"Are you really sure that it's a good idea to do this?" Yaga-gakucho asks, once the higher ups' representative has left. The principal had not openly questioned Shiki in front of their guest, knowing that it was important for the higher ups to see a united front between the Tokyo school and Gojo Clan. Regardless… it wasn't difficult to see that the man still held certain reservations about what Shiki had put forth.
Still, what Shiki had suggested was undoubtedly a better alternative than what the higher ups had proposed with their sealing specialist. Likely another reason why Yaga-gakucho had waited until now to voice his hesitation.
"You're concerned that Okkotsu-san won't be able to prove himself?" she asks idly.
Yaga-gakucho arches an eyebrow at her. "From what I know, Okkotsu Yuta admitted himself that he had little control over Orimoto Rika. Both regarding when and where the cursed spirit would choose to manifest, and the subsequent actions that it would take. How can you be so confident that he'll be able to show the sort of control that the higher ups would accept?"
What he says is true, and not an unreasonable concern. In fact, if Shiki's memory serves correctly, there are multiple recorded cases of past incidents where Orimoto Rika had appeared in order to 'protect' Okkotsu-san from 'bullies,' with total disregard for Okkotsu-san's own opinions on the matter. If Okkotsu-san were able to control Orimoto Rika the way that Megumi controlled his shikigami, then such incidents would never have been a concern to begin with.
But–
But at the same time, this can also be interpreted as undeniable proof that the cursed spirit cares for the boy. Or at least, as much as a cursed spirit is capable of 'caring.' It indicates that Orimoto Rika's obsession with Okkotsu-san is one where it wants to 'protect' him, instead of tearing him to pieces the way that most other hauntings by vengeful cursed spirits tend to be. If this can be utilized and directed properly, then it means that the cursed spirit will serve as a useful tool in Okkotsu-san's arsenal as long as they remain bound together.
Recent experience had shown that it wasn't impossible to direct Orimoto Rika towards a specific goal. If Shiki could convince it to destroy the manor for Okkotsu-san's sake, then there was no reason why Okkotsu-san couldn't figure out a method of communicating with the cursed spirit and commanding it on his own.
"I think Okkotsu-san will be able to discover a method that works for him," Shiki tells Yaga-gakucho.
"I know that Gojo Satoru planned for Okkotsu to learn how to call upon his cursed spirit, eventually," the man sighs. "But I figured that was something that would come once he was prepared for it in his training, not as a result of pressure from the higher ups so he can avoid being sealed, or worse."
"Okkotsu Yuta isn't going to be sealed," Shiki folds her arms across her chest. "I won't allow it."
Yaga-gakucho blinks. "… Didn't you just come out of a meeting with Minamoto where you both agreed that Okkotsu wouldn't be sealed on the condition that he could prove himself capable of controlling his cursed spirit at the next exchange event?"
"Did I agree to that?" Shiki tilts her head. "I distinctly recall asking if the higher ups would retract their harebrained plan to seal Okkotsu-san if he could prove himself. At no point did I state that I would stand aside and allow Okkotsu-san to be sealed in the event that he failed to do so."
"What? But that's…" Briefly, the principal trails off into silence. There's a faint look of concentration on his face as he clearly takes a moment to mentally review the conversation that had just taken place between Shiki and Minamoto. His expression twitches, as he realizes that Shiki is right, and that she'd never explicitly acquiesced to deferring to the higher ups in the event that Okkotsu-san was unable to meet expectations. "You… purposely misled the representative?"
It's not Shiki's fault that they didn't ask the right questions.
Daisaku-sama is a lot better at this sort of subtle trickery than Shiki is, but she's picked up a few things here and there from sitting in on clan meetings throughout the years. The Minamoto representative that the higher ups had sent must've been a relatively inexperienced one. Perhaps an unfortunate individual who'd been chosen when there were no others who wished to risk the cutting edge of Shiki's sword?
