Headless Knight? Witness the Power of the People

Mounting the motorcycle, the two had just pulled onto the highway when a sound, resembling both the neigh of a horse and the roar of an engine, echoed from behind them.

Before they could even turn their heads, a motorcycle sped past them in a blur.

It was a pitch-black motorcycle, ridden by a woman clad in tight black leather and wearing a cute yellow cat-eared helmet.

Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Kyo介 Hojo’s interest was completely hooked—not because of her slender legs, nor her delicate waist, and certainly not because of her impressive cup size.

Rather, it was because of the floating cursor above her head: [Durarara!! - Celty Sturluson (Protagonist)].

A dullahan? What on earth was that? Was it the same dullahan from the legends he knew?

Hojo Kyo介 had indeed heard of an Irish folklore tale about a headless knight who turned into an undead specter after death, riding an equally spectral horse as he wandered the mortal realm in search of his lost head.

What was this? Had ghost stories kept up with the times, trading horses for motorcycles?

Moreover, this was already the fourth protagonist Hojo Kyo介 had encountered.

What should he do? He was getting excited now.

If only Hojo Kyo介’s driving skills were better, and Sakura had not been riding with him, he definitely would have given chase immediately.

"Number five, number five..."

Several traffic police motorcycles, flashing red and blue lights, sped past in hot pursuit of the dark motorcycle.

"Kyo介? Do you want to join them?"

Seeing the sparkling gleam in Hojo Kyo介’s eyes, Sakura asked with an amused smile.

Ever since entering junior high, this childhood friend of his seemed to have changed a lot. Though he usually still looked lazy and nonchalant, his interests and hobbies had broadened significantly.

"Yeah," Hojo Kyo介 answered honestly.

"Well, should I just take the subway back to school by myself then?" Sakura suggested.

"How could I possibly let you go back alone?"

Hojo Kyo介 flatly refused. He knew Sakura meant every word she said. This girl was always like that; though her head was full of quirky logic, whenever it came to Hojo Kyo介, she always considered his well-being with her whole heart.

"Hmph~" Sakura let out a soft noise and then wrapped her arms tightly around Hojo Kyo介’s waist.

Damn it, why did she have to wear a helmet!

The barrier of the helmet prevented Sakura from pressing her face against Hojo Kyo介’s warmth, leaving her deeply unsatisfied.

Hojo Kyo介 pulled out his smartphone, opened a chat room, quickly typed out a few messages, and then drove Sakura toward the direction of Shirayuri Academy.

"I had so much fun today."

At the school gates, Sakura held several shopping bags and stood beside the motorcycle to bid Hojo Kyo介 farewell.

"I'm glad, but next time we go shopping together, I'm definitely buying every single outfit you tried on." Hojo Kyo介 slapped the fuel tank in frustration.

"Giggle, how could I possibly wear that many?" Sakura laughed softly.

"I don't care."

"Well, I'm going in then."

"Yeah, goodbye."

"Bye-bye~"

As she spoke, Sakura suddenly leaped forward and planted a kiss on Hojo Kyo介’s cheek.

"Get home safely, Kyo介."

"Yeah."

Touching the spot where Sakura had launched her ambush, Hojo Kyo介 put on his helmet, turned the motorcycle around, and sped off. Destination: Ikebukuro.

Stopping by the roadside upon entering the Ikebukuro area, Hojo Kyo介 took out his phone, and countless messages immediately popped up.

The chat room where he had messaged earlier was the main group of the Violent Angels, containing every single member of the gang.

Masaki Kyo介 had mentioned to him that the Oku branch was located in Ikebukuro. The reason it wasn't simply named the Ikebukuro branch was because they hadn't managed to unify all of Ikebukuro, so they named it after the Oku High School where branch leader Katagiri Satoshi hailed from.

For instance, the Roppongi branch was named directly after Roppongi because the Haitani brothers had purged all opposing forces in the district and completely conquered it.

Earlier, Hojo Kyo介 had wondered why Katagiri Satoshi, who seemed considerably stronger, hadn't managed to unify Ikebukuro. But experiencing Ikebukuro in person today and witnessing so many weirdos in a single night, he immediately understood Katagiri Satoshi and even felt a twinge of sympathy for the guy.

The message he had sent earlier instructed his subordinates in Ikebukuro to keep an eye on that "dullahan" named Celty who rode the all-black motorcycle.

He hadn't ordered his subordinates to corner the dullahan because, during that fleeting glimpse upon their first encounter, Hojo Kyo介 had sensed the ominous black mist radiating from her. That was clearly a non-human existence, and there was no need to put his subordinates in danger. Merely keeping watch was enough.

Sure enough, upon opening the chat room, messages flooded in like a relay race, reporting the dullahan's location wherever she went.

"Just passed the Tobu Department Store."

"Already reached the SABON beauty shop, turning west."

"At Yamahitei Teppanyaki."

"At the fire station."

...

Things were quite normal at first, and then Hojo Kyo介 saw:

"She's on the outer wall of the building!"

"I saw it too!"

"She climbed along the wall up to the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre."

"She flew away! The traffic police are chasing after her."

At this point, the messages paused briefly, as the dullahan's flight seemed to have caused the subordinates to lose their target.

"Wait, no, she didn't leave! She's still on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, what flew away was fake!"

"I saw it too, she came back down the wall."

"The cops had no idea they got played. She's slowed down and arrived in front of Hotel White City."

"She stopped and entered an apartment building."

The location reporting ended there, and none of the subordinates dared to send any more messages for fear of disturbing his review of the logs.

"Good job, everyone, thank you for your hard work," Hojo Kyo介 typed.

"No trouble at all!" replied countless members.

Seeing Hojo Kyo介’s ID appear, the chat room instantly refreshed with a flood of replies.

"Boss, do you need assistance? That guy is an urban legend here in Ikebukuro, the dullahan, and something is seriously wrong with them," Katagiri Satoshi messaged.

"Ah, now that you mention it, if it's convenient, please have a samurai sword delivered to me—send it right to the apartment building where the dullahan was last seen."

Hojo Kyo介 had originally planned to decline and play it safe, but facing a non-human entity whose personality and nature were uncertain, he wouldn't feel truly secure without a blade in his hand.

"Understood, delivering it to you right away," replied Katagiri Satoshi.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Katagiri," replied Hojo Kyo介.

What a reliable subordinate, Hojo Kyo介 thought as he stretched lazily while sitting on his motorcycle.

Well then, let's go see what this so-called dullahan really is!