— — — — — —
In the rear courtyard of Yasaka Shrine, inside the residence where Ryo was currently staying—
"Have the Five Families all been brought under control?"
Ryo sat at his desk, reading through a stack of letters as he asked the question.
Behind him, along the corridor by the doorway, Suzaku knelt in a formal seiza position, dressed in a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit. She nodded.
"Yes. Including the Nakiri family, the other four have all sworn loyalty to you."
She spoke without the slightest hesitation, not even bothering to avoid the two people nearby, Rias and Akeno. There was no concern about leaking information.
In truth, with their magic sealed, the two girls were little more than physically strong "ordinary people." There was no way for them to send messages outside.
So Rias simply relaxed and treated herself as a spectator, enjoying a front-row view of the collapse of the Five Families.
Akeno, on the other hand, felt… complicated.
Watching the very family that had killed her mother and hunted her down fall apart like this, Akeno felt both vindicated and… unsatisfied.
They deserved it.
And yet, she wished she'd been the one to do it.
If given the choice, she would have preferred to take her revenge with her own hands.
Unfortunately, with her current strength, that had never been a realistic possibility.
And now that the old leadership of the Himejima family had been wiped out, the new family under Suzaku wasn't even part of her revenge anymore.
Akeno understood this clearly.
Back when she was still in the family, the one who had quietly protected her, that "tainted" child, had always been Suzaku.
She also knew the truth behind what happened.
The previous head, Suou Himejima, had struck during Suzaku's weakest moment, right when she was inheriting the Himejima family's power, the Vermillion Bird.
"None of the other families resisted?"
Ryo set down the letter and looked up.
"No."
Suzaku's answer was calm and straightforward. It was simply the truth.
Ryo considered that, then nodded slightly. "Figures. I've got their heirs in my hands, and I'm holding onto the core of their power too. Not resisting is the smart move."
The foundation of the Five Families lay in the inheritance of five Sacred Beasts: Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Yellow Dragon.
Those legacies were everything. Without them, the families had no standing.
Ryo let out a quiet chuckle, then glanced at Akeno. "What about the Himejima family?"
Suzaku paused.
Even without turning around, she could feel Akeno's gaze on her.
The moment she saw her cousin in this room earlier, she'd already begun forming her own conclusions.
Akeno's connection to Ryo was clearly anything but ordinary.
It was even possible that she was one of the masterminds behind the alliance between the yokai and the Fallen Angels to bring down the Five Families.
After all, everything had started with Ryo sweeping through Kyoto's surrounding forces and defeating the Fallen Angel cadre, Baraqiel.
That single event had shattered the balance of power between yokai and exorcists.
Believing that the yokai's ambitions were growing out of control, the Himejima family had proposed a preemptive strike.
And that… had led to their downfall.
At the center of it all were two key points: Ryo's appearance, and Baraqiel's defeat.
And now, Baraqiel's daughter was standing in Ryo's room.
It was hard not to connect the dots.
Especially when you factored in how Ryo had humiliated Baraqiel with women's clothing.
Powerhouses at that level didn't humiliate each other without reason.
Either it was to vent Akeno's anger… or to disguise the fact that they were actually working together.
So Akeno's importance in Ryo's circle needed to be reassessed.
At that thought, Suzaku couldn't help but smile bitterly.
She had spent nearly ten years trying to change the family from within and achieved nothing.
Meanwhile, her cousin had run away at eight…
And now, at seventeen, had turned the entire situation around.
Even accounting for growth and planning, it meant Akeno might have started laying the groundwork as early as eleven or twelve.
Five years.
That was all it took.
Far more capable than me…
Aunt Shuri really did give birth to an incredible daughter.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Suzaku answered seriously, "Including Suou Himejima, twenty-one direct members of the main family have been detained in the underground prison you designated."
Those twenty-one made up over eighty percent of the Himejima family's fighting strength.
That was precisely why Suzaku had never been able to oppose the family before.
The family was effectively crippled. From this point on, they would have no choice but to rely on the yokai.
Suzaku had already come to terms with that.
After all, this outcome was the result of her own failure.
"Twenty-one…"
Akeno's eyes turned cold at the number.
Each of those people represented someone she hated.
Ryo noticed, but didn't comment. He simply said, "Twenty-one should be enough for now. The timing's about right too."
"About right?"
Suzaku, Akeno, and Rias all looked confused.
Right at that moment, a familiar set of footsteps approached.
A crow tengu appeared at the entrance, dropping to one knee.
"Commander, Fallen Angel Governor Azazel has arrived, accompanied by the cadre Baraqiel."
…So that's how it is.
Suzaku finally looked up at Akeno.
At the same time, Akeno stood there with a calm, indifferent expression, as if none of this concerned her at all.
That only made Suzaku more certain of her suspicions.
But beside her, Rias was watching with a strange look.
Then she noticed it.
Akeno's leg was trembling.
'Oh wow… she's trying to run.'
Every time Akeno did something guilty, she had that habit.
Did she think no one would notice?
Smiling sweetly, Rias slipped her arm around Akeno's, effectively locking her in place.
"What are you doing?" Akeno glanced at her, expression blank.
"I'm helping you," Rias replied, convinced she was doing the right thing.
"…"
Whatever Akeno tried to communicate next with her eyes went completely over Rias's head. Mostly because it consisted of words Rias would rather not interpret.
Ryo set the letters aside and stood up. Then he glanced at Akeno.
"Come along. Let's go meet them."
Akeno opened her mouth, about to refuse—
But before she could say a word, Rias dragged her along after Ryo.
"…"
For the first time in her life, Akeno seriously considered cutting ties with her dear friend Rias.
.
.
.