Tokyo Ravens - Volume 6 - Chapter 2.2

Part 2 
The center of the Japanese magic community - the Onmyou Agency towered in an area near Akihabara. Several strong auras swirled together in the first meeting room of the office building. 
It was already deep into the night. An emergency meeting was currently being held here according to Chief Kurahashi's orders. The main topic was the letter that had been sent to the office not long ago. The problem 'D' had brought up was even more severe than what the Mystical Investigators had predicted - As for what it was, 'D' had notified them that he was going to steal the 'Raven's Wing'. They were currently holding a meeting to discuss countermeasures. 
Everyone gathered in the meeting room was a member who could represent the Onmyou Agency. 
First was the one who had overseen this case the longest, the chief of the Mystical Investigators, Amami Daizen. 
A managing exorcist officer, supervisor of the Exorcist Bureau, and Independent Exorcist, Miyachi Iwao. 
The Exorcist Bureau Intelligence Chief Watanabe Kenichi. The chief of the Intelligence Bureau, the Special Senser Miyoshi Tougo. Other than Watanabe, those four were all National First-Class Onmyouji - commonly known as Divine Generals. 
Moreover, these weren't the only ones of the Twelve Divine Generals gathered in the meeting room. 
The Independent Exorcist Kogure Zenjirou, Yuge Mari, and Kagami Reiji. This was the first time after the 'Hinamatsuri Repurification' spiritual disaster terrorist attack that had happened this March that four of the five current Independent Exorcists had gathered together. The fact that such situations kept popping up continuously could probably be called an abnormal situation of its own. 
There were also members with important positions in the Exorcist Bureau and Mystical Investigators in attendance. Even the chief of the General Affairs Department was present because he understood the construction of the building the best. Of course, the chief of the Mystical Investigator Public Safety Division and Hirata Atsune could also be seen, since Hirata was responsible for the Twin-Horned Syndicate business and had a very deep connection with the 'D' file. Hirata was the only one in the meeting room without a position. 
Not even anything involving the 'D' file had made the Onmyou Agency take such a large-scale action until now. It was natural that they hadn't reacted like this before. Never mind the Twin-Horned Syndicate - the organization that incited practically all the big events - for now, the 'D' file had just looked like one of the subsidiary branches left behind by the Twin-Horned Syndicate. In the end, even the name 'D' was a tag name used inside the Mystical Investigators. Hence, even if the Mystical Investigators viewed 'D' as an extremely dangerous person and had hunted him down with unusual strength, it wasn't at the level where they would muster the strength of all the departments to consider countermeasures. 
After all, 'D' was a practitioner who went by the name Ashiya Doman. In the end, there were still too many mysteries to take him as a real threat. Hence, the existence of the mysterious practitioner 'D' only received the Onmyou Agency's attention because he was connected with the Twin-Horned Syndicate. 
The reason the Onmyou Agency's original attitude had changed was because Independent Exorcists had come in contact with 'D' during the 'Hinamatsuri Repurification' in March and confirmed that he was an actual threat. After that, the Onmyou Agency recognized 'D' as a dangerous element of the same level as the Twin-Horned Syndicate. This commotion had happened as strategies centered on the Mystical Investigators were being developed to deal with him. 
Moreover, this was no small action of 'D' in some arbitrary area, but a notification of a bold, fearless, head-on crime sent to the Onmyou Agency. At this point, this file had already become an important problem related to the overall credibility of the Onmyou Agency. 
"What's important is that it's a problem of reputation." 
Amami's announcement probably voiced the opinion of the higher-ups. 
'D' had written the place and time in the letter bringing up the problem, even including his goal. The Onmyou Agency had to compress their huge normal business - especially dealing with the additional spiritual disasters from March - to their smallest limits to be able to plan strategy against 'D'. Even if 'D' was the Onmyouji Ashiya Doman himself, they definitely couldn't lose. 
"I had a lot of things to ask that man anyway. Also, he purposefully came up to us to make a disturbance. So we definitely need to catch him." 
Amami, the person in charge, held the bold and fearless declaration in his hand as he faced the people gathered in the meeting room. Some people nodded their heads ambitiously, some people received the message calmly, and a fearless morale towards the approaching enemy burned in others. 
Something everyone here possessed was a definite self-confidence and a definite trust in their own camp. Most of them were all incredibly strong, and the Onmyou Agency was a group of organized practitioners. No matter how strong the Onmyouji, they definitely had no reason to fear him if he was only a single enemy. 
Amami quickly began explaining the operational deployment for the attack against 'D'. He was older than the Onmyou Agency Chief Kurahashi Genji, and could be called the 'dean' of the Onmyou Agency. He had smoothly resolved things even though adjustments had to be made between divisions. He occasionally also adopted the opinions of others, but he had instantly decided the main points of the operation. 
