The surge of spiritual power (Reiatsu) lasted for only an instant, like a short pause after a fierce streak of lightning had sliced across the sky.
When the mountain-like golden Buddhist lotus dispersed, the port was still the same port, a thick cluster of black steel structures, just missing a few demons and monsters, and the people who worked for them.
"Phew... all done, time to clock out." Hanakain Reiji gracefully landed and stretched his body. He walked unhurriedly to the front of the Mercedes-Benz whose roof was completely caved in, picking up the two perfectly intact briefcases from the hood.
He remembered that one of them contained the money. As for the other, he hadn't opened it, but judging by the conversation between the werewolf and the bodyguards, it seemed to be their merchandise.
He was a little curious, but before that, he needed to notify Rias—
Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa~
Accompanied by a rhythm that involuntarily made one want to nod their head, the young man, who had just picked up his phone again, slightly raised his eyebrow.
This time, it was definitely Rias calling.
Quite a coincidence.
He tapped to answer.
"Rias, hello, I was just about to call you..."
Before he could finish, a slightly anxious girl's voice came through the phone.
"Reiji, are you alright? Akeno and I just felt a very strong surge of Demonic Power from your location. Did you run into the target?"
"Well, I guess so, but the problem's been solved."
Speaking the first sentence to calm the person on the other end, Hanakain Reiji looked down at the two briefcases by his feet.
"I originally intended to capture him alive and bring him back, but unfortunately, some people were just too uncooperative, so I had to be a little rough... Anyway, it's done. I also confiscated their transaction item."
"Transaction item? What is it?"
"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet, but..."
Hanakain Reiji said, using his cheek and shoulder to hold the phone, bending down to pick up the briefcase containing the merchandise. He lightly tapped the outside of the case with his middle knuckle.
"There seems to be a slight spiritual power fluctuation inside. It's very subtle, but it's definitely there, and it feels somewhat unnatural, like it's in a sealed state. Should I open it and take a look?"
"A sealed state... hmm?"
The girl on the other end of the phone seemed to hesitate for a moment, then quickly made a decision.
"Let's hold off for now. Keep it in its current state for the time being, and we'll deal with it when we get to school tomorrow. We don't know what they were trading. If we casually open it and break the seal, and it turns out to be some kind of dangerous species from the Underworld, that would be troublesome."
"Fair enough. Then I'll bring it to the clubroom tomorrow afternoon. We can open and examine it together then."
After saying the last line, Hanakain Reiji planned to hang up immediately, but paused and added one more thing.
"Oh, one more thing, about the money..."
"Yes, yes~ I know! I'll transfer the commission for this request to your account right away, Reiji."
As if it were a common occurrence, the girl on the other end of the line seemed to anticipate what he was going to say and preemptively answered before he could finish.
At the same time, she also became a little curious.
"But we've worked together several times now. Why are you rushing this time? Are you perhaps short on cash this month, Reiji?"
"I am..."
Mentioning this over the phone, the young man couldn't help but slightly massage his forehead.
"Actually, things were fine, but unfortunately, I have a certain delinquent cat at home. A few days ago, she short-circuited the TV in my bedroom, the one connected to the game console, so..."
"Ugh... my condolences. Anyway, I'll send over the commission for this mission right away."
"OK, that's that. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
...
Ten minutes later, inside an apartment building in Tokyo's Chūō Ward.
Ding-dong~
Following the crisp prompt tone announcing the elevator's arrival, the elevator doors in the hallway slowly opened to the sides. The young man, holding a briefcase in each hand, stepped out.
Chūō Ward is the most expensive area in all of Tokyo. Even very small, forty-to-fifty-square-meter studio apartments can sell for astronomical prices, and typically, an entire floor would link up four, five, six, seven, or even eight residences, all sharing one elevator.
However, the apartment building where Hanakain Reiji lives only has two doors per floor, meaning two residences per elevator.
The space is wider and quieter, and naturally, the price soars exponentially. It's comparable to the high-end residential apartment Yukinoshita Yukino lived in during high school in Oregairu. It could basically be considered a luxury residence.
Stepping out of the elevator, he turned right and arrived at his front door. Since both hands were holding briefcases, Hanakain Reiji had to set them down on the floor to retrieve his keys to open the door.
