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The door swung open before my knuckles could connect a second time.
I had expected the secretary, maybe a guard, some functionary who would usher me into an antechamber and make me wait while the Headmaster finished his morning tea. Instead, the massive oak door simply drifted inward, silent and smooth, as if it had been waiting for me.
Beyond it, the office was large just like last time I was summoned here. Bookshelves lined the walls, their spines a mix of ancient leather and modern plastic, titles in languages I could not identify. A massive desk carved from what looked like petrified wood dominated the center of the room, its surface covered in papers, scrolls, and a single silver tea set that steamed gently in the morning light.
Behind the desk sat Tenmei Mikogami.
He was not what you would have expected, if you knew him from the show.
In the anime, he had been portrayed as a mysterious, almost aloof figure, giving the impression that the headmaster of the Yokai Academy was an Exorcist, quite befitting for the setting if you would ask me.
But seeing him in person, I understood why the students whispered about him in the hallways. He was tall, his silver hair tied in a low ponytail that fell over the shoulder of his black robes. His face was ageless, neither young nor old, and his dark eyes held a depth that seemed to swallow the light.
He was smiling.
Not a warm smile, not a friendly one. It was the smile of a predator who had already seen the future and found it amusing.
"Aono Tsukune," he said, his voice smooth, almost melodic. "What brings you to my office? It is rare for someone so busy to grace me with their presence. I have not felt this in centuries."
There was no hostility in his tone. No curiosity either. Just a calm, almost playful acknowledgment of my presence, as if he had been expecting me all along.
I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me with a soft click.
"Please, sit." He gestured to the chair across from his desk. "We have much to discuss, you and I."
I sat. The chair was comfortable, upholstered in dark leather that creaked beneath my weight. My hands rested on the armrests, and I forced myself not to grip them too tightly. My heart was pounding, but I kept my breathing steady, my expression neutral.
I took the opportunity to study him more closely.
[Name: Tenmei Mikogami]
[Threat Level: SSS (Kishin – Oni / Demon God)]
[Status: Unreadable]
The System window flickered in the corner of my vision, and I dismissed it with a blink. SSS‑tier. That was not a ranking I had seen before when I first met him since I didn't dare mess around with my System in his presence. Even Inner Moka, at her full power, was only S‑tier. This man, this being, was on an entirely different level.
And he was smiling at me like I was a child who had wandered into an adult's conversation.
"Tea?" Mikogami lifted the silver pot, and the steam curled around his fingers. "I find it helps with the nerves."
"I am not nervous." The lie came easily.
He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "Of course not. But you will drink it anyway."
He poured a cup and slid it across the desk toward me. The liquid was pale amber, almost golden, and it smelled of honey and something else, something I could not identify. I wrapped my fingers around the cup, feeling the warmth seep into my skin.
"If you need sugar, you can take it freely," he added, nodding toward a small bowl of crystalline cubes.
I did not add sugar. I took a sip, and the tea was smooth, almost too smooth, as if it had been brewed with the patience of a monk. The warmth spread through my chest, and I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease.
'Do not let your guard down. He is testing you.'
Mikogami set down his own cup and folded his hands on the desk. His dark eyes fixed on mine, and the amusement in them had not faded.
"Now, back to the reason you came to visit me."
I set the cup down. There was no point in delaying. The words I had rehearsed in my head, the arguments I had prepared, the confessions I had steeled myself to make, all of it came together in a single, steady breath.
"Headmaster, I will not waste too much of your busy schedule. But I wanted to notify you that I have dispatched one of your teachers. He was about to sexually harass one of your students."
Mikogami's expression did not change. His smile remained fixed, his eyes unblinking. He might as well have been a statue for all the reaction he showed.
I continued, my voice calm, measured. "I have all the confirmation and even extracted a confession from this teacher working under you, Okuto Kotsubo. Based on simple logic and the rules of the supernatural world, I decided to deliver justice by my own hands."
Still nothing. No flicker of anger, no sign of surprise. Just that same patient, almost indifferent expression.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. My thumb found the recording, and I pressed play.
Okuto's voice filled the office, desperate and pathetic, a dying man's last attempt to save himself.
The recording played for another minute, then fell silent.
Mikogami's expression had not changed. He sat there, his hands still folded, his dark eyes still fixed on mine. The silence stretched between us, heavy and expectant.
