Kaito sat atop the ruins of the battle chamber.
The shattered remains of the Dark Monster were scattered all around him, some of the pieces still twitching with faint spasms.
He rested one arm on his knee while drops of blood slowly dripped from the tips of his fingers.
Yet his expression...
Was frighteningly calm.
As if he hadn't just walked out of a brutal battle that had shaken the entire building.
He heard light footsteps approaching through the silence.
Slowly, he raised his eyes.
A young woman.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with light brown hair tied back in a messy ponytail. She wore the organization's black uniform and carried a cup of coffee in her hand.
She looked nervous...
But not afraid.
That alone caught his interest.
"So... you're the girl I've been waiting for."
Emma stopped for a moment.
"Huh...? How did you know?"
Kaito smiled faintly.
"No one here has the courage to come anywhere near me after what happened."
He glanced at the employees watching him from behind the reinforced glass. The moment they realized he had noticed them, they quickly looked away.
"So it was obvious you were the one Lilith sent."
Emma let out a small laugh, trying to hide her nervousness.
"I guess... you're right."
She stepped closer before raising a hand in a small greeting.
"I'm Emma."
Her eyes briefly drifted toward the monster's remains surrounding him.
"...I watched the fight."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"From the surveillance room?"
She shook her head.
"From the organization's café."
"Oh, you mean the place called the Central Café?"
She blinked shyly before smiling.
"There was a bet on who would die first."
Kaito chuckled quietly.
"A bet?"
"Mhm..."
She pointed at him with her little finger.
"Because you won... I got free coffee."
"So... thank you."
Silence lingered for a second.
Then Kaito actually laughed this time.
A short laugh...
But a genuine one.
"So I'm your hero today just because of a cup of coffee?"
"That's pretty cheap."
Emma's cheeks flushed slightly.
"I-It's not like that!"
Then she quickly whispered,
"...But your victory really was amazing."
Kaito's smile widened just a little.
But Emma's eyes suddenly stopped on his shoulder.
Blood.
A lot of it.
Her smile slowly disappeared.
"You're bleeding..."
Without realizing it, she took a small step toward him.
"You should get treatment before the mission."
Kaito silently looked at her.
This time, she spoke with complete seriousness.
"That thing wasn't normal... even among monsters. You could've been hurt even worse."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"...You need to be at your full strength."
Silence filled the room.
Then Kaito casually raised his injured arm before her.
Right before Emma's eyes—
The wound began to heal.
The torn flesh slowly pulled itself together.
The bleeding stopped.
The skin returned to normal...
As if the injury had never existed.
Emma's eyes widened in obvious shock.
"...Regeneration?"
Kaito looked down at his own hand as well.
Almost as if he were seeing it for the first time.
"Looks like it."
He slowly clenched his fist.
"Even I didn't know I had regenerative abilities."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Memory loss really is annoying."
A few minutes later—
The car sped through the city's streets.
Red emergency lights reflected across the windshield while distant sirens echoed through the night from time to time.
Kaito sat beside the window, silently watching the buildings...
And the ordinary people laughing, walking, and living their lives without the slightest idea of the monsters surrounding them.
His eyes met those of a little boy in another car. The child pointed at him excitedly while holding a small clown toy, trying to catch his attention.
"In my previous life... did I have a family...?"
"Did I have a past...?"
"It doesn't matter..."
Meanwhile, the driver remained focused on the road.
Kaito suddenly broke the silence and turned toward Emma.
"How many people are going after the Cockroach Monster?"
Emma looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Is it just you and me?"
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...At first, yes."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
She took a quiet breath.
"Our mission is only reconnaissance."
Then she quickly added,
"As soon as we confirm its location, Division Three will move in immediately."
She looked out the window before continuing,
"We've narrowed its movements down to two districts."
"Nakano... and Suginami."
Kaito slightly raised an eyebrow.
"But you don't know which one."
She nodded.
"We're heading to Nakano..."
