If you knew today was your last day, how would you live it? Would you take a trip to that place you've been wanting to go to? Would you eat that favorite dish you've been forbidden because of your diet? Would you tell your loved one how much you love them?
Humans are the most fragile creatures in this world; compared to other species that tend to adapt to their environment, humans modify it and use their ingenuity to find ways to cope. While polar bears have thick fur and a supply of fat to withstand the cold, humans depend on the fur of other living beings to endure it.
Humans rarely question themselves for their actions; they live their lives unaware of their fragile nature, relying on their own ingenuity, unaware that today will be their last day on earth. When human beings begin to question what lies beyond death, it's when they're cornered into situations where they think they might not survive, or failing that, when they see another of their peers dying.
"Yes, the human being is a fragile and ingenious creature, but at the same time, it is a dumb beast that learned the grace of walking on two legs" - That's what my mentor used to tell me during my early years as a shinigami in training.
There are two kinds of shinigami who govern life and death in the world: On the one hand, there are the field reapers. Those who are close to people who are about to die, and their main job is to cut the thread of life, collect the soul orb, and induce the degradation of the physical body.
On the other hand, there are the prosecutors. Reapers who are tied to the astral plane to receive the orbs collected by the field reapers and preside over the judgment of souls before they are sent to their final destination.
Those souls whose lives don't have a karma burden ominous enough to warrant condemnation pass directly into the cycle of reincarnation after being judged by us. Depending on their karma, they can begin life anew as a human being if their soul is pure enough. However, if they have regrets and burdens, their next life may begin as a lesser animal than a human, or even as a simple insect.
However, those whose sins are so dark that they cannot face the prosecutors' judgment are sent through the gate of yami, where they are dragged into the presence of the king of hell to decide which level of the underworld they will be condemned to according to their dark karma.
After nearly 2,000 years of doing the same task, day after day, with no rest or entertainment beyond sitting in the garden of my precious palace, I have become an exceedingly cynical woman.
- "Mrs. Mu Roa, I'm back!" – A girl with few manners and a ragged uniform has just passed through the gate of my beloved garden, stepping on the grass that my servants work so hard to care for without the slightest hesitation.
- "Mao Lan! How many times have I told you to walk on the cobblestones? You impertinent brat!" Slamming my teacup on the table, I quickly stood up, glaring at the young lady who had just arrived.
She is Mao Lan, a field shinigami-in-training too clumsy to fulfill her duties. Despite having spent almost 200 years without passing the promotion exam, the brat hasn't lost her spirit or the smile that spreads from ear to ear as she holds the soul orbs she's been tasked with collecting.
"Hey, hey, hey. Forgive me, my lady, it's just that every time I come to your palace I can't help but feel the delicate touch of this beautiful grass on the soles of my feet." Lowering my gaze for a moment, I sighed deeply and clearly saw the little apprentice's bare feet, playing with her toes as they touched the grass.
"Even though you've been on this job for so long, you still act like a spoiled brat. When are you going to take things seriously and pass the promotion exam? I know you're not stupid and you could easily pass the grade to become a prosecutor. Wouldn't that be better than being like a dog running around like a dog?" Putting the orbs on the table, Mao Lan launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
- "I don't want to, if I do I won't be able to see you anymore Mrs. Mu Roa"
- "You really are stubborn. When you could have leveled up, you cling to me like a puppy." – Despite the fact that it was a repetitive situation, he couldn't overcome the young Mao Lan's charm every time he did this. Feeling a natural impulse to stroke her head, he received in response her playful laughter, asking him to continue pampering her.
All Shinigami were once human beings. We all carried within us the weight of a history that anchored us to this plane and made us so dependent we couldn't transcend it. Even I had my own demons tormenting me, but without a doubt, Mao Lan was the one I felt the most compassion for.
Born in a rural village near the mountains, little Mao Lan experienced the hardships of poverty from the time she was a baby. Poor harvests and constant raids by bandits made life in the village where Mu Roa's family lived a place where only the strong could survive.
Most children didn't survive past the age of five, and the few who did had to face the cruel fate that awaited them as they grew up. Some remained in the village and worked in the fields and herding cattle; others were taken by the imperial forces to enlist as soldiers in the emperor's service. But for women, the fate was very different.
Those who were fortunate could find an arranged marriage with one of the village men by paying a dowry to the family. Five sacks of rice, three chickens, and an ox in the most fortunate cases; this was the price for a virgin maiden well-trained for household chores, who would serve her husband as a servant and bear his children.
