Chapter 104: This World Needs Me To Change It!!!
April 30, 2024, 5:37 AM, rain.
Next to Hongyuan Temple Cemetery.
The sky was overcast, and the ethereal sound of the tide could already be faintly heard amidst the misty drizzle. From time to time, spiritual power from another world drifted down with the raindrops.
Nanjo Emi held a black umbrella, her expression unchanged. Rainwater continuously dripped from the edge of the umbrella, falling into a mud puddle beside her feet, soiling her expensive leather shoes.
The funeral was simple, with few people around. Suppressed sobs of sadness could be heard from in front of her, but they did not affect Nanjo Emi’s expression.
Patter patter.
Nanjo Emi followed the sound of footsteps and looked back, seeing two people walking directly towards her in school uniforms.
Shangshan Che and Tokugawa Ririko.
The two seemed to have rushed over, so neither had an umbrella. The drizzling rain had soaked their hair and thin school uniforms, making them look particularly disheveled.
“You’re here?”
Nanjo Emi pointed to the black and white photo of the girl already framed in front of them: “Say goodbye to Mafuyu.”
Lili Zi was momentarily stunned.
She slowly clenched her fists, lowered her head, and tightly closed her eyes, letting the rainwater flow down her cheeks and drip with the blood from her palms.
But Shangshan Che was different. He just stared silently at the inexpensive photo frame, at the faded picture.
No one knew what he was thinking.
“Uh, Sister Nanjo,” she heard Shangshan Che say, “didn’t Sister Mafuyu talk to us yesterday evening?”
She replied calmly, “Yes, so it happened in the evening.”
Then, Kurosaki Akira, dressed in a black suit, and over a dozen Onmyoji walked up to Nanjo Emi and bowed their heads in unison.
“We’re sorry.”
Kurosaki Akira rarely apologized, but today he truly bowed his head. Otherwise, even he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
He wondered if he, as a Junior Officer, and the dozen people behind him were all useless idiots. Why didn’t a single one of them notice something was wrong beforehand? Why didn’t anyone realize Ai Bieli had walked right into the Special Affairs Office Headquarters so brazenly?
Nanjo Emi gave a shallow “Mm” and patted Kurosaki Akira’s shoulder: “It’s not your fault. If we have to assign blame, it’s yours and Mafuyu’s fault.”
“If only I had brought that Ouija board with me or given it to Kondo.”
Although she said this, Nanjo Emi knew it was impossible.
She had given the crucial Ouija board to Shizuma Mafuyu before the tide arrived, wanting to lure Ai Bieli out from among the millions of people in Arakawa Ward.
If this Ouija board had been with her or Kondo Yuya, Ai Bieli would have had absolutely no chance of appearing.
And Shizuma Mafuyu was the only person Nanjo Emi could absolutely trust.
She was a normal person, practically stayed with her twenty-four hours a day, and her personality was so passionate and distinct, just like her past self.
Nanjo Emi would have noticed even the slightest change in Shizuma Mafuyu.
Nanjo Emi touched the Ouija board she was now carrying with her.
—The only mistake Shizuma Mafuyu made was, when she and Kondo Yuya had deliberately left, and the rest of the Special Affairs Office hadn’t noticed Ai Bieli at all, she still didn’t hand over the Ouija board. Instead, she indiscriminately pressed the alarm.
Shizuma Mafuyu, with almost no hesitation, chose the latter, between herself and many others, including her sister.
Just like her choices from childhood until now, Nanjo Emi had known this for a long time.
So she died.
Ai Bieli was therefore discovered by Kurosaki Akira and others, not only severely injured, but the Ouija board was also not taken.
“Is it Ai Bieli?”
Nanjo Emi heard Shangshan Che ask from beside her and nodded, “It is.”
Shangshan Che nodded calmly, “I understand.”
Even through the rain, Nanjo Emi could smell the raging anger within the two high school students beside her. But they shouldn’t be the ones to be angry; it should be her.
But herself?
Nanjo Emi couldn’t say. Perhaps she had become numb long ago. In the five years she had been an Onmyoji, she had seen too many colleagues, juniors, and superiors die without any warning.
Then they, along with their passion, aspirations, and ideals, would be burned up and put into a small box to be buried in the ground.
She couldn’t remember how many times she had solemnly said, “Don’t die,” yet after a short while, she would have to say it again.
It was always like this.
Nanjo Emi had always wished for a peaceful life, no different from ordinary people.
To eat well, grow up well, live well, and then die well.
So, like ordinary people, she worked part-time while attending school, predictably didn’t get into university, and then entered the workforce. It took her a full five years to become a qualified corporate slave, and after quitting, she spent another five years painstakingly spending her savings.
Finally, she was inexplicably pulled into becoming an Onmyoji by a high school classmate.
But she was just an ordinary Onmyoji.
Ordinary cultivation, ordinary contracted Shikigami, ordinary work.
