"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Yukino Yukinoshita. I'm Shirayuki Hotogi, Special Onmyō Master from the Onmyou Agency. My apologies for this unannounced visit."
The adorable black-haired girl bowed slightly at the doorway.
"The Onmyou Agency..." Yukino had heard the name before, but wasn't this organisation abolished during the Meiji era?
The self-proclaimed Onmyou Agency member then inquired:
"Miss Yukinoshita, is your mother currently in the room?"
Noticing Shirayuki's immediate focus on her mother, Yukino responded guardedly:
"She went with my elder sister to consult the attending physician earlier. They should return shortly."
"I see. Then I may need to impose for a while."
Having said this, Shirayuki fixed Yukino with an expectant look.
Though understanding the implicit request, Yukino didn't step aside to admit her. Instead, she frowned:
"What business does the Onmyou Agency have with my mother?"
"It concerns the Secrecy Rules."
Shirayuki maintained a gentle expression, though her tone brooked no argument:
"You've encountered them before, haven't you? Evil Spirits beyond ordinary parameters – or in modern terms, what we'd call demons."
Yukino's heart sank as her expression hardened: "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
Although Yukino Yukinoshita didn't understand the specific reasons, she was well aware of her mother's and elder sister's reluctance to expose the kidnapping incident.
Yukino had even witnessed her mother and sister bribing Luo Shu, who appeared to be an official. Under such circumstances, she instinctively chose to deny it.
At that time, Shirayuki Hotogi easily noticed something amiss in Yukino's expression:
"If Yukino-san is concerned about the SDS department, there's no need to worry. The Onmyou Agency shares aligned interests with SDS regarding the Secrecy Rules. In fact, the current lockdown of Chiba Prefecture was coordinated by us through the Metropolitan Police Department in cooperation with the stationed military."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita froze momentarily.
'The Onmyou Agency is cooperating with the Metropolitan Police Department and the military to lock down Chiba Prefecture? This...'
At that moment, Yukino suddenly recalled that the surname 'Hotogi' belonged to a prominent priest family operating a large shrine near Chiba.
"Hotogi-san, are you connected to Hoshiga Shrine...?"
Responding to Yukino's question, Shirayuki smiled: "My family operates Hoshiga Shrine. To put it simply, we're what you'd call a priest family."
In Japan, temples and shrines can be family-operated, with main revenue streams coming from cemetery fees, ritual services, and donations.
As major landowners occupying several mountain ranges, Hoshiga Shrine was particularly renowned for its cemetery and ritual services.
Yukino had heard the shrine's name mentioned multiple times, which was why she immediately recognised it.
However, she then remembered her parents discussing how local shrines and temples had been increasingly collaborating with the Metropolitan Police Department in recent years.
Shrines and temples would occasionally hold rituals requiring area lockdowns, while the police frequently invited shrine personnel to conduct blessings for officials.
Their growing closeness had even drawn criticism from city councillors about police officers' religious affiliations.
Additionally, there had been numerous instances of multiple shrines pooling resources to build new shrines in previously shrine-less areas.
The Yukinoshita family had participated in several such construction projects, though they were later inexplicably dropped as contractors in favour of the shrines' own construction companies. Yukino's father had lamented how generously shrines paid their contractors.
So local shrines—or rather, priest families—had been cooperating with police to contain mysterious incidents all along?
This realisation made Yukino regard Shirayuki with newfound complexity.
'So such things have always existed in this world...'
Just as Yukino's worldview was quietly being reshaped, a voice called out to them.
"Yukino."
Both Yukino Yukinoshita and Shirayuki Hotogi turned to see Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita, who was holding her mother's arm.
"And who might this be?" Haruno released her mother's arm and approached curiously, looking at Shirayuki. "Could Shirayuki-chan be Yukino's friend?"
"No, this is—" Yukino began explaining before catching herself. "Shirayuki-chan?"
Shirayuki turned and bowed to them both, saying:
"Good afternoon, Mrs Yukinoshita, and little Haruno."
When greeting Haruno Yukinoshita, Shirayuki Hotogi noticed her eager expression and sighed helplessly:
"I know you have many questions, Haruno, but this doesn't seem like the appropriate place."
"Haruno, accompany Hotogi to the lounge," Mrs Yukinoshita called out softly upon hearing this.
"Understood, Mother."
Haruno Yukinoshita glanced back at her father, who was sound asleep in the room, then turned to Shirayuki Hotogi:
"Hotogi, let's talk in the lounge. And Yukino, you come too."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Shirayuki Hotogi, who had already followed Haruno, and trailed after them, her mind brimming with questions.
...
Excluding Mrs Yukinoshita, who remained to tend to her husband, the three arrived at the VIP hospital suite reserved for the Yukinoshita family's overnight stays and settled onto the sofa.
After exchanging brief greetings, Shirayuki Hotogi addressed them with a serious expression:
"Though it's a bit late now, Haruno, you and your mother must have encountered them, haven't you? The beings known as demons."
At this, Haruno Yukinoshita gave a wry smile:
"Mother and I both guessed as much. If such terrifying people exist, then a shrine with such a long history couldn't possibly be without them."
"Mrs Yukinoshita is as sharp as ever, I see."
Shirayuki Hotogi seemed to have expected this. After a sigh, she continued:
"Under the Secrecy Rules, unofficial individuals involved in supernatural incidents will have their memories sealed. I'm sorry, Haruno—on this matter, I have no power to intervene. Unless..."
"Unless what...?" Haruno Yukinoshita's eyes immediately brightened, as if she had thought of a possibility.
"Unless the Yukinoshita family joins..." Before Shirayuki Hotogi could finish, a knock sounded at the door.
Then, with a click, the uninvited guest stepped inside without waiting for permission and remarked:
"Tsk tsk, in a way, this really is a close call!"