I Have Connections

What should I do? What should I do?

In the bathroom, Natsumi was like an ant on a hot pan. Although Artemisia had let her into the bathroom, if she stayed in there for too long, she'd definitely give herself away. The small space offered no avenues for escape, and sooner or later, she would be discovered.

At that moment, Artemisia's voice came from outside.

"Are you done yet? It's been five minutes already. Also, I suggest you drop any ideas of escaping because with your abilities, there's no way you can get out of my grasp. If you try, you'll only face harsher punishment."

"What's the big deal about staying in the bathroom for a little while longer?" Natsumi shouted back, pretending to be indifferent. "Can't I have diarrhea or something?"

Artemisia outside didn't reply. As a refined and reserved lady, Artemisia clearly wasn't a match for the shamelessness of this little brat. Discussing such unmentionable matters so loudly was not something she could respond to.

After yelling, Natsumi began to fret again. This wasn't a sustainable plan. Soon enough, even claiming she had her period wouldn't hold up.

Suddenly, Natsumi felt a tap on her shoulder. She stiffened and reflexively turned her head, nearly screaming out loud. She hastily covered her mouth with her hand.

A black hole had somehow appeared in the bathroom wall, and from it, someone was leaning through. With a smile on her face, she looked at Natsumi.

It was Kurumi Tokisaki .

"Seems I came at a bad time. Maybe I should have picked another moment to visit," Kurumi said, covering her mouth as she chuckled. "I'm sorry for disturbing your private time. Truly."

"Private time?! What are you talking about?!" Natsumi's face flushed red as she snapped back at her. However, fearing that Artemisia outside might hear, she kept her voice as low as possible.

"Oh, not at all?" Kurumi's eyes widened slightly as if realizing something. With a sly smile, she said, "I see. I didn't expect you to have such… unique hobbies. It's quite surprising."

"What hobbies?" Natsumi asked, puzzled.

"You know, the sort of thing that brings you great… joy," Kurumi said, beckoning with her pale, delicate fingers, her tone full of insinuation.

Natsumi's mind buzzed. Images from a certain website she had stumbled upon while browsing the internet flashed through her head.

"No! Absolutely not! I'd never do something so shameless!" Natsumi shouted in anger. But the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She hadn't suppressed her voice, and if Artemisia outside wasn't deaf, she had definitely heard her.

Sure enough, just seconds later, Artemisia's voice came from outside.

"What's going on? Did something happen?"

"Ah! N-no! Nothing's wrong! Everything's fine!" Natsumi stammered, feeling a surge of resentment toward the fox-like figure smirking at her.

"Nothing's wrong?" Artemisia didn't seem convinced. "Don't try anything funny. You can't escape. Just open the door now."

This is bad.

"No need! I'm fine! I'll be out in a moment!" Natsumi quickly replied.

"Open the door, or I'll break it down," Artemisia said coldly.

Natsumi realized she couldn't stall any longer. If Artemisia forced her way in, there was no way to hide anything, and the situation would definitely spiral out of control.

After a brief moment of panic, Natsumi gritted her teeth and made a decision. She quickly pulled down her pants, along with her cute pink underwear. A fleeting glimpse of delicate skin flashed before she plopped herself onto the toilet seat. Just as she sat down, the door burst open with a loud bang, and Artemisia strode in.

Artemisia froze for a moment at the sight of Natsumi sitting on the toilet.

"What are you doing? Haven't you ever seen someone using the bathroom before? Get out!" Natsumi snapped, pretending to be furious.

Artemisia frowned slightly. "Don't try anything. If you do, you'll regret it."

"Just get out already!" Natsumi growled, feigning indignation. "What kind of weirdo are you?!"

Artemisia snorted, turned away, and walked out, shutting the door behind her. Only when Natsumi saw the door close did she finally exhale a sigh of relief. Her heart had been pounding like crazy.

Speaking of which, Natsumi's luck really was terrible. First, she was bullied by Kaguya, and now she was being threatened by someone else. Worst of all, this whole thing had nothing to do with her! She was paying the price for that wretched Kaguya. The mere thought of it made her furious.

"Tsk tsk," Kurumi stepped fully out of the shadowy hole in the wall, giggling. "A dignified Spirit reduced to such desperate measures. How utterly tragic."

"You have no right to talk!" Natsumi hissed angrily, lowering her voice as she spoke. "If it weren't for you people, would I be in this mess? It's all your fault!" The more she thought about it, the more justified she felt, and she grew even more indignant.