However, just as he put his hand into his pocket to look for the keys, the security door, which had been tightly shut the second before, was suddenly opened from the inside.
Immediately after, a curvaceous, graceful silhouette shot out like a rocket, colliding with the young man outside the door, body and 'assets' and all.
"Welcome back~"
"Thanks for getting the door, but Kuroka, could you let me inside first? It wouldn't look good if a neighbor saw us like this..."
Hanakain Reiji seemed to have anticipated this, and simply patted the back of the kimono-clad girl, who was rubbing herself against him and continuously sniffing him.
No, actually, calling her a "girl" might be slightly inaccurate. Although the person was undoubtedly a vibrant, beautiful sixteen-year-old girl in terms of skin and appearance, the development of her frontal armor had long exceeded the normal scope for a "girl."
Coupled with the constantly twitching cat ears on her head and the cat tail poking out from beneath her kimono, wagging non-stop, it was easy to associate her with the legendary Nekomata.
"Neighbor? Do we even have neighbors? I don't recall ever seeing one."
Like a young wife who had been waiting at home for a long time and finally saw her husband return late at night, Kuroka sniffed him closely. After confirming that the young man had no scent of any other woman, she licked her lips in satisfaction, gently stepped back down barefoot, and released her embrace.
"Well, since you're back, do you want to eat first, bathe first, or..."
"I already ate. I'm going to take a shower first."
With an unwavering answer, Hanakain Reiji picked up the briefcases and entered. After changing his shoes, he walked through the living room, placed the briefcases on the dining table, and then ignored the expectant cat-eared girl behind him, heading straight for the bathroom.
Ah, he really just went to take a shower...
Kuroka, whose plan was foiled, blinked her eyes. But she wasn't discouraged. Instead, she turned her gaze to the two briefcases on the dining table.
The cat-eared girl put her index finger to the corner of her mouth, bent down to observe curiously, and asked casually.
"Hana-Hana~ what's inside this case?"
"A surprise haul from tonight. One box has money, and the other seems to be some kind of sealed item. Don't touch it until I've opened it."
Hanakain Reiji's voice came from the bathroom, along with the sound of the bathtub filling with water.
"Oh..."
Kuroka's eyes flickered upon hearing this.
"Oh yeah, Hana-Hana, I already helped you take that new TV you mentioned in your text message to the bedroom, okay?"
"Thank you. I'll take it out again later."
"Eh, why? You always kept the TV in the bedroom before, didn't you?"
"Yes, and then you short-circuited it with your bodily fluids."
The bathroom door was open, and their voices went back and forth, clearly audible.
Kuroka pouted in defiance, "Last time wasn't entirely my fault, was it? Why did you insist on playing a horror game at that moment? The ghost suddenly popping out an ugly face from such a close distance startled me, and you gave a deep thrust right then. It's completely normal that I couldn't hold it in!"
Seeing that the bathtub water level was almost full, Hanakain Reiji turned off the faucet, stepped into the tub, and lay down.
The warm bathwater covered his chest, and the comforting temperature made the young man's voice relax considerably.
"I'm not blaming you. I just realized that the bed and the TV stand are too close. So, I'm just moving it to the living room. That way, the distance from the sofa to the TV stand should be enough to prevent your spray from short-circuiting the outlet directly."
"Is that so? Is that so?"
The cat-eared girl hummed a couple of times.
She should have been happy to be told she was forgiven, but for some reason, she felt vaguely challenged.
It's only two or three more meters than in the bedroom, after all. Just wait until next time—she'll courageously spray right through it!
Just as Kuroka was filled with ambitious thoughts, her gaze inadvertently returned to the two briefcases on the dining table.
Speaking of which, Hana-Hana just said one of the cases contained a sealed item?
He also told her not to mess with it... but she was a Nekomata!
How could a cat's curiosity be thwarted by a mere sentence?
So, the cat-eared girl pondered for a moment. After repeatedly testing and feeling no danger, she cautiously unlocked the safety latch and opened the case.
Inside the case, lying quietly in the central indentation of the red cloth, was a shriveled, purplish-black finger wrapped tightly in talismans.
... What in the world did he bring home this time?