Chapter 3: Shark
Jun had found her days since Lan Asuka and her other identity had violated her life to be repetitious. She would try to maintain her life as a fashion model, but she would be constantly interrupted by unwelcome intrusions. She didn't even know quite why Mr. Yuasa willingly put up with it; if he were to come to her now with a termination notice she could hardly blame him. It had been a few weeks since she had forced Kazumi out of her life; since she had forced away the only thing that had really brought any brightness to her life. She got little satisfaction from modelling and the rest... she tried hard never to even think about it. Usually what would happen is she would have a late afternoon or evening engagement; once every few days these would be interrupted and Izumi Kogare drove her to wherever a devil beast had cropped up. So far, she hadn't had many difficulties dealing with them. Nor, thankfully, had any of them shown the same ability as the Wolf beast she fought at the docks to grow into giants. It was hard enough to get used to the monstrosity her body became before factoring in what Asuka called the giga effect. She couldn't even try to think about who her victims really were before the transformation; if she did, she felt she would collapse entirely. As it was, she did her best not to think about her other life whenever she wasn't leading it. But whilst in the middle of a photo shoot for a swimsuit company, Yuasa interrupted. She watched as he spoke briefly with the photographer and the company rep, and then came straight to her.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion, Jun, but a woman who gave her name as Izumi Kogare has asked for you, and she said you would need to see her. This isn't the first time that she's interrupted your engagements; who is she, Jun?" He said, sounding a little exasperated.
"I see. I'm terribly sorry Yuasa. I have to go," Jun replied glumly. The others on set didn't hide that they didn't appreciate the interruption. The shoot had already had delays from technical problems, and now the photographer had walked off in frustration at this latest disruption.
"And you can't tell me why you keep breaking your engagements with us? It's not very reasonable, Jun." She could hardly disagree, but she had no idea what to say. She was a terrible liar, it seemed easier just not to say anything, and accept the consequences.
"Maybe I should just resign at this point," she offered. Yuasa shook his head firmly.
"That won't be necessary. Mr Kobayashi said to me the other day when I brought up these incidents that the company is receiving subsidies from another client to keep you on. I've never heard of such a thing before, but I take it this is another job that you consider to take precedence over this one?"
Jun stayed silent. Yuasa shook his head in vexation.
"Even if the agency continues to use you, you're making it harder to attract clients with this capriciousness." Jun took a deep breath; then replied
"You told me the other day that Kiki were interested in me for a full cover shoot. From what I gather I had more offers in the last few weeks than I had the previous six months. It seems they like capriciousness. " Jun wondered if Lan Asuka had anything to do with her seemingly increased demand, but in the back of her mind she also considered; what if what looked like Diva behaviour to others might have made her more of a prize. If she just walked away from jobs she felt was beneath her, it made her presence mean something more. It was ridiculous in a way but it almost made sense with how odd human beings often were. Yuasa was taken aback by her unusually direct and confident statement; but he quickly regained his composure, by readjusting his glasses. Jun smiled internally. It was a cute quirk. She didn't like putting him on the spot like this though.
"You're not wrong. Maybe Mr Kobayashi has plans to take advantage of it," he agreed.
"Anyway, I'd better go get changed," Jun bowed and then turned to walk off. She couldn't exactly go with Kogare in a swimsuit.
"Of course. I'll see you on Thursday evening so we can go over your next set of auditions. Usual meeting place?" Yuasa called after her. He meant a somewhat classy place in Kabuchiko called the Blue Lotus, a haunt for quite a lot of the workers of the Galatea Model Agency.
"I'll be there," she said with as much sincerity as she could muster under the circumstances and walked off.
When she reached the building's reception area, Izumi Kogare hailed her.
"You really need to speed things up, Jun. Luckily this time it's a briefing, and not a hunt, but in your position you can't ever afford to dally." Jun ignored her and headed out to the car park and straight for Kogare's car, a dark coloured sedan.
"It seems you can move when you want to," Kogare chided, following and climbing into the drivers seat. She started the car, and they drove through Chiyoda. The city, the urban landscape just flew by Jun nowadays. It's like none of it was real.
"Where are we going," Jun finally asked, even if the answer meant little to her.
"Police Headquarters," Kogare answered abruptly, "This situation is different from the others. We believe we've located a beast but not their identity. Asuka will explain." Jun didn't bother to say anything more. They passed the journey in cold silence, until Kogare dared to break it as they approached their destination.
"So, Jun; have you developed a taste for the work yet? I imagine it must be exhilarating." Jun was disgusted by the question. What kind of awful woman was this?
"It's horrendous. It's a nightmare. I don't even want to talk about it, especially with you." Kogare smirked through the rear side mirror.
"Your words say one thing but your body says another. I can see your muscles tense, and quite honestly I sense the hunger in you. You should be grateful we give you an outlet; many people would enjoy the feeling of killing with their bare hands without consequence; without guilt."
"Would you?" Jun snapped back. Kogare licked her lips.
"Yes. I wouldn't mind being in your position. But my expertise makes me more suitable for research than field work. They do need someone keeping you on a leash when Asuka is otherwise occupied. I don't like it anymore than you do, I assure you," Kogare sneered.
"And what is my mistress up to right now?" Jun asked acidly.
"You'll find out soon." Kogare answered enigmatically.
