Chapter 128: First Cooperation
Although the Four Seasons Hotel specialized in French cuisine, its kitchens could produce far more than that.
Exquisite Japanese dishes, delicate cuisine, famous pastries from various countries, and the hotel's own dishes derived from "natural flavors" were all brought into the banquet hall by service staff and arranged with practiced elegance.
Some plates were decorated so beautifully that they looked more like artwork than food.
At the same time, several bartenders opened prepared cocktails and world-famous limited-edition wines, pouring them into crystal stemware. Brilliant colors rippled beneath the light, giving off a luxury that ordinary people would not even dare imagine.
A few minutes later, once the banquet hall had mostly been set up, Shinomiya Kaguya picked up a cocktail she rather liked and took a small sip.
A faint blush colored her flawless white cheeks.
The usual frostiness around her softened, replaced by a trace of feminine charm that made her appear unusually striking.
She waved her hand.
"You may leave for now. If I need anything, I will call."
"Yes, Miss Kaguya."
The manager in charge bowed respectfully, not daring to show the slightest negligence. He quickly directed the service staff and bartenders to retreat from the banquet hall as quietly as possible.
In front of outsiders, he was a manager of the Four Seasons Hotel, someone with a certain amount of face and status.
But before the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, he was nothing.
Not only Shinomiya Kaguya. Any one of the girls in this banquet hall could cause the entire Four Seasons Hotel to suffer if she was displeased.
If things truly went badly, even their boss might have to pack up and leave Tokyo.
At that time, no one would plead on their behalf.
Soon, the entire banquet hall became quiet.
Even Hayasaka Ai had been sent away by Kaguya.
Only the members of the Supernatural Exchange Group remained.
After a few more minutes, Yuuki Asuna was the first to end her contemplation.
She raised her head and looked at Shinomiya Kaguya and Haruka Shizumiya.
"In principle, there is nothing wrong with your proposal. It is indeed beneficial to every member of the Supernatural Exchange Group."
Then she changed the direction of her words.
"But integration is easy to say. There are still many uncertainties and points that need to be considered."
"Please speak," Haruka said.
Listening to the opinions of the members was necessary.
"For example, the division of authority between us."
Asuna's tone was gentle, but serious.
"If we truly organize ourselves according to the plan you and Kaguya have described, then we will become a whole. We will no longer be the loose chat group we were before, where everyone simply exchanged intelligence."
She continued without hesitation.
"Then there are the accidents that may occur during supernatural incidents."
"And for example... what should we do if we disagree on how to handle a particular supernatural incident?"
Because this matter concerned her own future, Asuna did not hold back. She directly raised all the doubts and concerns in her heart.
Yukinoshita Yukino, Eriri, and Isayama Yomi also nodded.
Many of Asuna's questions were questions they had wanted to ask as well.
"The division of authority will be fully established before the organization is formally created," Haruka said.
She began answering Asuna's questions one by one.
"When we encounter a matter that cannot be decided easily, we will use a voting system."
Haruka looked around.
"Kaguya and I will each hold two votes. The remaining members of the Supernatural Exchange Group will each hold one vote. The majority will decide."
Eriri, Asuna, and Yukino listened attentively.
After hearing Haruka answer the main questions, all three nodded.
They had no objection to the voting system.
After all, the Supernatural Exchange Group had been organized by Haruka Shizumiya and Shinomiya Kaguya, and this new organization was also being planned and established by them. It was reasonable for the two of them to hold slightly more weight.
A little while later, Haruka finished answering everything.
"Are there any other questions?"
She paused, then added, "As for Painter, Water Lily, and Shiro no Arashiha, I will inform them separately and discuss this matter with them later."
Perhaps because she had spoken for a while, Haruka felt thirsty. She picked up the same cocktail Kaguya had chosen and took a gentle sip to moisten her throat.
"I have no more questions," Asuna said first. "I agree."
Eriri, Yomi, and Yukino exchanged looks.
"I agree too."
"No problem."
"Agreed."
Seeing that Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuuki Asuna, Eriri, and Isayama Yomi had all agreed, Haruka and Kaguya smiled faintly.
They were not surprised.
With supernatural incidents erupting more frequently, the situation outside had become increasingly unstable. If they wanted to survive safely through this worsening era of Supernatural Recovery, relying on one another was one of the few ways to grasp a thread of hope.
The members Haruka and Kaguya had invited into the Supernatural Exchange Group were not fools.
Once they understood the meaning behind this organization, they had no reason to refuse.
"By the way," Eriri suddenly asked, a little puzzled, "why does the subordinate organization have to be established in Shibuya Ward, near the Myriad Law Supernatural Department?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"White Fox Gin Tsumugi is extremely strong and can suppress and kill Great Yokai, but he is still only one person. Wouldn't Chiyoda Ward be safer? After all, the Omnyo Agency and Onmyō Academy are both there. In a certain sense, that should provide more security."
At Eriri's words, Isayama Yomi raised an eyebrow and was about to explain.
Then she realized she could not speak.
The same was true for Shinomiya Kaguya beside her.
Only then did the two remember that those who had watched the battle at Shinomiya Manor that night, whether Onmyoji or ordinary people, had all signed a binding contract. They could not reveal any related information by any means.
Haruka noticed their reaction immediately and understood what was happening.
"If it were a week ago, I would certainly have chosen Chiyoda Ward," she said.
"As Eriri said, with the two giants of the Omnyo Agency and Onmyō Academy there, even if those organizations are already past their prime, a starving camel is still larger than a horse. Compared with other organizations, they still provide a strong guarantee of safety."
Then her tone shifted.
