Chapter 1. Nightmares and Disquieting Shadows

CHAPTER 1

Nightmares and Disquieting Shadows

During the summer, things heated up as soon as morning passed.

Once-refreshing air warmed, and temperatures soared, bringing sweltering, sweat-soaked weather in the blink of an eye.

Finishing the laundry, Miyo Saimori sighed in the shade, exhausted.

Looks like today will be another scorcher.

On the outskirts of the city stood a small house, in which Miyo lived inauspiciously with her fianc
é
, Kiyoka Kudou.

Quiet and unsophisticated, the house was surrounded by natural serenity. Though the blazing sunlight wasn’t as harsh here as it was in the city, by midsummer, it was still enough to be exhausting.

Amid the heat, Miyo heard the whooshing of something cutting hard through the air from the front garden.

When she went behind the house to check the source of the noise, she found Kiyoka taking practice swings with a wooden sword.

His smooth hair undulated as he brandished the weapon. His bluish eyes were narrowed with intensity, and his movements were so graceful that they would strike even an amateur as beautiful. The master of the house had features that were practically flawless—feminine grace mixed with masculine gallantry.

He never neglected his practice, even on days like these, when he was off duty.

Oh no, I can’t be spacing out like this. He should be wrapping up soon.

Flushed from either the heat or her own shame, Miyo covered her cheeks with both hands and returned inside for the time being.

When she entered the garden again, carrying a carefully folded hand towel and cold water, Kiyoka had just stopped to take a break.

“Here you are, Kiyoka.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Her cheeks warmed at his gentle smile.

Kiyoka was overwhelmingly gorgeous. That was why her chest pounded every time he smiled at her. Nothing could be worse for her heart.

“Miyo, your face is red. Are you all right?”

“Ah!”

Miyo instinctively shrank backward a half step when he peered at her.

But Kiyoka, without any regard for her reaction, brought his hand up to her forehead.

“Doesn’t seem to be a fever.”

“Yes, I-I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”

“Really?”

He removed his hand, and the tension she’d been holding in her body drained in relief. Her pulse, however, still throbbed in her ears.

“I’m going to wash off. Be sure to rest if you’re not feeling well.”

“I—I will.”

Watching as Kiyoka disappeared inside the house, Miyo heaved a sigh.

Things had played out like this over and over again lately. Even just a few days ago—

I—I can think about this later!

Nearly flushing again at the memory, Miyo returned to pick up the laundry utensils in a tizzy.

A few minutes later, a guest showed up at their door.

“Pardon me.”

Standing in the entryway was a woman dressed in an outfit slightly incongruous with the austere home.

“Nice to meet you. You must be Miyo. I’m Hazuki Kudou, Kiyoka’s older sister.”

The woman—Hazuki—had run up to Miyo with sparkling eyes the moment she laid eyes on her future sister-in-law. It caught Miyo off guard.

“N-nice to meet you…”

Still overwhelmed by Hazuki’s presence, Miyo somehow managed to return her greeting.

The woman claiming to be Kiyoka’s sister was beautiful, and she gave off a bright, cheerful impression.

Though her features resembled Kiyoka’s in places, her overall demeanor was gentle and feminine. She was on the taller side for a woman, with loose brown hair billowing down to her shoulders. Porcelain legs that seemed like they had never seen the sun extended out from beneath her breezy dress. She might have been one of those “modern girls.”

Though she appeared lightly dressed, the quality of the Western clothes and accessories she wore clearly showed her high social standing.

“It is good to see you again, Miss Hazuki.”

Their maid, Yurie, came into the entryway to greet their guest, beaming as she bowed. Hazuki then took the maid’s hand into her own and shook it vigorously.

“Yurie! It has truly been a while. Why, how many years has it been now? I’m so glad to see you’re still doing well.”

“Thank you, miss.”

Standing there flabbergasted, Miyo worried that such an intense handshake would tear poor Yurie’s arm off.

But when she saw the maid’s bright, smiling face, the concern seemed unnecessary.

“Honestly…you never change, do you, Sis?”

Already finished washing up, Kiyoka appeared to greet his sister with a sullen glance.

“Oh, Kiyoka. What, not hard at work?”

“Off duty.”

“Honestly. You’re as surly as ever. Even after you’ve gotten yourself such an adorable fianc
é
e, too.”

“Mind your own business.”

Despite being older than her brother, Hazuki came off as youthful as she pouted at him; the girlishness of her mannerisms was strangely fitting.

“Fine, fine. More importantly, Miyo dear. Oh, are you fine with just ‘Miyo’?”

“Y-yes.”

“Kiyoka asked me to serve as your teacher. Were you aware of this?”

“Umm…”

She knew they were having a guest, of course. Miyo herself had asked Kiyoka for a teacher in the first place, but she hadn’t heard anything about her tutor being Kiyoka’s very own sister.

Still flustered, she recalled the events that had minutes prior crossed her mind briefly.

The quarrel among the Saimoris, Tatsuishis, and Kudous was settled for the time being, and tranquility had returned. As before, Miyo spent her days handling the housework.

She had always yearned for an uneventful and tranquil daily life, so she had absolutely nothing to complain about. She was so happy, it terrified her.

But somewhere in a corner of her mind, a vague anxiety seeped in that the current situation wasn’t acceptable.

Her position as Kiyoka’s wife meant her primary duty was taking care of their home and supporting her husband. She knew that alone wouldn’t be enough.

Perfect etiquette, familiarity with tea ceremony, flower arrangement,
and the koto. The knowledge, conversational skills, and dance forms required for social gatherings.