Then he spoke.
"And what do you expect me to do now, Aono Tsukune?" His voice was flat, almost bored. "It seems you have already carried my edict and rid me of a parasite preying on my Academy."
I studied his face, searching for any hint of deception, any clue to his true intentions. There was nothing. He was an open book written in a language I did not understand.
"Headmaster, one thing bothers me, and it irks me more to hear your response." I leaned forward, keeping my voice steady. "From your reaction, it gives me the impression that you already knew about those incidents."
His eyebrow rose, just a fraction. "Oh?"
"Over the years, I am sure certain people must have come to you and asked for your help in stopping this kind of predatory behavior from the teachers." I held his gaze. "So, I want to ask you. Have you been aware of these incidents? If you have, why ignore those cries and not solve the problems lurking within the Academy?"
For a long moment, Mikogami did not answer. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming lightly on the armrest. Then he picked up his tea and took a slow, deliberate sip.
When he set the cup down, his eyes had darkened. There was no longer any amusement in them, only a cold, ancient weight that pressed against my chest like a physical force.
His Yoki leaked from his body, just a fraction, just enough to fill the room with an oppressive pressure that made the air thick and hard to breathe. It was not directed at me, not yet. But it was there, a reminder of the gulf that separated us.
"You want to ask me if I have been aware of the events happening in my Academy?" His voice was soft, almost a whisper.
I forced myself to meet his gaze. "Indeed."
"Then yes. I am aware of anything noteworthy taking place in this institution." He paused, and the pressure in the room intensified. "The reason I do not like to get involved and correct those mistakes is because correcting the same errors over and over becomes tedious after the first century."
I felt my jaw tighten. "Boredom? That is your excuse?"
"You might think that this goes over the board. Rape, killings, acts of terrorizing others, imposing oneself on others, ignoring rules, bringing chaos into the world." He listed the crimes as if he were reading a shopping list. "In a sense, it runs in the blood and bones of us Yokai. We are the monsters and demons in the shadows of the world. It is only normal that such behaviors, even when we try to suppress them, will break out."
He leaned forward, and his Yoki pressed against me like a tidal wave. "We are living in a world where the Law of the Strongest applies, Aono Tsukune. You should know that better than most."
I did not flinch. I could not afford to. But I felt the cold sweat on my palms, the tightness in my chest.
"Would not that destroy the idea your institution preaches?" I asked, my voice tighter than I wanted. "Teaching Yokai how to integrate into the human world?"
Mikogami laughed. It was a short, sharp sound, devoid of humor. "Does it? What about the humans born with a golden or silver spoon? They commit crimes, perform acts of bullying, deliver suffering to many of their colleagues just because they can. And in the end, they become some of the people controlling the world from the shadows."
He spread his hands. "What is the difference between the human world and the supernatural world? From my perspective, they run on the same law. They just mislead the larger population into believing they have a chance at a better life. But behind them, there is a hand guiding, puppeteering things from the sidelines."
The silence that followed was deafening. I could hear my own heartbeat, could feel the blood pumping through my veins.
"That still does not excuse letting students be preyed upon," I said.
"Perhaps not." Mikogami shrugged. "But you have already taken care of this one. And others will rise. The question is not whether evil exists, Tsukune‑kun. It is whether you have the will to crush it when it appears before you."
I swallowed my frustration and forced myself to speak. "You might say that. You might say you are too bored to act. But that just means you are incompetent."
Mikogami's smile returned, thin and cold. "Such hurtful words, Tsukune‑kun."
"I am only stating my own truth and opinion on things as I see them." I met his gaze without flinching. "You cannot think that letting students do as they wish, enforcing whatever twisted rules they have in mind about the 'purity' and 'conduct' of Yokai, is the right way to govern the day‑to‑day activity of this Academy."
He was silent for a moment. Then he shrugged, a surprisingly human gesture. "I will not dismiss your thoughts. However, maybe you have mistaken the true meaning of the Yokai Academy."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There are always sacrifices for the greater good." His voice was cold, pragmatic, stripped of all warmth. "The Academy is not merely a school, Aono Tsukune."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "You sound like the monsters you claim to oppose."
Mikogami's smile widened. It did not reach his eyes. "Perhaps. But you are becoming one too, Aono‑kun. The question is, what kind?"