"It has nothing to do with me if Minamoto-san only chose to listen to what he wanted to hear," she shrugs, tone mild
"No, it has everything to do with what you implied!" Yaga-gakucho slaps a hand to his forehead, and slowly drags it down over his face as he lets out a long, long exhale. "I wonder if it's worth waiting for Gojo Satoru so he can be the one to deal with the higher ups next time…"
Is Yaga-gakucho dissatisfied with how Shiki had handled things? … Possibly, given that Shiki had more or less delayed the problem, instead of fully resolving it.
But Minamoto had been quite insistent on maintaining the higher ups' stance on sealing Okkotsu-san, and short of throwing him out of the room, it would've taken forever to get anywhere in that conversation. So when the idea had occurred to her, Shiki decided that it would be far more convenient to 'make a bet' instead, as Kinji liked to call it, especially when Minamoto-san showed no signs of realizing that Shiki had no intention of submitting to the higher ups' decision no matter how prettily he phrased things.
… And really, Yaga-gakucho could stand to be a little more confident in Okkotsu-san. If anyone could convince a cursed spirit to work with them, then it would be the Special Grade who had every advantage for accomplishing such a task.
The man pinches the bridge of his nose. "I… suppose that the next step will be seeing if the higher ups send another representative in short order to reexamine things. Or ask for a binding vow."
That's entirely possible. But in the meantime, as long as the higher ups took things at face value, then Okkotsu-san would be left in peace for a while.
It likely won't take very long for the higher ups to realize what Shiki had just admitted to Yaga-gakucho, though. If they decided to send a second representative once they realized that Shiki hadn't actually agreed to anything, then it would definitely be someone who was experienced when it came to brokering compromises this time around.
It's both an amusing and depressing thought. Amusing to imagine how the higher ups might react when they noticed what Shiki had done here, and depressing to think of what new trick they might pull next time. The higher ups likely would not react well to being given a taste of their own medicine.
But that was something to worry about in the future. For now…
"Shall I break the news to Okkotsu-san, then?" Shiki asks the principal, who's currently holding his head in his hands.
"… Yes," Yaga-gakucho says, and finally straightens. "This concerns him directly, so he should definitely be aware of what's going on."
Shiki thinks so, too.
But as it turns out, for some reason, Okkotsu-san is nowhere to be found in the Tokyo school. Neither him, nor any of the other first years… or even Shiki's own classmates.
Which is quite odd. And in the immediate aftermath of a visit from the higher ups' representative, also quite concerning.
Had Minamoto's seeming obliviousness during their meeting been a lie? Had the higher ups planned to target the Tokyo students while Shiki and Yaga-gakucho were both preoccupied? Or was it that they'd–
"Oh, the missing students? The first years and second years headed out together earlier."
Shiki looks up at Kusakabe-sensei, carefully studying the older man's expression. Kusakabe-sensei looks straight back at her, nonplussed.
… It doesn't seem like he's nervous, or worried. So the students had chosen to leave the school according to their own will, then? If they'd been forced to leave under duress by the higher ups, then surely Kusakabe-sensei would be much more concerned about it.
"Would you happen to know where they're headed?" she asks. Kinji and Kirara could've at least texted her to keep her updated on their situation. The two of them have no right to complain about Shiki never texting if they're both unresponsive to their own texts like this!
"Nope, sorry. They only mentioned heading into the city," Kusakabe-sensei shrugs. "Well, that and they also said something about 'conducting their own investigation,' I think? Didn't really catch all of what Hakari was hollering at me when he ran out the gates dragging Hoshi with him."
Shiki blinks in confusion. Investigation? What investigation? Isn't that something that's usually the responsibility of Windows and assistant managers?
"… I see," Shiki says, even though she doesn't really see where this 'investigation' suddenly sprung out from.
But there is another name that instantly springs to mind where investigations are concerned. In hindsight, maybe Shiki should've gone directly to him instead of doing a circuit around the school to search for her missing classmates.
"I appreciate your help, Kusakabe-sensei," Shiki bows her head politely. "I'll ask Choki whether or not he's aware of the students' whereabouts."
Suzurigi Choki is a reliable and efficient assistant who's been a constant at Shiki's side throughout the years. Given that his role is to serve as an assistant specifically to Shiki alone, he's immediately responsive when Shiki contacts him –unlike two certain classmates that Shiki could name– and thankfully, he has the answers that she's looking for.
