The Rain Is Not Enough

The underground of Kyoto—The Nine Tails Palace.

With his long, black umbrella strapped to his back, Kurose loomed within a vast sovereign hall, surrounded by tall golden pillars into which sacred images of multiple-tailed foxes were deeply carved.

Along the golden walls, the dusty light-blue ceiling, and the dark ground, bright red torii gates were scattered in immense numbers. The faint flames rising from each of them were the sole source of light.

Lurking around the corners or floating through the air were small mystical creatures, the majority of them resembling foxes that shone in a mixture of blue and orange light.

Some of them passed through Kurose, who stood unwaveringly, aware of their ghost-like nature.

Thud. Thud.

As if he were a pillar himself, Kurose walked forward in measured steps on a shallow red carpet that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Surrounded by mystical spirits and a sacred golden atmosphere, he walked for so long that he lost his sense of time.

Eventually, a torii gate whose wood was as dark as night appeared before him.

The moment he set his foot on the ground as he passed through it, a throne emerged.

Forged from cold, black iron, nine towering fox tails, lacquered in crimson and gold, erupted from its back, fanning out into a fierce sunburst.

Sitting upon the throne was an otherworldly beautiful woman, her hair divided into a fiery orange right side and a glacial ice-blue left side, and her eyes mirrored the same divide. Two pointed white fox ears crowned her head, while from her back flowed three fox tails of the same white.

Clad in the magnificent, layered silks of a jūnihitoe, she rested her elbow on the throne’s ornate armrest.

Then, her enchanting voice echoed. “As expected, you’re bold enough to enter my domain.”

“BND agent—Masato Kurose.” She grinned.

Upon hearing the words, Kurose was already approaching the throne, his sleep-deprived eyes as unblinking as ever.

He took his stance with a final, heavy thud, a short distance separating him from the throne.

“Long time no see, Yokai Archon, Kitsune,” Kurose spoke.

“Just call me by my real name.” Kitsune sighed.

“No.”

“Okay.”

Kurose coughed before adding, “I believe The Guardian told you about my arrival.”

“Oh, he surely did. He also mentioned that you were struggling with a case.” Kitsune chuckled. “I was quite surprised. The legendary detective Masato Kurose is struggling? How adorable.” Then she laughed.

Kurose sighed. “You sure know nothing about this case.”

“I know everything. I just don’t care.” Kitsune smirked.

“You don’t care? Although most of the fatalities were men from criminal syndicates and organizations you own?” Kurose’s forehead wrinkled.

“It’s because I’ve already gotten my hands on a key. A key to get hold of the kid and his hidden powers.” Kitsune snapped her fingers.

The kid… So the purple-haired figure might actually be the kid from the orphanage. Kurose’s eyes slightly widened at the words as he leapt toward a conclusion.

“May I ask for this kid’s name?” He allowed himself a question.

“Masato Kurose, asking for hints? Is old age getting to you?” Kitsune was utterly surprised.

Just fucking… answer me. Please. Kurose’s lower lip almost bled as he bit it.

“Heh. Curiosity changes people.” Kitsune sighed.

“Sarai Kanazaki,” she muttered. “That is his name.”

Oh, this means… Sarai Kanazaki is the lost orphan, the purple-haired figure, and the murderer who’s been on a spree lately… A deep sense of contentment embraced him.

Could he be the person who deleted the soldiers’ corpses from existence…? He should be—no, he must be… He pondered, the look of fulfillment barely resting on his face.

“I see.” He breathed slowly. “This aligns logically with the case.

“But,” he said with a cough, “it’s not Kanazaki that I am asking you about. It’s what lies beneath his facade.”

“There is something quite strange about the incidents. All the killings happened across five days only. Also, most corpses vanished from existence.” His gaze sharpened. “This is not the work of an inexperienced kid.”

“I agree with you,” Kitsune responded. “But I don’t know anything about the man beneath the facade.” She shrugged.

Kurose looked sideways twice. “Do you… know where Sarai Kanazaki is… at the moment?” he said, almost in a whisper.

“You’re Kurose. You can find him by yourself in no time.”

“I don’t have time…” he responded.

“Well, I won’t tell you where he is for free. There is a deal I wanted to make with you.”

Kurose raised his brow slightly. “What is it?”

“After the Devil conspiracy announcement in that broadcast, the world is slowly entering the Faithful age again. But I doubt this will continue.” Kitsune’s lips twitched.

“That’s why I’m willing to conserve my weapons and strength to defend the underground peace and the Holy Accord between the underground’s Faithful and the government.” She huffed. “But lately, BND announced planning Underground Cleansing Operations. This will shatter the peace I’ve been building.”

She stared at Kurose sharply. “I need you to cancel these operations, or at least delay them for as long as possible.” Her lips suddenly quivered in fear. “I don’t want The Atheist of Dawn here… at all.”

“That’s quite the challenging task.” Kurose rubbed his chin.

He pondered, looking at Kitsune. “I think I can cause it to be delayed,” he finally announced.

“I’ll appreciate that.” She smiled. “Well, unfortunately, your target is probably in the worst place possible for you.”