When they arrived at Police Headquarters, Jun was intimidated by the size and uniform grey of the building, which were a pair of interconnected wings with aeriel towers spiking out of the centre of each. Before she even knew where to go, Jun was immediately ushered inside by two men in uniform the moment she left the car. Kogare drove off, obviously having other places to be. Both of the officers were armed; a rare sight in Tokyo. Or at least, it had been. From what she gathered, the police did have some knowledge about the devil beast incidents. They assisted in containing them, in covering them up. She wondered if that policy was the reason these officers were armed; or if that reason was much more specific and standing in between them right now. Could she ever connect with human beings who knew what she was? It was starting to feel like a lost cause. They took her through sliding doorway entrance. The inside of the building was stifling, with uniformed officers everywhere. It wasn't like a police HQ she'd seen in some American crime movies; which were often pure chaos with arrested people being brought in through the front and booked at the reception desk. No, in Japan that kind of thing wouldn't be done so out in the open, so chaotic. In its own the way the relative lack of action had its own oppressive feeling. The officers escorted her to an interview room located on the main floor, and closed the door once she'd entered. Lan Asuka awaited inside the room, sitting at one end of the table. There was a cup of what smelled and looked like black coffee on the table. The rest of the room was distressingly blank, aside from a mirror on one of the walls.
"Glad you could make it, Jun. I hope you weren't too inconvenienced to be here," she said with mock sincerity.
"Just get on with whatever you brought me here for," Jun sat down on the chair opposite Asuka sullenly, not having the patience for her games.
"All right, here." Asuka passed her a manila envelope across the table. Jun tore it open and began examining the contents.
"How do you find looking at the work of creatures other than yourself? Disgusting? Frightening? Exciting?" Asuka asked.
"Horrific. This is horrific," Jun answered. The first several photographs of the pile contained the mutilated bodies of young women who look like they had been savaged by incredible jaws. Before now she didn't even think she would be able to look at such images without throwing up; her constitution wasn't as mild as it used to be. As she looked at one photograph after the next, she came to one that was not of violence; but its presence for her wasn't much less shocking. It was a photograph of a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in dark blue swimming gear. Her face was well known to Jun.
"Aoi Kurosaki..." Jun breathed. She hadn't expected this. Asuka leaned forward.
"I see you can remember her," Asuka said expectantly, "She was a fellow school student in Sendai, wasn't she?"
"What does she have to do with any of this?" Jun asked in dread. Asuka stood up and looked into the mirror. Jun saw from Asuka's reflection that her stoicism had returned. This was a briefing now, and Jun would shortly learn the Houndmasters orders.
"All of the bodies were discovered in the sewers underneath a Shibuya fitness centre. The fitness centre that she works at as a swimming instructor," Asuka said harshly.
"A coincidence," Jun responded sharply, "I don't see how she could have anything to do with this." Asuka turned back around and walked towards Jun, leaning in to eye level.
"I'm not willing to think that about anybody who's ever had contact with you," Asuka's eyes narrowed, and her tone, taunting. Jun almost felt Asuka was daring her to rise to the statement.
"Go to hell, Asuka," Jun said angrily. Asuka laughed and then sat on the table, very much violating Jun's personal space.
"There is also the fact that she has been romantically linked with some of these girls," Asuka continued, "Which makes her a very likely suspect. She's positioned in a place of trust both professionally and personally. A perfect spot from which to prey on them." Jun banged a clenched fist on the table. She wanted to rebuff everything Asuka had said. Yet she didn't. Asuka simply smiled provocatively. "At the moment, these photographs are not public knowledge. No details of this have been publicly announced."
"Why?" Jun asked as she tried to calm down, "Just how many of these things have you covered up?" Asuka crossed her legs.
"Jun, if what we knew came to light, our quarry would take action to prevent their discovery," she said like a teacher explaining two plus two to a three year old, "This way, we should be able to catch them whilst they remain confident that they haven't been detected." Asuka then stood up and went back to looking at the mirror. Her eyes met directly with Jun's through it however. They were piercing, commanding. Frightening, frankly. "And when we catch them; if Aoi Kurosaki is indeed our shark demon, I expect you to dispatch her like every other hunt. Am I understood?"
"Yes," Jun replied bluntly before standing herself. She had about as much as she could take. "I'll do it, but I want to do it my way." Asuka shrugged, not turning around.
"You may act on your own discretion until you identify the quarry; but when you do I expect you to be the loyal hunting dog." Asuka's eyes kept piercing straight through her; she hated that feeling. It felt impossible to reply to them other than with dejected obedience. It wounded her pride less to not respond. Instead she turned to leave. The armed officers had been standing out the door the whole time. They escorted her out as they escorted her in; their manner did little to make her feel appreciated.
Jun had boarded the train to Shibuya pretty much directly from Chiyoda. She wanted to get started, but her first destination hadn't been Shibuya Life itself. She had done a little research before coming, using a nearby library to look up past headlines relating to the area. It was quite an impressive building and had a reputation for producing notable athletes; but had fallen on somewhat harder times recently. The recent disappearances of female attendees had cast a cloud over the place; attendance had dropped, rumours swirled and now it's future was starting to look tenuous. It was like a microcosm of the mutation crisis that was sweeping the city itself; people ignored the signs, they passed by pretending not to see them. But they had the sense to stay away from what was increasingly looking like a devil beast's hunting ground. As she entered the reception area, she already knew that was true. It wasn't strong, but she could smell it; a husky odor tinged with blood that Asuka had told her was a sure sign of a devil beast's presence. At the reception desk a young man with a handsome face and a bright smile welcomed her.
"Hello, welcome to Shibuya Life. I'm Katsuhiro. Are you here for a single session; a class or interested in joining up as a regular member?" Jun never felt acting was one of her strengths; but she thought it might be best not to play too keen.
"Well, I try to keep a regular regimen, but I want a change of scenery," she returned his smile.
"Say, I'm pretty sure I've seen you before; mind if I ask what your name is?" he asked.