"Ijichi-san has brought the first and second year students to visit Soga Chujiro."
"… And who is Soga Chujiro?" That's an unfamiliar name, and it also doesn't explain–
"Soga Chujiro is the one who submitted the request for the first year students' recent mission at the haunted manor," Choki explains from the other end of the phone.
Ah. That certainly clarifies matters significantly, then. The 'investigation' that Kusakabe-sensei had mentioned was most likely the first year students' attempt to look into the strange mission that had seen them unexpectedly encountering an odd Special Grade cursed spirit.
Although, "I thought Hamamoto was the Window in charge of that area. Were they recently replaced by Soga?"
"No, ojou-sama," Choki's response is instant. "My apologies for the misunderstanding; Soga Chujiro is not a Window. He's listed as the client in the mission records."
… The client, was it?
There being a direct client for a mission is not something that's as unusual as it sounds. Most missions processed through the Jujutsu Headquarters are divided into one of two general categories: Those that are discovered by Windows, and those that come from private clients with various connections to the jujutsu world.
"Soga Chujiro works in real estate, inherited from his father before him. The manor seems to have been one of his assets, and he submitted a mission request once he realized that the building was haunted." Not an uncommon story. Soga would not be first businessmen to hire sorcerers for such a thing. "Although, something must've gone amiss while the mission ranking was being determined."
Yes. That should've been a Grade One or even a Special Grade assignment, not something that should've been assigned to students. Had it been an average class of jujutsu students who'd been unknowingly sent into that manor, all of them probably would've died once the cursed spirit inside turned hostile.
I know cursed spirits need to be exorcised because they hurt others, but Maria wasn't doing anything or hurting anyone in the mansion!
… Whether or not Okkotsu-san's words were true, the cursed spirit had been hostile by the time that Shiki and her classmates arrived. The higher-ranked a cursed spirit was, the more intelligent it tended to be; there were numerous cases of inexperienced sorcerers being deceived by cursed spirits to also take into account–
And Shiki had not deemed it necessary to make any exceptions for this 'Maria.'
She'd thought that Okkotsu-san had understood her rationale, in the end. But if the first and second year students have all set out to 'investigate' their last mission together, then clearly this was something that still weighed heavily on Okkotsu-san's mind.
"I understand. Thank you for looking into this, Choki."
"Of course, ojou-sama. It's a pleasure to be of service," her assistant responds. "Shall I prepare the car, if you will be heading out after your classmates?"
… Should Shiki follow after them?
If the other Tokyo students wanted to investigate the matter post-mission, then that was their choice. Even though Shiki personally didn't see the point in such a thing, there was nothing wrong with following up on the situation –particularly if it was something that bothered them. With any luck, Okkotsu-san would be able to find the answers that he was looking for, and be able to properly focus on the next task before him once he'd concluded this 'investigation.'
There wasn't really any reason for Shiki to be present. Would it distress Okkotsu-san if she were to show up? She'd killed the cursed spirit in the haunted manor despite his wishes, after all, and had been relatively subdued in the aftermath when they'd returned to the Tokyo school. Shiki's classmates hadn't responded to her texts, either, so if this was something that they would prefer her to stay out of, then–
The cell phone in her hand suddenly vibrates next to her ear in this moment, indicating an incoming new text message. Shiki murmurs a quick apology to Choki as she lowers her phone and tilts the screen to navigate to her texts.
Almost immediately, there is another sharp vibration. Shiki will never understand how her classmates are so fast at typing…
Kinji: Oh hey, you're done with your meeting!
Kinji: Yeah we're in the city with the first years right now. I'll send you our location hang on
Kinji: … Actually should I be sending this to Suzurigi instead lol
Kinji: Kay nvm Ijichi says he'll just contact Suzurigi we're good
Kinji: See ya in a bit, ojou-sama!
The rapid-fire messages pop up almost immediately one after another, before Shiki has any chance of responding at all between them. Going by what she sees, though… it seems that it's been decided that she'll be joining the other students?
