"Uwah!!"
The sound of splashing echoed in her ears, accompanied by the icy sensation of water droplets striking her face—both sharply pulling Ryoko Yakushiji back to reality.
The chill spread through her senses, mingling with the dull, stinging pain from the hastily treated wound on her shoulder. The combination gradually cleared her foggy mind.
She slowly raised her head, staring at the pale face reflected in the mirror before her.
Ryoko wiped her lips, smudging the vermilion lipstick across her cheek. Her gaze stayed fixed on the mirror—not just her face, but particularly her pair of alluring crimson eyes.
"That pill... was it that one?"
The memory came rushing back. The pill Sharon had forced her to swallow.
Within thirty minutes of ingesting it, Ryoko had rushed to a secret hospital to induce vomiting and undergo gastric lavage but ultimately failed to expel the drug's contents.
And in less than an hour afterward, strange sensations began to manifest in her body. A powerful, inexplicable craving stirred deep within her—one she couldn't precisely define.
Recalling the reports from those utterly useless doctors claiming the pill had no harmful components, Ryoko's face still bore traces of restrained fury.
She knew her own body better than anyone. That wretched nun had undoubtedly used some kind of mystical method to tamper with her body. The only reason it hadn't yet been activated was likely because Sharon hadn't deemed it the right time.
"I'll have Ume assign those doctors to some overseas mission."
For the heiress of the Yakushiji family to be drugged and possibly brainwashed by a member of an underground organization—this was a scandal that could never be exposed. If word got out, even as the chosen successor of her house, Ryoko could risk being stripped of her position.
And with the power she held at present, it still wasn't enough to make the family accept the risk of being manipulated by outside forces.
That thought instantly brought her mind to the man responsible for dragging her into this mess in the first place:
"Yakushiji Katsuhiko!"
With gritted teeth, Ryoko slammed her fist against the edge of the sink, her voice low and feral like an enraged wolf.
If it weren't for that brain-dead uncle Katsuhiko, who secretly collaborated with the Celestial Astronomy behind the family's back, she wouldn't have been forced to intervene in Tachibana Kirika's operation to silence Sharon and been counterattacked into this miserable state.
Someone as proud as Ryoko couldn't bear the thought of being under someone else's control. And what made it even worse was that she had fallen into this trap because of the incompetence of an elder—something she refused to tolerate.
While she didn't like venting her anger on others, she loathed even more being dragged down by pig-headed fools.
Clinging to that simmering rage, Ryoko coldly picked up her slightly dampened phone from the side and dialled a number.
After the busy tone rang a few times, a cold and composed voice came through.
"Ryoko, the doctors have been arranged. Any further instructions?"
Without wasting time on pleasantries, Ryoko's tone was sharp and direct:
"Ume, post a kill order on the dark web. Target: Yakushiji Katsuhiko. If possible, make sure the Fūga Clan picks it up."
She didn't hesitate in the slightest as she gave the command to her personal maid—an assassination order for her own uncle. In fact, she even specified the most expensive method of execution.
The Fūga Clan was a shadow organization aligned with the Kannagi family, known as the most powerful fire-element sorcerers in the country. Every member of Fūga was a wind-element specialist, masters of assassination and covert operations.
With them involved, even the Yakushiji family wouldn't dare make a move. Their backing from the Kannagi family alone was enough, and with Ryoko's careful planning within the family, suppressing any noise about Katsuhiko's death wouldn't be difficult.
Of course, this type of specialized assassination, especially targeting someone from a major family, was prohibitively expensive. Every job typically started in the tens of millions of dollars. But for Ryoko Yakushiji, money was the least of her concerns. She was more than willing to pay the price.
"...Understood," replied Ume without hesitation, ending the call swiftly.
Having issued her command, Ryoko's mood eased a little. She turned her gaze to the crack she'd left in the porcelain sink from her earlier outburst.
Her eyes shifted to her own reflection again—this time, focusing on the blood-red hue of her pupils.
"My body..."
She fell into silence, clearly sensing something off.
Outside the women's restroom in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Leaning against a cool, glazed ceramic wall, Tachibana Kirika bit into a slender lady's cigarette, exhaling a ring of smoke.
"I see. So, it's demonic power..."
Now that she thought about it, the strange aura she had sensed earlier during the meeting finally made sense—it had come from inside the restroom, from Ryoko Yakushiji.
"Looks like the Yakushiji heiress got caught in someone's trap... The Celestial Astronomy? Or... was it that pure Sharon?"
In truth, Kirika leaned toward the latter.
Though Ryoko had reported everything truthfully—perhaps even rehearsed with her team beforehand—Kirika's intuition told her that something had definitely occurred during Sharon's brief captivity of Ryoko.
Only that possibility could explain the bizarre changes in her.
As for why Ryoko seemed tainted by demonic energy, Kirika wasn't surprised.
"The Celestial Astronomy Society is a well-known demonic organization, but that doesn't mean their enemies—like the Demon Hunters—don't have countermeasures of their own. Hmph... that's a useful reminder."
She glanced once more toward the restroom and let out a soft chuckle.
Kirika had no intention of exposing Ryoko, not even if they were rivals.
Even if she blew the whistle on Ryoko, what would it achieve?
Would the Yakushiji family thank her? Would the police department reward her?
Since the answer was clearly no, why bother?
Instead, holding this weakness over Ryoko's head and forcing her to make concessions when necessary—that was far more practical.
"In the world of adults, sentiment alone means nothing~"
Still holding her slim cigarette, Kirika walked away from the building like a silent black cat—light-footed and elegant, not making a sound.
She still had a report to write, to explain to the young lady behind her why she had authorized the use of the Kusanagi Sword. She had no time to waste playing games with Ryoko Yakushiji.
"But speaking of which... Luo Shu actually managed to repel Sharon? Have I underestimated that kid?"
As she pondered whether to heap more responsibilities on Luo Shu or whether that would only backfire by pushing him too hard, Kirika entered the underground parking garage and drove away from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.