The seaport in the south of the country was gigantic compared to the other ports along the coast, on this frontier peninsula in the south of the Land of the Sun. Tsukinoko wandered between the docks on Yukihyō's back in search of the boat that would take her all the way to the Land of the Sea.

  The oily sea reflected the deep blue clouds she was discovering for the first time. A day and a night at sea later, she rushed ashore to regain her senses, swept along by the nauseating swell.

  Mother Island, the largest of the islands, was home to numerous fish and tackle markets, as well as the capital.

  The local police, who commissioned the mission, received Tsukinoko before redirecting her to the port's sailors, supposed witnesses to the disappearances that had taken place near Aloe Island. The families of the victims provided no further information, after several days of questioning.

  Tsukinoko dined in a restaurant and took advantage of the opportunity to recapitulate the information, but no common ground could be established between the disappeared, apart from the place where it all took place, Aloe Island, where no one dared set foot any more

  Aloe Island was deserted, but its coral-rich reefs made it a coveted fishing spot for the Sea Country. A senile old fisherman listened to Tsukinoko's early-morning complaints.

  - This island is cursed, you should leave it alone, no one dares go there anymore," he says at last.

  - I've got to find out why this is happening! That's why I'm here!" she exclaims with determination, showing him her armband bearing the Hanamaru emblem.

  - Can you sail?" he asks suddenly.

  - Well, isn't it?

  - I'd rent you my boat, but you'll never reach the island if you don't know how to sail. And given the rumors, there's no guarantee you'll make it back alive.

  - Seriously?" she rejoiced. Teach me how to sail!

  The fisherman hesitated, but finally gave in, and watched her go off, standing on the quay, before turning back in prayer.

  The boat's hold scraped the reefs, clinging to one of Aloe Island's many abandoned pontoons. Tsukinoko entered the island but found no one there, until she came upon a cavern. She sensed a strange atmosphere inside and ventured in, flashlight in hand.

  The walls became like a hollowed-out tunnel, before leading to some kind of lair. She sketched her observations, until she came to a huge room that must have served as a laboratory. A nauseating odor filled her lungs and she held her breath, observing what had been used for experimentation: tons of fish, crustaceans, remains that looked human at worst.

  Further on, hidden away in the tunnels, a morgue held dozens of dismembered bodies, damaged by experiments whose process we didn't want to know. Impassive but trembling, Tsukinoko took out the list of the missing; most of the bodies present matched the descriptions. In view of the situation, it would be better to note the finds separately from the report to be submitted to the client.

  Once out in the open air, she assimilated her discoveries, nauseous despite having her feet on solid ground this time. Behind the cave, small abandoned huts were erected among the trees. A stench emanated from the first one, and Tsukinoko realized she was getting closer to her goal.

  The smell came from a corpse, abandoned in the middle of the empty cabin. It was a child, unknown to the register. The state of decomposition indicated that he had been dead for over a week. A strange mark on the back of his neck caught Tsukinoko's attention. Consisting of two erasures, Tsukinoko reproduced the mark in her notebook, then rushed out to vomit, unable to hold it in any longer. She caught her breath in the fresh air, then closed the door to go and inspect the other cabins, but the same scene repeated itself.

  All children, all dead for some time, the same brand scratched into the back of their necks. Only the tenth hut was empty. Having found nothing more, and overwhelmed by her discoveries, Tsukinoko walked back along the beach to the pontoon under the light of sunset.

  Along the way, footprints lay on the sand, half-swept by the sea. Curious, she followed them until she came upon a girl of her own age, kneeling in the sand facing the sea. She had tanned skin, brown eyes and rather short brown hair, tied back in a ponytail. A small pendant resembling a snake's fang adorned her neck, attached by a thick rope. But the girl was unresponsive, in shock and trembling all over. Tsukinoko crouched beside her before she fainted.

  The fire crackled on the beach, gently warming the young girl in Tsukinoko's sleeping bag

  The girl also had a mark on the back of her neck, hers throbbing and oozing. Without making a sound, Tsukinoko had gently placed her hand on it, but a violent sensation made her jump back, suddenly on guard. The mark contained an evil chakra, which now turned out to be a seal.