"Jun Fudo, I'm a fashion model, you might have seen me in a magazine." After saying so, she had wondered if it had been a good idea to give her real name. Couldn't be helped now, and she was a poor liar. The receptionist nodded enthusiastically. It seemed he did know of her.
"Yeah, that's it; wow, we do usually get plenty of notable professional members here, though it's been a while." The reasons why hung in the air.
"That's a real shame, Katsuhiro; but don't worry, that doesn't mean much to me. If anything the... mood here is something I'm interested in; you might say that I am trying to repackage myself a little; get people talking, you know?" She leaned forward, letting him feel he was on the inside of her current affairs. To the receptionist' credit, he caught on quickly enough.
"Of course, and it would certainly benefit us potentially. Sounds great; we can take care of the paperwork later. Right now get someone to show you around; and you deserve one of our best trainers to do that. Just give me a second and I'll give her a call." Jun smiled and nodded before going to a sofa to sit down and wait; it wasn't very long. An athletically built woman dressed in gym shorts and a staff T-shirt, and tomboyish hair approached her; someone she didn't find hard to recognise. What she remembered of Aoi was her wide, hazel eyes and well defined jawline. She was always about fitness, her swimming was always important to her. And that... well that was the problem.
"Jun! Wow, I didn't expect to see you here. It's been a very long time!" Aoi Kurosaki exclaimed brightly. She hadn't changed very much from what Jun could remember, although she was taller and had put on a bit more muscle mass on her upper body. She was impressive, it didn't surprise her that Aoi was attractive to other girls looking for an impressive physique. Jun herself though, remembered being more attracted to her back when she was more slight as a sixteen year old. The scent that Jun had been paying attention to hung a little stronger around her; but it lacked the pungency that would have given her a definite answer. She was somewhat relieved.
"Aoi, it's good to see you," Jun replied enthusiastically; deep down she was both glad and yet anxious; part of her wanted to see Aoi again; but the other...
"Lets not waste any time yapping, we can catch up as we go," Aoi said enthusiastically, "Right now, I'm being paid to show you what we do here, so let's get going."
After the meat of the tour of the facilities; Aoi and Jun's conversation turned to more personal topics. All the time Jun had been both observing and taking in everything she could smell; but there had been no further suspicious signs. They stood beside the pool now which wasn't currenly in use.
"I knew you had moved to Tokyo to pursue modelling; even so, I still found myself really pleasantly surprised whenever I come across your face in magazines or catalogues. You've even done some TV ads, I heard?" Aoi asked casually.
"Yes that's true; things worked out for me, I guess," Jun replied timidly. Aoi grinned.
"There's not much need to be modest. I knew you'd make it. I loved being able to say to my friends whenever we saw you, that I knew you, before you became famous," Aoi held out her hands as if she was holding a magazine, "I'm glad for you."
"Thanks, Aoi. I really appreciate that. And how have things been with you?" Jun asked in return. She wished she felt more comfortable asking that than she did. She tried her best not to show her unease.
"Well, my own professional dreams didn't pan out," Aoi rubbed her thigh, "But I love working here; being able to train the next generation." Aoi's tone suggested something else was bothering her. Jun decided to chance probing it.
"Aoi, is there anything wrong?" She asked gently. Aoi rubbed the back of her head.
"This hasn't been the greatest part of town lately; some girls have disappeared." Jun's face dropped in concern.
"I saw something in the papers, yes," she admitted. Aoi's shoulders slumped.
"And well, a few of them were students of mine. The police haven't found anything yet but it's probably just a matter of time," Aoi sniffed, "There has to be some sicko out there targeting them." Jun approached Aoi and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm really sorry. I hope nobody else disappears," Jun said sincerely, but also trying to hide the fact that she knew more about the situation than Aoi did. At least, she hoped that was the case. After a moment's awkward silence, Aoi motioned for her to follow her back to the waiting area to finish the tour. After Aoi retrieved Jun's registration form from behind the reception desk, Aoi gestured for them both to sit down.
"Okay, so assuming you're still interested in signing up; I'll take some details from you now," Aoi said, picking up a clipboard with pen from a pile on the table, "And if you don't mind my asking, do you plan to sign up for my swimming class?" Aoi sounded hopeful. Jun decided she didn't want to disappoint her.
"I think I will. When is the next class?" Aoi nodded excitedly, and began writing "Tomorrow afternoon. Usually, what I do is we have the official class, then there is a break for dinner. Often my students go to this place nearby; then some of the more serious prospects come back and we do some further drills. I don't expect you to turn up for those but, maybe after the main class we could go get something to eat together," Aoi suggested.
"That sounds nice," Jun answered brightly. "So the pool must be open to quite late?"
"Oh yes," Aoi nodded, "The facilities are available for late-night training. The centre has produced Olympic level athletes before; doing that means offering what people like that need; which for some is round-the-clock availability of the pool."
"I see." Jun confirmed with Aoi her details, including her contact number. Aoi finished with the form, and took it off the clipboard.
"Great, I'll text you the schedule for the next few weeks," Aoi stood up brightly, "If you're coming here because you need some upperbody training; you'll get more than enough of that I promise you," she flexed, more playfully than trying to show off. Jun blushed.
"I guess nothing much gets passed you. Yeah, I have some offers on the condition I buff up a little bit. But if I like it here, I won't stop coming just because I fulfil that goal. I need to keep a pretty firm waistline in this job." Whilst that was true, she hardly had much trouble getting enough exercise thanks to Lan Asuka.
"Oh, I don't doubt for a second you don't work hard. I didn't mean it that way," Aoi apologised.
"No no, it's fine, think nothing of it," Jun reassured her. Aoi blushed and gave her another wide smile.
"It's really good to see you again," she said with nothing but genuine enthusiasm. Jun beamed.
