Almost five minutes passed; the customers had already left, and while the adolescent moved with precise skill to slip out of the security camera's angle to use his phone, Izuku considered it the perfect moment to intervene.
The moment the camera turned to one side, Ghosfreakbecame intangible to take an adhesive sheet he grabbed from the desk and stick it onto the lens.
Taking another look, the dazed adolescent remained immersed in his chat; his foolish laughter gave away its content.
He had moved into a break room, leaning outside the field of view of curious onlookers, but without limiting his attention to the possibility of a customer entering.
"Alright, let's see.."
He quickly navigated the computer, sending his eye to the side of his head every few seconds to stay alert.
"Income table, merchandise, salaries, termination letter… Bingo."
Inside a document file renamed "Termination Letters," he found what he was looking for, for among the many names and information of each employee who had passed through there, one stood out due to the boss's remarks.
He took another paper from the desk and fluidly wrote down all the names on the list, their contact information, and addresses.
When everything was ready, he logged out, removed the sheet so it would look like it peeled off on its own, and went back the way he came, through the wall.
The view of the alley welcomed him back; his eye swept left to right to check that there were no people around.
Confident he wouldn't be discovered, he became tangible and gave a pat to the green watch on his chest; the green glow covered the shadows and, once human again, the boy took some time to gather the new information.
"Ryuunosuke Uryu worked for an extremely short period of time, a handsome young man who fulfilled his tasks, but who made others uncomfortable with his empty stare and strange comments. The breaking point before being fired was a mother's complaint about a possible 'inappropriate approach' to her son.
This subject has the words 'Main Suspect' in all caps—how is it possible that the police haven't been able to connect two such simple dots?"
He checked again the information he had written on his paper, took the crumpled map from his pocket, and opened it on the ground.
"With the address of his apartment, guilt becomes more evident; it's located a short distance from each crime, facilitating observation of the victims, the transport of tools, and his ease of entering and leaving." With the apartment located, he carefully folded the map, put it back in his pocket, and headed toward the last point of interest.
It didn't take him long to arrive.
He felt a little disappointed by how easily he could enter the room—at least for a few seconds until he glimpsed the interior; there, the feeling simply turned into disgust.
It was a small room, with just the bare necessities, but the already reduced space became unbearable due to the disorder. Piles of clothes covered the floor, the smell of dirty laundry permeated the place, the kitchen was piled high with dirty plates and glasses, and instant food packages were everywhere.
One piece of clothing would be enough, he told himself; he covered his nose and took a dirty sock, looked around for something to store it in, and in a corner—without much sense—an empty trash can with a dark garbage bag became his salvation.
Before leaving, he noticed a dust-covered photo of the boy, propped on the nightstand beside the bed without sheets.
He was surprised by how young he was; he was probably just entering adulthood. He had orange hair and earrings.
The emptiness of his eyes stared back at him.
"His gaze is so terrifying; just looking at it makes one feel uncomfortable. It's as if he were incapable of hiding his intentions. I wonder… since when has he had that look on his face?"
With the culprit identified, he retraced his steps, making sure that if the boy returned at any moment, he would be unable to identify traces of a break-in.
And just as he was about to leave the room, the sound of approaching footsteps alerted him.
By the time the door opened, the boy had already hidden under the bed, surrounded by dust, spiders, and filth.
"Come on, come on, he's here, please Omnitrix, we can finish this now." But oblivious to his pleas, the watch remained its irritating red color.
—Aaah! Damn it!—he exclaimed—. I'm getting careless, how could I forget my summoning manual at home?!— He opened the nightstand drawer and took out a small book.
Izuku startled immediately, unconsciously placing both hands over his mouth as he directed his gaze toward the feet that stood in front of him.
They soon disappeared; a weight descended onto the mattress, and for a few brief moments it seemed like the old, rotten wood was about to give way.
He rolled around on the bed, agitated and grumbling about his mistakes.
—Fill, fill, fill, fill!— His feet descended again; he took a strange book in his hands and began to read it. —Damn it, why is it so complicated?!… I didn't expect demons to be so strict with their summoning—he lamented.
There were a few seconds of silence; the sound of paper pages tearing through the space.
Like a tick-tock, they caused the green-haired boy's eyes to go again and again to the watch on his wrist, before turning upward once more to try to read what kept him so focused.
—Of course!… It's fill, fill, fill, fill, and fill—five times, not four. How foolish of me!— He sighed in relief. —For a moment I thought it was just a joke from my parents. I would have been very disappointed to repeat the same procedure for nothing… After all, variety is what makes it interesting—
A blind fury invaded the child beneath the bed.
"So many deaths, so much suffering, and the only thing that saddens you is not being able to vary your murders?!"
—Alright, recess is over! I can't let the appetizer wither from fear; it has to be well seasoned for tonight!—
He jumped onto the bed and posed as if what he was about to do were worthy of admiration.
Unaware that by jumping onto the bed, the weight would prevent the small one below from pressing his watch and putting an end to the killing spree.
The bulge of the mattress struck his head with enough force to disconnect him from reality.
He jumped off the bed and, book in hand, abandoned his lair at full speed.
By the time his eyes began to open, the sun had almost set.
The rays of light that covered the streets of Fuyuki gave way to faint, melancholic orange traces that fought the darkness in a battle destined to fail.
The curfew was taking effect; no soul moved through the streets—only those steeped in malice would traverse those dark paths.
"How long have I been out?"
He hurried out from under the bed, stood up, and touched his head; it was stronger than he expected, he told himself—there was a small trace of dried blood.
"I don't have time for this; whatever he planned is about to come to fruition!"
He directed his hand to his wrist and felt relieved to be greeted by the color green.
—Wildmutt, it's your time to shine. It's time to be a hero!—
He pressed the dial.
His DNA changed; what had once been human became beast. The veins of his left arm bulged, thickening and strengthening his limbs; from them sprouted abundant orange fur like spines that covered his entire body. The pupils of his eyes disappeared, turning orange and vanishing into his fur; their function was transferred to three gill-like nostrils on the sides of his neck and to the spines on his body, granting him the senses necessary to survive.
When the light faded, there stood a beast in a simian stance with enormous claws. It resembled a dog, but lacked eyes, nose, ears, or tail. It stood on four legs; its teeth were sharp and its lower jaw protruded, causing it to drool when, driven by instinct, it let out a powerful roar that alerted the building's residents.
His watch rested on his left shoulder, now transformed into a black, white, and green pauldron.
His senses sharpened; he sniffed a bit and, thanks to the fact that the person in question had been present minutes earlier, the trail became clear.
If you asked Izuku while he was in human form, he would say that rather than shapes, what he perceived when transformed into Wildmutt was as if everything presented itself as a three-dimensional map of aromas. This scent gave form to everything present around him; depending on time, people, or emotions, the aromas took on different colors.
In this case, he could perceive Ryuunosuke's "warm" smell because he had been in a place infested with it; the trail was strong, and he was sure that within minutes he would catch up.
He was about to charge through the front door, but seeing that several "aromas" were fleeing from it in panic, he decided to go through the window and dive down the building. His massive arm grabbed the metal fire escape, and with surprising agility for his size, he corrected his trajectory and landed in motion before setting off in pursuit at full speed.
The neighbors peered out through the shattered window, watching as that enormous creature raced down the street at full speed toward an unknown destination.