In the dead of night, the meeting still progressed smoothly and fervently. 
Only two people weren't influenced by the atmosphere. 
One was Kagami Reiji, with the nickname 'Ogre Eater'. He was young and had a strong spirit of resistance, always sitting on the sidelines for the meeting. He held interest towards 'D' himself, but he felt that the content of the meeting would be meaningless and took it as nothing more than the useless talk. Perhaps he had even considered whether he could come in contact with 'D' alone before the people around him. Miyachi was his direct superior and had glanced at his subordinates several times, seeming to want to check on their attitudes. 
Surprisingly, Kogure Zenjirou was the other person who hadn't been drawn in by the enthusiasm around him. 
Kogure was different from Kagami. He listened carefully to the contents of the meeting. But, his face was always shadowed by concern that was usually unlike him. 
Kogure was undoubtedly an excellent exorcist, but his position in the organization was still very low. In a VIP-filled time like this, it would be hard for him to influence the progress of the meeting unless the leadership asked the opinions of everyone. 
Kogure's expression seemed as if he had something he wanted to say as he watched the activity of the meeting. 
But, in the end there was no opportunity for him to speak. 

The time was already past midnight when the operational meeting ended. 
"...Miyachi-san!" 
After the meeting ended, the meeting attendees prepared to return to their own divisions. Among them, Kogure called out to his boss Miyachi who walked in front of him in the office corridor. 
"Kogure? What is it?" 
Miyachi stopped walking, turning around. Kogure jogged up to his side. 
Miyachi was the supervisor of the Exorcist Bureau as well as an elite Independent Exorcist - a National First-Class Onmyouji. Because Miyachi was currently in a commanding position, Kogure rarely had the opportunity to call him by his nickname, the 'Enma' Miyachi. He was someone strong enough to make even battle-hardened veteran exorcists tremble, and was still feared by many. During the March operation against the Nue, his achievement had been piercing one of the giant 'Type-Chimera's wings in the outer garden of Meiji Shrine. 
It was hard to associate Miyachi's external appearance with his heroic combat history. He had a bitter expression, was very cordial to people, and was middle-aged and of a small stature. He had a clear-cut face and was very expressive, like an actor on stage - especially like a seasoned comedian, leaving a funny and fashionable impression on others. A beard grew around his mouth and chin, and the rumor that this was the source of his name 'Enma' had even spread among the cadres [4] . 
But, Kogure knew Miyachi's power well. 
He stretched in front of Miyachi: 
"Sorry. Actually, I want to talk - no, I have something to report." 
Miyachi showed a wry smile upon hearing Kogure's bland tone, rolling the file in his hand into a rod and tapping his neck with a thump. 
"What is it, to make you this anxious. You can't wait until we get back to headquarters?" 
"I'd like to report here, if possible." 
Kogure's expression was extremely serious. Miyachi cast him a probing expression, but immediately urged him on with a "Go ahead". 
"It's regarding the 'Raven's Wing'." 
"The 'Raven's Wing', what about it?" 
"Well...... The one sealed in the Onmyou Agency storehouse is a replica... I heard that kind of rumor." 
"What?" 
Miyachi suddenly raised an eyebrow. 
After staring at Kogure for a while, he pretended to look around randomly. Kogure lowered his voice as much as possible, but it was too dangerous to discuss such a topic while standing in the corridor. 
His gaze returned to Kogure again: 
"......What's going on? That's my first time hearing so." 
"You too, Supervisor?" 
"Of course. Where did the information come from?" 
"Well...... An old acquaintance." 
"Your acquaintance? Then, Ohtomo?" 
"No. I don't know whether you know the person...... Saotome Ryou." 
"Saotome? I haven't heard that name. What division?" 
"......The Imperial Household Agency." 
Miyachi's expression changed again. A dim light shone from the eyes that looked at Kogure and slowly sharpened. 
"The Lingering Spirit Division...... Could that person have not ended up the same way?" 
"Yes. That person left early on. So there should be no relation with the Twin-Horned Syndicate." 
"A researcher?" 
"Yes. Specializing in Tsuchimikado Yakou." 
Miyachi nodded his head knowingly after hearing Kogure's reply. 
"I see. Then there might be an association with the Raven's Wing. So that's the person who claimed to you that the Raven's Wing here is a replica." 
After Miyachi spoke up to confirm, Kogure nodded his head sincerely with a 'Yes'. 
Haha, Miyachi laughed while stroking his beard. Kogure hadn't mentioned this issue in the meeting because he didn't want to make the information publicly available. Miyachi inadvertently noticed his circumstances. 