But only when Nanjo Emi came to her senses did she realize that she might not be able to die as peacefully as she had hoped.
Just like when she was a child.
—Shizuma Mafuyu didn’t want to be put in a small box and buried in a cheap cemetery; she wanted to live a good life with her sister forever.
—Although Hasegawa said he would join the Five Person Council within five years, he actually wanted to return to his hometown and become a respectable sports teacher. He said he had been bullied for six years in school due to his weak physique since childhood.
—Kitamura Ryu, after recruiting her to be an Onmyoji, said he would quit after earning one hundred million yen and return to his rural hometown to find a virtuous wife, have a pair of children, and enjoy his retirement.
—And Takagi wanted to earn enough money for his mother’s medical treatment. Shimizu wanted to become a Great Onmyoji to reform society so that orphans like him could live like normal people. Tachibana wanted to be a legendary police inspector fighting evil. Taniguchi said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the two Shikigami he contracted with…
Too many to count.
But in the end, they all died.
Except for Nanjo Emi, no one else would remember these words.
If even she died, then these things that she remembered word for word, these things that could be called “dreams,” would truly be buried in the earth and lose their meaning.
Do as much as you can; this was Nanjo Emi’s life motto.
So she did her best to ensure she wouldn’t die without warning.
Nanjo Emi thought irritably and subconsciously took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, and waited for a while.
But no one beside her took out a lighter to light it for her.
She held the umbrella handle between her neck and shoulder, took out the almost-used-up flint lighter from her pocket, and was about to light it when the cigarette suddenly fell onto the tip of her shoe and then rolled into the mud puddle.
Nanjo Emi crouched down to pick it up, shook it in the air, and then relit it.
The earthy smell entered her nostrils.
Nanjo Emi smacked her lips; it was a familiar smell.
She remembered Shizuma Mafuyu’s dream, mourned her, and it was about time to get back to work.
After all, one could look back, but one had to keep moving forward; life had to go on.
She walked behind Kurosaki Akira and the other Onmyoji, coughed twice, and said loudly, “Those who still have work to do, get to it. The tide is coming, don’t be too lax just because you’re prepared.”
As everyone was about to respond, her and Kurosaki Akira’s phones rang simultaneously.
The two looked at each other, answered the calls,
“Junior Officer Nanjo!”
“Junior Officer Kurosaki!”
The operator’s anxious voice came through the other end of the phone: “Large-scale disturbances have suddenly broken out in all traffic routes, schools, hospitals, and other important areas throughout Arakawa Ward. Preliminary assessment is that Ai Bieli has detonated dormant ‘seeds’.”
Most of the people present showed expressions of shock, but Nanjo Emi’s expression remained unchanged: “Great Officer Kondo should have initiated contingency plan A by now.”
The other end of the phone was silent for a brief moment, then said, “Uh—yes! Everyone, regarding the information about 【 Ai Bieli, seeds, and heart poison 】, including detailed mission arrangements, has been uploaded to all your mobile phones!”
“Arakawa Ward has entered a state of full martial law! This mission codename is 【 Red Tide 】. We hope everyone can contain the Red Tide in time!”
“Wishing you martial fortune!”
After the call ended, the somber and sorrowful atmosphere at the cemetery suddenly changed. Kurosaki Akira immediately said with a serious expression, “Junior Officer Nanjo, take care!”
Nanjo Emi glanced at her phone and nodded at him, “Mm, take care.”
After Kurosaki Akira and the group of Onmyoji left, Nanjo Emi redialed the number: “Is there anything else?”
But this time, it was Kondo Yuya’s heavy voice that came through,
“Junior Officer Nanjo, the number of seeds and the affected area are rapidly doubling and spreading. The situation is on the verge of collapse and decay.”
Since only four people remained present, Nanjo Emi had put the call on speakerphone.
Apart from Shizuma Manatsu, who was still sobbing, the other three were stunned.
Nanjo Emi asked, “Wasn’t the Star Barrier set up a few days ago? Can’t it detect the precise location of the seeds?”
“Junior Officer Sakata was trapped deliberately. Without the lead of an Astronomy Path Onmyoji, the barrier isn’t as effective,” Kondo Yuya’s voice fluctuated. “I’m trying to rescue him.”
Nanjo Emi pressed further, “What about the reinforcements from other districts?”
“—Ai Bieli must have coordinated with the other Eight Sufferings and some Great Demons to launch simultaneous unrest. No one is available right now.”
As expected.
Nanjo Emi frowned slightly, “What about the Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Police? Didn’t contingency plan C involve them opening up some of their military power to suppress the unrest?”
Some noise could be heard from Kondo Yuya’s end, but it quickly quieted down with the sound of swords clashing. “The soldiers and armed police who were arranged in advance didn’t show up. Instead, some traffic police and detectives are voluntarily maintaining order.”
“Did an unexpected Great Demon appear?”
