"Pleased to meet you, Miss Yukinoshita Yukino. I am Shirayuki Hotogi, a Special-Class Onmyoji from the Onmyō Bureau. I apologize for this sudden visit and hope you'll forgive the intrusion."
The black-haired girl with a lovely face stood at the doorway, bowing slightly in greeting.
"The Onmyō Bureau…" Yukinoshita Yukino had heard the name before, but wasn't that organization disbanded during the Meiji era?
At that moment, Shirayuki Hotogi, who claimed to be part of the Bureau, looked at her and asked, "Miss Yukino, is your mother in the room right now?"
Seeing this girl immediately ask for her mother, Yukino replied without hesitation, "She went to consult with the attending physician along with my sister a short while ago. It'll probably be a little while before she returns."
"I see. Then I may have to trouble you for a bit," Shirayuki said with a gentle smile, her gaze still calmly fixed on Yukino.
Yukino understood the look, but instead of stepping aside to let her in, she furrowed her brows and asked, "Why is someone from the Onmyō Bureau looking for my mother?"
"It concerns the confidentiality protocols," Shirayuki replied softly, though her tone left no room for argument. "Miss Yukino, you've encountered them, haven't you? Those spirits that go beyond the boundaries of normality—or, to use the modern term, demons."
Yukino's heart sank. She immediately stiffened and said with a straight face, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
She didn't know all the details, but she did understand that her mother and sister, Haruno, didn't want the kidnapping incident to become public knowledge. Yukino had even witnessed her mother and sister bribing what seemed to be an official operative—Luo Shu—firsthand. Under those circumstances, her instinct was to deny everything.
Of course, Shirayuki Hotogi easily noticed the subtle changes in Yukino's expression. "If you're worried about the SDS, there's no need. The Onmyō Bureau shares the same interests with SDS when it comes to secrecy. In fact, the lockdown of Chiba Prefecture was initiated through our coordination with the Metropolitan Police and the military."
That caught Yukino off guard.
The Onmyō Bureau coordinating with the police and the military to lock down Chiba?
In that instant, she suddenly remembered—the surname Hotogi belonged to a family of shrine priests who managed a large and famous shrine near Chiba.
"Hotogi-san, are you affiliated with the Hotogi Shrine…?" she asked hesitantly.
Shirayuki gave a soft smile. "Yes, my family operates the Hotogi Shrine. In more general terms, we are what you'd call a shrine priest family."
In Japan, temples and shrines can be family-run businesses. Their main sources of income typically include cemetery management fees, religious rituals, and donations.
As one of the largest landowners, occupying several mountains, the Hotogi Shrine was especially well-known for funeral and ceremonial services.
Yukino had heard of the shrine more than once, which is why she immediately made the connection.
And just then, she remembered something else: her parents had once discussed the increasing cooperation between local temples, shrines, and the Metropolitan Police in recent years. Religious institutions would often hold large ceremonies requiring district-wide closures, and the police would regularly invite shrine staff to pray for public officials.
This growing closeness had even drawn criticism from city council members, who were concerned about the influence of religion on law enforcement.
There were also instances of shrines pooling funds to build new facilities in areas without religious institutions. The Yukinoshita family had taken part in a few such construction projects—until, curiously, they were unceremoniously dropped by the shrine's affiliated construction firm. Yukino's father had regretted it, saying, "Shrines are surprisingly generous when it comes to money."
So... shrines, or rather, priest families, had long been cooperating with the police in covering up supernatural incidents?
Realizing this, Yukino's gaze toward Shirayuki grew more complicated.
So the world always had these hidden truths...
As her worldview subtly began to shift, a familiar voice broke through the silence.
"Yukino."
Both Yukino and Shirayuki turned around to see her mother entering, arm-in-arm with Haruno.
"And who might this be?" Haruno released her mother's hand and walked forward with a curious smile. Looking at Shirayuki, she said, "Could it be that you and Yukino are friends, Shirayuki-chan?"
"No, she's actually—" Yukino started to explain, but paused as something struck her. "Shirayuki-chan?"
Shirayuki turned around, bowed politely, and greeted them, "Good evening, Aunt Yukinoshita. Good evening, little Haruno."
Upon hearing her name called so familiarly, Haruno lit up, visibly excited, but Shirayuki merely gave a weary smile.
"I know you probably have a lot of questions, Haruno," she said with a touch of resignation, "but I don't think this is the right place to talk."
"Haruno, take Shirayuki to the lounge," their mother instructed calmly.
"I got it, Mom."
Haruno glanced toward their father, who was sleeping peacefully in the room, then turned to Shirayuki and said, "Come on, Shirayuki, let's head to the lounge. And Yukino, you're coming too."
Yukino looked at Shirayuki, who had already started following Haruno, her mind still swimming with unanswered questions, and fell in behind them.
Aside from their mother staying back to care for Mr. Yukinoshita, the three of them moved to the hospital's VIP suite that had been arranged for their family's overnight stay. The three girls sat around the sofa.
After exchanging brief greetings, Shirayuki got to the point with a solemn expression.
"I know it's a bit late, but Haruno, I'm guessing you and your mother have already encountered them—beings referred to as 'demons.'"
Haruno responded with a resigned smile. "Mom and I had already guessed. If monsters like that really exist, then it's only natural that shrines with such a long history would have people dealing with them."
"Aunt Yukinoshita truly is as sharp as ever," Shirayuki sighed, as if she'd expected nothing less. Then she added, "According to the confidentiality protocols, any non-government individual involved in a supernatural incident is subject to memory sealing. I'm sorry, Haruno, but I don't have the authority to prevent that. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Haruno's eyes lit up. She'd already guessed what Shirayuki might say.
"Unless the Yukinoshita family joins the—"
Knock knock.
Just as Shirayuki was about to finish, a knock came at the door. The next moment, the door creaked open, and without waiting for a reply, someone stepped in with a wry, mocking tone.
"Wow, talk about cutting it close."