Part 3
Upon receiving the report from the Meguro branch after the sun set, the Onmyou Agency fell into a commotion like a disturbed beehive. Since the spiritual disasters had happened so suddenly and the information was complex, the spiritual disasters in the branch had already been almost completely purified by the time the Exorcist Bureau submitted a formal report. This was also after the Twin-Horned Syndicate sweep operation in the Shinjuku branch had ended.
The Onmyou Agency's functions had originally been dampened because of the shockwaves from the sweep operation. When the Meguro branch 'fell' as well, they were completely paralyzed. Quite a portion of the agency employees had to stay overnight to deal with the aftermath work in order to be able to at least restart their normal duties in the morning. That day that started with the Mystical Investigators' forced investigation would remain in their memories as a disastrous day for the Onmyou Agency.
But the final scene that stayed in the agency employees' memories hadn't begun yet. Rather, this was the impetus for a scene that not many knew about.
This was the Onmyou Agency building, very close to Akihabara.
Amami strode quickly through the agency building corridor with a solemn expression.
In front of him was the executive room. It was the office of the Onmyou Agency's highest officer, Kurahashi Genji. Even if Amami understood the Onmyou Agency's current condition, he still had to find the time to report to Kurahashi confidentially as soon as possible. Amami had given the clean-up of the Twin-Horned Syndicate sweep operation to his subordinates and had left the scene.
But, just as Amami was hurrying over, the sound of a phone ringing came from his suit pocket. It seemed that he had forgotten to turn his phone off. Amami clicked his tongue, looking at the name displayed on the screen.
"What. It's Miyo-chan."
The phone call was from the Onmyou Academy principal Kurahashi Miyo. Presumably, it was for a dressing-down related to the Meguro branch commotion.
She always failed to understand the difference in jurisdiction between the Mystical Investigators and the Exorcist Bureau at this kind of time. Anyway, her usual practice was to scold Amami first and ask questions later.
Amami held the phone he didn't want to listen to as if he had drawn the joker [30] . Though he would have to endure an even greater anger after the negotiations here adjourned, he would still have to wait and see. Amami waited for the phone to stop ringing and then muttered the second-class incantation "may I avoid disaster" while turning off the phone.
Just then,
"Oh? Amami-san."
A bearded man in a suit greeted Amami in surprise. He was a short man who always appeared to be dissatisfied - but magically who also felt amicable.
This was the director of the Exorcist Bureau Purification Command Room, Miyachi Iwao. Even if it couldn't be seen from his external appearance, he was in a position of command over all of the exorcists in the Exorcist Bureau as well as a powerful Independent Exorcist.
"Why are you here? The Mystical Investigators should be super busy around now."
"Oh, Miyachi. Why have you come? I heard about the Meguro situation."
Amami asked the surprised Miyachi a question back, but Miyachi just responded with a weak "Well..." and showed a bitter expression.
"We really failed. The details aren't extremely clear, but it's said that the scene had already reached Phase Four...... Moreover, I don't know what he was playing at, but Kagami who should have been nearby seems to have left the scene. Also, his shikigami - that Shaver - went out of control...... Fortunately, he was dealt with before aid arrived."
"Ah...... I should be the one ashamed about that. The Mystical Investigators missed Captain Eto. To think he would be connected with a magical tool that created spiritual disasters. It seems to be a remnant that Mutobe left behind during the spring...... What a disaster. The Lingering Spirit Division still hasn't been dispersed."
"It's both of us. But it's really a fortune among misfortunes that this incident could be dealt with while limiting the damage to within the bounds of the branch. Anyway, we shouldn't receive too much criticism from the outside."
Even though his relaxed and lively words and actions didn't suit the severity of the situation, it really was like Miyachi's style. Amami averted the heavy atmosphere with a quiet, wry laugh as he faced the depressed bearded man.
Seeming to happen to be going in the same direction, the two of them continued through the corridor side by side. "Come to think of it." Miyachi brought the topic back.
"Amami-san, is it alright if you're not with the Mystical Investigators? Though it's the same for me."