But those who were unable to arrange a marriage were sold to merchant caravans, taken to the most prominent provinces to serve as slaves in some noble house or, failing that, sold to brothels to be trained as courtesans.
This was the case of Mao Lan, who, at 10 years old, had to watch as her younger brothers ran after the cart, crying inconsolably at the departure of their sister.
After five long years serving as an assistant to the more experienced courtesans of the red house to which she was sold, young Mao Lan had not developed physically like other girls her age. Due to harassment by the brothel's madam, her food rations were meager, allowing her to barely survive. Without the physical attractiveness to become a courtesan, she was relegated to degrading jobs such as cleaning the latrines, washing sheets stained with bodily fluids, and feeding the wild dogs that guarded the entrances to prevent bandits and onlookers from entering and abusing the courtesans.
But despite that hostile environment, the young girl always wore a radiant smile no matter how difficult her tasks were. This earned her the favor of the courtesans who sympathized with her, treating her like a little sister.
At dawn, when clients had stopped arriving, the courtesans would invite her to their chambers to give her sweets and play with her. As women who had been deprived of the possibility of motherhood, they saw in Mao Lan the daughter they could never have.
Everything seemed to be going well despite the adversities. With the hope that the money she earned from her work would allow her younger siblings to have a plate of food on the table, the young woman felt calm and longed for the day she would see them again.
"Open the door! Can't you hear? Open the door right now!" Shouts from the brothel's main gate caused the wild dogs to wake up and begin barking. The lights in the house of pleasure came on one by one, and with that, the courtesans' murmurs grew louder with fear.
The madam left her room barely able to walk with her cane, accompanied by one of the maids who usually assisted her with her nightly needs.
As the gate bolts were opened, several soldiers rushed in and lined up at either end of the road. In their midst, a young man with a fierce appearance and a face flushed with alcohol was shouting orders to his men.
- "Elder, please be grateful for His Excellency's visit. This noble young man is the son of the Minister of Finance of the Imperial Palace, and he has decided to purchase one of your maids to become his concubine." – The man closest to the minister's son held up a scroll with an edict signed by the emperor, granting full power to the descendant of his vassal to take any woman he wanted as a wife, regardless of her origins.
Several days earlier, the same young man had visited the brothel dressed as a commoner to avoid his father's watchful eyes. And during that visit to the red house, he was completely captivated by one of the establishment's most prominent maids.
Within the ranks of courtesans, there was one that included those who had never been married to any man. These were those who were able to read and write, play an instrument, and were skilled in poetry. It was with one of these ladies-in-waiting that the minister's young son fell in love at first sight and, in his stubbornness, begged his father to allow him to take her home as his wife.
Being his only son, the finance minister knew how stubborn and spoiled his son had been and agreed to fulfill his whim. On the condition that the woman he brought into his home would only serve as a concubine and would have to live in the shadow of the woman his father chose as his primary wife.
"My young lord, this servant gladly welcomes your visit. Come and take the woman you desire." Bowing on the ground, the old woman gestured to the maidens to gather before the young man and show their faces.
Not knowing what it was about, the naive Mao Lan followed the maid with whom she had fallen asleep and escorted her without her noticing.
- "Woman, tell me your name." – With a smile on his face and a lascivious look, the young man took the maiden he had chosen as his concubine by the chin, caressing her cheek with his fingertips.
- "Zhang Shui, that is my name, my lord." – With blushing cheeks, the maid smiled back at the minister's son, who was pleased to see the woman having her men help her up and escort her to her carriage.
After dressing hurriedly for the sudden visit, the hair ornament she had used to secure her hair fell to the floor. Seeing this, Mao Lan ran to grab it and try to return it to its rightful owner. Unaware that this innocent gesture would bring misfortune upon her.
- "Dirty bitch! How dare you stand before our lord?" – One of the soldiers hit the young Mao Lan's knees, making her fall to the ground, while another man put his foot on her back.
- "What's that in your hand? Were you trying to steal our lord's concubine's belongings?"
- "No! Mao Lan only wanted to return Sister Shui's ornament, I'm not a thief. Please believe me." Completely consumed by fear, tears streamed down Mao Lan's face as she desperately whimpered for Zhang Shui to intercede on her behalf. But when she saw herself threatened by the thought of being repudiated by the man who had taken her as a concubine, she rebuked him and declared him a liar, while the other maids looked on helplessly, their mouths shut in fear.
