"So, you're saying that you're currently detaining Kotone?"

"Not detaining—protecting her."

The stern-looking man in a suit who had come to Yuka's house pushed up his glasses as he spoke. Yuka thought that his precisely parted 2:8 hairstyle and completely wrinkle-free suit clearly showed what kind of work he did on a daily basis.

He probably just sits at a desk all day. Reading reports on paper. There might be photos, but there's a huge gap between seeing something in a photo and witnessing it in person.

Blood in photos is just red, but blood at a crime scene is sticky and has a terrible smell. When people see a corpse for the first time and gag, it's not simply because they're shocked by the state of the body, but because all their senses are being assaulted at once.

...Actually, bodies that have been killed in particularly horrific ways can seem almost unreal even when you see them in person. It's the other senses that make you realize it's real.

"Do you truly believe that?"

Grandfather slowly spoke up.

His expression was much calmer than Yuka's somewhat emotional face. But one couldn't say his voice was completely free of accusation.

Grandfather had initially viewed Kotone with suspicious eyes too.

But anyone with normal human emotions would find it impossible to treat her like a monster after seeing Kotone's circumstances and personality.

Despite her environment, Kotone had maintained her good nature. Even in situations where it wouldn't have been strange for her to break, Kotone had continued to endure.

"Do you really think keeping that child locked up and preventing her from moving is 'protection'? To me, it looks more like bait."

"..."

The man couldn't deny it.

"I've heard that you lost your informants. Even if some survived, they must be keeping their heads down for now. They can't risk their lives, after all. In a sense, they may have betrayed you."

Grandfather paused briefly and carefully examined the stern-looking official. The man's expression remained blank, but Yuka didn't miss how his eyes briefly avoided Grandfather's gaze.

Her anger grew stronger as she understood the situation, but she held it in for now. Getting angry wouldn't change the minds of people like these.

"If you can't find them, you're planning to make them come to you, aren't you? They tried to lure Kotone out for whatever reason, so you're setting a trap in reverse, trying to make them come to her."

"That's why we're 'protecting' her," the man said immediately after Grandfather finished speaking.

"These people don't care how many die for their cause. In that situation, how could that girl possibly protect herself alone?"

"Oh, is that so?"

Grandfather's tone wasn't particularly mocking. Just indifferent.

"Then what do you plan to do if you find yourselves unable to protect Kotone?"

"..."

The man seemed to be trying hard not to let his silence convey too much meaning.

But precisely because the answer was silence, Yuka could understand what it meant.

"Is that... why you want to keep me there too?"

"..."

Again, the answer was silence.

And again, Yuka thought she understood why.

*

"Kuro?"

"Meow."

Souta was a bit surprised when Shii entered the house carrying a pet carrier.

"Did something happen to Kurosawa?"

"Well..."

Shii tilted her head slightly as she answered.

"Actually, I'm not sure myself."

Seeing her brother's questioning expression, Shii calmly explained.

"Senpai didn't come to work today. And she didn't answer when I tried to contact her."

"Then what about Kuro?"

"I met him in front of the store."

"That's... strange."

Souta couldn't help but agree.

He couldn't claim to know Kurosawa well. They'd shared a meal once and hung out more often than expected, but he wasn't as close to her as Shii was.

But even without knowing someone's habits well, in this kind of situation, anyone would naturally think, "Did something happen?"

She didn't seem irresponsible enough to abandon her pet, and there was no reason to bring a cat to work either.

"Meow."

Kuro strolled out of the carrier, stretched thoroughly, and casually headed for the living room.

Following behind, they found him sprawled on the sofa, yawning widely with a completely unconcerned expression.

"...That is Kuro, right?"

"I did wonder if it might not be... but..."

Yet that relaxed demeanor was unmistakably the Kuro they knew.

...Maybe nothing's actually wrong?

Would cats be this unconcerned if something happened to their owners? Souta and Shii, having never kept pets, didn't know.

As they watched Kuro start rolling around on the sofa with an expression that suggested he didn't want to sleep but also didn't want to do anything, the siblings looked at each other.

"...I bought some treats..."

Shii said, taking out a few cat treats from her bag. Kuro's ears perked up immediately.

"Let's keep him until we hear from Kurosawa. I wouldn't be able to face her if something happened to Kuro."

"Yes."

Shii nodded happily at Souta's words.

"Meow."

Kuro meowed, looking at the two of them.

*

"Is this the branch?"

The old man asked, looking at what appeared to be an ordinary bundle of twigs.

"Yes. This is all we have."

From Kagami's words, it seemed this wasn't something easy to obtain. If their entire supply was just one bundle, that made sense.

But for the man next door, it was a different story.

Judging by how he was staring with his mouth agape, this quantity seemed impossible under "normal circumstances."

"How many talismans can you make with this?"

"...Quite a lot."

"W-wait a minute."

