Tokyo Gods Only Want Beautiful Priestesses

"Although he was not very capable and his mind was not very sharp, he had liked to form cliques and pursue personal gain since childhood, and he was very dissatisfied with me, his older brother."

"But it seems that he only realized this after he died. He didn't ask me to avenge him, but only asked me to think of a way to make him a demon or ghost, and he would be satisfied."

Upon hearing this, the subordinates dared not utter a sound and all lowered their heads.

Masato Takatsukasa seemed oblivious and continued talking to himself.

“I’m so glad that Acheng thinks this way. He’s finally free from greed and jealousy. Even though I don’t like his behavior, he’s still my brother.”

"Go prepare the money, and then go see the murderer who killed my brother tomorrow."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and fell asleep. The car slowly started and disappeared into the stream of neon lights.

"What a nice day."

The shrine was still deserted today; in fact, it's always deserted outside of the New Year period.

Since it has no fame and doesn't hold any festivals or similar events, it naturally attracts very few visitors on ordinary days.

Soga Ai didn't go to school today, so the shrine rarely saw her change out of her uniform and black stockings and into a shrine maiden outfit.

The loose-fitting scarlet hakama concealed the girl's figure, but the white shrine maiden outfit contrasted with Soga Ai's usual dark-colored attire, creating a unique feeling.

The flower branch I put in my hair yesterday has been buried in the courtyard; perhaps soon the shrine will have another cherry blossom tree.

Suga was cleaning the shrine, and Hina was imitating her, waving a broom, but her small size made her look cute and funny.

Looking at the girl's exquisite figure, Jingu felt refreshed and relaxed, and for a moment he didn't even have the motivation to go out.

So why did he go out in the first place?

But it's clear that I can't just lie around all day today.

Masato Takatsukasa, accompanied by two subordinates, ascended the stone steps and followed the approach to the shrine.

An ominous aura filled the shrine. Soga Ai and Hina put down their brooms, while Tamamo-no-Mae pricked up her ears in her room.

"Hello, Mr. Jingu, or rather, God. My name is Takatsukasa Masato, and Takatsukasa Makoto is my good-for-nothing younger brother."

Even in the face of his enemies, he still maintained a calm and composed mindset.

He was dressed in a brightly colored beach shirt and shorts, looking rather unserious, making it hard to understand what he was thinking.

"I see. I thought your Takatsukasa family would use their power to do something underhanded, but it turns out they came to us directly."

Jingu put down his teacup and stood up. Despite being shorter than them, he exuded an indescribable aura of power.

The sky gradually darkened, and it seemed to be getting windy. The housewives on the street complained as they took in their laundry, knowing that it might rain soon.

"So, does that mean Lord Jingu admits that you killed my brother?"

Masato Takatsukasa remained calm and collected, and it was unclear what he was relying on.

"I guess so, after all, he couldn't stand my toying with him and ultimately chose to jump off a building and commit suicide."

Unexpectedly, Masato Takatsukasa clapped his hands and said, "Well said, to manipulate, the weak will be manipulated by the strong."

"Acheng is just too weak, so weak that he can be easily manipulated without even realizing his own weakness."

Chapter 24 Trading

After saying that, Masato Takatsukasa instructed the person behind him to open the box he was carrying.

The brightly lit Fukuzawa Yukichi was piled up in the box, and the sudden unfolding of it stunned everyone.

"Your Excellency, let the feud between you and my brother be wiped clean with his death, and let us not discuss this matter any further."

Masato Takatsukasa's words made things even more puzzling. Did he mean that he would not only not pursue the matter, but also use money to ease the tension?

“Here is one hundred million. I would like to use this, along with my friendship, to hire Lord Jingu to investigate the cause of Takaji Makoto’s death.”

The atmosphere froze for a moment. Jingu glanced at the piles of banknotes in the box and then spoke.

"Money is fine, but I don't talk about feelings with men."

“No problem, then this 100 million will be the deposit, and we will add another 500 million as compensation after the truth comes out.”

Masato Takatsukasa remained unperturbed, and the unexpected turn of events left everyone else stunned.

"Don't just stand there, Ai, go get a chair for the sugar daddy to sit down and we can talk slowly."

The eerie atmosphere eased, and Jingu and Takatsukasa Masato sat facing each other. The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, leaving many people feeling annoyed by the strange weather.

"Why do you think that it wasn't because of me, Takatsukasa Makoto, that he died?"

Jingu asked the first question, and no matter how you look at it, it was obvious that Takatsukasa Makoto was driven to his death by him.

"There are several reasons. First, although A-Cheng is extremely power-hungry and greedy, he has always been a guy who knows how to protect himself."

"Knowing he couldn't compete with me within his own family, he voluntarily stopped fighting me and sought help from other external forces to avoid being killed by me. How could someone like that rashly attack a god?"

When asked about killing his younger brother, Masato Takashi remained unfazed, even acting as if it was something that was bound to happen.

"So you think someone is definitely instigating or enticing him to deliberately offend me?"

