Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon - Volume 2 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - The seeds of disaster

The moment Kiyoka arrived for work at the military base of the Anti-supernatural Special Task Force, he received a freshly completed report as if it had been waiting for him the whole time.

It was the report on the night patrols he had ordered for just the other day.

The unit didn't normally perform night patrols unless it was during a sensitive period where they had to subjugate the supernatural. The reason they did not have night patrols was not simply due to the lack of manpower but also because it was not necessary. A vast security network had long been cast on the Imperial Capital through use of special techniques, so they would be able to detect the appearance of a supernatural entity as long as they were on the base. They were also in close cooperation with the police force to cover all grounds hence, suspected appearance of the supernatural would be reported immediately.

But lately, Kiyoka has been patrolling a certain location in suburbs every night and the reason laid in what happened several days ago.

"...Grave robbers?"

"Yeah."

Shortly after their audience with Takaihito, Ookaito came to the base where the unit was stationed again.

As a man who held a key position in the military, he wasn't so free to have casual meetings.

Although Kiyoka was ready for it, Ookaito on the other hand, had a slightly complicated expression on his face.

Through this meeting, Kiyoka also heard about the grave robbing incidents from Ookaito.

"I think this be the job of the police..."

Though in any case, dealing with the paranormal, commonly known as ghosts, was technically part of the job scope of Kiyoka and his team. However, graveyards were expectedly free of harmful spirits that needed to be exterminated. After all, the graves there were all well taken care of and given proper memorial services. It was unlikely to become a problem even if some of the graves were dug up a little.

Well, of course, there were exceptions so he needed to inquire about the situation in more detail.

"I've already heard of this situation, but so far, nothing has happened as of yet..."

When he heard Kiyoka's words, Ookaito appeared rather perplexed and seemed a little hesitant to speak.

"Apparently, there's been a break-in in the ^Forbidden Zonej in the suburbs."

"...Huh?"

Kiyoka blanked out, he couldn't believe his ears.

The Forbidden Zone was a remote area in the suburbs where entry into it was quite literally, as the name would suggest, strictly prohibited. At first glance, the area looked just like any other forest, but it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Imperial Household... In other words, it held many secrets of successive generations of emperors and their families that could not be disclosed to the public.

And thus, that place actually hid a cemetery in it.

"No way."

"Oh yes way. It seems like ^Oktsukij has been breached."

"What!"

Kiyoka's breath got caught in his throat.

If Oktsuki had really been exposed, then that would be a really serious issue. Even if they deployed every single member of the Anti-supernatural Unit, it would still be questionable whether or not they could resolve this issue in a peaceful manner. Yet at the same time, they couldn't make it big.

"What's the current situation? How many seals have come undone?"

"It seems that most of the information has been suppressed by the technique users from the Ministry of the Imperial Household... I don't have much information either. Even if you contacted the ministry, their mouths are very tight or they would give a very vague answer. To be honest, this is very hard on me as well."

Then wasn't that the same as having no way to deal with the issue?

Kiyoka almost cursed aloud at that though but ultimately managed to contain himself. Ookaito must have understood how Kiyoka felt as he too, sighed with a grim expression on his face.

"I can understand their wish to keep this blunder under wraps and solve the problem themselves. However, if damage is done as a consequence of their delay in response for that reason, there'd be no recovering from it. I don't like the way they're doing things."

"The fact that the Ministry of the Imperial Household couldn't give us a clear response means that they were probably unable to contain all of Oktsuki's seals. On my end, we'll also be on a lookout to take care that nothing happens to the general public."

"Yes, please."

Once their conversation settled down, Kiyoka was hit with a possibility he did not want to consider.

The security in the Forbidden Zone was extremely tight. In addition to specialised military personnel being assigned to guard that place, the Ministry of the Imperial Household had also delegated a considerable amount of manpower to manage the place. It was absolutely impossible for outsiders to enter, and even ministers would probably not be granted permission.

In that case, the scope of who could be the culprit was very narrow. At the very least, he could definitely blacklist the staff from the Ministry of the Imperial Household and the security personnel. Otherwise, who else could be the culprit...?

(It couldn't possibly be...)

He couldn't completely rule out the possibility of there being a noble that could not be stopped even by the Ministry of the Imperial Household or the military. (Ah, what a headache.)

