Chapter 526

The next day, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kamakura City, at the seaside tower, the chief priest of Tsuruoka Hachimangū Shinai and a director of the Kantou Shinai Alliance, Shunsuke Muramatsu, turned off the television.

In the news footage, that office building he knew so well was being lightly reported as having suffered an "accidental explosion due to a gas pipe leak," and the anchor added in a flat tone, "It is reported that the national actress, Ms. Shirakawa Mai, who was present at the time, is unharmed."

"Unharmed haha—hahaha—." Muramatsu let out a low laugh, the sound squeezed from deep in his throat, tinged with bitterness and self-mockery. His meticulously planned "borrowed knife to kill" scheme had not only failed to harm Shirakawa Mai in the slightest, but instead acted like a mirror, revealing the unfathomable strength of that young chief priest—and his own doom.

He had guessed wrong.

He had not tried to call anyone, nor had he looked at his phone. From the moment he stepped into this secret apartment in Kamakura and discovered that the trusted bodyguards who should have been on duty downstairs had vanished like smoke, he already understood.

This seaside tower is of a very special design: the so-called downstairs main gate and card-swipe elevator, if outsiders don't know the trick, can only reach the upstairs warehouse; only those who know the secret can reach the true elevator from the side of the safety passage beside the elevator shaft.

This was his prepared temporary lodging point, but here there was not a single person.

The situation was lost.

He walked to the wine cabinet, took out that bottle of top-grade Scotch whisky he had cherished for years, its packaging still unopened.

He violently tore open the packaging, twisted off the cap, and without even using a wine cup, he directly tipped his head back and gulped several mouthfuls from the bottle. The amber liquid burned his throat and stomach, yet it could not dispel that bone-deep chill.

He slumped onto the expensive Italian genuine leather sofa in the center of the living room, the expensive suit wrinkling, which he utterly ignored.

The apartment was deathly silent, save for the faint sound of distant waves. He stroked the cold wine bottle, his gaze hollow as he looked out the window at Kanagawa's night sky, the lights brilliant, yet now utterly unrelated to him.

After a long silence, he suddenly seemed to have given up all struggle, and in a tone nearly calm, even tinged with a hint of weary politeness, he spoke to the empty room:

"Anyone got a cigarette?"

His voice rang out exceptionally clear in the silent space.

A few seconds later, as if detaching from the shadows, several men in sharply tailored, austere black suits appeared silently in the corner of the living room, like emotionless sculptures, their eyes sharp yet hollow.

Muramatsu looked at them, his face showing no surprise, only a hint of "as expected" relief.

He spread his hands with utter shamelessness, his tone even carrying a touch of teasing:

"We've come this far—let me have a smoke, is that too much?"

The lead suit-clad man, a visage of stern resolve with eyes like a hawk's, silently regarded him for a moment. Then he slowly drew a pack of Marlboro from his inner jacket pocket, pulled out one, stepped forward, handed it to Muramatsu's lips, and with a refined chrome lighter, clicked it alight with a "pop."

The orange-red flame flickered once, illuminating Muramatsu's slightly pale face. He drew deeply, the smoke swirling in his lungs before slowly exhaling through his nostrils and mouth, forming looping blue-gray smoke rings. He closed his eyes, as if savoring this final comfort in life.

One cigarette soon burned down. He pressed the butt out in the crystal ashtray, his motion unhurried.

"What a fine day," Muramatsu suddenly exclaimed out of nowhere, the corner of his mouth twisting into a complex arc mixed with mockery, failure, and a strange sense of release. He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over the suit-clad men before him, his tone turning serious:

"Remember to give Chief Priest Shirakawa a message."

The suit-clad men remained silent, but their eyes signaled they were listening.

"That person from Kansai—-appearance unknown, called An Masao." Muramatsu enunciated each word, his eyes deepening, "His goal is far greater than you or I can imagine. Beyond imagination, he seems to have little interest in the mundane world; his involvement in secular affairs appears merely to use worldly resources to seek something, but I do not know what."

This is his last bit of value as a failure, perhaps also a belated, insignificant atonement for his own betrayal.

