Onmyo Academy, Headmaster's Office
Having returned here after a long time, Rozen finally met Kurahashi Miyo in person.
"Have a seat."
The elderly noblewoman sat gracefully behind her desk, smiling as she gestured for Rozen to take a seat.
Rozen didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly in front of Kurahashi Miyo.
The two of them sat across from each other, separated only by the office desk.
"You've come here to gather intelligence from me, haven't you?"
Kurahashi Miyo directly saw through Rozen's intentions.
"That's right," Rozen admitted straightforwardly.
"I've been away from Tokyo—no, from this country—for a long time. I barely know what's happened here. I can only guess some of it."
"That's already quite impressive," Kurahashi Miyo remarked before saying, "Ask whatever you wish. If I can answer, I will."
"Oh?" Rozen smirked. "Then I won't hold back."
With that, he began asking various questions without hesitation.
As for Kurahashi Miyo, despite saying she would answer only what she could, she essentially withheld nothing, giving Rozen a full account of what had transpired since his departure.
Over the past year, the Onmyo Agency had expanded and developed significantly under Kurahashi Genji's leadership.
Previously, the agency had been recognized by society solely for its work in exorcising Spiritual Disasters. Even its predecessor, the Onmyo Bureau, had only been allowed to exist because of frequent Spiritual Disasters; otherwise, it would have been dismantled after the Pacific War.
However, following the two major spiritual terror attack incidents caused by Dairenji Shidou and Mutobe Chihiro, people realized the increasing importance of Onmyoji. Not only were they needed to purify Spiritual Disasters, but also to suppress and arrest dangerous criminals. Moreover, jujutsu could be applied to other fields.
Seizing this opportunity, Kurahashi Genji expanded the agency's influence, elevated the status of Onmyoji, and gradually introduced Onmyojutsu into other domains.
For instance, Tokyo had now officially implemented a Spiritual Disaster Early Detection Network—a system designed to detect spiritual disturbances before they escalated.
Before this, the Exorcism Bureau relied on manual detection, with Spirit Vision officers stationed throughout the city, monitoring spiritual fluctuations 24/7. Upon detecting abnormalities, they would report the situation, prompting the bureau to dispatch personnel for confirmation and response.
Since Spirit Sight was the only way to detect Spiritual Disasters, this method was essentially a brute-force approach.
However, the new Spiritual Disaster Early Detection Network aimed to supplement this system with shikigami.
The agency had chosen man-made shikigami, which used katashiro as their bodies, offering greater stability when materialized. These shikigami were equipped with techniques to sense spiritual flow and were stationed at key spiritual leyline nodes across Tokyo. They regularly transmitted spiritual data back to the agency.
With this system, the Exorcism Bureau could anticipate changes in the spiritual leylines and act accordingly.
However, shikigami required a jutsuryoku supply to function and needed regular replenishment. Moreover, as Spiritual Disasters came in many forms, relying solely on pre-programmed techniques had its limitations. Thus, Spirit Vision officers were still necessary.
Even so, the system significantly reduced their workload. Once fully operational, it would allow for early detection and rapid response, increasing Spiritual Disaster exorcism efficiency. As a result, shikigami patrolling Tokyo had become a common sight.
With this expansion, the Onmyo Agency's authority and influence had grown. This year, new members even joined the Twelve Divine Generals, filling Suzuka's former position.
Even Ohtomo Jin had been invited by Amami Daizen to return to the Magic Crimes Investigation Department.
However, he remained active behind the scenes, with only a few members of the Twelve Divine Generals aware of his return.
Additionally, before Rozen was officially declared a fugitive, an Independent Exorcist had temporarily stepped away from frontline duty but had now resumed operations. This led to Kogure Zenjirou being reassigned to the Magic Crimes Investigation Department. Along with the newly inducted Twelve Divine Generals members, the department now had four National First-Class Onmyoji, rivaling the Exorcism Bureau.
The Tsuchimikado Family's Situation
This restructuring was largely due to the Tsuchimikado Clan's fugitive status.
A year and a half ago, Rozen was branded as a criminal who had committed forbidden acts, making him a wanted fugitive. His shikigami, Natsume and Suzuka, were also implicated and placed on the agency's wanted list.
The Tsuchimikado Family, however, chose to protect them, going into hiding together.
The Onmyodou's main family had now been officially labeled criminals, causing a massive uproar.
More shocking still, over the past year and a half, a young boy from the Tsuchimikado Family had emerged as a terrorist, attacking Onmyo Agency facilities and committing grave offenses.
This boy was exceptionally skilled in jujutsu and was accompanied by two shikigami:
A knowledgeable young girl.
A one-armed ogre king.
These two shikigami bore an uncanny resemblance to the two great retainers who once served Tsuchimikado Yakou.
As rumors spread, people realized that Rozen was not Yakou's reincarnation but an orphan adopted by Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi as a scapegoat. The true reincarnation of Yakou had been entrusted to a Tsuchimikado branch family.
His name was—
Tsuchimikado Harutora.
And the Raven's Wing draped over him were proof of his identity.
Thus, the Onmyo Agency intensified its efforts to capture the Tsuchimikado fugitives, as well as Yakou's reincarnation. With the Magic Crimes Investigation Department severely undermanned, they recalled Ohtomo Jin, reassigned Kogure Zenjirou, and recruited new members to combat this unprecedented threat.
Meanwhile, Rozen had faded from public consciousness, vanishing without a trace—until now.
"I see…"
Rozen muttered to himself.
"So Harutora has emerged."
He had long suspected that Harutora was Yakou's true reincarnation.
What he hadn't expected was that that bakatora would become a terrorist, directly opposing the Onmyo Agency.
"Is this the agency framing him?" Rozen asked tentatively.
"Unfortunately, it's the truth." Kurahashi Miyo remained unbothered by his question.
"Tsuchimikado Harutora has indeed become a terrorist, attacking multiple agency facilities. There's even video evidence. There's no mistake."
If that was the case, then that bakatora must have learned about the agency's corruption and chosen to stand against Kurahashi and Souma clan.
Ironically, these two families had once been Yakou's arms, supporting him in founding the Onmyo Bureau and revitalizing jujutsu.
Yet now, after awakening, Harutora was opposing them instead. Clearly, something was happening behind the scenes—something Rozen didn't yet know.
"And what about the Tsuchimikado family?"
Rozen wanted to know Natsume and Suzuka's whereabouts.
"They've been on the run for the past year and a half," Kurahashi Miyo answered honestly. "They've clashed with the Magic Crimes Investigation Department multiple times, even fighting against Kogure and Ohtomo on several occasions. But they managed to escape each time. They are likely no longer in Tokyo."
"That's good."
Hearing this, Rozen's expression relaxed.