Nerima Ward, a 1980s-era apartment building.
Three heavily armed soldiers, having confirmed their target was home from the wrinkled old landlord, silently approached the apartment door.
One soldier kicked it open and charged in first.
"Who are you? Why are you breaking into my home?"
Inside, an unshaven middle-aged man holding a bowl of rice stared wide-eyed at the intruders.
To his shock, the armed men simply confirmed his appearance before opening fire without a word.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Three Type-20 assault rifles turned him into Swiss cheese.
Yet what made the soldiers' hair stand on end was how the man still hadn't fallen.
"...Damn it! Discovered? Wh-why?"
Crimson tentacles sprouted from his back, poised to attack.
Then a woman's voice rang out:
"Clear the way!"
The soldiers instantly leapt aside as an icy wind blew through.
Observing the tatami and ceiling now covered in frost, alongside the Ghoul frozen solid, a tall woman with black-and-white streaked hair entered.
Pressing her earpiece as she examined the ice sculpture, she reported:
"S-class Ghoul 'Wild Fox' confirmed eliminated."
"Roger that."
Hearing the response, she turned to the stunned soldiers and sighed:
"What? Never seen a Yuki-onna (Snow Woman) before? Why that expression?"
"We've got one more target nearby. Get moving - I'd hate for Her Highness to call us turtle-paced."
Hearing this, the three soldiers fell silent for a moment, gathered their shattered worldviews, stood up, and continued their mission in silence.
...
Meanwhile, on another street.
A silver-haired woman in a courier uniform rang the doorbell, then knocked on the door before picking up a box from the ground:
"Hello, your delivery is here."
Soon, the door opened, revealing a young woman in pyjamas who looked surprised:
"A delivery? When did I order anything?"
Hearing this, the silver-haired courier released her grip on the box, revealing the knitting needle in her hand.
"What—?" The young woman froze in confusion, but before she could process the situation, the needle pierced through her forehead.
Thud.
The corpse slumped against the door before collapsing limply.
Watching this, Maya Natsume curled her lips into a smile and said breezily:
"Everyone says guns are best, but for trash like this, just sending a needle's qi into their brain and giving it a twist does the job, doesn't it?"
After saying this, Maya turned to the three soldiers who had arrived later, tilting her work cap down as she added:
"Well then, I'll leave the rest to you, soldiers. I've got another target to deal with."
Once Maya left, the soldiers exchanged uneasy glances at the corpse on the ground. One of them picked up the radio and reported:
"Target eliminated by special operative. Repeat, target eliminated by special operative."
After the transmission, the soldier gestured to his teammates, and the three fired a supplementary shot each into the corpse before beginning cleanup.
At that moment, on the rooftop opposite the apartment building.
Shin Natsume, who had long finished his own target, watched his sister stroll casually away from the scene and sighed in exasperation:
"That girl... I told her to coordinate, but she goes solo. Told her to use firearms, but she insists on martial arts..."
For the first time, Shin truly understood what it meant to deal with a rebellious teenager—or in this case, a little troublemaker.
"Ah, I'll have to apologise to the Director at the Metropolitan Police Department later. Maybe bring some gifts for these soldiers too, just in case they file a complaint."
Realising he was in for another round of awkward socialising, Shin thought about his wallet and let out another heavy sigh.
...
Adachi District, abandoned warehouse.
The Ghouls scattered among piles of corpses suddenly heard a clattering sound.
The sound of a rolling shutter being lifted.
"Hmm?"
On the second floor, Ayato Kirishima and Tatara frowned.
By the window, Takatsuki Izumi—her body wrapped in bandages—murmured in surprise:
"Lost? Or perhaps..."
Nearly a hundred Ghouls inside the warehouse simultaneously turned their crimson-black, frenzied eyes toward the entrance.
Then, accompanied by the sharp click of high boots against the ground, a high-pitched female voice rang out in the ears of the gathered Ghouls:
"Well, well~"
"No wonder it stinks so badly here—it's just a nest of cockroaches!"
Under the cold moonlight.
A petite, golden-haired girl with straight-ironed twin tails and a haughty gaze stood at the warehouse entrance, surveying the Ghouls inside.
"Thirty, fifty... Huh, this many? A bit troublesome. According to my assigned quota, I only needed to kill three S-rank Ghouls..."
On the second floor, Takatsuki Izumi, still wrapped in bandages, exchanged a glance with Tatara. The latter caught the look and immediately stepped forward, speaking in a grave voice:
"Who are you?"
"Who am I?" The golden-haired girl with twin tails tilted her head, her expression lazy as she replied: "Suzuka Dairenji. I'm an Onmyoji."
As she spoke, Suzuka Dairenji raised her head to look at Tatara standing on the second floor, gazing down at her from above, and asked:
"So, you're the leader of these cockroaches?"
"An Onmyoji?" Tatara frowned, looking at this teenage girl who appeared to be at most a high school student yet claimed to be an Onmyoji, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Was it arrogance or simply misreading the situation? He suspected the former.
Yet caution prevailed as he spoke:
"This is Aogiri Tree's territory. Please leave."
"Eh? Aogiri Tree?"
Suzuka Dairenji seemed startled, retrieving a notebook from her pocket. She flipped through pages while tearing off used notes, soon exclaiming:
"Ah, found it. Largest Ghoul criminal organisation, 210 members..."
"Then..." Suddenly, Suzuka smiled. "Let's clean this up in five minutes."
"What?"
Tatara's expression froze in disbelief.
At that moment, the torn notebook pages began floating mid-air before bursting into white flames, transforming into snarling Kishin.
Surveying the warehouse full of Ghouls with contempt, Suzuka remarked:
"I already introduced myself as an Onmyoji, yet you gave me time to summon Familiar Spirits..."
"Truly cockroach-level idiots."
Twelve Kishin cackled around her before charging into the Ghoul ranks like wolves among sheep.
The slaughter had begun.