August 12, 2105
Manila, capital of the Republic of the Philippines
The International Crime Prevention and Control Division, an investigative agency specializing in foreign affairs, has already infiltrated Manila, the capital of the Philippines, where the human combustion incident involving the magical drug "Pleasure Fire" occurred.
The Philippines is a member of the International Federation, and the Philippine government has entrusted the security of the country to the IF Security Forces in exchange for transferring to the IF Security Council the rights to survey and mine metal deposits in North Surigao and Manila. Therefore, the Japanese government, which contributes a certain number of troops to the IF, is guaranteed the authority to enforce security measures in the Philippines, just as it does in Catalonia.
Now, a total of seven police officers from the International Crime Prevention and Control Division 4 Section 3, led by Inspector Daiya Shibasaki, were in Manila. They were at a restaurant in a luxury hotel where they were staying after having identified a body that had been combusted from inside, along with local Manila City Police officers, and after having conducted an on-site inspection on a burned brothel. The seats were private rooms, and there was no view of the surroundings. On a circular table, a mix of Chinese and European flavors was laid out, and seven police officers poked at their food as they looked over the papers that had been handed out to them.
"...Tomorrow we will go undercover in the entertainment district. We, as wealthy people of Hong Kong and Taiwanese descent, will try to contact the dealers of the Pleasure Fire. The dealers in the field could be the tails of lizards that are sharper than females, but we have to find out if that is the case or not."
Inspector Shibasaki explained his plans to his subordinates. Their goal was to impersonate wealthy foreigners who play around at night in the entertainment district and make contact with the dealers. The documents in their possession contained the names of the bars and clubs they had identified and the fictitious characters they were to impersonate.
"The four victims of the human combustion were all identified. Based on their footsteps, we made a list of the clubs that the traffickers were most likely to frequent. Shijima and Kanzaki, you go to Club Cielo, Rakunami, Mimika, and Kazu, you go to Flying Love, while Gunjo and I will hit Manila Nightmare."
"Righto!"
"Leave it to us!"
The six subordinates assigned by their leader, Shibasaki, are treating the inspector with a slightly rough attitude. Shibasaki did not mind this and continued to speak.
"This is a case involving the leakage of our country's secrets... magic. We'll do everything we can to trace it back to the source of the drugs."
This is a case that has caught the attention of the Japanese government. Shibasaki and the others again ordered their gall to do so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 13, 2105
Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean
The next day, on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, far from the Philippines, the Imperial Japanese Navy dispatched to defeat pirates who had been once a part of the People's Liberation Army was inspecting cargo seized from the pirates. In addition to medical supplies and foodstuffs that appeared to have been looted from the damaged freighter, there was a large amount of cargo that appeared to have been collected by the pirates in their previous plundering activities.
The soldier who was conducting the inspection brought a report to Lieutenant Sudo, the head of the detachment.
"Among the cargo seized from the pirate ship, we found something unusual."
The soldier then took out a pill sealed in a clear pharmaceutical sheet and placed it on Sudo's desk. Sudo looked at the nondescript tablets and cocked his eyebrow.
"What is this...?"
"This is the Japanese magic drug Pleasure Fire, which is secretly circulating in Palau right now."
"!?"
As soon as he heard the name of the drug, Sudo's complexion paled. The name of the drug was the name of a magical drug that was distributed in Japan during the chaotic period immediately after the return to Earth.
"Are you sure about that?"
"There is no doubt about it. We have the testimony of the people involved. They said they bought it from a dealer in Palau..."
Sudo picked up the report from his subordinate and looked at it with increasing difficulty.
"Their home base is Namorik Atoll... Have Fujisaka's team go there and seize the remaining magic drugs from their hideout... We are going to Palau."
"...Yes, sir!"
The Republic of Palau, an island nation belonging to Micronesia like the Marshall Islands, had concluded a security agreement with Japan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 16, Evening
"Flying Love", Manila, Republic of Philippines
On a summer evening, three Japanese police officers were seen in a nightclub in the entertainment district of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Eita Rakunami, Mimika Arizu, and Kazufumi Saito, all of International Crime Prevention and Control Division 4 Section 3, were investigating the "Flying Love," a club where dealers of Pleasure Fire were known to frequent.
"Hey, sis! Add a bottle of wine over here!"
"Right! At once!"
A waitress in a revealing and sensational outfit is taking orders. Rakunami ordered more and more expensive drinks, taking advantage of the fact that he could write them off on his expense account. The club is dimly lit and crowded with shady-looking people. The three of them, pretending to be the children of wealthy people who were used to fooling around, blended in well with the scene.
"...It's been three days since we infiltrated here, and we haven't been able to reach our target."
Kazufumi Saito, a young officer known as Kazu to his peers, was frustrated by his inability to find the drug dealers. He was more serious than the rest of his peers.
"You can't be too hasty in this kind of thing... Keep playing the role of smart-assed, money-grubbing, bozo, and they'll come around. So for now, drink! Blend in!"
Rakunami, a senior, poured wine into Kazu's empty glass. There was a cold look in his eyes as he did so.
