A Clash Between Factions / Simplifying Things

Furthermore, since she had focused all her attention on Yuria today, she paid even less attention to Hua behind her.

Did you eat too much this morning?

This casual banter is the most likely scenario for Hua.

"No, it's just that I overslept a little!"

Yurikawa Hana waved her hand and quickly walked to Yotsuya Miko's side, walking alongside her.

"But today's breakfast was so delicious that I had to ask my mom to make a few more."

So you ate too much, didn't you?

Miko smile, she found her friend's story amusing. She felt that no matter what happened to Kaori, it always sounded interesting to hear her tell the tale, and since Kaori had an even bigger appetite than most people, she would usually steer the conversation towards food. This "Yurikawa Hana" behavior always made her feel cheerful.

Even now, the gloom surrounding Shimakawa Kameyo's corpse had already faded when Hana talked about how delicious her breakfast was. Yuria, who was watching Hana and Miko's conversation, listened silently, occasionally interjecting a word.

Yuria's gaze was calm, like a clear spring. There was no anxiety, nothing else. She was simply playing the role of a friend.

Chapter 215 Clash of Powers

School life continued as usual, without much excitement. But after school, a small incident occurred.

Shimakawa Kameyo has disappeared.

When she heard the news, Yuria had just arrived at the Special Affairs Department's office and was about to begin her work for the day. She was tidying up the documents on her desk, searching through the pile to find the tasks that needed her attention. Just as she was doing this very routine task, the head of the Special Affairs Department walked in.

"Vice-Minister Shimakawa Kameyo also did not come to Divine Gate today."

"Oh?"

At first, she didn't care much; after all, it was normal to feel uncomfortable being targeted for a while. If he didn't come today, he could come tomorrow. As for not coming for a long time, Divine Gate could send someone to look for him. Having signed a contract with Divine Gate, it was impossible for him to quit his job even if he wanted to.

Moreover, he was almost ready to give up targeting Yuria, since playing tricks on her like that was really pointless. After his anger subsided, the desire for revenge also disappeared. As long as Shimakawa Kameyo was reasonable in the future, he wouldn't be targeted or retaliated against again.

"That's none of our business. Divine Gate isn't so busy worrying about someone's attendance, is he?"

"Even so, our investigation into Shimakawa Kameyo has come to a standstill. In fact, Shimakawa went to the red-light district last night and never returned; the house has remained empty."

Upon hearing this, she remembered that Shimakawa Kameyo was still a suspect in the investigation of asymptomatic deaths. And yesterday, Yotsuya Miko had also asked her about Shimakawa Kameyo. Could it be...?

She tidied up the documents in her hands and quickly planned out her route for the day.

"Then let's send people to continue the investigation. The asymptomatic deaths in that area have stopped for several days. If Shimakawa Kameyo's incident happened there, it's not impossible that a second incident will occur. In any case, the Special Affairs Department still needs to focus its attention there. I'll leave these matters to you, Minister. I should finish my current work first. The reports from these investigations need to be transferred to the Investigation Department for approval. If problems arise there, it will be very difficult to handle."

"I understand. I will send people to investigate Shimakawa Kameyo. I also hope that Vice-Chief Nibutō can inquire with Chief Okita of the Investigation Department about his opinion, since this kind of matter still requires the support of the Investigation Department."

Does this mean the Special Affairs Department doesn't intend to intervene directly?

Yuria blinked, nodded slightly, and walked towards the door with a stack of documents in her hands.

Those who had gone with her to handle the matters had been waiting for a long time; she was the only one missing.

Because of her schoolwork, Yuria's work was always scheduled for the night shift. Her working hours were also short, which meant she needed to make the most of her time to handle tasks. And because her working hours were short and she spent even more time commuting, she had no leisure time in the Special Affairs Department to build her own prestige, let alone take charge of the Special Affairs Department's affairs.

These matters were handled by the head of the Special Affairs Department. First-hand information was reviewed by him before being compiled into individual cases and handed over to Yuria. Even so, the head of the department did not show a strong desire for power. Instead, he would ask for Yuria's opinion in a short period of time, send her work reports for Yuria review, and consult with Yuria on personnel arrangements.

