Upon being brought back to the port’s mafia, Yumeno was immediately thrown into a solitary confinement cell.

Without any unexpected occurrences, this would be his future residence. Neither the port’s mafia nor the Ability Special Division would allow this child to come out until his paranormal abilities were under control.

Dazai, the one who accomplished this feat, sat in a small clinic, enjoying instant noodles while watching a horror movie.

Today’s feature: “Mermaid in the Sewer.”

Hyakki accompanied him. For a blind person, the dark scenes of the movie were futile. Initially, the black-haired youth sat with his hands on his knees, in a normal posture. But after a few minutes, he took off his shoes, crossed his arms, entering a state of empty-mindedness. On the couch, he appeared completely engrossed in the movie.

Just as Mori was about to praise Dazai, he turned his head and was stunned by the disgusting scene on TV.

The mermaid’s abdomen was rotten, covered with pus-filled boils and tumors.

It was truly nauseating.

He struggled to swallow the noodles, speaking as if chewing wax, “Dazai, isn’t it inappropriate to watch this while eating?” Even Mori, who wasn’t particularly fond of horror movies, had heard of the reputation of this film.

Alice had already been scared to the point of disappearing and didn’t want to watch the movie with these people anymore.

“I’m building up my tolerance,” Dazai said calmly, watching on without changing his expression, feeling disgusted by the movie but lacking any sense of immersion. “Hmm… What did you want to say, Mr. Mori?”

Mori hastily finished the noodles, tossing the cup into the trash, regaining his enigmatic demeanor.

“You brought Yumeno back. Is there any reward you desire?

“A reward?”

Dazai raised his hand, “A euthanasia drug personally concocted by Mr. Mori! It promises a joyful ascent to heaven!”

Mori politely declined, “I’m afraid Hyakki might want to kill me.”

“What does my hobby have to do with him?” Dazai retorted, looking towards where Hyakki sat, then swiftly grabbed a pillow to block Hyakki’s line of sight.

“Let’s try another one,” Mori insisted without hesitation.

“Fix Hyakki’s face,” Dazai said sincerely.

Mori pondered for a moment before offering practical advice, “Full-face plastic surgery and skin grafting techniques aren’t mature yet. They won’t escape your scrutiny. It’s better for you to keep an eye on his mask.”

Dazai shrugged, then returned to watching the movie. He was pleasantly surprised to find the intense scenes of pustules in the movie refreshing. He glanced at Hyakki and couldn’t help but think: Hyakki doesn’t seem that ugly after all.

As an adult, Mori found Dazai’s behavior amusing. “Don’t always criticize Hyakki’s appearance. He might get hurt. Besides, his face comes in handy at crucial moments.”

Dazai pondered, “Scary?”

Mori teased, “Think about it, taking off the mask during a battle.”

Dazai’s eyes lit up, “Hmm, a sure win!”

The instructor and his pupil were both filled with dark thoughts. Hyakki, teased by them, snapped out of his simple meditation and suppressed thoughts surged again, reminding him of the scenes from the “Hell of the Mind.”

The more he tried to remember, the more the images faded, like watching the world dissipate before his eyes.

He fell into melancholy.

Blindness of the eyes is not terrifying; what’s terrifying is blindness of the heart. In his long period of isolation, he lost sensitivity to colors and the ability to fantasize about images, only able to understand that he was thinking about something.

In the real world, he could apply for a Guinness World Record—

For example: “Perseverance in Adversity”?

The conversation from the outside world ended when Hyakki fell into melancholy. Dazai obtained the right to visit Yumeno once a week from Mr. Mori, ensuring that Yumeno wouldn’t be subjected to severe stimuli during the visit. Mori, as if suddenly reminded of something, asked in confusion, “I had a brief conversation with Yumeno. What did he mean when he mentioned wanting a cute puppet? Was he referring to Hyakki?”

But Hyakki’s appearance was cold and refined, with a slender figure, which didn’t fit the description of cute at all.

Dazai fell silent.

In front of Mori, he removed Hyakki’s mask and stated, “This is the kind of cute.”

Two black holes for eyes and a sunken nose, plus the forest-white teeth.

This was a face cursed by demons.

—Placed in an unexpected situation, it truly was a mental assault.

Mori’s blood drained from his face at the sight of the humanly impossible appearance, covering his eyes, “Dazai! Haven’t you always disliked removing his mask? Why don’t you care now?”

