Chapter 30: Ai Bieli
But Arakawa Ward, Tokyo has no Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
Living in groups is the nature of the weak; truly ferocious predators all possess vast territories, and intruders must pay a price for entering.
Niijima Yuta is such a predator. He once single-handedly stormed into another group’s headquarters and cut down dozens of people. After that night, whenever his name was mentioned, the yakuza in Arakawa Ward would fall silent in fear.
It is said that on that night, the enemy’s blood splashed across his chest tattooed with a fierce tiger, so as the leader of the Niijima Group, he earned the nickname “Blood Tiger.”
Yet such a vicious predator was now respectfully… even reverently bowing and scraping to the woman who was wantonly lounging on his beloved office desk.
—Ai Bieli.
This was the self-proclaimed name of the monster on the desk.
She might look like an exquisitely beautiful woman now, but at first glance, one would only think she didn’t seem human, not like a demon, not even like demons and monsters.
Niijima Yuta knew that what he saw was only what Ai Bieli wanted him to see.
“—Niijima, do you know?”
Ai Bieli’s light laughter echoed in the Niijima Group’s office: “Everyone grows up.”
“If you give someone warm hope and beautiful love, and over time, then at some moment, let it all be utterly destroyed.”
Ai Bieli, with her long white hair, turned her head and quietly gazed at the towering Niijima Yuta with eyes full of sadness: “At that moment, all the beauty shatters, turning into the suffering of parting, and thus human growth comes.”
Ai Bieli sighed softly: “Hence all beings suffer.”
She sat up and piously pressed her palms together: “I have come this time to free all beings from suffering.”
Niijima Yuta felt his scalp tingle; he realized that even he, who killed without hesitation, couldn’t comprehend this monster’s thought process at all.
She had clearly instructed him earlier to kill any blockers and had mentally controlled all the group members, but now she was putting on a compassionate face talking about saving all sentient beings.
—If not for seeking the legendary power of the evil spirit, he wouldn’t stay a second longer in front of this monster.
“Your Excellency, another branch of the club was destroyed by Nanjo Emi this morning, and all the cult members and believers inside perished. Now only four branches remain in the entire Arakawa Ward.”
He lowered his head, bracing for Ai Bieli’s thunderous rage.
Because that’s the kind of person he was.
But what came was Ai Bieli’s pleasant laughter.
“Niijima, this is good news. With so many friends rushing to a world without suffering, a paradise of love and bliss, you should be happy.”
Ai Bieli said: “If Nanjo Emi likes doing this, let her continue. I’m also curious how many deaths it will take to reveal the other side of her heart.”
Screw your paradise world.
Niijima Yuta thought that if he could beat her, he’d draw his blade right then and chop this woman in half. It was humiliating that she had renamed his Niijima Group the Friendship Club.
But this monster… perhaps calling it a ghost god was more fitting. In an instant, it could kill dozens from afar; such power of the ghost god was utterly incomprehensible to Niijima Yuta.
Moreover, it seemed that as time passed, this monster’s power was growing stronger…
“Niijima, are you thinking about me?”
Niijima Yuta’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
In that instant, he even felt as if his entire body was about to melt into a puddle of mindless liquid—that was how those who defied Ai Bieli before had died.
The terrified Niijima hadn’t even apologized when he felt a pair of warm hands helping him up. In front of him, Ai Bieli said with a beaming smile: “I can know your thoughts—yes, I’m indeed much stronger than at the beginning.”
“Whether happiness, sadness, fear… the more intense the changes in human emotions, the faster I grow.” At this point, Ai Bieli looked at him meaningfully. “So that’s why people are most delicious at the moment of death.”
Niijima Yuta felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, even somewhat in despair.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid~”
Ai Bieli gently patted Niijima Yuta’s hand.
Then he felt the fear and unease in his heart rapidly fading, replaced by an overwhelming destructive urge and bloodthirsty impulse.
“That’s more like it.”
Clapping her hands, Ai Bieli squatted down and looked at Niijima Yuta expectantly: “You still have things you haven’t said. Tell me now.”
“Yes.”
The Blood Tiger bowed loyally, sheathing his fangs before his only master: “The Ouija Boards sent out a few days ago have been confirmed effective; the seal is loosening but not fully.”
“And then?” Ai Bieli asked with wide eyes: “Where’s your ‘but’?”
Niijima Yuta paused for two seconds before saying: “But the Ouija Board was also seized by Nanjo Emi.”
Nanjo Emi, Nanjo Emi again.
She seemed like such a boring person, yet she could do so many interesting things.
When she emotionally collapsed and completely broke down, how dazzling and delicious would she be?
Ai Bieli was getting impatient.
Compared to that, although the Ouija Board could boost her strength further at the first moment of the first wave’s arrival, restoring her from “evil spirit” to “ghost god,” it didn’t seem so important anymore.
“Also…”
“Please wait a moment.”
Ai Bieli raised her hand with a smile, then under Niijima’s puzzled gaze, reached out and somehow grabbed a translucent ghost holding a paper umbrella, with a gentle and sorrowful expression.
“It’s the Rain Woman. I wonder what it feels like for you, crossing countless hardships to the mortal realm, only to step into death abruptly just before seeing your husband from life?”
With that, Ai Bieli tossed the pleading Rain Woman into her mouth and chewed her up in a few bites.
Savoring the fading cries of sadness from within her body, Ai Bieli couldn’t help but reveal an ecstatic expression.
Niijima turned a blind eye and continued: “Besides that, there are two students who survived after contacting the Ouija Board.”
“Who, who!”
Ai Bieli was full of anticipation.
Niijima took out his mobile phone and showed Ai Bieli photos of Shangshan Che and Tokugawa Ririko.
Ai Bieli eagerly memorized Shangshan Che’s face, then narrowed her eyes upon seeing Ririko: “I remember her. She’s the champion of the kendo match, right?”
She said slowly: “I hate kendo…”
Niijima immediately loudly summoned his underlings and ordered them to go bind Ririko; if they couldn’t bind her, bringing her corpse would do.
From outside the door came a unanimous “Yes!” loud and energetic.
“Forget it, I’m still a bit interested in her.” Ai Bieli stopped them.
So Niijima waved again, dispersing the gathered underlings to return to their posts and duties, using the electronically modified devices specially processed by Ai Bieli to spread the Friendship Cult’s teachings.
The current Niijima Group… no, perhaps it’s better called the demon’s den brimming with love, was completely disciplined and obedient.
“These two kids look utterly delicious.”
Ai Bieli patted Niijima Yuta’s broad shoulder to make him stand: “Ignore the Special Affairs Office and Nanjo Emi; let them act. You just follow my instructions: find people in ultimate bliss or ultimate despair, then spread the seed.”
Then, in Niijima Yuta’s eyes, Ai Bieli split into three like cell division, and the three Ai Bielis said in unison with a laugh:
“It’s decided. Before the main course, I’ll send clones to meet those two kids first.”