After spending some time in pleasant company with this minister, she finally understood his intentions. It wasn't that he lacked ambition for power, but rather that he showed a willingness to submit to Minister Okita. In his view, he, parachuted in, was Okita Qishen's confidant, someone who conveyed Okita Qishen. That's why he displayed an indifferent attitude towards power.

Discussing matters with her on many things is merely a way of testing Okita Qishen's attitude. Like this time with the topic of Shimakawa Kameyo, it seems like she's seeking the Investigation Department's assistance. However, she's actually asking Okita Qishen's attitude towards handling Shimakawa Kameyo, trying to shift the blame to the Investigation Department —a gesture of goodwill, and also a way of getting rid of a burden. After all, there's a chief in this Divine Gate branch, Yamada Mukawa.

Before it's clear whether Okita Qishen is willing to get involved in the affairs of the Special Affairs Department, the head of the Special Affairs Department doesn't intend to show any intention of siding with the Investigation Department too early. Otherwise, after Okita Qishen's downfall, he will face the purge from Chief Yamada Mukawa and end up in the same miserable state as Shimakawa Kameyo.

They're all masters of passing the buck.

Yuria rubbed her head, having gained a considerable understanding of the three entities: the Divine Gate Investigation Department, the Special Affairs Department, and the Chief.

A healthy Divine Gate branch will not be dominated by a single entity, because that would only lead to internal decay. A relative separation of powers and checks and balances may lead to internal strife, but it is still much better than a single entity dominating like Kawamori.

The same applies to Divine Gate in this region. The Investigation Department has the means to suppress the Special Affairs Department, but in terms of personnel, the Investigation Department is not on the same level as the Special Affairs Department. It also has the responsibility of supervising investigative affairs outside the Special Affairs Department. Between the two, there is a Chief of Staff who oversees both departments. This Chief of Staff usually sides with the Special Affairs Department to balance the power of the Investigation Department.

This is why a regional branch of the Divine Gate often evolves into a contest between two, or even more, forces. For example, the contest between the Wagen Family and the Kawagen Family in this city. The Kawagen Family is the force behind Yamada Mukawa, which needs no further explanation.

Previously, Shimakawa Kameyo sided with Yamada Mukawa, and was an extension of the Kawagen Family's influence. Such power struggles inevitably damaged the efficiency of the Divine Gate's internal allocation and operations, but it was better than doing nothing.

After Yotsuya Miko and the Wagen Family reached a complete agreement, Chief Yamada Mukawa is probably not going to have an easy time.

She had met Chief Yamada at a previous meeting. Unlike his subordinate, Shimakawa Kameyo, this chief was very gentle and acted like a good leader who cared about his subordinates. But the actual situation was, needless to say, quite different.

Yuria didn't dwell too much on the power struggle. After leaving Divine Gate and sitting in her car, she pondered another question: what was the connection between Shimakawa Kameyo's current situation and Yotsuya Miko?

If there's absolutely no connection, then why did Miko ask her about Shimakawa Kameyo yesterday?

She believed that Yotsuya Miko wasn't the type to kill without reason, but this kind of incident could easily trigger a chain of trouble. After all, Yamada Mukawa had only gone into hiding; he hadn't given up his schemes against Okita Qishen and the Wagen Family.

Chapter 216 Simplifying Things

On the second day of school, Yuria took advantage of lunchtime to bring up the topic—the disappearance of Shimakawa Kameyo.

Quite some time has passed since Shimakawa Kameyo disappeared without a trace, and this insignificant figure has not yet made much of a splash, but as time goes on, it is inevitable that he will cause some turmoil.

Regardless of the circumstances, Shimakawa Kameyo was still the former head of the Divine Gate Special Affairs Department. His unexplained disappearance would inevitably lead to misunderstandings. Under these circumstances, the current head of the Special Affairs Department did not intend to get too involved and chose to transfer the matter to the Investigation Department. After that, Yamada Mukawa would also learn about the matter.

"..."

