sometime before 1:00 AM

“Miss, you’ve just run over a person!” the panicked taxi driver yelled from the back seat, clinging desperately to the driver’s chair.

“Sir, I can’t see anything from behind this steering wheel!” Priestess Aya replied, as calmly as she could under the circumstances. “Besides, I surrounded the entire car with a protective spell. No human could possibly have been harmed—demons are another matter.”

Aya leaned out from behind the wheel, trying to see what lay in front of the hood.

“Look, sir—that’s Asagi-kun! Thankfully she’s unharmed!”

“Yes, very fortunate…” the driver muttered. “The hood’s probably dented to hell… and now there’s the issue of hitting a pedestrian. The police will come, write a report, and it’ll all be on me…”

“Calm down, Mr. Taxi Driver!” Aya said cheerfully. “I have a feeling—bordering on certainty—that there isn’t a single police officer nearby who’s capable of doing their job right now. By the way, how should I address you? I didn’t get a chance to read your badge…”

“Suzuki. My name is Suzuki.”

“Then, Suzuki-san, I think we can step out—but please don’t stray far from the vehicle! I’ll go ask Asagi-kun what’s going on!”

Asagi kept a vigilant eye on the motionless Tamamo, then on Murata, who seemed positively amused by the situation and continued to stand at the edge of the concrete pier. His gaze was fixed on the phantom battleship Yamato, which was slowly losing its spectral, greenish glow, fading and dissolving into nothingness.

Three figures drifted down from its deck toward the ground—much more slowly than Tamamo had. A moment later, Mr. Harada, Robert, and Kaguya, still clutching her bag tightly, landed safely.

“Ah, Harada-san, it’s a pleasure to finally see you—despite your delay,” Murata greeted the suited man. “I see you’ve brought me the item I ordered, though I must admit the delivery method is somewhat… unexpected.”

“I beg your forgiveness for the delay,” Mr. Harada replied in the same polite tone, though his combat stance told a very different story. “However, I am quite certain that unleashing a demonic army upon Tokyo was not part of our agreement.”

“I don’t deny that we didn’t discuss it…” Murata mused for a moment. “On the other hand, I find my reaction perfectly adequate. Please, look for yourself.” He pointed at the shattered Moon. “Consider my actions… preventative measures.”

“I really need to learn more Japanese,” Robert muttered.

Murata focused his gaze on the package in Kaguya’s arms.

“Hand it over, young lady.” He pointed at the bag. “It belongs to me.”

“I’m quite certain it belongs to its original owner.”

“The ‘owner,’ as you call him, has been gone for a very long time. This is all that remains of him.”

“That’s not true!”

“We’ve already wasted enough time, and I detest tardiness,” Murata said, the first signs of irritation creeping into his voice. “Harada-san, please complete the contract.”

“The package has been delivered to its destination. I hereby consider my role concluded,” the man in the suit replied coldly.

“Harada-san, what has come over you? Very well, perhaps that phrasing was unfortunate given the circumstances… Let me put it differently: what prompted this sudden change of heart?”

“I love this city. I love this country. I’ve tried to protect those who couldn’t find their place in it. Lately, I’ve realized I don’t always succeed—that sometimes I lose control. But this…” He gestured toward Yamato, now almost completely dispersed. “…reminded me of what truly matters. I will not allow any further damage.”

Murata laughed in response.

“The best solution would be to glue the Moon back together!”

“The best solution would have been not launching a demonic invasion against innocent people, with all due respect.”

“It appears our views are incompatible,” Murata concluded. “And I find that words will not resolve this dispute.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“My ribs… I don’t think they’re broken…” came a voice as Tamamo slowly began to rise. Asagi and Aya immediately turned their attention to her.

“Tamamo, my dear, what happened to you?!” Murata called mockingly. “You let ordinary humans beat you?!”

“Watch your tongue, mortal! I destroyed entire empires—!”

“And now our beloved Harada-san nearly knocked your teeth—or fangs—out! What happened?”

“It was him…!” She pointed at Robert. “He has… some kind of power!”

“Ah, that explains things.” Murata nodded. “So this foreign gentleman possesses the rare talent of wielding kami power? And his lack of experience caused this unfortunate incident…” He gestured once more toward the fragments of the Moon, to Robert’s obvious embarrassment. “But that’s not a problem. I’ll reclaim everything and fix it shortly. Just hand over the package—this is my last polite request.”

“No!” Kaguya snarled.

“In that case…”

Murata stretched his arms forward and made a motion as if climbing an invisible ladder. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted:

“Hey, Ōtakemaru! Come out for a moment!”

“Finally! I was getting bored!”

A hatch opened in midair, snapping wide, and a head with two large white horns emerged. Then came the handsome face of a slim young man in an open white shirt, his bare chest adorned with gold chains. Dark-blond hair, rings on his fingers, and long black trousers completed the look of someone who seemed far better suited to be a top-tier host at a women’s club than a brutal oni from legend.

“Tamamo? Is that really you? What happened to you?” Ōtakemaru jeered, clearly enjoying her misfortune.

“Look at yourself!” the fox spirit snapped back. “What have you become? What happened to the terror of the mountains?”

“You have to move with the times!” Ōtakemaru spread his arms cheerfully. “You’ve been under that rock too long! Google your name and see how people remember you now. Turn off parental controls if you like…”

“What nonsense are you babbling?! Focus on them instead—these mortals wield tremendous power, even if they don’t look it!”

Mr. Harada assumed a fighting stance, ready to face Ōtakemaru as well.

“Do they really have power, or have we just grown weak over the centuries?” Ōtakemaru taunted Tamamo, pointing at her. “Hardly anyone fears us anymore! We became legends, then fairy tales, and now comedy! Well—you more than the rest, hahahaha!” He planted his hands on his hips and laughed boisterously.

“I’ve had enough of your insolence!” Tamamo slammed her fist into the concrete. “Ow…”

“I don’t know about you, but I still have some power left,” Ōtakemaru said with a sinister smile. “And if Mr. Murata tells me to retrieve the package, I will.”

He tensed—and suddenly his swelling muscles tore through his shirt sleeves. His massive legs bulked up even more, his mouth filled with fangs, and his skin shifted from snowy white to gray. The monster—now twice the height of a man—turned toward Mr. Harada.

“So, little human… how shall we begin?”

Mr. Harada assumed a combat stance.