CHAPTER 57: 52. MADAM, YOUR HOUSE IS REALLY MESSY!

Bastard!

How can he be such a pervert!

Kawashima Miki’s back was suddenly hit hard, nearly pitching her whole body forward.

"Sorry, sorry..." Fujiwara Reya quickly grabbed her shoulders to help her keep her balance. "I was looking at the view outside, didn’t expect you to stop suddenly."

You did it on purpose... Kawashima Miki shouted angrily in her heart, resisting the urge to transform into a spider and start a massacre then and there. On her face, she feigned a shy blush and smiled bashfully. "We’ve arrived, so naturally, I’d stop."

Fujiwara Reya looked over at the door beside them, where a metal plaque read [Land Use Bureau].

"Let’s continue our conversation here," Kawashima Miki said, leading the way to a small reception room. After approaching the free drink machine on the counter, she turned and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"Coffee, with ice."

Fujiwara Reya responded and walked into the reception room.

It was a small windowed room with an open layout, elegant and stylish. The window faced the street, and the late spring sunlight shone on the light-colored carpet covering the floor, making the room’s light clear and distinct.

After a while, Kawashima Miki came over, carrying two cups of drinks.

One cup was iced coffee for Fujiwara Reya, and the other was iced lemon soda for herself, both with ice cubes and a straw in the lemon soda cup.

"Alright, let’s resume our conversation," Kawashima Miki placed her handbag on the table and sat across from Fujiwara Reya.

"How should I address you?" Fujiwara Reya asked.

"Just call me Mrs. Hiraki." Kawashima Miki said, stretching lazily as if very tired, her figure displayed vividly by her tight-fitting shirt.

Fujiwara Reya instinctively glanced at her chest again.

Not his fault.

After all, it’s a scientific phenomenon.

It’s easy to explain with Newton’s ’Universal Force of Breasts’ law: The greater the mass, the stronger the attraction.

But this time, the button didn’t pop off.

Despite feeling regretful, Fujiwara Reya could only watch helplessly. He couldn’t reach out and rip the button off; that would be illegal.

What a shameless little wolf... Kawashima Miki cursed inwardly and said straightforwardly, "I’d like to invite you to my house for a look. If possible, it’d be best to stay a few nights."

Boys with minds full of naughty thoughts couldn’t possibly resist the temptation of a beautiful, mature woman, and Kawashima Miki was confident in her charm.

In less than three nights, she could make Fujiwara Reya lose himself in the lustful world of the Empress Bubble Bath, unaware of the changes outside.

"Do you have a pen and notepad?" Fujiwara Reya glanced at her handbag.

"I do," Kawashima Miki opened her handbag and handed him a pen and notepad. "Anything else you need?"

"I need your honesty." Fujiwara Reya stared at her face, his expression becoming formalized. "May I ask how your husband died?"

"It’s a bit embarrassing to say..." Kawashima Miki paused slightly, her face showing a sad expression.

"No need to feel embarrassed," Fujiwara Reya held a pen, tapping the notepad and said, "Think of me as a sort of gynecologist, and explain the process clearly. Only by finding the symptoms can I prescribe the right remedy."

As he spoke, he wrote today’s date and her title at the top of the notepad.

[Date: April 25, 2021, Sunday]

[Client: Mrs. Hiraki.]

"You could say I’m partly to blame. My husband and I weren’t getting along." Here, Kawashima Miki lowered her brows and sighed silently. "On April 13, we had an argument. After he drank, he went out and never returned."

Fujiwara Reya scribbled a simple note on the notepad.

[Marital discord, left home on April 13.]

"He was quite drunk when he left, and I heard from the driver that he went to the Yoshiwara Empress Bubble Bath." As she said this, Kawashima Miki fixed her eyes on Fujiwara Reya. "Do you think it’s because I wasn’t good enough, and that’s why he sought out a prostitute?"

"Uh..." Under her reproachful gaze, Fujiwara Reya shook his head uneasily, "Please continue."

"Then, he was dismembered by a prostitute he knew, without a single trace left." Kawashima Miki frowned, as if recalling the disgusting scene, playfully swirling the straw in her lemon soda around the ice cubes.

[Empress Bubble Bath, dismemberment.]

"If I may ask," Fujiwara Reya said, "did he have any connection with this prostitute?"

