Set between the original Ghost in the Shell manga and its sequel Man-Machine Interface, this collection gathers stories Shirow originally left out of that later volume. With Major Motoko Kusanagi away working as a private contractor, Section 9 regulars Batou and Togusa carry the daily grind of hunting technocrime under Chief Aramaki, occasionally crossing paths with her again on the toughest cases. Each chapter is a self-contained case, closer to police procedural than the franchise's usual cyberwar plots.