Crossover anime, a daily life that begins with hunting supernatural beings.

Sakurai crouched down, reaching the same height as the motionless Takagi Saya.

"Whether you want to express gratitude, want to use me as a medium to contact another [world], or want to gain my [efforts], it doesn't matter."

"What you think and do is your freedom."

"But please don't involve me in your plans."

"For us, completing the task and settling the payment is our job."

"You entrust [merchants] through channels, and the merchants choose the personnel to carry out the entrustment, and then the entrustment is completed."

"The payment is made by the person who commissioned me; this is the most basic rule we all follow."

Thanks to the bespectacled girl in front of him and the people behind her who had come with some purpose, Sakurai recalled the past.

Even if it's just that one image, he truly remembered it...

The past of this body.

That past, filled with bloodshed and death, devoured by desire and conspiracy.

In the deepest darkness, he is disgustingly used as a tool and puppet, a mere "prop".

so...

Very upset.

It wasn't directed at the girl in front of me; she was merely a puppet, entangled in gratitude and familial affection, completely unaware of the shadows behind it all.

50. You must bear the consequences of your mistakes.

My head is throbbing, and Sakurai feels like he's going to throw up all the time.

why...

Is it because I remembered this body's past?

Sakurai didn't know, and he didn't want to delve into it for the time being.

There's a guy who definitely knows something, so there's no need for him to rush into this.

What we need to do now is to deal with the immediate issues at hand.

Things need to be dealt with one by one, Sakurai thought to himself.

Sakurai placed one hand on Takagi Saya's shoulder and gently pulled her up from her hunched position.

Looking at Takagi Saya, who was leaning against the wall and dared not move, he spoke in a cold voice.

"It doesn't matter whether it's your father's ambitions or those of people above him."

"I don't have time to mess around with you guys."

"Your thoughts are meaningless, even foolish."

"They dare to openly contact an entity that they shouldn't even be coveting, without even knowing the existence that maintains the balance between the two worlds."

"Foolish, utterly foolish."

"He's just a fool who wasted my time."

"What you think, or rather, what those behind you think..."

"Will those guys just let you achieve your goals?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Sakurai, with a cold and indifferent expression, pronounced judgment on Takagi Saya and those behind her.

"The mysterious world and the ordinary world are clearly separated, and they do not interfere with each other."

“You have overstepped your bounds by investigating my identity in private and even coming to my door.”

"Someone will find you soon. Since you dared to do it, don't be afraid to bear the consequences."

"Just take care of yourself."

"To the bigwigs who are worried about the country, if you still have a future."

Sakurai reached out and took a tiny listening device, about the size of a grain of rice, from where Takagi Saya's glasses were, and crushed it with a little force.

The powder, carried by a gentle breeze, settled all over Saya Takagi.

Sakurai's voice was cold, and an invisible, extremely peculiar aura pressed down on Takagi Saya. She had a feeling...

The person before me is even more terrifying than the legendary great monster.

It would be easier for him to kill himself than to crush the bugging device he had just smashed.

Saya Takagi clearly felt that her body...

It is trembling constantly.

Instinct told her...

The farther away from the person in front of you, the better.

This is an even more terrifying being than the monster that nearly slaughtered her and six other companions last night.

I have to say something, otherwise I really won't be able to hold on.

She could have retreated and used the door for leverage, or even simply fallen to the ground, but she couldn't. Like the Seven Fairies under a spell, she couldn't control her body to make any movement.

But why...

Why did this happen to me?

I really...

I really just wanted to express my gratitude for being saved.

I really...

There was no malicious intent.

Saya Takagi glanced at Sakurai's shoes out of the corner of her eye, trying hard to look up and explain.

"I just..."

"I just wanted to express my gratitude and appreciation; I had no other ulterior motives."

Takagi Saya, who was never stupid and could even be called exceptionally intelligent, understood from Sakurai's words and his unrestrained attitude of rejection.

She was used as a pawn by her father and mother, and by those behind the Patriotism Association.

But why...

It will turn out like this.

Such doubts remain unanswered for the time being, and Takagi Saya, unwilling to let her life end here, practically forced these words out of her throat.

Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, and her body trembled involuntarily as she tensed her nerves.

Takagi Saya had no idea that there were so many twists and turns behind her coming here this time.

She was even more unaware that her right-wing father and former Wall Street trader used her as a means to build a relationship with him.

She genuinely wanted to express her gratitude to Sakurai Onjo on behalf of her friends who were still in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment and were not yet out of danger, thanking him for saving their lives.

But now, all she can do is painstakingly explain that she meant no harm and pray...

The person in front of him will not take back the life he just saved.

Cold sweat trickled down her cheeks, and Takagi Saya was almost completely exhausted from fear and disbelief.

Sakurai remained silent, simply watching Takagi Saya quietly.

He felt little displeasure with Takagi Saya, who was also a pawn in the game, and it was pointless to vent his emotions on a girl like her.

What he despised from the very beginning were only those...

He's just a "big shot" who treats life as a bargaining chip.

"I know."

Sakurai said this.

As if granted a pardon, upon hearing these words, Takagi Saya's body went limp and she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as she breathed in the hard-won fresh air.

"This is a one-time exception, and there will be no next time."

"If that's all you have to say, then please leave. We've settled the matter. I don't want my life to be disturbed, and I certainly don't want any other unnecessary entanglements with you."

Tell your parents that some things, there's no limit to how many times you can do them, only the last time.

After bypassing Takagi Saya, Sakurai paused as he opened the apartment door, repeating the same sentence in a cold tone.

What he wants...

It's just ordinary life.

If they wouldn't even give him something this simple, he couldn't imagine what he would do.

After changing his clothes, he ignored Takagi Saya, who was still sitting motionless and drenched in sweat in front of his door, and left without looking back.

Watching Sakurai's departing figure, she greedily inhaled the fresh air, having truly understood the meaning behind his words.

Do you complain?

Honestly...

She dared not, neither to Sakurai nor to her family.

But as expected...

This feeling of not being able to control one's own life is enough once.

With the help of the belatedly arriving bodyguard, Saya Takagi, who had finally managed to stand up, forced herself to take a step.

Leaving this...

It was a heartbreaking place that shattered her self-esteem and arrogance into pieces.

Unless something unexpected happens, she won't come here again.

The farther away the better, the farther away from this man, the better.