"It's mutual," she said standing up.
"Well that takes care of all the formalities, you can collect a temp member card from the reception, and you'll get the real one in the post soon," Aoi then bowed formally, "Welcome to Shibuya Life, I hope you stay with us for a long time."
"Thank you Aoi. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Jun held out her hand; Aoi hesitated for a second then shook it.
"Looking forward to it."
Jun left the building carrying a number of conflicted feelings. It was nice to meet Aoi again, more pleasant than she expected it to be; the pretenses however were decidedly unpleasant. She was going to go back there, with the purpose of hunting someone. Was it Aoi? What if it was? She remained unsure as the familiar black sedan pulled up next to her on the sidewalk. Kogare was in the driver seat, and Asuka revealed herself when she opened the back door.
"Well, you've had a chance to get your first impressions. What do you have for us?" Jun resignedly got in next to Asuka, and Kogare began the drive to Jun's apartment block.
"I met with Aoi." Asuka grinned.
"The plot thickens; and?"
"I don't think she is the Devil Beast. But it is... there. I think it must be someone who has been around her a lot. Someone in her swimming class, I think," Jun gave her opinion honestly, even if it wasn't very sure.
"So what's your next move?" Asuka asked, once again with a scholarly tone, as if she'd given Jun a homework problem to solve. It rankled, but Jun answered.
"The logical one; I signed up for it. First class will be tomorrow." Asuka nodded her approval.
"All right; seems that leaving you to your own devices wasn't a complete mistake. Oh and, if you don't mind me asking, what was it like to talk with Aoi Kurosaki again?" Now the taunting tone was back. Jun minded her asking, she minded it a lot. But she had accepted there was very little she could hide from Lan Asuka.
"Bittersweet. She was friendly to me."
"And? Do you think she forgives you?" Jun winced inside.
"I don't honestly know," she sighed. Asuka studied Jun intently, oblivious to Jun's own discomfort.
"I think it will be interesting to find out." Jun felt her temper flare; but she kept it in check.
"My life isn't some soap opera for your amusement. I'll do your damn hunts, and everything you ask me to, but stay out of my personal life." Asuka's reaction went from intrigued to stern.
"I can't promise that, and you know it." Jun simply glared at Asuka hoping she would spontaneously combust on the spot. Asuka smirked as if she knew exactly what Jun was thinking.
"I've also been making my own investigations into Aoi Kurosaki; she has certainly moved on with her life from you," Asuka said, "She's had no lack of relationships in the last few years. It's appears that swimming is only one of the things she likes instructing her students in; and she's got quite the collection of broken hearts." Now Asuka looked at Jun in an accusatory fashion. "I wonder who introduced her to that particular hobby?" Jun turned white, and bowed her head down. As angry as she was she had no reply to make. Asuka relaxed, finished with having her fun."You do know it's very possible that you created the monster that did those things."
"I don't think it's her," Jun weakly repeated. She sat in silence the rest of the way.
Jun headed for Shibuya Life following an uneventful, quiet day at work. If only they all went like that. Yuasa had offered her a ride there when she mentioned she planned to go.
"You did well today, Jun," he remarked as she sat in the passenger seat.
"Thanks, I did my best," Jun replied half heartedly, distracted with her thoughs. Yuasa looked at her quizzically.
"Was there any particular reason you decided to suddenly join this gym?" He inquired casually.
"No, not particularly." Jun answered nonchalantly.
"Nobody at the agency suggested it? I don't want you to feel pressured about your figure Jun, it's fine as it is," he said firmly.
"Why? Do you like it as it is?" Jun asked with mirth in her voice.
"If you must put me on the spot, yes. But I just want to make sure that nobody's putting any undue pressure on you." Jun smiled, her mind feeling a little more at ease.
"I appreciate that. But no, it has nothing to do with any of that." Yuasa nodded.
"I'd be less concerned if it was any other place, to be honest with you Jun. I've heard about the disappearances of young women in this area. Going further back as well, well, it's..." He was very naked in his concern for her. It was sweet. But she could look after herself. Especially now.
"I know about it. You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine with you driving me here if it puts your mind at ease, " she offered, "But really, I'll be fine."
"All right," Yuasa answered, not sounding totally convinced. But he had resigned that she wasn't going to change her mind.
After being dropped off, Jun headed inside and straight for the women's locker room, using the keycard she had been given. Things were busier now. This looked like the gym's peak hour. A number of women were already inside, ranging in ages probably from the late teens to mid twenties. Some heads turned in recognition of her, just for a moment, then they went back to whatever it was they were doing, in various phases of getting dressed. Jun found a fairly empty spot in the corner to go and get changed. What Yuasa had left unsaid, was the reputation of the centre that Asuka had also alluded to. It was considered something of a hotspot for lesbian girls, particularly among the swimmers. It wasn't just Aoi. She hadn't really known this until some of her co-workers had remarked on it that day when she said she would be starting swimming there. The connotations that carried along with the disappearances of young women had really given the place a black reputation. It was definitely going to ferment the weird image that some of her co-workers were starting to have of her. Before all this, she probably barely warranted discussion; now she left a long trail of words behind her back, and they made small talk with her even less than before. She used to be the shy, awkward one that didn't fit. Now she was the weird one with a secret life. It probably hadn't helped the way she had treated Kazumi either. Slowly but surely that was starting to get around, that she had emotionally hurt an eighteen year old girl for no reason. She didn't have a choice though. She really hoped Kazumi was okay, that she'd get over it and move on with her life. She finished getting changed, her own choice of swimsuit being red and white. She ignored some of the whispers she could hear; some of which were compliments aimed at her, and joined the small line that was heading into the swimming pool area. It was a pretty large pool, of Olympic dimensions.
