PROLOGUE B

The Eccentric

A city is constantly changing, so long as people continue living in it.

Ikebukuro was no exception. Because it was a place full of people, the city’s atmosphere was always evolving, from trends coming and going to subtle economic and social fluctuations.

But cities and people are one organism, by nature.

People can change a city, and people change themselves to fit in with the city.

This process can be growth or regression or something else entirely—but ultimately, the result of this change is something that belongs to each individual.

“I can’t believe we’re third-years already. Have you been thinking about your future plans, Kuru?” asked a girl walking along the busy shopping street leading from Ikebukuro Station to the Sunshine building, commonly known as Sixtieth Floor Street. Her conversation partner’s face looked identical.

“…Yeah…” [Affirmative.]

The elder of the two sisters had a voice as quiet as an insect’s whisper.

“Urgh. Kuru, you’re such a Goody Two-shoes. I’m, like, maybe I should just be a bum and hang around not getting a job. You can graduate, get a job, and support me, Kuru!”

“…No…” [Pain in the butt.]

They were identical twins—but only as far as their faces were concerned.

The younger twin, Mairu Orihara, wore glasses and had her long hair tied into braids. The style was usually associated with mature honor students, but her personality was active and upbeat, suggesting she was the type to speak before she thought.

The elder twin, Kururi Orihara, had a tomboyish appearance, but she was almost deathly quiet in her mannerisms. She was more like an antique doll.

The contrasting fashions were not a natural evolution of their individuality, either.

When they were children, they intentionally chose to have totally opposing personalities and interests.

Twins are a symbol of perfection because we can each account for what the other lacks, they thought. So they drew random lots to ensure they each covered different aspects, determining their future development from childhood onward.

Now they would know how they should live their lives. And if there was any problem for either sister, they would work together to solve it.

It might have started as a childish flight of fancy, but that was, in fact, how they grew up.

About the only interest they shared in common was an obsession with the handsome young actor Yuuhei Hanejima. That and their love for each other.

The twins were some of the more well-known characters in this city.

They were students at Raira Academy, a high school in Ikebukuro, and they were enjoying their spring vacation by idling away the time until it was nearly over.

“I can’t believe we’re going to be seniors. It passed so quickly. We were just first-years, and now we’re going to be in our third year of school. It feels like it’s only been like three months.”

“…Light…” [It’s been so fast.]

“But things have changed around town so much. When those nerdy stores like Animate and Toranoana opened new spots or changed locations, Karisawa and her friends went crazy. And there are plenty of other new businesses,” Mairu said, her braids swaying as she craned her neck to look around. “But then again, there are some things that never change. Like that Cinema Sunshine over there, and the arcade, and…”

She trailed off. There was a familiar face near the entrance of the video game arcade that shared a wall with the movie theater.

“Oh, look, Kuru. Aocchi’s over there. He’s with Yoshikiri and his other friends.”

Kururi followed her sister’s gaze and saw Aoba Kuronuma, a boy from their school. Obviously, he wasn’t in his school uniform, since they were on vacation, and so the vibe he gave off was much different from at school.

“You’ll be a senior, too, Aobacchi. You were very childish when we first met, but now you’re a bit taller,” said Mairu wistfully, striding with purpose toward the group of boys.

Without missing a beat, she smashed the top of Aoba’s head with a karate chop.

“Yeow!”

“Yoo-hoo! What’s up, Aocchi? You still alive?”

“Mairu…? What kind of greeting is that?” Aoba groaned with an exhausted sigh.

She grinned and hissed with laughter. “Look, I haven’t seen you in a while, Aocchi. I was worried that you might’ve gotten yourself in hot water and died. That’s the kind of thing you’d do.”

“Wow, you have some intense preconceptions of me,” replied Aoba, his cheek twitching.

She continued, “But you are mixed up in some danger, right? You were getting into it with Dragon Zombie recently, weren’t you?”

“…You always have your ear to the ground.”

Aoba Kuronuma was the central figure of a group of delinquents known as the Blue Squares.

They had once been a street gang recognized by their blue bandannas and ski masks, but their color theme was more reserved now. They weren’t attempting to stand out the way they did before.

In fact, this boy did not look like a street tough in the least. Mairu chattered on.

“Actually, I’m more out of the loop than I used to be. My dear brother, Iza, up and disappeared, and Namie went to the States. About the only people I can hit up for the latest news are the people at Rakuei Gym these days.”

“And in any case, none of it has to do with you.” Aoba shrugged.

Kururi leaned close to his ear and whispered, “…Negative…alone…death…” [You can’t just go off on your own and die.]

“Aaah!!” he yelped.

She pressed her forehead against his shoulder and gave him a little smile.

“…!” Aoba’s mouth quavered, and his cheeks went red. Then he said, “Don’t threaten me like that,” and turned away.