"I don’t know, she also committed suicide." Kawashima Miki shook her head, rubbing her nose with her index finger as if tired. "She was the girl who’d been with me the longest, and I didn’t expect my husband would get involved with her. They both betrayed me."

"?"

Fujiwara Reya was dumbfounded.

Madam, what a messy home!

"The Empress Bubble Bath was opened by me." Kawashima Miki said, placing her hands on the table with her fingers interlocked.

On her ring finger was a small ring, a simple and unadorned silver ring that was almost undetectable without her spreading her fingers on the table.

Madam, you’re also a madam!

Fujiwara Reya was shocked and blankly asked, "What did your husband do?"

Kawashima Miki lightly scratched her nose again, "He was in the Extreme Path, with a few hundred men under him."

Oh my.

Both into black and yellow, deserved what he got... Fujiwara Reya maintained calmness, noted down the two pieces of information, and asked, "What did the police say?"

"The police concluded it was a crime of passion," Kawashima Miki’s fingertips tapped on her temples, her eyes showing a hint of anger. "My husband fell for the prostitute, said he wanted to divorce me and marry her, but after repeatedly breaking his promise, she killed him."

[Crime of passion.]

After noting down this key information, Fujiwara Reya asked again, "Were there any monks or spiritual practitioners conducting ceremonies at the crime scene?"

"No one knows where the crime scene is; they only found her diary at the prostitute’s home, documenting the murder." Kawashima Miki let out a deranged laugh, sipped her lemon soda, and said in a muffled voice, "Because of this, I suspect my husband turned into a ghost and has been returning to haunt me in the nights."

[No purification, sufficient resentment.]

"There’s a possibility he turned into a ghost," Fujiwara Reya said, tearing the notepad page and pocketing it, handing her back the pen and notepad, while casually handing her a business card: "If convenient, come to the shrine during Golden Week and take me to check out the prostitute’s home and your Empress Bubble Bath."

"Of course." Kawashima Miki received the business card with both hands, her expression relaxing. "Does this mean you’ve accepted my request?"

"Preparing to accept it." Fujiwara Reya nodded, unhurriedly sipping the coffee on the table.

Kawashima Miki frowned, "What else do you need?"

"What can I gain?" Fujiwara Reya got straight to the point.

"Ah, you..." Kawashima Miki stared at his face, looking a bit embarrassed to speak.

"You don’t expect it to be free, do you?" Fujiwara Reya smiled faintly.

"But isn’t exorcism your job?"

"Of course, it is my job, but exorcism is risky and requires compensation."

Kawashima Miki’s face turned slightly red, biting her lower lip a little, "What kind of price do you want me to pay?"

Obviously money... Fujiwara Reya growled internally.

But he couldn’t say it outright and had to imply it.

Younger wealthy widows are likely to keep getting into trouble in the future, with lots of money queued up to be delivered. Therefore, he must maintain a priestly dignity on the first request. Asking directly for money would seem low and naive, definitely ruining the impression.

"I don’t quite understand..." Kawashima Miki kept her head down, continuing to swirl the straw in her soda with a trembling voice, "Please tell me clearly, Master Fujiwara. Whatever I can do, I will do it."

"In any case, necessary compensation is required, or else it would simply be voluntary service..." Fujiwara Reya drummed the table with his fingers, looking at the young lady sternly, "I have a certain ability. No matter the form, I can help solve your issue. But I seek justice for this world while assuring gain, so you better be prepared for what you must pay..."

Kawashima Miki silently bit her lip.

Her downcast gaze fell on the pointed heels of her high-heeled shoes. If Fujiwara Reya did make demands in that regard, she feared she might take off her heel and jab it into his face.

While satisfying, it would be impractical.

For now, she needed to endure and bear the burden.

She intended to lure Fujiwara Reya into the bubble bath, use seduction to numb him, and then, when his guard was down, take over the entire Asakusa Shrine in one fell swoop.

"Madam," Fujiwara Reya knocked on the table, "are you listening to me?"

Kawashima Miki gave a light "hm."

Immediately thereafter, she bravely lifted her head, fixing her gaze directly on Fujiwara Reya.

Her eyes were beautiful, with deep and complex pupils, like a whirlpool that was captivating. As he looked into her eyes, her face blushed again, shy and coquettish.