Tokyo Ravens - Volume 9 - Chapter 2.3

Part 3 
The Onmyou Agency headquarters was an old yet vast building, and moreover, since it was where most of the nation's magic-related management were gathered, there was various equipment both inside and outside the building. 
One of them was in a storage room being used as a warehouse. But it wasn't any simple warehouse. 
A sealed storage room. 
Highly dangerous magical objects. Objects that were 'cursed' or were spiritually abnormal. A room that sealed magical tools designated forbidden and objects that were considered very dangerous if left alone were sealed here by a tough barrier. Most things were under the jurisdiction of the Research and Development Department, but there were also things directly overseen by the Chief sealed inside here. 
The sealed storage room was in the depths of the Research and Development Department's Research Lab One. 
The Raven's Wing, which had been retrieved by the spiritual disaster purification team, had been moved into this Research Lab One. 
A barrier had been put up on a two-meter wide square table. In the center was placed an ancient brass birdcage, and inside it was a single raven. Upon careful observation, one would notice that it had three legs. 
The symbol of the sun in Onmyoudou, the yatagarasu. 
This yatagarasu was Yakou's magical tool, the transformed state of the shikigami known as the Raven's Wing. 
The Raven's Wing, choosing its yatagarasu form, had its eyes closed as if sleeping and was motionless. Yashamaru looked at the yatagarasu's appearance with interest. 
He circled around and sat on the chair near the table. Humor and a blade-like sharpness emerged in his eyes, one behind a monocle. 
While Yashamaru stared at the Raven's Wing, the door behind him was unlocked and a man walked into the research lab. 
He was not young. Rather, it seemed that his flesh were steeped in 'age'. 
However, on the other hand, he had an overwhelming power as if that age directly became strength. His extremely serious personality could be understood at a glance of his outer appearance. 
The Onmyou Agency Chief. The VIP of the magical world who was currently the Exorcist Bureau Chief and the Mystical Investigator Chief, Kurahashi Genji. 
Kurahashi stood behind Yashamaru, glancing into the depths of the sealed storage room. 
"......You still haven't prepared a seal?" 
"Of course. It just started after all." 
Yashamaru replied informally to the Onmyou Agency Chief's question without even turning around. Yashamaru's past self, Dairenji Shidou, had been Kurahashi's coworker in the Onmyou Agency. After Dairenji's death and resurrection, their relationship had already lasted ten years. 
"You've heard already, right? Tsuchimikado Harutora still hasn't awakened completely as Yakou. Of course, I'm not sure if this Raven's Wing is the key to the reincarnation...... But it's worth investigating and trying out." 
Yashamaru spoke indifferently, putting his white-gloved fingers under his chin. 
"Moreover, I was very curious about 'that man' in my previous life. I personally believed the secret art of resurrection was one of Yakou's most powerful secrets." 
"............" 
Kurahashi listened to Yashamaru's words while watching his face from behind. Yashamaru almost paid no attention to Kurahashi, continuously staring at the yatagarasu in the birdcage with narrowed eyes. Kurahashi could read the meaning of his expression due to having known him for a long time. 
A voracious thirst for knowledge and a childish curiosity. 
He seemed somewhat excited in front of the Raven's Wing he had dreamed of for so long. A wry smile that seemed a tiny bit different from usual flashed over Kurahashi's mouth. 
"......That's not it. That Raven's Wing probably becomes - no, it 'might' become the existence that proves your personal hypothesis. The one about the Final Phase." 
"Hoho, I've been found out." 
Yashamaru admitted it readily. Creak. He turned his head to Kurahashi behind him as if leaning against the chair. 
"Since I was born as an Onmyouji of this nation, isn't it necessary to want to meet the yaoyorozu no kami [5] ? I have to know who they are and 'how they exist' for this. Right?" 
"......So? That Raven's Wing is the 'Phase Five shikigami' you speak of?" 
"That......" 
Yashamaru spoke vaguely and then his chair made noise as he lost his calm. This time, he leaned his body forward. 
He put his elbows on his knees, saying: 
"Honestly, that hypothesis is still mystery. This Raven's Wing is a shikigami and also a magical tool. Though this thing is entirely a servant shikigami, it's technically a manmade shikigami, you know? It was created solely as a 'magical tool' by Yakou's hands. Hence, although its form resembles the yatagarasu of legend, it's just the form that Yakou made it into." 