"Well...... There's actually something I'm very concerned about. I wanted to report to the Chief directly."
Amami answered vaguely and indifferently. "Huh?" Miyachi showed an unexpected expression.
"......You're reporting now?"
"Yeah, that's right...... What? You look like you don't accept it."
"......Actually, the Chief also called for me."
"What?"
Amami inadvertently gazed at Miyachi again.
He had something he had to 'secretly' tell Chief Kurahashi. Even though he hadn't explicitly said so, Amami obviously meant for the two of them to talk one-on-one.
But the urgency of the Meguro branch situation was even higher. Perhaps it had a higher priority than the Mystical Investigators' operation, which had already come to an end. Moreover, Amami hadn't mentioned anything specific to Chief Kurahashi about needing to talk to him as soon as possible. Maybe the Chief planned on listening to his and Miyachi's reports at the same time. That wouldn't be anything strange.
Moreover, to Amami, it wasn't particularly inconvenient to have Miyachi with him. What Amami wanted to report was an extremely sensitive matter in some sense, but Miyachi was experienced enough in this regard and trustworthy. Maybe it would even save them some effort to have him listen on the side.
On the other hand, Miyachi was also confused - actually, he was thinking about something with quite a serious expression.
He quietly murmured,
"......I have a bad premonition."
"What?"
"No...... It's just me."
The bearded Miyachi closed his mouth.
It was quite rare for the normally open-hearted Miyachi. Amami's face also tightened.
Then, the conversation between two of them stopped. They continued walking all the way to the executive room.
The secretary's seat in front of him was empty. Perhaps the secretary had shied away beforehand. Amami walked directly into the depths of the room and knocked.
"Chief. It's Amami. Miyachi's here too."
A quiet reply immediately came from the room. Amami opened the door, saying "excuse me".
The Onmyou agency building's executive office was a room renovated correspondingly sedately. In the carpet-covered space was placed a wide desk and a sofa and tea table used to receive guests. The JR Akihabara station and the nearby high-rise buildings could be clearly seen through the wide windows.
The person sitting behind the desk nodded politely after seeing Amami and Miyachi.
His sturdy physique gave off a calm, serious feeling. He was a man that could be associated with iron.
His age was already over fifty, but his heroic spirit hadn't decreased. Rather, he had become deeper and more mature. He showed a stern smile and simultaneously revealed sharp, calm, and penetrating eyes. The pressure from his body could make the person before him naturally straighten their back.
This was the head of the famous Kurahashi family, the Onmyou Agency chief, and the concurrent Exorcist Bureau Chief.
Hailed as the leader of the Twelve Divine Generals, the most outstanding contemporary National First-Class Onmyouji.
Kurahashi Genji.
"Section Chief Amami. First, thank you for coming."
Kurahashi sincerely thanked Amami for his toils. This was a calm voice that one could perceive a deep heritage from. Amami lightly nodded to reply, then directly walked near the desk. After Miyachi behind him met gazes with Kurahashi, he also lightly nodded affirmation and then stopped behind and to the side of Amami.
"Pardon me for saying this directly. Chief, unfortunately, the operation this time partly failed."
After he announced that, Amami started reporting directly without concealing anything.
Kurahashi's expression only changed a sliver upon his subordinate's straightforward words. But that was it. On one hand, it was his immovable character, and on the other hand it proved that he understood Amami extremely well.
But,
"How rough."
He showed a bit of a wry smile.
"Please explain."
"My plan wasn't careful enough. The Twin-Horned Syndicate's roots are still very deep. All we swept away were the part of the weeds growing on the surface...... But I fear that the root portion might already be a different thing than the 'Twin-Horned Syndicate'."
"......Tell me the details."
Kurahashi urged him to continue reporting. In this kind of time, this talented official would eliminate unnecessary redundancies and focus on the dialogue's efficiency. Besides, Amami was also familiar with the Chief's practices.
Amami concisely reported on what had happened at the Shinjuku branch.
It seemed that Kurahashi had some impression of Hirata's name. After all, he had been the biggest contributor in exposing the Lingering Spirit Division two years ago. Moreover, this biggest contributor had secretly been in the Twin-Horned Syndicate.
