The night was dark, and the air in the park square fell silent.

It was Yoshiyuki Sugimoto's first time encountering such a situation, and he didn't know what to say.

"Haha, your stun gun must be broken," a smug smile appeared on Sakura Ayame's face; she felt as though her grievances had been avenged.

What stun gun? Just to scare her a bit.

Sakura Ayame reached for the metal dart, intending to continue her mockery. "Ah."

A numbing electric current surged from the metal dart into Sakura Ayame's body, making her tremble all over.

Aozawa kicked Sakura Ayame away, forcing her hand off the metal dart.

She lay on the ground, convulsing, and it looked like she wouldn't be able to get up for some time.

Her mind was fogged by the electric shock. Why hadn't the stun gun malfunctioned? With such a powerful current, why was Dio completely unharmed?

Were his muscles really that strong?

Her heart was filled with astonishment.

Yoshiyuki Sugimoto also came to his senses. It seemed the issue wasn't with the stun gun, but with this man named Dio.

"Don't just stand there, open fire quickly!"

"It's useless."

Aozawa spoke mockingly, watching the three men with his X-ray Ability.

At that moment, their faces disappeared, leaving only their skulls, brains, and blood vessels exposed to his view.

To be honest, seeing such a scene at night really gave off a horror movie vibe.

He used his Telekinesis to seize Yoshiyuki Sugimoto's brain and slashed it heavily.

Yoshiyuki Sugimoto, who had been standing, immediately lost consciousness and fell straight to the ground.

With a thud, his head struck the ground, and his body began convulsing instinctively.

The brain is one of the most fragile parts of the human body. Even slight damage carried a high risk of permanent impairment.

Not to mention, Aozawa had used Telekinesis to scrape the surface of the brain, directly starting his countdown to death.

"Senior Sugimoto?!"

The man to his right shouted instinctively, completely baffled as to why their senior had suddenly collapsed; he'd never heard of him having any illness.

The next second, Aozawa made him understand the sorrow of having his 'eggs' smashed, as unseen Telekinesis blasted the man's vital area.

Excruciating pain made him double over instantly, letting out heart-wrenching cries.

"AH!"

"What's... what's wrong with you all?"

Cold sweat broke out on the remaining man's forehead; he was utterly unable to comprehend what was happening.

If it were illness, it was too much of a coincidence for two people to fall ill at the same time.

"Was it you, you bastard?"

The man growled lowly, fingers tightening on the trigger. Metal darts flew out, only for Aozawa to catch them midair with his Telekinesis.

The two darts froze in midair.

This miraculous scene made the man's eyes widen in shock.

Aozawa raised his hand; Telekinesis turned the metal darts around and drove them directly into the man's eyes, while another telekinetic impact struck his brain.

The man fell to the ground immediately, his body completely still, dead on the spot.

Aozawa walked over to the kneeling man and used Telekinesis to scramble his brain.

The agonizing screams stopped.

Aozawa bent down and fished out the man's phone.

Dialing emergency services didn't require unlocking the screen.

He entered three digits and made the call.

"Hi, Metropolitan Police Department. Is this about a crime or an accident?"

The dispatcher's voice was sweet, evoking the image of a cute girl sitting at a desk.

"A crime."

"What kind of crime is it?"

"I've killed a few people here. I need you to come collect their bodies and wash down the park grounds."

Such a response left the dispatcher silent for a moment before she said, "Sir, please don't joke like this. Do you know the consequences of making a false report?"

"I'm not joking. Four people are dead. The address is Kyoto Duck River Park Square. Please come quickly to clean up, so no one gets a scare tomorrow morning."

Aozawa truthfully described the scene to the dispatcher, then hung up, tossed the phone aside, and glanced at Sakura Ayame, still prone on the ground.

He didn't bother with her, walking away directly.

Rounding some trees, his body gradually turned transparent. Then, he floated into the air, continuing to admire Kyoto's nightscape.

Sakura Ayame lay on the ground, her large, almond-shaped eyes staring at the starless night sky, her limbs still numb.

Yet, a strange feeling stirred in her heart.

What kind of person was Dio?

After killing people, he actually had the audacity to call the police and tell them to clean up the site.

Arrogant, unrestrained—he wasn't someone who should exist in Japan. He was more like a vicious criminal from some chaotic, small nation, riding a motorcycle and indiscriminately shooting at pedestrians with a gun.

However, such arrogant behavior didn't repulse Sakura Ayame. Instead, a kind of girlish admiration blossomed in her heart.

So cool!

Sakura Ayame thought to herself. As feeling returned to her limbs, she slowly got up.

She didn't want to be hauled off to the station for questioning, so she retrieved her phone and limped away.

「...」

Some time later, a police car slowly pulled up to the entrance of Kamo River Park.

The driver looked at the 'Under Construction' sign at the entrance.

The man driving slammed his right hand on the steering wheel, annoyed. "Damn it, a false alarm, just as I thought."