Thinking about her recent predicaments, Natsumi's frustration overwhelmed her, and tears welled up in her eyes. Life had been so much better when she was on her own—free to do whatever she wanted, with no constraints. Ever since that damned Kaguya had captured her, she had been stuck doing chores, washing clothes, and cooking from dawn to dusk, never catching a break. It was practically child labor!

Now it was even worse. She was being hunted for something that had nothing to do with her. She hadn't even done anything, and yet she was getting dragged into all this trouble. It was worse than Dou E's injustice! The thought of it all filled her with renewed rage, and her hatred for Kaguya deepened.

"If that's the case, do you want to leave this place?" Kurumi asked with a smile, her crimson eyes gleaming mischievously. She fluttered her eyelashs, her tone teasing.

...

"Huff, huff… I'm exhausted. I can't go on anymore," Natsumi gasped, leaning heavily against a nearby tree trunk. She was out of breath, her chest heaving as she spoke.

Without her spirit powers, she was just an ordinary girl, and this kind of intense physical exertion was overwhelming for her. She could feel her limbs going weak.

"Giving up already?" Kurumi stopped and turned to face her, smiling. "But you should think carefully. If you stop running now, that person chasing us might catch up soon."

Before Kurumi's words had even fully registered, an enraged shout echoed from behind them.

"You damn brats! How dare you deceive me! I'll kill you!"

"I think we should keep running!" Natsumi blurted, bolting forward in a flash and quickly taking the lead.

"Weren't you just saying you couldn't run anymore?" Kurumi asked, covering her mouth as she chuckled.

"Are you an idiot?!" Natsumi yelled back while running. "Someone's trying to kill you—of course, you run faster! Do you want to die?"

"But they're trying to kill you, not me," Kurumi teased with a mischievous grin.

"You… you set me up, didn't you? This was all part of your trap, you—" Natsumi's voice cut off abruptly as her pupils contracted in shock.

A flash of light suddenly streaked through the air, gleaming like cold steel. It swept across Kurumi's pale, delicate neck.

Blood splattered in an arc.

Kurumi's head spun through the air, her face frozen in mild surprise as if she hadn't yet registered what had just happened.

Crimson blood sprayed into the sky.

Natsumi felt a warm, wet sensation on her face. She instinctively reached up to touch it, and when she looked at her hand, her pupils shrank. It was blood.

A tall figure stepped forward. With golden hair and a stunningly beautiful face.

"Hmph. So fragile," Artemisia scoffed coldly. She turned to the wide-eyed Natsumi and sneered, "And that's the kind of Spirit daring to flaunt itself? No wonder the military's people are useless—they're nothing but a bunch of failures."

Natsumi finally grasped what had just happened—Kurumi had been killed. She had been killed so easily.

Although she disliked Kurumi, especially when she was with Kaguya, who annoyed her even more, Kurumi was still a Spirit like her. There was a certain camaraderie among Spirits—a sense of recognition when one saw another of their kind.

And yet, her fellow Spirit had been so easily slain.

Natsumi swallowed hard, her throat dry. When she looked at Artemisia again, an uncontrollable fear surged within her.

Would I also be killed just as easily?

Artemisia approached her, her glowing blade hovering just above Natsumi's pale, trembling neck. "Some people don't understand the severity of the situation unless you teach them the hard way," Artemisia said icily. "You like running, don't you? Let me cut off your legs and see how far you can run."

Natsumi gasped, her face draining of all color. She turned to flee, but Artemisia swung her blade. The light of the sword flashed like lightning, slicing toward Natsumi's legs. If it hit, she would surely spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

At that critical moment, a series of sharp gunshots rang out from a distance. Dark bullets burst forth, zipping toward Artemisia at high speed.

Artemisia frowned slightly. If she continued her attack, she might sever Natsumi's legs, but the bullets would undoubtedly strike her in the process. She had no choice but to withdraw her blade and turn to defend herself.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as the bullets collided with her glowing sword.

Natsumi, crouching on the ground with her arms wrapped around her head, slowly realized she hadn't been hurt. She cautiously looked up and froze in astonishment.

"Kurumi… Tokisaki?"

In the distance stood a beautiful girl with twin ponytails, a Lolita headband, and a Gothic black-and-red dress. It was none other than Kurumi Tokisaki—the same Kurumi Artemisia had just killed moments ago.

"Ara, Ara," Kurumi said, gently patting her chest as if relieved. Her voice carried a playful lilt as she feigned fear. "How frightening! That really hurt, you know. Who would've guessed that such a pretty lady could be such a formidable opponent?"