"As for Hirata's circumstances, I felt that they were a bit suspicious at one point. So, I did a complete investigation on his origins. The results were very ordinary. The experience of becoming an orphan after his parents died isn't surprising for a Mystical Investigator. I thought that there were no particular issues. Moreover, we had also investigated those issues when he chose to infiltrate the Lingering Spirit Division and carry out an investigation two years ago, and we only let him infiltrate after we decided that there were no problems. The only thing we can consider is that he was influenced while he infiltrated them to investigate......"
"......A wise man may be ruined by his own wisdom, huh?"
"That's the kind of back-and-forth pattern of work in that area. More importantly, Dairenji Shidou was in the Lingering Spirit Division at the time. That man's charisma was proved in the terrorist attack later on."
Amami continued speaking with a bitter expression.
"To be honest, it's become doubtful whether that person was truly 'Hirata Atsune'."
"What does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Actually, I also felt extremely confused at this--"
It could be seen from his expression that this was an extremely rare feeling for the Mystical Investigator Chief.
Amami opened his mouth with a flummoxed expression:
"Hirata Atsune was female. Moreover, she was only a girl of at most fifteen or sixteen."
"............"
Kurahashi's expression tightened like a bow. But Miyachi, who silently listened to the report from behind, inadvertently raised his head to stare at the ceiling.
"Hard to believe, right? She used magic to camouflage herself. Moreover, she hid herself from my eyes."
The 'Divine Fan' Amami Daizen was at any rate a master of magic against humans. He was a celebrity that could be called a god in his field, especially in his grasp of illusions. That Amami had been unable to see through the disguise of his long-time subordinate. That situation was no trivial matter.
"I never thought I would be duped. And to think it was the illusion of a young girl that fooled me. Even if we haven't carried out a detailed investigation...... If I had to say, it's a magic similar to those komainu. ......No, anyways."
After Amami derided himself regretfully, he changed the topic.
"An old fool's sadness doesn't matter at this kind of time. The problem is 'when it started'. I said just now, I investigated Hirata's origins clearly a long time ago. This can't be a disguise that started from when he was born. He was definitely replaced at some point in time. In that case, the most suspicious time is......"
"......When he infiltrated the Lingering Spirit Division."
"That's a reasonable thought."
Amami nodded in approval of Kurahashi's reply. Just then, the chief shifted his body for the first time, moving away from the desk and leaning against the back of the chair.
His right hand was still placed on the table, drumming its surface. It seemed that various thoughts were hovering in his mind, but nothing could be understood from his expression.
Kurahashi raised his head to look calmly at Amami:
"......Mystical Investigator Hirata - the girl disguised as that identity - made the Mystical Investigators' information public to the Twin-Horned Syndicate. And there's definitely some force backing the girl. I understand everything up to there. But what evidence is there to prove that the force isn't the Twin-Horned Syndicate?"
"She explained herself."
"That's not like something Chief Amami would say. You're taking everything she says herself to be the truth?"
Lies couldn't be separated from work related to the Mystical Investigators. Moreover, just because the person in question believed something to be true didn't necessarily mean that it was true to other people. All that was important was confirming the actual truth.
But Amami stretched his neck:
"Hirata abandoned Makihara."
"You can't take that as evidence. With the premise that we can't confirm whether the Twin-Horned Syndicate split internally, the force behind the girl might be the other faction within the Twin-Horned Syndicate - it's more reasonable to think that people we haven't been able to identify belong to the other group."
"......I thought so too, until I saw her shikigami."
"Shikigami?"
"Yes."
Amami showed an extremely bitter expression.
"......Yase Doji."
Kurahashi's expression became flustered for the first time upon hearing that phrase. His eyes widened slightly, a sharp light flashing in their depths.
"That girl's servant shikigami were Yase Doji?"
"She said so too. But I haven't seen true Yase Doji either. So I can't say with one hundred percent certainty...... But that strength wasn't anything to be underestimated."