- "Admit it, you're a common thief! There's no point in continuing to lie in the presence of our lord." Unable to find anyone who could defend her, Mao Lan continued to cry, this time begging the minister's son to forgive her.
But all her pleas were in vain in the ears of the young man, who ordered the madam to give him the location of Mao Lan's family. Whispering in the ear of one of his vassals, the minister's son gave the order to go in search of the little girl's family. The girl cried in vain upon learning that the order had been given to exterminate her entire bloodline.
- "A thief can only come from a family of thieves, it is the duty of a lord to purge such impure lineage from our emperor's lands. Under this heaven, you committed a crime, and I, representing the heavens, will enforce the imperial laws." – Giving the order to his men, the young Mao Lan was beaten mercilessly, to the point that the bones in her arms and legs broke, leaving her flesh ground and swollen in a purple hue.
Not content with this, the soldiers dragged her to where the wild dogs were, throwing her before them so they could begin to devour her alive. The same dogs she was charged with feeding and caring for tore at her limbs with their jaws before the horrified eyes of the maidens. They continued to weep silently at the cries of despair of the young girl who had accompanied them so many nights.
After a couple of minutes, the screams ceased, and only the growling of the dogs remained, devouring the flesh and fighting over the bones of the unfortunate Mao Lan. In her final moments, she lamented the fate her younger siblings and father would suffer for her mistake.
After the minister's son left the place, the maids burst into tears, screaming like women in labor. The brothel's innkeeper, who had never been kind to Mao Lan at any point in her life, ordered the brothel guards to kill the dogs and retrieve the remains of young Mao Lan.
- "Little girl, forgive this old woman for being so cruel. I was always hard on you because I was jealous of you, you who always had a smile on your face even though the world was against you. I saw in you the young woman I once was and left behind because of my malice, that's why I was jealous of you, but I never wished for such a terrible end." – Taking Mao Lan's fleshless skull, the old woman hugged it to her chest and ordered the maidens to take the rest of the young woman's bones to place them on a small altar and burn incense praying that she would have a good life in her next incarnation.
- "Mrs. Mu Roa, may I watch you do your work?" - Snapping out of my trance, I saw the face of the young Mao Lan before me again, a smile forming on my lips. Unlike field shinigami, ministers have the gift of the eyes of judgment, capable of seeing the past of a soul before us. Thanks to this ability, the secrets of the human heart are not foreign to us, and we can issue fair sentences. However, they are also a curse when we cannot separate our lingering emotions when reliving the events of the person before us.
- "Okay Mao Lan, you can stay and watch, but you can't intervene, okay?"
- "Yes. I promise." – Little Shinigami, you are so innocent and without malice; you certainly do well to remain unpromoted, because the higher you climb in this position, the more cynical you must become, and I wish for you to remain a pure soul in my eyes.
The first orb the apprentice gave me belonged to an elderly man who had died in a nursing home. Although his family promptly covered the expenses, they hadn't visited him for a while, and this caused his life expectancy to be shortened due to the pain of feeling excluded.
The next orb once belonged to the sister of a police officer who had stabbed her ex-sister-in-law in revenge for her infidelity to her brother. Because her sin was so grave, her soul passed through the gate of yami to go directly before the judge of hell.
Feeling a little sorry for the woman's fate, I took a short break and asked Mao Lan to sit on my lap while I drank some tea and she ate a small moon cake.
Even though we no longer have physical bodies, the sensations and flavors we once experienced in life persist in our souls, and thanks to them, we were able to enjoy those pleasures, even though it was physically impossible for us.
- "Is Mao Lan dessert good?"
- "Yes, Mrs. Mu Roa. It's delicious, I wish I could eat them forever."
- "Mmmmm, you are a glutton."
- "Hey, hey, hey." – Swinging her legs happily while smiling, she could understand why the maids of the red house were so fond of young Mao Lan.
- "Mrs. Mu Roa, why were you so upset with the previous orb? Did that person do something wrong?" – Mao Lan was no longer a child physically, but even as the years passed, her mind remained trapped in a childlike state since the day she left home. Many things such as murder or theft were incomprehensible to her, since no one ever taught them to her, and at the time of her death, she couldn't even understand the reason why they were accusing her. The human emotions behind the acts were something she was unaware of due to her innocence.