"So this is your special ability?" Artemisia murmured, her brows knitting almost imperceptibly. "In that case, I'll just keep killing you until you can't revive anymore."

Without waiting for a response, Artemisia stomped the ground. The earth cracked under her foot as her mechanical unit roared to life. A surge of high-speed airflow propelled her toward Kurumi.

"Such confidence," Kurumi remarked with a smile. "But let's see if your actions live up to your boasts. I suspect they're just empty words." With that, she waved her hand.

"Zafkiel."

Behind her, a massive golden clock materialized, glowing with radiant light.

"I won't let you have your way," Artemisia said, her eyes narrowing as she accelerated.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her turned pitch black. Countless arms emerged from the darkness, forming a massive net that swept toward Artemisia like a tidal wave.

"Petty tricks," Artemisia sneered, unfazed. With a swing of her arm, her glowing sword flared brilliantly, unleashing a golden arc of light that slashed through the dark tendrils.

The golden light vanished in an instant, followed by a spray of crimson blood.

The black arms writhing on the ground were severed as if harvested by a scythe. Scarlet blood spurted from the dismembered limbs, which eerily resembled real human arms, creating a grotesque and chilling scene.

Although the arms had only delayed Artemisia briefly, she soon broke free of the dark net in a blaze of swordlight.

But Kurumi had never intended to trap her for long. In the fleeting seconds she had bought, she had already prepared her next move.

"Aleph—First Bullet!"

Kurumi pressed the muzzle of her handgun to her temple, a faint smile curling on her lips as she pulled the trigger.

At that exact moment, a shadowy figure appeared behind her, swinging a sword in a blinding arc. The blade pierced through Kurumi's back with lightning speed, sinking in to the hilt.

Blood gushed into the air.

...

"Who are you?" Ryouko Kusakabe asked, glaring at the fat man in front of her with a tone that was anything but friendly.

"I am the Minister of Defense. And who are you?" Fukuda Michio replied, his face darkening. "How dare you openly converse with criminal suspects on the street? Do you even know who they are? Associating with them like this—are you trying to lose your job?"

"And what the hell do you think you are, trying to boss me around? Minister of Defense?" Ryouko gave him a scornful once-over, smirking. "You? A minister? If you're a minister, then I'm the Emperor of Japan. What a joke. You should just go home and raise pigs."

Already in a foul mood, Ryouko found herself pushed over the edge by this pompous fat man throwing his weight around.

Kaguya, observing the scene, couldn't help but smile. Her former AST captain was just the same as ever. Back in the AST unit, Ryouko's straightforwardness and candid personality made her a well-liked and respectable superior among her team members.

Taking out her newly purchased phone, Kaguya dialed a number she had saved but never used. After speaking a few brief words, she ended the call.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Yoshino tilted her head, looking curiously at Kaguya.

"Nothing much," Kaguya replied with a soft laugh, patting Yoshino's head. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Y-You insolent fool!" Fukuda Michio stammered, choking on his words after Ryouko's sharp retorts. His entire body trembled with rage. "You'd better watch yourself! Which department are you from? Call your superior here right now! I want to see who has such a brilliant subordinate!"

"You? You think you're someone worth my respect?" Ryouko snorted, reaching for her phone. "How about this—I'll have you arrested right now for impersonating a government official."

"You wouldn't dare!" Fukuda Michio's face alternated between shades of red and green, his corpulent body quaking.

Meanwhile, Yoshino tilted her head again, turning to Kaguya and whispering, "Mom, is that pig sick?"

"Hmm..." Kaguya considered the question with a thoughtful expression before answering earnestly, "It's probably a new breed."

Fukuda Michio's blood pressure seemed to spike as Kaguya's words hit him like a slap to the face. He turned beet red, his anger boiling over as the surrounding crowd began pointing and whispering.

"Let's see if you'll still act tough!" Ryouko sneered, raising her phone to call someone, fully intending to have this obnoxious fat man locked up for a few days to teach him a lesson.

At that moment, a middle-aged man hurried over, his face flushed with anxiety and his forehead slick with sweat. He rushed up to Fukuda Michio, blurting out, "Minister! There you are!"

Fukuda's eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Perfect timing! Detain these suspects immediately! I suspect them of involvement in a murder case. Bring them back for a thorough investigation!"

Fukuda's gaze turned sinister as he doubled down. He had never been humiliated like this before. He vowed to make these insubordinate fools regret crossing him. He'd have them locked up and tormented in prison to teach them the price of defiance.

