Tokyo Ravens Volume 11 Chapter 3

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"Let's think about the future."

Princ.i.p.al Kurahashi was the first to speak up after Amami announced this.

"I'll go back."

A calm, composed tone that didn't feel imposing.

"I have to go back in my position. Also, I need to talk with my son."

The princ.i.p.al explained to the students as if she was already done speaking with Amami.

"......Forgive my rudeness."

Touji immediately spoke up:

"I don't think you'll have any breathing room after you talk, you know? Even so, are you going to go back?"

"Yes, that's right, Touji-kun. That's my duty as a mother."

The princ.i.p.al smiled resolutely. "Grandmother......" Kyouko let out a sad voice.

"In the end, I have no other options. After all, I have no chance of winning even if I openly resist. The 'Kurahashi' is a famous family, but my son currently has all of its influence. I would have had some people I could secretly rely on if it were ten years ago...... But now, that's also difficult. With that, I'm essentially useless."

"......Isn't the princ.i.p.al's divination valuable fighting power?"

"Oh my, thank you, Touji-kun. But unfortunately, my strength as a 'diviner' has already vanished for the most part. The biggest proof is that I allowed these events to happen in front of my eyes. I'm truly no use."

The princ.i.p.al maintained her proper posture and spoke honestly.

The princ.i.p.al was a great astrologist who had been called the 'Kurahashi Diviner' in the past. In addition to the magic community, there had even been many people with faith in her from the financial sector, and although she had been in the politically-neutral position of the Onmyou Academy Princ.i.p.al, she had also a.s.sisted the development of the Onmyou Agency. She had that kind of a past. Her relationships from that time could be called her greatest 'weapon'.

But when her opponent was her son - Kurahashi Genji - the situation was very unfavorable. Even if she could use her connections for a brief period of time, once he realized them, he would intervene. And afterwards, the pressure of Kurahashi Genji was overwhelmingly more powerful than the plea of Kurahashi Miyo. If the 'positions' of the two people were made public, then the princ.i.p.al's relationships would undoubtedly become completely powerless.

Also, it was a fact that her fate-reading strength as a 'diviner' was already gradually drying up. With that, even the princ.i.p.al herself would have trouble becoming 'fighting power'.

"P-Please wait! If Chief Kurahashi was the mastermind behind the Twin-Horned Syndicate and involved in spiritual disaster terrorist attacks, then why don't we just report it to the authorities? Maybe the police or the government...... Rather, we ought to do that, right? He's a criminal after all, isn't he?"

It was Tenma who said this.

Why weren't they talking about that? Tenma's expression was confused about that. Indeed, that was reasonable - or perhaps even natural - if one thought normally.

But the situation wasn't that simple.

"Unfortunately, we have no evidence, youngster."

Amami spoke again from the sofa to address Tenma's doubt.

"You're Tenma, I believe. That guy's been careful in that regard. After all, even this Amami Daizen didn't catch him at all. Of course, I'm a witness right now, but the opponent will have taken countermeasures already in the time I've been fleeing."

"But not everyone's on Chief Kurahashi's good side. Even if we have no evidence, there are people who would listen to Amami-san's words--"

Amami shot Tenma a look he would give an immature yet pleasant subordinate as he desperately clutched at straws.

But he immediately returned to his stern expression and said:

"For example, Tenma. Supposing I were in the position of the Chief and was reported to the authorities. If I immediately portrayed that person as the leader of the Twin-Horned Syndicate, I would invalidate his credibility. I would fabricate heaps of evidence and witnesses. Also, I'd use magic."

"That--!"

"It's natural, since that man's a 'criminal' after all, right? Also, if magic is used to fabricate evidence and witnesses, the police and the authorities won't be able to see that they're fake. Only a fellow pract.i.tioner would be able to see through it - in short, those Mystical Investigators. And Chief Kurahashi is currently the Chief of the Mystical Investigators."

Tenma lost his words because of Amami's merciless proclamation. It wasn't just Tenma. Kyouko showed a look of shock when she heard, and Touji and Suzuka's faces grew bitter.

Things weren't so simple that every problem could be resolved by Amami telling the truth. After all, the opponent was a person who had manipulated Yakou fanatics, the people who used spiritual disasters for terrorist attacks. At this point, he wouldn't hesitate at framing his adversaries. Also, the opponent held the central influence in the magic community. There were no opportunities to defeat him face-to-face.

"Understand? That's what 'opposing the Onmyou Agency' is."

Amami's lecturing words seemed to become heavy. Tenma didn't say anything more, hanging his head in dejection and slumping his shoulders.

The princ.i.p.al smiled bitterly. "Anyways." She pulled the topic back.

"In these kinds of circ.u.mstances, even I have no last resorts. Hence, I'll run back to my son's side for now and wait for an opportunity."

This time Touji didn't say anything more. Just like the Princ.i.p.al had said herself at the start, she had no other options.

"......Is that alright?"

Suzuka, who had been silent for a long while, asked. The princ.i.p.al's mouth curved into a smile, never thinking that words of worry would ever have come from her mouth.

"Thank you, Suzuka-kun. But it's alright. I won't be killed even if I return. Yeah. At the most, I'll be forced into seclusion, right? Also, he should be extremely worried about my safety. At least at the current time. ......Isn't that right, Amami-kun?"

"......Yeah. Even the Chief probably doesn't mean to cause anything big. The most appropriate thing to do would be to have you withdraw from the world and obediently go into seclusion."

Amami also expressed agreement with the Princ.i.p.al's opinion.

Though she had given control of the family to her son, Princ.i.p.al Kurahashi was the current Onmyou Academy Princ.i.p.al. Also, although she had withdrawn from the frontlines, she was still viewed as an authority in the magic community. Her position in society was something that even the Chief couldn't ignore.

Also, it would easily raise relevant and unnecessary suspicions around them if the Princ.i.p.al immediately vanished after retiring. In the end, it would be ideal to have her secretly vanish without anyone knowing. With that, the Chief would probably 'guarantee' her life as long as she didn't rashly resist. In order to keep up appearances.

"But nothing will be guaranteed after a year. First off, your actions will be greatly limited - Or rather, you'll become unable to move freely. You'll have to prepare yourself for that."

"I understand. My son's not naive enough to allow me to obey on the surface but secretly strategize. However--"

Saying this, the Princ.i.p.al suddenly looked at Kyouko. Kyouko met her gaze, completely stiff.

"I'll definitely be permitted the small matter of meeting my granddaughter. Then I'll do the only thing that I can from now on - Kyouko-san, I'll train you."

"Train me?"