Are you certain? Shiki asks, just in case.
In sharp contrast to the long seconds that it took her to carefully type out the question on her phone, Kinji's response comes instantly.
Kinji: Just get over here already, you're the only one missing from the party
Kinji: Also how do you feel about katsudon for dinner? Asking for a friend
Shiki squints at her phone. Party? Katsudon? … Weren't they currently carrying out an investigation together? Or had Shiki been mistaken about that? It didn't even feel like they were having the same conversation here!
But even though Shiki finds herself being thrown for a loop by Kinji, at least one thing is clear: It appears that she's being invited to join her classmates and the first years on their outing. In that case… far be it for her to turn down this invitation, then.
… Is this a bad time for Shiki to mention that she doesn't particularly enjoy fried foods with heavy oils?
.
.
"I can't believe you." Kinji levels a severe look on her, eyes narrowed. "How does someone not like fried foods?!"
Fried foods had been rather uncommon in the regular meals provided by the Gojo Clan, and Shiki supposed that she just never really developed the taste for it as she'd grown up. She can eat fried foods, and some of them do taste nice, but she's never had much of a fondness for deep-fried things.
Shiki recalls Satoru-niichan mentioning that he'd had a 'phase' where he would eat any and every type of food that had been forbidden in the Gojo compound, back when he'd first moved out and became a first year student in the Tokyo school. But that had been more of a way to explore his newfound freedom than anything else. An expression of rebellion against the controlling clan elders.
… Maybe Shiki should buy a bag of junk food and eat it all directly in front of the clan elders next time she returns to the clan compound. Her stomach might not thank her for it, but the elders' expressions would probably be highly entertaining.
Something to think about, in the future.
For now, Shiki brushes back a lock of long white hair behind her ear, and leans down over the steaming bowl of udon sitting on the table in front of her. She blows gently on the noodles, before taking a delicate bite and chewing quietly.
Tasty.
"We can always get katsudon some other time," Kirara pokes Kinji, who's still wearing a look of utter betrayal as he stares at Shiki. "That katsudon place had such a long line in front of it by the time we got there, anyways, we never would've been able to grab a meal and still get back to the school before curfew. We probably need to make a reservation if we want to try it out at some point."
"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Kinji sighs, straightening as he finally grabs his chopsticks and stirs his own noodles. "That place had good reviews, but I didn't realize it would be that packed. It sucks since I know you said it's been awhile since you last had some good katsudon, and I thought it'd be nice if we could grab some while we're down in the city."
"I appreciate the thought, but it's honestly fine. I'm not craving katsudon that much," Kirara laughs lightly and smiles at the other boy, faintly teasing. "Are you sure you're not the one looking forward to a good bowl of katsudon?"
"Well, why can't it be the both of us?" Kinji grins. "Hey, maybe next time we can–"
A loud slurping sound suddenly cuts off whatever Kinji had been about to say. Across from them, Zenin Maki sets down her bowl of noodles pointedly with a loud clack as she chews rapidly, and swallows.
"Flirt together somewhere else, the two of you," the girl huffs.
Kirara chokes around a mouthful of soup, "W-we're not flirting!"
Zenin arches a single unimpressed eyebrow. "Uh-huh, and I'm secretly a talking panda just like our absent classmate. Get a room, seriously."
"Shake," Inumaki says, making a thumbs-up gesture in Kinji and Kirara's general direction. Beside him, Okkotsu also hastily swallows his mouthful of udon so he can set down his chopsticks and also use his hands to make a thumbs-up motion.
Shiki blinks, and turns towards her classmates in surprise. "The two of you are romantically involved?" That's news to her. She'd always known that they were close with each other, of course, but she hadn't realized that there was another layer to their relationship. The two of them were both boys, though? So how did that make any sense?
Oh, was Zenin-san teasing them?
"We're not dating!" Kirara hastily raises his hands in front of himself in denial. The spectacular red blush spreading across his face, however, is not doing him any favors in this moment.
"But we could be," is Kinji's response. He turns around towards Kirara with a slow, spreading grin full of mischief, and exaggeratedly leans forward, directly into the other startled boy's face. "Kirara, you're beautiful and brilliant and I would never want to be without your lovely–"
Clang.
