Akane had left her quiet suburban hideout and taken a train to Shinjuku Station for two reasons. The first was to stalk and corner her next prey. The second was to prevent the police from discovering that she'd been responsible for the recent disappearances of young men.

Unfortunately, as she awaited the next train, the mere sight of any male human in a dark suit was enough to remind her of Tsutomu Higuchi. His face and voice sprung up again in her mind like a curse, and the accompanying feeling of discontent was enough to make her suspect that she was going mad.

It wasn't natural to experience such emotions for a creature that existed only to sate her hunger, so she sought to rationalize the strangeness by remembering the night of her final date with the single father.

That evening, he'd dropped her off at home as usual but had then unexpectedly proposed staying over until morning. She'd realized that the perfect opportunity had arisen and had agreed to his offer, then rushed into the darkness of her home without looking back. Once there, she'd assumed her true form so that there would be no choice but to end his life.

Consequently, she had goaded him into gazing up at the ceiling by teasing him as playfully as possible. He'd fallen for the bait, and when he gazed up at her, the logical choice had been to swing down and kill him so that he could never expose her secret.

Yet, she'd found herself faltering at the last moment for reasons unknown. Subsequently, Tsutomu had proven himself to be a quick thinker by rushing to his feet and promptly making his escape.

She had then chased him through the front yard and onto the road, where she'd finally managed to inject him with venom while he frantically tried to start his car.

Of course, it had been too late by then. Her venom never took effect immediately, and in the ensuing moments, Tsutomu had managed to fend her off before accelerating into the night.

How he'd ended up in the hospital afterward, she didn't know. But she was sure that he was dead, for she had paid him a personal visit and found that his soul had long since left his body.

Returning to the present, she raised her head to see the next train pulling to a stop. The people around her began to rush forward, and she took it as a cue to do the same since humans seemed to value uniformity.

Every seat was occupied by the time she arrived on board, and she was left with no choice but to remain standing as countless more people poured in around her.

The train did not resume moving until Akane felt herself being pressed from all sides by figures much taller than she was. In her time walking among humans, she'd learned that the males tended to be larger and more robust than the females, something which struck her as ridiculous because reproduction would undoubtedly be perilous and inefficient.

Such a marked difference from how things were within her own species had caused ample confusion during the early days when she'd hunted women and children under the belief that they were men. Fortunately, she'd been quick to correct her mistake after finding out that they tasted unremarkable and discovering a book about human anatomy, which had put her misconceptions to rest.

Her enjoyment of life had increased significantly in the following months, for it seemed like there was something within the bodies of male humans that made their flesh delicious indeed. This alone would have been motivation enough for her to continue her nightly hunting habits if she hadn't also realized that while an ordinary man was a treat, a handsome one was an absolute delicacy.

She'd become more fervent in her endless search for the next meal and had even begun to fancy herself a connoisseur until the night when she'd met Tsutomu in a bar.

He'd been an irresistible combination of sharply dressed and brooding, which along with his mature appearance, had filled her with awe when he'd left his seat to approach her.

As a result, she had become bashful in his presence and could only manage to give simple answers to many of his questions. An hour went by in a flash, and before she knew it, they were parting ways without her having made any significant progress.

Reluctant to let him get away so quickly, she'd followed him out into the rain and begged for his number so that they could meet again. He'd agreed with little hesitation and had then invited her into the safety of his car, where he wrote it on the back of a business card.

She'd gone home afterward, feeling giddy and excited while trying to attribute her pleasant mood to the prospect of having a charming older man as her next meal.

It brought her pain to reminisce about the other four times she'd gone out with him. She pushed the memories aside and endured the remainder of her train journey in silence, eventually squeezing her way out through the crowd as heels clicked against the pavement.

Upon leaving the station and beginning to traverse the bustling ward of Shinjuku, she'd reached out psychically to the lesser members of her species that remained primarily hidden away from human eyes.

Among them were a gifted few with the ability to breathe fire, and she delegated to them the task of infiltrating the nearest police station and burning as much of it as possible.

It was a mission that would mean certain death for them all, but she was their queen, and they were her lowly subjects. Therefore, it only fitted that they placed loyalty to her before their own well-being, no matter the circumstances.

As the early morning traffic gradually lessened, she passed by department stores and boutiques until she spied someone truly delectable on the other side of the street.