The princ.i.p.al nodded at the surprised Kyouko with a straightforward expression.

"Kyouko-san, you have to come home with me."

"B-But."

"Listen, Kyouko-san. Even if you want to do something now, it's not a situation where you can accomplish that just by thinking of something. Even you understand something of that level, right?"

Kyouko swallowed her words, unable to rebut because of the princ.i.p.al's strict voice.

"But you awakened your ability as a 'diviner'. As long as you hone that ability, it will become a powerful strength. It will become your strength to protect everyone and protect yourself."

"......I......"

Kyouko had divined a few short hours ago. That was the bud of an extremely rare ability even considering the entire magic community. The words of Kyouko's divination had pushed Ohtomo out of his confusion, and as a result, liberated their companions from a stalemate.

But Kyouko had immediately lost consciousness afterwards and had already been carried to a different location when she awoke. Though she remembered the strange feeling of divination, on the other hand, it didn't really feel real to her that she had entered such a state.

"Kyouko-san, you will go back with me and continue your past life on the surface while grasping the strength of 'divination'. That will be your 'battle'."

The princ.i.p.al announced resolutely. As if that were her final divination.

Kyouko stared at her grandmother with a face drained of blood.

Then, she clenched her fists in front of her chests and nodded resolutely.

The feeling during divination seemed to vary enormously depending on the person. Of course, since there were extremely few people with the power of divination, that was very difficult to say, but at least there were huge disparities in the impressions that Miyo and Kyouko explained to each other.

Miyo's situation was apparently colors. She read the meaning of a bright, vibrant painting. It seemed to be that kind of feeling.

In contrast, Kyouko was light. A different universe overlapped with the reality before her. Letting her spirit float in that universe, she 'saw' the light of her targets - stars.

First, she used the Liu Ren board to stimulate her consciousness.

It was an inexplicable feeling, as if her soul was floating away from her body. She heard the wind roar and was released from all her attachments to the earth, starting with gravity. Kyouko slowly floated in the truly empty world that seemed like a universe overlapping with reality.

An instinctive fear and a burst of liberation as she alone was pushed down from high up in the sky. Excitement and chills spread through her body as she was released from the cage enclosing her.

But Kyouko was as calm as if it were happening to someone else - as if she were in a trance watching a Kurahashi Kyouko whose mind was filled with the same sensations as hers was going through various oscillating emotions. It had that kind of dreamlike, unreal feeling. The room of the residence annex and the boundless, vast universe. Gaps floated between those two worlds, and Kyouko's standards, common sense and knowledge were all twisted askew because of those huge, large-scale disparities. Yin and yang merged.

What was true and what was mistaken? What should she do and what should she desire? Who was she exactly? Kyouko's consciousness expanded and became thin as the sound of the universe's wind swept through her heart.

But--

"Kyouko-san."

Kurahashi Miyo spoke.

Kurahashi Kyouko didn't respond. But Kyouko turned her attention to the voice that called to her. She solidified because of that attention.

"Focus your mind and firmly maintain your consciousness. You can't be swept away. You won't be able to return."

Kurahashi Kyouko and Kurahashi Miyo sat in a j.a.panese-styled room on the second floor of the annex. Kurahashi Kyouko was sitting in seiza[1] before a small j.a.panese-styled desk, casting her gaze on the Liu Ren board with a half-awake expression. Kurahashi Miyo sat to her side, patiently speaking to her granddaughter.

"You don't place yourself in the flow, you create a flow. You can't be engulfed by the sensations that you feel. In contrast, you have to put them under your control. You can't just see things, you have to consciously 'look'."

Kyouko tried to respond to Kurahashi Miyo's instructions. She firmly maintained her 'sense of self' while further departing from the reality before her, turning her gaze towards the depths of the universe. Gaps of s.p.a.ce had no meaning there, and even the concept of time was different from normal. Everything was spread out everywhere.

Kyouko's thoughts were reflected in the universe, and she allowed a shadow of the distant reality to appear before her. Perhaps one could say that she condensed everything in the real world and mapped a thumbnail of it. Kyouko gradually looked around the universe with a sensation similar to clairvoyance.

But it was a scenery exceeding human comprehension. Never mind words, it was even difficult to perceive them as images. An overly vague whirlpool of impressions outside of the scope of her understanding. Kyouko gazed at it, desperately trying her best to read the 'meaning' of it.

They should be there. Natsume. Harutora. The stars of the two of them were mixed somewhere in with the swirling universe that Kyouko summoned. But to the current Kyouko, finding them felt as impossible as choosing grains of sand.

The roaring wind of the universe suddenly gained in force.

This again. She was blown flying. Kyouko reflexively resisted, trying to stop, but the strong wind whipped mercilessly and slowly twisted the surrounding universe. Kyouko was also easily picked up by the wind and her consciousness started rapidly fading.

"......Ah."

When she came to her senses, Kyouko was in front of the j.a.panese-style desk where the Liu Ren board was placed. She was sitting in seiza with her hands on her knees, leaning forwards lightly and staring at the Liu Ren board.

She was dizzy and chilled. Also, her body was astonishingly stiff. But it seemed that she had only lost consciousness for a moment. A year and a half ago when she had divined for the first time, she had fainted and hadn't awakened for a period of time. Anyways, she was already 'used to' this.

Also, she had become able to quite consciously enter the divination state. It was evidence of progress as compared to before.

That said, it hadn't reached the level where she could call it a 'fighting power'.

"You worked hard, Kyouko-san. I'll go make tea right now, so please relax for a while."

Miyo gently patted Kyouko's shoulder, rising and leaving the room. Kyouko's expression was still dazed as she started slowly relaxing her legs from seiza.

After a while, Miyo walked back from the first floor with a tray. Kyouko finally came to her senses when she heard her grandmother sigh after climbing the stairs.

"Ah, sorry. I should have made it......"

"It's alright, my body will quickly become bad if I don't even do this much activity."

After Miyo replied brightly, she returned to Kyouko's side and placed the tray on the tatami. Kyouko hastily pushed the Liu Ren board aside from the j.a.panese-styled desk and poured green tea from the teapot into the cups that were set out.

Kyouko gingerly pursed her lips and blew the steam from the green tea.

The fragrant green tea seemed to seep into her body. Kyouko's entire body relaxed with a relieved expression.

"Kyouko-san, how was it today?"

Though Miyo asked that, she seemed to have noticed as well. Kyouko shook her head listlessly with a bitter smile.

"No good. It really is difficult to see the stars of people who aren't here."