The sharp sound rings throughout the small restaurant as Kirara suddenly jolts back and stands up from his seat. His face is still red, but it doesn't seem to be entirely from embarrassment. Instead, there's something in his expression that seems… hurt, and angry?
"Kirara?" Kinji blinks, also confused by the odd reaction. "… Kirara, I was just joking. Why are you–"
"That's not a very funny joke, Kinji." Kirara says quietly, then sucks in a deep breath. "Excuse me, I overreacted. I think I need to step outside and clear my head for a moment."
"Kirara–"
Whatever Kinji had been about to say to him is lost in the whirl of Kirara spinning around and immediately striding outside the restaurant. Kinji gapes after him with an odd expression that appears to be a mix of something both confused and stricken, evidently not having expected this sudden development.
Fair enough. Shiki hadn't expected things to suddenly deteriorate like this, either. Didn't Kinji and Kirara joke with each other all the time? She'd even seen Kinji pick Kirara up and spin him around like a princess before, and Kirara hadn't seemed to be offended by any of it.
"Ikura, mentaiko," Inumaki says to Kinji with a frown.
"Sorry, didn't catch that," Kinji snarks irritably. Then swears, muttering an expletive as he suddenly jumps in his seat, spilling a good half of his uneaten udon… wait, had Zenin just kicked him from under the table? "The hell was that for, Zenin?!"
"It's Maki, not Zenin," the girl says. "And I kicked you because you deserve it."
"Huh?"
Zenin rolls her eyes. "I said: I kicked you because you deserve it. How long are you just going to sit around like this?"
"… Huh?"
Zenin scowls, then fiercely points towards the restaurant door. "Go chase after them, you block headed moron!"
Kinji jerks back slightly. For a moment, Shiki almost thinks that he is about to slam his hands down and get into an argument with the Zenin girl instead. But instead of starting up an argument, Kinji shoots to his feet with a look of slowly-dawning realization and–
–runs for the door after Kirara?
Shiki quietly takes another bite of her udon, perplexed by the abrupt turn of events.
"Idiots, the both of them," Zenin-san mutters under her breath, shaking her head. "You seriously deal with them like this all the time, Gojo?"
"… They haven't argued like this before," Shiki responds.
"Yeah I'll bet they haven't," Zenin-san snorts. "How long have they been dancing around each other like this?"
"I'm not certain."
Zenin-san pauses, and looks at her suspiciously. "… You didn't realize that there's something going on between them?"
"Kinji and Kirara have always gotten along quite well with each other." Shiki had always thought that was because they were both boys, and both from civilian backgrounds, so there was more for them to bond together over. She hadn't even thought about the possibility that they would be dating –courting?– each other. "I was also absent from school for several months during my suspension."
"But they're so obvious," Zenin-san groans. "You really should've seen them while they were following us around earlier. They said that they'd help us look into things, but it almost felt like we were third-wheeling their date!"
"Tsuna," Inumaki-san nods aggressively.
"It did kind of feel like we were third-wheeling," Okkotsu-san is also in agreement with his fellow classmates.
"I hope my classmates didn't cause you too much trouble, then." Shiki sets down her chopsticks. It's rather unfortunate that Kinji and Kirara have chosen now to have an argument with each other –their udon is going to get cold, which is quite a shame. "Did your investigations still proceed smoothly?"
"More or less," Okkotsu-san hesitates briefly. "We… were able to meet with Soga-san, who requested the mission."
It sounds like there is more that he has to say about this. "And what did you discover?"
"… The cursed spirit in the manor, Maria, was Soga-san's half-sister," Okkotsu-san stirs his udon idly with his chopsticks. "Her mother was his father's… foreign mistress. And he kept both of them trapped in the manor, for years. When Maria's mother tried to escape with her and failed, he… Soga-san's father ended up going insane and. Committed suicide with both of them."
"More like he murdered both Maria and her mother, then committed suicide by himself," Zenin-san mutters.
