On the road in front of the Hidden Management Department.
Gazing at the building that was only six storeys high but covered a vast area, Ayame Jinguuji, seated in her wheelchair, looked somewhat emotional.
"I used to wonder what it would be like to come into contact with those monsters from the mystic side. I never expected it would be under these circumstances."
At that moment, Yomi Isayama, standing behind Ayame Jinguuji and holding the wheelchair handles, said with a face full of apology:
"I'm sorry, Director."
"This isn't your fault, Yomi."
Ayame Jinguuji shook her head, her right hand gripping the armrest of the wheelchair.
"No one could have predicted that the Abnormal Creature Containment Office's first operation would trigger something like the attack on Kasumigaseki."
"You couldn't have foreseen it, and I certainly couldn't have."
What Ayame Jinguuji could have foreseen least of all was that, in the Kasumigaseki attack, everyone from the Abnormal Creature Containment Office would be dead, leaving no one to testify.
All the participants had died in the preceding attack. The only ones left were the support staff from the Ministry of Environment's Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office.
They, the ones who did the grunt work, had become the only ones left to take the blame.
It was because of this terrible situation that Ayame Jinguuji had appeared before the doors of the Hidden Management Department.
If she didn't come here seeking protection, once the Cabinet recovered, she would probably be framed as the main culprit in the Kasumigaseki attack.
Upon hearing Ayame Jinguuji's words, Yomi Isayama's expression grew even more ashamed.
Though she didn't turn around, Ayame Jinguuji knew Yomi's character well. Knowing the other girl was blaming herself, she just smiled and looked at the main entrance of the Hidden Management Department.
"Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever introduced you to her, have I, Yomi?"
"Introduced to who?" Yomi's face was filled with confusion.
Just then, Ayame Jinguuji said with a smile on her lips:
"The ace of our Jinguuji family, the current head of the clan!"
As Ayame Jinguuji spoke, a gentle breeze suddenly stirred in the empty space directly in front of them.
The breeze swirled, forming a whirlwind in an instant. As a few rays of sunlight fell, the pedestrians walking along the road felt their vision blur, their lines of sight unknowingly blocked.
At that very moment, within the whirlwind, a girl with a cold expression, dressed in a black gothic lolita dress with a crescent moon mark on her brow, appeared before Ayame Jinguuji and Yomi Isayama.
Kuesu Jingūji!
The current head of the Jinguuji family, one of the financial backers behind the Ministry of Environment Countermeasures Office, and the supporter behind Ayame Jinguuji.
The woman the British Union called a witch.
As information about her flashed through her mind, Yomi Isayama was baffled by Kuesu Jingūji's appearance.
Before she could react, Kuesu Jingūji, who had appeared with the wind, placed a hand on her hip, lifted her chin slightly, and looked down at Ayame Jinguuji.
"It's been a while, Ayame."
"It certainly has." Ayame Jinguuji smiled while also voicing her own question. "I never imagined that you've been hiding inside the Hidden Management Department all this time."
Hearing this, Yomi Isayama's eyes widened in shock.
What was going on?
Besides her, a shameful mole working for the Hidden Management Department, another operative from the department was lurking within the Countermeasures Office.
And the most crucial part was that this person was the big boss behind the scenes at the Countermeasures Office?
'My boss's boss is actually a traitor, just like me?'
Realising this, Yomi Isayama was somewhat dumbfounded. She even began to wonder if her own boss, Miss Ayame Jinguuji, was also a mole.
Just as Yomi Isayama was reeling, Kuesu Jingūji merely shot a cold glance at her clanswoman and said in a calm tone, "It's merely a collaboration with the Hidden Management Department."
"Just a collaboration?" Ayame Jinguuji clearly didn't believe Kuesu Jingūji's words, questioning her instead. "But how come I've heard that you're actually a high-ranking member of the SDS Intelligence Department?"
At this point, Ayame's tone carried a hint of playfulness. "I've even heard that you are, in fact, the Director of the SDS Intelligence Department?"
Watching the confrontation between her immediate superior and the overall boss, Yomi Isayama wished she hadn't been born with ears.
As the SDS was a famous major power on the mystic side, Yomi Isayama had naturally heard of the organisation's power structure.
Below the SDS Supreme Council, headed by Supreme Chairwoman Lacus Clyne, were the influential directors of the major departments, who held A-rank authority.
Below these directors were the B-rank branch directors from various regions and the commanders-in-chief of the special operations teams.
Further down were the C-rank team leaders and Elite Rank members, as well as the D-rank members who formed the front line. It went without saying that these were the members most organisations had contact with.
A special department like the Intelligence Department would obviously not be led by a member below C-rank; it would be led by a B-rank or even A-rank member.
And for her own Director to expose this so openly, it was highly likely that an A-rank member was involved.
In other words, Kuesu Jingūji was actually part of the SDS core leadership?
Seeing this, Yomi Isayama suddenly felt that she no longer needed to feel guilty about her previous actions as a mole.
Because she now seriously suspected that the Ministry of Environment's Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office was purely a front. They should be calling themselves the SDS Intelligence Department's Ministry of Environment Cabinet Branch!
At that moment, faced with Ayame Jinguuji's exposure, Kuesu Jingūji merely raised an eyebrow slightly. She didn't answer the question; instead, she said, with a tone of tacit acknowledgement, "Is this why you sent a message wanting to see me?"
Ayame Jinguuji smiled. "That's part of the reason, but more importantly, I want to sell the Countermeasures Office for a better price."
"After all..." Ayame Jinguuji narrowed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips as she gazed at her younger clanswoman, at the woman reputed to be the most cold-blooded head in the history of the Jinguuji family. "Even when surrendering, having backing and not having backing are two different things."
Hearing Ayame Jinguuji say this, Kuesu Jingūji just gave her a cool glance before saying, "When you make contact with the Hidden Management Department, you can mention the Intelligence Department's name."
'She admitted it?' Yomi Isayama was stunned.
Then, Ayame Jinguuji asked again, "Does the Jinguuji family need to fully align with the SDS?"
Hearing this, Kuesu Jingūji glanced at Ayame and said indifferently, "...Aligning with the Intelligence Department and the Hidden Management Department will suffice."
Although Kuesu Jingūji didn't care about the Jinguuji family, she didn't want them to pick the wrong side and face unnecessary risks.
However, with her personality, this was the most she would ever advise.
After giving her advice, a small whirlwind began to form around Kuesu Jingūji.
Before she vanished, Kuesu Jingūji said coldly, "I'll let you pass this time. Next time, unless the Jinguuji family is facing a crisis of annihilation, don't send me such useless information."
With that, Kuesu Jingūji's figure disappeared amidst the whistling wind.
Seeing her family head's temper, Ayame Jinguuji felt a little weary. "As expected, in Kuesu's eyes, as long as she exists, the Jinguuji family's inheritance can continue, is that it?"
"To have such a family head in this generation, I really don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
After saying this with a troubled expression, Ayame Jinguuji turned her head and smiled at Yomi Isayama. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Yomi."
"Now, we can safely and relaxedly enter the Hidden Management Department to discuss the matter of protection~"
Hearing Ayame Jinguuji's slightly playful tone, Yomi Isayama paused, sighed, then gripped the handles of the wheelchair and pushed Ayame Jinguuji into the ground-floor lobby of the Hidden Management Department.