Chapter 96: Imai Takumi
Morning came quietly.
A pale ray of dawn unfolded along the horizon, driving away the last of the night's cold. Birds settled on bare branches and began chirping in uneven bursts, turning the chilly autumn morning into something almost gentle.
Across Shibuya, people who usually clung to their blankets during this season fought through their drowsiness, dragged themselves out of bed, and began preparing for the day.
But outside the Shibuya Building, the day had started much earlier.
A long queue had already formed before the tightly shut main entrance.
Every person in line was a young woman in a professional suit. Most of them looked like recent university graduates. Their faces still carried a trace of youthful inexperience, but each had clearly done her best to present herself well. Some quietly reviewed prepared answers in their heads. Some adjusted their collars again and again. Others clenched their fists, silently encouraging themselves.
The sight naturally drew attention.
"Hasn't the Shibuya Building become the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department? Why are there so many young women gathered here?"
"No idea. They can't all be here to commission supernatural cases, right?"
"Don't say that. That's terrifying."
"Then what else could it be?"
Passersby slowed down one after another. In the current era, a lively scene like this had become rare. Since the Supernatural Recovery began, crowds usually meant either panic or disaster. Seeing people line up in an orderly fashion outside a government-supernatural facility felt strange enough to make anyone curious.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged man who seemed to know the inside story explained, "You people really don't know? The Myriad Laws Supernatural Department is recruiting. These girls are here for interviews."
"Recruiting?" someone blurted out. "The Myriad Laws Supernatural Department hires ordinary people too?"
"Of course it does. Do you think Onmyoji handle everything in a department that large? There's a serious shortage of Onmyoji right now, especially with supernatural incidents breaking out so often. Reception, clerical work, records, service desks, scheduling, logistics—those things still need ordinary staff."
"That makes sense. I visited the Onmyo Agency Headquarters in Chiyoda before. They were the same."
"So that's what this is…"
The atmosphere shifted at once.
Envy appeared in more than a few eyes.
Working in the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department meant far more than a stable job. In this age, it meant safety. At the very least, the chance of dying helplessly in some unknown supernatural incident would be far lower. There were even rumors that internal staff received talismans capable of warding off Yokai as part of their benefits.
That alone was enough to tempt anyone.
"A job like that… I really envy them."
"Who wouldn't? If I were qualified, I'd go in for an interview right now."
"Unfortunately, they're mainly recruiting young women for these posts."
"Hey, where are you going?" a man in a suit suddenly shouted at his colleague, who had turned around and started walking away from their office route. "Aren't you going to work?"
"Work?" His colleague did not even look back. "I'm going home to drag my daughter out of bed. She just graduated from university. This is an opportunity she can't miss."
His words struck the crowd like a bell.
That was right.
They could not apply, but that did not mean their daughters, younger sisters, nieces, or cousins could not.
In an instant, several people changed direction. Some rushed home outright, while others pulled out their phones and began making urgent calls to relatives.
The line outside the Shibuya Building, which had already been long enough, was destined to grow even longer.
"This pressure is only going to get worse," Ogiso Setsuna murmured with a troubled expression as she stood in the queue.
In front of her, Touma Kazusa remained calm.
"It was always going to be like this. The more recruitment notices spread, the more applicants there will be. A department responsible for supernatural incidents across Shibuya won't recruit for only a day or two."
"I know, but…" Setsuna sighed, then clenched her fists. "This is going to be a tough battle."
After a moment, she seemed to remember something and puffed her cheeks slightly.
"And where did Gin-kun even go? The White Fox Office moved, and he didn't tell us anything. Honestly."
Kazusa fell silent.
Her gaze drifted toward the entrance of the Shibuya Building.
She did not speak, but her thoughts clearly did not remain as calm as her face.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Shibuya Building, in the Director's office of the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department—
"Finally…"
Gin Tsumugi leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath after signing the last urgent document.
"All the documents that absolutely had to be approved have been handled."