The words hung in the air between us, heavy with implication. I wanted to deny them, to push back against the accusation. But I had killed a man. I had drunk his blood and consumed his essence. I had stood over his corpse and felt nothing but cold satisfaction.
'What kind of monster am I becoming?'
I pushed the thought aside and focused on the reason I had come. "You mentioned that I do not understand the true meaning of the Yokai Academy. If I am not wrong, aside from this place pretending to teach Yokai students how to integrate into the human world, this place is also meant to foster growth for the next generation of Yokai. Is that right?"
Mikogami looked at me, and then he laughed. It was a genuine sound, warm and surprised, and it transformed his cold features into something almost human.
"Pragmatic." He shook his head, still chuckling. "Who said that the young ones do not understand politics? You are finally getting an understanding of the Academy."
I did not smile. "The reason you have not gotten involved in the mess the students and teachers have created is because it has fostered a chaotic environment. A place ripe to stimulate the growth of others. If you want to change the status quo, you have to grow strong enough to defeat those who have a grasp of the current system."
Mikogami's eyes glittered. "Go on."
"That also explains why you did not expel me when I killed Saizo. You only gave me a verbal warning." I paused, letting the admission settle. "Ah, I just confessed my other crime."
He waved a hand dismissively. "Indiscriminate killing would attract too much attention. It would also raise the hostility of others, especially from outside the Academy. If you had done as you wished, the complaints would have been compelling enough to force my hand. I would have had to expel you."
I leaned back, my heart still pounding but my mind clearer. "So, Mikogami‑san, what happens now? Do I get a punishment for breaking the Academy rules?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Academy rules? Which one? Revealing your true form? Killing one of your own? Disturbing the peace? Destroying school property? Conspiring with known troublemakers?" He listed the infractions with a lazy wave of his hand, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "The list is quite extensive, Tsukune‑kun. I am sure we could find something to charge you with if I were so inclined."
I waited.
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "No. I do not see a reason to punish you. You did right to take out the trash. However, actions give way to reactions. You should be prepared for what comes next, because I will not get involved."
I felt a flicker of relief, quickly suppressed. "You are giving me free rein to do as I wish? Even if that means standing against the corruption of the Academy?"
"Sure, why not? Prove your worth, and survive long enough to be called a hero." His dark eyes met mine. "There is an old Greek saying: 'Before the gates of excellence, the gods have placed sweat.' Struggle is the path to greatness, my boy. Do not expect it to be easy."
I absorbed the words, nodding slowly.
"Anything else you wanted to tell me?"
I hesitated. There was one more question, the question that had been eating at me since I first learned the truth about my origins. I had avoided asking it, afraid of the answer. But now, sitting in the Headmaster's office, with his Yoki still pressing against my skin, I could no longer stay silent.
"Since you said you are aware of everything noteworthy taking place in the Academy, I do have another question."
Mikogami's smile returned, thin and knowing. "Go ahead. I feel like entertaining you some more."
"Why me?"
He tilted his head. "Why you? I do not know what you mean."
"Why pick me?" I kept my voice steady, though my heart was racing. "You fully know what I mean when I ask that. Do not play dumb. You know that I am a human. You have known from the beginning. I think even some teachers knew, such as Nekonome‑san."
Mikogami's expression did not change. "Oh? Are you a human? Then this is troublesome. I should act immediately and execute you."
His Yoki flared.
It was not the gentle pressure from before. This was a tidal wave, a crushing weight that drove the air from my lungs and pressed me into my chair. The books on the shelves rattled. The tea cups clinked. And I felt myself shrinking, a child before a god.
My body reacted on instinct. Crimson energy erupted from my skin, my Yoki clashing against his. My eyes bled to crimson, my fangs lengthened, and my hair bleached to silver. The partial transformation was not enough to match him, not even close, but it was enough to keep me conscious.
"I do not see any humans in my presence, Tsukune‑kun." Mikogami's voice was calm, almost gentle. "Just a troubled child who does not know where he belongs."
"Cut the bullshit, Mikogami!" My voice cracked, filled with frustration and somewhat fear. "Do you even know how hard it was for me to get to this point? Surviving in this cursed place?"
The pressure eased, just a fraction. Mikogami watched me, his dark eyes unreadable.
