Lemmings

Lemmings (レミングス Remingusu), or Nezu (根津), is a jack-of-all-trades and star member of Takeru Shinoyama's Dragon King's Palace Agency. Though most Shinjuku residents consider him an urban legend, Comps-3 has linked him to murders, smuggling, kidnapping, destruction of evidence, and debt collection and seeks his capture.

Lemmings was haunted by the souls of his victims prior to tracking down Misaki Sakimiya at Youtoukorou, where Corpse God uses most or all of those souls to replenish his magic. Possessors of the Evil Eye would have seen that the souls had been warped by their competing fear and loathing for Lemmings.

Appearance
Lemmings wears an all-black outfit consisting of a hooded jacket, mock turtleneck, drawstring trousers, and combat boots. His uncovered face, neck, and hands are wrapped in white bandages, leaving no skin exposed.

Personality
Lemmings is a taciturn individual who prefers to communicate with gestures; on the rare occasion he does speak, he mutters so that what he says is audible only to the intended listener. He is well-mannered, for he bows to Misaki before attempting to kidnap her and he politely knocks on Corpse God's door for an inordinate length of time. It is only when Takumi Kuruya opens and rudely closes the door on him that he slightly loses his temper. He also possesses some degree of honor, for he takes immediate action toward recompensing Takumi for his broken monitors by asking for advance payment on a job.

Chronology
Lemmings "first arrives on the [Shinjuku] scene" five years prior to Corpse God's reincarnation as Polka Shinoyama. He swiftly gains a reputation for being a troublemaker who commits crimes from smuggling to murder while being nigh invincible. One violent encounter witnessed by a local detective involves semiautomatic gun-armed gang members riddling Lemmings with bullets; Lemmings breaks every man's neck.

Corpse God's Reincarnation
The afternoon after Corpse God reincarnates, Jinba leads him and Misaki Sakimiya into an ambush. Corpse God crushes Jinba and his companions into a ball of dirt and twists them into a still-living 'human knot'. Lemmings tracks two men who had fled beforehand to an armory and kills them there. He later returns to the scene and breaks apart the dirt sphere with a single punch, freeing the intertwined men therein. Two patrolmen will find them and alert HQ; Tsubaki Iwanome and Kōzaburō Arase, when they arrive with forensics, will log Lemmings' and a second individual's respective footprints.

The next day, Lemmings surreptitiously makes his way through Shinjuku's police station: he remains unseen by the aforementioned detective when he walks past him, telling his colleague about the gang incident; and he slips unnoticed inside the room where Arase has just been comparing Misaki's shoeprint on his stomach with a photograph of the other shoeprint at the scene. After Fumiyo Yamada ushers Arase out, followed by Saki Aikawa and other personnel, Lemmings looks at the photograph of Misaki's shoeprint. Later that day, Lemmings tracks Misaki to Youtoukorou and snatches her as if to spirit her away. Via harvesting the souls that haunt Lemmings, Corpse God manifests a humungous bestial skeleton with which to challenge him.

Lemmings fends off the skeleton long enough to murmur a question to Misaki, who replies that she will "get in trouble" if she answers—then grabs him when he turns a deadly and unforgiving aura toward Corpse God, claiming that Polka is a "good boy who has nothing to do with it." She whispers something in Lemmings' ear before biting Lemming's right hand as an extra 'goodie,' only to resort to stabbing her used fork into Lemmings' thigh when her teeth fail to permeate the bandages. The paralyzing agent in her saliva makes Lemmings sway and his right shoulder stiffen but does not truly paralyze him. Still, its effect is enough to give Corpse God an advantage, and his skeleton reaches for Lemmings once more.

How Lemmings escapes is unclear, but he ultimately heads to Takeru Shinoyama's office to report that Jinba has been killed, news that causes Takeru hardly any disturbance. Lemmings tells him about his stiff shoulder, the lighter air around him, and—upon pointing to Polka Shinoyama in a photo—intimates that the boy is alive. This news does disturb: Takeru uncharacteristically laughs and declares that Polka "really got us good" but "playtime...ends now."

