"Name."
"Minagawa Akane."
"Age."
"Why were you in the New Building District?"
Behind the one-way mirror, Usami Reiko stood with her arms crossed. Sakai Takashi walked in unsteadily, holding three cups of coffee, and handed them to White Torch and Reiko.
He peered into the one-way mirror, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, and asked casually, "How's it going?"
Usami Reiko shook her head.
"No results."
"This woman claims she was kidnapped and taken there."
"Coerced?" Sakai Takashi chewed on the toothpick and took a sip of the bitter coffee. "It's strange that she survived; the lie is too obvious."
White Torch leaned against the table, still pondering the battle from two hours ago.
Equilibrium Sect... In a modern city, an organization named a'Sect' always gives off a special sense of danger. Not to mention that strange, blurred figure... "White Torch?"
Hmm?
White Torch looked up.
Sakai Takashi pointed behind the glass. "The follow-up..."
White Torch glanced at the sobbing Minagawa Akane.
The woman was crying pitifully to her interrogator about her ordeal, rolling up her sleeves to show her scars.
White Torch slowly shook his head. "I won't be involved in the follow-up."
"It's certain she has problems. Use whatever means you can; if you really can't squeeze anything out, let her go."
"I'll send someone to keep an eye on her and see who makes contact."
White Torch took one last look at the woman still weeping inside the one-way mirror and turned to leave.
Usami Reiko stretched, put down her coffee, and pulled out a chair.
"It's going to be a busy day. I'll leave the report to you, Sakai."
"Huh? Me?!"
Sakai Takashi's face fell, and he raised his hand in protest. "It's not like you don't know how troublesome reports for these large-scale ritual cases are..."
Usami Reiko blinked. "I know."
"That's why I'm giving it to you."
Sakai Takashi:... "By the way, White Torch gave this to me. Does it need modification?" Sakai Takashi pulled a piece of paper from a folder. "Or should I just file it directly?"
The white paper was covered in dense writing.
[Name: Unknown.]
(Preliminary Codename: Barrier Master)
[Gender: Unknown.]
(Small build, behavior leans toward female.)
[Age: Unknown.]
(Tone of voice is relatively young.)
(Possibility of disguise not ruled out.)
[Ritualist Faction: Unknown.]
[Ability: Large-scale Barriers, Martial Combat]
[Cost: Unknown.]
(Ability to strengthen the body and significantly boost physical attributes for a short time during combat.)
(Likely cost is physical decline or sacrificing an equivalent amount of one's own flesh.)
(Weapon is a scalpel; please pay attention to groups related to such professions.)
[Energy Level: Above 'Judgment'.]
(Capable of head-on repelling a 'Judgment' level Ritualist.)
(Energy level exceeds Judgment; speculated to be at the 'apostle' level.)
[Organization: Equilibrium Sect]
(Not ruled out that the organization possesses Ritualists from both the order and Chaos sides.)
(Currently, no large-scale rituals have been performed in the name of this organization.)
(The party may be in a hostile state with the 'Masquerade Ball'.)
(Possibility of mutual benefit not ruled out; pending further observation.)
This was the report provided by White Torch. Since he was the only one who had fought that distorted figure at the time, it was his duty.
At the bottom of the paper report was the rating given by White Torch—
Sakai Takashi was surprised to find that the other party had labeled the 'Equilibrium Sect' and the target they encountered as—
Highest Level.
Highest Level: Disaster.
From Faint, Marginal, and Dangerous to Disaster, these four internal reference levels were not filled in at will. The rating given by the person involved determined how many resources and personnel the Ritual Institute would allocate to monitor it.
One should know that even the illegal armed organization 'Masquerade Ball', which was closely watched by the Ritual Institute, was only rated as 'Dangerous'.
Does White Torch... care this much?
Then again, as the long-standing number one Ritualist in the country, being easily defeated by someone who suddenly appeared—it would be impossible not to care.
Who knows how many high-level Ritualists are still hidden under this iceberg?
Well, it couldn't be that the entire organization consists of just one person, right?
Sakai Takashi teased himself silently; that kind of manga plot only happened in manga.
"That person—"
Sakai Takashi looked at Usami Reiko; she had already started packing her things, preparing to leave.
"Tojo Aoi?" Usami Reiko brushed her short bangs. "Left a long time ago. Who would dare interrogate the little princess of the Tojo Family and her dog?"
"How about you do it?"
Reiko gave Sakai Takashi a half-smile. He moved his lips but said nothing.
The woman leisurely picked up her coffee, drained it in one gulp, and then tossed it into the trash can.
"In short, the Tojo Family's affairs are not something small-time players like us need to worry about. What they went there for, which side of the Ritualists they belong to, or if they've been infected by Chaos—those are all problems for White Torch and the others."
"See, did White Torch say anything?"
Sakai Takashi fell silent.
White Torch hadn't said a word. Clearly, he must have been contacted by the higher-ups. Otherwise, given Tojo Aoi and Noguchi Tadashi's strange behavior and possession of firearms, they would have certainly stayed in the interrogation room for a long time.
"So, there's no follow-up surveillance either?"
Usami Reiko picked up her shoulder bag, the metal button clicking shut. "Surveillance?"
"You going to do it?"
Sakai Takashi curled his lip and tucked White Torch's report back into the file folder. "Let's call it a day. I'm going home to play video games..."
—
"She's out?"
The subordinate knelt before the desk, his nose filled with the rich aroma of a cigar.
"Yes, Lord Chenzhu."
"The Eldest Young Lady left twenty minutes ago. White Torch did not make things difficult for her."
Tojo Chenzhu took a deep drag, white smoke puffing out through his nostrils.
"Aoi... my dear daughter, what were you doing there..."
Exhale... The only sound in the room was Tojo Chenzhu's breathing as he smoked.
"This matter involves a lot. Tell Tojo Aoi to stay quiet lately."
"Understood."
"Also, look into the name 'Equilibrium Sect'—" Tojo Chenzhu's index finger tapped the table rhythmically.
"And Sen Getsusa."
"Sen Getsusa?" The subordinate looked up in confusion. "Wasn't she—"
"Check her itinerary for today."
The man's words made the subordinate realize instantly. "You mean, the Eldest Young Lady went to save..."
"But at the scene, there didn't seem to be..."
Tojo Chenzhu hummed a few times, took the cigar out with dissatisfaction, and tossed it into the enamel ashtray, his eyes full of coldness.
"To make my dear daughter disregard her own safety and run like a madwoman to a place where a Chaos ritual was being held just to die."
"I'm guessing, it could only be that little girl named Sen Getsusa, right?"
"There are some ways of handling things that I need to reconsider..."
The man fell into deep thought. Seeing this, the kneeling subordinate silently withdrew.
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