The story begins with an eight-foot-tall lady surrounded by ghost story ladies.

now...

Saya Jinguji, the queen of the yakuza, one of the three major forces in Tokyo's underworld...

He was sitting in Natsume Fanyu's office chair.

His posture was as dignified as if he were sitting on the throne in the Emperor's palace.

The more dignified she appears, the more alluring the silhouette of her body outlined by the kimono becomes.

Three exorcists stood behind her.

Two middle-aged men and one young woman.

His demeanor was calm and composed, but his gaze was sharp as a knife.

The other two auras remained hidden in the shadows of the room, not revealing themselves.

Natsume Fanyu glanced at it briefly and then looked away.

His gaze returned to Saya Jinguji.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

There was silence for about three seconds.

Then Jinguji Saya smiled.

That smile transformed her from an "unapproachable queen" into a "queen who might listen to your explanation."

"Mr. Natsume."

Please forgive my intrusion in visiting.

Natsume Fanyu leaned against the door frame, her hands in her pockets, her casual posture a stark contrast to her dignified demeanor.

"Not at all."

"It is my honor that Mrs. Saya of the Jinguji Group personally came to visit me."

"only..."

His gaze swept over the three exorcists standing in the room, then over the rows of black suits downstairs outside the window, and finally returned to Saya Jinguji's face.

Before my gaze lingered on her "face," it inevitably passed over the waistline cinched by her kimono sash, and the full curves above it, tightly wrapped in the kimono.

"Mrs. Saya brought so many people to see my little office. Are you planning to buy it or demolish it?"

Jinguji Saya did not respond to his joke.

Her gaze was as calm as a deep pool of water, its bottom unseen.

At this point, he simply asked:

"Rin, are you alright?"

It's not "How is Rin Jinguji doing?"

It was "Rin, are you alright?"

The title only includes the given name, not the surname.

There was no probing in his tone, only concern.

Like a mother asking her daughter who is coming home late.

Natsume Fanyu looked at her for two seconds.

He then walked to the desk and sat down in the visitor's chair opposite Saya Jinguji.

The chair was shorter than hers, forcing him to tilt his head back slightly to look her in the eye.

But the way he sat down made it seem as if he were sitting in a chair that was taller than hers.

"Miss Jinguji is very nice."

"Her mother is also very good."

"Her sister..."

He paused.

"That's good too."

"younger sister."

Jinguji Saya repeated the two words, her tone carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible complexity.

"Rin, have you named her?"

"His surname is Jinguji."

Natsume Fanyu said.

"We haven't chosen a name yet."

Jinguji Saya was silent for a moment, then she nodded slightly.

"so."

He only said those two words.

But Natsume Fanyu gleaned a lot from those two words.

I sensed her confirmation of the existence of her "little sister," and I sensed her understanding of Jinguji Rin's decision...

I sensed her assessment, as the head of the Jinguji group, regarding the "fetal spirit returning to the Jinguji family"...

I could also sense that unspoken...gratification from her as a foster mother regarding her adopted daughter's choice.

'This stepmother is definitely not a simple character.'

Natsume Fanyu thought to himself.

"Rin Jinguji's mother's escape and the return of the unborn spirit are huge changes to the power structure of the entire Jinguji group."

"If it were a stepmother who only craved power, she wouldn't be personally visiting an exorcist in this situation."

"Instead, we should immediately begin to weaken the influence of Rin Jinguji and her daughter, and consolidate our own position."

But instead of doing that, she rushed to my place immediately, and the first thing she asked was, "Is Rin alright?"

Whether this concern is genuine or a tactic, it at least proves one thing...

This woman knows what's truly important.

Only those who can distinguish right from wrong deserve to sit in that position.

Those who couldn't tell the difference have long been swallowed up by the concrete barrels of Tokyo Bay.

"So..."

Jinguji Saya spoke again.

She leaned forward slightly as she spoke, causing the collar of her kimono to slip open a little.

Below the collarbone, a patch of dazzlingly white skin was faintly visible.

Natsume Fanyu's gaze lingered on that white expanse for a moment before shifting away.

"Mr. Natsume, I've come to discuss a business deal with you."

"About Miss Jinguji's business?" he asked.

Jinguji Saya shook her head slightly, her body under the kimono swaying gently with the movement, the curves of her waistband undulating with it.

"No, it's about the entire Jinguji family's business."

"Oh?" Natsume Fanyu said with interest:

"So, I wonder what kind of business deal Lady Saya wants to discuss with me regarding Jinguji Temple?"

Jinguji Saya did not answer immediately.

She lowered her eyes and gently tapped her slender fingers on the table.

The knock was very light, but the auras of the five exorcists in the room changed simultaneously.

It's not about becoming stronger, but about becoming more restrained.

It was like a tacit reminder.

Natsume Fanyu noticed this detail, and his opinion of the woman in front of him rose even higher.

The fact that he could command such obedience from three exorcists who had fought their way out of a horde of evil spirits was not solely due to his title as the "ruler of the Jinguji Group."

"Mr. Natsume."

Jinguji Saya raised her unfathomable eyes once more.

She looked at him, and he looked at her.

Their gazes locked in mid-air, like two snakes coiled around each other.

"You should know that once the news of the Fetal God spreads, many evil spirits will come knocking, trying to possess the Fetal God."

Natsume Fanyu leaned back in his chair and didn't reply.

Of course he knew.

The fetal god.

It is the spirit of the land that was worshipped by the Jinguji family for generations.

It fed on the incense, prayers, and obsessions of generations of the Jinguji family, and was eventually formed within the seal.

This thing's spiritual level is so high that it far exceeds the comprehension of ordinary evil spirits.

In the scriptures of Tokyo's Onmyōdō (the Way of Yin and Yang), this thing is even classified as "the god closest to the present world".

It's not because of its power, although it is indeed powerful, but because of its "position".

It is neither in the other world nor in this world, but rather stuck in the gap between the two.

Therefore, it can be devoured by evil spirits, or it can devour evil spirits.

As for those ancient monsters who have lived for countless years...

The fetal spirit is like a piece of Tang Sanzang's flesh that fell from the sky.

As long as you can seize it, devour it, and take possession of it...

Thus, one can rise from a lowly wandering ghost to a being of the level of a local deity.

This temptation is a thousand times greater than the allure of rotting flesh in the realm of hungry ghosts.

Moreover, it can even build a bridge between the present world and the afterlife.

At that time, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons will no longer be just a legend, but a daily occurrence.

"so what?"

Natsume Fanyu leaned back in his chair, his posture as casual as if he were listening to a neighbor complain about garbage sorting.

"Is Lady Saya worried that the Jinguji family can't withstand the pressure?"