Chapter 12: That Man?
Dawn had only just begun to brighten the sky.
As punctual as ever, Iwanaga Kotoko arrived early at the White Fox Office, carrying breakfast in both hands. Two burgers, two drinks, and the sort of calm, practiced efficiency that made her look less like an assistant and more like someone who had already woven herself into the place.
Gin Tsumugi had long since gotten used to it.
As long as Kotoko was not away handling some dispute among monsters, she usually took care of all three of his meals. In that regard, she was not merely an assistant. She was an excellent secretary, an excellent helper, and, in some ways, almost too competent.
After setting down breakfast, Kotoko elegantly wiped a trace of milk from the corner of her mouth with a napkin before beginning her report.
"Director, I followed your instructions last night and submitted the details of the bounty mission to the authorities, the Onmyo Bureau, and the Onmyo Alliance."
Her tone was calm and orderly, as though she were discussing an ordinary work update rather than the aftermath of a mass supernatural incident.
"The authorities were the easiest to deal with. As usual, they've already taken over post-incident processing. To thank us for the report and early intervention, they also intend to issue a fairly generous bonus."
As she spoke, Kotoko's eyes drifted toward Gin.
Then they lingered.
Something about him was different today.
His face had not changed. His body had not changed. Yet his presence had.
There was a new air about him now, something quieter, more refined. A trace of scholarly elegance rested on him, gentle and restrained, but impossible to ignore. It made him seem even more captivating than before.
As expected of the man she liked, Kotoko thought happily, taking another bite of her burger.
Gin noticed her gaze, but chose not to comment.
"From the way you're saying it," he said instead, "the problem lies with the Onmyo Bureau and the Onmyo Alliance."
A supernatural incident on the scale of the Kasugano case, with more than twenty victims and obvious signs of deeper involvement, could not simply be filed away like an ordinary haunting. Reporting it to the authorities was only one part of the process. The Onmyo Bureau and the Onmyo Alliance also needed to receive the case data as intelligence, especially if the incident might be part of a broader chain of supernatural activity.
Gin disliked certain people in the Onmyo Bureau, but even he had to admit that when it came to major incidents, they usually did not make mistakes this crude.
Tomie had been an exception.
But an exception was still an exception.
Which meant this outcome was strange.
Kotoko was still staring.
"...Kotoko."
No response.
"Kotoko."
"Ah—yes!"
She jolted back to herself, cheeks faintly warm, then hurriedly shifted the subject as if nothing had happened.
"That's right. The response from both the Onmyo Bureau and the Onmyo Alliance was the same."
She paused for emphasis.
"Shelved."
Gin's hand stopped.
"Shelved?"
Even he was taken aback.
A shelved designation was not something one saw often.
Among supernatural incidents reported by private offices, it referred to cases whose intelligence had been officially recorded, but whose investigation and resolution were being temporarily suspended by the Onmyo Bureau and the Onmyo Alliance. In simpler terms, the case was acknowledged, but neither side intended to devote manpower to it for the time being.
Private offices, however, were still free to investigate and resolve such incidents on their own. If they succeeded, they could later apply for a substantial reward from either organization.
To be honest, this was Gin's first time personally encountering a shelved case. He had only heard of them before.
Kotoko's expression grew serious.
"I suspect it's because of what's behind this incident."
Gin looked up.
"How so?"
The bronze vine branch of the Weird Wood Spirit from yesterday, the missing blood red fruits that had almost certainly already been harvested, all of it pointed to a deeper story. This much he had already known. What he needed now was a reason why that deeper story would make two major organizations simultaneously step back.
Kotoko folded her hands.
"Yesterday, after I returned, I asked around among the yokai's about the photo of the blood red fruit you gave me. No one seems to know its exact effect, but several of them recognized it."
Her voice dropped.
"It's apparently a favored snack of a certain Great Yokai."
Gin's eyes narrowed.
Kotoko continued.
"Some monsters use Weird Wood Spirits to cultivate those fruits and then offer them up in exchange for favor or reward."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
"A Great Yokai..." Gin muttered.
That explanation carried weight.
Too much weight.
A Great Yokai was no ordinary monster lord or ancient spirit. It was the kind of existence that had lived for over a thousand years without perishing, a being capable of shaking the foundations of Japan by itself. To truly confront one, it generally took at least three national level onmyoji acting together.