"...while Division Three is moving toward Suginami."
"And if we find it?"
"They'll immediately change course and come to our location."
"And if we don't?"
"They'll continue toward Suginami."
She nodded again.
"That's right."
"You understood the plan perfectly."
Kaito leaned his head against the seat and smiled.
"A strategy built around using humans as bait..."
"I like it."
Then he asked calmly,
"So... we're not supposed to engage it?"
Emma tightened her fists.
"No."
She looked at him with unmistakable seriousness.
"The orders are strict."
"We are not to initiate combat until reinforcements arrive."
She paused for a moment before speaking softly.
"I know what you're thinking."
"So... please."
"Don't do it."
For a brief moment, the red emergency lights reflected in Kaito's eyes.
Then—
He smiled.
A small...
Dangerous smile.
He turned his gaze toward the endless dark road stretching ahead.
"Alright..."
he whispered softly.
"Let's see..."
"...whether we'll actually need those reinforcements."
They arrived at the edge of Nakano District.
The streets were completely deserted.
The streetlights had either been shattered or had gone dark long ago.
The driver quietly brought the car to a stop before switching off every light.
The vehicle was swallowed by thick darkness, broken only by the pale glow of the moon.
"Turn everything off," Emma whispered.
"Even the hazard lights."
Kaito stepped out first, with Emma following close behind.
The car door closed softly.
The deathly silence returned.
Kaito stood in the middle of the road, staring at the dark buildings and the open windows that resembled empty mouths.
Then he asked quietly,
"Why is the organization so afraid of this monster?"
Emma stood beside him, lightly gripping her communicator.
"Because a monster's strength depends on the depth of the fear that created it."
She lowered her gaze slightly before continuing in a slower voice.
"The older that fear is... and the deeper its roots inside a person..."
"...the more terrifying the monster becomes."
A brief silence followed.
"The Cockroach Monster..."
"...used to be an ordinary girl."
"But her mother punished her in a sickening way."
Her voice froze for a moment.
"She would lock dozens of cockroaches inside her daughter's room... then lock the door and leave her there for hours."
Kaito remained silent.
For the first time, the story genuinely caught his interest.
Emma continued,
"It went on for years."
"And then... one night..."
"...her fear finally exploded."
"They found her mother's body in the kitchen..."
She paused.
"...with the lower half completely gone."
A cold wind drifted through the empty streets.
Kaito looked at her quietly for a long moment before speaking.
"You're trembling."
Emma froze.
She quickly lowered her head.
As though her own words had revealed something she never wanted anyone to know.
"...Yes."
She let out a quiet sigh.
"My mother spent many years in prison."
"She killed my father."
"He abused us constantly."
"I used to visit her when I was little..."
"...and I hated that place."
She looked at the dark buildings surrounding them.
"I hated the walls..."
"...the iron doors..."
"...and the feeling of being trapped with no way to escape."
A small, weary smile appeared on her face.
"So..."
"When I heard that girl's story..."
"...I was scared."
"What if I had never found the organization?"
"What if I had ended up just like her?"
She looked up at him shyly.
But Kaito didn't mock her.
He watched her quietly before speaking in a low voice.
"So..."
"You carry deep scars as well."
He turned his gaze toward the endless darkness ahead and added with a faint, cold smile,
"As long as I'm here..."
"...nothing will lay a finger on you..."
"...unless it dies first..."
"...or I do."
Emma stared at Kaito in silence for several seconds.
"...You're strange."
"What's strange?"
She lowered her head shyly while holding the communicator with both hands.
"I feel..."
"...strangely safe around you."
Kaito's smile widened slightly.
"That's the most disturbing thing I've heard all night."
Emma let out a soft laugh before pressing the communicator.
"This is Scout Agent Emma."
Static crackled briefly before a man's voice came through.
"Go ahead."
Emma glanced around one last time before answering,
"There are no signs of the Cockroach Monster in Nakano."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"Understood."
