TBETW Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Nightmare

Main Story 1, Chapter 1, Part 1

Novel Title: 獣はかくして囚われる (The Beasts are Ensnared This Way)

Author：風結子 沙野 (Fuyuko Sano)

Illustrator：小山田 あみ (Oyamada Ami)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 鹿倉 陣也 (Kagura Jinya -MC) & ゼロ (Zero -ML)

*Please read at freenovels.net, the original site of translation. TQ*

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“Something feels unsettling, doesn’t it?”

In the driver’s seat of the unmarked patrol car at night, Sanae Suguru muttered.

Kagura Jinya, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the passenger seat, opened his eyelids slightly and glanced at the profile of his 29-year-old colleague, who could easily be mistaken for a college student.

“Are you talking about the Eastern Alliance?”

“Yeah. Since the start of this year, their name hasn’t popped up much. Last year, they were constantly causing trouble with internal conflicts and whatnot. … It’s probably because Toono Ryouji managed to evade the police and return to Japan. Even though he’s on a wanted list, he showed he could come and go freely, which must have pulled the fracturing Eastern Alliance back together.”

As the car stopped at a red light, Sanae looked over at Kagura through his glasses. His face, puffing up his nostrils with pride, looked just like a small-clawed otter.

“You got that from Aizawa-san, didn’t you?”

Aizawa was a senior detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Organized Crime Division—recently renamed as ‘International Crime Countermeasures Division’ after the reorganization in April.

Sanae’s face quickly turned red, and his gaze wavered.

“W-Well, my mentor said something like that too.”

Sanae’s goal was to become a detective like Aizawa, who maintained an expansive information network by working with reporters from all fields. Since having a one-on-one drink with Aizawa, Sanae had started referring to him as ‘mentor’.

“So, what specifically did Aizawa-san say was unsettling?”

Awkwardly, Sanae replied, “My mentor said Toono might be preparing some kind of new plan for the Eastern Alliance. That’s why he’s suppressing unnecessary conflicts.”

After Toono fled abroad following an assault-murder case that put him on the wanted list, the leaderless Eastern Alliance spiraled into internal conflict, with frequent police interventions over daily casualties.

However, since Toono’s covert return at the end of last year, the infighting suddenly ceased.

Instead, the Eastern Alliance began targeting Enwu, a group of unregistered individuals.

In Japan, there are reportedly over 20,000 unregistered people. Those in Enwu call themselves ‘Non-citizens’, distinguishing their existence from the officially registered ‘Citizens’. They live hidden from public view in an entirely different world.

The Eastern Alliance’s ability to precisely target members of Enwu, despite their elusive nature, was thanks to a spy named Ao, who had infiltrated Enwu and leaked information.

Ao, brainwashed by fear into serving Toono during his childhood, eventually fell under Enwu’s protection due to the sympathy his circumstances garnered.

It was a decision characteristic of Zero.

Zero, the leader of Enwu, was Kagura’s ally in their shared goal of defeating the Eastern Alliance and Toono.

Kagura rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Now that he thought about it, Zero hadn’t mentioned any recent attacks by the Eastern Alliance.

―――Indeed, their quietness feels ominous.

“Are they focusing the organization’s energy on this new development?” he muttered.

Sanae leaned forward from the passenger seat.

“What do you think they’re planning? Could it be… a terrorist attack?”

Kagura smirked and pushed Sanae back into his seat.

“The light’s green.”

“Oh, uh, right!”

With a honk from the car behind, Sanae hurriedly drove forward.

―――…Terrorism seems unlikely.

Toono didn’t need to resort to such elaborate schemes; he already wielded influence over Japan’s upper echelons.

There was the ‘Invincible Castle’, a 13-story building in Roppongi. Its owner, Li Azhar, was a global casino mogul, and Toono was connected to him.

Politicians, business tycoons, and even high-ranking police officials frequented the fortress, where they indulged in illegal activities—child prostitution, underground gambling, and drug use—and found themselves at Li Azhar’s mercy.

There, even murder could be rendered inconsequential.

That was the nature of the ‘Invincible Castle’.

Toono had been sheltered by Li Azhar during his time abroad and remained under his protection after returning to Japan. As a result, not even the police could directly touch Toono.

Thinking about how Toono Ryouji, the man responsible for his cousin’s death, was flourishing and expanding the Eastern Alliance only made Kagura’s skin crawl and nausea rise.

As he brought a hand to his mouth, Sanae glanced at him with concern.

“You’ve seemed off lately. Is something wrong? You’ve lost weight, haven’t you?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

He gave a transparent lie and turned his face toward the window.

The tense air silenced Sanae.

The car continued along the road by Hibiya Park before pulling into the underground parking lot of police headquarters. As Kagura stepped out, Sanae hesitated and called out to him.

“Um…!”

“What?”

Kagura glared, frowning.

“Is your bad mood… by any chance…”

Sanae, despite his small-animal demeanor, was surprisingly perceptive. Kagura quietly braced himself, wondering if he’d cross a dangerous line.

With a serious expression, Sanae lowered his voice.

“Is it because things aren’t going well with the person you went to Niigata with?”

“…”

After investigating Eastern Alliance executive Renjou with Zero in Niigata, Sanae had coincidentally spotted Kagura and Zero together at the apartment. At the time, Kagura brushed it off by claiming they were high school acquaintances. But Sanae, with his uncanny intuition, seemed to have sensed the unusual nature of their relationship.

“What kind of imagination do you have?” With an exasperated look, Kagura dismissed the comment and got out of the car. Sanae hurried after him.

“If that’s not it, then tell me the truth!”

“There’s no need.”

“As your partner, I think I have a right to know! I’d like to believe I’ve helped you at least a little until now.”

