Chapter 10: Supernatural Exchange Group
While Gin Tsumugi was still in the White Fox Office, adjusting to the surge of power brought by his breakthrough, far away in Minato Ward, inside the luxurious suite of an international hotel, Kurazaki Fuko was sitting on the edge of a large bed in a soft pink nightgown, her hair still damp from a recent bath.
Her phone was pressed to her ear.
"Father... Auntie's family..." Her voice wavered, though she forced herself to stay calm. "This is more or less what happened. Auntie and the others are already... gone. Only Sora made it through, but her condition still isn't good. Please don't take it too hard."
On the other end of the line, her father's breathing was rough and uneven.
Even through the distance, Fuko could hear the grief he was trying so hard to suppress.
Her own chest felt tight.
"When Auntie and the others first went missing, you already prepared yourself for the worst, didn't you?" she said softly, trying to comfort him even as her own heart ached.
She listened quietly for a while, letting him speak, letting him grieve.
Then she forced herself to continue.
"Okay, Father. If Sora recovers, I'll find a way to have Mr. Gin bring her back to Kyoto."
She lowered her voice.
"And please... don't let Grandmother hear anything for now. I'm worried she won't be able to bear a blow like this."
Another long silence.
At last, Fuko nodded to herself.
"Okay. I understand. I'll be careful in Minato Ward. You and Mother don't have to worry about me. I'll be back in a day or two."
Only after she had spent quite a while calming him down did she finally end the call.
The moment the screen went dark, she let out a long breath and slumped slightly.
Her father had always been deeply attached to his younger sister. The bond between them had been unusually close from childhood onward. They were twins, after all, and that closeness had naturally extended to her aunt's whole family. Otherwise, Fuko would not have cared so deeply for Sora, nor rushed all the way from Kyoto the moment she received that message.
If it had been possible, she truly would have preferred to hide the truth from him forever.
She was afraid that once the blow landed in full, it might break something inside him for good.
But that was impossible.
Some truths could be delayed, never erased.
And if he learned it much later, after hope had lingered too long, the pain might only be worse.
As for her own growing desire to step into Onmyodo, now was not the right time to bring it up. That was something she would discuss once she returned to Kyoto.
Then her thoughts shifted.
"Oh, right... I still need to tell Kou and the others what happened today."
Fuko picked up her phone again, opened her communication app, and entered a group chat called Supernatural Exchange Group.
The name was simple enough.
The group itself was not.
Kou had been the one to invite her into it. On the surface, it was a private discussion group centered around supernatural incidents, a place for exchanging information, asking for help, and staying close to one another in an age when the supernatural was steadily swallowing the ordinary.
But Fuko knew it was more than that.
She did not know the real identity of everyone in the group.
In fact, other than Kou, she knew almost nothing concrete about the members behind their usernames.
Still, one thing was certain.
Everyone inside either came from a significant background, possessed unusual abilities, or was directly connected to the supernatural world through Onmyodo or some similar field.
No ordinary person could join.
Every new member had to be vetted by the rest, just as she had been before being allowed in.
Fuko's slender fingers moved quickly across the screen as she began typing.
She described everything that had happened that day.
The state of her aunt's home.
The Weird Wood Spirit.
The horrifying scene in the basement.
Her aunt's family.
And, of course, the onmyoji she had met there.
[Shiro no Arashiha: Good evening, everyone. I arrived in Minato Ward today, and something happened at my aunt's house...]
[Shiro no Arashiha: Mr. Gin said the Weird Wood Spirit wasn't acting alone. There should be a yokai behind it, one that has lived for hundreds of years, and it may still be hunting humans somewhere.]
[Shiro no Arashiha: ...]
Her account hit the group like a depth charge.
The previously quiet chat exploded at once.
[Sleeping Butterfly: Fuko, are you okay?]
[Shiro no Arashiha: Kou, I'm fine. Mr. Gin saved me, but all the talismans you gave me were used up.]
[Sleeping Butterfly: It's good that you're safe. I'll send you more talismans in a few days.]
[Four Leaf Clover: Something like that actually happened in Minato Ward? Didn't the onmyoji from the Onmyo Bureau notice anything wrong?]
[Manga Master: I remember Four Leaf Clover lives in Minato Ward. And didn't Group Leader say before that he would be staying there for a while? You two need to be careful.]
[Four Leaf Clover: I will.]
[Group Leader: I'll look into this matter. But if what happened is exactly as described, then this is absolutely a dereliction of duty on the part of the Onmyo Bureau. I'll have someone report it through the proper channels.]
Fuko's eyes lingered on that line.
She had never known Group Leader's real identity, but based on past conversations, it was obvious that the person behind that account had considerable influence within both the Japanese government and the Onmyo Bureau.
Then another message appeared.
[Bad Girl: Shiro no Arashiha, what was the full name of the onmyoji who saved you?]
Fuko blinked, then typed a reply.
[Shiro no Arashiha: I think it was Gin Tsumugi... yes, Gin Tsumugi. Is there a problem?]
A short pause followed.
Then:
[Bad Girl: No problem. It's just the same name as someone I dislike.]
After sending that, Bad Girl fell completely silent.
The timing was so abrupt that several people in the chat instantly sensed something behind it.
Then Group Leader spoke again.
[Group Leader: I know a little about Gin Tsumugi and the White Fox Office.]
That line drew everyone's attention.
[Group Leader: Gin Tsumugi is a descendant of the fallen Tsumugi family. It's said that in the last century, the family once had a period of glory and possessed an Onmyodo inheritance of its own. Unfortunately, it declined in the modern era. Even so, he still managed to rely on that family legacy to reach Professional Rank Five before turning twenty. By any standard, he is a rare genius in Onmyodo.]
[Group Leader: As for the White Fox Office, he founded it a year ago. In Shibuya Ward, it already ranks third among supernatural offices, and across Tokyo it is considered among the top twenty. Within the industry, it has a very strong reputation for efficiency.]
[Four Leaf Clover: Then he really is impressive.]
[Group Leader: He is. If our Supernatural Exchange Group weren't so particular about its nature, I would have liked to invite him in.]
The reply came almost immediately.
[Bad Girl: You should be grateful you didn't. If that guy joined, you'd be the one with a headache. He's never been the calm type.]
That single line made the group atmosphere turn strange.
Even without more explanation, everyone could tell that Bad Girl definitely knew Gin Tsumugi in real life.
And not casually, either.
Some members who already knew Bad Girl's real identity could not help but start guessing.
What kind of relationship did she have with Gin Tsumugi?
Whatever it was, there was clearly some history there.
And judging from her tone, it was not a pleasant one.