— — — — — —
"I don't know."
Facing Azazel's question, Baraqiel shook his head. "Our presence in Kyoto is small. I'm the only one who comes here often to wander around."
He paused, forcing a faint smile. "But one thing I'm sure of… the Five Great Families are far more nervous than we are."
"After all, Kyoto is their home turf, not ours."
Azazel shrugged, scratching the back of his head.
"If this really is someone Akeno-chan knows… then yeah, that tracks."
He glanced at Baraqiel again. "And I know what you're hoping for, too."
Baraqiel's expression darkened slightly, "Azazel… will you stop me?"
"Hey, I'm not that unreasonable."
Azazel let out a long sigh, his tone complicated. "Last time, we just didn't have the manpower to spare. But this time…"
A sly smile tugged at his lips.
"Picking a fight with someone like that? If a few heads of the exorcist families happen to die, that's just… unfortunate, right?"
"For example, the head of the Himejima Family. I've heard he's got plenty of enemies. If something 'unexpected' happens, it wouldn't be strange at all."
"…Thanks, Azazel. Drinks are on me next time."
With that, Baraqiel spread his fallen wings and vanished from the church.
Azazel watched him go, then glanced down at the bra lying on the ground. He shook his head with a helpless sigh.
"Seriously… just to kill the Himejima head, you're willing to swallow even that kind of humiliation?"
Still, he understood.
Before, there had been too many constraints holding Baraqiel back. But now, with Ryo suddenly appearing and drawing all the attention, it created the perfect cover.
Wanting to strike from the shadows and kill the Himejima head? Completely natural.
Anyone who went from a happy family to total ruin in the blink of an eye would go mad.
And when the people responsible were your wife's own relatives… the hatred only ran deeper.
Compared to that, the humiliation Ryo dealt him wasn't really humiliation at all. It was a spark thrown onto dry tinder.
If Baraqiel did nothing after all this, that would be the real problem.
What Azazel couldn't figure out was why this new yokai leader had gone out of his way to meddle in Baraqiel's personal affairs… even deliberately creating an opportunity for him.
Was it really because of Akeno?
And how exactly had that girl met someone like Ryo Yagami? What price had she paid to get his help?
Azazel shook his head.
"Well, if Baraqiel actually pulls it off and pins it on that new guy… things could get messy if I don't give him a heads-up."
Rubbing his chin, he thought for a moment, then stepped out of the church and bought a sheet of paper from a nearby shop. He quickly wrote a letter.
Folding it into a paper airplane, he aimed toward Yasaka Shrine and tossed it into the distance.
After that, he straightened his clothes and disappeared into Kyoto's narrow streets.
"Now let's see if he's willing to meet me."
"Kids these days… they're getting scarier by the minute."
---
On the outskirts of Kyoto, within a sprawling traditional estate that enclosed an entire hill—
Footsteps echoed nonstop through the night.
Faced with the unusual commotion, Suzaku Himejima had no choice but to get out of bed. She changed into a kimono and stepped out, her face cold.
With her high ponytail and features resembling Akeno Himejima—though sharper, more seductive—she moved swiftly through the corridors and into the main courtyard.
Stopping a panicked maid, she asked, "What's going on? Why is everyone in such a hurry?"
"Lady Suzaku!"
The maid quickly lowered her head in respect.
Before the family's prodigy, the future head, the genius who inherited the sacred beast Suzaku (Vermillion Bird), she didn't dare show anything less than perfect etiquette.
"Our forces in Kyoto have been completely captured by the yokai. Two young masters were taken as well. The head is gathering troops and contacting the other four families. They're preparing to go to war."
"…What?"
Suzaku froze for a moment, then her expression darkened.
"Explain everything. Don't leave anything out."
"Yes."
The maid hurriedly recounted how the yokai had suddenly launched an attack that day, sweeping through Kyoto's entire power structure.
"The Five Great Families' bases were all wiped out… even the fallen angel officer Baraqiel was severely injured and humiliated… six high-ranking monks from the Buddhist faction have already passed away…"
Suzaku pressed her fingers to her temples, almost thinking she was still dreaming.
But she quickly forced that thought aside.
Right now, the priority was figuring out why the yokai had suddenly gone berserk—and what the new leader, Ryo Yagami, actually wanted.
Unlike the current family head, Suou Himejima, who was already preparing for war at the slightest provocation, Suzaku couldn't accept such recklessness.
She knew exactly why he was acting like this.
Pride. Honor. The humiliation of being ambushed by "lowly yokai."
But in her eyes, the more unhinged the enemy appeared, the calmer they needed to be.
Motives. Strength. Limits. Their own advantages and weaknesses.
Charging into battle without understanding any of it was suicide.
Still, Suzaku also knew the truth.
The conservative elders—and the family head—would never listen to her.
Just like they hadn't listened when she protested the execution order for her half-blood cousin, Akeno.
At that moment, a servant rushed over.
"Lady Suzaku! Orders from the head—lead our forces to rendezvous with the other families."
He hesitated, then added nervously. "We're at war with the yokai!"
"…Understood."
Suzaku's face remained calm, but her stomach twisted painfully.
This family was rotten to the core.
And then—
A blinding flash lit up her vision.
A few seconds later, thunder roared across the sky.
Then came the screams, "The family head is dead—!!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Gongs rang, panic spread, voices overlapped in chaos.
But Suzaku stood still, her expression grave.
For one, the family head shouldn't have been so easy to kill.
For another… that lightning.
"Either the Nine-Tailed Fox Yasaka… or…"
Baraqiel, the Lightning Angel.
No matter which one it was, the situation had just become far more complicated.
For the first time, a thought surfaced in Suzaku's mind—
This decaying family might truly be nearing its end.
After a long silence, she murmured,
"The Himejima family… is running out of time."
Her hands slowly clenched beneath her sleeves.
---
Morning - At Yasaka Shrine
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
A crow tengu rushed to a sliding door, kneeling outside with a letter held up respectfully.
"Leader, a letter addressed to you was found in the shrine's mailbox."
"…Hmm?"
A moment later, the door slid open. Ryo stepped out, now dressed in a white kimono, and took the letter.
"Oh? A visit request from Azazel?"
A smile curved his lips as he finished reading.
"Interesting. Looks like he's finally agreed to let Baraqiel make his move."
He casually burned the letter, then turned to the tengu. "Prepare a banquet. I want to see what kind of game the Governor-General of the fallen angels is playing."
"Yes, sir!"
The tengu responded loudly.
.
.
.