"Hey, you're Jun Fudo right, the model? Katsuhiro told me you signed up yesterday." Jun turned to the girl who stood beside her, a pretty young thing wearing a swimming cap, and a dark blue one-piece swimsuit. "Oh sorry, that's a little rude. I'm Kairi Hosuga, it's nice to meet you."
"That's all right, yes I'm Jun Fudo, Miss Hosuga." The girl waved her hand.
"Kairi, please. I'm still only seventeen, 'Miss Hosuga' is not something I'm ready for yet," she said with a tinge of humour, "You signed right up for Miss Kurosaki's class. I'm a little surprised, I wouldn't have pegged you for somebody who wants to be a professional swimmer. This class is probably a bit hardcore for general fitness." Jun shrugged nonchalantly.
"I like to challenge myself, anything worth doing is worth taking seriously," she said. It wasn't exactly a lie at this point. Kairi nodded respectfully.
"Good attitude. I hope you're able to keep up, but remember it's not a big deal if you can't; it's best if you're honest about it. Miss Kurosaki will understand."
"Thanks," Jun nodded. At least it was nice to be approached by someone casually. The rest of the girls around seemed too shy, or too uptight. They might be worried, or scared though. There had to be some trepidation among these girls with everything going on. Kairi paired with Jun and they lined up with the other girls at the edge of the pool as Aoi walked into the pool area from the staff changing rooms. Now that her upper body wasn't covered totally by a T-shirt, Jun could see more of Aoi's conditioning. It was clear she did some bodybuilding, on top of simming tutelage. She had a whistle with her, which she blew into to get everyone's full attention.
"Alright folks, let's just start with some basic drills. Standard strokes, back and forth," She said in quite a commanding voice. It made sense, this didn't seem like it was a casual, easy going class. "We have a new student, Miss Jun Fudo, make her feel welcome, please." All of the girls gave casual, but mostly half hearted greetings to her which Jun returned. When Aoi blew her whistle again, the class slipped into the pool and began the drills. Jun was a relatively adept swimmer, she had paid attention in swimming class at high school anyway; but it certainly helped that ever since her other self had awakened, she felt a certain almost supernatural confidence in her physical characteristics. She enjoyed the exertion, and the feeling of the water on her body. Keeping up was not going to be a problem. Indeed, as the class wore on, all of the girls started to blow up; and getting out of the pool for a breather. Kairi was quite right that Aoi drove her students pretty hard. Jun barely felt any fatigue at all, but decided to try and feign some so as not to stand out. When the class ended, Jun followed Kairi out of the pool.
"Wow, you seem like a complete natural," she panted, a bit out of breath.
"I think you are too," Jun replied. All this time she had paid attention to the scents around her; however, the chemicals in the pool and the volume of bodies in the immediate vicinity made it surprisingly difficult to detect anything unusual. Something was still there; but that was all she could be sure of. Aoi gave each student a progress report as they passed her back into the locker room. When it was left down to Kairi and Jun, Aoi addressed them both.
"Well, I have to say you two are the teacher's pets for this evening. I'm not surprised by you Hosuga, you've always shown an excellent aptitude, but for a first timer Jun, that was amazing."
"Thanks," Jun replied trying her best to sound at least a little out of breath.
"I wanted you to join and do well, but I didn't want to go easy on you. Turns out I worried over nothing there. Hosuga, mind going to get changed? I just need to talk with Jun a little more in private."
"Sure," Kairi shrugged, who then did as asked. Jun felt anxiety creeping back in, being left alone with Aoi.
"I just wanted to ask you again if you're still free to join me for dinner. There's a pretty fancy place nearby. We could catch up properly?" Jun nodded before she really thought about it.
"Great, should be able to fit it in before the girls come back for the late-night sessions."
"It must be hard, working on such a schedule," Jun observed. Aoi shrugged.
"Eh, it keeps me busy, and it keeps me in shape. I didn't swim along with you girls today, I usually alternate on the earlier classes, but I pretty much always swim with the girls who come later. Anyway, just meet me up front when you've finish changing."
"See you then," Jun answered.
A few girls were still in the locker room when Jun entered. As she got changed, Kairi became the only one left.
"Hey Jun, Miss Kurosaki didn't ask you to meet her for something to eat right now, did she?" She asked with concern in her voice, as she dried off the back of her neck.
"Well, yes. Is there something wrong?" Jun asked. Kairi sat down beside her.
"I know it's not really my business, but she's done this a few times before. Once with a friend of mine," Kairi said, sounding concerned.
"What are you talking about?" Jun asked, doing her best to sound ignorant.
"Well, you could probably tell that she has a certain butch appeal?" Kairi said bashfully.
"It's hard to miss. What is the issue, though, Kairi? Anything I can help with?" Kairi spent a few moments obviously unsure of what she wanted to say. Jun patted on the back in a gesture of understanding.
"Well, I'm not trying to be hateful here, I'm just saying it's not what Miss Kurosaki prefers, it's about how she's treated some girls. She seems very happy to wine and dine them and take advantage of them, at least from where I see it, and then discards them. She can be, well, very cold." The hurt in Kairi's voice suggest that she wasn't saying everything she felt about Aoi Kurosaki. Jun felt this girl was confiding in her, skirting around the issue but addressing it nonetheless. Jun placed an arm around Kairi's shoulder, to try and be reassuring. She didn't mind it.
"Well, if it will set your mind at ease, she didn't invite me for that reason. We're schoolfriends, we haven't seen each other in a long time, we'll just be catching up," Jun explained.
