In the hospital room, Aoyama Haruko was nursing her child.

Aoyama Tianze, who had been born less than a day ago, had fallen deeply asleep, unaware that his own father was stealing his food.

"Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!"

The ringing disrupted Aoyama Xiu Xin's meal.

"Mosi Mosi?" he answered the phone casually.

"Minister Aoyama, this is Asahara Shoko." Asahara Shoko identified himself confidently, believing firmly that Aoyama Xiu Xin must have heard of him.

"Asahara Sect Master, I've long admired your reputation," Aoyama Xiu Xin said indifferently, wiping the corner of his mouth, "May I know the purpose of your call?"

"Hehe, I dare not instruct you, but I heard that there might be some misunderstanding between Minister Aoyama and the Imperial Pole Society..."

"Misunderstanding? Is that what Ishihara Taichiro told you?" Aoyama Xiu Xin interrupted him abruptly, scoffing, "Imperial Pole Society members surrounded and insulted my sister-in-law, pushing her to the ground, causing her premature labor, and the baby was displaced during birth, nearly costing their lives. You call this a misunderstanding?"

"If it weren't for my sister-in-law's bodyguard firing a gun in desperation to drive them away, they would have probably resorted to punching and kicking. Do you call this a misunderstanding, Asahara Sect Master?"

Listening to Aoyama Xiu Xin's angry questioning,

Asahara Shoko was momentarily speechless, cursing Ishihara Taichiro in his heart for avoiding the main issue, and his momentum drastically dropped; he coughed and said, "Minister Aoyama, please calm your anger. I believe the Imperial Pole Society members certainly did not know your sister-in-law's identity and did not mean any harm. Everyone regrets such incidents, and we can only try to rectify them. The Imperial Pole Society also has this sincerity, but why must you insist on disbanding the Imperial Pole Society when you have the upper hand?"

"I have no other demands but that the Imperial Pole Society must disappear," Aoyama Xiu Xin stated firmly.

Asahara Shoko then became irritated, his tone cooling down, "Today was indeed dangerous, but it ultimately didn't lead to the worst outcome. Minister Aoyama, if you could step back, I would owe you a favor, otherwise I would start to think you have come after me specifically, after all, I believe you know the Imperial Pole Society was founded by me."

"I don't intend to make things difficult for Asahara Sect Master, but I can't swallow this matter," Aoyama Xiu Xin replied flatly.

Regarding Aum Shinrikyo, such an anti-human extremist religion, he naturally hoped to eradicate them.

However, things must be considered realistically, he didn't have the power now, so he didn't want to completely alienate them.

Otherwise, if someone really threw a bomb or released gas in his house, his human body wouldn't withstand it.

"That's what you say, but your actions are making things difficult for me," Asahara Shoko scoffed.

Aoyama Xiu Xin asked, "Is the Imperial Pole Society truly so important to you, Asahara Sect Master?"

"Of course…" Asahara Shoko answered without hesitating, but then he hesitated because so far, the Imperial Pole Society hadn't provided much help to him.

Hearing his voice halt suddenly, Aoyama Xiu Xin chuckled lightly, "Asahara Sect Master, if you are willing to give up the Imperial Pole Society, you can have my friendship."

He certainly wasn't actually seeking friendship with Asahara Shoko but wanted him not to hinder his targeting of the Imperial Pole Society while simultaneously gaining his trust, laying the groundwork to later obliterate the Aum Shinrikyo.

Although he was deceiving someone, it was a villain.

So, this could be called a benevolent lie.

Asahara Shoko pondered, weighing whether Aoyama Xiu Xin or the Imperial Pole Society was more valuable to him.

"Minister Aoyama, do you know how much capital I invested in establishing the Imperial Pole Society? If I give it up now, it will all be for nothing," Asahara Shoko said slowly after a moment of silence.

Aoyama Xiu Xin already knew his inner decision and said bluntly, "But you haven't gained anything in return, giving it up now would still be cutting your losses. Otherwise, you will have to keep pouring in more without knowing when you might see returns, and what's worse, you may never see any returns, it's just a bottomless pit sucking your blood."

"And I am different, my friendship is a return in itself, and as for worth... I don't want to boast, but it's definitely higher than your Imperial Pole Society."

"Since Minister Aoyama is so sincere, I am willing to be your friend," Asahara Shoko said.

Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed heartily, "Thank you, Asahara Sect Master, for thinking so highly of me, when I return to Tokyo someday, we must drink heartily together, not stopping until we're completely drunk."

"I look forward to your arrival," Asahara Shoko said emphatically, then jokingly added, "Don't refuse me when I need your help later on."

"We're friends now; where is the need for using the word 'ask'? It's only natural for friends to help each other," Aoyama Xiu Xin replied without hesitation.

His only memory of Aum Shinrikyo was that international news incident involving a gas attack, indicating that before then, they hadn't created any major disturbances, at most some criminal cases like homicides.

He would be happy if Asahara Shoko asked him for help with such cases, as he could then take the opportunity to gather criminal evidence against Aum Shinrikyo. Why not do it?

Aoyama Xiu Xin's open-hearted declaration pleased Asahara Shoko immensely, and he wasn't worried that Aoyama would turn against him after dealing with the Imperial Pole Society, because the existence of Aum Shinrikyo itself guaranteed that the other party would keep his promises.

"Ha ha ha ha, very well, I see there's no need to wait for you to return to Tokyo, I will come to Hokkaido one of these days."

"No problem, Asahara, when you visit, I will surely welcome you wholeheartedly," Aoyama Xiu Xin responded with a smile.

Asahara Shoko hung up the phone, satisfied. As for the Imperial Pole Society, what was that? Irrelevant, irrelevant.

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