Kogure continued speaking. 
"Moreover, that person's words were very descriptive. The Raven's Wing sealed in the Agency is fake, and the genuine is in the Onmyou Academy--" 

"The Onmyou Academy? Hey hey, that's too......" 
Miyachi smiled wryly. Incidentally, the 'Agency' was mostly terminology used by members of the Exorcist Bureau, referring to the Onmyou Agency and its office. 
"Yeah. I thought it was a joke the first time I heard it, but after thinking carefully, I felt that it might not be impossible. The Onmyou Academy principal was the past head of the Kurahashi family. She met with Yakou during his lifetime." 
"Yakou died the year the war ended. At the time, the past Kurahashi family head was...... what, how old? For now say she was a child about ten years old. ...Ah, well, I indeed heard Chief Amami say that the previous head was extremely active as a miko since she was a child...... Even so, she couldn't possibly have been given the Raven's Wing." 
"It might not have been through direct means, the Kurahashi family also belonged to the resurrected Onmyou Bureau during wartime. Kurahashi family members worked together with Yakou in the Onmyou Bureau during wartime, and after Yakou died, the half-shut down Onmyou Bureau was built into the current Onmyou Agency." 
"......I see. It's indeed not impossible. But even so, the Kurahashi family's previous head didn't have any reason to hide the Raven's Wing in the chaos after the war, right? Much less to deliberately create a replica." 
"That...... I still can't understand at all......" 
Kogure, who couldn't answer his boss's question, mumbled vaguely. Miyachi sighed lightly, raising his head to look at Kogure and tapping his shoulder with the rolled-up file. 
"......A researcher specializing in Tsuchimikado Yakou, huh......" 
His mouth forming a '?', Miyachi thought for a moment while rubbing the beard on his chin with his finger. 
But, 
"Well, whatever. In any case, the opponent couldn't possible know such rare information. The location in the notice was also the Agency. There's no need to be concerned." 
He made such a conclusion. 
A conclusion that could be predicted. But, Kogure didn't feel at ease because of it. 
"Supervisor. It was an official of the Lingering Spirit Division who told me that." 
"Yeah, so?" 
"Later on, the Lingering Spirit Division became the breeding ground for the Twin-Horned Syndicate. Of course, there were definitely quite a few people who saw Saotome's research results, and maybe there are people among them who noticed the matter pertaining to the Raven's Wing." 
"......So?" 
"Ashiya Doman - 'D' - has contacted the Twin-Horned Syndicate. That person knows about this matter, and the probability that he believes it is definitely not zero." 
Kogure explained, leaning his body forward towards Miyachi. 
"Please. Please speak to Chief Amami. We have to consider the possibility that 'D' will appear at the Onmyou Academy as well as the Onmyou Agency office." 
Ordinarily, 'D' would attack the offices of the Onmyou Agency. The possibility of such a situation was extremely high. It was undoubtable that they should make preparations for an attack centered on the office for such circumstances. 
But, if the probability of the other situation wasn't zero, they should divide off a minimum number of people to go to the Onmyou Academy. The Onmyou Academy building had defensive magical enchantments that could be called the best in Tokyo, but it wasn't enough - they couldn't expose such a group of underage people to danger. It would be the biggest disgrace to the Onmyou Agency if they were sacrificed instead. 
But, Miyachi's reply wasn't as Kogure had expected. 
"...Kogure. Amami-san probably knows about these circumstances." 
Kogure couldn't help but doubt his own ears, unconsciously letting out a "Huh?" sound. 
An empty smile emerged on Miyachi's lips. 
"Of course, he definitely knows more detail than you do. That's the kind of person the Chief of the Intelligence Division is, he has those duties. He crafted this operation while knowing about those circumstances." 
At the same time as he explained seriously, Miyachi's gaze left Kogure, looking into the distance. "Perhaps......" 
"Perhaps he confirmed over at the Onmyou Academy. After all, Amami-san and the previous Kurahashi head were on good terms." 
Yes. Amami and Principal Kurahashi were very close to one another. Ohtomo had once griped that he had been ordered here and there by the two of them during the spiritual disaster attack in March. 
"Then what do we do? Honestly, even if we don't know 'D's true fighting power, fighting power of the operations members is more than enough." 
"Hey, hey. It was none other than you who saw 'D' first-hand and reported that we needed to be on guard." 
"Though that's true, with Supervisor and Chief Amami, our fighting power is already higher than when we faced the Nue, right? Of course, that doesn't mean we don't have to be careful, but it wouldn't be a problem if we just left the same fighting power from last time to guard the Agency and split up our fighting power to defend the Onmyou Academy, right?' 
