Outside the building, it was a sea of people.
Numerous police cars were parked, and caution tape had been set up. Alongside the police vehicles were fire engines and ambulances, completely surrounding the area.
The nearby streets were occupied by emergency vehicles.
Beyond the perimeter, crowds of onlookers gathered, standing on tiptoe and pointing toward the building. Some had climbed to higher ground to film with their phones, hoping to capture what was happening inside.
"Hello, viewers. I am Mizunashi Rena, a reporter from Nichibei TV."
"Just a short while ago, a fire broke out at Eguchi Library, and a vicious attack occurred at the same location."
"I'm sure many of you have already seen the video posted on X, hearing the cries and pleas for help from a girl inside. It's heartbreaking. We sincerely hope that girl is safe."
As the ace reporter of Nichibei TV and a well-known internet personality in Japan, Rena had naturally been dispatched to cover this major event from the front lines.
"Now, as you can see behind me, firefighters have successfully extinguished the blaze, and a large number of police officers have entered the building to carry out search and rescue operations."
"Commissioner Hakuba of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has also arrived at the scene to oversee everything personally. The situation inside the building is still unknown at this time."
The camera turned toward Commissioner Hakuba, who had just arrived and was coordinating operations with several high-ranking officers.
He was in his fifties, with a stern expression, surrounded by other senior personnel as they engaged in intense discussions.
"As you can see, there are many ambulances on site. Several of them were dispatched urgently in response to the severity of the situation, which suggests that things inside are likely very grim."
Rena showed an appropriately concerned expression.
Taking advantage of the moment, she approached Commissioner Hakuba and asked, "Commissioner Hakuba, could you share any information about what's happening inside?"
Under normal circumstances, Commissioner Hakuba would've responded with a smile, but his face remained grim. He shook his head and replied, "Sorry, we cannot disclose any information at this time."
As the head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he was well aware of what had transpired. Based on the reports from officers on the scene, at least thirty people were confirmed dead, and the number of severely injured had yet to be finalized.
And that was only a preliminary estimate. The actual casualty count would likely be even higher.
Not long ago, there had been a major incident at a pharmaceutical research facility in the outskirts of Tokyo that resulted in over a hundred deaths. But that case had essentially been taken over by the Americans, so as Commissioner, he hadn't faced too much pressure.
This time, however, the full responsibility fell on him.
When the final casualty numbers came out and he had to hold a press conference, how many times would he have to bow? How long? Would he have to resign altogether?
His mind was in turmoil. Recently, the Tokyo police had been under fire for a series of major incidents, and public criticism was reaching a boiling point. If this continued, his resignation was inevitable.
"They're coming out! Medical personnel are coming out!"
Rena's eyes lit up, and she quickly motioned for the cameraman to follow her.
Of course, she didn't dare block the medical team's path. Doing so would definitely get her chewed out.
But when the live footage aired on TV, both Rena and the cameraman beside her, along with the viewers watching from home, all felt their scalps go numb.
The first ones carried out were critically injured victims. Their bodies were covered in blood, some with deep, bone-exposing wounds, and others missing limbs entirely.
The TV station had to immediately censor the footage.
After that, several bodies were carried out under white sheets. Some sheets were soaked in blood, a clear sign that those people were already beyond saving.
If there had been even a breath left in them, the emergency teams would have done everything to resuscitate them.
As stretcher after stretcher emerged from the building, no one could keep count of how many victims had been taken out. It was simply too many.
Once the most severely injured and the deceased had been transported away, the next group consisted of those with lighter injuries—some wrapped in bandages, some walking with help.
Even those who didn't seem injured were taken to the hospital for evaluation. After all, in addition to the attack, they had survived a fire. Who knew what internal damage they might have suffered?
When the police officers finally exited the building, reporters swarmed in.
"Inspector, can you tell us what's going on inside? Have all the attackers been caught?"
"Inspector, what are the casualties like? Even an estimate would be helpful."