The desk before him was still piled high with paperwork, but at least the remaining stacks could wait. They were important, but not so urgent that the entire department would stop functioning if they were delayed for half a day.
For Gin, that was already a mercy.
The independent elevator installed inside the office chimed.
A moment later, the doors opened.
Iwanaga Kotoko, Kohara Daisuke, and Ibe Tomoya walked in together. The three Deputy Directors of the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department had clearly arrived for a scheduled briefing.
Gin looked up from the desk.
"How is the handover for the next few days?"
"Complete," Kotoko replied. "There are no major issues."
Kohara Daisuke and Ibe Tomoya nodded as well.
"Good." Gin set down his pen. "The grassroots offices and staffing structure need to be improved as soon as possible. Personnel recruitment is especially important."
After taking control of an entire region's Onmyodo forces, Gin had gained a painfully clear understanding of one thing.
Power was not just strength.
It was paperwork. It was logistics. It was scheduling. It was budgets, staffing, emergency protocols, internal chains of command, and a thousand small matters that could drown a person one document at a time.
If he did not establish a complete administrative structure soon, he would be trapped behind this desk indefinitely.
Then forget studying the Senji Ryakketsu, increasing his role-playing progress, or subjugating yokai. He might die buried under paperwork instead.
A glorious end for the White Fox.
Absolutely not.
"Director," Kohara said with some difficulty, "non-combat positions are easy enough to recruit for. The problem is Onmyoji."
He paused before explaining further.
"The Onmyo Academy's graduation season hasn't arrived yet. As for independent Onmyoji among the public, their quality varies too much, and their numbers are limited."
Gin understood the problem.
Japan had many Onmyoji, but most of them already belonged to organizations, families, offices, or regional forces. Recruiting them one by one would be troublesome, inefficient, and likely unrewarding. Even if they succeeded, there was no guarantee those people would be useful.
After a moment of thought, Gin said, "Try contacting the Supernatural Affairs Offices in Shibuya. See if any of them can be absorbed."
"Absorb Supernatural Affairs Offices?"
This time, even Kotoko looked slightly surprised.
Nominally speaking, Supernatural Affairs Offices were still under the Onmyo Bureau's system. Taking them over so openly would have sounded almost absurd not long ago. More importantly, most Supernatural Affairs Offices valued their independence. The possibility of convincing them to merge into the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department was not high.
"Don't worry too much," Gin said. "Since the Onmyo Agency has handed Shibuya to us, they won't interfere over these offices. Besides, I said try. If we can absorb some, good. If not, we wait for the Onmyo Academy's graduation season and take in fresh blood."
He tapped a finger lightly on the desk.
"But the basic structure of the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department must be completed quickly. That is the top priority."
"Yes, Director."
Kotoko, Kohara, and Ibe answered together.
Gin gave several more instructions, mainly concerning recruitment, internal authorization, emergency response, and cooperation with local Supernatural Affairs Offices. After confirming that all urgent arrangements were in place, he dismissed them.
He still had to prepare for Minato Ward.
In the corridor outside the Director's office, Kohara Daisuke glanced at Ibe Tomoya.
"What's with that absent-minded look? Weighing the pros and cons again?"
Ibe shook his head.
"Pros and cons? Even someone from the official side like you can see the situation clearly. How could I not?"
"Hey." Kohara's brow twitched. "Say what you want, but don't stab me while you're doing it. What do you mean, even I can see it?"
"Just a figure of speech."
Ibe smiled faintly, then his expression grew more serious.
"I was only thinking about our Director. About how far this Myriad Laws Supernatural Department can go. Whether this starting point is also its limit, or…"
He did not finish the sentence.
Kohara understood anyway.
They had worked together for years. Some things did not need to be said outright.
"The world is changing," Kohara said after a short silence. "No one can say what the future will look like. But right now, our Director and the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department have some of the best conditions available. Apart from those few organizations that have already broken away from the government, there aren't many forces with a better hand than ours."
