The Unpredictable Human Heart

Since this misunderstanding had arisen because of him, Hozer had intentionally spoken to tease Tendou Souji. Seeing that Tendou was indeed startled, Hozer quickly changed the subject to avoid being held accountable.

"You still haven't explained what's going on with Hiyori being a Worm."

Hozer sidestepped the most critical question.

That was: after a Worm mimicked someone, it would kill the original.

If Hiyori was a Worm, then where was the original Hiyori? Kagami Arata couldn't accept a Worm mimicking Kagami Ryo, so could Tendou Souji accept a Worm that had killed the real Hiyori?

Hozer felt that given Tendou Souji's personality, such a thing was impossible. There had to be more to the story.

Sure enough, Tendou Souji's subsequent explanation exceeded Hozer's expectations.

"I was adopted by my grandmother. My original name is Kusakabe Souji. My biological parents were killed by two Worms over a decade ago, and they mimicked my parents' appearances. At that time, my mother was pregnant."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying Hiyori is the child born from the Worm that mimicked your mother?"

"Yes."

"This... to think they could achieve such a level is truly unimaginable."

Hozer was deeply astonished by the Worms' mimicking ability; this went far beyond his current understanding.

Seeing the shifting expressions in Hozer's eyes, Tendou Souji deduced something.

"Do you want to study the Worms?"

Hozer smiled. "I do have that idea, though it's too early to call it research. However, I believe ZECT must have a wealth of research data on them."

"So the key still lies with ZECT. Unfortunately, we have no way to make them hand over those documents willingly."

Tendou Souji continued, "I don't believe ZECT is a monolith. Assuming there is indeed another faction of Worms within the organization, we must find high-ranking humans we can trust."

"Tendou, let me investigate this secretly. You are highly likely exposed in ZECT's eyes right now."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Be careful."

"You too."

Thus, over the following period, Tendou Jyuka noticed that Hozer was rarely home, and it was common for him not to return for several nights. Cooking, which had previously been shared between Hozer and Tendou Souji, became entirely Tendou Souji's responsibility.

"Brother, what is Brother Hozer busy with?"

During dinner that day, Tendou Jyuka propped her chin in her hands and asked Tendou Souji, who was reading the newspaper.

Without looking up, Tendou Souji replied, "Brother Hoz is doing what adults need to do. Jyuka, do you miss Brother Hoz's cooking?"

Tendou Jyuka stuck out her tongue and giggled, her thoughts easily read.

"Is my Chinese cooking not good enough?"

Tendou Jyuka teased, "Brother Hozer's cooking is just a tiny bit tastier."

Putting down the newspaper, Tendou Souji immediately walked toward the kitchen.

"Xem ra anh phải đặc huấn một đoạn thời gian, bằng không thì về sau Jyuka đều không muốn ăn đồ ăn anh làm nữa."

"No way! Your cooking is delicious too, brother. It's just a tiny bit away from matching Brother Hozer's."

The siblings chatted and laughed, while on the coffee table, the front page of the newspaper featured a striking headline.

"Incomprehensible Serial Murders"...

Inside an empty tunnel, a businesswoman in her thirties had her throat pierced by the tentacles of a green Ladybug Worm. Her bodily fluids were drained, causing her skin to rapidly shrivel and collapse, turning her into a desiccated corpse.

In a van not far away, a tall man, a special envoy from headquarters, watched the entire scene coldly.

Just then, his phone rang, and he immediately pulled it out to answer.

"Target not spotted at Location B. The Worm has left."

"Continue surveillance."

"Understood."

Hanging up, the green Ladybug Worm, having completed its kill, mimicked the woman's appearance and departed, with the van immediately tailing it.

From a further distance, Hozer stared at the departing van, his eyes cold as a flash of killing intent flickered and vanished.

He had only discovered by chance through the newspaper that ZECT was actually turning a blind eye to the Worms' killings.

Indeed, no matter the world, humans were always creatures that inspired both love and hate.

Hozer had no intention of standing by, nor did he mind eliminating a few bad apples.

However, he couldn't act directly. In a metropolis like Tokyo, cameras were everywhere; with one careless move, his face would be captured.

He couldn't mimic appearances either. If he got targeted, it would be highly troublesome; his previous experience of being tracked by the police was a profound lesson.

Furthermore, Worms were not unintelligent. Since mimicking humans granted them the corresponding memories, whatever humans could think of, they could too.

Perhaps the Worms had long since noticed this indulgence and surveillance.

Moreover, it wasn't just one Worm committing crimes. Hozer had also discovered another blue Ladybug Worm being tracked by a van, and the occupants were familiar faces.

Shuichi Tadokoro and Misaki Yuzuki had been requisitioned by the special envoy from headquarters.

And all of this pointed to a single purpose: to lure Tendou Souji into action and arrest him.

Setting aside the fact that the Kabuto Zecter had been obtained by an outsider, the belt alone—whose origin was unknown to them—was enough to justify the arrest.

Pondering how ZECT would react if he killed the special envoy, Hozer quickly pursued the departing van...

Bistro Salle.

"Hiyori, where is Kagami?"
"He took another leave of absence."
"You should fire him. He's always taking leave or showing up late; he's absolutely useless."

Hiyori Kusakabe glanced at Tendou Souji, said nothing, and turned back to continue her work.

She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt that lately, the way Tendou Souji looked at her had subtly changed—almost like an older brother looking at his younger sister, which made her highly uncomfortable.

At this moment, Tendou Souji noticed two tickets to the international flower exhibition tucked into a wall pocket and pulled them out.

"The world's most unique tulips. The exhibition has already been running for a day. Do you want to go see it?"

"No."

"Hiyori, you're terrible at lying. You're just like Kagami in that regard."

"How am I like him?"

Hiyori Kusakabe grumbled in dissatisfaction.

In her eyes, Kagami was clumsy and highly impulsive, but his heart was in the right place.

"I'll take you."

"I'm not going."

"Why?"

"Flowers and I don't mix."

Tendou Souji smiled at her words.

"Grandmother once said: Flowers make all women bloom with light. I believe so too. You and tulips suit each other perfectly."

Hiyori Kusakabe fell silent for a few seconds before revealing the real reason.

"I hate crowded places."

"That's why I'm going with you. It's settled then. Tomorrow afternoon at two, I'll wait for you at Tokyo Tower."

"I already said I'm not going."

"Don't worry, I will be right by your side."

Hiyori Kusakabe turned to look at Tendou Souji, who returned a warm, gentle smile.

Ultimately, Hiyori Kusakabe relented. In truth, she really did want to go.

"Okay."

The smile on Tendou Souji's face widened.

Leaving Bistro Salle, Tendou Souji made a trip to the jewelry store, paying extra to have the jeweler craft a tulip pendant necklace by ten o'clock tomorrow morning.

When he returned home, Hozer had just arrived. Tendou Souji informed him of the matter, expressing his hope to change the protective necklace into a tulip design.

Lying back on the sofa, Hozer smiled and said, "That's simple enough. But how are you going to thank me?"

"Hiyori is your sister too."

Hozer rolled his eyes and said in mock annoyance, "Fine, I can't argue with that logic. But tonight, I want to eat your signature dish."

"No problem."

Tendou Souji happily headed to the kitchen.

Hozer glanced at the clock on the wall and went to help, taking the opportunity to learn a few of Tendou Souji's culinary secrets.