Chapter Thirty: Master of Subtle Affection

Working at Yuu Ashiya's Exorcism Detective Agency feels much the same as being at the Public Security Bureau’s Sixth Countermeasure Section. Back at the Sixth Section, everyone would head out when cases arose, and otherwise spent their time drafting reports. Here at the agency, it’s much the same—if there’s work, we’re dispatched; if not, people idle away the hours… In some ways, it’s even more relaxed than the Sixth Section.

Of course, the advantage of the Sixth Section lies in its official status, boasting the most robust anomaly monitoring network in Polar North City, which puts the detective agency to shame in this regard. Here, we have to wait for clients to walk through the door and commission us before there’s anything to do. Most clients can’t even distinguish between genuine supernatural phenomena and figments of an overstimulated imagination, so the agency must conduct a second screening, filtering out unlikely cases and assigning them to the interns to confirm.

Chen Zi’ang is particularly adept at this task; his online handle says it all: “Anyone got urban legends?”

“Milk tea,” Suzuna Tsukimiya handed him a drink from behind.

“Thanks.” Chen Zi’ang took a sip and frowned.

“Too sweet?” Suzuna watched his expression.

“How much sugar did you put in?” he asked in return.

“Full sugar.” Taking the cup back from his hand, Suzuna gave him another, “Try this one—thirty percent sweet.”

“This is much better.” As he drank, Chen Zi’ang suddenly froze, noticing Suzuna open her mouth and bite down on the straw of the cup he’d just tasted.

“I drank from that,” he reminded her.

“I know. I just wanted to check.” Suzuna took a big sip, then nodded, “It really is too sweet.”

Does this girl have nothing better to do than flirt with me…? Chen Zi’ang sighed, then asked, “So why order the full-sugar one in the first place?”

“It wasn’t me,” Suzuna replied, “It was Kazuto Okubo.”

Kazuto Okubo—the curly-haired guy at the agency who’s harbored a grudge ever since I took a case from him.

Chen Zi’ang stroked his chin, pondering, “Is he pursuing you?”

“I pretend not to know,” Suzuna smiled slyly.

“Suzuna,” Chen Zi’ang said seriously, “if you don’t intend to accept his advances, it’s best not to accept his gifts. Otherwise, it could stir up trouble later.”

“I know.” Suzuna pulled up a chair to sit beside him. “But he bought a drink for every woman in the office. If I refuse, I’d be the odd one out, wouldn’t I?”

Being out of step brings ostracism—that's the unspoken law of islander workplaces. Seems Okubo’s a bit calculating after all.

“Then how do you know he’s interested in you?” Chen Zi’ang asked, curious.

“He didn’t know how sweet I like my drinks, so he bought me two and even left a note as a reminder.” Suzuna flashed a sweet, charming smile, “Senpai, boys who’ve tried to court me could line up from Shinjuku all the way to Mikawa. Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Don’t get carried away.” Chen Zi’ang tapped her forehead with his pen. Suzuna let out a little yelp, clutching her head and pretending to be a bullied kitten.

The pitiful look on her face was almost too much for Chen Zi’ang to handle, and Okubo’s jealous, near-seething gaze from across the room only made matters more awkward.

He turned back to his computer, resuming his conversation with a client, while Suzuna sat beside him, idly playing on her phone.

“So what did Uncle Yuu have you doing?” Chen Zi’ang finally asked, unable to stand the silence.

“My job is to be your partner,” Suzuna replied, snapping selfies and making cute faces at the camera, sticking out her tongue and flashing peace signs.

“Anything more specific?”

“Nope.” Suzuna didn’t look up. “Senpai, I’m not oblivious. If I weren’t here as your sidekick, there’s no way a rookie like me would land a job at a high-profile agency like this.”

“True,” Chen Zi’ang said, eyes on the screen. “But you could always have your dad buy the place.”

Suzuna paused, caught off guard.

It might just work… If I bought the agency, I could hire Senpai as my personal secretary—how delightful!

“Oh, I was joking,” Chen Zi’ang added quickly when she didn’t reply for a while. “Don’t take it seriously, okay?”

“Don’t treat me like an idiot, Senpai,” Suzuna protested.

Suddenly, a new message popped up in the chat window—from Assistant Director Saki, head of R&D.

[One Cigarette After Every Meal]: (This is a mass message.) The Inspection Department has recently received anonymous tips that some agents are taking private jobs for extra income. I’m reminding everyone: as public security officers of Polar North City, you’re forbidden by regulation from taking outside work, whether you’re on duty, on leave, or suspended. What counts as private work? Simply put: “paid labor.” The inspection team will review all your bank accounts to check for suspicious deposits. In other words, as long as you’re not being paid, it’s considered volunteer work, which is allowed. So don’t break the rules!

Chen Zi’ang read the message carefully, typed “Thanks for the reminder,” but then deleted it.

“Suzuna,” he said, turning to her, “do you have any secret accounts? Ones not in your name or your immediate family’s, but where you hold the password and can withdraw cash?”

“What’s up?” Suzuna glanced at Saki’s message, then quickly caught on. “My dad probably does.”

“Good. We’ll need it for payroll on this side,” Chen Zi’ang replied, choosing his words carefully—when suddenly a message from Yuu Ashiya arrived:

“Chen Zi’ang, you and Suzuna, come to the reception room.”

“Alright.” Chen Zi’ang stood up. “Let’s go, Suzuna. We’ve got a job.”

“What sort of job, I wonder?” Suzuna was thrilled.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high…” Chen Zi’ang said as they reached the reception room door and knocked.

“Come in,” came Yuu Ashiya’s voice.

Chen Zi’ang entered and saw, sitting across from Ashiya, a man with a gaunt, hollowed-out visage.

He wore an elegant turtleneck and a wool overcoat, with an expensive watch on his wrist—clearly wealthy and with refined taste. Yet his pallid complexion and the constant trembling of his hands undermined what should have been a sophisticated bearing.

“Mr. Yasui?” Suzuna exclaimed in surprise.

“And you are… the eldest daughter of the Tsukimiya family?” The man managed a strained smile, and Chen Zi’ang noticed beads of cold sweat on his brow.

“Naoya Yasui,” Suzuna turned to introduce him to Chen Zi’ang. “The novelist who wrote the ‘Spirited Away’ series. He’s attended my family’s banquets before.”

“Mr. Yasui, nice to meet you.” Chen Zi’ang nodded to Ashiya, then greeted Naoya Yasui. “I’m Chen Zi’ang.”

He suddenly noticed something odd about Yasui’s eyes—the pupils were pinpricks, with an unusual amount of visible sclera—a textbook case of “rapid escalation of spiritual perception leading to minor physical distortion.”

“Chen Zi’ang, was it?” Yasui’s hands shook as he twisted his teacup, anxiety etched across his face. “I don’t know if I can trust you…”

“Mr. Chen is our top detective,” Ashiya interjected.

“That’s wonderful!” Yasui exclaimed, relief and desperation in his voice. “You have to help me, Mr. Chen. You must help me return the item to It!”

“What item?” Chen Zi’ang frowned.

“This!” Yasui pulled an ancient, yellowed book from the paper bag beside the sofa.

The moment he touched it, his hand jerked as if burned. He flung the book onto the table, his voice trembling with fear:

“It’s alive. It’s alive! It longs to return to its master. It must go back to its master!”

Chen Zi’ang was about to speak again, but Yasui had already curled up, drawing his knees to his chest as if trying to fold himself into a ball to hide in the sofa, not daring to glance at the book again.