Chapter 51. Life Is Hard, Even Monsters Sigh

“?” Qiao Qiao looked at the wrapper that Kazuya Sakamoto had tossed aside.

From earlier, he had felt a subtle sense of discord.

He picked up the wrapper and examined it closely.

Then he noticed.

“Strange, the lettering on this wrapper is rather crude.”

Qiao Qiao pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of a possibility.

“Sakamoto, do you feel any discomfort?”

“Huh? No, not at all.” Kazuya Sakamoto looked bewildered.

“Any dizziness, nausea, chest tightness, difficulty breathing?”

Qiao Qiao felt Sakamoto’s carotid artery, then took out a portable flashlight to check his pupils and tongue.

No abnormalities.

“What’s wrong, Qiao?” Sakamoto was completely confused.

“Nothing, I just noticed that the text on the wrapper was different from normal printing, so I thought maybe someone had switched it.”

Qiao Qiao crossed his arms and explained solemnly.

“Internationally, this method of poisoning is common. They tamper with cans, vacuum-packed foods, and so on, making people let their guard down and ingest poison.”

“That’s impossible. This is peaceful Tokyo—nobody poisons anyone.” Sakamoto spun around on the spot.

He was perfectly healthy.

“Perhaps it’s just my imagination.” Qiao Qiao scrutinized Sakamoto again from head to toe.

Indeed, nothing seemed amiss.

In the distance, something fell to the ground with a thud.

“The winds have been strong lately. I hope the flowerpots on the balcony don’t get blown off.”

“Mm.” Qiao Qiao nodded.

He carefully put away the wrapper, intending to find an opportunity to test it later.

......

Shinjuku Ward.

Inside a residential neighborhood.

The man’s face was pale.

From time to time, he coughed up fresh blood.

Demon blood.

Demon blood was more like a concentrated form of spiritual energy.

The moment it left his mouth, it quickly dissipated.

“Boss, maybe... we should just let it go?” Nearby, the fox-faced man handed over a cup of hot water.

“If this goes on, we’re really worried about your health, boss,” said the bald tiger earnestly.

“That exorcist is cunning and evil. Maybe we should notify the higher-ups?” The lizard-man flicked his tongue, trembling beside them.

He knew there were monsters far more powerful than their boss above him.

They were just one small team.

Who knew how many such teams existed?

The organization’s full scope—

No one knew.

Every day, they diligently fulfilled their spiritual energy quotas.

Not for anything else.

It was for the grand cause of all monsters worldwide!

Of course, that’s what the brainwashing said.

For little monsters like the lizard-man and fox-man,

Being part of the organization meant food, money to spend, and only occasionally having to stir up a few resentful or evil spirits.

It was far easier than their previous jobs.

For example, the lizard-man, who invented the “Clown,”

He used to work as a programmer at a software company.

Nine to nine every day, only one day off per week.

Even monsters couldn’t withstand such grind.

Then there was the fox-man,

He used to be a host at a club.

Every day he had to smile while dealing with two-hundred-pound tanks and press F with a cheerful face.

And the bald tiger—

Well,

He was always the team muscle.

Let’s leave it at that.

In short,

Life was hard, monsters sighed.

But with their boss, they rediscovered their confidence and dignity as monsters.

And, of course, the joy of earning money while lying down.

This was the real reason they stayed with the organization.

When they heard their boss had been poisoned by an exorcist, they were shocked.

They hadn’t expected humans to be so despicable!

Not only refusing to have a fair showdown with their boss,

But resorting to poison!

“What? It was you who poisoned the boss?”

That was even more outrageous!

Humans were shameless.

Not even the poison could take him down!

Monstrous and depraved.

“It’s alright, cough cough, I just made a mistake,” the boss coughed twice.

During these days of recuperation, he had summarized his failures and devised a new strategy.

His two previous failures—

First, lack of understanding of Qiao Qiao.

Second, excessive caution, opting for indirect methods.

As for the first, he hadn’t been idle.

He had his subordinates take turns surveilling Qiao Qiao, thoroughly grasping his routines and habits.

As for the second,

He had made up his mind.

This time, he would strike directly, without hesitation.

He, a monster who had diligently cultivated for two hundred years,

Could he not handle an exorcist who had been in the business only half a year?

Well, though the poisoning had weakened him considerably,

He was still more than capable!

His previous failures—

All due to hesitation.

Hesitation leads to defeat.

Just like in games.

He glanced at the schedule marked on the blackboard hanging on the wall, detailing Qiao Qiao’s recent activities.

Sunday.

To make up for the loss of the shoe cabinet he had blown up before, Qiao Qiao would be alone at the school, helping the janitor.

This was the perfect opportunity.

“This time, I absolutely will... cough cough.” The man coughed up two more mouthfuls of demon blood.

Staring at Qiao Qiao’s photograph,

His face twisted with fierce intent.

......

“No.” Suzuka refused Qiao Qiao’s proposal to examine her body, with righteous determination.

Even though she was only a three-year-old fawn—

Pitiful, weak, helpless—

Even so,

She could not rely on selling her body in exchange for money.

Besides, was it even about money?

She wasn’t short of money.

In Suzuka’s heart,

There were only two people.

Two monsters.

No, that wasn’t right.

Only when both parties were mutually attracted,

Could such things be done.

“Qiao-san, put yourself in my shoes,” Suzuka said earnestly.

“Say, if someone offered you a million yen to let me examine your body, would you agree?”

“Can I undress now?” Qiao Qiao replied.

“?” Suzuka looked at Qiao Qiao preparing to take off his clothes.

She turned her face away.

“In any case, I don’t agree to your proposal to examine me.”

“Alright.” Qiao Qiao felt a tinge of regret.

But since Suzuka refused, there was nothing to be done.

He was genuinely interested in monsters.

These creatures, so similar yet so utterly different from humans.

How did they use spiritual energy to temper their bodies, and why could monsters strengthen themselves with it, while humans could not?

What exactly was transformation as an ecological behavior?

Did monsters’ weight and internal elements change before and after transformation?

How did the accumulation of spiritual energy in animals compare to humans?

What differences did monsters’ digestive systems have compared to their own kind, and to humans?

So many questions.

He could almost compile them into a book called “One Hundred Thousand Whys.”

Although Miss Sakura had warned him not to do anything strange to Suzuka,

Still, if Suzuka agreed, a basic examination shouldn’t be an issue, right?

However, Suzuka absolutely refused Qiao Qiao’s request.

As if something catastrophic might happen just from a check-up.

He only wanted to collect a urine sample, after all.

Was that a problem?

Qiao Qiao sighed.

On Saturday night, all he could do was study.

To be honest, exorcism requests had been scarce lately.

Even the group chat was quiet.

Some exorcists had started helping to find lost pets.

It had to be said, exorcists’ intuition worked wonders for finding cats.

Fortunately, Asano Arisu seemed busy preparing for the school festival lately, so had little time.

Otherwise, as a teacher, he would have been truly remiss.

Midnight.

Suzuka was still streaming.

Qiao Qiao was already lying in bed.

Tomorrow was Sunday.

He had to go to school in the morning.

“May tomorrow be peaceful as well.”

He closed his eyes.