"Inspector..."
"..."
As one of the first officers on the scene, Megure had a splitting headache from the wave of questions. It felt even more exhausting than catching a killer.
He knew better than anyone that there were things they simply couldn't say right now.
Thankfully, he was experienced. He deflected their questions with vague replies and repeated "no comment."
But the public's curiosity was burning. What exactly had happened? How many were dead? What was the attackers' motive?
And why were the police being so evasive? Had the suspects escaped?
Because if the criminals had been captured or killed, the police would usually take the opportunity to issue a press release and claim credit.
Everyone was dying to know the truth.
The social platform X saw this as a golden opportunity for traffic.
Over half of Japan was following this case. Some videos from the scene had already been posted.
However, during the review process, moderators found themselves in a difficult position.
While X was lenient about risqué content, extremely violent footage still required careful review.
But chasing numbers came first. So X's management made the call, approve the videos without blurring anything.
In a very short time, the videos posted by a user named Shiroishi on X exploded in popularity.
Not only Japanese netizens, but users from overseas also began to watch.
Shiroishi had already gained some attention from her earlier cry-for-help video, and now her second post—filmed directly at the scene—became an even bigger hit.
...
Shiroishi Keiko didn't know whether today was her lucky day or her worst.
Tsukinomori Girls' Academy was a private school for elite girls. As one of its students, she naturally came from a wealthy background.
However, her grades were average, and her looks could only be described as barely above passing. Since childhood, she had always been the type who faded into the background.
After entering Tsukinomori, things only got worse. Her classmates were either more beautiful, smarter, or came from even more powerful families.
Because of this, she remained unnoticed.
Like many young people, Shiroishi Keiko loved social media. Sometimes, she would post heavily edited selfies in her school uniform and receive a stream of compliments.
"It's a young lady from Tsukinomori!"
"Shiroishi is so pretty! Post more selfies!"
"What do you girls learn there? Do you take etiquette classes?"
"..."
The ordinary version of herself in real life received validation online, which satisfied her vanity.
So, she valued her online presence greatly and hoped to gain more attention.
Today, on a whim, she came to the library by herself, just planning to read for a bit.
She never imagined that on the one day she decided to visit the library, she'd run into such a horrifying event.
First, the fire broke out, and she had to run for her life.
After escaping to the upper floors with the crowd, she ended up witnessing a massacre.
At that time, Shiroishi Keiko had been on the same floor the attackers reached.
But because of the chaos and her small build, she managed to hide under a table and wasn't noticed. Terrified, she somehow had the presence of mind to cover her mouth and start recording with her phone.
Her original intent was to post the video in hopes someone would come save her.
But she never expected that one video would blow up instantly, getting tens of thousands of shares.
On Japan's X platform, hitting tens of thousands of shares and comments was something only real influencers could do.
The joy of finally being noticed made her forget her fear. She gathered her courage and started recording the entire scene.
Because of that, she captured a video unlike anything she would ever witness again in her life.
Toru, with strength beyond human comprehension, eliminated all the attackers.
He didn't just save everyone. His overwhelming presence and fighting style spread across the internet like wildfire.
That video alone had over 300,000 shares in an incredibly short time.
And it didn't stop there. The video rapidly went viral, spreading from X to other platforms and setting off a nationwide sensation.
As the uploader, Shiroishi naturally gained massive attention.
But compared to the uploader, people were even more interested in the man in the video.
If Shiroishi Keiko became famous because of her video, then Toru became a household name across Japan and even internationally.
No wonder the police remained silent during interviews. It turned out that resolving the incident had nothing to do with them.
It had all been handled by a young man.
If he hadn't stepped in, the number of casualties would've been unimaginable. He was the real hero.
All of Japan was in an uproar. People everywhere were searching for information on Toru.
Media companies went into a frenzy. Executives gave direct orders—find him. Get an interview. No matter what.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)