TBETW Chapter 19

(M) Chapter 19 – Entwined

Main Story 1, Chapter 8, 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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Using the key with the sasadango keychain, Kagura unlocked the door to that apartment.

He passed through the living room, tossed his jacket and tie onto the sofa, and stepped out onto the balcony. The damp night air of June filled his lungs.  

It had been three weeks since he returned from Macau.  

The Aizawa-Somei team had returned last week as well, having secured evidence linking the Eastern Alliance to an investment scam scheme involving Macau’s integrated resorts. They were now coordinating efforts with the Macau police.  

This incident redefined the Eastern Alliance—not as a domestic semi-criminal group but as an internationally recognized criminal organization.  

However, the issue of Japanese citizens being trafficked was buried in the shadows.  

Kagura had reported to Section Chief Takizaki that a human trafficking auction was being held on the fourth underground level of Macau’s ‘Invincible Castle’ and that the victims were likely sourced from Japan’s counterpart of the ‘Castle’.  

Takizaki, his expression pained, had said, “We can’t act directly. Keep this to yourself for now.”  

Kagura, unsurprised at their inability to intervene, replied flatly, “Understood.”  

Macau’s ‘Invincible Castle’ dwarfed its Japanese counterpart in scale.  

And these castles existed all over the world, churning out countless victims daily.  

Kagura looked up at the sky from the balcony.  

Most of the stars were drowned out by the city lights, but he knew they were still there, countless and chilling in their enormity.  

Similarly, there were countless horrors hidden from the eyes of the average Japanese citizen.  

Amidst all this, Kagura wondered if there was anything he could truly do.  

―――Even so, I will accomplish whatever lies within my reach.

With this resolve, Kagura clouded his vinegar-soaked thoughts.  

Kiriyama’s words pierced his chest like a stake.  

“You’re ensnared by Zero, and Zero is ensnared by you. As long as you’re together, you’ll only grow weaker and more restricted.”

―――…I’m making Zero weaker.

That was something he could not allow.  

―――We’re not lovers who can simply be satisfied by each other’s presence.

Even as he told himself this, memories of their indulgent time together in Niigata crept into his mind. Were they not content in that moment, just the two of them at the inn?  

“No. I can’t let myself be ensnared…”  

There was a part of him that wanted to succumb to that sweet haze.  

But he knew he had to suppress it.  

The sound of a key turning in the front door caught his attention.  

Now, Zero held the matching key with the identical strap.  

Kagura returned to the living room from the balcony, leaving the window open but drawing the curtains closed.  

Zero entered and walked directly toward him, standing face to face.  

“You ignored my summons five times.”  

Accused, Kagura replied, “I was busy.”  

“You’re always busy.”  

In truth, Kagura had been avoiding this day, putting it off as long as possible. But it was inevitable, and he had steeled himself to call Zero today.  

“So, what’s going on with him?”  

Zero’s question caught Kagura off guard; he assumed it was about Kiriyama.  

“I heard you were bought by Li Azhar.”  

Kagura blinked slightly in understanding.  

It seemed that even though Enwu members had infiltrated Macau’s ‘Invincible Castle’, they only knew Li Azhar had purchased Kagura at the auction. They didn’t realize Li Azhar was acting as Kiriyama’s proxy.  

―――In that case, it’s better to let him think Li Azhar owns me.

Mentioning Kiriyama would only provoke Zero unnecessarily.  

“It was the whim of a casino king. He doesn’t seem interested in doing anything with me.”  

“…Whims can be unpredictable. Who knows what he might demand in the future?”  

Gripping Kagura’s shoulders, Zero peered into his face.  

“If anything happens, you’ll tell me immediately, won’t you?”  

―――…This isn’t good.

To hide the tremor in his eyes, Kagura grabbed the collar of Zero’s rider jacket.  

He crushed his lips against Zero’s.  

After a brief pause, Zero devoured Kagura’s lips in return, forcing his tongue into Kagura’s mouth.  

Zero’s hot tongue swirled against Kagura’s, making his knees tremble.  

When Zero finally pulled back, his tongue sliding out with a deliberate flick, his face was flushed red with a mix of anger and desire.  

“I thought you weren’t going to do it with me anymore?”  

Kagura hooked his foot behind Zero’s ankle and swept him to the floor.  

Kagura pressed his body over the man lying on his back on the floor.

“Shut up.”  

This time, he inserted his tongue into Zero’s mouth.  

Though he intended to take control, his tongue was sucked, licked, and bitten. Before he realized it, a paralyzing sensation spread from his mouth through his entire body.  

When he tried to lift his head, Zero refused to release his tongue.  

Zero’s hands slipped under the hem of Kagura’s shirt, which had been pulled free from his slacks, roaming over the bare skin of his back.  

The burns on Kagura’s neck and back had mostly faded into mottled discoloration, but the scars around his shoulder blades remained raised and keloid-like.  

Zero’s fingers paused on the taut scar tissue, tracing over it as their tongues pressed together.  

“Mm… ah.”  

<Click here to read the rest of the Mature Chapter on my blog in order to adhere to freenovels.net’s rules.>

***

Kagura stared at the darkness behind his closed eyelids.  

He wanted to savor the weight of Zero’s arm draped over his abdomen a little longer. But he knew if he indulged, he might never move again.  

Forcing himself, he opened his eyes.  

The room was dim, and only the outline of Zero beside him was visible.  

When he tried to slip out of bed, Zero grabbed his wrist.  

In a groggy voice, Zero asked, “Where are you going?”  

“To the convenience store. I’m getting a cola.”  

“Okay. Get me one too.”  

“Yeah, sure.”  

Kagura dressed his body, still sticky with traces of Zero, and headed to the front door. After putting on his shoes, he hesitated for a few seconds but eventually forced himself to move.  

Locking the door behind him, Kagura held the key in his hand and paused.  

He stared down at it.  

***

Rain fell lightly as Kagura stepped outside the apartment complex.  

The night had yet to give way to dawn.  

Walking under the lush canopy of cherry trees lining the Meguro River, Kagura clenched his hand in his pocket that was now empty of the keychain tightly, its weightless form pressing into his palm. 

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*Translator’s Note: That’s the end of main story 1. We’re entering main story 2 next. Yup. That was like a breakup sex… -K

Next update: 2025.12.05

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