The man next door interrupted the conversation between Kagami and the old leader. The two turned to look at him without showing any particular displeasure.

"You're planning to... use all of this? Something that's essentially an unrotted fossil?"

"I believe your side has already used some with my cooperation."

"Wasn't that just... ink mimicking the color?"

"You thought that ink which glowed suspiciously just from being written on paper was just that?"

Kagami spoke almost jokingly, having apparently regained some composure.

"I was only told it was fluorescent ink..."

"Excuse me."

After trying to follow their conversation, I finally raised my hand.

"Can you tell if that's the tree just by looking at it?"

"Ah, it does have characteristics."

The man next door immediately answered my question.

"You can't tell at first glance, but... if you keep looking, you'll slowly see a blue light flickering. The Necronomicon describes it as 'transparent flames flickering.'"

Necronomicon... Even if I've forgotten most other things, I know this. Necronomicon is the Chinese character translation of "Necronomicon." Just as I haven't forgotten "Cthulhu" from the "Cthulhu" mythos, it's hard to forget one of the most central elements of that mythology. I used to read wikis about this stuff too.

Didn't that man say he researched folklore? If so, it's not strange that he'd read "Shin-denki" rather than "Necronomicon" or "Al Azif."

By the way, the Necronomicon isn't an ordinary book—is he still sane after reading it? Maybe the talent Kagami mentioned is related to that.

More importantly, it's a bit strange that he casually mentions the name of a book that ordinary people wouldn't know, acting as if everyone knows about it. Well, otaku often assume others know what they know.

"..."

After hearing this, I stared intently at the branch.

Very slowly, I could see something like a heat haze above the branch. As mentioned, it did look somewhat blue. I wasn't sure if it was transparent or blue, but it was definitely visible enough that calling it "transparent" seemed inaccurate.

"Don't think about touching it. You'll catch fire."

"No way."

The man contradicted Kagami's warning.

"I've touched it myself, haven't I? The text says it ignites impure things, but that's just folklore. Ancient people probably saw mysterious natural phenomena and thought they were divine."

"...So you don't think it's divine?"

"Hm? Of course not. Many things that were accepted as science or natural law in the past have been disproven in modern times."

"..."

I looked at Kagami. She just shrugged slightly.

Perhaps he's such a thorough atheist that none of this affects him. People go mad after reading the Necronomicon because they understand its contents to some degree, but this man is treating it purely as "academic."

"Why hasn't such a unique... plant been revealed to the scientific community?"

"Because I haven't published it yet."

The man answered with a serious yet proud smile, even squaring his shoulders.

"We collaborate with quite a few institutions besides our research center. That branch is said to be part of a tree called 'Aven,' and due to its unique properties, it's often used in rituals worldwide—Oh."

The man's face reddened slightly when he noticed everyone in the room staring at him silently.

Is it because he was rambling about facts only he knew?

"...It's said to be because it hasn't been announced by the academic community."

The old leader finished the explanation for the speechless man, addressing me.

"In reality, you're 'hiding' it?"

"Not reality—that's what this young man thinks. The research isn't definitively complete, and we don't know exactly what causes the phenomenon, so it's been decided that we'll announce it after the research is conclusively finished."

So he's under what amounts to an embargo.

"What? But—"

"Very well."

As the man started to speak, the old leader turned to Kagami and said:

"We'll provide whatever materials we have as well. Please make as many as possible to ensure we can block them effectively. And."

"If you're suggesting self-immolation, I'd like to decline."

Kagami cut off the old man's words.

"Our side considers me a 'valuable asset.'"

"...I understand. Then let's do our best to prevent the prophecy."

The old leader said this and stood up.

"What? Excuse me? What are you talking about? Prevent? Are you planning to use all of that for some kind of ritual?"

"It'll be worse than that."

Kagami said with a smile.

"It will burn away much more meaninglessly than you imagine."

But her eyes weren't smiling at all.

*

As the old man left the room, someone walking beside him asked:

"What do you think about the prophecy?"

"If someone has lied once, they can lie again. And they say this cult was originally one."

The old man spoke calmly as he moved forward, leaning on his cane.

"Do you think it's a lie?"

"...'Think again.' That's the content of the prophecy to prevent disaster. Can thinking again stop the Hyakki Yagyo?"

"..."

"If something could be changed by that, then simply thinking should be able to change the Hyakki Yagyo itself. But we have no evidence of that. Which means..."

"...There's a high possibility it's not actually a prophecy."

"Yes."

"Then why are you listening to that child?"

"Because of the evidence. Considering the state of the corpses and their likely affiliations, it's simple. That woman, Kurosawa Kosuzu, was it? That terrorist is targeting that girl. At least, she judged that she could attract attention that way. We can't just hand her over."

The old man exhaled softly.

"There's not enough time to move outside Tokyo. It's difficult to defend something in a wide-open area. Too many escape routes. We'll draw them all into this safe house and take them down in one fell swoop. The woman herself might hide somewhere safe, but she'll send most of her forces to get the girl."