"Oh, I see," Kairi exclaimed, sounding brighter. "I didn't realise that. I'm kind of glad to hear it. Some girls drop out the class and stop coming to the centre altogether."
"I, I didn't realise. I know about what happened to her hip. I didn't realise how much it had affected Aoi." Jun said. Kairi stood up, and paced in front of Jun. It seemed like she really had something she needed to get off her chest.
"I mean it's incredibly hard to become a professional athlete; hard to become a professional anything; believe me I appreciate that being a model is probably no easier, but adding emotional baggage into it and letting yourself be let down like that, I could see why that would kill anyone's enthusiasm. I've tried to stay out of it anyway. I would consider taking another class but for the fact that despite everything, Miss Kurosaki is the best pro teacher I've ever had. " Jun nodded her understanding. It probably wasn't easy for Kairi to say all of this.
"Thanks for the concern, Kairi. You've probably made the right choices for yourself, especially if this is what you really want to do. I would talk with Aoi about her behaviour, but it's too early; we just met again for the first time in years," Jun sighed, "We were good friends, but we've been distant for a long time. Maybe as we become close again I can talk to her about those things and try and maybe help her with them." Kairi smiled and sniffed, clearly a little bit emotional, and replied,
"A good friend would do that for her. Thank you, you've made me feel a lot better." Jun patted her shoulder.
"It was nothing, honestly."
As Jun headed towards the exit of the building after leaving the locker room, she saw Aoi being accosted by a man and a women. She also heard most of what they said as their voices were raised.
"... She was last seen with you, you can't honestly tell me you know nothing about where Io is. I swear to God if you hurt her, I'll..." The man yelled, he then reached forward in anger and Aoi pulled away.
"You know everything I've had to say, I don't know where she is. She left my apartment to come here, I haven't seen her since. I've already told the cops this multiple times, I have nothing more to add!" A few moments later, burlier members of the staff were on the scene.
They intercepted the couple as Aoi made her retreat. She walked up to Jun and grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the building.
"I'm really sorry about that, I feel really bad for them; but I don't know anything beyond what I've already said to the police. I don't really need to tell you what's going on, do I?"
"I, I know Aoi." Obviously Aoi meant about the missing girls' all being in some form of relationship with her. Jun didn't believe Aoi was responsible, but she didn't know who was yet. And Jun knew where Io was. Her parents were better off never knowing. Aoi fought back tears.
"I'm not an angel, I don't pretend to be. I really can't stand the accusations though, they make me angry." Jun attempted to place a comforting hand on Aoi's shoulder, though this time Aoi jerked away from it. Jun looked for something to say.
"They're distraught, desperate for an answer. They'll latch onto anything and everything they feel they have to," she suggested. Aoi shrugged, and appeared to have regained her composure somewhat.
"I know. Believe me, Jun. If I knew who was doing this I'd kill them myself." Jun frowned.
"You seem fairly sure that these girls aren't just vanishing," she observed. Aoi nodded firmly.
"Too many in too close a proximity to be anything but a coincidence. I think it's just a matter of time before they start turning up bodies," Aoi sighed morosely.
"You're probably right," Jun agreed, knowing it was more than probable. Aoi sighed deeply, then shook off her trepidations.
"Anyway, none of this has anything to do with you," she said, "Come on, let's go for that meal, try to enjoy ourselves."
"Sounds like a plan," Jun gestured for Aoi to lead the way.
The restaurant Aoi picked out was indeed rather nice. It was locally run, serving traditional Japanese cuisine. The furnishings reflected a traditional sense, with wall banners depicting historical art and the walls themselves being shoji. Paper lanterns of various beautiful patterns hung from the roof. After sitting down at a pine table and making their orders, they talked of the past, and chatted throughout. Jun slowly lost her guard and began to feel she was enjoying herself, spending time with a long absent friend. They talked about the teachers they both had, and acquaintences with other students. Jun didn't have too many fond memories from school; Aoi had been more social than her, so Aoi had done most of the reminiscing. Aoi was on talking about Rei Minami, another swimmer from their school she looked up to and had gone on to some national success when their meals arrive. Jun had ordered champon, a chicken & ramen dish which different places tended to do make with their own touches. The bowl was garnished with mussells, prawns and onion. She wasn't too surprised by Aoi's order, a stacked bowl of beef cutlets with all the traditional sides. Plenty of protein. Her own mouth started watering at the smell. There was a conflict within Jun between what she was used to having, and what the awakened being within her wanted. She made do, and enjoyed her meal. Aoi tucked in with aplomb, and seemed to enjoy herself too. However as they were almost finished, Aoi stopped eating, and gazed at her with smouldering anger.
"Tell me Jun, why are we doing this?" The hostility in her voice was obvious, and Jun knew that the facade of reunited schoolfriends was over. Aoi continued. "You coming to the centre is probably coincidence. Or maybe not, but if it was, you could have simply excused yourself. I wouldn't have blamed you." She snapped her chopsticks in her fist. "But you've hung around, signed onto my swimming class and then, well, I don't know how but you're probably better than I ever was. You wounded me already and now you're dumping a whole bucket of salt on it. What is it, is that your vanity? It's bad enough that I run into your face, it's plastered all around. Do you get off on being this cruel, or something?"
Jun didn't answer. She sat there shaking, looking into Aoi's eyes. She had no answer.
"I don't know what would be more pathetic, if it was deliberate or if you really were fucking oblivious to it." Aoi stood up and tossed some yen on the table.