"Yes, that," Okkotsu-san nods. "I guess… it makes sense why Maria would become a vengeful spirit, if she died like that. And why she would haunt the manor, since she's been trapped there her entire life. But… there's also things that don't really make sense, even with what we learned."
Shiki takes another bite of her udon. Chews, and swallows. "Such as?"
"Such as why there were so many lower-ranked cursed spirits infesting the place! In Maria's memories, she was alone in the manor. She didn't do anything aside from chasing out the occasional visitor, but suddenly there were a lot of cursed spirits that just… started flooding in one day." Okkotsu-san sets down his chopsticks, ignoring his udon entirely. "And, there's also a discrepancy between what I saw, and what Soga-san told us. Soga-san said that his father killed Maria and her mother before killing himself, but… Maria's mother protected her. From what Maria remembers, her father killed her mother, but she was alive after both of them died."
"Wait, you didn't mention this earlier," Zenin-san spins towards Okkotsu-san. "Why didn't you mention this while we were talking with Soga-san?!"
"Soga-san told us that the results of the police investigation were all he knew. And… well, it's kind of hard to prove that I saw a cursed spirit's memories, right?" Okkotsu-san scratches his head awkwardly.
"Well, what if there was more information that he could've offered us?" Zenin-san argues. "Like, I dunno, maybe there was someone targeting his old man for revenge?"
"I-I guess? I wasn't really thinking about that at the time, I just… wanted to…" Okkotsu-san falters. "… Learn about the truth, I guess."
"Why?" Shiki asks.
"Huh? Um, what do you mean, why?" Okkotsu-san blinks.
"Why is the truth important to you? Do you simply want to understand the circumstances behind Maria's death for your own peace of mind? Or is there further action that you wish to take based on what you've learned?" Shiki sets down her own chopsticks neatly, having finally finished her meal. Kinji and Kirara are really missing out… "If it's simply to sate your curiosity, then I have no objections to you continuing your investigation. But if it's the latter, then I would advise you to tread carefully."
Another blink. Okkotsu-san scrunches his brows lightly in evident confusion. "I… don't really understand. Is there a difference?"
"Suppose that you investigate, and find Maria's murderer. You find an individual who has no remorse for having killed a young girl, and who is living a perfectly normal, happy life." Shiki studies Okkotsu-san for a long moment. "Would you wish for them to be brought to justice?"
"Of course!" Okkotsu-san answers without hesitation.
"I mean, who wouldn't?" Zenin-san adds from the side. "That's kind of a rhetorical question, isn't it?"
"Perhaps." Shiki's own answer… is something that is perhaps not best for the first years to look too closely into. "But there is a difference between enacting justice through lawful means, and taking matters into your own hands. The former is something that tends to be intensely difficult, given that cursed spirits make for terrible evidence to the average person. The latter is something that ends in being labeled a curse user."
"… Oh." It seems that Okkotsu-san understands what she is talking about, now that Shiki has laid things out like this. "I didn't… I guess I haven't thought that far about it."
"Then I suggest that you consider your stance on this matter." Especially since Okkotsu-san is a Special Grade sorcerer, whose every action will always be carefully scrutinized by others around him. If he ends up becoming a curse user… then there will be many implications, and more than a few negative repercussions for Satoru-niichan who is officially responsible for Okkotsu-san.
That's not something that Shiki will accept. She'll kill Okkotsu-san herself before she allows him to become a tool to drag Satoru-niichan down.
"Why are you suddenly shivering like that?" Zenin-san gives Okkotsu-san a strange look. "It's pretty warm in this restaurant, isn't it?"
"I-I, I don't know…?" The boy blinks rapidly, looking fairly confused himself.
Shiki laces her fingers together beneath her chin. "You have good instincts, Okkotsu-san."
"… Eh?"
.
.
Extra.
.
Ijichi Kiyotaka has never really had the right instincts for being a sorcerer, even setting aside the matter of his lacking talent. But he'd always known that being a sorcerer was something important. There were already far too few sorcerers in this world, and so very many cursed spirits that needed to be exorcised. The ratio was in no way even close to being something equal, and as such, it was necessary–
"Quit being a sorcerer, you're completely useless. Get a driver's license and work on becoming a manager instead, 'kay?"
