But given the circumstances surrounding this suspect, the chief asked me to remind you that you're not to take this raid personally. This isn't a kill mission for you. Our orders are simple. Capture Miyakawa. I know that she's struck pretty close to home recently."

Yui nodded. "I understand, and don't worry. I'm a cop first and either way, the Hiiragi's will have justice."

Her partner nodded as she closed the file and checked her firearm. "That's what I like to hear, Narumi. Stay safe, partner. We're almost there."

She opened the cylinder of the revolver and saw the six .38 caliber bullets ready for action. She slammed the cylinder shut and nodded.

It was happy hour at Teasers so the club was more active than usual. Drinks were flowing like rainwater in the streets, the music was playing, the light shows were like a climactic battle scene in a sci-fi movie, and the girls employed by the club were swinging from the poles. Others were entertaining customers in the brothel downstairs. It was just another night for Teasers.

Yuka Miyakawa sat at the far end of the bar, captivated by a single rose she held in her hand. The petals had been painted black and she stared at the flower. Itou, the owner of the club and accomplice to her and Ryuji's illicit drug and sex rings, slammed the phone back on the receiver, making the deranged psychopath look up.

"Well, that makes six of our connections that haven't seen Ryuji. Where the fuck has he gone to?! You don't think those gangbangers led by that Junichi motherfucker got him, do you?" Itou shouted.

Yuka cracked her infamous, murderous smile. "I don't know, dear Itou. I just simply don't know. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually and when he does, I have to give him this."

Itou looked at the black rose. "What the hell is that thing supposed to mean, anyway?"

Yuka continued to stare at the painted flower. "Oh…it helps me to never forget. Which reminds me, I have one for you, too."

She reached into her tattered vest pocket and retracted another black rose. Handing it across the bar, Itou was confused by the gesture until he took it. He stared at it with confusion, still unable to comprehend the meaning behind the dark symbol, even as Yuka looked at her watch and scurried away. She made her way behind the main stage and glanced around to make sure she was all alone in the backstage area.

When it was clear she was, she smiled and walked over to the same janitor closet Ryuji threw Kagami into to beat the pulp out of her. Her orders to make Kagami miscarry the baby she still carried. As she unlocked the door, Yuka could still recall the vague scent of Kagami's body's gears shifting, as if it was taking a natural process to make room for something more. She sighed and shook her head but took comfort in the fact that Ryuji had failed her for the last time.

Yuka unlocked the door and smiled at one of her girls she "rescued" from the streets not too long ago. She was chained to the floor, but for good reasons. Her eyes glowed a haunting red as black veins cracked across the whites. Satan's Blood was surging throughout her body and she growled and screamed and thrashed in her shackles. The girl was ready to kill and when she saw Yuka, it was like dangling meat before a starved dog. However, what made Yuka giggle was the uncanny resemblance between her and this girl, courtesy of some makeup and a wig.

"I hope you're good and ready, honey. Our guests are almost here and they're looking for me, so I know you'll make me proud and put on a convincing act for them." Yuka said and stepped forward while producing a key and a handgun.

As Itou continued to stare at the black rose, a sudden series of movements caught his eye to his left. He saw shadows zipping past the creaks in the plywood used to cover the windows after the shootout with the gang members. The club owner and drug pusher approached them but before he could look through, a massive explosion blew the door off its hinges.

The blast sent the club into a panic and customers began climbing and clawing over each other to get away from the explosion, thinking they were under attack. They were. A team of masked Special Assault Team agents suddenly rushed into the smoking doorframe, MP5s raised high.

"This is the police! Everyone get down on the ground facedown now!" An amplified voice from outside called.

The club was completely surrounded. Police cars had the club quarantined with their spotlights shining on the building as more officers prepared to enter. Yui Narumi held her pistol up as she took her position behind her cruiser and aimed at the club, expecting to come under fire soon. Two helicopters circled above with SAT snipers dangling out the hatches, waiting for the kill shots on anyone trying to take off.

Itou recovered from the blast and reflexes motivated by his hatred of the prison system kicked in. He reached under the bar and grabbed the shotgun and stood. He fired a shot at the officers, taking one down before his end was met in a hail of returning gunfire. The coroner would later count twenty-six bullet holes in Itou as the SAT agents let loose on him. The metal projectiles tore his body apart and when he fell to the ground for the final time, the black rose offered to him by Yuka Miyakawa fell from the bar and rested on his bleeding chest.

The SAT agents moved further in and some tackled the patrons and strippers themselves to the ground. They were placed under arrest as more agents moved down the stairs where the illegal brothel was housed, commencing more screams and struggles as the agents kicked in the doors.

A team moved past the main stage and parted the curtain, only to come face-to-face with their target. The girl in golden hair and revealing clothes was armed and wore a look of murderous intent.

"Miyakawa! It's over! Drop the gun and put your hands in the air!" The agent commanded as two more joined him, their weapons raised high.

She screamed so loudly at the officers that Yui Narumi herself would later annotate in her police report that she heard it from outside and over the two helicopters over her head. Raising the gun at the officers, their training took over and she met Itou's fate when another hail of bullets threw her to her back. The blood rushed out the exit wounds as one of the officer relayed on the radio that Yuka Miyakawa was neutralized.

"Cover me!" Another ordered and stepped towards the body, his smoking MP5 still ready to fire.

He crouched down to check for a pulse, but made an unusual discovery. The agent was confused at first, but it suddenly clarified itself when Miyakawa's hair fell off. He grabbed it and held the wig up to his fellow agents.

"Fuck!" The leader yelled and radioed to the rest of the officers, "We have a negative confirmation on Yuka Miyakawa. Suspect is still at large, I repeat, suspect is still at large, over!"

Yui Narumi heard the transmission over the radio and cussed as well. Her chief rallied her and her fellow officers as the SAT continued to secure Teasers and bring apprehended suspects out of the club.

"I want a six block perimeter around this area! No one gets in or out! Shoot to kill if you have to but don't let Miyakawa escape!" The chief thundered.

As the officers began to establish their perimeter, they only concerned themselves with the textbook procedures and training, which only included securing areas on street level. Yuka Miyakawa however regarded their procedures with a feral laugh as she held her flashlight and walked through the sewer right below their feet. The tunnels would lead her straight out from the perimeter and the Aku District. The depraved psychopath held her flashlight in one hand and Kagami's glowing cell phone in the other, showing her a picture of herself and her family outside the family shrine during happier times. She grinned again and started to walk away.

The rats themselves cringed and dashed away when her phrase echoed in their caverns.

"How lovely…"