Tokyo: I can enlighten all obsessions

"Huff... huff..."

I heard slightly heavy breathing behind me.

Kujo Hisana walked over with somewhat unsteady steps.

She pressed one hand against her still heaving chest, and with the other hand pulled a thick bag covered in incantations from her backpack.

Those are special storage bags specifically designed to contain high-risk spiritual remnants.

"Thank you for your hard work, Kamiki-kun. Please hand over that remaining lingering obsession to me."

She tried to calm her breathing and said in a serious tone:

"Although the main body has dissipated, the core left behind by this level of evil spirit often carries extremely strong curse radiation and must be sealed tightly immediately—"

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Because Kamiki Toru opened his palm.

There were no bloody, mangled chunks of flesh as expected.

Lying in his palm was a human-shaped doll with a pair of innocent big eyes.

Kujo Hisana's previously taut and pretty face completely collapsed in that instant.

She blinked, the sealed bag she had been holding out froze in mid-air, and a gasp of surprise escaped her lips unconsciously:

"Wow...so cute..."

"Cough...cough cough!"

Seemingly realizing her lapse in composure, Kujo Hisana snapped back to her senses, her delicate face instantly flushing with an embarrassed blush.

She cleared her throat forcefully, straightened her face again, and tried to regain her previous stern demeanor.

"Although its appearance is deceptive, it is, after all, a cursed tool for transforming the core of a vengeful spirit."

She hurriedly opened the sealed bag covered with runes and handed it to Shinki Tetsu.

"Until we have definitively tested its costs, we absolutely cannot touch or use it directly. Let's put it in there for now; we need to take it back to the countermeasures room for evaluation."

"cost?"

Kamiki Tetsu paused, his hand already poised to toss the doll into the bag, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"You're new, it's normal that you don't know these basic facts."

Seeing the confused look on Kamiki Toru's face, Kujo Hisana sighed and patiently explained:

"In this world, power is conserved. If you want to borrow strange power, you must pay a corresponding price."

"The more powerful the cursed artifact, the more terrifying its side effects. Some will drain the blood of their wielder, some will whisper in their ear day and night, eroding their sanity, and some will even shorten their lifespan..."

As she said this, she glanced at the cute doll, a hint of apprehension flashing in her eyes.

"A powerful cursed artifact like this, composed of hundreds of vengeful spirits, comes at an incredibly high price. Using it recklessly without understanding the rules is tantamount to suicide."

"..."

Kamiki Tetsu remained silent.

His gaze swept across the system panel on his retina once more without making a sound.

[Special Effects: Childcare]

The description clearly states the negative status effects inflicted on the enemy, the amount of stamina consumed by the target, and various domineering rules.

The only thing that wasn't observed was the side effects....

It seems that in this world where everyone has to sell their souls for power, only the items he "enlightens" have absolutely no side effects.

"……Understood."

Kamiki Toru looked away without saying anything, and tossed the doll into Kujo Hisana's bag.

Some secrets are better left unsaid.

"Zira—"

As the zipper of the sealed bag was zipped up tightly, Kujo Hisana did not stand up immediately.

She remained squatting on the ground, her shoulders stiffly twitching at first, then she let out a long breath as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"……it's over."

Immediately afterwards, as if afraid that the bag would grow legs and run away, she hugged it tightly in her arms and even rubbed her cheek affectionately against the rough anti-curse fabric.

"Very good……"

The girl suddenly raised her head, and her almond-shaped eyes, which had been tense with nervousness, now shone with a dazzling light.

"We've confirmed the extermination of the evil spirit, and we've also recovered the high-risk cursed artifacts..."

She clenched her small fists on the spot, her lips curled into a wild smile, and her voice trembled slightly with excessive excitement:

"This assessment is definitely S-rank! It's S-rank, Kamiki-kun!"

The young lady, who had been on edge the whole time, finally revealed a radiant smile befitting her age.

She clenched her fist tightly, her eyes gleaming:

"Finally... finally I can become a full-fledged investigator!"

"Once we obtain that identity, we'll be one step closer to restoring the Kujo family's glory!"

Looking at the girl in front of him who was immersed in the grand vision of "reviving the family", Kamiki Tetsu did not interrupt her interest.

As for that "Japanese treasure" that she solemnly took away?

Kamiki Tetsu didn't care at all.

Although nominally it was to be taken back to the countermeasures office for "safety testing" and "storage," for him it was just a formality.

Since the bald section chief had made that promise with such conviction, the so-called "sealing and storing in accordance with regulations" immediately took on a different meaning in Kamiki Tetsu's eyes.

At most, it was just a matter of moving his new equipment from his left pocket to the right pocket of the place called "Shinjuku Branch Warehouse".

Moreover, it is the kind that is escorted and maintained by a dedicated person.

Kamiki Tetsu shrugged and put the [Tax-Inclusive Execution Blade], which had become increasingly dark and heavy due to absorbing excessive life force, back into the net pocket on the side of his backpack.

Since someone is willing to take on the role of a porter, why should he refuse?

"Since we're going to seal it off, let's hurry up."

He glanced at Kujou Hisana, whose face was practically screaming "excitement," and urged her calmly:

"Although I've taken care of this guy, the air around here is still filled with that nauseating smell of residue. I don't want to stay here for another second."

"Understood, Investigator Shenmu!"

Kujo Hisana was clearly in an extremely good mood at that moment, and even half-jokingly gave him a rather awkward salute.

