Chapter 40: Silver Soul (Earth Arc)

The branch office of the Cosmic Auxiliary Police Alliance was nothing remarkable—just a building among the bustling streets of Edo, quite near the entertainment district. Unlike the illustrious Heavenly Way Sect, who disdained setting foot on Earth and preferred to cruise in their spaceships high above the planet, the Alliance occupied a far more modest locale.

“Comparing themselves to heaven itself, manipulating all things... what an arrogant bunch the Heavenly Way Sect is,” Okakura Take remarked, glancing at the documents in her hand.

Upon returning to Earth, she inevitably crossed paths with the Heavenly Way Sect. Those celestial beings, perched atop iron pillars and concealing their faces, filled her with disgust. Their arrogance was palpable; every word and expression betrayed a deep-seated contempt and disdain for Earthlings—especially when she declared herself one. Okakura Take never forgot their words: “Who would have thought the Earth monkeys could evolve after leaving their planet? Clearly, Earth’s soil is only fit for cultivating inferior genes.”

Her fists clenched so tightly her nails dug painfully into her palms, but the sting was nothing compared to her humiliation. Watching those celestial beings flaunt their superiority, Okakura silently promised herself: One day, Earth would become strong enough to drive these invaders out—ten years, fifty years, a hundred years—one day, they would all be forced to leave!

At that moment, she recalled the fervor of the anti-foreign movement, even more intense than now. Immersed in such an era among such people, her vision was clouded by hatred. The first to see through it all was Sakamoto; he foresaw the outcome of the war, understood that if the killing persisted, Earth would have no future.

Back then, Okakura’s perspective did not reach as far as Sakamoto’s. Only after leaving Earth and venturing into the cosmos, witnessing a vaster world, did she realize how long the path to Earth’s true strength would be.

The celestial beings’ confidence and disdain for Earthlings stemmed from their advanced technology and economic power—Earth had lost at the starting line. What was needed now was not fighting at the start, but grabbing hold of the celestial beings’ belt, letting them drag Earth forward, until the day their garments were stripped away completely.

The Cosmic Auxiliary Police Alliance wielded significant influence in the universe, but not so on Earth, where the Heavenly Way Sect had seized the initiative long ago, keeping Earth firmly in their grasp. Other organizations seeking a share remained under wary scrutiny, resulting in a delicate harmony between both sides.

“Chief, another murder case has occurred—most likely the work of monsters. Here are the crime scene photos.”

“Bring them over.”

“Yes.” The fish-headed celestial named Orsay handed Okakura Take a thick stack of photos and assorted reports.

Okakura began examining the crime scene photos. The victim’s body was horribly mutilated, torn into countless pieces. The crime occurred in an alley; the time of death was between three and four in the morning, when people are deepest in sleep.

“Chief, there’s a lot of unidentified slime left at the scene. Preliminary tests show a faint acidity. We’ll need further analysis to determine what kind of monster it is,” Orsay explained.

“These monsters... did Prince Hata bring them?” Okakura asked hesitantly.

“No.”

Okakura barely relaxed before Orsay continued.

“These monsters smuggled themselves onto Earth. The Shogunate enlisted the Star-Sea Monk to clear them out. Afterwards, at the prince’s insistence, the monsters slated for removal were loaded onto a ship bound for the Central Kingdom Star.”

“Due to negligence by the staff, these monsters, with powerful regenerative abilities, escaped. They caused considerable trouble in Edo; Prince Hata almost got devoured. It was the Star-Sea Monk and an unknown Earthling who resolved the crisis, though a few monsters still escaped. Even that small number is enough to cause chaos in Edo.”

That fool of a prince! Why, upon her return, was she still cleaning up his messes?! Could he not cause less trouble?!

“Ch-Chief?”

“Nothing, go on,” Okakura said after taking a deep breath, suppressing her anger and smoothing her expression.

Indeed, it was pointless to argue with that idiot prince. She recalled he had visited Earth several times before, telling her there were many adorable animals here, but Earthlings were unfriendly—so much so that he never received his beloved pets.

Okakura knew her return to Earth was at that fool’s behest; he wanted her to bring him animals from Earth.

But he was not the type to be satisfied with one or two animals. As the sole prince of the Central Kingdom Star, he was fabulously wealthy—among the richest in the universe. Price meant nothing to Prince Hata. Whereas other tycoons bought flashy spaceships, he bought dangerous creatures!

Over the past three years, Okakura had handled countless monster-related incidents for that fool—so many that even the Central Kingdom Star awarded her a hero’s medal, and her feats were officially recorded. Even the king and queen had rewarded her.

According to rumor, the king’s certain organs had necrosed, making Prince Hata, despite his foolishness, the sole heir to the royal line. For the future of the Central Kingdom Star, she truly worried.

“How many cases is this now?” Okakura asked, her head aching.

“Chief, it’s the fifth.”

“Come, take me to the scene.”

“Yes, Chief.”