It was true Sanae had been helpful.

―――But I can’t involve him in anything more dangerous.

That’s why Sanae couldn’t know what Kagura was carrying.

Kagura chose to deflect with teasing.

“Looks like you’re still not sea otter material yet.”

Sanae blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean by ‘sea otter’?”

“When I treated you to a meal last time, you got drunk and declared you’d evolve from a small-clawed otter into a sea otter.”

“What does that even mean? That sounds incredibly stupid.”

Kagura lightly rapped Sanae on the head, as if to chide him for making a face like an innocent victim of a baseless accusation.

***

The ‘Invincible Castle’ is a sprawling illegal entertainment complex, with 13 floors above ground and three below.  

However, entry requires an invitation card. The cards are divided into five ranks, with the lowest, C-rank, costing 20 million yen if bought outright, and the highest, SS-rank, commanding as much as 3 billion yen. Furthermore, having a card is not enough; you also need connections to the keepers of the fortress.  

In short, not just anyone can step foot inside.  

Moreover, guests can only access areas corresponding to their card rank or lower. Attempting to board an elevator without proper clearance results in security hauling you out and forcibly ejecting you from the premises.  

The owner, Li Azhar, uses these invitation cards as bait to connect himself with every form of power in Japan—and not just Japan. The ‘Invincible Castle’ has branches in several countries, ensnaring the world’s ruling elites.  

Kagura, wearing a tuxedo and a sheep mask, entered one of the fortress’s black-tinted elevators.  

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was his usual nightmare. Yet, the vivid tension and seething anger made his body tremble.  

The elevator doors shut, and the car began to ascend on its own. The 13th floor button was lit. The elevator rose swiftly, the whine of pressure in his ears growing louder. Even after what must have been 13 floors, it continued to climb, faster and faster.  

Then, suddenly, the doors opened mid-ascent.  

A frail girl, wearing a rabbit mask that hid half her face and a white sleeveless dress with fur trimming at the collar, stepped in.  

She stood beside Kagura and lightly pinched the sleeve of his tuxedo with a trembling hand. The faint shiver transmitted from her fingertips to his.  

Kagura tried to speak, but his throat tightened as though it had closed off. Not only his voice but his entire body was frozen, as if encased in ice. Only his eyeballs could move.  

The elevator accelerated further, the air pressure dropping rapidly. Just as the ringing in his ears merged with a splitting headache, the elevator slowed and finally stopped.  

The black doors opened slowly, revealing an expansive mural of the Final Judgment under blacklight.  

This was the 13th floor of the ‘Invincible Castle’.  

The girl let go of Kagura’s sleeve. He felt an overwhelming urgency to stop her from leaving, but he couldn’t move. Straining with all his might, he managed to force out a feeble groan.  

Hearing it, the girl turned back.  

Through the twin holes of the rabbit mask, red, tear-filled eyes stared up at him.  

Her frail, twig-like fingers stretched toward Kagura, wrapping around his neck. Despite her delicate grip, he felt suffocated.  

Tears trickled down her cheek, visible beneath the mask.  

“…Thank you for saving me. Truly, thank you.”

She whispered these words, then stepped out of the elevator.  

She walked unsteadily toward a man in an oni mask, who stood like a part of the Final Judgment.  

―――No… Don’t! That man…

Kagura wanted to chase after her, but his body refused to move.  

The girl, now embraced by the masked man, turned back to look at him.  

The rabbit mask was gone, revealing the familiar face of his late cousin, Haruka.  

“Haruka-nee!”

The man’s oni mask disappeared as well, revealing Toono Ryouji, his ominous four-white eyes glaring at Kagura. Ryouji licked his lips.  

“You’re so obsessed with me it’s getting cute,” Ryouji sneered.  

Kagura felt a surge of emotion. He had to save Haruka and escape. Pouring every ounce of strength into his body, he managed to move.  

In his right hand, he found a folding knife. Flicking it open, Kagura lunged out of the elevator—only to be struck in the chest by a tremendous force.  

The impact sent him flying backward, slamming into the wall. His breath escaped him as he looked up.  

Standing before him was a man with a beautiful feminine face, wearing a purple turtleneck and slim leather pants.  

“Renjou!” With a crazed enunciation, the man announced his own name before declaring: “Renjou will kill you.”

He clenched a fist, raising his thumb alone, and pointed it downward.  

Suddenly, the elevator plummeted. The cables had snapped.  

The car fell with accelerating speed, the rising pressure crushing Kagura’s body—  

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*Translator’s Note: Welcome to volume 3, guys. Have fun reading! -K

*GLOSSARY: 

• Oni mask -Japanese demon/ogre mask

Next update: 2025.11.18

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*Translation:

Seated at the dining table, from left to right: Renjou. An executive of the Eastern Alliance. Age 21. / Zero. Group of unregistered children. The leader of ‘Enwu’ (Smoke-like Rain). / Kagura Jinya. Detective of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Organized Crime Division, Section 2. Age 31. He has a ‘give-and-take’ relationship with Zero. / Kiriyama Shungo. Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, Special Investigation Department Prosecutor. Age 38.

Top: Toono Ryouji. Leader of the semi-gang group, the Eastern Alliance. Age 36.

Middle, from left to right: Li Azhar. A casino king who operates across the world and the owner of the ‘Invincible Castle’. 40 years old. / Haiiro. A member of Enwu. A dealer at an underground casino.

Bottom, from left to right: Kataware. A member of Enwu. Programmer, hacker, and driver. / Riki. A member of Enwu. A fighter in the underground arena. / Sanae Suguru. Detective of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Organized Crime Division, Section 2, and Kagura’s junior. Age 28.