"Why me?" I continued, my voice lower now, but no less intense. "You did not punish me for killing Saizo. I get that you want to see something entertaining. You allowed me time to grow. But it irks me, knowing that I live in uncertainty. Wondering each day when someone will come after me."
I leaned forward, my crimson eyes locked on his. "It does not make sense for a mighty Demon Lord such as yourself to casually lose an Academy invitation in the human world so that my drunk father would stumble upon it. It does not make sense that I, who failed to enroll in my first choice for high school, would magically have my problems solved by joining this 'Yokai' Academy. It just does not make sense!"
The full transformation took me. My silver hair spilled over my shoulders, my fangs pressed against my lower lip, and my crimson eyes blazed with a hunger that had nothing to do with blood.
I was no longer the human boy who had stumbled into this world. I was a vampire, a predator, who needed to have his answers and no longer live in fear.
"Whatever you want from me, dream on." My voice was cold, final. "I will force the hand of fate myself and live my life my own way."
Mikogami stared at me for a long moment. Then he sighed, and the pressure in the room receded entirely. His expression softened, the cold amusement replaced by something almost like respect.
"Well said." He paused, letting the silence settle. "I apologize for causing you so much trouble, Tsukune‑kun. Truly. You are a special child, born with something that one in a billion humans would wish they had."
"I could not help myself when I saw you in the human world and felt that essence."
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "What?"
"I did not want you to suffer a life of servitude under the Devils, to be an experimental test subject for the Fallen Angels, or to be brainwashed by the Angels and the Vatican into mindless servitude to their 'God'." His voice was sincere, and for the first time, I saw something other than cold calculation in his eyes.
"Do you mean…"
"Indeed." Mikogami nodded. "Nothing in this world happens without reason, child. I sensed your latent Sacred Gear while I was at a meeting in the human world. This was ten years ago, when the first signs of its creation just bloomed. It was me who sealed the mana signature of the Sacred Gear. So, in a sense, I am also your protector. I allowed you to have a normal childhood without the constant interference of those strays."
I stared at him, my mind reeling back ten years ago, playing out the memory I received from the original Tsukune.
"You…"
"Why not tell you?" He shrugged. "Would you have believed me? A stranger appearing in your room, claiming to have sealed a world‑ending weapon inside your soul? You were a child. You deserved to grow up without that weight."
"Wait." My voice was hoarse. "The reason I could not awaken my Sacred Gear while trying my damned best was not because I was physically weak. It was because of you!"
"That is harsh, Tsukune‑kun." He smiled, but there was no malice in it. "I simply gave you a blessing back when you were smaller."
"When was that?" I searched my memories, clawing through years of forgotten moments. "I do not remember."
"The old priest at the mall?"
The world shifted.
I saw a memory that was not mine, or perhaps it was, buried so deep I had forgotten it. A younger version of myself, maybe six or seven years old, walking through a crowded mall with his mother and his cousin, Kyoko‑chan. The lights were bright, the sounds of shoppers and music blending into a cheerful chaos.
And then, an old man. He was dressed in robes that seemed out of place, his silver hair disheveled, his cane clattering to the floor. He had looked so frail, so helpless.
The younger Tsukune had stopped. He had tugged on his mother's sleeve, pointing at the old man who struggled to bend down and retrieve his fallen cane. Kyoko‑chan had been the one to run forward first, her small hands wrapping around the carved wood. She had handed it back to the old priest with a bright, innocent smile.
And then the priest had looked at me.
Not at Kyoko‑chan, not at the crowd, not at any of the other children running past. His eyes had found me, and they had held a depth that did not belong on the face of a frail old man. He had reached out and placed a hand on my forehead, his thumb pressing gently against my skin.
"You have a kind heart, young one," he had said, his voice thin and reedy, yet somehow carrying across the noise. "Let me give you a blessing. A small one. To keep you safe."
Kyoko‑chan had received a silver cross on a chain, her small fingers closing around it with wonder. I had received a dab of oil on my forehead, cool and fragrant, and a whispered prayer that I had not understood.
And then the old man had smiled, bowed, and disappeared into the crowd.
The memory faded, and I was back in the Headmaster's office, my hand pressed against my forehead where the oil had been applied so many years ago.
"That was you," I whispered.
