The sun rose. Sunlight shone into the rental room 305.
"Pork ribs, bring them to braise! …"
That's Inoue Tetsuya's new alarm ringtone.
With such passionate music, even if you don't want to wake up, you still wake up.
After one night, his spiritual power naturally dropped to 30%. Because he stayed up late, only after breakfast did his soul and body feel joined again.
He opened the spirit-master phone and checked the latest delivery status of the bullets he bought with 200 points.
Three words: [In Transit].
The platform really is awesome.
He stepped out the door. A corporate slave's day officially began.
...
Shinjuku Building, 23rd floor,
Planning team office area,
Inoue Tetsuya secretly slacking off.
He's been working overtime for almost two weeks. Slacking for half a day is normal.
Because he browsed the Spirit Domain site last night and got shocked, he forgot one important thing: he hadn't checked info about evil spirits.
So he put in earbuds, opened a reading page, and listened to related material.
Black Widow's permission level: D rank.
The highest info level open to him on Spirit Domain is also D.
First, the origin of evil spirits is closely related to spirit masters.
No spiritual power, no spirit masters. Without spiritual power, naturally no monsters.
Spiritual power itself isn't evil, but its tolerance is too strong.
When it mixes with negative energy, it breeds evil spirits.
Take the "god-waiting girls" unique to Neon as an example. Nowadays their age range has extended from minors to forty-year-olds.
There are many problems behind this. It also reflects social pressure and depressing reality.
Ordinary people can't see evil spirits.
Spirit masters use spiritual power to see the world. Not only can evil spirits not hide, they can also see negative particles floating in the air.
Evil spirits chase ordinary people largely because they're attracted to the negative factors on them.
So exorcising is actually simple.
Stalk someone full of negative energy, and in a few days you can lure an evil spirit.
Of course, the correct method is helping that person out of their gloom. After all, people turning into evil spirits is no longer rare.
...
"Inoue, Inoue-kun!"
A familiar voice pulled him back to reality.
He quickly took off his earbuds, stood, and bowed. "Senior Sato, you needed me?"
Sato waved. "Come. Let's go smoke upstairs."
Actually, Inoue once planned to blackmail this senior.
Workplace rules here, everyone understands. During probation, it's normal for seniors to make things hard for you.
Inoue still gets scolded by that woman Hanada now, so squeezing some hush money wouldn't burden his conscience at all.
But tricking people is technical work. To avoid failure, he needed a perfect plan. Best done after work. Never expected the male lead himself would come find him so fast.
Soon the two reached the smoking area. Sato, about early thirties, flicked two cigarettes from his pack and handed one over.
"Heh, thanks, Senior."
Inoue smiled.
After lighting up, Sato said with slight gloom, "Inoue-kun, you already noticed, right?"
Inoue: "Huh?"
Sato: "Me and Nanako…"
"Oh."
"I'm already married. My kid is two this year."
"What?!"
╭(°A°`)╮?!
Inoue Tetsuya stared wide-eyed.
From that conversation just now, he felt Nanako probably wasn't the child's mother.
So this is an affair?
Senior Sato looks honest and plain, yet plays this wild!
He took a deep drag.
Sato began telling his story. "My family and Nanako used to be neighbors. When we were kids we played together. Later my parents moved me to Tokyo…"
It was a childhood-sweetheart love story.
When young, Sato told Nanako he'd marry her when grown up.
But when Nanako finally came to Tokyo, Brother Sato had already become Dad Sato.
Sato said, "I explained it clearly to her. From now on she'd be my little sister. But I still overestimated myself. In the end…"
In the end what?
Inoue thought: slept with her.
He hasn't seen Mrs. Sato, but coworker Nanako is small and cute, with a bit of baby voice. Probably very popular with older men.
At this point Sato suddenly dropped to his knees.
Inoue hurried to hold him. "No, no, Senior Sato. Everyone makes mistakes. Knowing your mistake and fixing it is what matters."
Sato's eyes lit up. "You think so too, right! … Inoue-kun, give me three days. Within three days I'll definitely break up with Nanako!"
As he spoke, he stuffed a thick wad of cash into Inoue's pocket.
"Senior, Senior! …"
Inoue hadn't even said anything. Why force money on him?
Sato said in a daze, "Please believe me. I'll handle it. Break up with her, then return to a normal life… normal life…"
Honestly,
Inoue had never seen him like this.
They say lust is a blade over your head.
One key usually opens one lock. Force it into a second, getting hurt is almost certain.
Watching Sato leave muttering, Inoue couldn't help feeling lucky. "Good thing I don't have a girlfriend…"
"..."
No girlfriend…
That doesn't really sound worth being proud of…
However, the moment Sato turned the corner, Inoue seemed to see a trace of black substance.
He rubbed his eyes. It disappeared for no reason.
After finishing a cigarette, he returned to his desk with doubts.
Workplace is busy. Even when slacking, you can't look idle.
Over the next half hour, Inoue secretly observed Sato several times.
Senior Sato is an old hand. In a short time he already returned to normal. He even had ordinary work exchanges with the new group member Nanako.
Just then, the group leader's office door opened halfway. A familiar cold voice followed.
"Inoue, come in. I need you."
A summons from the abyss. Group Leader Hanada Shizuka.
Inoue's mouth twitched. No idea what bad luck he triggered this time.
Rank crushes people. Immediate bosses matter more than distant officials. He could only agree, knock, and enter.
Click.
Door closed.
Holding coffee in one hand, Leader Hanada said, "Sit."
Inoue sat properly on the small guest sofa.
Seeing this, Hanada paused and said, "Come sit opposite me."
Inoue thought: before, when you called me and I sat opposite, you said I blocked your view. After that I always sat far away… what now, can't find an excuse to scold me so you're making one?
"Okay, Leader."
He obediently sat across the desk.
Hanada looked him over, nodded. "Now you finally look decent."
He nodded back. "Yes, Leader. Yesterday I'm really sorry. I caused you trouble."
Hanada said, "I heard your hometown isn't Tokyo?"
That's clearly written in HR files!
Inoue smiled. "Yes, Leader. I'm from Kuta."
She hummed, then said, "Coming to Tokyo alone to work isn't easy. If you run into trouble, tell coworkers or me. Don't make jokes like yesterday again."
"Understood, Leader."
"I applied for overtime pay for the colleagues who worked overtime last month. It'll be sent to your cards today."