"If you show me your real face again, I'll tear it up like when I see it on paper. And then we'll see how far your modelling takes you." The other people in the restaurant had stopped their discussions and had noticed the incident. Jun sat as white as a sheet as Aoi stormed off. She herself stood up and ran for the ladies room. She found herself wailing, stressed enough that she even almost felt a transformation trigger; she suppressed it just in time. The harsh reality was, she deserved every single word of that. She breathed heavily as she got over the panic and pulled herself back together. What she feared most had come to fruition between her and Aoi, it was horrible but in many ways the worst of it was over. Compared to that, finding and confronting the beast she hunted would barely be a blip. And it definitely couldn't be Aoi, had it been there was no way it would have been hidden under that rage.
As Jun left the restaurant, her phone went off. It was a text, from Aoi's number, the same number Aoi had given her the previous day. Her work phone number.
Jun, come and meet me at the pool after the late-night classes, I have something really neat to show you
Looks like the hunt is on. She brought out the phone that Izumi Kogare gave her and called on it.
"Jun?" Kogare's voice crackled over the signal.
"I'm going to confront the beast at the pool inside Shibuya Life. I have a good idea who it is, but at this point it doesn't matter. I know they'll be waiting for me there around midnight."
"I'll let Asuka know." Kogare hung up. Definitely a woman of few words that one.
Jun mentally prepared herself; she was going to try diplomacy, but given the trail of victims this creature has left behind it, she was ready to put an end to its existence tonight.
Despite the fact that it was close to midnight, Jun's membership card got her through the door. There was nobody at reception, the whole place seemed eerily quiet. Probably for the best. She headed straight for the pool, to find a lone swimmer within it. Her intuition wasn't wrong, and the scent of the beast hung heavy.
"Hosuga. Is this what you do? Steal Aoi's work phone to lure girls to their deaths?" Jun accused disdainfully. The girl flipped around in the water, and rose.
"You know they're dead? Interesting," the girl named Kairi Hosuga said, her voice now dripping with the arrogance of a predator. "Even more interesting is that you still came knowing this. Have you come to try to make amends? An apology isn't going to be enough." Jun grit her teeth.
"I know you're the one that ruined my Aoi's life," Hosuga continued her ranting, "But she was going to forgive you. She wants you, you know. And that's okay." Jun wondered if there was any truth to that after Aoi's outburst earlier. It seemed whether true or not though, this psychotic monster believed it. And that made Jun her next victim.
"That won't be a problem once I deal with you. Once you're dead maybe she'll finally accept that she can't have you, and stop trying to replace you . It only leads to more sadness for her." Jun tensed herself, she didn't know what to expect; it was clear that Hosuga had gone completely insane.
"Kairi! Please tell me it's not true!" Both Jun and Kairi turned to see Aoi, who looked aghast at what she had just overheard.
"Aoi..." Jun breathed. Hosuga laughed grimly.
"Oh well, it wasn't going to be a secret forever. But I'm doing it for you, Aoi. They were never worthy of you, especially this one. I'm going to kill her for what she did to you, eat her flesh and grind her bones. One day you'll thank me, I promise." Jun and Aoi watched in horror as Kairi's whole body split open; revealing the beast underneath. She gained a huge amount of mass, and by the time she was done, her upper torso remained naked and siren like; on top of a horrifically mutated great white shark. Aoi was paralysed in shock, only able to croak in disbelief. As she turned to run, the sharks maw opened and writhing tentacles of disgusting length wrapped around her.
"Let, let me go!" Aoi yelled in terror, struggling as much as she could to no avail.
"Let her go, or I swear I'll kill you!" Jun growled. Kairi laughed contemptuously.
"And just how do you think you're going to be able to do that?"
"Jun, run! Run while you still can!" Aoi screamed. Jun turned to her.
"I'm sorry Aoi. I hoped you wouldn't have to see any of this." Jun then engaged her transformation, ripping through her clothes as her muscles bulged out. Her nails became claws, her teeth, fangs. Aoi stared in disbelief, watching the demure fashion model become a gigantic monstrosity before her eyes.
"Jun..." Aoi cried in disbelief. Kairi once again interrupted with psychotic laughter.
"Oh, so you're like me. That figures, you really sounded like a beast in human skin anyway, it only makes sense that you are one." Jun glared at the murderous beast.
"I'm not like you, I don't murder innocent women out of some sick, territorial envy," she shot back.
"No, you'd rather watch them suffer alive when you destroy them. It's true, isn't it Aoi?" Kairi used her disgusting appendage to suspend Aoi further into the air and brought her in, so that she could more easily address her.
"Let me go, let me go you monstrous bitch!" Aoi screamed.
"I knew you wouldn't accept this easily, but we'll have time later. I have something to take care of just now, so in the meantime I'll just have to tuck you away safe." As the tentacles began to draw Aoi into the gaping jaws of the shark, Jun ran forward only for another tentacle to block her path.
"I won't digest her, I'll spit her out once I've dealt with you. She can breathe fine in there."
"I don't understand, why are you doing this?" Jun asked desperately, trying to play for time. The creature rose up and charged at Jun. she sidestepped it, as the massive tonnage of the creature smashed onto the side of the pool, however she wasn't fast enough to avoid another writhing mass of tentacles. Hosuga turned her head and neck towards her.
"This body, silly. What other reason? I just do what makes sense to me. I hunger for flesh, so I feed myself. And that's where it's good that you are a beast yourself, those other girls barely qualified as morsels. You however; I'll probably feel full for the first time in a long time." Kairi then dove back into the water dragging Jun behind her. Under the water Jun was finally able to grab hold of the tentacles around her neck and ripped through it with her claws. The shark roared in pain as she swam away, however as strong she was, she was no match for this beast underwater. Her only hope was to get back out. Salvation was denied her, as more tentacles wrapped around her legs and pulled her back under. She still had to breathe oxygen; she wasn't going to be able to hold her breath for much longer. However it didn't seem satisfied with merely drowning her, and she found herself flung towards the side, and the shark bore down on her with its muzzle, crushing her against the pool wall. This was it; some hunter she turned out to be. She closed her eyes ready for the killing blow, only to hear Kairi scream. Recognising that she was now free, she scrambled back onto the surface and gasped in air, never more appreciative of that privilege than right now.