He stood gazing into the window of a clothing shop, and although his sense of style left much to be desired, he seemed to possess the smoothest skin she'd ever seen on a man. Not to mention, his shoulders were just the right width, and the way those clothes fit on him suggested that he was in excellent shape.

She imagined subjecting him to a slow death by giving him just enough venom to cause paralysis and then savoring his fine body like it was a gourmet meal. The thought made her mouth water, and she took a moment to wipe her chin clean before approaching the curb.

Her chosen prey stepped away from the window and entered the store, having apparently made up his mind on whether he wished to buy something. She frowned and cursed quietly to herself, knowing that she would have to wait for him to come out again.

There was no way of predicting how long he would take, but she managed to stay focused on the prize by reminding herself that stealth was often a crucial part of catching the best meal. With this in mind, she gladly crossed the road and arrived outside the right store to pass the time.

A shifty-looking youth with a shaved head and a studded leather jacket sauntered by and gave her a dirty look. She averted her gaze to show disinterest, and thankfully, he made no further attempt to intimidate her.

She watched him go and wondered if such punks were less inclined to misbehave during the day because social expectations were a little different, and one couldn't get away with wrongdoing so easily.

It didn't take long for her to realize that she wasn't any better, which resulted in discontent sweeping over her once more. She clenched her fists in frustration and found herself questioning if she really wanted to risk creating another potential Tsutomu.

No. It doesn't have to be that way, she mentally scolded herself, shifting both feet restlessly. Just go out with him once and then bump him off afterward. It's that simple.

She relaxed her hands and prepared to meet her prey by putting on a smile that he was bound to find charming. Then, she raised her head and stood up tall, feeling confident that she'd return to her previously stellar track record in no time.

As if on cue, her prey stepped out through the store's exit. He came to a complete stop, and as his mouth dropped open, she could have sworn that his eyes were filled with terror instead of desire.

******

Tsutomu knew that Akane had to be lurking somewhere in Tokyo, but he could never have expected her to show up so opportunely during what was supposed to be his lucky day.

To make matters worse, she was wearing that smile that appeared seductive but really meant that she was ready to prey on him again. He clutched his shopping bag tighter and, desperate to make it out of this situation alive, hurriedly stepped back to head back into the safety of the store.

Unfortunately, it seemed like she was having none of that.

"Not so fast, handsome!" she raised her voice excitedly, grabbing his arm before pulling him straight towards her with frightening speed. "We need to talk!"

His face came close enough to hers that he could feel her breath against his neck. But, unfortunately, her smile did not fade, and he became all too aware of the way his chest contracted and expanded.

He couldn't afford to die now. Not when Sachiko and Tetsuya were waiting.

Akane opened her mouth to speak further, and he didn't waste any time. He raised his leg to knee her in the groin, causing her to instantly double over with wide eyes.

"You..."

He shoved past her and made his escape. Bystanders hastily stepped aside to stay out of his way, allowing him to run along the rest of the block uninterrupted. Finally, he reached a crosswalk, and upon seeing the little red man up ahead, he slammed the button repeatedly. Turn green. Damn it!

The light remained red, and he took a panicked look behind him to see that Akane was drawing ever closer. He turned his head back just as another car sped past in front of him and swallowed.

It was either now or never, so he decided to take a gamble. He charged straight forward without hesitating for another moment, the suddenness of such an action prompting the next approaching driver to slam on the brakes and bring their vehicle to a screechy halt.

The car's front bumper hit his lower leg, and the force sent him sprawling onto the hood. He then rolled across it to land on the opposite curb in a daze, at which point he heard a voice scream something incomprehensible, followed by several hushed whispers.

He quickly remembered why he'd been running and forced himself to get back up, despite the pain shooting through his arms and legs. A stunned crowd had already gathered around, and he retrieved his shopping bag before half staggering and half pushing them aside in his desire to get to safety.

One particular young woman made a distressed remark about seeing blood, but he refused to let her words distract him. His pain was already starting to fade, and he figured that it would become nonexistent if he simply focused on what lay ahead.

He allowed himself a smile of triumph. Perhaps he really was capable of becoming a hero, and if the way he'd recovered from that accident was any indication, it would take more than a spider-woman or a reckless driver to stop him.