She carefully held the bag containing the magical artifacts in her arms, as if she were holding a ticket to a bright future.

"As long as I take this back and submit the report... this quarter's KPIs are guaranteed!..."

The girl was muttering to herself about her wonderful dreams for the future, completely unaware that what she was holding in her arms was not a trophy that could bring honor, but rather "private property" temporarily entrusted to her by some unscrupulous capitalist.

"Let's go back."

With his hands in his pockets, Kamiki Toru turned and walked towards the park exit.

The moonlight cast long shadows of the two people on the stone path in the park.

Once they were sure they had left the area of ​​the cursed sandpit, Kujo Hisana, who had been hesitant to speak, finally opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

"Um... Kamiki-kun."

She tightened her grip on the sealed bag in her arms, her eyes somewhat unfocused, as if she were struggling to mentally prepare herself.

"Although I hate to admit it... since it's a budget reduction plan that the section chief has already approved, as a subordinate, I can only obey."

At this point, the girl sighed deeply, revealing a tragic expression:

"Regarding the accommodation... are you moving in today? If needed, I need to go back and prepare a guest room now..."

For this proud young lady, letting a boy her age whom she had only met once move into her family's shrine was undoubtedly a huge humiliation.

But for the sake of those damn KPIs and budget, she decided to endure the humiliation.

"No, let's skip it today."

Surprisingly, Toru Kamiki refused quite decisively.

He glanced at the time on his phone, his tone indifferent:

"It's too late, and I haven't moved out yet. Let's do it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow??"

Kujo Hisana was taken aback for a moment.

"Because I'm going to pick someone up tomorrow."

Kamiki Toru looked up from the screen and casually said:

"I need to pick up my sister tomorrow. Since we're moving anyway, I might as well take her with me and go directly there tomorrow, so I don't have to make two trips."

The air suddenly went silent for a second.

Immediately afterwards, a scream that was clearly above the legal limit shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Huh?!"

Kujo Hisana suddenly stopped in her tracks, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes wide open, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

She scrutinized the man before her, who was obsessed with money, from head to toe, and found it impossible to associate him with any warm or comforting word.

"Sister?! You must be kidding me!"

"Kamiki-kun... are there really creatures like little sisters?!"

"Your tone is very rude."

Kamiki Tetsu frowned, showing no intention of elaborating on the topic.

As they spoke, the two had already walked through the tree-lined path of the park and arrived in front of a building that exuded an old and worn atmosphere.

It was a building covered in various drain cleaning stickers, with peeling paint, and you could even faintly smell a mixture of disinfectant and ammonia.

Public toilet.

This is the ground-level entrance to the "Special Disaster Countermeasures Office - Shinjuku Branch".

The two entered the public restroom and squeezed sideways into the "multi-functional restroom" marked with a wheelchair sign.

The cramped space was filled with a strange odor, a mixture of cheap lemon-scented air freshener and the smell of sewage.

"Wait a minute, let me find the authentication card..."

As she spoke, Kujo Hisana struggled to turn around in the crowded space, trying to pull out the access card to the underground from the bag stuffed with cursed tools.

However, the moment her fingertips touched the card...

"Click."

The sound of the door lock turning suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, the automatic door, which should have been in "use" mode, was rudely pulled open from the outside by a large hand.

"Excuse me... excuse me... I can't take it anymore, I'm going to throw up..."

A strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the air.

Standing at the door was a middle-aged office worker with a flushed face, a crooked tie, and even hiccups from drinking.

He clearly saw this place as a safe haven where he could vomit at will, with half his body already sticking out of the room.

However, the next second.

When his bleary, drunken eyes finally made out the scene inside the cramped cubicle—

A boy wearing a high school uniform.

A high school girl with flushed cheeks and slightly disheveled clothes.

The two were face to face and body to body, squeezed into this enclosed space of less than two square meters.

"Well……"

The office worker, who was about to rush inside, froze in mid-air.

As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, the hazy intoxication in his eyes faded rapidly at a visible speed.

"Ah... um... sorry!"

He recoiled as if electrocuted, his face plastered with an ambiguous smile, bowing repeatedly as he backed away.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see the sign clearly! Sorry to bother you! Please continue! Please do continue!"

"Bang!"

He slammed the automatic door shut with his hand, and even thoughtfully pressed the "close" button from the outside.

Immediately afterwards, through the thin door panel, the middle-aged man's mutterings came through clearly:

"Sigh... these young people nowadays..."

"Even though the economy is bad... to actually go to a place like this just to save a few thousand yen on a hotel... it's truly a sign of the times..."

The silence lasted for a full three seconds in the narrow, cramped space.

Immediately after

"Ah... Ahhhhhh!!"

Kujo Hii covered her face with both hands, her whole body trembling violently, even her earlobes, which were exposed outside her hair, turned red as if they were about to bleed.

"I...I don't want to live anymore!"

She let out a mournful cry, like a kettle boiling over.

"We were mistaken for... mistaken for one of those couples who couldn't afford a room and had to hide in a multi-purpose toilet to... do those sordid things...!"

"A stain! This is an indelible stain on the Kujo family's name, a stain that has lasted for hundreds of years!!"

The girl suddenly grabbed Kamiki Tetsu's backpack strap, and her eyes, which were brimming with tears, now flashed with a mad light.

"The sword! Give me that sword, Kamiki-kun!"

"At this moment, only seppuku! Only blood can wash away this humiliation!!"