  Without waiting, she concentrated on breaking it, but her mind was invaded by the vision of a man with skin as green as mud, slimy and cold as a snake. To no avail, she withdraws her hand as the girl seems to come to her senses. She tells Tsukinoko about Hanamaru.

  - Huh?" she wonders. What are you doing here then?

  - I don't... I don't know," she moans. I was with my master, helping him with his research, but I don't remember anything...

  - Who is it?

  - Hebimaru.

  Tsukinoko winced, puzzled as he was one of the Chef's former students, a member of the legendary trio. She took out a bowl of rice and explained the reason for her visit, without going into detail. The whole island had been searched, and there was hardly anyone left.

  - What's wrong? My sensei wouldn't have left without me, would he?

  Tsukinoko shrugs her shoulders, not daring to assert it, but the girl begins to cry, dejected, as Tsukinoko continues.

  - I was going back to the village tomorrow, you should come if you're from Hanamaru. Maybe Hebimaru's back too. What kind of work did you do?

  - I don't know... But it makes me shiver just thinking about it," she anguished.

  - We're leaving tomorrow at dawn, so get some rest tonight," she orders gently. By the way, what's your name?

  - Mochi J?net... she mumbles. And what about you?

  - Tsukinoko," she smiled.

  Back on the main island, Tsukinoko had returned his boat to the old fisherman, who had failed to react, as if faced with a resurrection. A fruitless report was submitted to the local authorities.

  After the sea voyage, the felines called to escort them to Hanamaru turned back as soon as they arrived in front of the Hanamaru hospital, as the mark on J?net's neck was likely to attract attention. Tsukinoko invited her home, let her have a shower and lent her a pair of pyjamas. But the pain in her neck didn't let up, and J?net writhed in a ball on the sheets.

  The Chief was in his official office when Tsukinoko entered through the window, skidding on all fours across the wooden floor. Uninterrupted in his work, accustomed to her agitation, he was about to greet her, but she abruptly placed her report under his nose, her face filled with hatred. Tsukinoko remained silent until he had finished reading, then looked up with a puzzled expression.

  - So you haven't found any explanation for the disappearances?

  - This is the report I gave to the sponsor. But I have another one for you, Jījī.

  The desk was drowned in sketches, along with the camera, as Tsukinoko emptied her bag to find the report for the Chief.

  - Did you make that many observations?

  - Ah yes, no," she giggles, "I took too many souvenir photos of the port, so I had to draw everything. There you go!

  His face tensed more and more as he read, peeling back his creepy sketches at the same time.

  Staring at the Colonial Agents hidden in the attic, Tsukinoko didn't want to speak in front of them to protect J?net, but the Chief reassured her. She then took out the portrait of the terrifying serpent humanoid she had drawn from her visions.

  - Well, that sounds like Hebimaru," he said, squinting.

  - How can... Do you know where he is?! she shouts in outrage. Is he here?!

  - Yes," he wonders. He came back a few days ago, just after you left. What's he got to do with it?

  - It's not clear Jījī, he abandoned his student on one of the islands! And I think he put some kind of seal on him!" she shouts, pounding her fist on the table. He was on the island the whole time, it was his laboratory!

  - Which student

  - The island where all the missing people are! I found an abandoned village there, but there was no one left except the morgue with the missing people, and the nine children. Take a look!

  She slipped the portraits of the children she'd sketched under his nose and the Chief looked at them one by one, before calling up a Colony Agent who jumped from the ceiling. It was the one with the gray hair and red-patterned mask, from the Chief's personal guard. He analyzes the sketches, then asks Tsukinoko.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  - How old are they?

  - Had," she resumed harshly. Between eleven and twelve, I'd say. They'd all been dead," she says gravely, "for two weeks now.

  - Chief, do you think they match the rumors of experimentation?

