Chapter 047. Tell Me, What Is Despair

Tokyo, Shinjuku Ward.

Inside a residential building.

Even in daylight, the curtains were drawn tightly, shutting out any trace of sunlight.

In the living room, several people sat upright with tense expressions.

A man in a suit gazed at the Tokyo map pinned to the wall, his brows furrowed.

“The targets for this quarter seem difficult to meet,” he said in a hoarse, hollow voice, raising a concern that was all too real. “Enough, let’s begin the meeting.”

He tapped the map, signaling for the others to speak.

“…The conversion at Wadabori Park failed. That cherry blossom tree was later destroyed by an exorcist…”

“…On my end, the three resentful spirits in Nakano Ward were purified, including ‘The Clown’…”

“…I managed to collect two, but the most promising one at the bakery also failed…”

…

Listening to their reports, the man’s brow knitted deeper.

There had been many projects lately.

But the failure rate was higher than ever before.

And the defeats were inexplicable.

For instance, the evil spirit at the bakery in Shinjuku Ward. They had used the latest concealment technology—no ordinary exorcist should have noticed—but it was still erased without a trace.

Or the ‘Clown,’ whose memetic spread was exploited, yet even that was overcome.

Or the attempt to convert a newly deceased office worker into a vengeful spirit, which inexplicably turned the cursed subway car into a lucky urban legend.

If this continued, it wouldn’t do.

If they couldn’t gather enough spiritual energy…

“Boss, exorcists are getting stronger now. I heard Kumakichi and his group didn’t even have time to resist before…” one man interrupted the boss’s thoughts.

He was handsome, with fox-like features that lent him a feminine charm.

“If not for a traitor within, things wouldn’t have ended so badly,” remarked the bald man beside him, wearing a gold chain, fierce and tiger-like.

It was clear these were monsters in human guise.

Kumakichi had been a crucial source of funds; his downfall had left them dismayed.

Fortunately, the money had already been transferred through other channels.

Alas.

In human society, money was indispensable.

In days past, monsters had no need for wealth—everyone simply ate together, or was eaten together.

Thankfully, it was always the boss who dealt with Kumakichi, appearing and disappearing like a shadow, never implicating the organization.

“Yes, the traitor. I saw that little monster once—quite cute, but who’d have thought, behind the scenes…” said a man whose face was red and swollen on one side, occasionally flicking out his tongue, unable to shed certain animal habits.

“Boss, we need to eliminate this traitor—not just to avenge Kumakichi, but to send a warning to all monsters!” the fox-faced man declared, following the others’ lead.

“Right, right. I heard the exorcists let that little monster go, and now only one exorcist is protecting her. Why not strike and finish them both…” the bald tiger’s gaze turned ferocious.

The boss was silent for a moment, then smiled.

“Think carefully,” he said quietly.

“That traitor was connected to Kumakichi, a wide network. Why was she able to slip free from surveillance so quickly, living as she pleases?”

“…Boss, you mean… she’s bait?” the lizard man interjected, flicking his forked tongue.

“The exorcists appear to release her, but in truth, they’ve set up surveillance, waiting for us to retaliate so they can catch us all at once?” the fox-faced man’s mind raced.

“Exactly.” The boss nodded slightly.

“So what do we do? Are we just going to let the traitor dance on our faces?” The bald tiger rose slightly.

“I saw her streaming again recently, receiving lots of donations—money that should have been ours!”

You even have time to watch her streams?

The boss’s eyebrow arched.

“Uh, I’m monitoring her. Surveillance,” the bald tiger quickly sat back down.

“The traitor must be dealt with, not just for revenge,” the boss said, glancing at the three monsters.

“That deer spirit has been purified by jade—if someone experienced with the real thing meets her, she might be recognized. She cannot remain in the exorcists’ hands.”

“If the exorcists use her as bait, we’ll bite. But instead of taking the bait, we’ll kill the fisherman first!”

“Boss, you mean…?” The fox-faced man’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Instead of targeting the deer spirit, we’ll brutally kill the exorcists around her, one by one,” the boss smiled.

“Wait, boss, the exorcist taking care of the deer spirit may not be famous, but I’ve heard he’s formidable,” the lizard man said, recalling the rumors and forgetting to flick his tongue.

“Never mind the Clown; the evil child of the Blue Priest was dealt with by him and the shrine maiden from Tenmangu. They even exposed a flaw in the Blue Priest, allowing the Onmyoji Bureau to wipe him out.”

“He was also active in the Kumakichi affair. He’s hard to handle!”

Hearing this, the other two monsters became uneasy, worried they’d be chosen as the lucky assassins.

Even if they managed to kill the exorcist, they’d likely be hunted by other exorcists lying in wait.

Their few centuries of idle monster life had left them unskilled—escaping from those ruthless exorcists would be nearly impossible.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sneaking around, committing mischief in secret.

Not to mention the Onmyoji Bureau had produced a genius unseen in a hundred years, a fortune-telling prodigy.

Just a single hair found would mean being hunted to the ends of the earth.

Moreover, most monsters had made peace with humans.

Now, exorcist agencies lacked monsters for research—resources were scarce.

Kumakichi and his captured companions hadn’t been destroyed yet only because the agencies were still arguing over jurisdiction.

If they themselves were caught… well.

That would be worse than death.

“You needn’t worry,” the boss said, watching their timid faces.

“I’ll handle this myself.”

He spoke, his eyes gleaming with cunning.

“I’ll use human scientific technology to show those exorcists what true despair is.”

…

Peak City University Affiliated High School.

Four in the morning.

It was far from class hours—even the athletic clubs hadn’t begun their morning training.

The campus was silent.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through.

At the entrance to the academic building, a figure in a suit appeared.

He strolled casually to the shoe lockers.

Soon, he found the one labeled “Qiao Qiao.”

His investigation had pinpointed this high school student.

Both the guardian of Suzuka and the exorcist who’d repeatedly thwarted their plans.

It must be said—

Peak City University Affiliated High School, established by exorcist agencies, even had detection arrays for spirits and monsters.

But that mattered little.

The man easily slipped onto the campus.

As expected.

He opened the shoe locker, revealing a pair of ordinary indoor shoes.

Raising his left hand, he produced from nowhere a lunchbox-like object.

A bomb.

To be precise—

A directional anti-personnel mine.

Not only did its explosive force concentrate in one direction, but countless steel pellets would be fired at once, causing immense harm.

The mine was fitted with complex, ingenious mechanisms.

The man spent over ten minutes.

He removed Qiao Qiao’s indoor shoes.

Carefully placed the directional mine inside the locker.

Set the trigger mechanism.

Slowly closed the locker door.

If anyone tried to open it, the device would activate instantly.

Thousands of steel pellets would shred whoever opened the door.

Even if the victim reacted swiftly, moving deftly,

they’d inevitably leave an opening.

He would then lie in wait nearby, ready to strike.

Very reliable.

Truthfully, many human weapons were fascinating.

Sniper rifles, for instance, or this mine.

He wondered what that exorcist would think upon opening his locker in the morning, only to find a mine waiting.

Heh.

Another gust of wind swept through.

The man vanished.

Yet, unnoticed even by him,

as the locker was closed,

a strand of hair drifted softly to the floor.