Before Toten came to HQ with Namako in tow, I got a text from Torridge. Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any busier.
[You got a minute? This is urgent.]
[What’s up?]
[Gef’s about to get himself into some major trouble.]
[Huh?]
[Dilapidated building on the west end of Chosekidori. The details can wait.]
[On it.]
Everyone else at the company seemed occupied, so I guess it was up to me. I hurried to the destination, and on the way I received more messages from Torridge.
[Gef’s fallen victim to one of the oldest scams in the book. A “crediting company” named Ten Finance asked him for eighty grand to cover their startup costs, and the man just couldn’t refuse.]
[He already knows we’re a month behind on rent, too.]
[Anyway, the company’s obviously a front. I looked them up, just to make sure.]
Here you are, Natsutani-san. Eighty-thousand yen.
I’m honored to receive this much from a small company such as yours.
Well, just you wait! The Mongoose Revolution will expand in no time. And hopefully, Ten Finance will too!
We’ll reward you handsomely for your donation some day! Don’t you forget it.
I found my cue.
I’d never fought a human before, and I certainly didn’t want to kill one. That said, the cane man put up a surprisingly good fight with that cane of his, and if he were a spirit, I wouldn't have ignored him so easily. If I were to guess, the cane was an act, before using it to bludgeon anyone who tried to back down from his deals. Conniving bastard.
My wound began to deepen, and ichor bled from my neck. So I had no choice…
The human got his cane off of my neck, but I couldn’t just let him go. I wouldn't let the ice surrounding his feet leave any time soon.
Heh. If it weren't for you vile spirits… We humans could've lived in peace, you know.
What are you on about? I’m only acting for the public's best interests. Now stay put and wait for the police to arrive.
Jin-yun! Oh, I’m sorry for putting you in such peril…
Gef pulled a bandage from his pocket and put it on my neck. I was going to be fine, at least.
It’s fine, it’s fine. Just…tell me what you plan to do with your money before you get duped again. How did you even get roped into their scheme?
I received an e-mail from that man's company. I thought I would be a good Samaritan, and…
Gef's speech trailed off. It seemed he was done making excuses for himself, and focused on patching me up. But I gotta wonder… Why did they choose to scam The Mongoose Revolution of all companies? And how?
While the bodyguard was still unconscious, the cane man tried in vain to escape the ice. He tried whacking it with his cane, but nothing came of it. I called the police.
Is this how you spirits live? By abusing your power and authority over us humans? By taking advantage of the fact that there aren't any laws to keep you in check yet? By ruling over us in fear?
You're the one who scammed us, Natsutani-san.
Natsutani decided not to speak anymore. It was a waste trying to get him to talk, anyway.
He seems to hate spirits in general.
Of course he would, what with Alchias's scheme and all. He's probably not the only human who feels that way.
Definitely not. Alchias warned me about this, too. He knew that some humans would faint and be petrified if they learned about us, no matter how hard we tried.
Looks like we spirits still have a lot of work ahead of us…
In that case, you wouldn't mind doing more surveillance work every now and then, would you? To check up on how humans are faring.
Hey, that's what you're paying me for, right?
It didn’t take long for the police to arrive, and for us to explain the situation to them. They drove off with the man and his still unconscious bodyguard in tow. I still had questions, but none that I thought I’d get answers to any time soon.