"But if I said that from now on, Shibuya Ward may become the safest place in Tokyo, or even all of Japan, would you believe me?"
"The safest place?"
"Shibuya Ward?"
Asuna, Eriri, and Yukino all looked confused.
"This matter begins with Kaguya's supernatural incident and the true identity of White Fox Gin Tsumugi," Haruka said.
Then, she told them what had happened that night at Shinomiya Manor.
Gin Tsumugi killing the Slaughter Ghost with overwhelming speed.
Summoning Zenki and Goki.
Summoning Seiryu, one of the Twelve Divine Generals.
And the Great Onmyoji.
As Haruka calmly narrated the twists and turns of that battle, the banquet hall slowly fell silent.
By the time she finished, not a single sound could be heard.
Yuuki Asuna, Eriri, and Yukinoshita Yukino sat frozen, unable to recover from the shocking information for a long while.
After several breaths, Yukino's cold, clear face still carried disbelief.
"So the rumors in the Onmyōdō world were true."
Her voice was almost a murmur.
"White Fox Gin Tsumugi really is the reincarnation of Abe no Seimei, the Great Onmyoji from a thousand years ago."
"Reincarnation... rebirth against the natural order..."
Eriri's expression was blank.
"That's too unbelievable. Could this be the Taizan Fukun Ritual?"
They had discussed the Taizan Fukun Ritual more than once in the Supernatural Exchange Group.
"I'm afraid not," Asuna said, shaking her head after a moment of thought.
She seemed to know quite a few secrets of Onmyōdō.
"The man from a thousand years ago tore his own soul apart. In the eyes of others, that was the very definition of soul dissipation. To resurrect someone whose soul has completely dissipated should require more than the Taizan Fukun Ritual."
"That is the inside story," Kaguya said.
She sighed lightly.
"Because Yomi and I were bound by a contract, we could not speak of it earlier."
Then she looked at Eriri and the others.
"Now you understand, don't you? With White Fox Gin Tsumugi, the reincarnation of the legendary Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, in Shibuya Ward, its safety value is rising rapidly, both now and in the future."
A subtle light appeared in the eyes of Asuna, Yukino, and Eriri.
If this was true, then Shibuya Ward might truly become a pure land in the future.
If possible, they might even need to persuade their families to move some assets and people there.
"That concludes the main issues concerning the Supernatural Exchange Group today," Haruka said.
Then she turned toward Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Kaguya, now we should talk about your situation."
Kaguya looked at her.
"Me?"
Haruka's expression became more serious.
"Why are there traces of Chaos erosion on you?"
"Chaos?"
Kaguya was stunned.
Clearly, she did not understand what Haruka meant by that word.
"She told me."
Haruka raised a slender finger and placed it lightly against her own chest.
Everyone present understood.
She meant Tamamo-no-Mae.
"The symbol of Chaos is Yamata no Orochi," Haruka said. "You only just got rid of Shuten-dōji's mark. How did you suddenly become involved with Yamata no Orochi?"
The others were startled as well and turned toward Kaguya.
"Chaos. Yamata no Orochi. Tomie..."
Several guesses surfaced in Kaguya's heart.
After a short silence, she told them what she had experienced recently.
Shinomiya Manor.
The abnormalities around Tomie.
The charm.
The possessiveness.
Shinomiya Ōkō's collapse.
And her escape with Hayasaka Ai.
"Tomie?"
Isayama Yomi's expression changed.
"You're talking about Tomie?"
"You know her?" Kaguya immediately asked. "That Yokai wearing human skin?"
The others looked at Yomi curiously.
The name Tomie left no impression in their minds. It was clearly the first time they had heard it.
"It's understandable that you don't know her," Yomi said.
"The name Tomie has only circulated within a small circle of Onmyōdō. In the perception of many Onmyoji, Tomie was indeed strange, but the charm and distortion she carried did not affect Onmyoji. Because of that, she was not classified as an overly dangerous supernatural incident."
Her gaze sharpened as it settled on Kaguya.
"But clearly, things are different now."
In Kaguya's account, Tomie could already affect Onmyoji.
That was an extremely dangerous signal.
"And it's quite a coincidence," Yomi continued. "The White Fox Agency was previously responsible for Tomie. Later, that responsibility transferred to the current Myriad Law Supernatural Department."
"That guy, Gin Tsumugi, has always been very vigilant about her."
"Not long ago, he locked onto many of Tomie's clones and destroyed them all. The latest information the Super Disaster Countermeasure Office received from the Myriad Law Supernatural Department is that Tomie's core, which can also be seen as her true self, has broken away and disappeared without a trace."
Yomi frowned.
"I originally thought it would take a long time before she showed herself again. I didn't expect her to appear inside the Shinomiya Conglomerate."
She looked at Kaguya.
"It seems she also wants to use the power of the Shinomiya Conglomerate to hide her identity."
After Yomi's explanation, everyone present gained a rough understanding of Tomie.
"Infinite reproduction. Irresistible charm..."
Yukinoshita Yukino covered her mouth lightly, disbelief flashing across her face.
"Does such a Yokai really exist in this world?"
"Those are secondary," Haruka said thoughtfully.
"What matters most is the Chaos Tamamo-no-Mae warned me about."
"Indeed," Asuna said. "If Tomie is connected to Yamata no Orochi, then she cannot be underestimated."
Her expression grew serious.
"It seems our first cooperation as the Supernatural Exchange Group has begun."
The others understood as well.
One after another, they nodded.
The first task of their newly formed cooperation was clear.
They would help Shinomiya Kaguya deal with Tomie.
.....
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