Several suit-clad men nodded expressionlessly, indicating the message had been received.

Then, in unison, they stepped forward, forming a small encirclement that surrounded Muramatsu Shunsuke in the middle. No extra words, no rough gestures—just a silent proclamation.

Muramatsu closed his eyes, offering no further resistance, saying nothing more.

He had always thought Lord Dongtian Pavilion died from wounds sustained in that battle.

Since Chief Priest Shirakawa wields such power, then—she truly ought to win as chief priest!

I lost the bet!

Too bad I won't get to see the upcoming war between Lady Shirakawa and Lord Appearance.

Ah, what I love most is the scenery of Odawara, the distant mountains, the lone soaring birds.

In this chaotic age, when will it ever end?

Three minutes later, a bungee jumper without a cord descended from the sky.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The next morning, Kamakura City police received a report: the chief priest of the renowned Tsuruoka Hachimangū Shinai and a director of the Kantou Shinai Alliance, Shunsuke Muramatsu, was found dead at the base of his high-rise apartment in the seaside district, having fallen from the building. The preliminary conclusion of the scene investigation was:

Suicide. It is said that Muramatsu chief priest recently suffered immense work pressure and low spirits.

He left behind a suicide note, stating he had always been grateful for everyone's care, that unable to bear the existing pressure and burden, he had chosen to end his own life, asking everyone not to worry, apologizing for choosing suicide, for causing trouble, and feeling deeply sorry.

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters took this case very seriously, immediately launching a personnel investigation, and according to the forensics division's appraisal, it can be confirmed that Muramatsu Shunsuke's death matches all characteristics of a jump suicide, and through checking the surveillance footage, only Muramatsu Shunsuke entered and exited his apartment that day, thus ruling out homicide and confirming suicide.

The news spread, causing an uproar among the Kantou high echelons, but everyone tacitly maintained silence. Only a very few know that this undercurrent surrounding the chief priest's position, with the betrayer's complete disappearance, has temporarily drawn a bloody period.

Yet the shadow coming from Kansai has thus become even denser and more mysterious.

With the conclusion of the Imperial Palace bombing case and the rest of the Special Mission Unit, June ended, July's footsteps followed, Tokyo also officially entered summer, temperatures rose rapidly, making those led by the Special Mission Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department groan in misery.

Bunkyo Ward, Sakata Bridge Tower, 1802.

Today Minami did not come here; when she woke up in the morning, the television was playing the news of the chief priest of Tsuruoka Hachimangū Shinai, a member of the Kantou Shinai Alliance, Shunsuke Muramatsu, jumping to his death. Mai Xuejie, as the chief priest of the Kantou Shinai Alliance, expressed deep sorrow and personally attended his funeral ceremony, with over a hundred shrine maidens and Shinto dignitaries present at the scene.

Saito Asuka watched the television with relish; the breakfast the girl made this morning for Uesugi Muneyuki was delicious, cool seaweed plum rice balls + grilled Pacific saury + chicken-flavored gift soup + various small dishes.

As for Ike Erena, she prepared a cup of (scalding hot) hot milk and toasted bread.

"Eh, Mai-sister really looks great in shrine maiden attire!" the girl stared intently at the screen, she completely didn't understand what happened, merely amazed by her Mai-sister's beauty, and also by the awe-inspiring authority displayed when she alone passed by two rows of Shinto dignitaries bowing in unison.

"Quick cooking!" Uesugi Muneyuki then glanced at the television, giving a slight nod in his heart.

"By the way, Ashūshū, these few days I want to go to Kanagawa Prefecture to film an outdoor variety show, you want to come with me?" Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly said: "This is an invitation from Turtle Mountain Company!"

"Eh? Really? I want to go, I want to go!" Sure enough, the girl instantly became energetic.

"Muneyuki, I want to go too!" Ikeda Erena stuck out her scalded tongue, also becoming interested.

"Then good, let's go together!" Uesugi Muneyuki nodded with a smile, then without changing expression, gazed at Asuka.

It's time to let the girl awaken her inner-world abilities!