“No,” Kondo Yuya’s voice trembled slightly. “Because the unrest came too suddenly, it shocked those government officials who weren’t informed in advance.”
“—They all fled, without exception, from the very beginning of the unrest.”
Nanjo Emi’s expression froze, her surprise undeniable.
Shangshan Che could even hear the crisp sound of the Special Mobile Phone being deformed in her grip.
“They all fled? There must be at least one…”
“They all fled. The army and armed police are leaderless, and no one dares to move out and kill the ‘seeds’ who look identical to ordinary people. We also don’t have the authority to command them.”
“Now! Hu—The number of people infected by the Red Tide is at least thirty to forty thousand, more than ten times the original number!”
Kondo Yuya’s voice was drowned out by explosions and screams, not entirely clear:
“Junior Officer Nanjo, as usual, I’m asking for your opinion—should I go and counterattack to eliminate the Red Tide immediately after rescuing Junior Officer Sakata; or should we try to gather ordinary civilians and preserve our strength while waiting for rescue?”
—A world like this would be better off destroyed.
The black umbrella had unknowingly slipped to the ground. Nanjo Emi frantically tugged at her hair, muttering wildly in her heart, “I clearly told them exactly what to do when the time came… Why did they still run away?!”
“Why can’t they even do such a simple thing? Why, why, why!”
“Things could have been resolved so easily…”
“What kind of trash are sitting in the government now? It’s one thing for them to be corrupt as usual, but in this situation, even rats in the sewer know not to just run away…”
Nanjo Emi thought expressionlessly, “What are we doing? Whose interests are we protecting? Is Mafuyu’s death still meaningful?”
“After the Red Tide ends and most of the people in Arakawa Ward are dead, those scumbags who fled will pretend that nothing happened and sit back in their positions…”
But everything she had experienced in the past twenty-two years, her junior high and high school, the convenience store where she worked, the companies she had been to, would turn into ruins.
Her former classmates, teachers, colleagues, friends, superiors, juniors, and even this cemetery… everything would be swallowed and disappear in this escalating Red Tide.
So, would she have to forget all this again and start a new life in a new place?
That’s enough.
“Junior Officer Nanjo?”
Kondo Yuya’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Nanjo Emi suddenly said, “I’ll do it.”
Kondo Yuya paused, “What do you mean?”
“Literally.”
“—Connect all the Star Barriers to me. I will locate all the seeds, I will contain the Red Tide, I will exorcise Ai Bieli, I will quell this unrest, and I will personally chop off the heads of those incompetent freeloaders one by one! No matter where they flee!”
Shangshan Che could see Nanjo Emi’s expressionless face becoming increasingly angry, her eyes growing colder, like iron.
Nanjo Emi said word for word, “This world needs to change!”
The emotions that had been suppressed for twenty-two years erupted. She tore apart the corporate slave identity she had painstakingly adapted to, and Nanjo Emi said with an almost roaring, unquestionable voice:
“—It needs me to change it!!!”
The special mobile phone, as hard as steel, was crushed into scrap metal and fell onto the spreading shadow at Nanjo Emi’s feet, emitting sparks, and was swallowed.
Nure-onna and Hiyori Bo emerged, standing dazed. This was the first time they had ever felt their usually gentle and amiable master display such emotions, and they were at a loss.
And the surging shadow took on substance, gently embracing Nanjo Emi from behind, its voice sorrowful and caring, “Little Emi, are you going to be a hero again?”
“Go to hell with heroes!”
Nanjo Emi grinned, gritting her teeth, “Right now, I just want to kill the one who killed Mafuyu, and then chop up all those incompetent old fools one by one!”
“Elections, governments, families… these old-world things should all be swept into the dustbin of history!”
Nanjo Emi gradually reined in the overflowing and exaggerated emotions on her face, becoming cold and rational once more.
Spiritual power, far more surging and powerful than the sea tide, rose from the ground, sweeping away the densely stacked dark clouds in the sky.
Shangshan Che saw her turn around, and in those iron-colored eyes, he saw the blue sky reflected, with stars falling like rain.
He heard her say,
“To rule a new era, not so many people are needed.”
“Their dreams will all be realized by me.”
At this moment, a new task prompt appeared before Shangshan Che’s eyes—
【 Special Limited-Time Mission, “Red Tide,” has begun! 】
【 The objectives for this mission are as follows—】
【 Objective One: Together with Nanjo Emi, contain the spread of the “Red Tide.” 】
【 Objective Two: Together with Nanjo Emi, exorcise the Eight Sufferings · Ai Bieli. 】
【 Rewards will be distributed based on participation and contribution to this limited-time mission! The higher the overall contribution, the more generous the rewards! 】
He couldn’t help but be stunned. This mission had suddenly appeared because of Nanjo Emi’s decision just now.
In other words, if Nanjo Emi hadn’t undergone that bizarre change, would Arakawa Ward have been destroyed by Ai Bieli and the Red Tide together?