"I'm worried that someone who drank for free will be a wreck at the critical moment."
Mimika Arizu, disguised in flashy makeup, sighed as she watched Rakunami stirring up the free drinks. She, a descendant of a yuki-onna (snow woman yōkai) bloodline, caused the glass held in her hand to freeze and radiate cold air.
"What did you say!?"
"Nothing."
Irritated by Mimika's argument, Rakunami barked at her. Mimika, however, did not seem to pay attention. Rakunami clicked his tongue and stood up abruptly.
"...Che, I'm going to get another drink."
With that, he headed for the counter.
This store is located in a part of the entertainment district where it is not safe to store, so prostitutes and black market brokers mingle among the customers who come and go. Of course, there was a great possibility of drug dealers coming and going.
A few minutes after Rakunami left his seat, Kazu also got up to urinate.
"Sorry, I have to go to the bathroom..."
"Oh, go on."
Mimika watched Kazu leave without paying any attention to him, and when she was alone, she quietly took a mimosa into her mouth. As if she had been watched until she was left alone, a young Filipino man approached her. He sat down across from her in the seat where Rakunami had been sitting and spoke to Mimika with a grin on his face.
"Lady, you have been drinking a lot. You're from Hong Kong, right? Is this your first time in Manila?"
"........."
Mimika frowned for a moment. But it quickly shifted to her acting expression. She gave a small sigh and smiled seductively as she crossed her legs under the table.
"Yes, but... you kind of missed the point."
"...Missed?"
Their conversation is automatically interpreted by the translator Mimika wears on her arm. Because the translator is directional, the translated conversation is not heard by those around them.
"I came here because I heard there was someone here who was willing to sell me a 'fun stuff.' But no luck. It was just a rumor, it seems. I'm going home, then..."
Mimika made a remark that hints at the Pleasure Fire that is secretly being sold here. At that moment, the young man's eyes widened for a fraction.
"I don't know if this is what you're looking for, Lady... but I know something that's a bit hot and feels good. You want to give it a try before you go home?"
"...!"
This time it's Mimika's turn to widen her eyes. Perhaps this man knows something about the Pleasure Fire, a magical drug that causes spontaneous combustion in the human body in exchange for pleasure. With a glimmer of hope in her heart, Mimika left her seat as the man ushered her to do so. Her right hand was covered with a minus 30-degree cold air to show her caution.
A few minutes later, Kazu, who had gone to the restroom, returned to his seat. There was Rakunami, who was stirring the caipirinha. And Mimika, who should have stayed behind, was gone.
"...? Where is Arizu-senpai?"
"...The signal to start a separate action came to the terminal on my arm. What, she's not with you?"
Just before Mimika left her seat, she had sent the prescribed message to the terminal held by Kazu and Rakunami. Kazu, who had not noticed this, hurriedly checked the bracelet-type mobile terminal on his arm. Indeed, a message from Mimika had been delivered.
"Well, don't worry about her, even though she is the third generation, she is a yuki-onna yōkai. She's no ordinary human being. But more importantly... a dealer has contacted me."
"...Eh!?"
Rakunami was not worried about her safety. She was a race that could manipulate cold temperatures, and if she wanted to, she could easily freeze an entire human population around her. In this short time, Rakunami had obtained an extraordinary scoop. A drug dealer had contacted him. The drug dealer had heard about his career.
"Manila Nightmare," Manila's entertainment district
At the same time, Gunjo and Shibasaki, the team leader, are infiltrating another club. In the midst of this, a message arrived on their wristwatch terminals.
"...Rakunami has made contact with a dealer!"
"...!"
Realizing that things were in motion, the two immediately got up from the table, threw the bill on the cash register counter, and walked out of the place at once.
"Flying Love" bar
Meanwhile, Rakunami and Kazu, who had made contact with a dealer, were being escorted to the VIP seats in the back of the bar. Before they knew it, Mimika had also returned. She looked somewhat unhappy.
"You... where the hell have you been?" Rakunami asked her, who had been acting alone. Mimika answered with a loud sigh.
"I was approached by a guy who looked like a dealer too. But it was a big miss. He seemed to know about drugs, but he was just a pick-up artist posing as a dealer. I was so pissed off that I froze him."
"Oi, oi."
Mimika made a statement that was indistinguishable from either a joke or the truth. Rakunami couldn't help but chuckle.
After that, a young Filipino man in an expensive-looking suit appeared in front of the three sitting on a luxury sofa. He was accompanied by two strong men who looked like rough-looking bouncers.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I heard you're from Hong Kong?"
"Yeah."
Rakunami and the young man shook hands. The young man immediately took out a pill in a plastic bag from his pocket. The pills had the word "love" stamped on them in Chinese characters.
"This is what you are looking for. The new synthetic drug, Pleasure Fire, and you can't take it here."
The young man placed a bag of pills on the table. Rakunami took the pills out of the bag and checked the contents.
"This one has a chance of 30% burning a body to death."
"It's a bit scary..."
Mimika spoke uneasily. Of course, they had no intention of taking this magic drug. The man, unaware of this, continued to promote the drug to the three of them.
