Chapter 30

Chapter 30 is the thirtieth chapter of the Dead Mount Death Play manga.

Synopsis
With the special police task-force's meeting on Tena Sorimura having just concluded, Tsubaki Iwanome privately updates Kozaburo Arase on the current status of the Sorimura investigation and reaffirms that they still have no idea what the motive is behind his actions. He does know that Sorimura is primarily curious about 'the symbol'—the design of which Iwanome and Arase know is wrong, though they have deliberately refrained from telling their new colleagues as much thus far. Iwanome believes they will be able to unravel the story behind the symbol if they can just manage to catch Sorimura.

Iwanome and Arase are then approached by the two disgruntled colleagues from Chapter 29, who scorn Iwanome for 'slacking off' drinking coffee and marvel at how someone who "failed on his career path" managed to earn a promotion out of the blue. Iwanome stands his ground, but one of the two coworkers grabs his shirt and reminds him there are many people who still harbor grudges against Miyabi Hosorogi and his "hangers-on"—Iwanome included. Iwanome counters with his theory that the corrupt detectives are really upset at the Internal Affairs investigation, which has made it harder for the police to commit injustices.

He is slammed against the wall for this remark but continues to hold his own, meeting the aggressive coworker's barbs with a barb of his own. The coworker throws a punch which is intercepted by Arase, who only backs down when Iwanome insists he is fine for a second time. At Iwanome's grin, the coworker who threw the punch threatens to frame Arase—who used to participate in illegal undercover operations—for 'problems' which could land Arase in hot water; however, Arase says he has already been punished for his misdeeds and that Tozawa "really chewed [him] out" for them.

A friendly voice asks if Iwanome is picking fights. In the next moment, Ranmaru Yatsu uses his cane to sweep the aggressive coworker's feet out from under him—but Danjo Tozawa grabs the man's right arm before the man crashes against the floor. Tozawa asks the man if he is all right as he sits up; once the man is sitting, he realizes his right shoulder has been dislocated. Tozawa lightly chastises him for letting such a thing happen, even as he pops the shoulder back into place.

Chief Superintendent Habaki storms over and demands an explanation for the commotion, which Tozawa readily provides: according to Tozawa, he and his friends were giving 'first aid' to their colleague who tripped and fell. The colleague and his companion hastily take their leave, while Habaki demands the real explanation from Iwanome.

Habaki, once briefed of the true situation, groans that Iwanome's people must not provoke their new colleagues (even if their new colleagues were, this time, in the wrong). He reminds Iwanome that everyone is on edge due to Sorimura's video—in which Sorimura implied there might be a traitor or other corruption occurring within the police force—and adds that the "higher-ups" are already proposing that the snipers in Sorimura's video were just a part of Sorimura's 'performance.' With that all said, he implores Iwanome mitigate any and all drama as best he can—as he can only protect Iwanome and his people up to a certain point.

Iwanome expresses gratitude for Habaki's protection before taking his leave, soon joining Arase, Tozawa, Yatsu, and various other members of Comps 3 waiting for him elsewhere in the building. He informs his people of the possibility that Lemmings and other troublemakers are involved in their case, which means—and here he calls Tozawa out by name—Comps 3 needs as much manpower as possible. He adds that he had planned on requesting Comps 3 refrain from aggravating the relationship between the central office and its branch stations, with the implication the warning is a bit moot following Yatsu and Tozawa's stunt.

Yatsu opines that no serious conflict between the central office and branch stations truly exists; rather, the problem is that Iwanome is personally loathed by Central. Iwanome sets aside his irritation for determination, insisting that the job of Comps 3 ultimately has not changed: as always, their duty is to protect the city—with their lives—against its various troublemakers.

In the wee hours of the night at the Abandoned Building, Xiaoyu Lei reads a message from his sister Imbi in which she says she has been unable to track down Hosorogi through all the means at her disposal. Xiaoyu muses that Hosorogi must be hiding truly well if the Lei Family information network cannot find him, and that his best change at 'nabbing' Hosorogi will be when Hosorogi next makes contact with the fake Polka. However, given that the building is currently being monitored by both Rozan and Takeru Shinoyama's forces, the odds are low Hosorogi would chance a direct meeting.

Upon seeing that it is 3 AM, Xiaoyu does a quick status check on the building's occupants: both Sayo Shinoyama and the fake Polka are asleep, while Takumi Kuruya and Misaki Sakimiya have already gone home. At the sound of footsteps on the roof, he stiffens.

On the rooftop, Tena Sorimura extols the thrill of alighting on a roof and concludes that what he is feeling is intoxication. Once he deigns to acknowledge Xiaoyu's presence, Xiaoyu wastes no time in throwing three kunai Sorimura's way; Sorimura blocks the weapons by fanning his playing cards, and then demands that the fortune-teller "Corpse God"—or, "Polka Shinoyama"—confess what organization he is with and the meaning behind the Symbol.

Xiaoyu immediately requests Sorimura not confuse him with "that weakling." Flummoxed, Sorimura is left to silently wonder who Xiaoyu is.

Inside the building, the real Polka Shinoyama—who has been resting on the table next to the couch the Corpse God is sleeping on—notices something amiss. He hops onto the Corpse God's chest and shimmies up the couch's backrest; upon reaching the top, he is confronted by the following words written on the wall: "This world is a buggy program."

The sentence is the first half of the Fire-Breathing Bug's signature phrase. Outside the building's front entrance, the Bug—specifically, the figure in the raincoat from Chapter 29—stands alone, singing the first two phrases of Kagome Kagome.

Trivia

 * This chapter 'formally' introduces Tozawa and Yatsu, while simultaneously revealing both of their full names. Tozawa is briefly seen in the previous chapter, but his and Yatsu's names were first mentioned in Chapter 21.
 * In a tweet dated May 17, 2019, author Ryohgo Narita states that the act of Iwanome removing his tie (c.f. pp. 16-17) was not specified on his part; in other words, the action was something illustrator Shinta Fujimoto conceived on his own and accordingly drew. The decision was one that pleasantly surprised Narita, who expresses gratitude toward Fujimoto in the tweet.

Cultural References

 * To Japanese author Edogawa Rampo and his character "The Fiend with Twenty Faces."
 * To Kagome Kagome, a chant from a Japanese children's game in which children chant a song while circling a blindfolded player. Once the chant stops, the child must attempt to identify the person standing behind them.
 * The Bug sings the following segment of the chant: "Kagome Kagome. The Bird in the Basket. When oh when will it come out?"