Amami lowered his tone as he spoke, murmuring as if he had misgivings about the surroundings.
Yase Doji, the name of an oni.
But that wasn't the name of a particular individual. It was the name of a certain 'group of oni', as well as the name of the oni that belonged in that group.
And these oni were those who had served a certain bloodline, the souls of dead warriors, who had continued to serve their bloodline in the form of a defensive shikigami. They were the oni that were guardian spirits.
That kind of oni could be described as an extremely special type. But there wasn't an extremely clear definition of 'human souls' in General Onmyoudou, so Yase Doji were classified as a 'Type-Ogre' servant shikigami. Of course, even so, they were still extremely strong shikigami.
But right now, what Amami noted the most wasn't the danger of the Yase Doji shikigami, nor was it because they were classified as forbidden in General Onmyoudou, as magic associated with souls. Rather, it was the Yase Doji's history - the family that they served.
The family Yase Doji served was the apex of the spiritual field in the nation's legends and history.
That is - the imperial family.
"Well, though she herself said that their 'origins are a bit different'......"
Yase Doji couldn't possibly be recreated using the General-style that had nothing to do with human souls. Moreover, since they were extremely special, there were no records related to the magic left in the Imperial-style either. Amami had never heard of the existence of a practitioner who could control Yase Doji either.
But, in case the depths of the situation included someone related to the imperial family, he feared that things would spread in a direction they hadn't anticipated.
Also,
"......If that girl posed as the true Hirata Atsune, the most suitable time should have been when he infiltrated the Lingering Spirit Division to investigate. Then when we mention the Lingering Spirit Division, there's the Imperial Household Agency. The clues fit together in a disastrous way."
The situation was serious. Amami would stop at nothing to convey that information, so he had first come to report to Kurahashi.
"......"
Kurahashi was silent. He thought silently. It was extremely rare for him, as he was known for quick decisions. But that was also a normal reaction.
Just then, a knock came from outside.
Had he not set a barrier to keep away outsiders? Amami asked Kurahashi with his gaze.
But Kurahashi didn't respond to Amami's gaze. "Come in," he said to outside.
Amami inadvertently frowned upon seeing the person who entered. Kurahashi calmly introduced the two of them.
"You recognize Representative Satake of the New People's Party, right? Satake-san. This is the Mystical Crime Investigation Department's Chief Amami Daizen."
"Ah, Chief. Of course I recognize him. Nice to meet you, Chief Amami. I'm Satake Masumi [31] . Actually, I'm pretty sharp in these areas. I'm honored to be able to meet the eldest of the Twelve Divine Generals, and I hope we can get along."
Satake Masumi spoke with a frank attitude and smiled slightly.
Though he was a politician, he was probably only about thirty. He looked fashionable and a bit frivolous at the same time, and it might be easier for people to understand if he called himself an actor. Amami had seen him frequently on the television recently, and he was surprised that this kind of moderate politician had appeared here. But this political faction that dared to advocate unrestrictedly in society had great support centered on young people.
Amami adopted a polite attitude towards the smiling Satake - but anyone with eyes could definitely realize that it was cold - and briefly replied with "Looking forward to it."
His gaze returned to Kurahashi, asking for his intent. Kurahashi's expression didn't change at all, and he just gave the businesslike reply, "I had originally agreed to meet him today."
Come to think of it, the operation targeted at the Twin-Horned Syndicate that the Mystical Investigators had implemented so resolutely was preparation for the Onmyou law legal reform, and out of consideration of other agencies competing for political dominance. And this Satake was the politician who advocated for this reform.
On the other hand, the Onmyou Agency Chief Kurahashi's duty was as the helmsman of the Onmyou Agency organization. The helmsman couldn't just complete his work by looking at the situation at hand. Rather, he had to look ahead - outside the agency. As a result, the current Kurahashi almost never participated in work within the Onmyou Agency and Exorcist Bureau. Even if when spiritual disasters appeared and the agency building was attacked, he gave complete on-site command to Amami, Miyachi, and other reliable subordinates. Kurahashi's 'battle' was in the political field outside of the world of magic.