"Yes. I think it will become easier in the future once you grasp the feeling...... But that alone is something that can't be taught by others."

Miyo spoke regretfully, but the eyes that stared at her granddaughter smiled serenely. It was so that she wouldn't put any pressure on Kyouko. But to Kyouko, it wasn't very helpful. It had already been a year and a half since Miyo had started giving her special training. She was embarra.s.sed at still being unable to freely control her 'divination' strength.

"Maybe I don't have any talent for astrology."

"Hoho, is that so? The way you think and decide for yourself no matter what is the personality of an astrologist."

"Believing or not believing in astrology has nothing to do with divination, right?"

"Really? Though you can't get fanatic about astrology, isn't it pretty similar how you can feel certain things from the results? Like a hunch about how successful you'll be in the lottery."

"Well, second-cla.s.s astrology can only be used as a topic for chatting."

"Or like being able to see at first glance what kind of person a guy you meet is--"

"......That can also be called 'instinct'."

Kyouko's shoulders drooped in a dull mood. Miyo smiled at that granddaughter of hers.

"After all, you're very smart, Kyouko-san. But you won't be able to take the last step if you always say only pessimistic things, you know?"

It could be seen that Miyo was still healthy and vigorous from the way she brought up such harsh things with a harmless smile. It felt like the green tea she sipped rapidly increased in astringency.

"It's about whether you can always keep your intuition honed. About how much you can trust that intuition. Divination isn't rational, you know."

Kyouko replied "Yes yes" out of boredom to her grandmother's words.

But the intimate and unreserved conversation still alleviated her heart. Even if it was trivial - no, maybe it was surprisingly touching because it was trivial.

...Honestly, I'm not cut out for this......

She wanted to hurry up and talk like this with everyone. With Harutora, Natsume, Touji, Tenma, and Suzuka.

For this, she hoped to use the power of divination to find everyone's stars. That feeling was so strong, but......

"You can't be too desperate, you know?"

Her grandmother rebuked her as if seeing into her heart. Kyouko came to her senses, her face awkward. When performing divination, it was ideal for the body and mind to enrich each other. Being overly pressured or too emotional were counterproductive.

Her emotions had been unstable recently. It was because she was feeling such a long isolation. Even if she understood that unstable feelings would only affect her divination negatively, she couldn't resolve it on a fundamental level. It was difficult. She could only deal with it by being tough, cheerful, and forward-looking like she had thought while returning home.

"Kyouko-san, you have a good feeling of magic as a whole, so you'll immediately become able to use it feely once you get the hang of it. You don't need to be obstinate, nor do you need to be careless instead. Let's continue training."

"......Okay."

Miyo nodded gently to her granddaughter who was slightly embarra.s.sed yet replied sincerely.

But maybe because she had touched her granddaughter's toughness, this time it was Miyo's turn for her expression to darken.

The mood that she had kept uplifted settled down and she inadvertently muttered some words.

"......I'm sorry. I even involved you in such a situation."

"It's nothing. What are you saying at this time, Grandmother. First of all, I was completely implicated from the start whether you involved me or not."

They were unembellished words of truth, but Kyouko also understood that Miyo's troubles weren't about that.

After that incident, Miyo had brought Kyouko back to the residence just like she had said to everyone in the villa. Afterwards, she and Kyouko's father had a long, one-on-one discussion. Though she had summarized the contents of the conversation to Kyouko, there were probably a good amount of things that she hadn't told Kyouko.

On the other hand, Kyouko almost hadn't been able to speak with her father at all.

Of course, it wasn't that she hadn't been able to meet him. She had met him directly after the incident and thrown out several questions there. That was natural. It was probably the first time since she birth that she had felt so conflicted towards her father.

However, her father hadn't seriously answered Kyouko's questions. Moreover, he had one-sidedly forced her into this state of 'seclusion'. If she hadn't decided to behave obediently towards father for the special training, Kyouko might have been kicked out of the house right there. Of course, she didn't believe she could escape from her father's hands.

Anyways, her father seemed to plan on completely keeping Kyouko from coming in contact with Harutora and Natsume's matters. He expected that she would forget everything about the Onmyou Academy and continue living on as the 'Kurahashi family daughter'. Hegemony ought to have a limit, but it was the truth that Kyouko had no means of opposing him right now. Also, she had no opportunity. Her father didn't ask for his daughter's understanding, nor did he put on a good face.

That was probably the reason Miyo's expression was dark.

Miyo had been thinking in her heart. Thinking that maybe things would have been happier for her granddaughter another way. Thinking that maybe she should have listened to what her father said instead of walking this th.o.r.n.y road, that it might have ended up bringing her to happiness in the end even if she were agonized at the start.

To Kyouko, that was downright ridiculous. She flatly rejected that way of life.

But it seemed that from the point of view of a 'grandmother', Miyo was repeatedly visited by moments of indecision. Her current self was giving off that kind of pathetic atmosphere. If that situation itself were the second-cla.s.s magic that her father had cast, then it could be called quite the insidious magic.

Also, there was another item related to her father to worry about. Kyouko's divination.

Needless to say, Kyouko hadn't told her father that her 'divination' had awakened. The ability of 'divination' was the greatest and the only trump card of Kyouko and the others. It was the thing that they had to keep him from knowing about the most, the thing that they couldn't let other people know about the most. Also, judging from an observation of her father's att.i.tude, her father still hadn't realized her daughter's awakening - that was what Kyouko and Miyo judged.

But there was a possibility. Amami had warned them of this when they had discussed in the villa. After Amami heard the ins and outs of things from the students, he had confirmed this.

'In other words, that guy Kogure witnessed the moment of Kyouko-chan's divination on the scene, right?'

The National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji, Kogure Zenjirou. He had transferred from the Exorcist Bureau to the Onmyou Agency Mystical Crime Investigation Department after that incident. And the current Chief of the Mystical Investigators was her father. In other words, the probability that Kogure had reported on Kyouko's situation to her father was not small. Of course, Kyouko and the others had only judged that her father still hadn't realized after considering that point......

'You have to be extremely careful. If 'divination' somehow falls into the Chief's hands, it would be hard to deal with.'

Though Kyouko had been restricted in various ways, she had been permitted to meet with Miyo every day. That was why she was able to continue the special training to practice her 'divination' every day.

But if...... What if her father knew about the special training? What if they were playing into her father's hand? That thought was a terror that plucked the tiny bud of hope.

Her father was too powerful an opponent.

"......Ah, right. I had a rare craving for sweets yesterday, so I bought some yokan[2]. There's still some left, we can have them as sweets to go with tea."