Even those independent organizations still had plenty of limitations.
"I know."
Ibe nodded.
The Myriad Laws Supernatural Department was a gamble.
A gamble on his future.
The Onmyo Agency had originally ordered him to return to Headquarters for reassignment. He refused. If he went back, he would at most become a middle manager in a declining system. Staying here was a risk, but if the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department rose, his own status would rise with it.
Because of that, he cared about its future more than almost anyone.
Now, all he could do was wait for time to reveal whether he had made the right bet.
After Gin finished preparing talismans and other necessities, he ate a simple breakfast and quietly left the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department.
The department had already arranged private vehicles for him, and the government had even opened special routes for official supernatural operations. Traveling that way would have been faster and more comfortable.
Gin refused.
It was not that he disliked cars.
He simply found them troublesome.
Compared to formal convoys, guards, routes, and reports, taking the subway himself was far simpler.
Having learned from the commotion during his trip to Yeyu Town with Kotoko, Gin put on a mask before leaving. With his current appearance, walking outside barefaced was practically a public nuisance. For once, he chose social responsibility.
A short while later, he boarded the subway.
Then he saw a familiar figure.
Her again?
Sitting quietly by the window was the blonde girl he and Kotoko had met on the subway between Shibuya and Shinjuku—the girl who had remained absorbed in her drawing board for hours.
At that time, Gin had sensed an unusually powerful spiritual presence attached to her body.
Now, that presence was even clearer.
While he was observing her, she was also observing him.
Gin quickly withdrew his Spirit Insight Power. It was rude to probe someone without permission, especially when the other party had clearly noticed. He gave the blonde girl a polite, apologetic smile, then turned his gaze away.
What he did not know was that inside Chizuna Mashiro, another conversation was taking place.
"Ryōyū," Mashiro said quietly in her heart, "you specifically made me take the subway to wait for him, didn't you?"
Mashiro lacked common sense in many areas, but she was not stupid. A fool could not become a world-renowned genius painter.
"I did have some expectations," Ryōyū admitted frankly. "Only some."
"I don't understand. Wouldn't it be easier to meet him directly?"
"Mashiro," Ryōyū said gently, "when you meet a boy you truly like one day, you will understand."
"A person I like?"
The concept remained vague to Mashiro. Her understanding of such things was still half-formed, like a sketch without color.
"When you meet someone whose needs you consider before your own, someone for whom you can suppress your selfish desires, someone for whom you are willing to change yourself—that is someone you like."
Mashiro nodded slowly.
She seemed to understand.
Or perhaps she only understood the shape of the words.
More than an hour later, the station announcement rang through the carriage.
"Ding. Minato Station has arrived. Passengers, please take your belongings and disembark in an orderly fashion."
Gin stepped off the subway.
Through the window, he saw the blonde girl still seated by her drawing board, fully focused and showing no sign of getting off.
Is she planning to ride the full loop?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when someone interrupted him.
"Are you Mr. Gin Tsumugi?"
Three men in black suits stood in his path. Their expressions were severe, their posture trained, their eyes those of professional bodyguards.
Gin looked at them.
"You were clearly waiting for me. Why bother asking?"
"Mr. Gin Tsumugi, our master invites you for a visit."
"Who is your master?"
The bodyguard's tone remained stiff.
"You will know once you arrive."
Gin's eyes cooled slightly.
He had never liked rude invitations. He liked them even less when they blocked his way.
"Sorry, I don't have time. Once your master learns what politeness is, he can try inviting me again. Move."
The bodyguard's expression changed.
"I hope Mr. Gin Tsumugi will not make this difficult for us. If you insist on refusing…"
Before he could finish, Gin already understood the implication.
His gaze turned cold.
"Spirit Speech: Bind."
The moment the words fell, the three bodyguards froze.
