Chapter 53: Art is an Explosion
"It's none of your business."
When Yoru said this, he made no body movements whatsoever.
An experienced detective with amazing insight like Soichiro Yagami could likely glean a massive amount of information from just a few gestures.
"I cannot tell you my identity, but there is one thing."
Yoru looked straight into Soichiro Yagami's eyes. His voice, disguised by Hachishaku, carried no emotional fluctuation as he spoke slowly.
"I believe you, the Metropolitan Police, have already deployed snipers at various points outside."
Hearing this, Soichiro Yagami's face sank. As expected, he already guessed my deployment.
He gained no useful intelligence from this sentence.
After all, anyone who had watched a few police dramas knew that the first thing the police did after surrounding a scene was to deploy snipers at various points.
"Since you know, you should understand that you cannot leave here today."
"Is that so?"
Yoru replied noncommittally, then whispered softly.
"Commander Yagami, let me tell you one thing first."
"With my abilities, even if I stand right here, I can kill your snipers and all the surrounding police officers. Do you believe me?"
Hearing this, Soichiro Yagami's pupils shrank slightly. He shook his head in disbelief.
"Impossible. Are you trying to say you're an Esper? I won't fall for such childish tricks."
"Then let's make a bet."
Yoru smiled and said word by word.
"Bet the lives of all your police officers that I am lying."
"Commander Yagami, are you willing to take this gamble?"
Soichiro Yagami gripped the gun in his hand tightly, sweat beading on his forehead.
He gritted his teeth, his mind racing, organizing all the intelligence he currently possessed.
Intel 1: The target appeared directly inside the Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten in a bizarre and unpredictable manner, despite the police cordon having no blind spots.
Intel 2: The target carried no weapons yet killed over twenty armed kidnappers with his bare hands.
Intel 3: Judging from his years of criminal investigation experience, the target was very confident and didn't seem to be making empty threats.
Looking at Soichiro Yagami's complicated expression, Yoru said faintly.
"Have you thought it through? Commander Yagami, if you don't want all your subordinates to die here, act according to my request."
Soichiro Yagami was skeptical about the abilities Yoru claimed to possess.
But at the gambling table, the odds of winning or losing were never the most important thing.
Whether you can afford to lose—that was the most important thing.
The lives of all his police subordinates were such a heavy stake that even Soichiro Yagami, as the Bureau Chief of Criminal Investigation, couldn't bear the weight.
"What do you want to do?"
"Simple. I just want to leave here."
Soichiro Yagami hesitated for a long time. Finally, he shook his head and said in a deep voice.
"No. No matter what your purpose is, murder is murder. Today, you must return to the police station with me for investigation!"
"Is that so..."
Yoru nodded noncommittally.
"That's truly a pity."
"Come out, Hachishaku."
The moment Yoru's voice fell, the figure of a tall woman in white suddenly reflected in Soichiro Yagami's eyes.
"Wh... What is this!?"
Hachishaku's extremely exaggerated height and the terrifying pressure of being an evil spirit made Soichiro Yagami, experienced as he was, break out in a cold sweat instantly.
"Don't come over!"
Watching Hachishaku walk slowly towards him, Soichiro Yagami gritted his teeth and placed his index finger on the trigger.
Bang!
Seeing that Hachishaku didn't stop, Soichiro Yagami aimed at her leg and fired without hesitation.
To his utter surprise.
Hachishaku didn't react at all. The part hit by the bullet merely showed a hollow hole; no blood flowed, only wisps of black smoke drifted out.
"How... How is this possible!?"
Before Soichiro Yagami could recover, Hachishaku's waterfall-like long black hair shot out, wrapped around his body, and flung him directly in front of Yoru.
Yoru squatted down. With one hand, he picked up the pistol. With the other, he seized Soichiro Yagami's wrists. He aimed the gun at the temple of the Criminal Investigation Bureau Chief and said faintly.
"Let's go."
"Hiss..."
The pain from his wrists made Soichiro Yagami suck in a breath of cold air.
