'Then I'll go back and contact Haruno to sort this out. Haruno? She's basically the one in charge of the Yukinoshita Family right now.'
Speaking of Haruno, Hiratsuka sighed. 'Well, "in charge" is generous—she's just a poor woman carrying responsibilities that were never hers to bear.'
Hiratsuka held her cigarette; white smoke drifted out through a crack in the window, and the cold night wind followed the same path in.
Sen Getsusa gave a non-committal nod; it didn't matter anymore.
'Actually, there's no need to trouble your friend—we're moving away soon.'
Hiratsuka said, 'Tell her anyway. Let her know she doesn't have to hide things from me any more; I'm completely done with those people.'
Sen Getsusa looked at Hiratsuka without replying; what came next was no longer her business.
'All right, tonight has certainly been "eventful".'
Hiratsuka stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and stretched languidly. 'I could use a drink. What exactly is on the other side of this World?'
'…What exactly is there?'
Tojo Aoi's black hair framed both sides of her face.
Stacks of plastic folders stuffed with thick contracts covered both sides of the desk.
She lifted her gaze to the cowering employee in front of her and asked softly,
'What exactly did Mr. Kanegawa want to say? Can you tell me?'
Kanegawa Kang pulled a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket to mop his sweat.
His sleeve clung stickily to the base of his palm—the 'Tojo' before him was Tojo Chenzhu's only Child.
Since she formally set foot in the company, the title 'future empress' had been fixed upon her.
Employees whispered that she was a born ruler.
Every hidden scheme in people's hearts could find no hiding place before Miss Aoi.
So for Kanegawa Kang, summoned after embezzling a large sum, facing Tojo Aoi head-on was immense pressure.
He even felt that everything had already been exposed.
Tojo Aoi kept her head down, writing on a document. Only the scratch of pen and the occasional rustle of paper turning broke the silence. 'Did the payment from the other company come through for the last project?'
'Y-yes, it did.'
Tojo Aoi raised her head, suddenly smiling, her almond-bright eyes fixed on Kanegawa Kang.
His features were almost twisted together.
'Why so nervous, Mr. Kanegawa?'
Half-bent, Kanegawa Kang stared at his toes. 'Yes! It's because Miss Tojo has such overwhelming presence!'
Before entering, the girl had amiably patted his shoulder, but once he sat down he couldn't help tensing up.
Tojo Aoi set down her pen. 'I'm only helping out. Although Mr. Chenzhu is busy, he still doesn't want a little girl like me running wild on his turf. So I ask you all about how the company operates, so I won't bother him with such trivial things again.'
After the reasonable explanation, she suddenly asked, 'You're sweating a lot, Mr. Kanegawa. No need to be so tense. You haven't gobbled up company assets and funds like that last bastard, so you don't have to be nervous, right?'
Kanegawa Kang nodded like a rattling sieve.
'Eh? You haven't answered my question.'
Tojo Aoi smiled, propping her cheek in her hand, left hand raised as she studied her freshly painted wine-red nails. 'You haven't betrayed the company, have you?'
Kanegawa Kang's heart lurched, but he forced himself to keep his expression level as he lifted his head. 'O-of course not! For twenty years I've worked diligently and brought considerable profit to the company!'
Tojo Aoi tilted her head, examining a tiny flaw on her index finger. Long hours of writing and turning pages had caused some polish to chip.
She listened in silence to the old man's righteous assurances.
'I have never even thought of, nor done, anything harmful to the company. On the contrary, if I ever find such a person, Miss Tojo, I will stick to my original intention and report them to you and Mr. Chenzhu!'
[Sensitive: Few can lie convincingly before an expert.]
[During conversation, hearing a lie has a chance to trigger 'See-Through'; trigger probability correlates positively with mystery magnitude.]
Tojo Aoi chuckled softly, stretched with elegant languor, then picked up her pen again.
'Ah, I'm terribly busy. You can go, Mr. Kanegawa. I've always believed in you. As someone who's been with the company nearly thirty years, I'm sure you wouldn't do something like embezzling property or diverting project funds, right?'
Kang had found his tongue again and spoke without the trembling from moments ago—this girl clearly didn't live up to the rumors; she was still far behind Mr. Tojo Chenzhu.
"Of course! Absolutely! In any case, you mustn't casually doubt others—meaning me, Kang. I'm loyal to the company and humble to boot. Otherwise… what you just said sounds like a threat."
Tojo Aoi narrowed her eyes and studied Kang for a long moment.
"You may return to work. Sigh… I believe in you."
Only after Kang respectfully backed out and closed the door did Tojo Aoi coldly set down the silver fountain-pen and pick up the phone at her elbow.
"Check Kang's transaction history between the company and the banks, and the people he's contacted recently. Focus on a full audit of this year's and last year's projects. Yes—tell Mr. Chenzhu of my suspicions."
She had just hung up and begun humming happily when a soft knock interrupted her.
"Enter."
The young man who stepped in looked exhausted; he blurted, "Miss Tojo, Marketing needs your signature on these documents!"
Without waiting for her nod he hurried inside and shut the door.
"Lady Aoi."
The instant the latch clicked, his demeanor flipped: he dropped to his knees before her desk.
His head hung low, and the file he'd claimed needed signing was already tossed aside.
Tojo Aoi, used to the sight, gave a faint snort through her small nose and continued reading the papers in her hand. Several minutes passed before she spoke.
"Well?"
The man's cautious voice brimmed with humility and fervor: "It's confirmed, My Lord. Just as you said—it's the 'Lying Ghoul.' Mr. Chenzhu launched the plan ten years ago."
"The ritual requires a sacrifice, and Mr. Chenzhu has kept people assigned to maintain it all this time."
"Only after mystery formally revived last year did he attempt the final rite himself, trying to ascend to Ritualist. Unfortunately, the ritual didn't suit him; he failed."
"After that, you obtained the ritual object."
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