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Itogami Island — Keystone Gate — Foreign Affairs Department, Press Office.
Click. Click. Click.
On stage, Natsuki Minamiya finished signing the terrorist extradition agreement and shook hands with officials sent by Japan's government. Camera flashes exploded like fireworks as reporters scrambled for the perfect shot.
Watching from a corner, Asagi Aiba had a baseball cap pulled low and a mask covering half her face. She glanced sideways at Ryo, who hadn't bothered with any disguise at all.
"So they just handed the people over like that?" she muttered. "No last-minute resistance or anything?"
"Oh, they resisted," Ryo said with a faint smile, his tone playful. "In the Garden of Whispers, they submitted a formal report trying to block the extradition. I vetoed it."
"…Seriously?"
Asagi's eyes widened. For a moment she looked torn between exasperation and laughter.
She'd been part of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization for over a year and a half and had practically forgotten about the Garden of Whispers, the joint council that represented it.
Only faction leaders could attend, and unless something major happened, Primogenitors rarely showed up. It wasn't strange that it slipped her mind.
But hearing Ryo say he used his authority to personally veto Japan's last stand…
The thought alone was weirdly satisfying.
Too bad she couldn't sit in on those meetings. She would've loved to see the prime minister's face when the decision came down.
It must have been priceless.
She stifled a laugh, then looked back at Natsuki on stage, her expression stiff and official. Asagi automatically shifted into work mode.
"Alright, next up is handling the Bureau of Astrology and the Lion King Agency's transfer arrangements. Housing, unit assignments, all that stuff…"
She trailed off, frowning slightly.
"Come to think of it, we just processed a huge wave of new residents when Shizuri brought those people from Onrai Island. That wasn't even that long ago. And ever since then, it feels like more people have been landing here. Both through official channels and… less official ones."
Ryo leaned against the wall, eyes forward, "Any sleepers mixed in?"
"Plenty."
Asagi blinked, her expression turning sly. "Among the people Japan sent over, a few are carrying specialized communication devices. I've already had Mogwai tag and track them."
"As for the Onrai Island residents, some of them were actually long-term spies from various factions. They got stuck there for years, but recently they've restarted their old networks."
She crossed her arms.
"Some of their encrypted transmissions are suspiciously similar to the MAR Corporation's cipher patterns that Meiga Itogami once used. I intercepted a few without tipping them off."
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "So MAR still has people embedded on Itogami Island?"
Honestly, he had to admire MAR's survival instincts.
After a year and a half of being targeted by Meiga Itogami, Natsuki Minamiya, Aya Tokoyogi, and even the Lion King Agency, they still hadn't been wiped out. Their resilience rivaled cockroaches.
The Devas' remnants were no joke. With just local forces, completely uprooting them might have been impossible.
"There's more than a few," Asagi continued. "We've confirmed over thirty spies and eleven shell companies so far."
Her tone grew a little wary. "A lot of those corporate firewalls require me to personally break in if we want to stay undetected."
"Oh, and one of those companies filed a cross-border transport request to the Moscow Empire yesterday. Claimed it was for scientific research. The cargo is listed as the remains of a saint."
Ryo glanced at her. "And that bothers you because?"
"According to the archived photos, the remains belong to a female saint. But when I looked at them… I felt something. Like familiarity." Asagi rubbed her arms, goosebumps rising.
"And it gave me the creeps. I have this weird feeling that the saint isn't really dead. More like she's turned into some kind of… ghost."
She glanced around instinctively, clearly uneasy.
Asagi had always been afraid of ghosts. A few days ago, when they'd gone to an amusement park, she'd nearly jumped out of her skin in a haunted house and ended up clinging to Ryo's waist until he dragged her out.
Now she was getting that same "unclean" sensation from what was supposedly just a corpse. Of course she was unsettled.
"Relax," Ryo said softly, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Remember the world of Shinigami I told you about? They specialize in killing ghosts. I'll give you a few protective trinkets using Kidō techniques. You'll be fine."
Outwardly calm, inwardly his thoughts were already racing.
A female saint's corpse. One that made Asagi feel a strange familiarity.
That description reminded him of something from the original story.
The one known by the codename "High Priestess." Officially dead, but her consciousness remained.
If it really was her, then the Moscow Empire had likely joined hands with forces opposed to him.
The groups who knew that the High Priestess could manipulate the Cleansing ritual were limited. MAR Corporation. The Order of the End. The Vampire King.
Looks like the little rats are starting to move.
He gave Asagi's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Have there been more arrivals through the black market lately?"
Itogami Island absolutely had a black market.
It liked to pretend it operated outside the Empire's jurisdiction. In reality, it was under constant surveillance.
With Asagi's control over the Empire's electronic systems, keeping tabs on it was trivial. No matter how clever the organizers were, they couldn't outmaneuver a super hacker backed by the entire Technology Development Bureau.
Every black-market boss who thought they were untouchable was quietly registered in the police database. They just hadn't been arrested yet.
Asagi nodded.
"A lot. Official routes, unofficial routes, all of it. Natsuki's been getting headaches from the sudden surge. She's even considering making arrests."
"And among them, we've identified confirmed subordinates of the Vampire King."
"So it's that many, huh…"
Any lingering doubt in Ryo's mind vanished.
The factions targeting him had likely joined forces.
MAR plus the Vampire King. Is that all you've got?
A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
He was curious to see what tricks these rats would try before they died.
He smiled and patted Asagi's shoulder.
"The press conference is almost over. Want to grab dinner later?"
She paused, glanced around, then leaned close and whispered in his ear. "My parents aren't home tonight."
Ryo's expression shifted, growing far more interesting.
"In that case… how about we head to your place and add something extra to the menu?"
Asagi raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want me cooking? You remember what happened in home economics class. Half the class nearly died."
He gave her a meaningful smile. "It's fine. I'm sure there's something there I can eat."
She blinked, then her cheeks warmed slightly.
.
.
.