Chapter 5 – Protecting Someone
Main Story 1, Chapter 2, Part 2
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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The members of Enwu, having lived as unregistered individuals, had engaged in countless illegal acts to survive.
As for Zero, he had undoubtedly dirtied his hands countless times, not just for his own sake, but also to protect Enwu.
For that reason, their existence must never be exposed or prosecuted.
―――I will protect Zero and Enwu.
When Kagura roughly sat down in the seat, Kiriyama remarked in an amused tone:
“You and Zero seem to have a habit of collecting vulnerabilities.”
Hearing Zero’s name, Kagura involuntarily glanced toward the driver’s seat, but Kiriyama pointed at the partition wall equipped with a built-in monitor separating the driver’s seat.
“It’s completely soundproof, so relax.”
Kiriyama licked his thin lips and added:
“The windows are designed so no one can see inside.”
The vivid memory of when Kiriyama had run his tongue across his skin resurfaced, and Kagura felt an overwhelming urge to scratch at his entire body.
“Don’t forget that I also hold leverage over you.”
“And what leverage might that be?”
“Are you going to claim there’s no problem with the Special Investigation Division Chief working with Toono Ryouji and Li Azhar?”
Kiriyama responded expressionlessly: “If I have a fatal flaw, it’s not there.”
The implication of some decisive weakness left Kagura staring at him intently.
Kiriyama’s family had long been a powerhouse in the legal profession, and he himself wielded such absolute power that he operated outside the law.
Like the unregistered members of Enwu, who were considered ‘Non-citizens’, Kiriyama Shungo was also, in a different sense, a ‘Non-citizen’.
So what kind of fatal flaw would a man like him admit to having?
Kiriyama waved his hand dismissively, brushing off Kagura’s gaze.
“Even if you look at me like that, I’m not telling you.”
“Figured. So, what do you want with me?”
Returning to his initial question, Kagura was met with another question from Kiriyama.
“Wouldn’t you have business with me?”
“—No, I don’t.”
“I thought you might want to go to the third basement floor of the ‘Castle’.”
Before he could respond verbally, Kagura’s body flinched.
Noticing his reaction, Kiriyama narrowed his eyes slightly, as if entertained.
“…Even if I went there, there’s nothing I can do now.”
On that third basement floor were people reduced to mindless husks by drugs. Kagura knew he couldn’t save even one of them on his own.
Even if he managed to get them out, those deeply addicted would only face a new kind of hell.
If Haruka were down there now, would she choose to return to the everyday life she once had with her cousin? Or would she still choose… Toono Ryouji?
―――What am I trying to do, and where am I heading?
In this foggy state of mind, far from fighting alongside Zero, he was only holding him back.
Kiriyama, with a profile reminiscent of a sculpture, said: “Do you lack the courage to face Hell?”
“Have you been to the third basement floor yourself?”
“With Li Azhar’s permission, I’ve descended there a few times.”
“―――What is that place like?”
Kiriyama moved only his eyes to look at Kagura.
“If you want to turn away from Hell, it’s best to pretend you know nothing and close your eyes. Stick to dealing with ordinary citizens as Detective Kagura Jinya.”
His flat tone carried layers of warnings:
A warning against acting beyond his role as a detective.
A warning not to involve himself in matters beyond Kagura Jinya’s personal capacity.
And finally—a warning to stay away from Zero, a ‘Non-citizen’.
“You’re not suited to diving too deeply.”
After a brief pause, he continued in a low voice: “If you pretend none of this ever happened, I won’t use Zero against you anymore.”
Feeling a faint unease, Kagura stared at Kiriyama.
“Darkness flows within that man. He won’t stand in the light with you. He’ll retreat into the shadows and disappear from your sight.”
Kiriyama knew not only the true nature of Enwu, which even the police couldn’t grasp, but also that Zero’s maternal grandfather had been a death row inmate.
Considering that the Eastern Alliance had gone as far as planting spies to investigate Enwu’s members, it seemed unlikely that Toono had obtained such deep information about Zero’s lineage and passed it to Kiriyama.
―――So, Kiriyama must have investigated this on his own…
“Why are you so fixated on Zero?”
Kiriyama didn’t answer, but Kagura didn’t miss the slight movement of his brow.
Kiriyama blinked slowly before shifting his gaze forward.
“Be conscious that you’re standing at a crossroads.”
His profile was devoid of warmth, like an inanimate object.
As a scion of a legal dynasty and a brilliant prosecutor, Kiriyama had seen the light and shadow of the political and financial worlds. He even directly confronted ‘Hell’ alongside figures like Toono Ryouji and Li Azhar.
―――As for me…
Compared to when he was a university student vowing revenge for his cousin, the world Kagura could see had greatly expanded.
Meeting Zero had further sharpened his perception of that world.
Still, no matter how often Kagura was criticized for his lone-wolf tendencies, he was, at the end of the day, just an ‘ordinary detective’. His mind was ill-equipped to handle a world without rules.
Even his body was worn down by the nightmares haunting him.
“If you stop involving yourself with Zero, I’ll turn a blind eye to him as well.”
The unease Kagura felt grew clearer.
Looking back, from the first time Kiriyama had reached out to him personally, he’d asked whether Kagura was connected to Enwu.
While Kiriyama might have used him for convenience, it seemed more likely that his true purpose was to investigate Kagura’s relationship with Zero.
“Did you deliberately involve me further just to push things in that direction?”
Kiriyama deflected the question again.
With his peculiar sense of integrity, he avoided outright lies.
“Watching you endure to protect Zero was irresistible.”
The humiliation of being licked all over came flooding back, and Kagura reflexively scratched at his thigh through his suit.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not. This is the heart of the matter.”
“Stop being so roundabout.”
Kiriyama reached out, grabbing Kagura’s hand as he scratched at his thigh.
Leaning in close, he peered into Kagura’s face.
“A mere ‘Citizen’ like you, who can only protect the man he loves through self-sacrifice, has no right to stick his neck into this world.”
“…”
“The person most disgusted with your mediocrity is none other than yourself.”
Indeed, Kiriyama struck right at the core.
The haze surrounding himself was likely something Kagura had created. Even when he thought he had steeled himself, his judgment would falter at critical moments, and he couldn’t bring himself to be ruthless.
“…”
Kiriyama’s dark, piercing eyes watched Kagura’s distorted face. A fleeting hint of pity flickered in his gaze before vanishing.
“There are things that can only be protected by stepping back.”
Zero was the one supporting the massive entity known as Enwu.
At some point, Kagura had wished to become even a small source of strength for that support.
However, his own weakness had only served to put both Zero and Enwu in danger.
“I…”
He muttered in a groan.
It was then that a sudden brake caused his body to lurch forward sharply.
Kiriyama connected to the speaker and asked the driver, “What happened?”
“A car suddenly cut in front of us… and the vehicle behind us is acting strangely too.”
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*Translator’s Note: It’s my birthday today. Another year of translating. Hope next year I will still be doing this. -K
Next update: 2025.11.21
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