"Is that so?" 
"I'd say I am eighty or ninety percent confident. Even so, it becomes hard to deal with when you consider 'why did Yakou choose this form'...... Of course, you could also believe it was purely Yakou's fancy, but we also have to search for the origins of the magical energy that forms the core of this thing......" 
Yashamaru inadvertently forgot about his explanation to Kurahashi, turning his eyes to the yatagarasu and muttering to himself. This was also familiar to Kurahashi, who had known him in his previous identity. 
"Alright." 
Kurahashi called Yashamaru back from his research. 
"Let's put aside the Raven's Wing's true identity for now. I first want to organize the situation." 
Yashamaru's expression seemed like that of a child who had been ordered to stop playing his video game, but he immediately rose while turning from his chair with a "Fine." 
"The princess?" 
"She returned to the hotel with Kumomaru." 
"How is she?" 
"Tsuchimikado Natsume's death seemed to be quite a large shock, and I heard she was distraught afterwards." 
"What about now?" 
"We kind of forced her to sleep. Though intense mood swings are the norm for shamans, the princess's power is a bit strong. It would be very troublesome if she called down a god. I might have accidentally gotten carried away in the past, so I'll have to be careful in the future." 
Yashamaru replied to Kurahashi with an expression that didn't seem regretful at all. In comparison, Kurahashi's expression was unfazed as always. 
Just a few words. 
"......An unnecessary sacrifice." 
His expression was still unchanged, but his voice was bitter. 
Yashamaru shrugged. 
"I think it's a bit dumb to unilaterally decide whether a sacrifice was necessary or unnecessary. The dead are the same, no matter what cause they died for." 
Kurahashi glanced at Yashamaru's expression but didn't open his mouth again. He hadn't planned on speaking about their views of death in the first place. 
"Yakou's reincarnation is the branch family's - the branch family's 'apparent' son, Tsuchimikado Harutora. That's not wrong." 
"Indeed, you can believe that. Actually, I met him directly just now." 
"What?" 
Kurahashi narrowed his eyes and Yashamaru grinned. "Don't worry." He supplemented it with an explanation of the incident. 
After hearing that, Kurahashi lowered his head to look at Yashamaru with a bitter face. 
"......It's hard to say you've established a friendly relationship. Don't you think you were hasty?" 
"I wanted to check the state of his awakening. Is the so-called reincarnation purely about the soul? Or does he inherit his abilities and memories from his previous life? If he inherits that, then to what degree? Depending on those, we may completely change how we deal with him later on. Right?" 
"My position relative to Tsuchimikado Yakou won't change regardless of the nature of his reincarnation. That's different from you." 
"Even so, the 'priorities' would probably change. After all, there are a lot of things to do." 
"Even so, you were a little too provocative, just judging by what you said just now." 
"Really? The main point is that it's fine if we just put a few fetters on him. It'll be a pain if we let him run in the opposite direction. If we do that much and sprinkle around a little bait, he won't freely run out of our hand even if we're not keeping watch over him, right? Well, it was a very bad impression, but that's not hard to change. The opponent's just a child, no matter what anyone says." 
Yashamaru opened his hands exaggeratedly while asserting this with quite the frivolous tone. 
Kurahashi scorned: 
"Though he's a child, he's Yakou's reincarnation." 
"Hey hey, Kurahashi, you haven't forgotten, right? Even Yakou was just a young man who died early." 
Yashamaru spoke calmly and impertinently. But it was hard for his former colleague Kurahashi to view his words as rude. 

The years that Tsuchimikado Yakou had lived, and the years Tsuchimikado Harutora had lived. Even if the two were added together, they didn't reach the years that Kurahashi or Yashamaru - Dairenji - had lived. 
Moreover, needless to say, the two of them hadn't wasted a single day of those years. 
"Incidentally, I also came in contact with that Ato Touji along with him. Suzuka was there too. I didn't seem to see your daughter." 
"Good. I hope that she's far away from these things if possible." 
"What about your mother?" 
"Preparations have been made in that regard." 