At any rate, since he's already heard of it, it's not like Kiyoka could just pretend to be blind to that information.

"If possible, I'd like to have a look at the current condition of Oktsuki."

With regards to Kiyoka's words, Ookaito gave a very clear response "That's not possible."

(I know.) Although he understood, it was still frustrating for him to be taken lightly and being kept out of the loop of such important matters. As a member of an organisation like the government or the military, there was nothing Kiyoka could do about it despite the standing of the Kudou family.

If only he could get some insider information, then he wouldn't have to worry about being left behind.

In the political system after the Meji Restoration, the standing of ability users which have existed since ancient times had always been in an unstable and ambiguous position.

Kiyoka was the only all of them ability users could rely on.

"...HasTakaihito-sama said anything aboutthis?"

"It seems there hasn't been any new Revelations from Takaihito-sama. However, just looking at this situation, it would appear that the troublesome supernatural apparition mentioned in the revelation from the other day might be something that slipped out of Oktsuki."

"That was probably the case."

Which was to say that Kiyoka did not receive any of the specifics from Takaihito. 

After giving Kiyoka a brief reply, Ookaito appeared like he was in deep thought.

"Kiyoka, when push comes to shove, you can cast aside your position as a soldier; I'll come up with an excuse for you. As an ability user, you are a direct retainer of the Emperor and do not have the right to interfere with the people in the Ministry of the Imperial Household."

Kiyoka's brows immediately furrowed at those words.

The current position of ability users was very complicated.

Before the Meji Restoration, that is before the former Shogunate era, ability users were under the direct control of the emperor. They were the emperor's right-hand men, his blades. Only the emperor and some related nobles had the right to give them orders. No one, not even a general, had the right to command them.

However, the political system of the country was drastically changed with the Restoration. Even though they had returned to the time where the emperor was the head of the state and ruled the country, the one who actually managed the politics and governed the state was the government. As such, the line of command of ability users also changed dramatically.

Although ability users were still direct retainers of the emperor, the privilege of acting under the direct orders from the emperor had effectively been taken from them. Yet it was discovered that they were a valuable fighting force in times of war so they had no choice but to cooperate with the military. And the result of so many factors at play was the formation of the Anti-supernatural Special Task Force.

For now, there was no explicit rule that states that ability users had be in the military. To be exact, there was no rule which denied that ability users were trusted subordinates of the emperor in the first place.

Therefore, neither the military nor the government would be able to refute them if they targeted that point, it's just that Ookaito would be held accountable for his management (or lack thereof) of ability users.

"...You'll regret it."

"No matter, I was the one who invited you to join the army and put you in a tight spot, so I'll take responsibility for my actions. Besides, as I recall, wasn't there a precedent for an ability user using their privilege for participating in a funeral procession to enter Oktsuki?"

"Yes, but that's the last resort."

Problems sprung up one after another—Takaihito's Revelation; cleaning up the issue with the grave robbers; and he also had Miyo to worry about.

There was no doubt that the Usuba family had a part to play in all this, and they're working on it, but found it hard to keep up—as one might expect, even Kiyoka had his hands full and was completely swamped.

He couldn't help but feel like lamenting just why did he only have one body, why couldn't he clone himself?

Kiyoka could feel a headache coming up as he subconsciously brough a hand up to massage his temples.

"Are you alright, Kiyoka?"

Sensing the air of distress Kiyoka exuded, as if he had been driven to a corner, that was probably the first time Ookaito had asked such a question.

"I'm fine... I'm just a little tired from all these issues coming up one after another."

"Geez... you siblings really are polar opposites; Hazuki talks too much while you keep everything to yourself."

He didn't say the words rThat's not something you should be concerned aboutj but if his sister were here, she would probably blurt it out without a second of hesitation. It couldn't be helped; that was just how she was.

"Anyway, it's about time I head back to the headquarters... I'm sorry I can't be of any help with matters related to abilities and the like despite being your superior."

"It's enough for you to just take responsibility if anything happens."

"Of course. Don't push yourself too hard either."

"Mhm."

Upon receiving his reply, Ookaito gave a big nod before leaving the base.

In the face of the troubles that were to come, Kiyoka felt a heavy wave of fatigue wash over him.