So, Kurahashi had joined hands with Satake Masumi, the representative of the New People's Party. Of course, more accurately, it wasn't Satake Masumi who had become Kurahashi's companion, but rather, the faction he belonged to which was the largest one holding office. Satake was a window into that faction - the face of that faction, possessing the position of their representative.
Whether in personality or external appearance, the two of them were complete opposites. But with the New People's Party in power, the relationship between Kurahashi and Satake hadn't broken and continued to today.
Amami glanced behind him at Miyachi.
"......Excuse me, have you met Miyachi?"
"Yeah, several times."
Satake replied straightforwardly to Amami's question. He had only introduced Amami just now, so it seemed that Kurahashi also knew that the two of them already knew each other. Miyachi hadn't said a single word since he entered this room. His expression was very bitter, as if he were chewing on a lemon.
Satake had come to check on the success of this operation. But Amami's report was extremely important and was about to turn to a profound question that couldn't be disclosed to outsiders.
But,
"Where did you guys get to? The princess?"
"No."
Kurahashi refuted him concisely.
Amami seemed to have been struck by lightning.
"...Wait."
Amami gave up his pretenses, interrupting them with an extremely severe tone and staring at Kurahashi.
The Onmyou Agency Chief's face was like iron as he looked back at Amami without moving.
"......What's going on here?"
"......"
Kurahashi didn't reply to Amami's question.
Rather,
Afterwards.
The others had left, and only Kurahashi and Takiko were left in the executive office. Though Satake had wanted to stay, he was unwillingly waiting outside as per Takiko's order.
The two of them stood in front of the window, looking outside, but the two of them weren't viewing the scenery. They just wanted to avoid the awkwardness of facing each other.
"I thought you already knew, but--"
Kurahashi calmly opened his mouth.
"In the end, the biggest reason for this incident is to let you become a Mystical Investigator despite the others' complaints. It wasn't just today. In the Domahoshi incident last month, although he was about to be captured, you shouldn't have gone ahead and taken such actions on your own. [36] Even if he fell into the hands of the 'Onmyou Agency', there were still 'things we could do'.
"An extremely childish judgment", Kurahashi reprimanded. Takiko lowered her head, lightly biting her lip.
"The information of the Mystical Investigators was indeed necessary, but you didn't need to go infiltrate yourself to investigate. I hope that you make sense of your own position."
If Satake were here, he would definitely have defended her and rebutted.
But Takiko faced Kurahashi's dressing-down:
"It's as you say. I'm extremely sorry."
She bowed apology with a sincere attitude.
"But...... I wanted to do something, no matter what. I'm the only one who can act on my own."
It had been Kurahashi who cast the magic on the girl to change her appearance. If it hadn't been him, it definitely wouldn't have been able to fool Amami. Though Amami had seen that it was similar to the komainu - the Onmyou Academy's Alpha and Omega - it had actually just been a similar type of magic as the one that had been used on them. In addition, he had also added several 'soul'-related magics secret to the Kurahashi family.
Takiko had continuously borne those magics since she had snuck in to investigate two years ago. She had endured no small amount of danger.
"In order to achieve our desire, I'm definitely not willing to sit back and relax. I want to dirty my own hands, like my companions."
In response to that excuse, Kurahashi moved his gaze and looked at the girl's face.
Although Takiko and Satake's goal was close to Kurahashi's goal, they were different. They were in an alliance, but they still were just using each other. Takiko's excuse of not wanting Kurahashi to do all the dirty work was probably because she wanted to express an intent of strengthening their relationship by sharing the responsibility of the dirty work, but there was no real meaning to it, she was just speaking out of sentiment.
Takiko called Kurahashi's side a 'companion'.
That was because Takiko thought what Kurahashi and his side did was a noble act of devotion unbeknownst to anyone for the sake of the magic community. Even if the public didn't understand, anyone who truly had interest in Onmyoudou could agree. She firmly believed this.
"That's your naivety."
"Maybe."
Takiko agreed with Kurahashi's evaluation. But the determination that emerged on her face didn't waver.
