Omniscient POV
After finishing their meal, the group began their meeting.
"What's the plan? Are we doing something today?" Samejima asked, gulping down his coffee.
Natsume spread out a file from the 'Governor General' on the table, pointing to a region on the map.
"Yes, we're taking action. We need to investigate the whereabouts of the bereaved families of our fellow students."
Three days earlier, they had discovered the families had mysteriously moved.
There had been no media coverage or gossip about their disappearance, which Natsume found odd.
"Could the Five Principal Clans be controlling the information?" Tobio asked.
Natsume nodded. "If any journalist gets suspicious, they might get erased."
Lavinia calmly added, "I'm sure they'd be erased."
Valerica, with her arms crossed, said, "The Five Principal Clans see this as necessary. Those in the Utsusemi Agency are exiles, and the Clans are eliminating them."
Tobio, Natsume, and Samejima shared uneasy looks, realizing their friends and family could also be targeted.
"Don't worry. Your families are safe," said Kuroka, looking at them. This seemed to relieve them a bit.
Fortunately, Akatsuki had placed their loved ones under protection, but that could change at any moment.
Shaking her head, Natsume spoke again, "We can't act aimlessly. We need to make a move."
Tobio agreed. He had to reunite with Sae, and hiding in fear wouldn't help.
Natsume suggested, "Let's visit the homes of our classmates. There might be clues."
She looked at Lavinia, who nodded. "I can use investigative magic at the houses. We might find something."
Samejima then asked, "There are over 200 students. Which house do we start with?"
Natsume hesitated and looked at Tobio for guidance.
*
*
*
After traveling by train and bus, they walked to a residential area near Toujou Sae's house, a plain two-story building.
Natsume had suggested going there based on intuition.
At the condominium, Natsume had said, "Those guys mentioned Samejima-kun's companion and Ikuse-kun's childhood friend. They probably expect us to go somewhere we're connected to."
Tobio added, "They likely think we'll show up at a familiar place."
Natsume agreed, knowing the risk of a trap. They had already seen some of their enemies' faces and knew parts of their plan.
Their power was growing, and the enemy might be watching this location.
Up until now, both Akatsuki and Grigori had been keeping an eye on the enemy.
Natsume continued, "They know we'll try to rescue our friends, and that we won't stay hidden."
Samejima said, "They could be using places we're connected to as bait."
Natsume declared, "Even more than our power, Ikuse-kun is a major threat to them. We have to proceed, despite the danger, as we might find clues at our classmates' homes."
Tobio also had a personal reason. "Baa-chan was close to Sae's parents. She left some things with them for me after she passed."
Sae's parents had disappeared after the relocations, but Tobio believed something valuable might still be in the house, possibly connected to his grandmother or his supernatural powers.
The group—Tobio, Natsume, Samejima, and Lavinia—headed to Sae's house.
Valerica had left earlier, citing a request from the 'Governor-General.' Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips, she had said, "The Governor-General asked me for a different job. So I won't be going, but I'll be watching. Don't disappoint me." With that, she departed, leaving an air of challenge behind.
Samejima, not used to public transport, grumbled, "I can't get used to taking the train."
When they reached the house, it was clear no one lived there.
The windows were shut, the nameplate was gone, and the grass was overgrown.
Tobio remembered his time with Sae's grandparents, feeling nostalgic.
Approaching the front door, they found it unlocked.
Samejima muttered, "If no one lives here, why isn't it locked? Unless the landlord's incompetent."
Lavinia explained, "The whole area is covered by magic to repel people, except for those with special powers."
Tobio and the others exchanged glances before stepping inside, communication crystals in hand.
They cautiously entered the house, which was dark despite it being daytime.
Tobio and Lavinia saw the living room desolate with a withered plant and scattered leaves.
The kitchen was equally eerie, with appliances left behind and the fridge filled with rotting food due to the power outage.
Lavinia occasionally performed a spell to investigate the movements of the former residents.
Natsume and Samejima joined them but reported finding nothing.
Natsume used a flashlight to inspect the first room—a table and sofa remained, but nothing else.
"This place, was it like this previously?"
Tobio nodded in response to Natsume's query.
