Erii

"Hey, if we slip that card to Little White Rabbit, will he really go to Akihabara?" Jiu De Mai asked Su Enxi, who was wrapped in a bath towel beside her.

"Just trust the Boss. The Boss said that a shut-in like Lu Mingfei will definitely go," Su Enxi replied, stuffing her face with potato chips.

"Alright then. I just hope he doesn't spot us this time. Last time, he said if he caught me tailing him again, he wouldn't be so polite!" Jiu De Mai said nonchalantly.

"Well, he was talking about you, not me," Su Enxi said, gloating as she crunched on her chips while looking at Jiu De Mai.

Jiu De Mai looked at the towel-clad Su Enxi, smirked, and pounced on her: "Let's see if you dare to gloat again!"

"Haha, Mai, stop it!"

Their room was right across from Lu Mingfei's.

The plain white walls lacked any real decoration, save for three portraits depicting Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo.

Beyond these three images, the living room was bare. Aside from an open wardrobe neatly filled with shrine maiden robes, there was no other furniture to speak of.

The only source of entertainment was a massive LCD television in the inner room, connected to a PS3.

The entire chamber was reinforced with steel and equipped with ventilation ducts, as if it were a prison designed to keep something inside from escaping.

A girl with long, dark red hair and rare crimson eyes sat before the LCD screen, playing a game.

She wore red-and-white shrine maiden robes, though even the loose fabric could not hide her slender, graceful figure.

A vault door, fully twenty centimeters thick, swung open as Gen Chisaki stepped inside. He was the Director of the Execution Bureau for the Kassel College Japan Branch, and the young master of the Snake Eight Families.

"Erii, I have no more business to attend to today. Is there anything you'd like to play?" Gen Chisaki walked over to Uesugi Erii with a smile and sat down gently.

Uesugi Erii glanced at Gen Chisaki, stood up, and scurried over to the bed, digging out a game controller before handing it to him.

She then sat back down, staring intently at the screen to select a game.

Gen Chisaki chuckled at her focused expression; it seemed he would have to give it his all today.

The game was Samurai Shodown II, an old title and the one both Gen Chisaki and Uesugi Erii loved to play most.

With its excellent combo mechanics and defensive play, it was a hardcore fighting game.

Uesugi Erii had never managed to beat him at this game, and it seemed she was looking to challenge him again today.

Uesugi Erii stared at the screen, expressionless, while Gen Chisaki prepared himself seriously.

Uesugi Erii chose Haohmaru, while Gen Chisaki played as Yagyu Jubei.

Soon, Haohmaru was cornered against the edge of the screen. Yagyu Jubei unleashed a dual-blade combo, and Haohmaru's health bar was instantly depleted.

Without a doubt, Uesugi Erii had lost again.

Uesugi Erii remained expressionless and immediately started the next round.

She was born with a face that betrayed neither joy nor sorrow. Even though playing games with Gen Chisaki was her favorite thing to do, she rarely showed even a hint of a smile.

Many who met Uesugi Erii felt she was like a doll—flawless, yet devoid of life.

However, after spending enough time with her, Gen Chisaki could sense her emotions through her eyes.

After a few rounds, Gen Chisaki felt it was time to bring up something serious; she would likely be interested.

"Erii, once I finish my work in a couple of days, I'll take you out for a walk. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Gen Chisaki asked.

Uesugi Erii thought for a moment, took out a pen, and wrote in the notebook beside her: "I want to see Lelouch, and Naruto and Luffy too."

Gen Chisaki's expression stiffened, then he said, "Wait a moment, I'll go ask."

Uesugi Erii waited quietly for Gen Chisaki's news.

Gen Chisaki stepped out of the room and looked at Crow and Yaksha: "Erii wants to see Lelouch, Naruto, and the others. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Hiss~" Crow and Yaksha exchanged glances. The Young Master was really putting them on the spot.

Finally, Crow came up with a plan. He recalled some advertisements he had seen recently and grinned at Gen Chisaki: "Young Master, we could go to Akihabara. You won't just find Naruto and Luffy there—you might even run into Kujo Jotaro and Dio."

"You've got a knack for this, kid," Yaksha said, thumping Crow on the shoulder.

Gen Chisaki nodded and returned to the room.

Back inside, Gen Chisaki told Uesugi Erii it was possible. Though she remained expressionless, Gen Chisaki saw a flicker of life in her eyes, and he knew she was happy.

Afterward, Gen Chisaki watched anime with Uesugi Erii; they played a disc featuring Gundam 00.

When evening came, Gen Chisaki left, instructing the medical staff outside to keep a close watch. The staff nodded repeatedly, not daring to offend the Young Master.

A rubber duck floated in a pool of bubbles inside a massive square bronze bathtub. Soft light from the ceiling bathed Uesugi Erii's fair skin.

She pushed the water forward, sending the rubber duck drifting away, only to retrieve it once it had floated far enough.

Bathing was her favorite activity, second only to gaming. This rubber duck was one of her most cherished toys—no, she loved all her toys.

She was highly possessive; every toy was labeled as belonging to her, such as "Erii's Rubber Duck" or "Erii's..."

After playing for a full hour, she stepped out of the bathroom, naked, and walked toward her clothes.

A short while later, the medical team entered. The lead medic kept his head bowed, not daring to look at her, and whispered, "Uesugi Clan Head, it is time."

Erii nodded expressionlessly and walked into her bedroom.

The infirmary was set up right inside Erii's bedroom, an exquisite room with ancient paintings hanging on the four walls and only a single window looking out.

However, the window could not be opened; it was fitted with 20cm-thick bulletproof glass, with layers of adhesive sandwiched between three panes of glass, impenetrable even to heavy machine-gun fire.

She was a monster, and no one was willing to get close to her. The medical team merely observed her through monitoring equipment every day, watching her move about in this enclosed space day after day.

Erii lay on the bed as the serum dripped through the filter, then traveled through the tubing into her body.

Her bloodline was unstable, requiring a serum injection and a blood transfusion at regular intervals.

As the blood flowed through the filter, it turned a normal, bright red before re-entering Erii's body, and the color slowly returned to her pale face.