"Good." 
Yashamaru grinned, mimicking Kurahashi's tone. 
Maybe it was quite comical on some level for the Onmyou Agency Chief and his former VIP colleague to be so concerned about students. But they could only establish the right 'circumstances' by staying in control of 'everything'. 
Ato Touji and Dairenji Suzuka, along with Kurahashi Kyouko and the others, were people that they cared about for certain purposes even if they didn't have power. For now, they kept a certain amount of attention on them. Of course, this was the same for Principal Kurahashi. 
"I haven't asked about the situation with that old woman and the kids. Let's talk about the other adults. You haven't gotten ahold of Yasuzumi-kun's and the others' movements? They should act since their 'daughter' died. Even if it's just as a courtesy." 
Yashamaru quipped. 
They were aware that Tsuchimikado Natsume was truly a girl from Takiko's report just several hours ago. Supposedly, Tsuchimikado Natsume had posed as a male because of the main family's 'tradition'. 
However, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi's child who was supposed to be Tsuchimikado Yakou's reincarnation should have been a 'son'. When Yasuzumi's late wife - whose maiden name was Wakasugi - had been pregnant, none other than Kurahashi had 'seen' that aura with his own eyes. In other words, Yasuzumi had entrusted his own son to the branch family and raised Natsume as a replacement. Then, he had concealed her gender, raising her as his own son. Yasuzumi's true son was Tsuchimikado Harutora. 
Kurahashi dully replied "We still haven't gotten any new information right now" to Yashamaru's question. Yashamaru crossed his arms with a "hmph", turning the chair he sat on around with a clatter. 
"......Could it be that Yasuzumi-kun still hasn't picked up on this incident?" 
"Impossible, Yasuzumi is an excellent 'diviner'. It's best not to believe that he hasn't noticed his 'son's' awakening or the Raven's Wing's activation." 
"Then we haven't gotten ahold of their movements?" 
"They're probably watching or waiting for an opportunity, or maybe there are reasons they can't move." 
"Hmmm. ......What about Tsuchimikado Harutora? We have to keep him under control, right?" 
"Yeah, he's being kept in the Mystical Investigators interrogation room right now." 
"That means that there's a possibility that Yasuzumi-kun will show up himself to take back his son?" 
"Yasuzumi has Takahiro and Chizuru with him. Takahiro in particular is a powerful former Mystical Investigator and should be taken seriously. But we all know each other in and out. We have Miyachi here." 
When Kurahashi had ordered the attack on the Tsuchimikado main family to recapture the Raven's Wing, Yasuzumi from the main family along with Takahiro and Chizuru from the branch family had beaten back the Mystical Investigators that had been dispatched. They had also overwhelmed the commanding National First-Class Onmyouji Yuge Mari, the 'Binding Princess'. 
But they had set fire to the residence themselves when faced with Yuge and Miyachi together and had only managed to escape that place by using the Raven's Wing as bait. Miyachi's existence was that decisive with regard to magical fighting power. 
"I see. In that case, it seems like it might be good to post Miyachi-kun in the Onmyou Agency temporarily instead of the Exorcist Bureau." 
"I've already given those instructions." 
"Oh, as expected from Kurahashi. Good work, I'm impressed." 
Yashamaru laughed happily. But Kurahashi still continued speaking without a pause. 
"Unfortunately, there are other worrisome items. There's a troublesome individual with my mother - the Onmyou Academy." 
"Hah? Who?" 
"'Shadow'". 
"Eh? Really? If I recall, didn't he retire before I died?" 
"He resigned as a Mystical Investigator, but afterwards he was taken in by my mother. As Tsuchimikado Natsume's homeroom teacher." 
"......Really." 
Yashamaru nodded with a surprised appearance. 
The so-called 'shadow' was a former top-rate Mystical Investigator who had been a confidant of the 'Divine Fan' Amami Daizen. He was a National First-Class Onmyouji who had obtained the 'Onmyou First-Class' qualifications, and his power was no joke. 
"Though he borrowed Kogure's power, that man beat back Domahoshi when he attacked the Onmyou Academy last month. Because of the effects of that magical battle, he was temporarily hospitalized. But he vanished yesterday and his whereabouts are currently unknown." 