  - What rumors? Jījī that's not all!" she shouted, pulling out the brand sketch. They were giving off something weird, besides the smell.... They all had that mark on their necks! It gives you the creeps, even if they're dead! And the girl too! But she's alive, but she's really suffering," she worries. And she said she was on that island with Hebimaru, her master, that he must have left her there, but she remembers nothing, she seems to have lost her memory, she's shocked, and-

  - Easy, boy.

  The Chef thought for a moment, confused by this familiar mark, then blew out his smoke before answering.

  - Who is she?

  - J?net Mochi, but she's not feeling well Jījī! She needs treatment and-

  - Impossible," he wondered. Hebimaru said she perished a few weeks ago. What kind of story is this?" he continues gravely, analyzing the sketch of the brand.

  The Chief looks up for a moment and the other Colony officer comes down to attention in front of him, then suddenly turns to Tsukinoko.

  - The vision you had of Hebimaru, where did it come from? You've never met him. How can you say he had anything to do with it? Was he on the island?

  Tsukinoko then explained how she had felt when she tried to break J?net's seal, which made Haruo jump from his chair.

  - Warn the Council, Furoggu and Sh?d?! And prepare the interrogation room," he shouts abruptly. This story is confidential until it's cleared up. The coastal country must know absolutely nothing about it!

  - At your command, obey the Colony Agents.

  - I should have sent a Colony squad on this mission, if I'd known I'd have asked for additional observations," he reflects. Tsukinoko, you mustn't tell anyone about this. And go and find J?net Mochi," he ordered. She's at your place, isn't she? I'll be waiting for you both here, so be discreet with her. You found no trace of Hebimaru on the island?

  - Nah, it's all been erased, But all the stuff was still there, so I guessed it was him as she said she'd been there for a while with him, she shrugs. Didn't you know Jījī?

  - I had no idea," he sighs. Mochi J?net left a few months after the G?me Attack with Hebimaru to accompany him in his research. You were right to tell me about it directly. Good work, my boy, hurry up.

  In the basement of the Research Center, in the middle of the interrogation room, J?net was tied to a chair. The interrogation was going nowhere, and J?net was forced back to sleep until Sh?d? arrived, fearing a reaction from her strange mark. The Chief left the room, but Tsukinoko kept him on his toes all the way to the Residence, pestering him with questions.

  - Did you tell me everything you know?" he asks firmly after a moment. Sh?d? will keep her under surveillance for a few days. The mark you saw is one of Hebimaru's experiments. His work is beginning to take worrying turns. This business with J?net and these children isn't normal," he snaps. Kid, you've got to keep this-

  - Yeah, I know," she says, miming zipping her mouth.

  The cursed mark of Hebimaru. Only the summoner of the seal could break it. J?net will have to show patience and courage to overcome the mark, as he has no other choice.

  The Chief had returned to his office, where the Special Forces Commander, a Colony Agent wearing a beige cape and purple bear mask, and Sagi were waiting for him. No sooner had he stepped inside than Tsukinoko was sitting on his deskarms crossed. He paused to join Tsukinoko, then resumed.

  - Tsukinoko will be watching Hebimaru's every move over the next few days. Your technique must be perfected by now, so it's time to try it out under real conditions," he tells her.

  Tsukinoko was determined to find out what Hebimaru was up to, furious that he had abandoned J?net. Swallowing a whole packet of cookies as she stretched, she listened with one ear to Sagi's complaints.

  - Chief Haruo, are you sure? This is special agent work," insists the Commander.

  - You wait for his signal.

  In her corner, Tsukinoko impregnated a shuriken with her chakra before giving it to the Chief.

  - Are you sure, Haruo? insists Sagi. We can't risk Hebimaru getting away because of a child's incompetence.

  - Tsukinoko has all the skills required with her technique, Kenja no Daisan'nome. She's never met Hebimaru, which is an asset we can't ignore: he'll never suspect her.

  She sticks her tongue out at the other two, but just as she's about to leave the Chief stops her, pipe in mouth.

  - Tsukinoko, the Adviser asks you to explain your technique.