After hearing Yuria's explanation, Yotsuya Miko was somewhat bewildered.

"You mean... Yamada Mukawa will hinder Okita Qishen's actions because of Shimakawa Kameyo's matter?"

Regarding the political situation in India, her understanding was limited to the power struggles within the Xuanhui Realm sects that Zhang Qiudao Qiu had mentioned. These guys were relatively simple and honest, but they were more interested in showing off their muscles. She didn't think too much about it, assuming that things would become much easier after demonstrating her value and strength.

"Not everyone wants you to cooperate with the Wagen Family. They'll do anything to obstruct it. And this isn't to prevent the agreement from being reached. They know perfectly well that such an agreement can't be broken, no matter what they do. Rather, they hope to use this to stall the agreement's progress in order to extract more benefits. After all, if they don't get these benefits now, there will be no hope of getting them later."

Yuria looked at Yotsuya Miko was completely bewildered by the matter of Divine Gate, and sighed deeply again.

"You really are quite adorably naive, Miko."

"Uh? Sorry."

Hearing such a comment, even Miko couldn't help but blush. She had originally thought things would turn out much as she imagined, but the reality was that without Yuria's help, she would probably have been fed up with all of Divine Gate's antics.

"I'm so sorry, I thought I handled it well, but in the end I still have to ask Yuria to explain it to me."

She took Yuria's small hand and at that moment realized how much Yuria could help someone like her who knew nothing about politics.

"No matter what, just tell me what to do!"

"You're asking me what to do? Let's get back to the topic first. What exactly did you do, Miko?"

When Miko grabbed her wrist, Yuria's eyes flickered slightly as she felt the warmth from the back of her hand. Looking at Yotsuya Miko, who was sincerely asking for her help, she stopped her wandering thoughts.

"You were involved in Shimakawa Kameyo's affair, weren't you?"

Considering the possibility of her phone being tapped, she chose to speak with Yotsuya Miko face-to-face at noon today. And because of this, she asked the question directly.

"Yes, something happened. You know about asymptomatic deaths; Shimakawa Kameyo was the one who did it. He possessed a technique similar to the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method, which allowed him to extract Life Energy from others and convert it into spiritual energy. This technique couldn't be known to Divine Gate, so I killed him."

"... I see. You're worried that such techniques will be abused?"

After a moment's thought, Yuria guessed Yotsuya Miko's thoughts and was not surprised by her concerns. But...

"This is a very good political bargaining chip."

Yuria looked at the black-haired girl in front of her, sometimes wondering what this girl was thinking. She had thoughts like killing people and destroying Divine Gate, and she could actually do it, but when it came to other things, she became clumsy and a bit indecisive.

"Such a technique won't be abused because it can't be widely disseminated. Moreover, its existence Miko your status to be demonstrated. Threat creates demand, and this technique is precisely a threat to those people. If handled properly, things wouldn't have escalated to this potentially passive situation. By the way... how did you kill Shimakawa Kameyo?"

"Speaking of this, do you still remember Kaishoku Shugaku?"

"Um."

"Some manipulation was used to get the gang to kill that guy, so I didn't show up at the scene. I was afraid I'd be discovered. That's why I couldn't find Shimakawa Kameyo's body either; it was probably thrown into the sea."

"Oh, that's how it is."

The blonde girl asked a question,

"Didn't you ever consider directly manipulating Shimakawa Kameyo to make him commit suicide? Or to follow your instructions?"

"Huh? I hadn't thought of that at all."

Yotsuya Miko shook her head, then suddenly widened her eyes. Wait, it doesn't seem impossible after all? Although controlling cultivators with these techniques is unrealistic, it seems feasible for these guys who have only cultivated spiritual energy but have no cultivation skills whatsoever.

Wait... So she doesn't need to worry about anything, nor does she need to go through all this trouble. Shimakawa Kameyo directly? That way, she can find out what happened to Shimakawa Kameyo later, instead of losing clues now because his body might have sunk into the sea.

In that instant, Yotsuya Miko thought of many things, and the more she thought, the dimmer the light in her eyes became, gradually losing its luster.