Emma continued,
"Proceed toward Suginami. The highest probability is that it's there."
"Message received."
The transmission ended.
Meanwhile—
Inside one of the armored vehicles heading toward Suginami...
The soldiers silently checked their weapons.
One of them carefully cleaned his rifle before saying,
"If that monster is really Disaster Level..."
"...I don't think these weapons will do a thing."
Another soldier locked a fresh magazine into place.
"Our job isn't to think."
"Our job is to shoot."
Then a young soldier suddenly raised his head and said with complete seriousness,
"I've got a better idea."
Everyone looked at him.
"Instead of bullets..."
"...why don't we bring a giant can of insecticide and spray it?"
Silence.
Then—
The entire vehicle burst into laughter.
Even the driver nearly lost control of the wheel.
One of the soldiers smacked the young man across the shoulder.
"You idiot!"
"Why didn't you tell headquarters about your genius plan?"
Another shouted while laughing,
"Maybe we should bring a giant slipper too!"
The laughter continued for several moments...
Before the tension slowly returned as they drew closer to Suginami.
Back in Nakano—
Kaito calmly turned toward the car.
"So..."
"Our little night walk is over."
Emma smiled shyly as she opened the car door for him.
"If you'd like..."
"...you can come to my house for lunch tomorrow."
Kaito raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile.
"Oh?"
"I'm already looking forward to tasting your cooking, Emma."
Kaito climbed into the back seat while Emma sat beside him.
The car began driving back toward the organization...
The moment Emma absentmindedly moved her hand closer to Kaito's—
BOOM!!
A tremendous impact struck the vehicle.
As if it were nothing more than a toy in the hands of an enraged child.
Something massive slammed into its right side with horrifying force.
The car flipped repeatedly through the air before crashing into a towering building, shattering the glass façade and smashing through multiple walls amid a cloud of dust and debris...
...until it finally came to a stop on the fifth floor.
Amid the wreckage—
Kaito stepped out with astonishing calmness, carrying Emma in one arm as though she weighed nothing.
They landed on a floor covered with shattered glass and cracked concrete.
Emma trembled violently in his arms.
Her face was pale.
Her eyes were filled with terror.
"Emma."
He whispered her name quietly.
She looked at him fearfully.
As though trying to convince herself they were still alive.
Kaito turned toward the remains of the vehicle.
The car had been reduced to a twisted mass of metal.
Blood covered the driver's seat.
The driver...
There was nothing left to save.
No movement.
No sound.
"I couldn't save him."
Kaito spoke in a cold voice.
"The attack was simply too fast."
At that moment—
A disturbing sound echoed from the darkness.
Krrrrrk... Krrrrrk... Krrrrrk...
The scraping of razor-sharp legs against concrete.
Then came the dry flutter of enormous insect wings slowly moving through the darkness.
A suffocating stench of rot spread through the air.
Emma's entire body froze instantly.
Then—
From within the dust...
Something emerged.
The Cockroach Monster.
Roughly three meters tall.
Six limbs ending in claws as sharp as razor blades.
The face of a little girl...
Twisted beyond recognition.
One human eye was half-open.
The other had swollen into a crimson-red orb.
Its skin was torn apart.
Its unnaturally stretched mouth dripped thick black saliva.
Another horrifying scraping sound echoed as it slowly rubbed its wings together.
Kaito stared at the monster with absolute calm.
Then, in a clear, cold voice—as though speaking to a person rather than a monster—he asked,
"How can a mother..."
"...lock cockroaches inside her little daughter's room as punishment?"
He took one step forward.
His eyes gleamed within the darkness.
"A world ruled by fear..."
"...would naturally turn an act like that into the very thing she feared most."
"A punishment like that..."
"...never disappears without leaving scars."
A faint smile spread across his face.
Cold.
Arrogant.
Filled with mockery.
"I wonder..."
"...can I defeat this monster?"