Miyo smiled and rose. Stopping Kyouko who hastily rose halfway saying "Let me", she left the room and went down to the first floor.

She wanted to change the atmosphere because of the sudden words of discouragement she had let out. Kyouko also patted her cheeks with her hands, motivating herself again.

...How can I let myself lose......

Not just her. Tenma, Touji, Suzuka, Harutora, and Natsume were definitely continuing to fight in their own ways. Thinking that way, Kyouko couldn't feel like she was the only one in a poor situation. Kyouko had to continue fighting until the days came when she could leisurely chat and smile with everyone.

But......

Would that day come?

If she continued fighting, would Kyouko's desire truly become reality? Miyo had wavered just now because she wasn't sure - because she didn't have confidence.

Kyouko put down the teacup, lowering her face. Her gaze dropped to the tatami, and she blankly stared at the pushed-aside Liu Ren board.

Normally she would be fine.

But occasionally she would hope for 'help'. She wanted to rely on someone who would support her. Someone that she could rely on and have faith in from the bottom of her heart.

Someone who definitely wouldn't succ.u.mb to any kind of difficulty, who could accurately break out of any crisis--

In addition, someone who wouldn't lost his calm even in plight--

Someone who could watch and guide their immature selves--

Just then--

At that moment.

...Huh?

She suddenly noticed. Her consciousness was floating upwards. A vast universe was gradually overlapping with the scenery before her. It was divination. She had unconsciously entered her divining state.

But it didn't have the feeling of the skewed world that she had felt divining up until now. Also, it was too fast. A smooth transition as if she were being absorbed into the universe. It was as if she were being integrated into a series of complicated gears and just happened to fit and turn consistently. She could hear the sound of wind rushing through the universe. But it wasn't the usual roaring sound, but instead a leisurely breeze.

Also, she could 'see' a star.

A star that she knew. A star she had seen once. One of the stars that had been there when Kyouko saw stars for the first time. Ohtomo-sensei, Kyouko called out. "......Ohtomo-sensei." Kurahashi Kyouko murmured. Kyouko desperately focused. Joyful and nostalgic tears welled up in Kurahashi Kyouko's eyes.

But.

...Huh? What?

Like clouds obscuring the moon, hazy darkness covered that star. Darkness that closely followed Ohtomo's star. A huge darkness that completely enveloped the light of the star, yet still had more darkness left over.

An ancient darkness that Kyouko couldn't see through with her eyesight.

...Wait, how......!

She tried looking again, but she failed. She felt that her condition itself wasn't bad. It was the best up till now. But Kyouko had depleted her spiritual power because of her first divination. She couldn't stop here again.

...Ugh......!

The star and universe grew distant. Her consciousness was forcefully pulled backwards. Sensei, Kyouko called out. But her voice also dissipated in the wind--

"Kyouko-san! Get a grip!"

When she came to her senses, Kyouko's strengthless shoulders were being held by Miyo.

An unprecedented feeling of certainty lingered inside her body.

Also, the ominous feeling she had observed from the other part.

"......Just now, that was......"

Miyo revealed a relieved expression, understanding that Kyouko's consciousness had successfully returned.

But Kyouko collapsed where she was, unable to move for a period of time.

Barstools were messily strewn around the shared Roppongi building.

That man twisted his back, looking behind him several times with an unsettled expression.

Though he wore a plain suit, he had no tie. Also, he hadn't changed his clothes in several days, and he was overall unkempt and somewhat dirty.

But that suited the shop atmosphere even more.

The shop was vast and crowded. Though it was called a bar, it was actually more like a dive. Low background music played in the dimly-lit shop interior, and the laughs of drunken patrons resounded nonstop. The customer base seemed quite delinquent as well. The smell of cigarettes, hair gel, and various other odors filled the area, warmed by the building's ancient heating system. It was a low-cla.s.s bar that fit the word 'trash heap'.

The man twisted his body several times with an unsettled mood, slowly sipping the beer he had ordered. The man had entered the shop for fifteen minutes already. The workers at the bar brazenly shot unfriendly gazes towards his listless face, but the man didn't seem to be about to leave.

Then, five more minutes later.

A group of three customers entered the shop. The man at the bar immediately turned his body and looked back.

The three in the group were all male. The two to the left and right were dressed in suits, and only the man in the center had on a gorgeous coat, wearing casual wear to match the shop atmosphere. After noticing the man at the bar, he grinned and approached.

The man at the bar stared at the approaching three with a solemn look. The three swiftly advanced between the tables, and the two suited men stopped when they got close to the bar. Only the man in the coat smiled again and sat down in the seat next to him.

"Ah, nice to meet you, Priest Kengyou. I'm the envoy from 'Gathering'. Call me Shimoda."

"......What is this supposed to mean?"

"Hah? Ahh, these two? They're just escorts. Please don't get too much on edge."

The man in the coat - Shimoda - smiled and spoke with a flippant tone. But it was only his mouth that was smiling, as a cold light emerged in his eyes. "Tch." Kengyou quietly clicked his tongue, casting his gaze at the two standing men.

"......They're based off of 'Yaksha'?"

After he flatly pointed that out, Shimoda's wicked smile momentarily skipped a beat.

But he immediately spoke with deliberate admiration:

"As expected of a priest from the dark temple. Just as you say, they're 'G2'. Their exteriors were made extremely well, right? But I didn't think they would be seen through at a glance. It might not look like it, but I admit I spend quite a lot of effort on them."

"They're indeed superb. But what meaning is there in deliberately putting your defensive shikigami in human forms."

"Hoho. It's visible at a glance with spirit sight, but our business deals with many ordinary people. If they kept their action-figure[3] appearances, that would give rise to some bad effects. ......I shouldn't have to explain each and every thing to a dark temple pract.i.tioner, huh?"

He maintained his smile and the cold gaze he shot over, and his voice also contained disdain.

Kengyou spoke fretfully:

"......I'm the emissary of the temple. I don't usually come in contact with 'work' directly."

"Hah, alright then. But since you wanted to throw yourself into 'Gathering', then you'll have to give that up."

"I understand that sort of thing."

Kengyou spoke resentfully after clicking his tongue again.

The dark temple that Kengyou had once belonged to was formally called Seishuku Temple. It was a Shingon temple that had accepted pract.i.tioners since ancient times, as well as one of the representative forces in the 'interior' of the magic community. The people who weren't accepted into the Onmyou Agency's management and people who fled from its grasp. There were also those who had fallen into the dark side of magic and those who used magic outside of the law. Or the people who had lost their paths due to magic karma. That temple was the society where those people who lived in the darkness of the magic community gathered.

