The silent atmosphere lingered for a moment, isolating them from any external sounds.
Above the treetops stretched a beautiful summer sky, not a wisp of cloud in sight. The women, lost in their own thoughts, let their imaginations run wild.
Fujiwara Reya paused halfway through his painting and stretched lazily.
He found the present situation quite amusing.
The six women present were all epitomes of beauty, sophistication, and elegance, and they were all currently single... In this forest filled with the scent of the sea, as one emotion departed, another arrived. It was all very alluring. Among them, Natsuki Kuri was the most enchanting.
She had dressed up meticulously today.
Her face was finely powdered with a light blush, making her irresistibly attractive. Her neck was white, tender, smooth, and glossy, radiating youthful charm. Particularly when she occasionally touched her cheek while glancing at Fujiwara Reya with a coquettish expression, she looked utterly stunning.
After finishing her tea, Mrs. Kasahara leaned back in her chair, observing Natsuki Kuri with great interest.
This woman, with her elegant face framed by long, thin hair, thought she was as captivating as Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday."
"By the way, directors, I have a request." Natsuki Kuri, recalling her purpose, smiled gently, "I hope you won’t mind my abruptness."
"Please, go ahead," Mrs. Kasahara replied with a gentle smile.
Clearly two lustful devils, pretending to be pure angels... thought Fujiwara Reya, cursing them both silently.
"I want you to hand over Mrs. Tanemura to me," Natsuki Kuri stated.
Upon hearing this request, Mrs. Kasahara’s eyes flickered with surprise as she asked, "If you want her, why did you tell Fukaeri about her situation? Couldn’t you just capture her yourself?"
Natsuki Kuri tapped her fingertips lightly on the armrest, contemplating something. As she thought, the sea breeze played with the fine hair on her forehead like swaying wheat.
"The reason I mentioned her to Fukaeri is mainly to let you know about this incident."
"Hmm," Mrs. Kasahara nodded slightly in approval.
This woman is remarkable... the director thought, wanting a fox demon; she could have captured it herself, certainly more convenient and straightforward, but she would have missed a chance to curry favor with those in power. It would be hard to ask for their assistance in the future.
"You can have the fox demon, but..." Mrs. Kasahara spoke in a formulaic voice, "I want to know what other information you possess that we’re unaware of."
"It’s not much, actually," Natsuki Kuri replied, taking several photos from her handbag and placing them beside the elegant teapot.
Everyone’s gaze turned to them. They were photos of young women’s bodies and some close-ups of organs.
Back, chest, abdomen, buttocks, thighs... even the soles of the feet bore signs of violence, bruises, and swollen marks, seemingly left by a belt. The thighs and lower abdomen had marks resembling cigarette burns.
Kasahara Fumi couldn’t help but frown.
Having been in Nine Section for a few years, she’s seen similar photos before but never to this severity.
"Who is this woman?" Kasahara Asuka asked curiously.
The directors exchanged a glance filled with the same question, and Hoshimi Rinko closed her book, waiting for further explanation.
"She’s an employee of mine," Natsuki Kuri sighed, tapping her fingertips against her forehead as if troubled, "She fell into a trap and ended up with a high-interest loan. Unable to pay it off, she was forced to work as a prostitute for a period. This is what she suffered during that time."
Fujiwara Reya put down his brush, listening quietly.
"I can’t just sit by while one of my employees suffers ," Natsuki Kuri said, wrapping her short hair around her finger, propping her legs under the table, "After investigating, I uncovered the power behind this, an Extreme Organization entrenched in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku called Ichinokai. They’re quite troublesome."
"Is there a problem with them?" Mrs. Kasahara asked in a very objective tone, "Given the Natsuki family’s financial strength, dealing with an Extreme Organization shouldn’t be difficult."
"Yes, there’s a big problem," Natsuki Kuri said, running her fingers through her short hair and occasionally rubbing her earlobe, "On the surface, they’re a typical gang dealing with high-interest loans and operating brothels, but behind the scenes, they dabble in drug and arms trafficking, doing whatever makes money fast."
"That’s not too significant of a problem," Mrs. Kasahara’s tone remained neutral.
"They also have monsters, which I’ve personally witnessed," Natsuki Kuri confirmed, adding, "At the brothel where my employee worked, there was a fox demon posing as a prostitute, draining the vitality of clients."
This revelation caused the directors’ faces to grow serious. Kasahara Fumi’s expression mirrored theirs. She was hearing about these things for the first time, still a stranger to the entirety of Natsuki Kuri’s plans.
"Why tell me?" Her eyes fixed on Natsuki Kuri.
"It’s a fox demon; I’m quite interested, so I kept it hidden from you for now," Natsuki Kuri smiled slightly before continuing the earlier topic, "I posed as a buyer, purchasing several batches of arms from them. After establishing mutual trust, I managed to glean deeper intelligence during conversations. They’re desperately making money because they’ve been buying yellow pine jade on a large scale."
"Thank you," Mrs. Kasahara said solemnly.
The wind ceased, and the pine needles stood still like a photographic backdrop. She picked up her cup again, sipping a small amount of herbal tea, but suddenly, it was tasteless.