'What a load of rubbish, a famous sword…' the Patriarch of the Busujima family almost cursed aloud.
Fortunately, the person who had invited him to appraise the newly acquired famous sword was his old political friend, Soichiro Takagi. Takagi was a prominent faction leader in the military, or rather, the "Self-Defense Forces." The man wasn't very family-oriented, spending most of his time ruthlessly fighting with other political factions for dominance.
But… was that guy hiding something from him?
The Patriarch became more cautious. Soichiro Takagi was indeed a friend, but he was also an ambitious faction leader and had repeatedly tested the waters, trying to get the Busujima family to officially join his military faction. Was his friend perhaps using this sword appraisal as an excuse to vie for power?
'Tsk…' The Patriarch shook his head. 'Thinking so much about it is useless. I shouldn't get involved in such matters.'
He didn't fully understand the recent, turbulent politics brewing in the capital. The waters there were deep and treacherous enough to drown several top-tier noble families without a trace. He was better off staying home and looking at his own precious, magical treasure.
The Patriarch was quite impatient at the thought of Murasame and the ancestral Breathing Technique. But then he remembered that Murasame currently only recognized Saeko, and that Saeko wasn't very willing to hand the artifact over to others.
The Patriarch's face turned ashen with frustration.
'Rebellious daughter! Unfilial!'
After grumbling to himself a few more times, the Patriarch got down to business. He contacted the elite guards he had secretly dispatched to protect Saeko, checking in on her status. He also observed Saeko's surroundings via the live security screen projection.
A flicker of deep emotion crossed his sharp eyes. His mood was not nearly as calm as his stern exterior appeared.
'I hope nothing bad happens today…'
The Streets of Tokyo
Something terrible has happened!
Her delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly as Yukino Yukinoshita stared at her phone screen with a blank expression. Before the screen went black, a group photo of the entire inner circle caught her eye.
Yes. There was a private party at the Suginami Ward residence. But she wasn't there.
This was a taunting email sent by her mischievous older sister, Haruno.
It worked quite well. Yukino was thoroughly disgusted by Haruno's wickedness, but more importantly, she was terrified.
It wasn't that Yukino had suddenly become lewd or enthusiastically addicted to that kind of thing. It was that not being included in the party meant she might have left a lingering bad impression on Seiran Minazuki following her recent failures.
Minazuki might not care to remember everyone who went to the party, but he definitely remembered who didn't show up when summoned.
So, Yukino hurriedly said a rushed goodbye to Miko Yotsuya and Saeko Busujima, hailing a cab and rushing toward Suginami Ward in a panic.
'If I don't go soon, I might get a black eye on my face when I finally go back…' Yukino thought, shivering.
Yukino had the extreme misfortune of having a photo of her bruised, tearful face taken by that shameless older sister during a previous punishment, and it remained an indelible mark of blackmail and shame for little Yukino. Of course, her audacious older sister didn't just take pictures of her; Haruno even possessed photos of their own mother, Mrs. Yukinoshita, sticking out her tongue and rolling her eyes in absolute submission.
Thinking of this terrifying dynamic, Yukino walked even faster, desperate to secure her standing.
"Eh? Why is Yukinoshita-san running so fast?" Saeko Busujima asked aloud, watching the girl practically sprint to a taxi. "Did something happen at home…?"
'Probably not, right?'
Saeko was very observant. Why did she feel that the usually poised Yukino looked exactly like a child who had done something terribly wrong and was rushing home in a panic to accept her punishment?
She shook her head helplessly, deciding no longer to pry into such personal matters.
Although life had been surprisingly peaceful these past few days, Mr. Rom's dire tarot warning was still fresh in her mind. It was best to be careful.
"Come on, Yotsuya-san, want to go to a coffee shop to warm up?" Saeko offered kindly.
"No, thank you, Busujima-senpai," Miko firmly refused to freeload, even though she knew her upperclassman was wealthy and highly reliable.
Knowing that the three of them getting entangled in this karmic mess might be dangerous, Saeko still wanted to face the challenge head-on and actively participate in protecting her junior. This kind of fierce ambition and protective instinct was far beyond what a normal high school girl could possess.