Mikogami's form shimmered. The ageless face, the sharp features, the dark eyes, all of it rippled and shifted. For a moment, I saw the old priest from the mall, the kind eyes, the weathered skin, the gentle smile. And then he was himself again, the Headmaster of Yokai Academy, the Demon God who had watched over me from the shadows.
"I do not have the ability to see the future, but I can sense fate." He leaned back, his hands folded in his lap. "I saw that you would need protection. That the world would try to consume you before you were ready. So I gave you what I could. A seal to hide your power. A blessing to ease your path. And a cross for your cousin, so that she would not be caught in the wake of your destiny."
My hand drifted to my pocket. I pulled out the silver cross, the one Kyoko‑chan had given me before I left for the Academy. It had been with me since the beginning, a reminder of home, of family, of the world I had left behind.
It should have burned me. It was a holy symbol, and I was a vampire. But the metal was cool against my palm, and the chain felt warm around my neck.
"It does not hurt me," I said, more to myself than to him.
"It is a Holy Lock," Mikogami explained. "A seal designed to suppress supernatural power, not to harm. You have seen it before, on Moka Akashiya's chest. The Rosario Cross is a more refined version, created in coordination with her mother to protect her from herself and from a corrupting being."
"Alucard."
The name escaped my lips like a curse. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed to deepen, and for a moment, I thought I heard a whisper, a cold, mocking voice that slithered through my mind.
I flinched, my hand pressing against my temple. The voice was faint, distant, but it was there, a reminder of the parasite that lurked in my blood.
Mikogami's eyes narrowed. "You have met him, I presume."
"He almost took over my body," I said, my voice tight. "If I had not awakened my Sacred Gear in that moment, it would not be me speaking to you right now."
The whisper faded, but I felt its lingering presence, a cold weight at the edge of my consciousness. Alucard was watching, waiting, biding his time.
Mikogami studied me for a long moment. Then he reached across the desk and took the cross from my hand.
"May I?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
He held the cross between his palms, and a soft golden light bloomed between his fingers. The silver metal grew warm, then hot, and the chain lengthened, thickening into something more substantial. The cross itself expanded, its edges sharpening, its surface etched with symbols I did not recognize.
When he opened his hands, the cross was no longer a delicate piece of jewelry. It was a Holy Lock, similar to Moka's Rosario, but smaller, more compact. The chain was sturdy, designed to be wrapped around an arm or a wrist.
"This will help," Mikogami said, taking my right arm and wrapping the chain around it. The metal was warm against my skin, and as he fastened the lock, I felt a surge of energy, a wave of calm that washed away the whispers in my mind.
My fangs retracted. My hair darkened from silver to black. My eyes faded from crimson to brown. The transformation receded, and I was human again, slumped in the chair, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
"That was uncalled for," I managed, my voice weak.
"Sorry for that, Tsukune‑kun." Mikogami's smile was gentle, almost apologetic. "But it is better not to risk yourself playing a gambit with that snake, Alucard. With this Holy Lock now in place, you will have an easier time adapting and growing into a Shinso Vampire without being corrupted by him."
I looked down at my arm. The chain was snug but not tight, the cross resting against my wrist like a watch. It was warm, and the whispers had faded to nothing.
"This feels like being imprisoned," I grumbled.
"You'll grow into it, and I'll even give you a key to remove it once you want to turn into your Vampire form. This will be the only defensive mechanism you have against his corruption until you're ready to face him by yourself."
"Also, the seal I placed on you ten years ago has been removed, and a new one has taken its place. There will be some discomfort."
"Some discomfort?" I flexed my fingers. They were steady. "I feel fine."
"Good." Mikogami poured another cup of tea and slid it across the desk. "Drink. You look pale."
I took the cup and drank. The tea was warm, soothing, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.
"You still have not answered my question," I said, setting the cup down. "Why me?"
Mikogami was silent for a moment. Then he sighed, and his expression grew thoughtful.
"Because you are a convergence," he said finally. "A point where multiple paths intersect. The Sacred Gear within you, now the vampire blood in your veins, the will that refuses to break… all of it has the potential to reshape the world."
"I do not want to reshape the world."
"Perhaps not. But the world will try to reshape you regardless. The question is whether you will let it."
I stared at him, searching for the lie, the manipulation, the hidden agenda. But his eyes were clear, and his expression was open.