"Yeah, but instead of the risk, you get something that is unmatched by any other drug on the market. You will get something worth it. Once you get over the risk, you're hooked."
The Pleasure Fire, which has become popular mainly in the Philippines and Palau, is sweeping through the underworld of those countries. With a 30% chance of dying, there is no end to the number of daredevils who take the drug as a test of courage. And once they take it and come back alive, they are stuck with it due to its strong dependence. In other words, once one gets their hands on it, they will almost certainly burn to death.
"...? Why are these pills written in Chinese characters, even though they are sold in the Philippines?"
Kazu, holding the pills in his hands, asked the dealer a frank question.
"Huh? It must be the maker's preference. I don't know anything."
The dealer then put the glass on the table to his mouth. After Kazu, Rakunami spoke up.
"...But, 'Love,' the maker must be quite a romantic to make this flashy thing. They have good taste."
"Oh, so that's what it means. We can't read Chinese, so we didn't know."
The dealer apparently did not know the meaning of the letters imprinted on the pills. Kazu asked him more questions.
"Is it a Chinese who are making these? I've never heard these things in Hong Kong."
"........."
Mimika and Rakunami were a bit frustrated to see him asking questions one after another without hesitation, even if they did not show it on their faces. The dealer, however, did not seem to be bothered by Kazu's prying words and began to answer his questions, though with some hesitation.
"Well, it's not like I'm being asked to keep it a secret. Don't be surprised... this stuff was actually made in Japan."
"...Japan!?"
Rakunami feigned surprise. For people from overseas, Japan is a mysterious country that has closed its doors to them.
"To begin with... it would be impossible to create crazy stuff that burns the body of a person who consumed it except in Japan, where magic is said to exist. I was surprised at first, too."
The man then flicked his cigarette. The three of them swallowed with bated breath as they looked at the drug that was presented in front of them.
"Anyway... thank you for coming! If you like it, come back here again. I'll be here every night... Let's go."
"Yes!"
The young man left the VIP room with his escort. He tipped the waitress who greeted him generously and walked out of the bar.
"Well then..."
Rakunami put the 'product' in his pocket and slowly got up from his seat. Kazu and Mimika followed suit, sighing as the tension seemed to have been lifted. After that, they joined their comrades who had infiltrated other clubs and returned to the hotel where they were based.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 17, 2105
Malakal Island Harbor, Republic of Palau, Pacific Ocean
The next day, in Micronesia, the Imperial soldiers from the Marshall Islands detachment that had captured the pirates were visiting Palau. Like the Marshall Islands, Palau is one of the countries placed under the security guarantee by the Japanese government.
Lieutenant Sudo, accompanied by several of his men, was visiting the State of Koror. Malakal Island, which belongs to this state, has Malakal Harbor, the only port facility in Palau, where the US-2 they had come on board was parked. Furthermore, the fusion nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Hōshō, owned by the Imperial Japanese Navy, is anchored offshore of the harbor. The Hōshō and its onboard planes, the F-5N Ryusei, were the main force protecting the peace in this part of Micronesia.
Lieutenant Sudo was visiting the Imperial Japanese Navy Micronesia Dispatch Force Headquarters being built in the harbor. Although it was a headquarters, the structure was prefabricated and simple. The headquarters is headed by Captain Ryo Omura. And now, Sudo and two of his men were visiting Omura's office. They are sitting on the reception couch facing each other, discussing the current issue.
"The banned magical drug Pleasure Fire was found in the cargo seized from a pirate ship that was recently eliminated. The same drug was also seized from a hideout on Namorik Atoll, a pirate stronghold."
Sudo explained the circumstances to Omura. On the table were photographs of the seized drugs.
"The arrested sailor testified that he had bought the drugs from a dealer in Koror, Palau. We have long heard of the drugs being distributed in the Philippines and Palau..."
"...I see... and now it has made its way to the Marshall Islands... this is a very serious situation."
Among Japanese public servants scattered throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including embassy staff and military personnel, the outflow of the Pleasure Fire was already well known. Omura was concerned that it had spread to the Marshall Islands.
"...We have contacted the local police about this, and we are also searching for the dealer. Unfortunately, as you may know, we have not been able to locate them. However, the report you have sent us this time could be a very strong clue. Good job."
"...No problem, sir. It's good to hear."
Omura thanked Sudo and the other members of the Marshall Islands detachment in a very cordial manner. The investigation of the Pleasure Fire was about to begin in earnest in the Republic of Palau.
A certain house in Koror, Republic of Palau
Isolated from the continent, Koror is the largest city in Palau, with stable security under the Imperial Japanese Navy's protection and people spend their time in tranquility. On the outskirts of the city, far from the center of town and tourist attractions, there is an old house in a place where no one would look at it. In the house, an eerie voice could be heard coming from inside a dimly lit room.
"Fufufu... love, love must be delivered. To this world... that is my mission...!"
There was a woman with an ecstatic smile on her face. She dripped a cursed liquid in turn into an old dimpled pot. The strange smell emitted by the contents of the pot did not leak out to the outside world at all, thanks to the barriers the woman had put up.