“That’s for sure.” Masato Takatsukasa took out a cigarette and asked.

Can I have a cigarette?

"Please do as you wish."

Masato Takatsukasa took a deep breath and continued, "This wouldn't normally be a big problem, but the real issue lies in what happened yesterday."

“Yesterday I saw the ghost of Takatsukasa Makoto. He actually told me that he didn’t ask for revenge, he only hoped that I could help him become a demon or ghost so that he could live on in this world.”

"Doesn't it seem reasonable at first glance?" Jingu asked, puzzled.

Masato Takatsukasa scoffed, "If he had truly let go of the past and wasn't begging for revenge, why would he have been so despondent as to jump off a building? And then try to live on after committing suicide?"

"Don't people always have regrets after they die? That's normal, isn't it?"

"Even so, he shouldn't forget that as a member of the Takatsukasa family clan, he will be enshrined at Kasuga Taisha Shrine after his death, supposedly to live on as a demon?"

Masato Takatsukasa stubbed out his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"The so-called ghosts are either manipulated or fake, because I can't find where his soul went from his body at all."

"That's why he was so weak. He was manipulated by others while he was alive, and he was still being manipulated after he died."

“I can accept his weakness, because Lord Jingu is indeed powerful enough that I wouldn’t say anything even if you openly toyed with Takaji Makoto.”

"But a bunch of rats in the shadows are also scheming and toying with my brother."

"Brother, you even dare to plot against me! You're trying to make me lose all face!"

Jingu listened quietly to Masato Takatsukasa's words, without giving any thought to them. Whether it was so-called brotherhood or clan honor, it was none of his business.

This approach just seems a bit familiar.

After saying this long string of words, Masato Takatsukasa took a few deep breaths and then resumed his nonchalant demeanor.

"So, Lord Jingu, since they actually want to use you to divert my attention and plot against me, I'm asking you to help me deal with them instead."

That's right, the focus of the scheme wasn't the shrine. If it was just to provoke the shrine into being targeted, then Takaji Makoto's ghost shouldn't have appeared; it would only have added to the suspicion.

So, could it be that he really intends to replace Makoto Takaji and infiltrate the Takaji family?

Thinking of this, Jingu said, "Now that you mention it, I do have a clue."

So he told her about what happened at Mrs. Nishikata's house the day before yesterday.

After hearing about the Shadow Ghost replacing the dead, Masato Takatsukasa seemed to be deep in thought.

"If that's the case, then we can only ask Your Excellency for help."

"Knowing that it's very likely these shadow ghosts are behind it, can't you handle it yourselves?"

“No, no.” Masato Takatsukasa gave a helpless smile.

"Although the Five Regents are a large family, they are also very powerful. If one of them is moved, the whole family will be affected. We don't know where these Shadow Ghosts are hiding or how many people they have secretly replaced. If I were to deal with them, they would probably have fled at the first sign of trouble."

"That works too, since there's money to be made anyway."

The shrine maiden didn't really care; she had a fox and a shrine maiden to take care of at home. This whole situation was rather interesting; the person behind it all had manipulated him, which also motivated him to uncover the truth.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Masato Takatsukasa stood up, leaving behind a box full of money.

"Then I shall take my leave. Please keep today's events a secret."

"Then I won't see you off. Take care."

Jingu didn't even bother to get up, watching the other person leave. After Takatsukasa Masato left, Soga Ai approached and asked with some concern.

"no problem?"

Suga Ai understood what Jingu meant. She was worried that there was another conspiracy behind this, since no matter what, Takatsuki Makoto's Shinigami Palace was definitely a large part of the reason.

"Don't worry, that guy probably won't make a fuss about this." Tamamo-no-Mae pushed open the door and came out; she had been hiding inside, watching the drama unfold.

"They value face more than family ties. If Takatsuki Makoto's death is entirely the fault of the Shrine, they might go to great lengths to stage a coup."

"But now they have a way to regain face without paying a price."

Jingu lifted the heavy money box, weighed it in his hand, and smiled.

"They'll take the money. If I show enough strength when I deal with those guys, they'll conveniently shift the blame to them and claim that I'm friends with them and that my relationship with Takaji Makoto was just a misunderstanding."

“If I show signs of fatigue or weakness, they won’t mind dealing with me along with those guys to save face for themselves.”

Upon hearing Jingu's explanation, Suga Ai quickly understood the intricacies of the situation and was immediately relieved.

As long as there are no conspiracies or tricks, there's nothing to worry about.

"Where does Lord Jingu intend to begin his investigation? Should Ai change her clothes now?"

Suga Ai mentioned the scarlet hakama. This shrine maiden outfit isn't suitable for movement. Perhaps making a shrine maiden outfit with exposed armpits, like the one that Lord Jingu mentioned before, would be a good idea?

"Isn't this a bit much, Ai?" Jingu asked helplessly, taking Suga Ai's hand.

"I'm going out on official business, do you have to come along?"

"Can't love follow along?"

For Suga, letting Jingu go out alone meant a crisis.

But are her words really useful?