The crime scene was in a small alley in the entertainment district. Yellow tape cordoned off the area. Outside the tape, Okakura saw familiar faces—members of the True Selection Squad.

“Hijikata, Yamazaki, greetings,” Okakura called.

“Hello, Chief Okakura,” Yamazaki replied cheerfully.

“Oh, hello,” Hijikata greeted.

“Hijikata, any progress on the case?” Okakura asked.

“That monster is cunning—no clues to its whereabouts yet. It can disguise itself as a human, which makes it extremely difficult to find,” Hijikata said.

“May I take a look inside?” Okakura asked.

“You can, but it’s pretty revolting. Are you alright, Chief Okakura?”

“Don’t worry, Hijikata. I’ve dealt with these monsters for quite some time.”

Hijikata paused—she hardly needed his concern. Thus, Okakura was allowed past the yellow tape.

“Vice-Captain, what does Chief Okakura mean by having dealt with monsters?” Yamazaki asked curiously.

Hijikata lit a cigarette, took a drag, and spoke while glancing at Okakura’s back. “I’ve heard rumors. That woman walked out from a heap of monsters.”

“Huh?!” Yamazaki exclaimed.

“Remember Prince Hata?”

“...I do.” Anyone who met that fool prince would not forget him. Yamazaki recalled the prince once asked the True Selection Squad to find him pets; the captain even took the chance to put a dog collar on the vice-captain and made him bark.

In sum, the fool prince left a lasting impression.

“That woman is captain of the Central Kingdom Star Royal Guard, the prince’s top bodyguard.”

“Miss Okakura is really unlucky, serving such a fool.”

“Hmph, but when the boss is a fool, the subordinates can really shine,” Hijikata said, blowing smoke rings.

“...” From a certain angle, vice-captain, you and the chief operate on a similar principle!

“That woman was picked off a monster planet by that fool prince.”

“Monster planet?”

“Yes, abandoned planets in the universe used to store creatures dangerous to high-intelligence life. There are many such monster planets; all sorts of mutated monsters dumped there after experiments. These planets have various threat levels. Rumor has it that woman was found on an S-plus danger planet, and survived there for over a month.”

Hijikata’s lips curled into a cryptic smile. “That woman is a monster herself.”

Yamazaki swallowed. “I didn’t expect Miss Okakura to be so formidable. Vice-captain, how do you know all this?”

“When I heard she’d be transferred to Earth, I checked her file. Surprisingly, she’s quite famous.”

“Famous?”

“Yes. After the fool prince brought her back from the monster planet, she stayed on the Central Kingdom Star, rose to captain of the royal guard and branch chief of the Auxiliary Police Alliance, resolved numerous dangerous incidents (catching pets for Prince Hata), and used an iron fist to curb drug proliferation. Her reputation in the universe is considerable.”

Unaware of the conversation outside, Okakura was crouched, inspecting the crime scene.

The victim was discovered by an early-rising resident taking out the trash. The alley was strewn with mangled limbs and gore, terrifying the ordinary man into screaming and crawling home to call the police.

The weather was slightly warm; the alley was filled with the stench of rot, a nauseating mix of blood, flesh, and garbage. Orsay, unable to bear it, had already fled, leaving Okakura alone in the alley.

Compared to the stench of monsters on the monster planet, this was trivial. Okakura donned rubber gloves and examined the scattered remains.

In the corner by the trash bin, the victim’s head lay quietly. He was a middle-aged, slightly overweight man. Okakura picked up the head and pried open his mouth—there was a faint smell of alcohol; he had drunk before his death.

The head was severed below the neck; the wounds were jagged, flesh hanging in strips, and blood abundant—torn apart with great force.

On the ground, only the large intestine remained; other organs had been devoured, as were the limbs. Some unidentified yellowish slime lingered on the wall.

Okakura walked over, picked up a bit, and sniffed it. The slime had a faint, familiar stench, though she couldn’t quite place it.

After gathering all clues, she sealed the glove with the slime in a small bag for examination back at the branch.

Exiting the alley, she found Orsay’s fish face looking as lifeless as a dead fish. He squatted by the car, retching endlessly.

Okakura sighed and approached Hijikata. “Hijikata, I’ve inspected the scene. Do you know the victim’s identity?”

Hijikata glanced at her—her expression unchanged, whereas many men in his squad had been nauseated by the sight.

“Yes, we’ve identified him: Ryo Honsho, thirty-nine, an ordinary employee at a foreign trade company. Honest and upright, no known enemies. However, he had an unsavory hobby...” Hijikata hesitated.

“What hobby?” Okakura asked, curious.

“This man frequented cross-dressing clubs. Because of this, he never married and remained single.” Hijikata finally admitted, finding it difficult—his own passion for mayonnaise and pretty girls made him genuinely baffled at those who preferred such places. Too much for his tastes!

“Cross-dressing clubs...” Okakura thought it might be a good starting point for her investigation.