Gentlemen, are you familiar with the name Toji Kagurazaka?

No, perhaps it is better that you are not. There are names in this world that one is happier not knowing.

In those days, behind every bizarre incident that stirred the newspapers of the Imperial Capital, there was invariably the figure of a thin man. A man in a British three-piece suit and leather gloves, his bowler hat pulled low, leaning on an ebony cane and smirking at the bedside of the deceased.

Toji Kagurazaka. Known to the public as the "Phantom of the Imperial Capital."

This man had a peculiar habit. Upon waking, he would first read the death notices in the newspaper. If there were no murders, he would grow irritable. A simple robbery was insufficient. He showed a mild interest in arson.

But should he find an article describing a body discovered strangled inside a locked room, his eyes would instantly light up, and he would snatch his coat and dash out without even eating breakfast.

One morning, he reportedly slammed his newspaper onto the floor and lamented in earnest, saying:

His Western-style mansion in Kagurazaka was no ordinary home, either.

Several pairs of mud-caked shoes lay scattered in the entrance hall, an anatomical model stood in the corridor, and the shelves of the drawing room were lined with skulls, bottles of poison, blood-stained rags, and rusted daggers from cases of unknown vintage.

While a guest sipped tea, Toji would nonchalantly polish human bones, offering no reply even if spoken to.

When he finally did open his mouth, he would say something like:

And as his guest turned pale, he would let out a delighted, "Heh heh heh..."

Late at night, he would wander through graveyards with nothing but his cane, visit the sites of past murders, and return home with a single strand of hair the police had forgotten to clear away. If invited to a friend's house, he would look in the trash can before the bookshelf. Instead of a greeting, he would stare at the soles of a stranger's shoes. Even when introduced to a beautiful young lady, he would ignore her face and observe only the ink stains on her fingertips. Though he was adept at guessing people's secrets, he hadn't the slightest intention of offering comfort.