That was one of the apprentice's few weaknesses, a very serious one if she wanted to become a prosecutor in the infernal court. Therefore, whenever we had the opportunity, I tried to teach her things from the trials she asked me to attend.
- "If Mao Lan, taking someone's life is a very bad thing. To take away an existence means cutting off any possibility of change or growth for the person whose life is being taken. But if you ask me, not all murder is bad."
- "Aren't all murders bad?"
- "Hmm, let me explain it a little better with an example: A thief breaks into your house and threatens your family to steal their belongings. Even though he's made his profit, the thief decides he doesn't want any witnesses and murders everyone present. That's a bad murder. But if the father of the family decides to protect his family and kills the thief, that murder can't be considered bad."
- "Ah, it's like Mr. Feng Xi says. It's all circumstantial? Is that it?" – With her face shining with anticipation of what I was going to answer, Mao Lan's big eyes always seemed to me like those of a curious little cat, making me occasionally let out a light laugh.
"Pfff, yes. It's just as he says. However, there are times, like the previous trial, when I feel torn between judging the circumstances. While the past soul murdered someone without a justifiable motive according to the court rules, in my opinion, he did the right thing."
- "I don't understand, Mrs. Mu Roa."
- "Little Mao Lan, for me there is something that cannot be forgiven, no matter the reasons. And that is betrayal. Betrayal is the most despicable act a human being can commit, for it implies taking another person's trust and seeking to hurt them with it. It is painful, truly terrible; betrayal cannot come from an enemy, but from a friend or someone close. But it is better if I show you with an example." – Lifting Mao Lan from my lap, I took the last orb she brought into my presence and drew an incantation circle on the grass to cast a spell.
After placing the orb in the center, I snapped my fingers and the earth began to take human form on the orb until it finally took on the appearance that the soul had in life.
"What? Where am I? Who are you and what are you doing here?" A disoriented woman with chin-length black hair. Her physical appearance was certainly pleasing to any man, but to me, she was just another woman.
- "Where are you? Everywhere and nowhere. Who am I? I am Mu Roa, shinigami prosecutor of the court of hell. And the reason you are here is simple: You, you are dead." – The woman brought her hands to her head and fell to her knees, a common reaction for anyone who has learned that their life has abruptly ended. Everyone refuses to accept the fact that their life is over, however, that was not the case with young Jinta. Unlike this woman, he seemed a little afraid, but in his soul was an ancestral determination like that of my beloved Oda.
- "Shinomiya Hanako, 32 years old woman. Married to Shinomiya Sato and mother of a one-year-old daughter named Himari. You were going to the store to buy a can of powdered milk when you suddenly accidentally fell down the stairs of the building and broke your neck, dying almost instantly. That's what the police report will say when they find your body in a few hours, because there are no security cameras" – After saying those words, I carefully observe the reaction of the woman in front of me, her eyes look surprised and on her face there is an air of disbelief with the last part of the sentence I just said to her.
- "What does it have to do with there being no security cameras? What are you trying to imply?"
- "Oh ho, it seems you're curious to know what really happened, right?"
- "Enough! Stop playing with me and just say it!" – Seeing how her face changed from an incredulous expression to an even more irate one, I felt a tickle in my stomach making me smile maliciously, causing the woman to gulp as I knelt down to have my face in front of hers.
- " If you want to know so much, that's fine. But first, I'd like to start with a particular story." Lifting her tightly by the neck, I sat her down on one of the chairs at my garden table and made a cup of green tea appear for her and took my place at the table.
- "Once upon a time, there was a rebellious young woman named Amamiya Hanako; she was a troublemaker and a troublemaker, the nightmare of the homeroom teachers at her former school. Her parents, distraught by her behavior, asked a relative to take her into their home and allow her to attend the local high school to help her get a change of scenery.
Despite the young woman's efforts, her fame had spread throughout her new school, preventing her from making friends with her classmates, leaving her almost completely excluded as an outcast. Except for one person: a boy her own age, Watanabe Ryo.
He was the class representative, a young man with a good record and outstanding grades, well-liked by all his classmates for his kind nature. He always approached you with good intentions, but you saw him as a nuisance and always shied away from him.
But one day before the school trip to Kyoto was to take place, the money the class had raised to organize the trip disappeared.