But that only put him face-to-face with one of his friends, whose cheeks were twitching with obvious disgust.

“Wh-what, Yoshikiri?”

“I can’t believe you… Getting all sappy with these cute girls right in the open like this… These cute—! Girls—!” said the boy, who was an entire head taller than Aoba. He put a hand on the back of Aoba’s neck. “I’ll kill you! One less guy means better chances for the rest of us!”

“Well, it’s not gonna help your chances, Yoshikiri… Urrrgl—! I give! I give! I give!” Aoba gurgled, his face turning purple. The other boys laughed uproariously.

Once he was getting to a somewhat distressing color, another boy popped out from farther back in the arcade. Alarmed, he cried out, “Hey! Yoshikiri, what are you doing to Kuronuma?!”

This boy looked younger than the rest of them, and it took his full effort to pry Yoshikiri off Aoba’s neck.

“Let go of me, Kotonami! If I kill him, girls will like me!”

“Of course they’re not going to like you, Yoshikiri!”

“…What?”

“Ah!”

Yoshikiri let go of Aoba’s neck and turned, a vein pulsing at his temple. Now his hands were reaching for this younger boy, and he soon had his victim in a cobra twist, locking all his joints.

“What is it with you pretty boys and your death wishes? Huh?!”

“Aaaah! I give! I give! I give!”

Several minutes later, after an arcade employee came along to scold Yoshikiri, the boy was free. He rubbed the sore parts all over his body and asked Aoba, “Are those pretty twins your girlfriends, Kuronuma?”

“No!” shouted Yoshikiri instantaneously, but Aoba ignored him.

“No…they’re not my girlfriends, they’re more like…regular friends,” he claimed brusquely, but that only put a mischievous grin on Mairu’s lips.

“Right, right. We’re friends. Me and Kuru have only kissed Aocchi, nothing more than that.”

“H-hey!” Aoba tried to interject, but it was too late to stop Yoshikiri.

“Rrraaaaahhh! I’ll kill you! You kiss them, then claim they’re just friends?! Both of them?! I guess that’s the kind of confidence a true winner has, then! By the power vested in me by the other guys in the world, I’m gonna kill… Hey, what do you think you’re doing?! Let go o’ me, dammit!”

Worried that he was going to get permanently banned from the arcade, the other guys in the group held Yoshikiri down and dragged him away to some other location in town.

That left Aoba behind to exhale with exhaustion. He went ahead and introduced the younger boy to the girls.

“Um, these two girls are from my school. Kururi and Mairu Orihara. As you can see—well, they’re not totally identical, but their faces sure are—they’re twins.”

Then, for the sisters’ benefit, he introduced the younger boy. “This is Kotonami. He’s a younger friend of ours who will be joining Raira this year.”

“Hi, I’m Kuon Kotonami.”

“Kuon? That’s kind of a cool name.”

“You think so? Thanks,” he said with a shrug and a grin.

Mairu gave him a piercing examination. “In fact, you’re pretty funky overall. Were you really in middle school a few months ago?”

It was a rather frank assessment, but she couldn’t be blamed for feeling that way. He did not at all look like a boy who had just graduated middle school.

His hair was cut short around his ears, with little notches shaved into the sides, while the rest of it was grown out longer and dyed a shocking tint of green. He sported wild earrings all along his ears, which in combination with his hairstyle suggested a strong streak of self-expression.

His features were handsome enough, but the loud accessories were destined to take up most of the first impression. Mairu’s eyes were flashing with fascination; he looked like the most eye-catching member of a visual kei rock band.

But then Aoba smirked and showed her his phone. “This is what he looked like last month.”

“H-hey, Kuronuma! No fai…”

Kuon tried to snatch the phone, but Mairu ducked past him and lifted it right out of Aoba’s hand.

The picture on the screen was of a perfect honor student with black hair in a bob cut and glasses to boot. Mairu clutched her sides and roared with laughter. Even Kururi shivered as she tried to control the giggles threatening to burst out of her.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! This is amazing! So you’re making your big social debut in high school, huh?! Or are you starting up a visual kei band?”

“…Relax…normal…” [It’s fine; you look good.]

Kuon’s face turned red, and he balled his hands into fists that he shook up and down. “Aaaaaah! That was messed up, Kuronuma! This is terrorism! It’s bullying! This is what a mother-in-law does to the new wife!”

“It’s fine. This is the easiest way to introduce you.” Aoba cackled.

Mairu laughed along with him—until she abruptly composed herself, still smiling, and asked, “But your appearance is the only thing you’re changing for high school, right?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, if you know Aocchi, and you’re still hanging out with him now, then you must have always been messed up and broken and kinda sick… Am I wrong?”

“…”

The boys had no response to that.