  - Well... she sighs. I knead my chakra as if I were meditating with my aura to increase my sensory capacities, she exclaims with a terribly weary air, and I can enclose my chakra in an object and when I meditate it allows me to convey messages with it. That's all there is to it.

  - How?" he insists.

  - My enclosed chakra will resonate with mine, and if I voluntarily disturb it, the object will be disturbed too," she continues in the same tone.

  She points to the shuriken on the desk, then signs the tiger incantation, emanating her aura. Her aura vibrates in the air, causing the shuriken to flash at the same rate.

  - Depending on the intensity of the disturbance and the frequency, I've been able to create a whole code for remote communication. Any questions?" she exclaims haughtily.

  - Give them one too. If there's a vibration every 0.5 seconds, it's in case of imminent danger because they've been spotted, every 1 second if the target eludes them, and every 2 seconds when they've finished and can provide their report. Keep them with you, and be ready to react with your men in case of complications.

  - Interesting. Your disciple seems more promising than she looks," exclaims Sagi.

  Tsukinoko winced, offended, and jumped up onto the desk. But the Chief interrupts her again as she takes off.

  - Don't forget to take a break every three nights, at most.

  - I know," she bellows. So long!

  Clinging to the window face, she swung into the air and landed on the roof of the Residence, before disappearing into the adjacent Academy. Ready to meditate day and night, drawing on her powers of concentration that proved relevant when she wanted to

  Sitting cross-legged in the center of the small, dusty janitor's office, Tsukinoko took a deep breath. Her chakra was rising, like the flame of a candle. Gradually, different chakras were felt around her. Students leaving the Academy, teachers finishing their work, parents opening their arms wide to welcome their children, Sagi quietly descending the stairs towards her.

  He discreetly slid back the partition, hiding behind it to watch Tsukinoko. His presence disturbed her and she electrified her aura right in front of him. The clatter of small discharges made him step back, then finally disappear.

  A few minutes later, Hebimaru was finally spotted. He was in the Academy laboratories. His essence made her shiver with disgust, froze her blood. Her skin turned sticky, greenish, and hissing sounds filled the room, as if it were full of snakes. Tsukinoko abruptly opened her eyes again, stroking her arms to warm herself for a moment before resuming, alone. Hebimaru was being watched, night and day, as well as any suspicious activity in the village by the Colony.

  As night fell for a second time, Hebimaru left the laboratory but took a different route, erasing his tracks along the way. He finally entered the land of death, ducked into the hollow of a gigantic tree and suddenly disappeared. Impossible to trace, the hiding place must have been sealed or protected.

  He didn't emerge until dawn, directly beyond the village walls. Faint traces with him belonged to several people who, until a gigantic snake was summoned to devour them without leaving a crumb. Tsukinoko thought she'd made a mistake - they couldn't be human beings. That evening, Hebimaru returned to his hidden lair, and Tsukinoko, exhausted, vibrated her aura.

  A few minutes later, the Chief, Sagi and the Commander joined her, accompanied by a fourth investigator, Furoggu. Tsukinoko murmured her explanations, the others listened attentively, then the Chief stood up with a serious look on his face.

  - That's fine. That's enough, little one," he says, handing him some fresh water.

  Her aura dissipates and her hair falls back, and she slowly stretches her legs before reopening her eyes.

  - I'm starving... Jījī?

  The Chef stared at the floor. Anger showed on his face, and Tsukinoko emptied the bottle in one gulp, waiting for him to react. Without a word, he stomped off down the corridor, followed by the others. Tsukinoko staggers to her feet, but Furoggu catches her in his arms before she falls. The Chief finally stops on the roof of the Residence and turns back to Tsukinoko, suffocating on the ground.

  - Do you know who those tracks were that you smelled? asks Furoggu.

  - Wait, let's not jump to conclusions!

  Tsukinoko turned around slowly, numb. Sh?d? had joined them and asked her to explain her observations again.