"I am not your enemy, Tsukune‑kun," he said. "I am not your friend, either. I am simply an old man who has seen too much and hopes for a better future for his own kind."
He smiled, a tired, weary smile. "You are not the only one who is tired of the corruption, the decay, the endless cycle of violence. But I am too old to fight it alone. I need someone young, strong, and foolish enough to believe that things can change."
I thought of the girls, of Kurumu's fierce loyalty, of Outer's gentle kindness, of Inner's fierce protectiveness, of Yukari's bright enthusiasm, of Mizore's fragile hope. This sounded so much like an invitation to be part of whatever he was planning, but honestly, do I even have another choice?
Being alone in this Supernatural World without a 'Patron' to back me would just place me in peril and hurt all the people dear to me.
"I am not doing this for you," I said. "I am doing this for them."
Mikogami nodded. "I know. That is why I chose you."
The meeting stretched on for another hour, but the weight of the confrontation had lifted, replaced by something almost resembling a conversation between equals. I found myself asking questions that had nothing to do with politics or power, and to my surprise, Mikogami answered them.
"You were there? At the Treaty of Versailles?" I leaned forward, genuinely curious. "I thought that was purely a human affair."
Mikogami chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. "The human world believes many things, Tsukune‑kun. That does not make them true." He set down his teacup and steepled his fingers. "The so‑called Great War was not merely a squabble between European empires. It was a proxy conflict, a shadow play orchestrated by the Supernatural factions who dared not show their faces on the battlefield."
"The Devils backed the Central Powers," he continued, his voice taking on the cadence of a storyteller. "The Fallen Angels had their own interests in the chaos, feeding on the despair and death. And the Heaven's Angels, ever the opportunists, threw their weight behind the Entente, whispering of justice and righteousness while they maneuvered for advantage."
I frowned. "And the Yokai? Where did they stand?"
"Nowhere." Mikogami's smile thinned. "We were too fractured to care about the squabbles of humans and their patrons. Even now we're still too fractured to a force in the Supernatural World. It is a mistake and our undoing, in hindsight."
"The war reshaped the world, and we were left scrambling to adapt."
I thought of the history books I had read in my first life, of the millions who had died in the trenches, of the treaties that had sown the seeds of an even greater conflict. "And World War Two?"
"Ah." Mikogami's eyes darkened. "That was a different matter entirely. The rise of the Nazi regime, the Holocaust, the atomic bombs… it was the hand of the old Devil's Supremacists who were defeated by a new faction of Devils, who are now the current Devil Lords of Pandemonium."
"They saw an opportunity to tear down their rivals and build something new in its ashes."
"Was Alucard also involved?"
The name escaped my lips before I could stop it. Mikogami's gaze flickered.
"No," he said. "Alucard was sealed, dormant, dreaming of a world he could devour. The shadows of the twentieth century were the work of lesser, ambitious fools who overreached and were consumed by their own creations."
He paused, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. "You asked me earlier if I was bored, if I had grown weary of correcting the same errors. The truth is more complicated, Tsukune‑kun. I have seen empires rise and fall. I have watched humans and yokai alike repeat the same mistakes, generation after generation. It is not boredom that stays my hand. It is resignation."
"I do not believe that," I said, surprising myself with the certainty in my voice. "If you were truly resigned, you would not be sitting here, talking to me. You would not have invested so much in the next generation. You still hope."
Mikogami stared at me for a long moment. Then he laughed, a soft, rueful sound. "Perhaps. Or perhaps I am simply too stubborn to admit defeat."
We fell into a comfortable silence, the weight of centuries hanging between us.
"Thank you," I said, surprising myself. "For the tea. And for the answers."
"You are welcome." He rose from his chair, and I followed suit. "You are truly an interesting child, Aono Tsukune. It is rare that I find someone who can keep up with my rambling."
He glanced at the clock on the wall, its hands creeping toward noon. "Ah, it seems this old man has other commitments to attend to soon. The faculty has been clamoring for a meeting about the 'security situation' on campus. I should not keep them waiting."
When I finally stood to leave, I felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Not all of it, but enough. The cross on my wrist was warm, and the whispers in my mind had fallen silent.
"Thank you," I said, surprising myself.
Mikogami smiled. "Do not thank me yet. The real work has only begun."