It wasn’t that Mairu had come to that conclusion because she was cracked in the head or anything like that. Anyone who was familiar with Aoba Kuronuma and the Blue Squares would have the same expectation.

In contrast to his looks, Aoba Kuronuma had a dark and twisted personality. He wouldn’t think twice about crushing another person for his personal pleasure and that of his friends.

He had already built the core of the Blue Squares in his junior high years, but he chose not to stand in the limelight—instead, he orchestrated those older than he was, even his own brother, to run the operation publicly, so he could lurk in the background as the puppet master.

There was no way anyone like him would hang out with some random middle school kid who looked up to tough gangsters.

There had to be something else behind it.

Anyone who was familiar with Aoba’s true nature would eventually reach this conclusion.

But Mairu’s ability to say that out loud in his presence indicated that she was something of a character herself.

After a pause, Kuon managed to put on a new kind of smile, something tinged with coldness, and murmured, “Your girlfriend is very interesting, sir.”

“I told you, she’s not my girlfriend. If I was going to have a relationship with either of them, it would definitely be Kururi…”

“Really?! You’re going to say that in front of me, Aocchi?! Where is your common sense, boy?!” Mairu screeched. Kururi did not seem moved in one way or the other.

Kuon decided to butt out of the situation between his upperclassmen and waved a hand. “Well, I don’t want to get in the way, so I’ll go help calm down Yoshikiri, I guess.”

“Hey, wait. I told you not to get the wrong idea…”

“Enjoy your life, Kuronuma, sir,” the younger boy said blithely, leaving the scene.

Aoba could only sigh. He looked to Kururi and Mairu, his expression serious. “Listen, for your own sake, I don’t think you should get involved with him.”

“What? That’s hypocritical. You seem to know him plenty well, Aocchi.”

“Well…I dunno; he’s just weird…,” Aoba mumbled vaguely. But then he steeled himself and forged ahead with an explanation. “He might dress flashy, but his entrance exam scores were at the top in Raira.”

“What? Really?! He’s a genius! He’s a professor!”

“…Shock…” [Amazing.]

“Yeah. They asked him to give the speech for the incoming class. But he shows up dressed like that, right? So they had to pivot to somebody else at the last minute when they saw him,” Aoba said, averting his eyes.

Mairu inquired, “So why’s a boy like that hanging out with you guys?”

“Don’t make it sound like we’re just a bunch of idiots… Anyway, we kind of have a give-and-take relationship… Basically, he’s a valuable source of income for us.”

“What?! He’s your money tree?!”

“Don’t say it like that.” Aoba grimaced.

But she grabbed him by the collar with both hands and shook him. “Hey! Are you saying he’s from a superrich family, and you guys are shaking him down for money?!”

“…Wicked…” [That’s so mean.]

“N…no! No, it’s not like that! I swear!”

“Then what is it like?” Mairu said. She stopped shaking Aoba, who coughed and cleared his throat.

“He’s got his own unique way of making money. We help him and get a part of the cut. Basically, we’re working jobs at a business he operates, I guess. Not that it’s a store or anything like that.”

“You don’t mean producing drugs…or growing marijuana, or…”

“No, no, no, nothing like that! It’s just on this side of legal. I think…”

“Ohhhh! I get it! I know what it is!” Mairu exclaimed, but Aoba quickly cut her off.

“And it’s not some kind of synthetic cannabis or other quasi-legal substance!”

“Awww.”

“Shouldn’t you be relieved, not disappointed…?” he grumbled, annoyed.

Kururi approached and asked, “…What…act…?” [What kind of job is it?]

“Well, I can’t explain it so easily…”

“…Answer…?” [Will you tell me?]

“…”

Aoba relented, breaking under Kururi’s quiet pressure, and sighed yet again. “I just can’t keep up my front around you two. It’s something about you… But anyway, it’s kind of an odd jobs service. We might do stuff that resembles newspaper delivery or faking events for TV programs, causing uproars around town—things like that.”

“Um…how does that make you money?”

“…He’s got connections that allow him to turn these things into money. And I’ve got the details on his biggest pipeline. It doesn’t come up for him very often is the thing.”

“Pipeline?” repeated Mairu, who was having trouble visualizing Kuon’s “unique way of making money.”

Aoba smirked and said, “You already know the answer.”

“?”

“The Headless Rider.”

“!”

That familiar title caused Kururi and Mairu to share a look.

“Kuon’s a real eccentric, see. He wants to turn the Headless Rider’s existence itself into money. Not in a bounty hunter kind of way.”

“Turn the Headless Rider into money?! What does that mean?!”

“…Not just the Headless Rider,” said Aoba. The image of his underclassman’s face put a very pleased twist into his lips. “He’s a real snake.”

“Snake?” Mairu repeated. So Aoba went on.

“He wants to swallow Ikebukuro whole, himself included.”