Sakura Kuri allowed the man's hands to remain resting possessively on her lower abdomen. A blush stained her cheeks as she bit her lower lip. She revved the throttle, sending a plume of white exhaust into the air, and the Kawasaki screamed forward, tires scraping asphalt before launching into Tokyo's chaotic streets.
They sped through the cityscape, buildings and neon signs blurring past in streaks of color and light. Sakura pushed the bike faster, the engine howling. Suddenly, amidst the urban roar, a peculiar stillness enveloped her senses. It felt as if the bustling city had emptied, leaving only her and the man holding her waist, hurtling forward without a destination, this embrace unending.
The illusion shattered too soon. The distance between Shinjuku and Tokyo Tower was negligible. The sensation faded almost as quickly as it arrived, depositing them outside the Tokyo Tower entrance. Sakura felt a momentary chill where his hands had pressed when Fang Zuo dismounted smoothly before the bike had fully settled.
Couldn't he wait? A spike of irrational annoyance flared. Sakura ripped off her helmet, shaking her hair out with a jerky motion, and strode towards the entrance without looking back. Fang Zuo shrugged silently at her back. Women… even nascent souls find them inscrutable.
***
The elevator descended to Sub-Level 3 – Tokyo Exorcism Patrol HQ. Inside, an unusual tension hung thick in the air. Officers sat ramrod straight at their desks, radiating an aura of busyness that felt forcibly manufactured.
Fang Zuo paused, sensing the shift.
A small hand tugged gently at his sleeve.
He looked down to find Sonomiya Tsubaki peering up at him. Her arms overflowed with files; her large, black-framed glasses perched precariously low on her nose. "Fujino-kun, quick! Sit down!" she whispered urgently, hastily pushing her glasses back up. Her gaze darted meaningfully towards Sakura Kuri's closed office door. "Vice-Commissioner Kato Seiichi is here... with Councilwoman Abe."
Fang Zuo took in her appearance. "Miss Sonomiya, you look especially radiant today. More so than yesterday. Even more than the day before."
Tsubaki had ditched her usual worn-out blouse. Today, a simple, faded black crewneck tee hung loosely over wide-leg trousers that pooled slightly over her scuffed sneakers. The most noticeable change: a touch of lipstick in a soft, rosy hue. It broke through her usual muted aesthetic, injecting a surprising breath of youthfulness. "A-A-Arigatou, F-F-Fujino-kun!" she stammered, her face instantly flushing crimson as she nervously adjusted her glasses again.
Fang Zuo felt an instinctive liking for this quiet, diligent girl. Memories flooded in – Fujino Gen, the lazy officer he'd usurped, had constantly bullied her gentle nature, forcing her to write his reports and handle his workload. Tsubaki, invariably, endured it silently.
"Councilwoman Abe? Abe Na-Jaku?" Fang Zuo focused on the closed door. "All these grand moves… what's her ultimate goal? Just premiership?" He scanned the near-deserted parking garage visible through a nearby window. "That explains the Lamborghini and Land Rover hogging the VIP spots down here."
"W-Why are they here?" Tsubaki fretted, pushing her glasses nervously.
"To blame her," Tsubaki murmured, her voice filled with worry. "Rumors flew… Councilwoman Abe launched a fierce attack against the Cabinet government in the Upper House."
"Exactly," chimed in Officer Mouri Takehiro, walking past with a coffee cup. "So when Parliament demands answers, the Cabinet dumps it on Tokyo Police HQ. HQ naturally throws the Exorcism Patrol under the bus. And Vice-Commissioner Kato? He's pointing straight at Captain Sakura. Down the chain it flows. In a few days… this whole division might be dissolved." He took a grim sip of coffee and slunk back to his desk.
Fang Zuo gave Tsubaki's shoulder a reassuring pat. "My lovely Miss Sonomiya."
"H-Hai!" Tsubaki looked up expectantly.
"Do me a favor? Please run to the HQ storeroom and fetch an O-fuda pouch for me? The kind with the official sealing strips." Fang Zuo gently nudged her glasses back into place. She nodded and hurried off.
***
Inside Captain Sakura Kuri's office, a storm was raging.
Abe Na-Jaku now occupied Sakura's own desk chair. She'd shed her Diet battle attire, replacing it with a form-fitting scarlet lace pencil dress. The material stretched taut over her wide hips, revealing the unmistakable borders of a lace-trimmed thong beneath. Her meticulously maintained legs, clad in white damask stockings adorned with crimson lace trim, were crossed at the knee. From beneath the hem, two matching scarlet garter straps traced paths up the smooth skin of her thighs before vanishing beneath the scarlet fabric. Her posture dominated the room, her ample form settling into the chair like an immovable object. She produced a slim cigarette.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" It was pure formality; the cigarette was already lit between her fingers before she finished the sentence. She took a slow, elegant drag, blowing smoke towards Vice-Commissioner Kato Seiichi. She gestured lazily for him to proceed.