You were immediately singled out as the culprit, even by your homeroom teacher, who was fully aware of your criminal record from your former school. Accusing glances from your classmates surrounded you, and you desperately tried to prove your innocence, but to no avail. But just when it seemed you were about to sink into the depths of despair, the boy you despised came to your defense.
He stood up in front of his classmates and started speaking up for you; despite his good reputation, yours was so bad that it began to affect him to the point where classmates who had previously thought highly of him were now pointing at him as if he were your accomplice.
And yet, in that unfavorable situation, he didn't back down even though he'd already been punched in the face. After a few minutes of heated discussion, the teacher in charge of the class entered the room and spoke with the teacher on duty. She explained that she had found the envelope containing the travel money lying on the floor of the staff room.
The whole class fell silent and their incriminating looks changed to a guilty expression, while Ryo continued standing in front of you and you looked at that broad back that suddenly no longer seemed unpleasant to you.
From that moment on, you began dating. You shared many unforgettable moments and eventually moved to Tokyo to live together. After two years in that city, you married, and he started working at a good company where, thanks to his talent and recognition from his superiors, he became an area manager.
Since you were still a bit of a rebel, you didn't like the idea of staying home all the time, so you decided to work part-time at a convenience store near her home. "Well, you didn't want to feel useless." As my story progressed, the woman's face changed expression every moment, reflecting the old emotions repressed in her memories to the point where her eyes revealed a hint of regret.
- "Hmm, wow. What's wrong? Your facial expression has become too somber. Did I touch a nerve?"
- "You don't know anything about me."
- "Oh, my dear. On the contrary, I know everything about you. Nothing escapes my shinigami eyes; you may try to hide things, but before me, everything hidden is revealed." She clutched her trembling hands in her lap, ducking her face as she bit her lip, realizing that her soul was completely naked before me. All the deepest secrets of her being were at my disposal, and she was defenseless against this.
- "Everything seemed to be going well between you. Even Watanabe-san was thinking about buying a house because you kept complaining that the apartment was too small to raise a family."
He worked overtime to the point where his health and stamina were failing, but you didn't see it. When he came home tired, you didn't hear him. You thought he didn't want to be intimate with you because he didn't desire you. This frustrated you to the point that you started ignoring him, skipping dinner with him or going to bed early to avoid seeing him. Meanwhile, he sat at the table completely alone, tired, feeling guilty for not making you happy.
But one day while you were working, a man very familiar to you walked into the store. He was your old boyfriend from your first year of high school. When you saw him, you couldn't help but remember the time you spent together and the experiences you had during your time as criminals.
You felt unappreciated by your husband, so you thought it would be okay to have an affair with your former love and started dating him behind your husband's back.
While poor Watanabe-san was killing himself at the office, you quit your part-time job to be with Sato and indulge your carnal desires. You became intoxicated with lust and let that man take your body again and again, until little by little you lost yourself in your basest desires.
For the first few months, you tried to keep things light with your husband, pretending to be a housewife by making him dinner and sitting at the table with him when he came home from work. Poor Ryo thought things had improved between you, so much so that he smiled with his dull face as he looked into your eyes.
And you, behind his back, mocked him; you compared him physically to your lover, even in bed the few times you allowed him to have sex with you, you kept belittling him for his lack of vigor compared to your lover.
But one day you decided to put an end to the situation. You, who were so meticulous about keeping up appearances, never attempted to bring your lover to your husband's apartment. But that afternoon, you did it, defiling the bed you shared with your husband.
In front of the small wedding photo on the nightstand, you moaned, your face contorted with lust as you screamed for him not to stop, for him to keep pounding you harder and deeper.
Lost in their carnal lust, they didn't notice the front door opening, the slow, hesitant footsteps of a man could be heard on the floor until the bedroom door opened.
Holding a box with a cake and a gift in the other, Watanabe-san wore a look of shock and pain at seeing you debauched on the bed with another man. Your wedding ring lay scattered on the carpet, stained with bodily fluids.
When Watanabe-san asked you why you were doing that, you just laughed maliciously and told him he was no longer good as a man. It wasn't enough for you to just fuck another man on your wedding anniversary; you intimidated him until he collapsed on the floor, unable to say a word.
When your lover tried to hit him, a small shred of dignity surfaced in you, and you tried to stop him, but Sato drew back his elbow and hit you hard in the face. This ignited Watanabe-san's fury, who regained his composure and pummeled your lover's face.