  - The traces you saw may have been cellular markers, like skin cells left behind after a handshake," she explains. Human cells don't survive for more than a few minutes outside the human body, so you wouldn't have been able to perceive a chakra without a whole person with it or immediately after it had passed. However, some cells can survive in the body even after death, for a few hours. That's the only way to explain these traces you saw. What did they look like?

  - Er... There was almost nothing, it was several packages he had with him and then he left them there on the floor," she murmured, beginning to realize. It looked like... Clusters of microscopic starfish?

  - Like cerebral nerves?

  Tsukinoko didn't dare say it, appalled by the evidence. She looked up at Sh?d?, who read her gaze.

  - How can he..." she mutters in outrage. You haven't seen anyone else come in or out of that hiding place?! Who knows how long they've been locked up! she shouts.

  - He's gone too far. That's enough!" ordered an outraged Haruo. Sh?d?," he said, pointing with his chin at Tsukinoko.

  Joined by a unit of special agents, he headed back down to the Residence without delay. Tsukinoko had gotten up to follow him, indignant, but after spending three days without eating, drinking or sleeping, Sh?d? caught her in time as she fainted.

  Tsukinoko wakes up in the Chef's workroom, locked and the windows bolted shut, unable to judge how much time had passed. Without waiting, she forced open the lock. He was in his armory on the top floor of the Résidence, and turned his head to hear Tsukinoko catch her breath on the landing.

  - You'll rest in my apartments tonight," he said, removing his haori. Ren will see to your protection. I'm proud of you," he said after a pause, "you've been a great help in this affair. You've shown your seriousness and tenacity.

  - Where to now? Where do we go from here?

  - I need to have a word with Hebimaru. Keep an eye on little J?net in the meantime, here, won't you? he said softly as he went to change behind the screen.

  - Talking?" she grimaces, turning her back to him. In your combat gear? It's bad what he did, isn't it?" she says sadly. To leave her there and say she was dead, then the children and the traces of life... Do you think he really killed people? Was it his laboratory? Are you going to arrest him?

  - My little beast," he sighs. First, I'll ask him to explain the information we have.

  - Then why are you wearing your armor?

  He didn't answer her and continued to prepare, then she glanced over as he emerged from the screen in his black ensemble from beneath his combat pads.

  - Ren is waiting for you, hurry up. This story doesn't concern you any more, you're not allowed to know any more.

  - He's dangerous, let me come with you Jījī! He's a monster, he mustn't stay here! And he's going to pay for what he did to J?net! she shouts angrily. He-

  - We're ready, Chief.

  Tsukinoko had been cut off by three Colony agents in the corridor, who had appeared without making a sound. She was surprised to find the gray-haired one, while his colleague stared at her from behind his mask.

  - Chief, is this child with you? Do you need me to take her home before I go?

  - Tsukinoko is staying here while we take care of this matter.

  - Tsukinoko... ? he repeats to himself, not quite sure he's heard right.

  - His disciple," says the grey.

  - Tsukinoko!" he exclaims. Given what you've told me, I didn't think Tsukinoko was a kid," he says.

  - Tsukinoko, Tsukinoko, do you want to repeat it again, you fool? she shouts, crossing her arms.

  - Ahoy, tu-

  - What?! All I have to do is break your ankles and I'll go in your place, so don't mess with me! she threatens

  Chef chuckles under his breath as he emerges ready to go.

  - Respect your superiors.

  He calmed her down by placing his hand on her head as she drew out her aura to immobilize the Colony, which dared not retaliate against the Chief's disciple.

  - Weren't you supposed to collect and then erase all the elements of this case from his mind? an agent discreetly asks the Chief.

  - It's not necessary. She's already shocked enough, I don't want to force her into this intervention.

  Tsukinoko remained glued to the railing, following with her eyes the silhouettes of the group as they rode across the tiles. Ren joined her with a hot meal, and confessed that J?net was an acquaintance, relieved to know she was alive and with the doctors right now. According to him, Le Chef wanted to erase her memory for his own good, because some stories are much darker and more violent than we think.