However, last year in the beginning of winter, Seishuku Temple had been destroyed by a single Onmyouji - or so it was said. He couldn't say for sure because Kengyou had been outside the temple at the time. Kengyou's occupation inside the temple was to maintain their network of connections in society. Hence, his outside time, which was rare for someone of the monastery, was overwhelmingly abundant. That blessing had allowed him to escape the catastrophe.

The current Seishuku Temple had been taken into the Onmyou Agency's management after its destruction. Most people of the monastery had been arrested or detained. Then, a scant number of people had slipped underground and continued fleeing from the Onmyou Agency's hands. Kengyou was one of them.

Fortunately, Kengyou had the contacts he had cultivated through his maintenance of relationships. He had used the channels from his monastery time and come in contact with another organization. The envoy of that organization was the Shimoda currently in front of him.

The organization Shimoda belonged to was simply called Gathering. Rather than being an organization, it was more like a community of pract.i.tioners who would a.s.sist each other. The secret organizations of the magic community had powerful senses of loyalty, and in most occasions didn't welcome outsiders. But as for that point, Gathering - which had originally been established by a solo member - was very tolerant of outsiders coming in. Hence, he had been willing to take the risk of slipping into the Onmyou Agency's Tokyo and run here to ask them for aid.

"Well, the relationships are thin anyway, and it happens a lot that useless guys get 'cut off' before they know it. Priest, make sure to pay attention, alright?"

Kengyou nodded resentfully at Shimoda as he specially advised him. What an aggravating man. But now that he had lost the backing of Seishuku Temple, it was unrealistic for Kengyou to continue his escape from the Onmyou Agency alone. Even if he was somewhat unhappy, all that was left for him was to ask help of Gathering.

Kengyou finished the rest of the beer in his gla.s.s cup in order to relieve his resentment.

Just then.

"Found you."

An incongruous female voice suddenly sounded inside the shop.

A slightly nasal, sweet - perhaps even 'sugary' - voice. The customers in the shop almost all inadvertently stopped their conversations, turning their heads in the direction the voice came from. Then, their gazes froze in moments.

A single woman stood at the shop entrance.

To put it nicely, she was 'seductive', or 'avant-garde'. But the woman was several times more 'strange' than that.

First off, she was very tall. She was undoubtedly over 180 centimeters[4] - maybe she was around 190. Also, she was dressed ridiculously scantily, as if mocking the season of early January. At first glance, she looked half-clothed.

Her face was pet.i.te, but her head, limbs, and torso were extremely long. Her visible bust and hips were alluringly full, but her waist was astonishingly narrow and tight. Her strapless tube top exposed her abdomen. Though she had on a deep purple jacket right now, the sleeves were rolled up to her wrists and her hands were stuck in her pockets. Below, she wore incredibly short shorts that stuck closely to the sensual curves of her hips. Further below were the contours of healthy, beautiful legs. Those slender straight legs were matched by gorgeously-studded boots.

The customers in the shop - who were essentially all male - were first dumbfounded by her outfit and then finally raised their gazes to look at the woman's face. The woman's hair was raised in a single ponytail and she wore large sungla.s.ses that practically covered half of her pet.i.te face. Hence, her face couldn't be seen clearly, but they deepened her glamorous image in conjunction with the lipstick that coated her full lips.

In any case, it was a woman with a very strong impact.

Then, that woman strode out on her long legs and started entering the depths of the store interior.

Step, step. With every stride, her ponytail and the bust in her tube top swayed. Though the gazes of the shop interior were focused on her, she seemed not to care - or even as if she hadn't noticed. Most of the customers watched the woman advance, stunned. Kengyou and Shimoda's eyes were similarly wide.

But not all of them were like that.

"Ah, miss. That's an unfamiliar face. You're alone? Where from?"

A group of two young men sitting at a table stepped on either side in front of the woman to block her path.

Maybe they were already dead drunk, as the faces of the two were red to their ears. They busily swept up and down the woman's body with gazes that completely exposed their inner thoughts.

"You're pretty cute~ Want to have a drink together? I'll treat you to something. Here, sit down."

During the period of time in which one of them was standing in front the stopped her, the other person forcefully hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her to a table. But the man hooked around her staggered slightly for a moment. Though he had tried to pull her forcefully, she didn't budge.

"Eh? W-What, miss? Hey - come here--"

Though he tried to get her to sit at the table again, the woman still didn't move.

The man inviting the woman had a good physique. Though he wasn't as tall as the woman, the man was undoubtedly heavier. Also, since he was drunk, he didn't know how to hold back. However, it was of no use. As if his opponent were a carved rock.

Then, the woman drew her right hand out of her jacket pocket and slowly moved it to her face, pushing her sungla.s.ses to her forehead.

Rounded, childish eyes set with long eyelashes appeared.

"You're in the way."

She spoke with the same sugary voice as before.

"I[5] have business with that guy over there."

After saying this, the woman extended her wrist straight out, pointing to Kengyou at the bar. Kengyou couldn't help but flinch upon suddenly being singled out, his seat sc.r.a.ping and making noise.

"Out of the way."

"Hah? You're so noisy. Listen, sit down. Dammit, you--"

The man got angry as he tried to pull the woman. Those watching next to him could understand that he was using all his strength. However, the woman's feet were motionless as if they were stuck to the ground. "Hey." His companion man noticed the abnormality and spoke to him. Even so, the man still didn't stop.

The woman gazed expressionlessly for a moment at the man trying with all his might to pull her to the table.

Then, she slowly raised her right hand straight up and leisurely swung it out.

A palm.

A full-powered palm strike by a woman with this kind of physique had a power not to be looked down on. But since the drunk man was using too much strength, his balance was upset by the woman's movement and he collapsed to the floor with a thud. Thanks to that, he avoided death.

Boom. The air roared.

The woman's strike whipped up a whirlwind, sending the two men and the table they were trying to pull her to flying. Along with a huge noise was the sound of shattering gla.s.s and overturning seats. The table turned a circle and broke on the floor. The cries of the patrons in the shop rang out before the sounds of destruction vanished.

On the other hand, Kengyou and Shimoda's faces paled and they stood up from their seats. They had 'seen' something even more dangerous from the abnormal scene that had suddenly happened.

"What!"

"Demonic aura!?"

The moment the woman had swung her arm, aura that she had suppressed until then had erupted out of her body. And it hadn't been a human's.

Shimoda spoke dumbfoundedly to Kengyou:

"Hey! What the h.e.l.l's up with that woman!?"

"I don't know! How could I know!?"