You'd never seen him like this before. That seemingly calm and serene man you'd always known was a beast when he saw you'd been hurt. Even though you cheated on him and mocked him, his love for you was even stronger, and he couldn't bear the thought of anyone touching your face.
- Feelings of guilt made the woman cry, who put her hands to her face while I remained without an iota of compassion for her, just seeing her like that caused me repulsion because I kept seeing the memories in her mind.
"You know, if you had apologized to your husband, he probably would have forgiven you. He was a hopeless idiot who only knew how to love you. He expected you to throw yourself at him and apologize; he would have accepted you despite all your bad deeds. But what did you do? You left the apartment with your lover and left him there, alone like an idiot."
And that wasn't enough for you; following Sato's advice, you falsely accused him of domestic violence so they would grant you a divorce without paying compensation.
"Not only did you destroy his home, but you also destroyed his reputation at the company. He was fired amidst scornful looks and insults. And on top of that, you had the nerve to demand alimony for the daughter you were carrying. The daughter of your lover, who had no ties to him, you made him pay for her because Sato ordered you to."
- I was struggling to contain myself, the fury continuing to grow inside me as I continued to see that trembling woman as if she were stupid. Young Mao Lan held me by the shoulders, trying to calm me down, but my anger was so great that I couldn't help but explode.
- "WHY ARE YOU CRYING, DAMN YOU? Do you think your pathetic tears will erase all the wrong you've done? If tears were enough to undo what's been done, the ocean would be filled with regrets."
- "I know it was a mistake…"
- "That's rubbish! Mistaking one spice for another is a mistake, forgetting your house keys is a mistake; but what you did, you were fully aware of the damage you were doing."
- "No, no, that's not true. I loved Ryo-kun, I really did, but I felt alone."
"Uh, feeling lonely. Did you even talk to him about it once? Did you even try to work things out with your husband? That's just a lie you tell yourself to justify yourself." Slamming the table with my palms, the teacups fell to the floor, shattering completely.
I put my hand to my head trying to control myself, but my feelings blinded me and poor Mao Lan struggled to calm me down.
- "That's enough. I don't think I need to talk to you any further. It's time to send you on your way without further delay."
- "Wait, please! I need to get back to my daughter, I can't leave her alone." Clutching the hem of my robes, the woman stared at me with desperate eyes, constantly pleading to the point where her moans made my ears bleed.
- "It's impossible. Your destiny is to be reborn according to your karma. If it were up to me, I'd send you to the gates of Yami to burn before the judge of hell, but the rules are clear. You will be reincarnated as a creature less than human and continue the cycle until your karma is purified.
But you know, I'll tell you one last secret. Your ex-husband loved you very much, so much that he never even changed the beneficiary on his life insurance. If he had, maybe he'd still be alive." Hearing this, the woman who had previously clung to me tightly dropped her arms as if in shock. Looking at her like that, my face couldn't hide the malicious smile as I watched the sanity that remained of that scoundrel slowly crumble.
- "The morning Watanabe-san was on his way to his precarious factory job, he fell onto the train tracks, being crushed by the engine as the passengers and operator watched. The subway was so crowded that everyone thought he fell by simple accident. But the truth is, someone pushed him; a malicious person took his life without the slightest consideration, and they enjoyed it."
"It was that same person who pushed you down the apartment stairs, sending you to your death. Do you know who I'm talking about?" Even though our astral bodies didn't have hearts, I could hear the throbbing sensations of negative emotions reflected in the woman's eyes. Her trembling lips and that stupid expression made me delight in just looking at her.
"The same man who got you pregnant, the one who made you cheat on your husband and destroyed the home you had together. The same man who ignored you at every gynecological appointment to go play with his friends and treated you like a pack mule he only used in bed. It was Sato who murdered your husband so you could collect the life insurance, and it was the same man who pushed you down the stairs to keep all the money."
- "No, it's impossible. He wouldn't do such a thing."
- "Pffff, ha, ha, ha, ha. Seriously, do you really think he wouldn't be capable? Stupid! That bastard has always been a playboy; without a steady job, he only lived off women, and in you, he found a goose that laid the golden eggs. Someone so low and despicable kept seeing other women while he was married to you, while you were killing yourself at your pathetic part-time job, he made fun of you. He even incurred gambling debts that were impossible for him to pay." – As if it were poetic justice, my words made the woman break down completely on the floor, cursing her lover, filled with rage as she saw all her karma hitting her in the face.
