Inside the closed car.
Tojo Aoi was boredly fiddling with a pen.
Her hands were so white they were almost transparent, with pink nails shaped into perfect ovals. Her neat bangs just covered her eyebrows, and the black hair at the sides of her face fell straight, cut as sharp as a blade at her jawline.
A black Poison Apple.
Today she wore a high-collared black professional outfit, her bored eyes accented by black eyeliner.
In the passenger seat, Usami Reiko's hair was slightly longer than hers, shoulder-length and enough to tie into a small ponytail.
"Decided?"
Usami Reiko had a cigarette in her mouth, breathing out clouds of smoke. The rich scent of tobacco filled the car. "Of course. I can't think of any necessary reason to be loyal to such a decaying institution."
Tojo Aoi didn't think so. "Is it because of Yoshino Kenichi?"
Tojo Aoi had met Usami Reiko a few times, as well as Yoshino Kenichi and Sakai Takashi.
These Ritualists, who were often out on field missions, had a long-standing cooperation with the Tojo Family. Over time, through Yoshino Kenichi's introduction, the two women—despite their age gap—began a private correspondence.
—This contact only intensified after Yoshino Kenichi died in battle.
"You don't understand." Usami Reiko rubbed the calluses on her thumb and index finger—calluses formed by firing bullet after bullet over many years. "He didn't even leave behind a complete corpse. And what did those pigs say?"
"They said, 'We express our deepest regrets'?"
The woman's eyebrows shot up, and her already sharp voice became even more ear-piercing. "And then there's 'Judgment'! I won't let them off..."
Tojo Aoi's small nose wrinkled. Mentioning Judgment made the topic even heavier.
"If I were you, I wouldn't have a direct conflict with him," the little princess of the Tojo Family advised, half-seriously. "What are your plans?"
Usami Reiko didn't appreciate the sentiment, her long nails scratching against the glass window.
After a while, her sharp tone shifted, and she looked at Tojo Aoi with gloomy eyes. "...Before I came, I specifically investigated the relationship between you and your father."
She emphasized the word'specifically,' ignoring how the corners of Tojo Aoi's mouth were flattening.
"A very interesting past, isn't it?"
"Your mother..."
"Miss Usami."
Tojo Aoi's head snapped around like a doll's. "You don't have that many chips. You aren't White Torch. In fact, you aren't even an 'Origin Point.' Is it really wise to offend me like this? Besides, why would I cooperate with someone who has no value?"
Usami Reiko chuckled. "If I were White Torch, a 'Judgment' level Ritualist, I would be even less likely to cooperate with the Tojo Family."
"Tell me, what do I get out of this?"
Getting down to business, the conversation between the two became much quieter than before.
"A promise, within my capabilities. You shouldn't need money, right? So, is it White Torch's life? Or... the lives of those pigs?"
Usami Reiko stared at Tojo Aoi without saying a word.
"Oh, you want a 'Resurrection Ritual'?"
"Did I guess right?"
Tojo Aoi was initially a bit incredulous, then she broke into a speechless laugh. "Stop dreaming, Miss Reiko. Whether it's order or Chaos, neither will let you easily resurrect a human being."
"And I don't believe that a resurrected Yoshino Kenichi would still be himself."
Usami Reiko irritably clawed at the leather seat cover, her long nails turning white from the pressure.
"That's my own business. Do you agree? I've been in the logistics department for so many years; I hold many secrets and pieces of information from the Ritual Institute."
Fully understanding the other party's identity and information before a negotiation was something even ordinary people understood.
The organization Usami Reiko belonged to was itself in the shadows. Through a developed network of connections, the woman had easily obtained detailed information on Tojo Aoi.
Although she couldn't find certain extremely hidden details, she could still gain a general understanding of this little princess of the Tojo Family through deduction.
—A Chaos Ritualist who can detect if someone is lying through physical contact; the price is high—if her own lie is seen through, she will... die?
Not long ago, she entered the Tojo Family system and quickly began taking over her father's industries, swallowing them up greedily... What is your goal?