"Yeah, it's as it was. Nothing has been moved. The only things that aren't here——are Oji-san and Oba-san."
That was Tobio's reply. The things had been left behind, and only the residents were not currently present. That is to say, what the 'Utsusemi Agency' desired was only the blood relatives of the second-year Ryoukuu High School students——.
What the significance of that was, Tobio and company had no idea, but they couldn't help but feel a bad premonition about it.
"We'll split up again," Natsume said. "Keep your communication crystals active at all times. If anything feels off, alert the others."
The team quickly divided, Tobio and Lavinia taking one part of the house, while Natsume and Kouki searched the other. The inside of the house was dim, the air stale as though it hadn't been lived in for weeks.
Tobio decided to check the second floor. As he and Lavinia climbed the stairs, they sensed something human-like.
Tobio and Lavinia, returning momentarily to the entrance hall, began ascending the stairs.
He also spotted something possessing a human-like appearance on the second floor.
Glancing over at Lavinia, she had seen the same thing, her gaze directed upwards. She seized her ear and said.
"...Natsume, Shark, I want you to be cautious."
This was an announcement of preparation for battle. In an instant, a tense atmosphere dominated the house.
"...Jin."
Tobio, calmly summoning his partner, gave such an order. As he swallowed his saliva, the puppy ascended the stairs from behind him.
Jin scouted ahead. Jin was a great reassurance despite his small size. Without him, Tobio would have panicked at the sight of the human silhouette.
Nervous but supported by Jin and his colleagues, Tobio headed to Sae's room on the second floor.
Inside Sae's room, everything seemed untouched. He had been in the room many times. It was a typical girl's room, clean and tidy.
Opening the desk drawer, Tobio found study materials and a diary. As he flipped through it, he found an entry from the day before the trip.
He paused at her last entry, about her wanting to go to Hawaii with him, but knowing he wasn't fully recovered she was very concerned about Tobio's health. The diary ended abruptly, just before the trip.
After Lavinia finished her magic, they left and headed to Sae's parents' room, hoping to find something his grandmother had entrusted to them.
Searching through the room, Tobio found a safe in the closet.
At that moment, the door to the room opened with a *kii* sound. Tobio and Lavinia looked over that way, where there was a single young girl standing on the other side of the door. That figure was recognizable. It was obvious.
"Sae!"
Appearing right in front of his eyes, this person was his childhood friend Sae. She was *jii* staring in his direction.
...At last, we've met up!
His eyes moistening, driven by a sudden desire to immediately rush over to her, he frantically resisted.
"Sae, it's me. Can you understand me?"
However, despite Tobio's cry, the figure he had perceived over there, Sae, showed no change. Before his eyes, Sae was merely wearing a thin ominous smile. Tobio's gaze perceived something.
The prayer beads on her left hand——.
That, it was something recognizable. It was the precious prayer beads he'd inherited from his grandmother. It was something he'd passed to Sae before the trip.
Tobio could do nothing but show a sorrowful expression.
He realized Sae had become an Utsusemi. Despite knowing that, Tobio couldn't bring himself to order Jin to kill her. Lavinia, understanding the situation, observed quietly.
A voice interrupted them. A middle-aged man in a suit entered, introducing himself as Himejima Hanezu, leader of the Utsusemi Agency—the group behind everything.
"The Five Principal Clans," Tobio murmured.
Tobio recognized him from a previous encounter and knew he was a dangerous adversary.
Himejima Hanezu, intrigued, stroked his chin. "It seems you've received information from that black-winged gang. That simplifies things. Those of you with the 'Four Fiends' will be retrieved."
Tobio remained silent. Azazel had said, he wasn't part of the 'Four Fiends'—an irregular.
The man laughed. "Of course, you're necessary too. Ikuse Tobio—no, Himejima Tobio."
'They've already investigated me,' he thought.
Himejima Hanezu continued, "It may seem strange, but your grandmother, Ageha, was from the Himejima Clan. The Clan isn't keen on this power from their bloodline, but…"
"I'm Ikuse. Himejima was just my grandmother's maiden name."