When he looked up again, he found that the tall woman in white had disappeared.
Was it my hallucination?
What exactly was that thing just now? Was it really human?
Even at a time like this, Soichiro Yagami didn't lose his rationality.
Feeling the pain of his wrists being gripped, he silently noted another point in his mind: Astonishing grip strength beyond the scope of a normal human.
Using Soichiro Yagami as a human shield, Yoru walked out of the Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten building.
At this time, there were no reporters outside the main gate.
After all, the incident was over. The news stations were focusing on the heartwarming scenes of students reuniting with their parents.
Media was just like that.
Today's headlines would either be: "Heavy Casualties Among Hostages, Who Should the Public Blame? Can the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Live Up to Public Expectations?"
Or: "Hijacking Case Perfectly Resolved, Kyoto Metropolitan Police Deserves Commendation!"
Either way, there would be no shortage of headline news today.
"Hold your fire!"
Seeing Soichiro Yagami actually being held hostage by the mysterious person, the police officer acting as the deputy commander immediately shouted into his walkie-talkie.
Snipers at various points had their fingers on the triggers.
Through their scopes, they had completely locked onto Yoru walking out.
"Don't be impulsive! We can talk this out!"
Worried about Soichiro Yagami's safety, the deputy commander took two quick steps forward and spoke soothing words.
"If you have any demands, just ask!"
In the eyes of outsiders, Yoru simply walked Soichiro Yagami to a certain spot on the open ground.
In reality, the "Door" was right beside him.
Yoru remained silent, and the surrounding police officers didn't make a sound either, fearing they might provoke him and endanger Bureau Chief Yagami's safety.
The scene was dead silent; even a pin dropping could be heard clearly.
After a few seconds, Yoru spoke faintly.
"Oh right, Commander Yagami. There is no one left inside the building. Also, I'll leave you with one last sentence."
"What sentence?"
Yoru lifted Soichiro Yagami's body with one hand and threw him straight forward like tossing trash.
Seeing this, the deputy commander's pupils shrank, and he immediately shouted into the walkie-talkie.
"Permission to fire!"
But ultimately, he was a step too slow.
Yoru's figure gradually vanished from the spot, leaving only the detonator he had pulled from his pocket in his right hand, and his final words.
"Art... is an Explosion."
BOOM!!!
As the button on the detonator was pressed, a deafening sound broke the silence of the field.
Bursts of blinding fire first erupted from the teaching building of the Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten.
In this moment, time seemed to slow down.
First the fire.
Then the expansion of the building's outer walls.
And finally the cracks, the collapse, and the loud noise.
"Bureau Chief Yagami!"
The deputy commander ran forward two steps, threw himself onto Soichiro Yagami, and covered his ears with his hands.
Accompanied by a tremor that shook the ground, the Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten building turned into flying ash amidst the roar.
"That is!?"
Looking at the collapsing building turning into rubble, Soichiro Yagami's pupils dilated.
His heart was instantly filled with two contrasting emotions: lingering fear and regret.
The fear was that if that mysterious person hadn't appeared, he would have definitely led his subordinates into the building.
Then, they would have become ghosts under the ruins.
The regret was...
After such a violent explosion, although there was no one else in the building and no need to worry about casualties, the evidence at the scene must have been severely destroyed, making it difficult to identify anything.
"That guy... who exactly is he?"
Meanwhile, inside Otherworld Kyoto.
Even though he successfully crossed the "Door," Yoru didn't relax in the slightest.
Looking at the thick black mist in front of him and listening to the inexplicably eerie murmurs within—sounding like thousands of people whispering at the same time—he muttered to himself.
"The real battle starts now."
The most dangerous part of this operation wasn't facing the armed kidnappers as Miko and Yui had imagined.
Yoru knew from the start that with his abilities, dealing with those amateur kidnappers and even the police officers would be no problem at all.
The real test began now.
Because this was the first time he had left the Otherworld through a "Door" and returned to the Otherworld through the same "Door."
In other words.
This gave the evil spirits a chance to gather and prepare to besiege him.