Some people really have too much time on their hands.

He couldn't help but complain about his meddlesome senior. Everyone else knew it was a false alarm, but this senior insisted on checking it out.

The older officer ignored his complaints. Seeing the unlocked gate, he sensed something was amiss.

Knowing the typical tightfistedness of the corporation contracted to manage Kamo River Park, they wouldn't spend a penny on repairs unless the park facilities were so broken they were unusable.

Even if they did repair a few minor things, they wouldn't close the entire park and incur such losses.

"Be careful! The killer might still be inside!"

"Senior Miyaji, you're not joking, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm joking right now? Request backup from the precinct immediately. You wait outside; I'll go in and take a look."

"Okay!"

The young man nodded.

He hadn't been with the police force long, but he knew Miyaji Yosuke was very capable.

It's just that he had no connections and no fancy education.

No matter how many cases he solved, it only served to make others look good.

He'd never been promoted and was still a patrol officer; he might not even make assistant inspector before retirement.

Privately, his colleagues called him 'the big idiot.'

The young officer also thought Senior Miyaji was a fool, but he didn't doubt his abilities, so he started calling the precinct for backup.

「...」

Miyaji Yosuke cautiously entered the park, gun drawn, scanning his surroundings.

He made his way to the park's square and saw four bodies on the ground.

Miyaji Yosuke didn't rush forward immediately. Instead, he observed if the killer was hiding nearby.

Killers who dared to call the police often had more nerve than average criminals and might be lying in wait to ambush anyone who approached.

Miyaji Yosuke saw no sign of the killer but remained in place, patiently waiting for backup from the precinct.

Playing the hero wouldn't end well.

Soon enough, support from the precinct arrived.

"Miyaji, what happened?"

His former junior had already been promoted to inspector, becoming his superior. There was no longer any need to add 'Senior' after his name.

Miyaji Yosuke felt a bit uncomfortable but replied, "Four people are dead."

"Why didn't you call an ambulance?"

"They're already dead. The killer was bold enough to call us; he definitely wouldn't have left them alive."

Miyaji Yosuke voiced his deduction.

The inspector glanced at him, shook his head, and said, "That's exactly why you never get promoted.

Whether your deductions are correct or not is irrelevant. What's important is whether you follow procedures.

In this situation, you should have immediately checked their condition to see if an ambulance was needed, not just waited here!"

The inspector stepped forward and found a homeless man tied up inside the van.

Seeing this, Miyaji Yosuke immediately guessed the killer's personality. "It looks like the four on the ground were trying to kidnap this homeless man and were caught by the killer.

Given that he dared to call the police, he must be a person with a strong sense of justice. He probably didn't believe that killing these four was wrong.

Huh, Strange, a custom-made stun gun like this isn't easy to produce. There must be a large criminal organization behind them."

"Enough, Miyaji!"

The inspector, somewhat irritated, cut off his theorizing. "There are some things I know without you spelling them out," he said grimly.

Miyaji Yosuke fell silent.

He couldn't understand. He was just doing his job, so why did everyone around him seem to reject him?

Did he really have to grovel and curry favor with someone to get promoted?

He sighed.

The inspector misinterpreted his sigh, patted his shoulder, and said, "Go on, keep examining the scene. See if you can find any clues."

Grumbling aside, the inspector knew that when it came to actual case-solving ability, he was far inferior to Miyaji Yosuke.

Of course, he didn't envy that.

What's the use of just solving cases?

You need to know how to write reports and flatter your superiors to get promoted and earn raises.

"Okay."

Miyaji Yosuke nodded.

He didn't strive to solve cases for any kind of recognition; he just wanted to bring criminals to justice, nothing more.

Miyaji Yosuke quickly surveyed Kamo River Park. By the time he returned to the square, it was already cordoned off with police tape.

The four bodies had been removed.

"Miyaji, what did you find?"

"There must have been another witness at the scene."

Miyaji Yosuke cautiously pulled out a fragment of a stocking he had found in the bushes. "It's a bit damp. She must have been here when the crime occurred. Possibly a blogger in 'that' kind of industry, or a woman secretly looking for thrills.

She's probably young. She likely ran all the way to the back gate before those three caught her."

Hearing this, inspiration struck the inspector. "I've got it!

The killer must be that woman's boyfriend.

He and his girlfriend were playing some 'little game' here. When a minor 'accident' occurred, he went to the restroom.

His girlfriend, left alone, saw the kidnapping of the homeless man. She got scared and ran, but that group chased her to the back gate and dragged her back.

When the boyfriend returned, he launched a surprise attack and killed them all. A crime of passion! That's why he was so calm, even calling the police."

Seeing the inspector's animated expression, Miyaji Yosuke was at a loss for words.

"Inspector, I don't think it's like that."

"No, Miyaji, it has to be this way," the inspector insisted, his tone firm. He'd received orders from above to wrap this case up quickly.

He didn't care about the truth, only about what his superiors wanted.