Dazai remained calm, “No one knows what I’ve been through.”

From being unable to look directly, to reluctantly accepting it, who knows how many shocks were experienced in between.

Hyakki snatched back the mask from Doro no O and seemed a bit emotional.

[“I don’t look good like this.”]

Dazai was taken aback and looked at the neglected Hyakki. With the mask back on, Hyakki rested his head on his knees, as if aware of his own unattractive appearance and feeling sad.

Mori gently remarked, “If Hyakki hadn’t experienced this, coupled with such a wise mind, he would surely be an outstanding individual no less than Dazai.”

Mori, with a meaningful look, said to Dazai, “If it were you, Dazai…”

Dazai instantly replied, “I choose death!”

Conversation stopper.

Having spent this period of time by Dazai’s side, Hyakki, who had deactivated his automatic patrol function, stood up, put on his shoes, and slowly started to walk outside. Dazai didn’t immediately follow, raising an eyebrow.

Mori chuckled, “Pay attention to Hyakki’s mental state.”

Dazai rolled his eyes, “Mr. Mori, I’m not a lolicon, nor do I have a fetish!”

Mori ignored the remark and looked through the contract in his hand. “I heard the King of Sheep has been searching for him near Rumble Street. My clinic is relatively close to Rumble Street.”

Dazai pulled out a pair of earphones from his pocket and put them on, continuing to watch the movie impassively.

After an hour, he cursed under his breath: Jinx!

Dazai dashed out.

In the clinic, Mori clenched his fist against his lips, bursting into laughter, “It seems the King of Sheep values Hyakki highly.”

Dazai, you need to keep your people close, otherwise… they might easily be taken away by others.

With a locator on his foot and a bug hidden inside his clothes, Hyakki, who knows how many strange gadgets he had on him, walked outside without attracting much attention from others. At most, he wore a yukata, wooden clogs, and the samurai sword worn on his waist had long been dismantled and installed into the prosthetic arm.

The black-haired youth in the bathing robe walked with extreme stability, his eyes empty, subtly creating a sense of distance as if there were no dust below his gaze.

He was searching for something.

In this world where humans coexist with demons, he sought to slay evil.

Zhong also hid behind a corner, not daring to show his face, quickly handing money to the informant, “Alright, now get out of here!”

The recipient of the money was a street urchin from Rumble Street who thought the amount was a bit stingy but had to swallow his extortionate words. Nevertheless, as he walked away, he glanced back at Zhong hiding behind the corner, wearing a hood. That cautious appearance didn’t look like the King of Sheep; it seemed more like a pervert following someone, right?

Zhong waited for Hyakki to move to the next intersection before he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

After tracking him so many times, he had figured out a rule for getting close to Hyakki: never expose himself in an uncovered area, or Hyakki would detect his arrival early!

His interest in Hyakki wasn’t just mere curiosity; he yearned to uncover the mystery of his own identity from him.

Was his horrifying appearance… caused by the explosion six years ago?

Zhong also felt uneasy.

Perhaps no one would believe it if he said it out loud, but Zhong wasn’t a pure human either. His consciousness was born from an explosion six years ago, an explosion that covered a vast area, burning the ground, staining the sky red. The unleashed chaos god appeared as a dark beast and wreaked havoc on the land.

He didn’t know why he had taken on a humanoid form, with a massive power sealed within him. But he couldn’t find the reason for his birth, ultimately remaining in Rumble Street with the appearance of a seven-year-old child.

When Hyakki fought against him, Zhong was the only one who could see the invisible red light emanating from him.

It was a power extremely similar to that of the chaos god!

Hyakki walked through the remote streets of Yokohama, moving further away from the crowds. In Yokohama, where there were no pedestrians, it also meant areas where surveillance cameras couldn’t capture, posing a danger. Zhong knew he shouldn’t worry about Hyakki, but he still felt anxious for him, especially since Hyakki was both blind and deaf!

When crossing the road, Hyakki couldn’t see the traffic lights at all.

When someone maliciously eyed him, Hyakki paid no attention, passing by as if unaware, intimidating them with his dust-free gaze, causing them to hesitate and retract their knives.

When encountering obstacles ahead, Hyakki automatically circumvented them or stepped over them. The clacking sound of his wooden clogs occasionally crushing aluminum cans or shattering glass.

He was like an ancient ghost haunting the bustling city, cold and aloof, with deep-seated obsessions…