If Kumomaru was also here, he might have hastily reported that Ohtomo had appeared during the climax of Takiko and Natsume's mock battle. But even if they knew that truth, the fact that they didn't currently know about 'Shadow's whereabouts still wouldn't change. 
"Why did it have to be 'Shadow'...... Although he's young, he's very experienced. Moreover, he's someone who was responsible for all of the 'darkness' himself. It's very troublesome for him to become an enemy in this situation." 
"That's true about his ability, but the bigger problem is that we have no idea how he's going to move at all. He has the potential to become something completely unexpected for us. It's too dangerous to ignore him." 
"Uh...... But, he can't beat Miyachi-kun after all, right?" 
"Of course, no practitioner could exist who could beat him in fighting power. But we have to have Miyachi completely focus on dealing with the Tsuchimikado family. Even just the Takahiro-Chizuru pair is as powerful as 'Shadow'. Moreover...... The interior of the Onmyou Agency isn't as solid as a rock either. Miyachi is essential as an overall 'deterrence' as well." 
Even among the Onmyouji belonging to the Onmyou Agency, there were powerful practitioners who were inclined towards 'the other side', that was reality. Moreover, Miyachi was the leader and central figure of 'their side's' Onmyouji. If he had to deal with the powerful 'Shadow' as well, the overall balance would easily crumble. 
"Then is it reasonable for me to step in? Kumomaru would easily fall for a trap." 
"That's not bad, but even if we have you focus on dealing with 'Shadow', it might result in a lot of delay. Although he's Tsuchimikado Harutora's homeroom teacher, he's an uncertain element after all. As I said before, we don't know how he'll move right now." 
In the end, if 'Shadow' was harmless - which was very possible - then deliberately dispatching Yashamaru to deal with 'Shadow' would be a waste of effort. Yashamaru had to do what Yashamaru had to do. 
Even so, ordinary practitioners would be useless if 'Shadow' truly became hostile. Sending someone weaker would be useless. 
"Then what should we do? You 'don't have enough pieces' right now, right?" 
Yashamaru freely spoke of his worries. 
Kurahashi was the Onmyou Agency Chief, and it wouldn't be too much to call him the most powerful individual in the current magic community. But in the end, that was the situation on the 'surface'. There weren't many people he could 'privately' call on like Yashamaru. 
But Kurahashi slowly replied to Yashamaru's worry. "Don't worry, there's a 'suitable person'." 

The phone call came when the date was about to change. 
The unlit, messy room was dimly illuminated by the light of the television. He was surprised after seeing who was calling. Kurahashi Genji. Seeing as that guy was contacting him personally, it was no ordinary situation. 
He suspiciously picked up the phone. Through the voice, he confirmed that there was definitely no mistake, it was Kurahashi himself. 
Moreover-- 
"Your seal is released. Come to the Agency building right away." 
"......Right now?" 
He checked the time again. 
As an exorcist, it wasn't too strange to get an emergency dispatch in the dead of night. If something like a spiritual disaster terrorist attack happened again, it wouldn't even be strange for his seal to be removed. 
But it was very abnormal for him to be called to the Onmyou Agency building and not the Exorcist Bureau. 
"............" 
The meaning of his silence seemed to reach the other side. 
"It's undercover work. There's a possibility that a powerful Onmyouji is going to break into the Onmyou Agency. I want you to deal with him." 
"Me?" 
It was more and more suspicious. That kind of work belonged to the Mystical Investigators, and Kurahashi was currently in the position of Mystical Investigator Chief. He should be able to prepare sufficient manpower no matter how secret the operation was. He didn't need to take the trouble of contacting him himself. 
Then, there was only other reason. A powerful target that he couldn't deal with without people at his level of power. 
"......Who is it?" 
"'Shadow'." 
He couldn't help but straighten himself, the laziness he had been feeling until that moment instantly evaporated. 
A joke - no, it couldn't be. It was the secret order of that Kurahashi Genji. 
Kurahashi repeated his order. 
"Independent Exorcist Kagami Reiji. I release your seal. Come to the Agency building immediately." 
The savage smile of a hungry wolf emerged on Kagami's face in the unlit, messy room.