"Hai!" Kato bowed deeply at the waist. He turned, his expression shifting to cold contempt as he faced Sakura, who stood rigidly at attention before her own desk.
"Captain Sakura," Kato barked, "Councilwoman Abe has articulated the situation perfectly. Frankly, I have severe reservations about your competence."
"Sumimasen," Sakura murmured, head lowered.
"You've brought disgrace upon Tokyo Police Headquarters!"
"These unresolved occult murders…" Kato's voice dripped disdain. "They're a permanent stain. As the Councilwoman stated with such clarity, I concur: this division has demonstrably failed to justify its existence." He paused for effect. "HQ is actively considering a different approach. Future 'occult' cases will simply be assigned a case number and posted to a public bounty board. Let the city's Onmyoji families compete for the reward money. Less waste. Fewer embarrassing failures."
"Sumimasen," Sakura repeated, her voice barely above a whisper but steady. "We have gathered substantial leads. We're closing in."
"Enough!" Abe Na-Jaku's sharp command cut through the air. She exhaled a plume of smoke towards the ceiling, then fixed Sakura with a stare sharp enough to cut glass. "Give. Me. A. Date." Her voice was dangerously soft. "For these recent, baffling cases. Give me a deadline for closure. I am weary beyond measure of this institutionalized shifting of blame."
The office plunged into heavy silence.
"Since you lack the fortitude to commit…" Abe Na-Jaku began, her tone glacial, preparing to pronounce judgment upon Kato instead…
*SLAM!*
The door to Captain Sakura Kuri's office flew inward violently—kicked open.
Fang Zuo stood framed in the doorway, frozen in the exaggerated pose of someone who had just delivered a powerful kick. He looked utterly innocent.
Inside, three pairs of eyes—Abe's sharp, Kato's furious, Sakura's stunned and hopeful—snapped towards him, wide with disbelief. The sheer audacity of kicking open the Captain's door in Tokyo Exorcism Patrol HQ was staggering. Unthinkable.
"Captain! Terribly sorry, urgent matter." Fang Zuo blinked innocently.
Sakura snapped back to her role, clearing her throat sharply. "Fujino! What is so critical?!"
"Two things, Captain," Fang Zuo announced clearly, stepping inside as if the Vice-Commissioner and a Diet member weren't present. "First, the task force analyzing the recent incidents has uncovered significant new leads. They request your immediate presence. They're confident a breakthrough is imminent."
"Second," he continued, pulling a small, officially sealed cloth pouch from his pocket – the kind used by the Patrol for containing minor spirit fragments – "we received a public disturbance report. Significant property destruction right here… practically under our noses… in the Tokyo Tower parking garage. Regular patrol units were baffled; cameras showed nothing. So, naturally…" He tossed the pouch onto Sakura's desk where it landed with a soft thud. "…they designated it 'occult' and kicked it to us. Apprehended the suspect. Appears to be a rogue spirit entity… likely an escaped shikigami from some careless family's menagerie."
He paused dramatically. "Oh, and speaking of the garage… those two rather expensive vehicles parked outside? The Lamborghini and the Land Rover? Suffered severe vandalism. HQ should probably notify the owners immediately. Looks costly."
"*Nani?! BAKA YARŌ!*" Kato exploded, his face purpling with rage. He shoved past Fang Zuo, nearly running towards the exit to assess the (non-existent) damage to his precious vehicles.
"My apologies, Councilwoman Abe," Sakura said crisply, offering a perfunctory bow. "Citizen reports demand immediate attention. Must contain the damage." She strode purposefully towards the door without waiting for a dismissal, flashing Fang Zuo a micro-expression of relief as she passed.
Fang Zuo turned to follow her.
"Matte."
Abe Na-Jaku's single word froze him in place. She stubbed her cigarette out firmly on Sakura's polished desk surface, leaving a smudge. Slowly, deliberately, she stood up. The movement hiked the tight scarlet dress even higher on her thighs. She offered no attempt to quickly readjust the hem as the black lace of her thong and the expanse of bare skin above it became visible. Instead, she met Fang Zuo's gaze directly, then reached down and smoothed the dress back into place with unhurried composure. Only then did she walk towards him, hips swaying with each step. She stopped mere inches away, her vibrant red lips parting slightly. She leaned in, as if sharing an intimate secret, and blew a small stream of smoke towards his face.
"Well played," she murmured, her voice a low, dangerous purr laced with unmistakable amusement. "Exceedingly clever… Fujino-kun." The pause before his name was weighted, suggesting she saw right through him. With a deliberate flick of her finger, she sent the sealed spirit pouch containing the restless shadow he'd captured skittering across the desk towards him. Her scarlet nail traced the sealing charm, threatening to rip it open. "Shall we discuss your definition of 'urgent'?"