"You've probably misunderstood my intentions," Saeko sighed softly. She didn't want to participate in the terrifying occult world, but she figured she had to; if she waited passively until the supernatural trouble came knocking on her front door, it would be too late. Since that was the case, she might as well take control of the situation.
She adjusted the heavy, cloth-wrapped Murasame sword slung across her back. Its sturdy weight made Saeko feel somewhat at ease. With her ancestor's heirloom magic sword in hand, even if she wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as the demon-slaying ancestor in the flipbook, she shouldn't be in any real danger, right?
'Speaking of which,' Saeko mused, 'I don't know what's gotten into my father; he's been holed up in the storage room all day, tearing it apart. It's driving him crazy... Having even one of our ancestors' magical belongings is a blessing; anything more is just greedy.'
Hiss... It's quite cold.
Saeko rubbed her shoulders, noticing that Miko was shivering beside her. Even so, both of them were still wearing their school uniform pleated skirts that exposed their legs to the biting wind, relying only on their black and white stockings for warmth.
The atmosphere between the two of them was ultimately a bit too quiet and cold...
Saeko smiled noncommittally to break the tension. She wasn't usually a talkative person, but when the three of them were together earlier, conversation had flowed easily.
Suddenly, her face stiffened.
A sensitive concept, seemingly unintentionally passing through her sharp mind, instantly made her heart pound with raw panic.
Three people. Two people...
She suddenly realized the mechanical flaw in their safety. Mr. Rom's tarot divination seemed to have briefly and tightly connected the three of them. One burdens two, two leads to three, three harms one and two.
But Yukino's card had explicitly stated that she managed to remain uninvolved.
She abruptly stopped walking and turned sharply to look down the empty street in the direction Yukino's taxi had vanished.
'Could her running away just now be considered remaining uninvolved…?' Saeko's pupils contracted. 'Could it be…?'
Turning her head, she looked at the bewildered, shivering Miko with a slightly dazed expression.
Now, it seemed only the two of them remained.
Perhaps… she had been fatally mistaken about one crucial detail all along. Perhaps Mr. Rom had indeed divined for three people. Therefore, Rom, and they themselves, had naturally assumed the danger required all three of them to be present to trigger.
But there was one point they completely overlooked. Yukinoshita Yukino possessed the prerequisite of remaining uninvolved. And more importantly, as Miko had hinted, Yukino carried a scent that repelled spirits.
That is to say…
'...only the two of us…'
Only she and Miko Yotsuya were the actual, vulnerable participants in the perilous divination. Yukinoshita was merely a passerby, a temporary, shielded observer. When Yukinoshita was present, the divination's fatal conclusion was invalid because her presence kept the monsters at bay.
'Yukinoshita is gone, so…'
"I see…" Saeko murmured. Her expression turned deadly serious, her face draining of color.
Silently, she reached over her shoulder, untied the thick cloth strip from Murasame's scabbard, and clutched the hilt tightly in her soft hand.
She looked all around.
The street had become unnaturally, suffocatingly quiet. Perhaps it was the freezing weather, or perhaps it was the late hour, but the once bustling crowds had dwindled to absolutely nothing. There wasn't a single scattered pedestrian or passing car in sight. The world felt muffled, as if they had crossed into a different dimension.
'This is truly troublesome…'
Saeko offered a few calm words of comfort to Miko, trying not to alarm the younger girl. Her eyes, however, remained constantly scanning her surroundings, her muscles coiled like a spring.
She realized she had ultimately been far too arrogant. Armed with Murasame and her ancestor's breathing techniques, she had genuinely believed she could confidently slay demons like her predecessor. But she had been mercilessly, quietly dragged into a predetermined, perilous situation by the turning gears of fate the second Yukino stepped into that taxi.
'Is this the true face of the mystical side…?' Saeko thought, her grip tightening on the sword. 'Mysterious, yet fraught with lethal danger; grand, yet always capable of providing fatal "surprises" to arrogant novices.'
Despite all her physical precautions and her father's hidden guards, she had still fallen directly into the trap. Even with the explicit advice of a "veteran" like Mr. Rom, they couldn't escape the karmic web.
Fate…
A freezing chill ran down Saeko's spine as the shadows in the alleyways seemed to lengthen and writhe.
'Ancestor…' Saeko prayed silently. 'Were you dealing with these kinds of terrifying things every single day? This is truly… a nightmare.'
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