Turning round, she struggled to believe her eyes.
Kairi was badly hurt. A vicious gash had been tore along her side, as if something had ripped it's way out from the inside. Standing before Jun was a new beast, drenched in blood and bearing strong similarities to her. She had the horns of a ram, and her limbs were completely covered in black fur. However the inside of her torso was hairless, and even in comparison to Jun, she was massively built. Both her hands and feet were covered in what looked like a dense form of chitin, likely the same material as her horns, and her tail was armoured as well.
"Aoi?" Jun realised. Their eyes met for a second, however Kairi screamed and launched towards them. Aoi leapt up on top of the sharks muzzle putting her within immediate grasp of the vulnerable, humanesque body. At that range Kairi was essentially defenseless. Aoi's tremendous claws were easily able to cover her whole head.
"Wait, Aoi!" Jun yelled, as for one moment a single eye of Kairi's that could be seen between Aoi's fingers displayed mortal fear. After this hesitation, Aoi crushed the head into pulp. When Aoi had said she would kill whomever was responsible for the disappearances of her students, she had meant it.
"Aoi..." Jun sighed, as Aoi bounded back onto land from the corpse. Aoi breathed heavily, and walked forward until she was standing right in front of Jun. Somehow, despite Jun's own considerable presence, Aoi outsized her, and this moment right now brought back a most unpleasant memory. Aoi didn't look like she quite knew where she was, and Jun was terrified that she might be lost. Before anything was said between them, Lan Asuka arrived, entering through the showers. Her secretary and about a dozen soldiers, all well armed, followed. They quickly formed in a line and pointed their weapons at Aoi.
"Wait!" Jun shot an arm out to try and prevent the situation from escalating, but Aoi reacted defensively, first knocking her to the ground, and then taking a running leap through the glass window to the outside. Shots were fired after her; a pair of hits successfully connecting.
"Jun, what the hell happened here?" Asuka ran up to her as Jun picked herself up, "Who is that other devil beast?"
"It's Aoi. Somehow it's Aoi," Jun exclaimed. Asuka grimaced.
"So there were two beasts. She won't get far, we have the perimeter covered outside." Jun waved her hands.
"Asuka, no! She didn't hurt any of the girls. That was all the work of the shark," she gestured towards Kairi's corpse, that had sunk into the water but was large enough to still be seen from the surface.
"So?" Asuka prompted Jun to spit out what she wanted to say.
"Don't kill her, catch her. Subdue her somehow, she could be another Devilman." Asuka looked at her incredulously, before turning to Kogare.
"Call Yamazaki, tell him to contain the threat. Make sure she doesn't slip through the net. Objective is to capture the target alive." She turned back to Jun.
"If you're willing to put yourself on the line for this, go catch her." Jun didn't need to be told twice, as she ran for the same window that Aoi pounced through. It wasn't a short drop, close to thirty foot, but it was a simple matter to roll with the impact. It wasn't difficult to follow Aoi's scent, nor the trail of blood which led around the corner of the building. The JSDF had indeed surrounded the building, reinforcing the barricade with vehicles. Aoi was standing her ground, but they were following Asuka's order not to use lethal force.
"Aoi!" she yelled. She didn't know how much presence of mind Aoi currently had. It was obvious she was scared, but also still running on adrenaline. Aoi turned towards her, both fear and anger etched on her face.
"Get away from me!" Aoi came at her, but Jun was ready for her this time and grabbed Aoi's outstretched arm, tossing her to the ground. The JSDF had put her through some truncated basic combat training, at least enough to add a bit of finesse to how she used her power, and it was the right thing to use against a target that was probably stronger than even she was. She quickly wrapped her arms around Aoi's neck, using a technique she was shown to subdue an opponent into unconciousness. Aoi was still strong enough to make it back onto her feet, forcing Jun to wrap her legs around the larger creatures waist. Aoi resorted to trying to smash Jun into a wall to make her let go, but Jun doubled down, knowing what was on the line. Even as the wall almost caved in, she kept a tight grip. She knew she succeeded once Aoi's body shrank, and she began to revert to her human form. She lowered Aoi's limp body onto the ground and sat beside her. A few moments later Lan Asuka and her accompaniment arrived.
"Good work, Jun. I can see the work we put into you isn't all going to waste." Jun glared at her, and stood up.
"What's going to happen to Aoi now?" She asked. Asuka thought for a moment before responding,
"We had some steps in place with you, but this is an unexpected development. We will have to isolate her and determine if she can be an asset to the HA. If not, she will probably be given to the specimen lab." Jun hissed in anger, Asuka however was not cowed.
"Either she is a Devilman as you want to believe, or she is a Devil Beast," she glowered, "Allowing you to make a decision of such ramifications in the field was definitely a breach of the protocols we're expected to follow." Asuka motioned for some of the soldiers to pick up Aoi. Izumi Kogare walked off with them without saying a word. That left Asuka and a couple of men left with Jun. "I'm going to catch hell for this," Asuka continued, "There will be many extremely unhappy with you."
"Asuka..." Jun tried to interrupt.
"Shut up," Asuka growled. Jun snapped her mouth shut. Then Asuka's expression softened. "However, I found merit in your suggestion, that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. Hopefully for the both of us, I'm right." Jun nodded, at this point it was the best she could hope for. She had to wonder, however, if all she had done was damn another soul to the living hell that she inhabited.