"Understood. I'll prepare accordingly."

As the man bowed his head, the old man nodded in return and stepped into the elevator.

"If you find it impossible to protect the girl, make sure 'not to hand her over.' Better to eliminate the possibility entirely than create a situation where we don't know what might happen."

Though he had already given this instruction, the old man repeated it.

"...I'll keep that in mind."

Through the closing doors, the old man could be seen nodding.

*

"Meow."

Kuro's ears suddenly perked up as he lay sprawled like laundry on Shii's lap.

"Kuro?"

Shii spoke in surprise as Kuro, who had been doing nothing as if movement was too troublesome, suddenly struggled to get up.

"Meow!"

"Kuro, what's wrong?"

Shii blinked at Kuro, who was suddenly raising his fur and meowing loudly.

"What's happening?"

Souta, who was sitting nearby, asked in alarm.

"No, Kuro suddenly—"

Kuro jumped down from Shii's lap and landed on the floor.

"Shaak!"

He made the distinctive hissing sound of an angry cat.

His yellow eyes were fixed on the direction of the entrance.

Shii and Souta looked at each other and stood up.

"Is someone... here?"

"Shaak!"

Kuro hissed again at Souta's murmur.

But the doorbell sound—

Ding-dong.

"..."

The doorbell rang just as Souta turned his body toward the entrance.

Shii and Souta looked at each other again.

...Is this strange?

But that thought soon disappeared. Animals like cats have better hearing than humans, and they naturally pick up small sounds that people can't detect.

Some people think cats are seeing ghosts when they suddenly stare at empty space, but in reality, they're probably looking at small noises humans can't hear or tiny flying insects that are barely visible.

Ding-dong.

So Souta moved forward without any particular suspicion.

"Shaak!"

But Kuro blocked Souta's path.

"Kuro?"

It was a blockade that could easily be stepped over, but Souta blinked and stopped.

"What's wrong? Is someone beyond there?"

Bang bang bang.

Before Souta could finish his question, someone knocked on the door.

Hard. As if hitting it forcefully with a fist.

[Souta!]

A voice came from beyond the door.

[Souta, Shii!]

It was a familiar voice.

"...Mother?"

Shii murmured. Her face was pale.

Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong.

The doorbell rang again, and

Bang bang bang.

The door was hit hard again.

"..."

Souta was about to move toward it but stopped abruptly.

It wasn't because of Kuro.

"Shaak!"

He thought he understood why Kuro was making that sound.

[Souta! Are you in there? Please open the door! Please!]

From beyond the door, their mother's voice.

A voice that sounded as if she was being urgently chased by something. A voice suggesting that something terrible would happen if they didn't open the door right now.

"Shaak!"

"Kuro."

As Souta hurriedly moved toward the door, Kuro moved again to block his path.

Bang bang bang!

The door shook as if it might break, then suddenly the noise from beyond stopped.

"..."

Souta and Shii stood still for a moment, listening.

If the person beyond was really their mother, and if she was in danger, they should obviously open the door. Regardless of their relationship, a human life isn't something to be taken lightly.

Besides, it was their mother.

But the siblings felt more of a chilling emotion than anything else. The whole situation didn't seem quite normal.

Their gazes both settled on Kuro.

Come to think of it, Kuro had suddenly appeared inside their house before.

And now that they thought about it, it was too late at night for someone to be visiting.

"..."

As the two looked at each other again,

BANG!

"Eek!?"

Shii screamed in surprise as something hit the door hard.

BANG!

BANG!

The door began to dent inward as it was struck repeatedly.

"Shii, get behind me."

At Souta's words, Shii quickly moved to hide behind him.

And in that moment,

BANG!

With one final loud noise, the doorknob area completely flew off, and the door swung open.

"..."

Shii inhaled sharply. There was a hint of crying in her breath.

"Even so."

The person beyond the open door spoke.

No, the person "behind" it.

"Shouldn't you open the door when your mother asks?"

Thud.

"Mother" collapsed forward.

"She was useless as a hostage. Making me waste my effort."

There were cut wounds all over her body, and she was bleeding. Was she dead? The wounds looked both fatal and non-fatal at the same time. What was certain was that if left like this, she would "definitely" be dead soon.

Stepping over their mother—a person who looked very much like Kotone's mother whom they had seen before—said:

"...Well, it's fine. It'll cost me a bit, but this is within expected parameters. You two, would you mind staying still for a moment? Unless you want to end up like your mother."

As she spoke, the woman took something out of her white coat pocket.

It was a bell.

A small bell, the kind that might hang from a cat's collar.

As the woman was about to raise it—

Whoosh!

She suddenly dodged to the side.

Thunk.

A knife embedded itself where the woman had been standing.

"...What do you think you're doing to Souta?"

And then a familiar voice was heard.