"Missing?"
A low, icy elderly voice voiced the question.
Hearing this, the Bujin-shū intelligence operative broke into a cold sweat, bowing his head to avoid meeting the gaze of the diminutive old man before him.
"Y-yes, Grand Commander. According to surveillance near the airport, the target entered the parking lot with his group... then all records cease."
The old man, addressed as Grand Commander, darkened his expression:
"Are you expecting me to report this to the Director of the Metropolitan Police Department... or even the Cabinet?"
"Investigate again. Dig deeper. I don't care how many resources you burn—I want precise tracking of the target. Understood?"
"Y-yes, Grand Commander!!" The operative hastily bowed before scrambling away with his team at Dogen Takayanagi's dismissive wave.
Observing Takayanagi berating his subordinate, Shin Natsume—dressed in a white shirt with a black jacket tied around his waist—remained expressionless, his gaze frosty.
"Here. Your bitter melon juice."
At the voice, Shin leaned back slightly, effortlessly catching the tossed can. He popped it open without hesitation and took a swig before turning to Fumonshichi—who'd just returned with drinks and was sipping a beer:
"Any results?"
"What results?... The scene's completely clean. Well, apart from some residual heat signatures..."
Fumonshichi glanced towards the parking lot, shaking his head with a wry smile:
"Everyone at the scene suspects it was an inside job—either the Cabinet's special forces, the Onmyou Agency, or someone from Bujin-shū colluding with the Phenex Society. Otherwise, it wouldn't be this clean."
Taking another sip of juice, Shin remarked, "So you're saying the president of Phenex Society completely vanished with their entourage after leaving the airport and entering the parking lot?"
"That appears to be the case."
At this point, Fumonshichi couldn't help scratching his head as he glanced at the gloomy Dogen Takayanagi and the surrounding Bujin-shū members who barely dared to breathe around him:
"But this outcome definitely won't satisfy old man Takayanagi."
"After all, to seize that Abyss Artefact capable of wiping out all of Tokyo, he rushed from his stronghold overnight to comb every inch of this place before anyone else got wind of the intel."
"If he reports zero findings to his superiors, old man Takayanagi will be in serious trouble."
"Would they suspect him of pocketing the treasure?"
Shin Natsume couldn't resist interjecting, even cracking a smile as if picturing Dogen Takayanagi's future predicament.
He held no respect for this Bujin-shū leader.
Since the twelve martial arts families ostensibly pledged loyalty to this elder, and fearing his martial prowess and influence, Natsume had to maintain hollow diplomacy with him.
So while not overtly expressing it, Natsume was thoroughly enjoying Takayanagi's misfortune.
Seeing his rare smile, Fumonshichi couldn't help teasing:
"Hey, hey, Shin, careful there - old man Takayanagi's right across from us."
Unfazed, Natsume calmly replied:
"Relax. We're outside his Kūkan - beyond his perception range."
"Oh? Outside the Kūkan? Then we're fine."
Fumonshichi visibly relaxed:
"But speaking of which, can your Dragon Eye really visually detect a martial artist's Qi-formed absolute defence perimeter?"
"Lucky you. Unlike me, only when my body crosses that line do I realise I've entered someone's strike zone..."
Shaking his head, Fumonshichi changed the subject:
"Anyway, how long has it been since that Inspector Megure reported the situation?"
Checking his wristwatch showing 21:11, Natsume answered:
"Over four hours. Nearly five."
Tsking, Fumonshichi remarked:
"Five hours... Given the loopholes within the Metropolitan Police Department, the Cabinet Direct Unit, Onmyou Agency, Buddhist Assembly, Shinto, and the SDS should all have caught wind by now."
"Hoho, when Takayanagi hands in that empty report, things are going to get interesting."
At this point, Fumonshichi glanced at Shin Natsume's barely suppressed grin and couldn't help but ask:
"Speaking of which, isn't that girl of yours still refusing to report to the SDS?"
"If she doesn't go now, things might get complicated."
Fumonshichi offered this well-meaning reminder. If old man Takayanagi was in a foul mood and decided to take it out on Shin—whom he'd always disliked—things could turn messy.
Hearing this, Shin gave Fumonshichi a strange look before explaining:
"Maya mentioned recently that she met with Director Luo. Though I don't know the details, she's probably already been there."
Fumonshichi suddenly understood—Shin had already arranged things. He then casually asked:
"And what about your other sister, Little Aya?"
"Aya..." Shin's expression turned peculiar at the name. "She recently enrolled in a bridal training course..."
Fumonshichi was so shocked that he didn't even notice the sake dripping from his mouth:
"Huh? Little Aya's getting married? Who's the lucky one?"
Shin fell silent for a moment before replying:
"She says she's already engaged to someone from the Hidden Management Department."
"What the hell?" Fumonshichi froze, then gave Shin a strange look. "As far as I remember, Aya's been kept at home by you and never met outsiders, right? How did this even happen?"
"Wait—why aren't you stopping this, you overprotective brother?"
Shin remained silent.
Seeing this, Fumonshichi grew curious:
"Strange. Aya's still your sister. Why are you letting her run wild this time... Hold on. Did your Dragon Eye show you something?"
Shin stayed silent, but for Fumonshichi—his best friend—that silence spoke volumes.
"I see. Aya's completely ignoring you, isn't she? I always knew that kid was more rebellious than Maya, despite appearances."
Fumonshichi patted Shin's shoulder before asking:
"But seriously, how did Aya even take a liking to someone from the Hidden Management Department?"
Shin's voice lowered. "Aya awakened the Dragon Eye."
Fumonshichi stiffened, instinctively glancing at Dogen Takayanagi before quickly averting his gaze to the floor.
Then, turning back, he whispered:
"Aya awakened, too? Doesn't that complicate things?"
Realising the implications, Fumonshichi couldn't help but add:
"No wonder you didn't stop her. Old man Takayanagi's already salivating over your family's abilities, wanting to marry the next generation to your sisters to claim the Natsume legacy."
"You only managed to stall him by rallying the heads of the Twelve Families to block his ambitions. If he finds out Aya awakened the Dragon Eye, things will get messy."
Muttering to himself, Fumonshichi continued: "If Aya herself decided to marry that man, she must have seen the future and known it was the optimal choice. The fact that you didn't stop her tells me it was her own decision—and a good one at that. Otherwise, would you really let your little sister be taken away? Heh..."
Shin Natsume's eyelid twitched, but he couldn't be bothered to engage with the man. He simply turned and walked away.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Going home to rest!"
"Oh, to send your sister off for her wedding, I see. The sooner she's delivered, the safer she'll be, after all..."
Fumonshichi glanced toward the parking lot, then at Dogen Takayanagi, muttering to himself:
"After all... that old man Takayanagi is probably about to lose his mind."
...
"Mmm~~"
With a head as heavy as if she'd been drowned in alcohol, Ravel finally stirred awake from her nightmare, struggling to open her eyes.
Just as she took in the unfamiliar ceiling above her, a teasing voice rang out:
"Congratulations, it's a baby girl~"
Hearing this, Ravel froze on the spot.