Then suddenly, she smiled wide. "Ah~~~ refreshing! I really don't need those stupid glasses anymore. They're hard to clean and always fog up. Apparently, Yurei's limit is Tokyo. But if I can expand myself across the country—or the world—I can go anywhere I want." She tossed the glasses to me. "For now, I'm limited to lights, billboards, smart homes—anywhere with CCTV in Tokyo. But if I could use the JESUO satellite for image simulation… I could travel the world without boarding a plane. The outside world isn't that great anyway. It's terrifying. These days, everyone wants to go anywhere without leaving home. Perfect for a shut-in like me."
"Worldwide access?" I said. "So you'd know who's doing what, where, and how?"
"Well… something like that."
Seto scratched his head. "Uh, no offense—but how is that any different from a government surveillance tool?"
She shook her head. "I'm not selling it to the military."
Dango's voice cut in again. "I agree with him. This is heading in that direction. If the source code leaks, the world won't be safe anymore. And if you can infiltrate computer systems, that's a global security threat. If WGD agents get involved, we're done for…"
Kurayami swayed slightly. "Huh…? Oh—did I fall asleep again? Sorry."
She quickly grabbed the accounting reports and frowned.
"Seoki, Seto. The last batch on the 31st was 1.5 million yen, but the records say 1.3 million. Two hundred thousand yen is missing. Do you know where it went?"
I elbowed Seto immediately. This wasn't good.
"Oh! I bought a new pistol when we went on a car gig," he confessed. "Sorry."
She sighed, then said something that made his blood run cold. "Why didn't you submit a receipt? Give me your thumb."
He clenched his teeth and crouched under the desk. I stood frozen, watching his uneasy expression—until Kurayami simply inked his thumb and stamped it onto the paper.
"Why are you making that face?" she laughed. "Hahaha! I'm not cutting your finger off. This'll be deducted from your salary next month, okay~?"
"Well, I'm a hungry beast, milady," he joked. "Money catches my eye faster than women. Take care of yourself—your dark circles are getting worse."
"Makeup helps," she replied. "And I don't go out nearly as much as you two or Majima."
"Dango can help with that," I shot back.
"Hehaha! cough cough! "Kurayami broke into a violent coughing fit. "Ugh, stupid cold…"
She braced herself on the desk, and I noticed faint blood smears shaped like fingerprints.
"Have you been taking the medicine I bought?" I asked.
"I threw it away," she said casually. "It messes with my cycle so....ahem!"
"I'm worried it'll get worse," Seto added. "You should get some rest."
"Yeah~ big bro," she teased. "Maybe that oni put a curse on me. I've been drifting in and out of sleep lately."
"If I run into it, I swear it won't escape this time."
She fell into thought. "But is it really worth risking your lives to hunt something without a body? Yesterday was turbulent like summer waves—today, calm as an autumn mountain. Maybe we should let it come to us instead. Ask what it wants."
"You really believe that bastard's a demon?" Seto snapped. "Sure shit, I'm not letting that motherfucka anywhere near you."
She nodded. "Or maybe… the best solution is.... to send everyone back home," she murmured. "Hmm~ forget it. Go rest. We have an early morning tomorrow. Band D/8/ is arriving—we need to welcome them properly."
The two of us left the room, leaving behind the azure butterfly drifting through the air. It watched as Kurayami picked up the old glasses and gently cleaned them.
"Do you miss those days, Kurayami?" she whispered to herself.