Kogure, who couldn't agree, made his proposition with great vigor. Miyachi's body was short and Kogure was of tall stature, so Kogure almost covered Miyachi when he leaned forward eagerly. 
On the other hand, Miyachi inadvertently revealed a wry smile at Kogure's air of arrogance. 
The expression Miyachi looked at Kogure with was mixed with equal amounts of trust and 'this youngster is too inexperienced'. 
Then, 
"...The Kurahashi family's previous head hasn't admitted it to be true. Naturally. If what you say is true, then she's culpable of hiding the Raven's Wing." 
Miyachi's analysis made Kogure speechless. 
Miyachi pulled back his neck, continuing to speak as if he were debunking the tricks of a magician. 
"If the Kurahashi family's previous head requested that the Agency protect the Onmyou Academy, it would be equivalent to admitting the truth about hiding the Raven's Wing. Of course, the Agency would request that she hand over the genuine Raven's Wing, and with that she couldn't possibly refuse. In other words, the Kurahashi family's previous head considered that the Onmyou Academy would suffer the threat of 'D', but even with that considered, didn't want to hand over the Raven's Wing." 
Probably as expected of his boss, Miyachi's observation was even deeper and more cunning than Kogure's. Kogure let out a moan after Miyachi pointed out his negligence. 
"But...... Why? Chief Kurahashi is Principal Kurahashi's son, right? Isn't he one of her own?" 
The Onmyou Academy principal and the Onmyou Agency chief were both from the Kurahashi family. Right now, the Kurahashi family was a great family that had a grasp on the magic community, and there was no place that the Kurahashi family couldn't reach if they tried. Considering this - no matter what kind of mystery was in the Raven's Wing - there should be no difference between protection from the Onmyou Academy and protection from the Onmyou Agency. Moreover, protection from the Onmyou Agency would be safer. 
Kogure shook his head without a clue. 
Then, 
"......One of her own. Indeed, that's true." 
Miyachi's expression suddenly sharpened. He stared with an eye-catching intensity at the confused Kogure: 
"What's wrong, Kogure, you're too lax. Have you already forgotten the incident last summer?" 
This time, Kogure was truly speechless. 
He finally understood. The 'incident last summer' that Miyachi spoke of was a certain incident that had happened in the Onmyou Academy. Simply put, a certain Mystical Investigator had been identified as a member of the Twin-Horned Syndicate. 
At the time, the Mystical Investigators had completely cleared up the problematic Mystical Investigator and any further relationship, but they were unable to trace his connections back to the Twin-Horned Syndicate and ended up with nothing in the end. But on the other hand, that incident had revealed a truth that had been predicted long ago to the light of day. 
In other words, the Twin-Horned Syndicate still existed, and a small number of its members had mixed into the Onmyou Agency. 
"......Amami-san hasn't taken a tough attitude towards the Onmyou Academy probably because of similar reasons. If he took the Raven's Wing back to the Agency, instead of being taken by 'D', we would be giving it straight to the Twin-Horned Syndicate's hands. Even so, considering the safety of the students, he probably should take some countermeasures...... But judging by the current situation, the probability that 'D' attacks the Onmyou Academy is very low this time. In this situation, it's most appropriate to face it calmly. Well, the final judgment will become very tricky." 
"......" 
After hearing Miyachi's explanation, Kogure couldn't continue making his proposal. He was a bit downcast, seeming to have experienced his own powerlessness, and tightly clenched his fist. 
Miyachi looked unblinkingly at his subordinate, the expression on his face hard to ascertain. 
Then, he knocked Kogure's head with the rolled-up file resting on his shoulder. 
"Anyways, Kogure, you have to focus and perform the task assigned to you - I'd be able to relax a bit if you could settle the living situation." 
Smiling as he spoke, Miyachi left behind Kogure and walked away again. Kogure didn't call out to him again, silently watching the back of his boss as he left. 
Miyachi's keen calculations constantly repeated themselves in Kogure's heart. 
The judgments Amami and Principal Kurahashi had made were probably based on the increased defensive power of the Onmyou Academy beforehand. 
Thinking again, this was clearly an operation that would involve fighting against 'D' face-to-face, but even if they couldn't make this public, it was indeed a bit unnatural to not have called 'him' over. After all, 'he' had once come in close contact with 'D', and he was the only one to still live after being wounded. 
Though it hadn't been made public, Amami and Principal Kurahashi couldn't possibly be oblivious. 
In case 'D' attacked the Onmyou Academy, there was still someone in the academy who could oppose him. 
Even if victory was difficult, at the least that teacher could act as a shield for the students. 
"......Really, I have some sort of bad premonition......" 
Kogure muttered listlessly, clenching his teeth. 
It was one at night. The 'tomorrow' that 'D' indicated had already arrived.