Though Kengyou reb.u.t.ted loudly, the woman had indeed singled him out. She had said she had 'business'. His breathing and heartbeat accelerated in a flash.

The interior of the shop was in an uproar. The patrons scrambled to the exit, and the sound of tables and chairs being knocked over, breaking gla.s.s, and the customers' cries echoed loudly. "d.a.m.n!" Shimoda cursed, and at the same time, the two suited men - Shimoda's defensive shikigami - stood up next to him and sprinted towards the woman. They tossed away the tables between them, barreling towards the woman and swiftly grabbing her with their momentum.

But even with the full-force collision of the two defensive shikigami, the woman still didn't stagger.

"Dammit! Why are you getting in my way!"

After she roared, she immediately lifted one of the two Yaksha that had collided with her in each arm and swung them out. Stunned, Shimoda doubted his eyes, and then took out charms in a panic. He planned on also using magic himself. Kengyou also came to his senses, reaching his hand towards the charms that he carried.

But out of a corner of his vision, he saw the shop workers escaping into the shop interior. He had a flash of insight. Perhaps there was a shortcut. Kengyou unconsciously chased after the shop workers, trying to escape the scene.

Just then--

"Hey, wait up, boy."

A deep, low male voice reached Kengyou's ears as if it pa.s.sed through the din. He immediately shifted his gaze and was taken aback again. The farthest seat of the bar. A man had sat down there at some point.

He could say he didn't know when he had sat down because he definitely would have noticed it if this man had been sitting there before the commotion. He was short but abnormally stocky. As if he were a daruma[6]. After polishing off the rum in his hand in a single gulp, he placed it on the bar and turned his stool towards them.

"Did you hear? We have business with you."

The stocky man laughed brusquely.

His hair was red. He wore sungla.s.ses, his nose was pierced, and a thick chain necklace hung from his neck. He wore hip-hop-style clothing. A deep blue outer coat covered his small, fat body along with loose work pants. He wore blue basketball shoes on his feet.

"You're Kengyou of the dark temple, right? Why don't you come with us."

The man requested extremely naturally. He thought it was spirit language for a moment, but it wasn't. But he could feel a high-pressure aura from the voice, and more importantly from the man himself, and it made him suspect whether it was first-cla.s.s spirit language.

"O-Order!?"

He immediately released a charm. Though it was a fire-element charm, the magic hadn't been readied properly, and the charm magic only had power. In any case, he resorted to using a smokescreen and tried to take the opportunity to escape.

But--

The man smiled. At the same time, high-density aura was released from the man's body and the magical energy infused into the charm was blown away by the spiritual pressure. Kengyou's mind went blank. No matter how hastily he had used the charm magic, it was extremely abnormal for it to be rendered ineffective purely by the aura from his body. Also, the man's aura wasn't a human's. It was demonic aura.

"I don't plan on eating you or anything. Settle down. ......Or, do you want me to eat you?"

The mouth below the man's sungla.s.ses twisted and he bared his teeth as he spoke. The canines that extended from his lower jaw were strangely long. As if they were fangs.

"O-Oni......!?"

A mobile spiritual disaster. A Phase Three 'Type-Ogre'. Also, it had a clear consciousness and controlled its own power, so it was undoubtedly a 'true oni' that had existed for extremely long.

"Ahh!? Gozu[7], how unfair! I was the one who found him first!"

"You caused the commotion yourself, Mezu[8]. The Onmyou Agency will be here soon. Don't keep playing around."

The woman who looked in Kengyou's direction shouted with wide eyes. The man wrinkled his face at the woman who had flung away the Yaksha and stomped her feet. As expected, they were comrades. In that case, the demonic aura he had seen from the woman before hadn't been a mistake.

But...... In this case, there were two true oni?

Needless to say, Kengyou had never seen a true oni before. Most of the seniors at the monastery probably hadn't either. What was the implication of there being two at once, and also searching for him? It was like he was in a nightmare.

Then, he suddenly came to his senses and checked Shimoda's appearance, inadvertently moaning. Before he had noticed, Shimoda had already run to the entrance. He hadn't used the two Yaksha to defeat the woman, but purely to buy time. Though that was irritating, it had been an accurate situational judgment. It seemed that he had already been 'abandoned' after their meeting.

Shimoda's back vanished outside the shop, and the two Yaksha also dematerialized soon afterwards. The customers who had packed the tables before had also taken refuge without a single one remaining. The only ones left in the shop other than Kengyou were the two male and female oni.

The man - Gozu - left his stool and blocked the route leading to the shop shortcut with his stocky body. On the other hand, the woman - Mezu - stood there with her arms crossed, unhappily pouting her cheeks like a little kid. The two were no longer trying to conceal their demonic aura. The rising miasma clashed against each other and practically made him dizzy. The background music that still continued playing resounded loudly in his mind.

Just then.

"F-f.u.c.k!?"

He heard the sound of cursing from the shop exit. It was Shimoda. Kengyou turned to look in surprise, and Shimoda who had originally planned on escaping ran back into the shop--

He fell down.

And then he was motionless. What had happened? Right after he thought that--

Thunk. Came a melodious sound.

Thunk, tap, thunk, tap. Melodious sounds approached with a regular pattern. Then--

A man entered the shop.

A man wearing a plain coat. But the moment the man entered the shop, gooseb.u.mps rose on Kengyou's skin for some reason. As if the air conditioner in the shop had caused the temperature to rapidly decrease.

The man gave off the feeling of a seasoned veteran, but he actually seemed to be still young. His gla.s.ses-wearing face looked even younger than the about thirty-five-year-old Kengyou.

But the man's hair was already almost completely white. Also, the man held a cane in one hand. His right leg was a fake leg, and it was even a wooden fake leg. The melodious sound from before had been the sounds of the cane and fake leg.

"A~hh. I messed up."

After the white-haired man entered the shop, he surveyed the terrible situation and sighed.

"Boss!" Mezu was the first to speak.

"I was the first one to find that guy! I found him!"

Mezu waved her arms and did everything she could to a.s.sert that as she moved closer to the white-haired man. The man briefly replied "Okay, okay", entering the depths of the shop with a steady pace and his hand on his cane.

Partway, he turned his head to Gozu and said:

"You've had it tough."

"......Kah. You should say 'Good work' at this kind of time. What a brat who doesn't understand manners."

"Ahh~! Gozu! You have to call that guy 'Boss'. Did you forget Doman-sama's orders?"

"Shut up. I know that! ......Anyway, this guy is Kengyou from the dark temple. The guy who's currently lying over there also called him that, so it can't be wrong."

