Even though she had promised him that she would increase his remuneration, she did not let him know the exact amount she would be giving him next time.
The main reason was that it was difficult to calculate how much money he had earned based on her channel's current condition. Her channel had just taken off, so she had no clue how it would turn out in the end. She intended to wait until the next time they had a new assignment to figure it all out. After she shot the video and put it online, she would work things out with Baishi Shū from there, based on the result of her video.
As a trustworthy partner, as well as a monk with great spiritual power, it went without saying that the higher the remuneration, the better. After all, a person of such great eminence should be held in high regard everywhere. Although she was taught not to treat people discriminately, Asada Senna felt it was only right to offer him a lucrative package.
"Oh yeah, the weekend is just around the corner. Are you free?" Asada Senna asked artfully. She knew he would turn down her invitation if she were to say she wanted him to take her for a walk around town. Therefore, she tried another approach.
Be that as it may, the question still put Baishi Shū on the spot. He didn't know what answer he should give or why would Asada Senna ask if he was free on the weekend.
'Is she inviting me to hang out with her?'
If that was the case, then he had no choice but to reject her invitation, even if she was his fortune goddess, bringing him fame and money. There was no way he would sacrifice his precious learning time just to wander around the city with her. He was a monk, not a male host. It was not his job to hang out with her and he would never do it just to please her.
However, what if she actually had something important to do? For instance, what if she wanted to record an extra episode or she had just received a new assignment? After all, her channel was getting more attention from the general public. Once something strange happened, Asada Senna would be the first to appear in their minds.
After long deliberation, he finally answered, "Well, I am kind of busy on the weekend, but if you have something urgent, I can try to adjust my time…"
"Oh, okay. I won't bother you anymore then, let's catch up next time," Asada Senna replied, clenching her jaw.
Apparently, in Baishi Shu's eyes, nothing was more important than learning and reading scripture, and hanging out with her was just a waste of time. Asada Senna did not want to invite ridicule for herself, so she swallowed the rest of her words back into the pit of her stomach. At the same time, she pulled out a small notebook, poised her pen, and started scribing.
"Thursday, November 9th. That stupid monk turned me down again! He doesn't even try to redeem himself!"
After that, she closed her notebook and hurled herself onto her bed. Throwing punches at the air, she said through clenched teeth and a tight face, "Hmph, I will make sure you regret giving me the cold shoulder one day. When I have had enough of you, I am going to kick you away and never talk to you again. I want you to feel how awful it is to be ignored by other people! Just wait and see, you stupid monk."
On the other side of the line, Baishi Shū had put his phone away. He had spent enough time playing with his phone for the night and felt he should resume his usual routine. According to his plan, he would spend the remaining three hours of the night reading scripture
Picking up the scripture, he placed it on his lap. Then, as he began chanting, his spiritual power increased.
Time: November 9, 2016, beginning of winter.
Spiritual Power: 18,850 units.
Savings: 770 thousand yen.
Temple: Main hall, living quarters, new room (Construction progress: 3/15).
Target: Reforming land of grudge (Progress: 0%), body reformation technique (Progress: 50%)
...
Tokyo, Shibuya City, 2:00 a.m.
Even though it was known to be a restless city, there were very few people on the street at this hour. At a corner of the city, a group of lavishly dressed and sottish young people wobbled out of a night pub.
"Bye Tetsuya, bye Keisuke, bye Yoshizawa. See you all next time," Ikeda Shinn bade his friends farewell, one by one, as he walked towards the car park with a beautiful female partner at his side.
Both of them boarded the vehicle and closed the doors, the female partner taking over driving duties since Shinn was intoxicated. Japan had a zero tolerance policy towards drunk driving and anyone found driving under the influence would face severe penalties. Therefore, very few people dared to challenge the law.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ikeda Shinn yawned as his fingers fumbled to put in his seat belt. Concurrently, the woman sitting next to him pulled out the car key. Just as she was about to start the car, a disgruntled woman's voice suddenly rang out behind them, "Shinn, is she your new girlfriend? Don't you want to introduce me to her?"
The female partner shrieked and the key fell out of her hand. Frightened, Ikeda Shinn regained control of his senses and jerked his head back. Through the occasional beams of light that filtered through the window, he saw a woman, sitting at the corner of the backseat with her knees drawn up to her chest. She was as thin as thread-paper, and through her long, stringy hair, he could vaguely make out a pair of rage-laden eyes, as well as the visage of a pretty woman that had disappeared with time.
It was 2:00 a.m. in the early hours, and the car had been in the car park for more than 10 hours. Ikeda Shinn was certain that he had locked the doors before he left the car park, so he had no idea how the woman managed to slip into his car. However, unlike other people, who would have been scared to death when faced with this kind of situation, he was relieved and let out a sigh.
The woman was not a ghost or something like that, she was Ayumi, his ex-girlfriend.
He had broken up with her about a month ago. She had been harassing him since then and tonight's incident was the last straw. When the thought of her replicating his key and sneaking into his car surfaced in his mind, any last bit of fear he had vanished from his heart, replaced by a mix of disgust and anger.
"Get the f*ck out of my car! You're not welcome here!" He growled.
"I'm not welcome here? Hehehe, the Shinn that I know would never treat me like that. He's gentle, considerate, and understanding. Regardless of whether I am sad or in pain, he would comfort me and stay by my side. When I was sick, he would put down all his tasks and rush to my side to take care of me, even if it was raining. He is the most gentle and riveting person I have ever met… But Shinn, why are you looking at me as if I am the plague now? Do you not love me anymore?"
"Get out of my car now! Don't make me repeat it a third time," Ikeda Shinn restated impatiently.
He didn't know what Ayumi was talking about, but he wasn't in the mood to listen to her mumblings. All he wanted to do right now was go home and catch some sleep on his fluffy bed.
What he didn't realize was that his female partner was shaking so badly, her teeth were chattering. Her face had lost all of its colors and her eyes were glazed over with fear.
Unlike Ikeda Shinn, the driver's seat had provided her with a good view of the things that were happening behind them. In the dim light, she could see Ayumi's upper torso, or, to be more precise, the part of her upper torso that still remained human.
"I won't leave you, Shinn, and I will not allow you to leave me… I can tell that Shinn is always by my side. He has never left me, and you, you are not Shinn. You are just a monster that takes over other people's bodies, and now, it is time for you to return my Shinn to me."
"You…" Ikeda Shinn blew the fuse. Just as he rose from his seat to get out of his car and drag Ayumi out, he finally saw the scene behind him. The heat from his anger disappeared into the thin air as he crashed back into his seat. As he tried to scramble as far away as possible from Ayumi, fear scrawled all over his face, he shouted, "Ahhhh! What the hell are you?"
"Me?"
Ayumi stretched her upper torso to the front, her hair flowing freely behind her. A ring of tiny eyes appeared around her eyes and her mouth split her face from ear to ear, revealing fangs.
"I am your beloved Ayumi."
The night remained as gloomy as before. It just so happened that the moon was particularly red now.