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"Over here, over here."
In the forest behind Yasaka Shrine, Kunou led Ryo along a narrow path before stopping in front of a small, weathered shrine.
"This is the place."
She let out a quiet breath of relief, then turned back to him. Her little face tensed, eyes fixed on his.
"Leader… do you trust me?"
Ryo glanced at her, then shook his head. "No."
"Huh?!"
Kunou froze, completely thrown off. "You don't trust me, and you still followed me here? What if this is a trap?!"
"I thought you'd call me heartless or something." Instead of getting defensive, Ryo actually smiled.
He'd already braced himself for that kind of accusation. After all, he was kinda her stepdad.
"Guess it's because I'm confident I can handle whatever happens next," he said lightly. "So I came."
"I see…"
Kunou nodded, realization dawning.
Honestly, she hadn't expected him to trust her either. Compared to pretty lies, she preferred this kind of blunt honesty.
Taking a deep breath, she turned toward the back of the shrine and called out, "You can come out now."
"Thank you, Kunou."
A calm, elegant female voice answered.
From behind the shrine, a woman stepped forward, dressed in red and white shrine maiden robes, her long hair tied in a high ponytail. She gave a polite bow to Ryo.
"This is our first meeting, Lord Ryo."
Ryo raised a brow, studying her carefully. Then, a hint of surprise crossed his face.
"Akeno Himejima?"
The woman paused mid-step, then shook her head.
"My apologies, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm Akeno's cousin, Suzaku Himejima."
She paused briefly, then added, "And the next head of the Himejima family."
But inwardly, Suzaku's heart had already sunk.
That moment of recognition told her everything. Ryo must have met Akeno before.
And knowing her cousin… Suzaku could easily imagine the conversation.
'Just as I thought… the yokai and the fallen angels have joined forces.'
She let out a silent sigh.
Even Kyoto yokai faction required the combined strength of the Five Great Exorcist Families to resist. Add the fallen angels into the mix, and without outside help, they would be crushed in no time.
By the time devils or other pantheons reacted, it would already be too late.
The Himejima family had truly reached a life-or-death crossroads.
"I see."
Ryo nodded, then glanced at Kunou and shrugged. "No wonder you asked if I trusted you. You were worried I'd think you'd teamed up with the Himejima family."
"Hehe." Kunou stuck out her tongue playfully. "Suzaku and I are actually good friends, you know. Just… not publicly."
Kyoto's circles weren't that big. The younger generation of the exorcist families and the yokai faction all knew each other.
But right now, the yokai and the Himejima family were at war. Bringing Ryo here to meet the next head of the Himejima family could easily look like collusion.
If Suzaku had actually set up an ambush, Kunou wouldn't have been able to explain herself at all.
Thankfully, she hadn't.
Though in truth, Ryo didn't care either way.
Yokai, exorcists, fallen angels, even devils… to him, they were all the same.
If they all teamed up, it might even save him some trouble. Better than conquering them one by one.
From start to finish, his expression remained completely relaxed.
"So," he said casually, "what does the future head of the Himejima family want with me?"
Suzaku took a steady breath. "I'm here to negotiate."
She paused, her gaze turning serious. "And I'm doing so in a personal capacity."
"Oh?"
Ryo's brow lifted slightly, interest flickering in his eyes.
So she wasn't here on behalf of the Himejima family?
That was… interesting.
"What are you offering?"
"The Himejima family. Everything it has."
Her tone was calm and unwavering.
"Not enough."
Ryo shook his head, looking at her with quiet amusement.
"That alone isn't worth me backing you."
They were both smart enough to understand what was going on.
Suzaku, the designated successor, approaching him alone to make a deal… no matter how you spun it, her goal was to secure the future of the Himejima family.
But from Ryo's perspective, whether the family was hedging its bets or Suzaku was making a power play didn't matter.
Crushing the Himejima family would be far easier than propping her up.
Suzaku sighed softly, "As expected… your target is the Five Families as a whole."
She had already suspected as much.
There was no reason for the yokai and fallen angels to join forces over just the Himejima family alone.
Only the collective strength of the Five Families could stand on equal footing with the yokai. And the fallen angels were even stronger still, one of the three major factions of the world system.
If they were working together, then the goal was obvious: to swallow the entire Five Families while the fragile balance between devils, angels, and other pantheons still held.
The yokai would act openly. The fallen angels would stabilize things from the shadows, blocking interference from other forces.
Suzaku had understood from the beginning that if this was truly the case, her initial offer wouldn't be enough.
But people always cling to a sliver of hope.
Now, that hope had been shattered.
After a brief silence, she dropped to one knee.
"If you require it… I can persuade the heirs of the other four families to accept your rule."
"Now that's interesting."
Ryo gave her a more appraising look.
She adjusted quickly. Offered a better deal without hesitation.
Clear-headed, though still a bit inexperienced. There was a touch of naivety there.
Still… far sharper than Kunou.
"What do you want?"
He looked at her with open curiosity. "You're willing to sell out the Five Families. What are you hoping to gain in return?"
"What I want is simple," Suzaku said calmly. "The continuation of my family."
Her gaze didn't waver.
"For that, anyone in the Himejima family can be sacrificed."
She paused, then added the final line. "Myself included."
"Not a bad offer."
Ryo smiled at her.
Whether he was praising her resolve… or her as a person… was hard to tell.
After all, both could be considered bargaining chips.
"And your answer?"
Suzaku looked at him, a trace of hope flickering in her eyes.
.
.
.