"Yeah. Thanks."

The man who had been called 'Boss' smiled wryly and thanked Gozu who pointed his chin in Shimoda's direction. Then, he finally moved his gaze to Kengyou.

To be honest, the man's eyes were calm, but not cold or stern. Rather, they were even very gentle.

But Kengyou inadvertently gulped.

He remembered. He recalled that before the dark temple had been destroyed, he had often heard 'certain rumors' in his post responsible for contacting other organizations.

The rumor was that there was a fierce Onmyouji deep within the current magic community. That Onmyouji used three incomparably powerful shikigami, and had redrawn the balance of power in the community in the blink of an eye.

That Onmyouji had a nickname that stemmed from the three shikigami he used and the peculiarities of his body.

Three-leg.

Or by extension, 'White Yatagarasu'[9]

"Nice to meet you, Priest Kengyou. I'm very sorry that things suddenly became like this. Just going by your expression, it seems like you understand me...... my business."

"......Could it be...... White Yatagarasu......?"

"Ahaha, how overstated. Three-leg is sufficient. Anyway, it's just a simple nickname."

The man - Three-leg - smiled casually.

"Rather, I had a reason for doing this much to visit you, Priest. Actually, I have something I want to ask you. I'm extremely sorry, but could I borrow some of your time?"

"M-Me?"

"Right. It's about the dark temple."

The moment he said that, the eyes deep beneath Three-leg's gla.s.ses flashed like a blade's edge. It was chilling.

A one-legged Onmyouji and the two true oni that he led.

Even with how he was, Kengyou was a priest of the dark temple. He had seen a wide spread of the magic community. He also knew of several monstrous pract.i.tioners - for example, Priest Jougen.

But this man's terror and sharpness felt different from others.

A hearty, leisurely, and elusive man. But that personality itself didn't give off any particularly dangerous flavor. Rather, he had an inexplicable and sincere atmosphere that made him unknowingly relax his guard even though he was suspicious.

But the moment he felt that, the air changed. The man's personality didn't change, but the impression he gave off transformed into a chilling killing intent. A hearty, leisurely, and elusive 'danger'. He became an emotionless avatar of death.

Kengyou a.s.sociated that ominous, detached man with a G.o.d of death. Right. Maybe the so-called G.o.ds of death were unexpectedly liable to show up for no reason.

"Anyway, our capturing mission has ended. Let's go back and have Doman-sama praise us."

Mezu proudly stood tall behind Three-leg's back. "Yeah." Gozu also nodded in a.s.sent from behind Kengyou's back.

"There's no meaning in staying behind for long, so let's retreat with this guy."

Thud. Gozu placed his thick hand on Kengyou's shoulder. It seemed that no one present planned on listening to Kengyou's opinion. Though the other party had said he wouldn't eat him, he felt like a fish on a hook. He didn't feel like he would survive.

Just then.

"Ah, Gozu! Are you going to steal it? That guy's mine!"

Mezu's eyes narrowed when she saw Gozu put his hand on Kengyou's shoulder. Her expression change and she tried to approach Kengyou like a child whose candy had been swiped by someone else.

Before that happened.

"Hey." Three-leg's cane rose up, stopping in front of Mezu's nose. Mezu stopped her foot in midair. "Wait, what are you doing!?" Immediately after she glared at Three-leg:

An impact that seemed to split the world in two pa.s.sed through the center of the shop.

From the floor to the ceiling.

A slash.

Kengyou was knocked flying with no idea what had happened. Though Gozu immediately caught him from behind, even Gozu's expression had changed. On the other hand, Mezu who had been stopped at the last second widened her eyes and looked at the fissure that the slash had opened up in front of her. Her ponytail fluttered outwards as if it had encountered a sudden wind, and her lengthy body flashed with lag upon enduring the shockwave of magical energy.

After a momentary pause, the shop - the entire building - rumbled and shook. The ground and ceiling had been split open in a flash and dust fell. The tables in the line of the slash had been split in two - in addition, they had been smashed into pieces.

Amidst all that, Three-Leg had formed a seal with a single hand and avoided the impact with that at the last second.

"......What, we really were being spied on. Even so, what a surprise attack."

He smiled bitterly and turned in the direction of the road.

Then, Ohtomo Jin spoke quietly with a sad - but fearless - expression:

"You're quite anxious for battle, Zenjirou."

The date was about to change soon.

It seemed inconceivable that it was this cold but it hadn't snowed. More importantly, he was in a van stopped in a park. Of course the heat was on, but the frigid air outside still slowly seeped into the floor.

Yamashiro Hayato who sat in the driver's seat checked the time with his watch. Tap. He lightly tapped the steering wheel with his fingertip.

He was a young man who gave off a sharp impression. He wore a light down coat over his simple suit. Though his proper appearance looked rational, they looked slightly arrogant, maybe because of his youth. Though he currently wasn't showing any expression, he seemed to believe that it was extremely stupid to kill time on standby.

Yamashiro glanced at the rearview mirror. He wasn't sure how many times this made it, but the scenery reflected there hadn't changed even after his multiple observations.

Two men sat in the back of the van.

The one sitting in the row behind him was a man who looked around forty years old and whose hair was mixed with white. His body was long and slender, and his old-styled clothing suited him extremely well. It was just that his face looked quite poor. It didn't look like his body was unwell. His expression was also scarce, and he sat in the backseat with an expression that made one doubt whether he was a corpse, reading a book by the illumination of the car's interior light.

And sitting behind him, in the rearmost row of the van, was a pithy and poignant man of about twenty-five. He was also dressed in a suit. Though he didn't have a tie, something gentlemanly could be felt from his cool and composed atmosphere. Even in his seated posture in the van, his back was straight and it didn't feel like his muscles were relaxed. He was currently crossing his arms and closing his eyes, meditating without a sound. A katana - his trusted blade - leaned against the seat next to him.

The two were Mystical Investigators belonging to the Mystical Crime Investigation Bureau - Yamashiro's coworkers. But the two had a longer history in the Exorcist Bureau over the Mystical Investigators. Moreover, both of them were proud, first-rate Onmyouji of the Onmyou Agency.

Former Special Senser, the 'Divine Eye' of the Twelve Divine Generals, Miyoshi Tougo.

Former Independent Officer, the 'Heavenly Sword' of the Twelve Divine Generals, Kogure Zenjirou.

One was the man who had been valued as having the 'most precious ability in the Onmyou Agency', and one was the man that everyone agreed had been the youngest elite of the Exorcist Bureau. Kogure had transferred from the Exorcist Bureau to the Mystical Investigators because of last year's business, but Miyoshi had just finished transferring last month.