Shinoyama Estate Arson
Around two weeks post-reincarnation, an arsonist called Know sets the Shinoyama manor ablaze after two years of planning with Rozan Shinoyama's disgruntled nephew-in-law. Corpse God and Misaki rescue Kazuki Shinoyama and Shizuki Shinoyama and escort them outside, where Know attempts to flee the scene. Lemmings emerges from the swirling depths of the rubble to knock Know to the ground. Know does not rise. Lemmings brings his finger to his bandaged lips—a request for Corpse God and Misaki to mention nothing of his involvement—and walks into the smoke.

Invisible Hands Incident
Phantom Solitaire, one week after escaping prison, makes his comeback performance by deploying a fleet of dirigibles in Shinjuku airspace. Two days later, he alights on the rooftop of the Abandoned Building at 3 AM, is confronted by Xiaoyu Lei, and—when Lemmings inserts himself into the confrontation—implies that Lemmings is on his side. Lemmings fails to agree and to react when Xiaoyu's flings and buries three kunai in his back; Lemmings shrugs them and Xiaoyu off, much to Xiaoyu's humiliation. As Lemmings and Solitaire attempt to battle each other, with Lemmings on the offense and Solitaire defense, Corpse God uses invisible hands to manipulate both: intercepting Solitaire's card here, tripping Solitaire there, yanking Lemmings here, twisting Lemmings' arm there.

Once Solitaire's sense of self-preservation overrides Solitaire's fascination with the unnatural transpirings, Solitaire unleashes a smokescreen with a side of balloons and makes an aerial getaway. Lemmings manages to take chase; when Solitaire is soaring high above the Abandoned Building, marvelling at the preternatural flock of in-visible hands grasping after him, Lemmings emerges from the smoke and outthrusts his own hand—but Solitaire is just out of reach, and Lemmings falls back to Earth.

In the morning, Lemmings reports the incident to Takeru and offers his personal opinion about the flock of hands: he does not believe them to be Solitaire's work. Since Lemmings has now drawn the attention of Solitaire and the Shinoyama guards—and since Lemmings is supposed to be busy with his main job next week—Takeru suggests he take time off.

Shinjuku War
The following week finds Lemmings at a covered waterside boardwalk by an island. He uses a payphone to contact Takeru, dialing with an unbandaged finger, to inform him that he has finished withi his job and will return to Shinjuku in three days. Takeru says his timing is excellent, for he has a task for Lemmings around that time.

Three days later, Shinjuku is unknowingly embroiled in a battle-war between Civil A. Sabaramond, Corpse God, and their respective allies. Two such respective allies are Soara Habaki and Xiaoyu, locked in their own battle away from the rest of the fighting. Just as Xiaoyu is thinking he has more chance beating her than he does the likes of Lemmings and Majiri Agakura, Lemmings emerges from the shadows to toss Soara aside. Soara recovers but must fend off Lemmings' flurry of blows and kicks, which are so relentless she soon guesses as who Lemmings is; she prepares to "go all out," her muscles bulging, but Xiaoyu unleashes lightning that sends her crashing into the side of a building. Before he can even think of victory or the fight continuing, a distant rumbling sounds; he takes off at a sprint, leaving a confused Lemmings in the dust.

Corpse Hunts
The night after the Shinjuku War, Lemmings visits the Abandoned Building and knocks politely on the door of the common room. No response. He continues knocking politely. No response. He continues knocking patiently until Takumi opens the door. He closes the door. Spurned, Lemmings pounds on it with increasing intensity until opening the door without being asked. Inside the common room are Takumi, Misaki, Xiaoyu, Sayo Shinoyama, Civil, Soara, Lulu, and Majiri, the last of whom appears to recognize Lemmings. She caresses his cheek, acknowledges—seemingly sarcastically—that he has apparently done "so much for [her] family over the years," drifts her hand to his chest, and spins him almost 180 degrees in place. Lemmings meets the floor with his left hand and seizes Majiri's ankle with his other, flinging her into Takumi's new computer monitors.

Majiri and Lemmings clash. Majiri fails to sense any preternatural abilities within Lemmings such as blood or magic power and commends him for "being the very best of humanity." She asks what such a being has come for. Lemmings mutters the answer into her ear. She declares to the room that Lemmings, like her, also has business with Polka Shinoyama. Thus do Lemmings, Majiri, and the rest uneasily settle down to wait for Corpse God's return. Once Corpse God returns, Takumi fills him in on the corpse hunt challenges that have gone viral online; more than thirty people have gone missing in the last six months while embarking on the challenge, he says. Then he turns his grievances toward Majiri and Lemmings for their destruction of his monitors, which he says cost him 416,940 yen plus tax, and declares he will remind them of this affront at all their family and work gatherings—whenever their paths cross.