For years, Ijichi had been convinced that Gojo Satoru hated him.
… Well, maybe not hated. Hate was a strong word, after all, and implied at least strong feelings involved for something like hate to be born. Gojo Satoru was more… indifferent to Ijichi, really. But not completely indifferent. He'd always seemed to have just a little too much fun messing around with Ijichi, to the point where Ijichi had wondered if the Gojo heir was –well, a bully.
Maybe that was true, to a certain extent. Gojo Satoru was irreverent, and fickle, and had a knack for making the lives of everyone around him difficult. Part of that was just because of his awful personality, but Ijichi also came to understand that another part of it was due to his upbringing. The sort of awful upbringing that only someone as tenacious and rebellious as Gojo Satoru could survive intact.
And Gojo Shiki too, perhaps.
The two of them might appear similar in terms of physical appearances, but they could not be any more different from each other in their personalities. Gojo Shiki was polite! And respectful!
Gojo Satoru would never.
Suzurigi Choki, similar to the young lady that he served, was also a polite young man. Ijichi has worked with the other man on numerous accounts since Gojo Shiki began attending the Tokyo school as a student, and he can confidently say that Suzurigi-san is one of the most efficient and competent assistants that he's ever worked with before.
"Here, Ijichi-san. I've just sent you the information that I've compiled on Soga Chujiro."
"Thank you, Suzurigi-san." The documents that he'd sent him were a lot more thorough than the files that had been available to Ijichi in the regular database. As expected of–
–Ijichi does a double-take, and leans closer to the screen of his laptop with a frown. This information…!
"This is…" Ijichi's frown deepens as he continues reading. "… Extremely disturbing. Why would Soga-san deliberately purchase cursed spirits himself and set them loose in that manor? The mission was to clear the manor of the infestation of cursed spirits!"
"My guess is that he intended to use them as a smokescreen," Suzurigi-san responds calmly. "Higher-ranked missions require higher-ranked sorcerers and are more expensive. But if a mission is misranked due to an error on the administration's part, then the client won't be asked to make up for the difference in mission rates. The Kobayashi brothers confirmed that Soga-san made several large purchases from curse users recently."
Ijichi shakes his head slowly. Unbelievable. "Soga-san didn't mention a word of this earlier today."
"I imagine that he wouldn't have." Right, he definitely wouldn't have breathed a word of it if his goal was to cut down on his costs.
"This is… very thorough." Ijichi continues going through the files. There's even a business plan in here, for developing a new apartment building…? Ah. Soga-san intended to tear down the manor and build an apartment complex there instead. Only to discover that there was a powerful cursed spirit haunting the manor, when he'd attempted to begin development. An apartment building haunted by a powerful cursed spirit was a recipe for disaster; there would probably be many reports of people living there committing suicide, depending on how badly the cursed spirit reacted.
Wait.
Wait a second.
… Soga Chujiro was the one who'd helped Marilyn Brooks escape from that manor? If that was truly the case, then… no, but why would that…?
No. No, Ijichi was looking at this through the wrong perspective. As sorcerers, it was only natural for them to focus on young Maria, who became a vengeful spirit after dying. But the possibility of vengeful spirits was not something that a civilian like Soga Chujiro would've been concerned about.
Upon the death of his father, Soga-san had inherited all of his father's assets.
Then… was Soga Chujiro the one who'd orchestrated everything? Then found himself forced to turn to sorcerers for assistance once he discovered a Special Grade cursed spirit on his hands?
This was starting to look increasingly more convoluted with every passing moment. Ijichi is going to have to spend more time analyzing this new information, isn't he? He consoles himself with the thought that he would at least be able to claim overtime pay for his efforts–
Ijichi blinks, and briefly lifts his glasses to rub his eyes. Squints, just to make sure that he's seeing things correctly.
Why are the two second year students running out of the udon restaurant together? Were the rest of the students still inside? Did Ijichi need to go after them? Had they discovered a cursed spirit in the udon restaurant or something?
… Ijichi deserves a pay raise.
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