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Chapter Nineteen: Bad News Express:

Tsuzuki made it to Watari’s lab. He knocked on the door. Watari looked up from his research.

“Oh Tsuzuki!” he cheered. “Perfect! Just the person I wanted to see!”

“You have my results in?” he asked.

“I sure do!” the scientist said. “But first, look at this!”

“Huh?” his friend asked. Watari grinned.

“Come on,” he said. He took the other Shinigami by the hand and led him further inside. Tsuzuki kept his eyes on his back.

“Uh… what’s this all about?” he asked. Watari grinned to himself.

“Come look!” he said. He stepped aside to reveal Charlotte and Takashi sitting by the computer. It took Tsuzuki a moment to get it.

“Oh,” he whispered. “You mean…” Watari nodded.

“Yes,” he said. Charlotte looked up when he spoke. The scientist turned to her and the angel.

“Charlotte, Takashi,” he said. “This Tsuzuki Asato.” Watari turned to his friend.

“Tsuzuki,” he said. “This is Charlotte Moore and her roommate, Takashi.”

“Hi,” the pair said. Tsuzuki waved.

“Hey,” he said. Watari clapped his hands together.

“Perfect!” he said. “Shall we begin?” The three didn’t answer. Watari didn’t wait for one.

“Very good,” he said. He woke up the computer from the screensaver.

“Everyone look,” he said. They crowded around the computer.

“Moore-san here was nice enough to come down from Kabukicho and let me run tests on her,” Watari went on.

“Okay,” Tsuzuki said.

“Just as suspected,” his friend went on. “Moore-san here is a core carrier just like Kimoto-san.” He pulled up the chart. Tsuzuki turned to his friend.

“But how?” he asked. Watari turned to him with a grin.

“How did Kimoto-san’s core keep her alive?” he asked. Tsuzuki thought about that for a moment.

“The heart?” he asked.

“Correct!” his friend said. “But here’s the thing…” Watari clicked the chart. His friend gave the screen a puzzled look.

“Where’s the anchor point?” he asked.

“That’s just it,” Watari said. “It’s an external anchor.”

“External anchor?” Tsuzuki asked.

“Yes,” the scientist said. “I have Moore-san’s right now.”

“Do you?” the other Shinigami asked. “Where?” Watari held up his hand.

“Uh, uh, uh,” he said. “I’m still researching that. I will let you and her know when I have something.” Tsuzuki frowned.

“Darn it,” he mumbled.

“Sorry,” the scientist said with a shrug.

“Excuse me,” they heard a voice say. The man turned to see Charlotte eyeing them.

“So… when will I know?” she asked. Watari gave her a little smile.

“In three days,” he replied. Charlotte’s face went pale.

“Three days?” she asked. Takashi held her hand. Watari patted the woman on the head.

“There, there,” he said. “Stay in Meifu if you need to.” Charlotte eyed him.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” she asked. The scientist nodded.

“Yeah,” he said. “Your roommate can stay if he wants.” Charlotte turned to him.

“Is it okay?” she asked. “Are you fine with this?” Takashi held her hand tighter.

“I’ll stay if you want me to,” the angel replied. She nodded at him. Her attention turned to Watari.

“Where can we go?” she asked. Watari gave her a little smile.

“I’ll talk to our chief to figure out something,” he replied. He turned to Tsuzuki.

“Would you like your results now?” he asked.

“Yes,” Tsuzuki replied.

“Come with me,” his friend said. The men headed out into the hall. Tsuzuki drew in a breath.

“Well?” he asked. Watari’s demeanor changed to a somber one.

“It’s positive,” he said in a low voice. “The kitsune is feeding on you.” Tsuzuki fought to keep a straight face.

“For how long?” he asked.

“It’s been days,” the blonde scientist said. “Maybe longer.”

“So, what do I do now?”

Watari pushed up his glasses. “It’s hard to say. For starters, it’s a sign that the ritual is starting.”

“You mean…”

“Yes.”

Tsuzuki bit his lower lip. “How can I stop it?”

“Well, I’ll need to fully examine Kimoto-san to get a full analysis to see how far along she is.”

His older friend shuffled his feet. “What can I do for the time being?”

Watari frowned at his question. “The best thing to do is not sleep with her and bring her in to let me run the tests.”

“Oh…” Tsuzuki and Watari didn’t speak. They knew that the first part would be botched up in some way if the hungry Mother had any say in it. Best to deal with the problem before it all got out of their hands.

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