An invisible restraint locked their bodies in place. Their limbs could not move. Even their mouths were sealed. Only their eyes remained active, and what appeared there was not panic, but anger.
"Release."
An aged voice came from the side.
A white-haired old man stepped out from a nearby corner and flicked three talismans from his fingers. The talismans struck the three bodyguards, dispelling the Spirit Speech wrapped around them.
"You three, step back."
"Yes."
The bodyguards retreated respectfully.
Gin studied the old man.
"Professional Level Seven Onmyoji."
The old man gave a faint smile.
"This old man is Imai Takumi. I was once an Onmyoji of the Onmyo Alliance. I had some small fame there. I wonder if the White Fox might give this old man some face?"
His tone carried the arrogance of a senior expecting deference.
Unfortunately for him, Gin had never been especially fond of people who tried to age their way into authority.
"If you want to play around, I don't mind giving you that face," Gin said coldly. "But if you plan to stand here acting like some high and mighty elder, then I can show you the difference between a Professional Level Onmyoji and a National Level Onmyoji."
His voice lowered.
"Not every random nobody gets to put on airs in front of me."
"You…"
Imai Takumi's face flushed with anger, but the coldness in Gin's eyes made his words die in his throat.
A premonition crawled up his spine.
If he continued provoking this young man, the consequences would not be good.
"Mr. Gin Tsumugi, please calm yourself," Imai said quickly, no longer daring to posture. "My young master only wishes to ask you to refuse Shinomiya Kaguya's commission."
Gin's expression did not change.
Imai continued, "Of course, we know the reward Shinomiya Kaguya offered you was a replica of the Eight-Span Mirror. We are willing to offer no less. More, even. For example, the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department under your management must require considerable financial support."
"It seems you know quite a lot."
Gin glanced at him.
Many people might know that Shinomiya Kaguya had offered a replica of the Eight-Span Mirror as payment.
But not many knew that Gin controlled the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department. For now, that information had not been publicly disclosed. Only the upper levels of the Onmyo Agency, the Onmyo Alliance, the Onmyo Academy, and a few related forces were aware of it.
"As long as Mr. Gin Tsumugi agrees," Imai said sincerely, "our young master will do his utmost to satisfy any condition."
Gin's answer was indifferent.
"I don't care about the internal struggles of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, and I don't plan to. If something this rude happens again, then you and the young master behind you should prepare to pay the price for provoking me."
With that, he formed a hand seal.
His body blurred.
Then, under Imai Takumi's horrified gaze, Gin Tsumugi dissolved into spiritual light and collapsed into a single talisman.
The talisman drifted lightly to the ground.
Imai's face drained of color.
"How is that possible…?"
His voice trembled.
"That was only a shikigami clone?"
He staggered back several steps.
From the start, he had thought White Fox Gin Tsumugi was merely a junior of the Onmyodo world. Even if Gin had broken through to become a National Level Onmyoji, Imai had assumed there had to be some exaggeration involved, just like with Dairenji Suzuka's inflated reputation.
As for the so-called Onmyodo Framework, Myriad Laws, he had dismissed it entirely.
Stubborn old men were often like that.
They refused to acknowledge the achievements of the younger generation, not because the achievements were false, but because admitting them made their own lives feel smaller.
But now, Imai Takumi was truly frightened.
He had not even been able to tell that the person standing before him was not the real body.
A shikigami clone.
A mere clone had cast Spirit Speech strong enough that he had needed effort to dispel it.
The gap was no longer something he could comfortably deny.
"A National Level Onmyoji…"
Only now did Imai clearly understand the distance between himself and the White Fox.
He exhaled slowly, then pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Young Master, we failed."
A pause.
"Yes. He guessed our identity."
Another silence.
"He is too strong. I suspect his strength may already surpass many of the Twelve Divine Generals."
Imai listened for a while, his expression growing heavier.
"This old man understands."
His gaze turned toward the city beyond Minato Station.
"The girls have already been brought to Minato Ward."
.....
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