Pop!
The cork slid free of the wine bottle with a low, mellow sound.
Leaning back against a very plush pillow, Takumi poured himself a glass of red wine and sighed.
"Marina-senpai, the things you know are still way too shallow. You've got a long way to go."
"Mm~~ It's my fault… I'm really thirsty right now."
Parched, Marina let out a soft whimper and admitted to her own "lack of knowledge."
Seeing her asking for a drink, Takumi took a sip of water himself, then passed it to her mouth-to-mouth.
As the missing moisture spread through her body again, a relaxed smile bloomed on Marina's rosy, adorable face.
Catching the hint of sultriness between her brows, Takumi finally got up and headed for the door.
When he reached it, he saw Airi slumped there, having been eavesdropping the whole time. Her charming little face was full of stirred-up, restless emotion.
She bit her lip and stared at Takumi, whispering, "How could you… Sis, she…"
"She did it for your sake, Airi~~" Takumi helped Airi up, a meaningful smile on his face.
Under her hungry yet confused gaze, he gave her pert backside a light pat, then turned and left in style.
"Eh~ Why'd he just leave… Why?" Hand over her pounding heart, Airi let out a puzzled little murmur.
That big bad guy normally wouldn't let her off the hook.
While Airi was still tangled up in her frustration and confusion, Marina staggered out of the room and pulled her into a hug.
Gently stroking Airi's hair, Marina said softly, "Airi, Sis will take it all on for you."
Airi froze, then suddenly understood. She looked at Marina with a mix of gratitude and pain. Her lips parted a few times, but in the end she couldn't get a single word out.
All those conflicted feelings twisted together in Airi's chest like a tight knot.
From the stairs, Takumi glanced back at this touching scene, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Marina, Marina… I'm not going to break my promise. The rest is up to everyone else. As he headed out, he even called back kindly. "Marina, don't go dirtying the floor."
"Eh!!!"
The moment his words landed, Marina's face flushed to the tips of her ears, and a mortified whimper slipped out.
She hurriedly bent down to clean up the white stains—only making the floor even messier.
Watching this, Airi's tangled emotions swelled even more, and a fierce jealousy rose up in her chest.
By this time, Takumi was already gone and soon received a call from Asia.
"Takumi-san, someone called here just now, she said her name was Yuki Tsukumo. She said she has a job and wants to invite you to come along."
Hearing that name, Takumi raised a brow.
"Yuki, huh. Didn't think she'd manage to track me down. Asia, tell me the location." (T/N: There are many Yukis)
"Takumi-san, Miss Yuki said it's at…"
Once Asia finished explaining the place, Takumi hung up and headed over.
Before long, he arrived at the destination—a very famous haunted spot. It was an abandoned tunnel on the outskirts of the city. Rumor had it many girls had been murdered here, the hauntings got so bad the tunnel was shut down.
In front of the ruined entrance, a tall, voluptuous woman with a sharp, professional air stood waiting.
As soon as she saw him, Yuki's face lit up with a smile. "Yo~ We meet again, Takumi!"
"You're a rare guest. For you to find my exorcism office ad, you must've been digging into me a lot lately." Takumi walked over at an easy pace, meeting Yuki's gaze.
She flipped a strand of her long blonde hair and smiled. "I like you quite a bit as a man, you know. Of course I'd look into you a little. I didn't expect your background to be so special—actually tied up with a hero clan and all that. Demons, angels, I don't get any of that, but with the fuss you kicked up last time, the jujutsu world's got their eyes on you now, you know~"
Takumi snorted, amused. "The jujutsu world? Are those old geezers trying to recruit me or pick a fight with me?"
"You sure know them well, Takumi." Yuki's eyebrows rose in surprise.
Takumi just shook his head, exasperated. "Rotten old men, rotten institutions—it's all the same. Just give them one message from me. Tell them not to even think about messing with me, or I can wipe them out any time I feel like it."
The jujutsu world was just another faction in the human realm. To him, they were something he could literally erase with a flick of his finger.
Given his current identity and status, a single word from him could spell their end.
Yuki narrowed her eyes a little and smiled approvingly. "I hate those crusty old fossils too. I'll pass your message along for you."
Then she pointed toward the tunnel behind her.
"Anyway, back to business. I just happened to be passing by and noticed a strong curse energy reaction here. I seriously don't get what normal people are thinking—building a school next to a mass grave and hoping 'human activity' will suppress the ghosts. There's a high school nearby. I'm worried something might happen, so I decided to clean out the cursed spirits here."
After she finished, Takumi stepped forward to stand at her side, looking into the pitch-black tunnel with her.
"You're a special grade sorcerer, right? You still need me for a small-time job like this?"
"Hey hey~ I am paying you. Why are you nitpicking?" Yuki waved a hand carelessly. Mostly she'd used this as an excuse to meet and chat with him.
She was very interested in this handsome boy. He represented a world she'd never touched before—and that alone was thrilling.
She'd spent years wandering the globe, chasing that sense of unknown. Now it was standing right in front of her; there was no way she'd just walk away.
"You want to see what I can do? My appearance fee this time is five million. Wire it to my office later." Takumi glanced at her and strode ahead as he named his price.
At the number, Yuki pulled a shameless face. "Can't you cut me a little slack?"
"…" Takumi stared at her, speechless.
"You're a special grade sorcerer and you don't even have that much money saved up? On top of that, the curse energy here isn't weak—minimum it's a first-grade cursed spirit. You're seriously trying to stiff me?"
Yuki just chuckled. "I may be special grade, but I don't take orders from those old guys at all. I've ignored all the jobs they've thrown at me and spent these years traveling, dealing with curses along the way. Right now I only have three million on hand. Cut me a break, okay? If not… how about big sis here takes you out on a date to pay off the rest?"
As she spoke, she even tossed him a playful wink.
Takumi's gaze involuntarily dropped, tracing the perfect curve of her tight jeans and the full, round shape beneath.
A flawless S-curve, front and back—absolutely the easy childbirth type. If she was paying in flesh… that wouldn't be bad at all.
"Hold up. Why do I get the feeling you're the one eyeing my body here?"
Takumi snapped back to his senses, looking Yuki up and down with a skeptical eye.
....
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