However, to Fukuda's dismay, the middle-aged man did not follow his orders. Instead, the man's face turned pale with alarm as he exclaimed, "This is terrible, Minister. We have a major problem."

"Calm down! What could possibly be more important than my orders?" Fukuda snapped, his face darkening further.

"Minister," the man stammered hesitantly, "I think it's better if we step aside to discuss this matter privately."

"What matter? Can't you just say it here?" Fukuda barked, irritation evident in his voice.

"But this matter—" The man hesitated, his expression filled with unease.

"Spit it out already! Or are you looking to lose your job?" Fukuda roared, his pent-up frustration and anger erupting. If there had been any justice, he would have dragged the man out and had him shot.

Taking a deep breath, the man finally blurted, "Minister, we've just received word that the Prime Minister has officially removed you from your position. Effective immediately, you are no longer the Minister of Defense. Furthermore, criminal charges have been filed against you for illegal arms trafficking, smuggling, and several other offenses, including rape and murder. Minister, you need to leave now before it's too late."

"W-What?" Fukuda's face went pale as if struck by lightning. He stood there, stunned. He had only been the Minister of Defense for a few days, and now he was being removed so suddenly?

Regaining his composure, Fukuda grabbed the man by his collar, shaking him violently. "What did you just say?! How could the Prime Minister remove me?"

The idea was inconceivable to him. He and the Prime Minister had always been allies. Fukuda had provided substantial support during political battles and had always made sure to keep the Prime Minister well-compensated. Their partnership had seemed unshakable.

Yet here he was, hearing that his closest ally had not only removed him but also dug up his past crimes. It was impossible to believe.

"I'm just relaying the facts, Minister. This information comes directly from the Prime Minister's office," the man said urgently. "If you don't leave now, they'll arrest you on the spot."

"Has he gone mad?!" Fukuda sputtered, disbelief and rage warring on his face.

Suddenly, the wailing of sirens pierced the night air. The crowd scattered as armored vehicles and police cars screeched to a halt. Armed soldiers poured out, their rifles pointed as they surrounded Fukuda Michio.

"Are you Fukuda Michio?" asked a stern officer as he approached.

"I am Fukuda Michio! Who are you?" Fukuda replied, trying to maintain his composure.

"Then that's settled." The officer waved his hand. "Take him away."

At his command, burly soldiers moved in.

"What are you doing? Stay back! I'm the Minister of Defense! You'll regret this!" Fukuda struggled wildly, but his corpulent body, weakened by years of indulgence, was no match for the soldiers. They subdued him with ease, binding him tightly. In the process, one soldier struck him with the butt of his rifle, breaking Fukuda's nose with a sickening crunch. Blood gushed out as he let out a wailing scream.

"You can't do this to me! I demand to see the Prime Minister! I want to see him now!" Fukuda's desperate cries echoed as he was dragged into a waiting vehicle. Within moments, the convoy departed, sirens wailing as it vanished into the night.

The commotion came to an end, leaving behind an air of disbelief.

As for Fukuda's mistress, she had slipped away unnoticed the moment things took a turn for the worse. After all, all she cared about was Fukuda's wealth and influence.

Sitting inside the armored vehicle, bound and defeated, Fukuda realized he had been outmaneuvered. But no matter how hard he tried to piece it together, he couldn't fathom who had orchestrated his downfall.

Perhaps he would never know.

Watching the convoy disappear into the distance, Kaguya smirked, a faintly amused expression playing on her lips.

At the same time, Ryouko, finally grasping the situation, felt her heart skip a beat. That fat man might have really been the Minister of Defense. Reflecting on the way she had spoken to him, a cold sweat broke out on her back. Thankfully, he had been arrested; otherwise, offending such a powerful figure could have ended badly.

When Ryouko glanced at Kaguya and saw her enigmatic smile, her curiosity got the better of her. Approaching cautiously, she asked, "That was your doing, wasn't it?"

"Nothing big," Kaguya replied with a casual smile. "Just a little matter."

And it was indeed a small matter. She had simply made a phone call to the Prime Minister, asking him to handle Fukuda Michio.

Whether out of misunderstanding or eagerness to curry favor, the Prime Minister had gone beyond her request, stripping Fukuda of his position entirely and unearthing his old crimes. If the charges held, Fukuda would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

Staring at Kaguya's composed smile, Ryouko's suspicions solidified. Despite the lingering wariness she felt toward Kaguya, her curiosity drove her to ask, "How did you pull that off?"

Taking Yoshino's hand, Kaguya glanced up at the starry night sky and said with a hint of playful mischief, "I have connections."

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