Lemmings and Majiri seem similarly contrite, although Majiri points out that she was subduing an "illegal" trespasser. Lemmings looks at Civil; Soara shoulders her way protectively between them, so Lemmings whispers to her, "I did knock." Takumi objects that he never verbally permitted Lemmings to enter. Lemmings stares at him; Corpse God slides between them. Lemmings stares at Sayo; Xiaoyu zips between them—and offers to listen to whatever Lemmings came here to say, since his hearing augmentations allow him to do so at a safe distance. Accepting this compromise, Lemmings murmurs that he wants to know where Solitaire is and promises to compensate Takumi for the monitors at a later date.

Xiaoyu conveys both statements to the others, with each taking Corpse God and Takumi respectively aback. Corpse God does not know Solitaire's current whereabouts, so he instead explains to Lemmings how he managed to contact Solitaire: by commenting on his YouTube videos with information that not just anybody could write. Satisfied, Lemmings bows to the room and leaves for Takeru's office, despite having no current jobs to report on. He asks Takeru to pay him 416,940 yen in advance. Takeru notes the oddly specific sum and the rarity of Lemmings asking for advance payment but, like before, says Lemmings has perfect timing. In exchange for the advance payment, he wants Lemmings to investigate the whereabouts of a daughter of one of Shinoyama Security's clients, for she apparently went missing while exploring buildings in Shibuya—likely Arataya General Hospital. He says that he has requested cooperation from "recent allies in the organization that controls Shibuya," i.e. Majiri Agakura, but nevertheless would appreciate "Nezu's" help.

Abilities
Lemmings has demonstrated preternatural strength via shattering the dirt sphere encasing the intertwined men with a single punch; he also posssesses great agility. By appearances alone he possesses some form of invincibility, as he is able to shrug off blades buried in his back and survive a hail of bullets without a moment's pause. He is affected by the paralyzing agent in Misaki's saliva to an extremely muted degree; the paralyzing agent is meant to paralyze the target's body, but Lemmings' right arm only stiffens, and Lemmings sways but still is able to move.

Lemmings can move with inexplicable stealth, for he infiltrates the Shinjuku Police Station seemingly in broad daylight with no-one noticing, not the detectives who walk past him nor Aikawa when he slips beside her into a room. He often emerges suddenly from the shadows, be it when striking down Know or seizing Soara—or, in another sense, when he emerges from the smoke and balloons high above the rooftop. When he emerges to knock down Know, his body appears to emerge from a swirl of darkness; however, this swirl is not repeated for the other occasions, so it is not clear whether that was artistic license or indicative of preternatural power.

When Lemmings is spun mid-air by Majiri, he seems to thump his right arm with his left hand on purpose, as if to change or arrest its inertia; this allows him to seize Majiri's leg with his right hand. Majiri offers Lemmings praise, for she senses neither blood power, magic power, or a long-lasting technique such as that of the Heilei within him: she believes and seems impressed that he has gotten as far as he has with a mere human body.

Trivia

 * In Chapter 4, Corpse God's book of Terran legends is open to two entries: one on Vampires, which Corpse God is reading, and one on Mummies. The latter's featured illustration depicts a bandage-wrapped humanoid outstretching its hand toward the viewer. What is visible of the text description reads as follows: "Mummies are dead bodies th[at] are wrapped in bandages a[nd] kept preserved through n__ [...] Some of the methods [...] most famous monster [...]" Mummies have never been mentioned or discussed outright, but the drawn mummy—particularly how it outstretches its hand—unintentionally or intentionally evokes Lemmings.
 * Lemmings is under Takeru's strict orders not to harm any of Rozan's bodyguards "no matter what they do to him." This informs how Lemmings has handled Xiaoyu thus far, e.g. via ignoring Xiaoyu's attacks during the invisible hands incident, and intervening on Xiaoyu's behalf during the Shinjuku War.
 * Majiri says that she has heard that Lemmings has done "so much for "her family" over the years. However, her briefly antagonistic attitude toward him immediately thereafter suggests that the "much" that Lemmings did was not favorable, as does her remark "Let's forget what happened with my people...for now."
 * Lemmings rarely asks to be paid in advance.