Independent Exorcists were the elites of the spiritual disaster purification teams. Yamashiro was also extremely astonished when Kogure, who had been admired on the frontlines, had been suddenly transferred to the Mystical Investigators. But the entire Onmyou Agency was powerfully shaken when Spirit Senser Miyoshi, who was invaluable to spiritual disaster purification, had transferred outside the Exorcist Bureau. Also, it was completely unexpected that these two would be teaming with him. Yamashiro himself was also a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji who had obtained 'First-cla.s.s Onmyou' qualifications. A Mystical Investigator team formed of three Divine Generals was probably unprecedented.

But it was certainly true that the Mystical Investigators currently needed to act this boldly because their talent was insufficient. It wasn't a problem of the number of Mystical Investigators or of lowered quality, but the cases that the Mystical Investigators were responsible for were too difficult and complex. Yamashiro and the others were on standby inside the van this night because of one of those cases.

"......Officer Miyoshi. No movement?"

Yamashiro asked, looking across the mirror.

Miyoshi, who sat behind him, said:

"Yamashiro-shi. I'm no longer a Special Senser. I'm just a Mystical Investigator now."

The huge-name newcomer Mystical Investigator rested his gaze on his book, not planning on raising his face. Yamashiro had acted together with Miyoshi once before he had transferred, when they had gone to visit Seishuku Temple. He also understood his troublesome personality. Of course, it wasn't the kind of problem where just understanding it would make it no longer irritating.

"......Miyoshi-san. Movement?"

"None."

Miyoshi replied flatly to Yamashiro's change of tone. Yamashiro moved his gaze from Miyoshi to Kogure in the mirror.

Maybe specially confirming was an impolite action. But in the end, he still asked.

"......Kogure-san. Is the information that Kengyou is coming in contact with Gathering correct?"

Kogure didn't respond immediately. He remained motionless, still with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

After a pause of three entire seconds, he said:

"Who knows."

Who would have thought he would say 'who knows'. Yamashiro's face became displeased. Kogure clearly ought to be unable to see his expression, but an ephemeral smile flitted across his mouth.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure about what kind of a person Priest Kengyou is. I can't a.s.sert that he won't change his mind at the last moment. ......But in that case, he won't be able to rely on Gathering again. As long as the rumors spread, other organizations will probably drop their plans to bring him in. Of course, he should probably understand this point too."

"......Even so, will he bite? Will he bite this 'bait'?"

Yamashiro asked again.

Though Kengyou was a target that the Mystical Investigators pursued, he wasn't the hunting target of Yamashiro's group. Their target was someone bigger. Kengyou was just bait that they were using to fish for their true target.

But Kogure indifferently replied with a "Not sure."

"If you're just going to talk about trivial things, you might as well take the opportunity to get some sleep."

"It's not trivial......"

Yamashiro responded in a tone that couldn't be called anything but trivial.

It could be said that 'standby' was an important job to a Mystical Investigator. It was just that even though he understood that inside, he still couldn't help that it didn't suit his personality.

Also, the other thing that brought his spirits down was the silence dominating the van.

To be honest, he personally didn't care about Miyoshi anymore. It actually simplified matters if he closed his mouth and read his bock.

But he wanted to talk more with Kogure.

It had already been more than a year since Kogure came to the Mystical Investigators, but for the first one or two months, he had worked with veteran Mystical Investigators who were familiar with Mystical Investigator work, and afterwards he had moved almost solely alone. He had basically never come in contact with Yamashiro.

Yamashiro didn't believe that he was inferior to Kogure as a Mystical Investigator.

But he couldn't match Kogure as an Onmyouji.

It was like how among pract.i.tioners, most exorcists and Mystical Investigators were more outstanding than other Onmyouji. Even among the National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji, the strength of Kogure who had been an Independent Exorcist also made one feel like he was on a higher level than other National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji. Most importantly, Yamashiro, whose experience as a Divine General was still shallow, was interested about exactly what kind of level the other Divine Generals' abilities were and how well he held up in that regard. That wasn't to say he wanted to become close to them, but he did wish to understand them.

But in contrast to how he had been evaluated when he had been in the Exorcist Bureau, Kogure was taciturn and didn't let people approach him after transferring to the Mystical Investigators. He would communicate sufficiently when the job required it, but otherwise he was silent. Actually, some Mystical Investigators who had known Kogure before talked about him as if he had become a different person. Even Yamashiro himself, who was in his team, hadn't had any real conversations with him outside of duty.

He definitely wasn't hard to get along with on the job.

But there were certainly some unpredictable areas about him.

Tap. Yamashiro stared into the mirror while tapping the steering wheel with his fingertip again.

Just then.

"......Ah, there's movement."

Suddenly - although he still looked at his book - Miyoshi spoke. Yamashiro couldn't help but twist his body and look back into the backseat, and Kogure also opened his closed eyes.

A sparkling, keen gaze stared at Miyoshi in the row in front of him.

"Kengyou?"

"Yes. He entered that building. Just like the information."

"And Gathering?"

"They haven't come."

"......Others?"

"That side hasn't come either. But if pract.i.tioners of their level used stealth magic, it might be difficult to notice them."

Miyoshi flatly stated the truth.

Miyoshi was a former Special Senser. He was the Onmyouji with the most prominent spirit sight in the Onmyou Agency. He currently wasn't just purely reading to kill idle time, he was actively using his spirit-seeing ability to 'watch' the surrounding area.

A stealth that he, who saw through stealth as naturally as breathing, would be unable to see through. The ones Yamashiro and the rest were pursuing were pract.i.tioners with that much skill.

"Should we go?" Yamashiro questioned Kogure again. Kogure was the one in charge of the team. Kogure replied with "It's not time yet".

"But move the car out. We'll cruise around the area and head out once there's activity."

Yamashiro nodded, starting up the van. Then, he started cruising around the surrounding roads in order to keep from getting far from the building that Kengyou had entered.

Twenty more minutes had already pa.s.sed since then. Just as Yamashiro was about to start getting impatient:

"...Someone's here."

Miyoshi opened his mouth.

"A pract.i.tioner bringing two defensive shikigami. These are Yaksha."

Kogure nodded at Miyoshi's report:

"Someone from Gathering?"

"Probably. He just entered the building."

"Any notable changes in the environment?"

"There's no obvious movement--"

Miyoshi looked up from his book. His eyes were focused on empty air. Kogure's and Yamashiro's expressions rapidly tightened.

"......There's one suspicious p