“He’s working for The Transparent Lenses.”

A droplet of sweat slid down Kurose’s face. “The Lenses have many groups. Which one is he working for?”

“It’s either Kobe’s or,” she paused before adding, “Osaka’s.”

Fuck.

Kurose’s jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth. “This… This means he’s under the protection of…”

He clenched his fists. “The all-seeing witch…”

“Yes, Mitsu Hitomi. Although I doubt ‘Hitomi’ is her real family name.” Kitsune shrugged her shoulders.

Kurose let out a slow, relaxed breath, recovering his composure. “This is surely going to be a hassle.”

“Isn’t that what you like?”

“No,” Kurose replied, staring at the stone ground. “I have different motives behind this case.”

Kitsune raised a brow. “Why is that?”

Why? Indeed, why?

“It’s because…” Kurose took a brief pause. “The rain is no longer enough.”

“Vague as always. I told you to get rid of this habit fifteen years ago when we were dating.” Kitsune leaned back on her throne.

“Guess I didn’t,” sighed Kurose.

“You mentioned having the key to get your hands on Kanazaki. What is it?” he asked.

“Haha. It’s the boss of The Lenses.” Kitsune grinned arrogantly. “He was a victim of the kidnapping mission we executed in Tokyo.

“We were planning to exchange him for Sarai with the agency, but we had a change of plans just this week.”

“There is a new rising Faithful terrorist organization in Europe. They call themselves ‘The Eclipse Clowns’ and have acquired great wealth and power.” She crossed her legs.

“Just recently, they arranged a meeting between the leaders of the strongest Faithful organizations in the world to propose a sense of harmony in our next movement.” She snapped her fingers.

Kurose nodded slowly in understanding. “Is that why the majority of the Faithful surrendered recently?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure about telling me this information? I’m a government agent.” Kurose chuckled.

“Hahaha. A selfish person like you could never do such a thing.” She smirked widely.

“Well, the organizations’ meeting suggested I keep the boss of The Lenses under my control, but I really can’t leave something as strong as that kid for them.” She leaned forward with a steeple. “When The Guardian told me about your case, I had an idea.”

“I will deceive the agency by canceling the exchange and announce surrendering their boss to them in the near future. They do realize how important they are in Japan and how many powerful organizations support them, so such a decision wouldn’t appear odd.”

Kitsune chuckled. “In fact, I was considering doing this the moment I knew we got their boss too from the kidnapping.”

“What are you getting at?” Kurose asked.

“Once the exchange is canceled, they will lower their defenses, which will eventually create the optimal conditions for you to capture the kid and interrogate him. How is that?” Kitsune’s lips curled up into a self-assured smile.

“I would say it’s our best choice, despite the risks.” Kurose nodded.

“I would advise you to make your move next week. Your best choice is the circus holiday.”

“Why?” he asked.

“You will know soon.” Kitsune winked.

“Also, Nosferatu visited me today. He told me Lilith is on her way.”

Kitsune suddenly laughed. “I pity you, Kurose. Many Japanese agents were sent to America, which means you will definitely be part of the upcoming battles.”

As the words pierced through his ears, Kurose felt a warm liquid trace down his palms. It was his blood.

It seemed anger had erupted within him, yet he appeared calm and composed.

“Thanks for the help.” He bowed slightly before departing in hurried steps.

Kitsune watched him pass through the dark torii gate and vanish from sight immediately.

“You never change, do you?” She let out a soft giggle. “Kurose.”

…

Two hours later—Higashiyama Ward.

Back in his aging, gloomy office, Kurose was lying on his old-fashioned couch, the only lighting in the room being his dimly lit flip phone.

As hair strands escaped the knot at the back of his head, he stared at the phone’s screen, which showed his contacts list.

He scrolled up and down for a moment before his eyes flickered, followed by a click or two on the keypad and a low beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep— “Hello?” A very cold, young male voice echoed distorted.

The phone’s white screen cast a disturbing light onto Kurose’s face. He closed his eyes and muttered, “Hey, it’s Kurose.”

“Hey. How are you doing?”

“Not the best. How did it go in California?”

“Most of the Faithful rebels surrendered when they heard about me. Some even took their own lives. Maybe I should disguise myself next time?”

“Maybe you should. Say, can you fly to Japan next week? I need your help with something.”

“I was hoping to take next week as a break. What do you need help with?”

“Lilith is coming to Japan. I need you to kill her.”

“Why though?”

“I have something personal to deal with, and she’s an obstacle,” Kurose muttered. “I’ll treat you to a fancy dinner,” he added.

Silence.

“You promise to treat me?”

“Yes.”

“With Hōtō soup?”

“Yes.”

“Deal.” The young male voice paused for a second. “I’ll send you a sign when I get the job done. Cool?”

“Cool.”

“Nice. I think it’s already midnight in Japan. Good night.”

“Good night,” replied Kurose.

“No. It’s 10 AM here in California. You should say good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Click. Clack. The call ended.

Kurose’s eyes remained closed, and the phone slipped from his hand, falling to the dusty ground.

On the contacts page, the last interaction rested at the top.

It was labeled “The Strongest.”