Hojou Kyousuke and Sakura had just hopped on the motorcycle, cruising down the highway, when a sound like a horse's neighing, mixed with the roar of a motorcycle engine, came from behind them.
Before they could even turn around, a motorcycle zoomed past them.
It was an all-black motorcycle, and the rider was a woman dressed in black leather, sporting a cute yellow cat helmet.
Although the encounter was brief, Kyousuke's interest was instantly piqued—not because of her long legs, slim waist, or impressive curves, but because of the tag above her head:
[Dullahan's Extraordinary Record: Celty Sturluson (Protagonist)].
Dullahan? What was that about? Was it the Dullahan I know?
Kyousuke had heard of the Irish myth: a headless knight who, after dying, becomes a ghost, riding a spectral horse and endlessly searching for its lost head.
But now, was the ghost story modernized to riding a motorcycle instead of a horse?
What's more, this was the fourth protagonist Kyousuke had encountered so far.
How should he react? His excitement was building up.
If only his driving skills were better, and if Sakura weren't on the bike with him, he'd chase after her immediately.
'Wee—Woo—Wee—Woo'
A few police motorcycles with flashing red and blue lights were trailing behind the black motorcycle, chasing after it.
"Kyousuke? You thinking about joining them?" Sakura asked, a little amused.
Ever since entering middle school, this childhood friend of hers seemed to have changed a lot.
While still lazy and laid-back, his interests had broadened quite a bit.
"Yeah," Kyousuke replied honestly.
"Well, if that's the case, should I just take the subway back to school?" Sakura teased.
"No way am I letting you go back alone," Kyousuke immediately responded.
He knew Sakura was serious when she said something like that.
She always looked out for him, despite her constant witty remarks.
"Mm~" Sakura sighed softly, then tightly wrapped her arms around his waist.
'Damn it, why did I have to wear a helmet?!'
The helmet made it so that Sakura couldn't feel the warmth of Kyousuke's body, and that frustrated her.
Kyousuke took out his phone, opened a chat room, and quickly sent a few messages before revving up the motorcycle and heading toward Ochanomizu Academy with Sakura.
By the school gate, Sakura, holding several shopping bags, stood beside the motorcycle, bidding Kyousuke goodbye.
"I had such a great time today."
"That's good, but next time we go shopping, I'm buying everything you tried on," Kyousuke said with a mock scowl as he slapped the gas tank.
"Hehehe, how could I ever wear all that?" Sakura giggled.
"I don't care."
"Well, I'm going in now," she said.
"Yeah, see you."
"Bye~"
As she said this, Sakura suddenly jumped forward and planted a kiss on Kyousuke's cheek.
"Be careful on the way back, Kyousuke."
"Mm."
After feeling the surprise kiss, Kyousuke touched his cheek where she'd kissed him, then put on his helmet and sped off, aiming for Ikebukuro.
Sakura stood there, watching as the taillights of the motorcycle disappeared into the distance, before turning and heading into the school.
Once Kyousuke entered Ikebukuro, he pulled over and took out his phone.
Immediately, countless messages popped up on the screen.
The chat room was for all members of the Rampaging Angels, the group Makki Hojou had mentioned earlier.
The Ikebukuro branch of their group was based here, but they didn't officially call it the Ikebukuro branch because they hadn't yet fully dominated the area.
Instead, it was named after the principal of Kaiju High, Satoshi Katagiri, who was leading their efforts in Ikebukuro.
The Roppongi branch, on the other hand, was named after the area itself, as the Hazegawa brothers had completely cleared and taken over Roppongi.
Kyousuke had always wondered why Satoshi Katagiri, who seemed to be stronger, hadn't been able to take control of Ikebukuro.
After seeing so many strange people tonight, Kyousuke immediately understood, even feeling a little sympathy for Katagiri.
He had sent a message to his subordinates in Ikebukuro, asking them to keep an eye on Celty, the "Dullahan" riding the all-black motorcycle.
He hadn't ordered them to corner her, though.
After seeing the ominous black mist surrounding her, he could tell she wasn't human.
There was no need to risk his subordinates' safety; just following her quietly would suffice.
As expected, the chat room lit up with updates, as if a chain of events was unfolding.
———————————————————————
"She just passed by Tobu Department Store."
"She's at SABON now, turning west."
"She's at the Yama-no-Teppanyaki."
"She's at the fire station…"
———————————————————————
The updates seemed pretty normal at first. Then, one of the messages caught his eye:
———————————————————————
"She's on the outer wall of the building!"
"I saw her too!"
"She climbed up the wall to the roof of the Tokyo Art Theater!"
"She flew off! The cops are chasing her!"
———————————————————————
For a moment, the messages stopped. It seemed like the subordinates had lost track of her after she flew.
———————————————————————
"Wait, no, she didn't leave. She's still on the rooftop of the Tokyo Art Theater. The one that flew off was a decoy!"
"I saw that too. She's coming down the wall again."
"The cops didn't even notice they were tricked. She's slowing down and heading toward Hotel White City."
"She stopped and entered a residential building."
———————————————————————
The updates stopped there, and no one dared to send more messages, giving Kyousuke space to read through the logs.
"Good job, everyone. Thanks for your hard work," Hojou Kyousuke typed.
"No trouble at all!" came countless replies.
Once his ID appeared in the chat room, the screen flooded with messages.
———————————————————————
"Boss, do you need assistance? That person is a local urban legend here, Dullahan. Something's definitely off with her," Satoshi Katagiri messaged.
———————————————————————
"Hmm, if possible, could you send me a katana? Deliver it to the residential building where Dullahan last appeared."
Kyousuke had initially thought about refusing, but decided it was safer to be prepared. Against such a non-human being, he didn't feel secure without a weapon in hand.
———————————————————————
"Got it. I'll send it right away." — Satoshi Katagiri
———————————————————————
"Thanks, Katagiri." — Kyousuke
———————————————————————
Kyousuke gave a satisfied stretch while sitting on the motorcycle.
Now, it was time to see what this so-called Dullahan was really all about!