Tojo Aoi.
"It's just that the Tojo Family will pay a heavy price. As long as you can accept that."
When a giant accidentally trips, bloodthirsty creatures will swarm to take a bite. Especially when this trip was intentional on the part of the Master.
"I want all the records regarding 'mystery' in the Ritual Institute. From the era of 'Chaos Whispers' ten years ago, to the 'Mystery Recovery' a year and a half ago." Tojo Aoi stated her terms.
Usami Reiko nodded. "No problem. Then, wait for me..."
"When everything is over, I will exercise my power as the person in charge to help you complete the ritual. But honestly, have you really found a ritual that can resurrect people?"
Tojo Aoi was somewhat surprised.
Her information was already quite well-informed, but she had only heard news of the appearance of 'special items'—as this World began to change, the first special items that could use transcendent abilities, aside from Ritualists, had appeared.
But a resurrection ritual... that was too far-fetched.
Humans cannot return from the dead.
"special item?" Usami Reiko smiled. "The authorities only got their hands on it last week, and you're already aware of it?"
"That's right. It's called 'secret rite.' As a price, order consumed three 'Origin Point' level Ritualists from the Rapid Response Force."
"You see, this is the consequence of being led by a group of pigs."
Usami Reiko sneered, showing disdain for the organization she belonged to. "Who exactly are we working for? Whom do we serve?"
Tojo Aoi couldn't be bothered with the woman's complaints. Instead, she was quite curious about that special item.
"What is it like? Does it have its own abilities like a Ritualist?"
Usami Reiko wasn't entirely sure either. Although she was the head of the logistics department, her status wasn't high enough to know about things with such a high security clearance.
"I only heard that an organization came from New York and joined our Ritualists to hold a large-scale order Descent Ritual. This special item is very likely the first item in the World to carry mysterious power."
"An organization...?" Tojo Aoi mulled over the meaning. she keenly sensed something strange. "Not the authorities?"
"No."
It seemed to be... Usami Reiko recalled.
"It seems to be a very famous pharmaceutical giant that has been dedicated to researching human gene improvement for years... Sigh, it's all a mess, I don't understand it either. That's for the academic types." She smiled bitterly and drew a polygon on the glass. "It's roughly this symbol."
Tojo Aoi blurted out a string of English.
"Yes." Usami Reiko nodded. "Their company logo is very interestingly designed."
Among the Tojo Family's future partner companies, it just so happened that this company was included. For this reason, the employees had made thorough preparations.
Tojo Aoi was all too familiar with it.
However, for some reason, she always felt that company was a bit strange, and consequently, the impression those people gave Tojo Aoi wasn't very good either.
Although the other party's preliminary work was very complete and the process followed the standardized procedures of a World-class company.
But... whether it was the logo that Usami Reiko praised, or the person in charge who came to the Tojo Group for negotiations... they all gave off a hair-raising feeling.
That was a warning from the mystery that constantly filled her body.
Tojo Aoi blinked and swallowed the words of warning that were on the tip of her tongue—for a'small' cooperation of this level, she had no obligation to warn Usami Reiko about anything.
Besides, the other party probably knew she had no way back.
Tojo Aoi looked at the short-haired woman staring blankly in her line of sight.
—Holding a key position and being able to easily find those secrets and precious records, think about it: no matter how stupid the higher-ups were, they couldn't possibly let her leave the Ritual Institute safely. Moreover, to this day, with the Tojo Family's influence, she hadn't heard of any Ritualist who possessed the ability to erase memories or contracts... In that case... Usami Reiko turned her head, seemingly seeing through Tojo Aoi's unspoken words.
She curled her lips nonchalantly. "Oh, I don't care anymore. I'm different from you. I already have one foot in the abyss."
"You still have a future, and people who love you. Probably... right?"
Tojo Aoi glanced at her sideways.
"So, don't let your heart be filled with the fire of revenge."
Tojo Aoi sneered, ignoring her fake kindness.
Neither could persuade the other.
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