Gin's strength had risen sharply after his latest advancement. But even so, facing a Great Yokai head-on was still beyond him.
Not impossible forever.
But too early now.
If the role playing system advanced one more stage, perhaps then he would have the right to truly stand before such an existence.
Even so, he still shook his head.
"No. That alone isn't enough."
Kotoko blinked.
"If it were only a matter of a Great Yokai being involved, the Onmyo Bureau and the Onmyo Alliance would not both choose to shelve it outright. At most, they'd be more cautious."
Gin leaned back slightly, already working through the implications.
"For both of them to jointly abandon active investigation, the more likely answer is that their main forces are tied down elsewhere. They simply don't have the manpower left to deal with broad-reaching incidents like this."
That had to be it.
And if that was true, then the Kasugano case was probably not an isolated example.
Gin stood, crossed to the desk, and turned on the computer. He quickly accessed an internal site used by supernatural offices across the country. It served as a place to exchange intelligence, ask for reinforcements, and flag cases that one office alone could not handle.
He browsed through the recent entries.
Then his expression sharpened.
There were many posts marked shelved.
Far too many.
Judging by the timestamps, most had appeared within the last few days.
"The wave is getting bigger," Gin said quietly.
Kotoko looked over his shoulder and understood at once.
The resurgence of the supernatural was intensifying fast enough that even organizations like the Onmyo Bureau and the Onmyo Alliance were being dragged under its pressure. They were already entangled in something large enough that they no longer had the strength to spare for secondary outbreaks.
The air in the office felt heavier after that realization.
Gin shut the page.
"We'll deal with that later. Kotoko, do you still have the soul-hosting wood I asked you to prepare?"
He still had one urgent task to complete.
Kasugano Sora's soul could not remain sealed indefinitely. If he intended to turn her into a Shikigami, then soul-hosting wood was indispensable.
Kotoko nodded.
"There's still quite a bit left. Lord Tsuchizawa should be bringing it over soon."
Almost the moment she finished speaking, a black snake rose soundlessly from the floor like a shadow emerging from water.
Its movement was eerie, yet unlike ordinary monsters, it did not radiate the unpleasant yin energy that made most people instinctively recoil. Instead, its aura was clean and clear, carrying an old, solemn dignity. In its mouth, it held two small pieces of dark wood, each no larger than a finger.
It set them down gently before speaking.
"Director. Princess. Here is the soul-hosting wood you requested."
Its voice was ancient and resonant, with a gravity that made it sound less like a monster and more like an oracle speaking through a living form.
Gin picked up the wood.
"Thank you for the trouble."
The black snake before him was the Lord Tsuchizawa Kotoko had mentioned.
To call it a monster would actually be disrespectful.
It was a true god.
Or at least, it had once been one in full.
A river deity of Shibuya Ward, sustained by human prayers, with a history that stretched back over a thousand years. Unfortunately, gods like Tsuchizawa had not fared well in the modern age. Most had long since vanished, either forgotten by humanity or worn away by the collapse of faith. Even those who remained had weakened terribly. In combat, many were no longer a match for powerful yokai.
"You are too polite," Tsuchizawa replied with unmistakable respect.
Once Gin had the soul-hosting wood, he gave Kotoko a few brief instructions, then headed toward the hidden room to prepare for the Shikigami ritual.
Kotoko watched the bookshelf slide back into place, sealing the secret room off once more.
Then she turned toward the black snake, who had already begun coiling itself comfortably atop the table.
"Lord Tsuchizawa," she said, a little puzzled, "you seemed especially respectful toward the Director today."
That had always been something she found strange.
Though Tsuchizawa was greatly weakened now, he still carried the instinctive pride of a deity. Even when dealing with onmyoji or yokai, there was always a subtle distance in his attitude, the faint superiority of an old being looking down at the passing world.
But with Gin, it was different.
Different enough to be obvious.
In fact, Tsuchizawa often treated Gin with even more respect than he showed Kotoko herself, despite her status as the Princess recognized by yokai and spirits alike.
And today, that tendency had become even more pronounced than usual.
The black snake was quiet for a few moments.
Then it answered.
"He resembles that man more now."
Kotoko tilted her head.
"That man? Who?"
Tsuchizawa glanced at her, and for the first time that morning, true gravity settled into his gaze.
When he finally spoke, his tone was slow and solemn.
"The progenitor of Onmyodo."
A brief pause.
"Abe no Seimei."
.....
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