Shino carried Akizuki Airi into a warmly decorated dessert shop on the street corner.
The walls inside were covered in pink wallpaper, dotted with patterns of cartoon clouds and little animals. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting a soft glow.
The air was filled with the sweet aroma of cream and fruit, making one involuntarily relax.
He carefully placed Airi on a sofa chair by the window. The chair was as soft as a marshmallow, and Airi's small body almost sank halfway into it.
Shino ordered a Strawberry ice cream for her. He knew that sugar could soothe emotions and cause the body to secrete dopamine.
Although Akizuki Airi looked calm now, her heart was still very tense.
When the server placed the ice cream in front of Airi, her eyes immediately lit up.
She cupped the glass with both hands, her small hands trembling slightly from nervousness.
Airi lowered her head, and her pink little tongue tentatively reached out, gently licking the top of the ice cream.
The cold, sweet flavor spread in her mouth, and Airi's tense little face immediately relaxed.
At this moment, she was like a gluttonous little squirrel, focused on licking the ice cream, her cheeks puffed out, her blonde twin-tails swaying slightly with her movements.
From time to time, she would lift her eyes to steal a glance at Shino sitting across from her. When she found him looking at her, she would quickly lower her head again, the corners of her mouth curling up unconsciously into her first genuine smile in days.
Airi's small tongue nimbly curled around the ice cream, and the corners of her mouth were stained with a bit of cream, contrasting with her pale pink skin.
She ate with total focus, completely immersed in the happiness brought by the sweets, momentarily forgetting her previous fear and unease.
Watching Akizuki Airi's gradually relaxing expression, Shino felt a bit more at ease as well.
Taking advantage of the gap while Airi was focused on enjoying her ice cream, Shino closed his eyes and silently checked his System page.
A translucent blue light screen unfolded before his eyes, displaying his current status.
[Karma Points: 60]
[mall Unlock Progress: 60/100]
[Items: None]
[Skills: Vajra-Raja Manifestation (Elementary)]
[Note: Purifying evil Karma can earn Karma points]
This content had appeared after he purified those Inukai Group gang members.
He was somewhat looking forward to what treasures these Karma points could be exchanged for once the System mall was unlocked.
Learning about Kitami Reika this time made him realize that there were other supernatural forces in this world besides himself.
On the other side, not long after Shino and Akizuki Airi left the Inukai Group headquarters, several black sedans roared up. The tires screeched violently against the ground before abruptly stopping outside the ruined main gate of the Inukai Group headquarters.
The car door opened instantly, and a group of uniformed personnel quickly got out, occupying advantageous positions and assuming a defensive posture!
The woman leading them was particularly striking.
She wasn't tall, only 155cm, with wheat-colored skin that glowed like bronze in the sunlight.
The most captivating feature was her purple eyes, like two rare amethysts shimmering with a mysterious light under the sun.
Her tight black uniform outlined a body full of power, especially those long, sturdy legs, showing impressive muscle lines with every step.
She was Yukikaze mizuki, a member of the Third Investigation Department of the Public Security Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs, commonly known as an Demon Slayer!
Specifically responsible for handling supernatural incidents and cases caused by dark forces.
Arriving here this time was because the Demon Slayer internal sensors had detected the aura of a demon.
Yukikaze mizuki looked around; the Inukai Group headquarters, which should have been covered in blood and corpses, was surprisingly clean and tidy at this moment, as if it had been thoroughly washed.
A faint aura of Sanskrit chants lingered in the air, holy and peaceful, completely out of place with the atmosphere of a gang stronghold.
Yukikaze mizuki's brows furrowed, a hint of doubt flashing in her purple eyes.
She raised her hand to signal her subordinates to begin the investigation, her voice crisp and efficient: "Split into two groups. Group A, check the main building; Group B, search the surrounding area. Search every corner carefully; do not miss any clues."
As soon as she finished speaking, her subordinates quickly dispersed, moving lightly and silently, beginning the search in a well-trained manner.
Holding various precision instruments, they detected residual energy fluctuations, attempting to reconstruct everything that had happened at the scene.
Yukikaze mizuki walked into the main building, her gaze sweeping across the hall.
There was no smell of blood in the air, only a faint scent of sandalwood, like incense lit in a temple.
"Master Yukikaze, we've found traces of a fight," a black-haired female member reported, her tone carrying an unmistakable confusion.
"The scene is very clean, it doesn't look like a violent conflict occurred," another member wearing glasses added, brows locked tight. "According to intelligence, at least twenty members of the Inukai Group were stationed here, but now there isn't a single soul."
Yukikaze mizuki walked to a damaged wall, her fingertips brushing over the rough fracture; traces of violent destruction were clearly visible.
"Any residual dark power found?" Yukikaze asked in a deep voice, her hand instinctively moving toward the gun grip at her waist.
Several subordinates shook their heads, their expressions solemn.
"No, Master Yukikaze. There is no aura of dark power here," one member replied, voice full of bewilderment.
"On the contrary, there's a residual energy fluctuation that is very pure and powerful, it seems..." another member hesitated, "it seems to be some kind of holy power."
Holy power?
Yukikaze raised an eyebrow.
Had there been signs of clergy activity in this area recently? Or had some supernatural entity intervened?
"Master Yukikaze, we found this!" A staff member walked over holding an evidence bag containing some golden hair.
"Found in the cell; preliminary judgment is that it's human hair."
Golden hair? In a cell? Yukikaze mizuki couldn't help but fall into confusion.
Could it be that some new dark force has appeared?
Her duty as an Demon Slayer made her decide to continue investigating this matter!
...
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