"You may think so, but to those in the shadows, your Himejima blood takes precedence. It's ironic—the 'Dog' comes from someone expelled from the Clan."
Hanezu looked down at Jin, his expression devoid of emotion, his smile artificial.
"My desire has been partly fulfilled. Ikuse Tobio, a 'demon' has been born from the Himejima line, beyond the daughter of 'lightning.' A true creation. It's comedic.
Instead of the 'red' of the Suzaku, they've given birth to 'jet black.' Your face reminds me of the former Himejima chief."
He shook his head. "But my brethren don't see it that way. I must follow the 'Project' as the one responsible for this organization."
Tobio couldn't understand what Hanezu was saying, but he sensed deep enmity in his words.
The man continued without care.
"Ikuse Tobio, why not lend us your power? Instead of cutting us down, why not overthrow the monsters from the Five Principal Clans?"
"...You're only saying what's convenient for you. I don't even understand the significance of that!"
Tobio was frustrated by the man's unilateral demands. To ask for his power now, while Sae was beside him, was intolerable.
The man smiled. "...Draw that ominous blade of yours, and you shall understand my responsibility."
He gestured, and Sae stepped forward, her left hand slashing horizontally.
The shadow at her feet spread through the room, taking shape.
Tobio widened his eyes in shock. A massive, jet-black lion appeared, larger than any Barbary Lion, its golden eyes filled with bloodlust, baring sharp fangs with a low growl.
The sheer presence of the beast chilled Tobio to his core. This lion was different from anything he'd fought before.
While Tobio trembled, Jin stood firm, fearlessly facing the lion, prepared to protect his master.
Tobio, moved by Jin's courage, felt his fear disappear. He wouldn't betray Jin's loyalty.
Himejima Hanezu spoke beside the lion. "This was developed by magicians working with us. It's called 'The Cowardly Leo (The Lion That Lost its Courage)'. Sae is the only one who could command it."
...Sae is commanding this lion?
Lavinia scowled at the lion. "...One of the three has already manifested? This is the reality behind their experiment?"
Hanezu responded, "Young lady of Akatsuki, convey this to your leader. They are serious."
Lavinia, displeased, pointed her wand. "...How utterly unpleasant."
Just then, Tobio heard Natsume's voice through his magical communicator.
'Ikuse-kun! The house is surrounded!'
Tobio turned around and saw a Utsusemi monster on the verandah, accompanied by a fellow student.
The house and garden were surrounded by a swarm of Utsusemi.
He glanced at Himejima Hanezu, who shrugged.
"You want to quarrel here? It doesn't matter to me. But, one suggestion." He raised a finger.
"We could show you our research facility. Your fellow students and their healthy relatives are there.
With the lion and Utsusemi surrounding the house, there's no safe way out. So, would you come peacefully?"
They were being invited to the hideout, but it would mean becoming captives. Yet, it was also an opportunity to uncover the truth.
Cutting their way out seemed impossible. Himejima Hanezu and the lion were too powerful, and in the confined space, Tobio's 'Blade from the Shadows' attack would be limited.
Even though Jin possessed a small body it would seem that his movements would be slightly affected... the chance of injuring Sae as well was far too high. So Lavinia also couldn't act carelessly.
'... Then, should we escape? No, even supposing we escaped, someone would invariably be seriously injured,' Tobio thought.
Himejima Hanezu pulled a square wooden box from his pocket, covered in talismans.
There were talismans with magical characters affixed to the box. Seeing them, Tobio's mind raced. This must be what his grandmother had passed to Sae's parents, something connected to his roots——.
Himejima Hanezu spoke.
"There is something contained within this strongbox. I have been borrowing it for some time. What it is, I haven't checked yet. Is it the same for you, Ikuse Tobio-kun? In terms of the contents——"
He paused, his words lingering... Then as if linking one point to another, Himejima Hanezu made an inviting gesture while speaking to Tobio and Lavinia.
"Well now, after you."
Holding Jin in his arms Tobio addressed him in his thoughts.
'Jin, stay with me. We'll defeat them from within and save Sae and everyone.'
In spite of the fear that was clinging to his body, Tobio's fighting spirit did not waver.