"Chief Kurahashi. I want to confirm something."
"What?"
"Regarding the Tsuchimikado - Natsume."
Takiko turned her head to look at Kurahashi as she spoke.
"I don't want to say the same thing as the people in the Twin-Horned Syndicate. But, if he truly is Tsuchimikado Yakou's reincarnation, he could become a strong companion of ours. In addition, he might guide us. Just like your 'Kurahashis', aren't they the 'Tsuchimikados'?"
Just like how Kurahashi Genji was part of the Kurahashi family, Tsuchimikado Natsume was a member of the Tsuchimikado family, also rooted in the darkness of the magic community that extended back to ancient times and had weathered and survived many generations until now. The 'will' of the family and bloodline already formed something surpassing any 'individual'.
Even if the 'Kurahashis' were like the lords of the magic community now, it was just a slight exception in the expansive history, a temporary place. The 'Kurahashis' were just the agents who temporarily inherited the vast darkness of the nation's magic.
After all, the 'Kurahashis' were just a branch family - subjects.
The emperors of the magic community were the 'Tsuchimikados'.
The will of the Tsuchimikado family, cultivated over thousands of years, was the true dominator of this nation's darkness. If Kurahashi Genji was a member of the 'Kurahashis', then the 'Kurahashis' were just a part of the 'Tsuchimikados'.
Come to think of it, hadn't Tsuchimikado Yakou perfectly embodied the will of the 'Tsuchimikados'?
"......If we had the 'Raven's Wing', we could have Natsume rediscover his consciousness as Yakou. Didn't we know that since the Lingering Spirit Division? The Twin-Horned Syndicate will be cleaned and then restored by our hands. Right now is suitable time to take in Natsume."
Takiko proposed to Kurahashi. She had admitted to Amami that she was still a Yakou believer, although her methods were different.
She didn't mean to rely on Natsume.
But her wishes to stand together in battle were definitely not a sham. More importantly, she had already met Natsume face-to-face.
Kurahashi's vision moved outside the window and he closed his mouth.
The 'Raven's Wing' was currently in the hands of Tsuchimikado Natsume's father, the Tsuchimikado family head Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi. Complex emotions revealed themselves in the depths of Kurahashi's eyes once he thought of him.
He had originally been his main support, his right and left hand in the Onmyou Agency. They had been companions ruling over the magic community together, inheriting the wills of the 'Kurahashis' and the 'Tsuchimikados'.
But he had changed.
He hadn't denied the fact that he was a Tsuchimikado. But he hadn't chosen the 'Kurahashi', he had chosen the 'Wakasugi' - a separate branch family of the Tsuchimikado.
"......Oh well."
Takiko's eyes widened after hearing that brief sigh.
"Indeed...... We should be greeting Tsuchimikado Natsume soon."
Kurahashi spoke while looking out the window. "Really?" Takiko cheered.
Then,
"Chief Kurahashi, to be honest, I'm a bit jealous of your daughter."
"Kyouko?"
"Yeah. After all, she can go to class with Natsume and Harutora every day together. But that's going to be over soon. Chief. When we welcome Natsume as a companion, let me say hello to your daughter."
Takiko spoke with a cheerful tone. She, Natsume, and Kyouko were the same age, and they originally should have gone to the Onmyou Academy together and steadily walked their paths. The reason she usually wore the Onmyou Academy uniform was because she held those beliefs in her heart.
"I feel like I'm dreaming."
Takiko sighed. At that point, a tear even sparkled in the corner of the girl's eye.
The girl's happy appearance made one feel that she was even younger than her true age and that she was cute and innocent. The tear brimming in her eye was undoubtedly a pure tear dripping from her soul.
But Kurahashi knew. Overly pure things would sometimes become poisonous. Actually, just like a few hours ago, she had killed off a comrade. At the time, she hadn't shed a single tear.
Kurahashi ignored Takiko's happy demeanor. His steely eyes kept gazing into the Tokyo night.
Artificial lights embellished the streetscape. But the only thing that hadn't changed from a thousand years ago was that there was still darkness surging in the shadows.
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