This young man was definitely not ordinary.
In all his years as a detective, he had seen more corpses than he cared to remember.But even he felt a wave of nausea when he first looked at this one—yet the boy stood there handling it calmly.
The victim on the ground had indeed died a horrific death; not only were his intestines spilling out, but the body showed unmistakable signs of being gnawed on.
Seeing the condition of the corpse, combined with the stench lingering in the air, Ren Kuroda was nearly certain the culprit was a rat yokai.
Rat yokai were not powerful creatures. In the vast hierarchy of yokai, they didn't even rank among the foot soldiers—they were the bottom of the bottom.
And that was exactly what bothered Ren.
Why would such weak, timid creatures suddenly go berserk and attack a human—much less devour one?
Judging from the faint demonic energy remaining at the scene, the rat yokai responsible were extremely weak.
If that was the case…What could have forced them out of their filthy underground nests and driven them to attack people in broad daylight?
"You brat, the captain is talking to you! Don't pretend you didn't hear him. Even if you look like a student, if you don't explain yourself, we can arrest you for obstructing official investigation!"
As Ren sifted through his thoughts, one of the detectives finally snapped, shouting at him.But the mustached man leading the investigation raised a hand, stopping his subordinate. He could tell, just from Ren's behavior, that the kid knew something.
The matter had grown huge—media attention, public panic, reports flying up the chain of command. Everyone knew they were dealing with a so-called "serial killer."If the case wasn't resolved cleanly, it would directly affect his future promotions.
"Officer," Ren said, "I won't hide anything from you. But this case is extremely troublesome—possibly beyond what you're imagining.I can help you solve it. But honestly, I don't recommend you getting involved. You'll only make things harder.Let me deal with it."
He expected disbelief. Still, he had to say it.
Weak or not, rat yokai were not opponents ordinary humans could face.
Rats possessed a sense of smell a hundred times sharper than humans and were incredibly agile, especially at night.And that was just normal rats—these were yokai. Likely a swarm of them.
Sure, a pistol could injure them… assuming you could land a hit.And judging by how much of the corpse had been eaten, there were absolutely more than just one or two.
"What did you say, brat? Don't get cocky. Students should act like students. We're the detectives here.Just tell us what you know—we'll take care of the rest!"
As expected, his words were met with a barrage of insults—and a sharp flick to the head.
To them, he was just a teen.And "monsters" were far too supernatural; no one would believe him even if he explained.
Normally, Ren would never have wasted breath on the detectives. He would have dealt with the matter alone, quietly, at night.
But earlier he overheard them discussing a large-scale sweep of the entire district.
If that happened, the rat yokai would inevitably be provoked.Countless casualties might follow—and his family lived right here in Ukiyo-chō.
Rat yokai were nocturnal, yes.But if cornered, they retaliated viciously even in daytime—and these ones had already crossed a line by attacking humans.
So, to prevent the detectives from doing something reckless, Ren had no choice but to tell them the truth—hoping to scare them off.
"You're saying the murderer isn't something we can handle?"The mustached captain's expression shifted. "And you, young man—can you deal with such a creature?If you truly can… then I, Gōda Yūsaburō, would like to formally request your assistance."
Captain Gōda bowed deeply, his posture unexpectedly humble.
"Captain, to a kid like him—!"
His subordinates were stunned. Their usually dignified captain was lowering himself to a teenager. They rushed to intervene, but Gōda stopped them with a stern look.
A veteran like him was nothing like the rookies in his squad.Years of experience had exposed him to glimpses of the other world—things ordinary people never saw.
"So," Ren said, surprised, "you're willing to leave this case to me?"
"No," Gōda replied. "Rather than leaving it to you, I want you involved.We are detectives. This falls within our duty. We can't let you face danger alone."
Ren respected his sense of responsibility.But he didn't realize Ren's insistence came entirely from wanting to keep them safe.
With just their standard-issue sidearms, facing a swarm of rat yokai would be suicide.They wouldn't even manage to fire before being overwhelmed.
Had Ren arrived earlier, maybe none of this would've happened. But fate had played out differently.
He could act before the police mobilized…But doing anything during daylight was too conspicuous—and with so many civilians around, he couldn't guarantee everyone's safety.
In the end, Ren couldn't resist their persistent pressure. He was just a student—and even he couldn't fight an entire police organization.
They eventually reached an agreement:Ren would assist in resolving the case, and he would decide the timing and method.
It wasn't arrogance. Simply put, the timing was wrong.
Rat yokai were nocturnal. They wouldn't appear during the day.Even if Ren tracked them via their lingering demonic energy, acting now was too dangerous.
Ukiyo-chō might not be as lively as before, but plenty of civilians still walked around. If the rat yokai went berserk, innocent lives would be lost.
So Ren instructed Captain Gōda to wait until nightfall."As a student," he added, "my proper duty right now is to attend school."
Gōda wasn't surprised. Many of the "mysterious figures" who moved in society lived mundane daily lives, blending in seamlessly.
Still, the captain couldn't help wondering which shrine Ren belonged to.Tsuchimiya Shrine—the most famous one in the region—was quite far from here.
"Kujō," Gōda ordered, turning to his rookie officer, "you're not to get involved in anything else today.Your only task is to stay with this young man and protect him."
Though he doubted someone like Ren needed protection, Gōda insisted.
The reason was simple: people like Ren rarely interfered in worldly matters, but detectives like them regularly encountered the uncanny.Building goodwill with such individuals was the wisest choice.
And as for why he chose the rookie Kujō Hinano?
Naturally, it was because the rest of the squad consisted of rough, middle-aged men.If they wanted to earn Ren's favor, a girl like Hinano—with her… advantages—was a far more strategic choice.