"Am I really an idiot?"

"Besides, with your strength, killing Shimakawa Kameyo shouldn't be a problem, right? Although this guy is a bit pitiful, since he killed someone, there's no need to sympathize with him. Just say that you haven't calmed down because of what happened before, and the Wagen Family and Okita Qishen will also step in to handle the rest. That way, the nature of the matter will change. It won't come to this troublesome point, will it?"

As she spoke, Yuria instinctively covered her forehead with her left hand, feeling an indescribable sense of helplessness.

"So what are you thinking? Your strength speaks for itself, Miko. No one in this world can make things difficult for you, right? Even if it's Divine Gate, just deal with him openly and honestly, won't that solve anything? Those schemes and tricks can't touch you."

"... It's probably paranoia."

Yotsuya Miko sighed, squatted down by the wall on the rooftop, and leaned against the wall behind her.

"The matter with Kawamori, dealing with such a troublesome guy, and the same with the previous Mountain God, I always feel like I can't fully utilize my abilities. It's really frustrating."

Seeing Miko lost in self-doubt, Yuria could only smile and lean against her.

"You're really unexpected. In my heart, you've always been a god."

"Even gods have their troubles, right? I also want to find someone to rely on, Yuria. It's just that I can't find anyone."

The words came from her heart, and for some reason, Yuria's heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth, and then the person stood up again.

"Now that we know, what should we do next? Yuria, what are your thoughts?"

"... No, but the problem lies with Yamada Mukawa. As long as he doesn't pursue this matter, it will be over."

Yuria snapped out of her reverie and answered Miko's question.

"I see... then I'm relieved."

The black-haired girl in front of him regained her fighting spirit, as if her previous plea for help had been a faking.

Her golden eyes gazed at the rooftop railing, her figure standing as still as a stone. She uttered words utterly devoid of politeness.

"Then I'll be fine if I take control of this guy, right?"

Chapter 217 It's impossible to seek revenge.

A feeling of powerlessness, as if all the strength in my body had been drained away.

Natsukawa Yuki opened her tired eyes, with absolutely no desire to get out of bed. Even getting up was difficult for her, let alone working.

Do you have a fever?

She stretched her left hand out from under the covers, resting her wrist on her forehead. Perhaps due to exhaustion, her senses were becoming blurred; Natsukawa Yuki felt that her hand was very cold, while her forehead was burning hot, as if it were being scorched by fire.

"I have a fever, but... I still have to work today."

He picked up his phone with his left hand, which had been lowered, and saw that the alarm was about to go off.

"If I don't go to work, this month's salary --"

She forced herself to pull herself out of the covers, her vision blurring slightly. As her head rested against the wall behind the bed, everything in front of her seemed displaced, and a wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to instinctively cover her mouth.

"It really hurts."

The dizziness lingered even after she got out of bed, making her stagger and prone to bumping into things. Accompanying this was a feeling of weakness and coldness in her hands and feet, as if her life force had been drained from her body.

Even if her willpower could overcome these physical difficulties, her body had already reached its limit. Before Natsukawa Yuki could even reach the bathroom to wash up, she lost all consciousness in the blink of an eye and collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

She was very tired.

Black mist emanated from the chest of the unconscious person, covering their entire body. Like night, the mist gradually seeped into Natsukawa Yuki's body and disappeared.

Pain flashed across the woman's face again, but quickly returned to calm. She opened her tightly closed eyes and stood up from the ground.

Her gaze held a hint of curiosity as she stretched out her hands to examine them, then looked around at the scenery. A long while passed, until her phone alarm rang.

He grabbed the noisy little box from his pocket, pondered it, and frowned.

"Creations of mortals?"

Natsukawa Yuki turned off the alarm on her phone; she had just figured out how to cancel such noise. She spoke in a strange tone, a peculiar language, different from the language used in this world and this country.

"Modern society? Science?"

Common sense was compiled, but this common sense made her feel uncomfortable, even strange.

"A strange world, but this should be..."

Her words trailed off as she looked at her phone, where a second alarm had sounded again. She silently turned it off.