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Chapter Thirty-One: Rising and Speeding:

-Meifu-

Ju-Oh-Cho is flooded from the storm on Chijou. Too many dead bodies stacked up through the paperwork. Meanwhile, Airi noticed something else entirely.

"Anna," she said.

"Hm?" her vessel asked.

"Have you noticed anything different lately?"

"What do you mean?"

Airi smiled. "My children. They are dying off."

"Heh. You sound happy about that."

"Hell yes I am."

"Okay… What about it?"

"Can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Alright." Anna closed her eyes.

"Can you feel that?" Airi asked.

"Feel what?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Alright." Anna closed her eyes.

"Can you feel that?" Airi asked.

"Wait… What is this?" her vessel asked. Little flashes of brightly colored lights danced before her in the darkness. Airi grinned.

"Life energy," she said. "Their souls and chi too." The Mother leaned forward, smiling.

"When they die, it comes back to me. I'm getting my full power back."

"How are your children dying?" Anna asked.

"Someone's killing them!" Airi raised her arms about her head.

"Good for me. Saves me the trouble. Starving them wasn't doing it fast enough anymore." She noticed the look on Anna's face.

"What?" she asked.

"Shouldn't we tell Asato-kun and them?" her vessel asked.

"Why?"

"They need to know this."

"So they can stop them?"

"To have the tsukai judged?"

"Oh yeah, you can do that. Just don't get in my way."

Anna didn't like the sound of that. The Mother could be plotting to sabotage the boys if they tried to deal with the Eda-Kimoto clan peacefully.

With that in mind, Anna had to act first.

-Ju-Oh-Cho-

Tsuzuki began another stack of paperwork when his phone buzzed.

"Hm?" he asked. The shinigami pulled out his phone. He narrowed his eyes as he read the text.

"Airi's eating her children. I think I have an idea who's killing the tsukai. Call me after work."

Tsuzuki stared at the screen. It took him a minute for him to get it.

"Oh…" he said. "Oh. Oh!" Hisoka stole a glance at his partner.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Hisoka, look," the older shinigami said. He showed Hisoka the text. The younger shinigami looked up with big eyes. He and Tsuzuki took the phone to Konoe's office.

Back at the Tsuzuki apartment, there was a knock on the door. Anna had a puzzled look on her face.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Cousin?" a girl's familiar voice asked. Anna's face dropped.

"No way…" she said. "How is this even possible?" Victoria stood outside, looking in.