- "I don't want to waste any more time. It's time for you to leave here. Mao Lan, open the portal of reincarnation to send this soul into the cycle of rebirth."
- "Yes, my lady Mu Roa, as you say." – As I was about to cancel the polymorph spell to return the soul to its orb, I bent down to reach the woman's ear and whispered a few last words.
- "Since you're about to leave, I'll give you one last gift. In the last moments of a man's life, regrets are often seen. However, Watanabe-san saw a beautiful dream in his final seconds. He saw you, holding his own son, arriving at the house you had both worked so hard to buy. He smiled at you and you hugged him lovingly, while both of you gazed at the tiny fruit of your love. That was the last gift little Mao Lan gave him when she cut his thread of life." Tears sprang from the woman's eyes. She only repeated the name of her first husband while she held her hands to her chest, lamenting all the pain she had caused.
As soon as I released the spell, the clay body shattered, leaving only the now-dark orb, which I threw into the portal without even giving it a last glance.
- "Mrs. Mu Roa, so this is the circumstance you told me about the previous case?"
- "Yes, Mao Lan, betrayal only brings destruction to souls. That's why I can't tolerate it, and it's something I always keep in mind during trials."
- "Oh, so that's how I should proceed when it's my turn, right?" – As I was about to answer, a storm of cherry blossom petals swirled through the garden, shaking the treetops in the wind.
"No! And you mustn't copy this woman's bad manners, little Mao Lan." Wearing a black robe embroidered with golden dragons, her long, jet-black hair gleamed with blue hues in the reflected light. Her face was always beautiful and defined, her lips glossy with lip balm and her abundant eyelashes permed like peacock feathers.
He was Feng Xi, the highest-ranking shinigami among us who had the duty of monitoring all the prosecutors in their trial work.
- "Mu Roa, my dear apprentice. So many years I've had to protect you under my wing and yet, you remain as impulsive as you were in your human days. You are certainly one of the best prosecutors under my command, but sometimes your judgment is clouded by your lingering passions." – Slowly approaching me, Feng Xi's presence provoked a feeling of anguish within me as I gazed into his unwavering black eyes.
His relentless nature in taking his job was recognized by everyone in the order of hell and it was well known that his mere presence implied that he was upset.
- "Mr. Feng Xi, I…"
- "Save your excuses, Mu Roa. What you just did is against the rules, and you know it."
- "My lord Feng Xi, Lady Mu Roa only summoned a clay body…"
- "Be quiet Mao Lan, leave here immediately or I will not be responsible for the punishment I will impose on you for disobeying me." Trembling with fear, little Mao Lan vanished from the palace amidst a sea of golden ginkgo leaves, leaving Feng Xi and me alone.
Grabbing me tightly by the hair, Feng Xi brought his face close to mine as he held my waist. His piercing gaze only made me feel dizzy, unable to utter a single word in the face of his intimidating aura as the highest authority of the order.
"Mu Roa, the soul you just judged left with its consciousness intact. You know perfectly well that we only allow a soul to retain its memories when we allow it to possess a new body in its same timeline. A soul that takes the memories of having been a human and enters the cycle of reincarnation must live with the awareness of its existence until it reaches its human stage again. What do you think will happen to that woman's soul?"
- "If you can't bear it, your soul will gradually fragment with each rebirth until it is finally destroyed."
- "Exactly, well said, my dear Mu Roa. And if a soul is destroyed and can't return to the cycle of reincarnation, what happens?" – With the feeling that any answer I give would condemn me in front of the man holding me firmly, my lips begin to tremble, just as they had with the woman I had just dispatched.
"Eventually, soul fragments become spectral apparitions. Ayakashis." Followed by a deathly silence, Feng Xi let go of me and brought his hand to his forehead, his eyes visibly annoyed. Tapping the sole of his shoe on the cobblestones, the head of the order shook his head in disapproval of my actions while snapping his fingers to conjure a pair of guardian specters dressed entirely in white.
"Mu Roa, you have disappointed me. For the time being, you are relieved of your position as prosecutor until I determine an appropriate punishment for your misconduct. Until then, all the souls you have marked for death will be under my supervision."
- "But Mr. Feng Xi!"
"Enough!" Giving the specters the order to chain me up, they dragged me inside my palace without letting me speak. In my chest, I was still plagued by uncertainty about what Feng Xi might do the moment Jinta-kun's soul was in his presence.