Normally considered fundamental to the education of any young lady of noble blood, these skills were indispensable when mingling with other families. And Miyo was no exception since she was set to wed the head of the exalted Kudou family.

Thus, after slowly picking at her food through dinner one night, she’d put down her chopsticks and made up her mind to broach the subject.

“You want to redo your education?”

“Yes. Is…that a problem?”

When she thought back, Miyo realized she
had been
educated as the aristocratic daughter of the Saimori family for a time. But her stepmother had discontinued her schooling early in life, leaving her knowing only the basics. Without any opportunity to make use of what little she had learned, her skills eventually drifted from her memory entirely.

Kiyoka never mentioned this fact. But as his bride-to-be, she knew it was unacceptable. She couldn’t let him coddle her forever.

“It’s not necessarily an issue, but…you’re set on this, then?”

Kiyoka was lost in thought, a frown on his face.

She thought he was probably being considerate of the burden it would put on her. Neither social graces nor hospitality were her forte, and she was awkward and clumsy. While she wasn’t making this request lightly, there was a chance it could be a bigger responsibility than she had imagined and affect their daily lives.

But Miyo couldn’t back down now.

“Yes, I am. I’ll find my own tutor, and I won’t cause any problems for you, Kiyoka… Please.”

“…………”

Miyo lowered her head deeply, then felt a sigh come from above.

“Always bowing with you, isn’t it? Also.”

Suspicious that he had suddenly fallen silent, Miyo raised her head to find him staring straight at her.

His slightly stiff, fair-skinned fingertip was stretched out to her cheek.

“You’re looking a little pale. Aren’t you pushing yourself hard enough already?”

“……!”

Her face grew hot with embarrassment. Flustered, she shook her head.

“I-I’m not overextending myself! I’m perfectly healthy.”

“Well, with your face red enough to suggest a fever, I’m not inclined to agree.”

“What?! Um, this is, um, it’s just that…”

Kiyoka chuckled as Miyo hurriedly tried to explain herself.

She wasn’t used to being poked fun at. Though she had nothing but fond feelings for him, his teasing did annoy her slightly.

“K-Kiyoka…”

“Don’t stare at me so reproachfully. Forgive me… I suppose it’s fine, then. I know someone who could make a good teacher. I’ll get in touch and make her come here.”

“What?”

Miyo was startled by how offhandedly her fianc
é
had said he would “make them come here.”

“No need for reservations. It’ll just be employing someone without anything better to do.”

“With nothing better to do…?”

At the time, he’d dropped the topic then and there before she could say anything else. Miyo wondered what he had meant, but…

…I never would have guessed it would be…

Kiyoka’s older sister.

Miyo was practically buckling under the nervousness and anxiety she felt toward the beaming woman before her.

“I’m sure Kiyoka didn’t explain anything to you, did he?”

“N-no…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for turning you into a magnificent noblewoman, okay?”

She declared with a smile, clenching her hand into a fist.

With the conversation settled, they quickly brought Hazuki into the living room to serve her tea.

The servant accompanying Kiyoka’s sister went in and out of the house unloading the luggage she had brought with her. Yurie, too, removed herself from the room at some point, leaving Miyo, Kiyoka, and Hazuki alone together.

“Okay, I’d like to get to the topic at hand then. Miyo, you want to study, right?”

“Yes.”

Miyo nodded at Hazuki’s question.

“Well, not only did I manage to graduate from girls’ school, but as you can guess, I’ve taken
plenty
of lessons ever since I was young, so I’ll definitely be able to teach you the basics… Are you fine with that?”

Hazuki frowned with slight apprehension.

Fine with that…?

As long as Hazuki could teach her, Miyo had absolutely nothing to complain about at all.

When she briefly cast her eyes slightly farther off toward Kiyoka, he silently returned her gaze. At the moment, he didn’t seem keen on saying a peep.

Miyo turned directly to Hazuki.

“I don’t have any problems at all. Um…why do you ask?”

“Well, I’ve already had one marriage end in failure. And dealing with your sister-in-law’s got to be annoying, right?”

Though her realization had been delayed, now Miyo understood.

Kiyoka’s sister had introduced herself as Hazuki
Kudou
. At her age, daughters from well-to-do families shouldn’t have been single. That meant she’d been married off once and had returned to her family. Miyo could tell Hazuki’s comment about sisters-in-law had come from her own experiences.

Miyo was dismayed that she’d accidentally posed an insensitive question.

“That sort of thing…doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Really? You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Great!”

Hazuki broke into a big smile, enthusiastically wrapping her arms around the other woman. A slightly sweet fragrance tickled her nose.

The sudden embrace caught Miyo completely by surprise.

“Eh?! U-um…”

“What a wonderful girl! Kiyoka, can I take her home with me?”

“Absolutely not.”

He indignantly crossed his arms.

“You’re no fun. Bringing her back with me would let her really focus on her studies, though.”

“…No.”

“That’s fair, I suppose. After all, if I took Miyo away, you’d get awfully lonely, wouldn’t you?”

It seemed the younger brother couldn’t keep up with his older sister’s teasing.

Despite how he furrowed his brow in annoyance, he clearly wasn’t altogether angry. Seeing this rare side of him warmed Miyo’s heart.

But I wonder why, then…

She involuntarily raised her hand up to her breast.

Deep in her chest, she felt a cold wind blowing. Kiyoka was kind, as always. So was Hazuki, even though this was the first time the two women had met. And yet Miyo was feeling lonely. Why?

“Is something wrong, Miyo?”

She realized that Kiyoka was staring straight at her. Hazuki had also cocked her head in confusion, which sent Miyo panicking.

“N-nothing’s wrong at all.”

“Really? If you’re feeling unwell—”

“It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard now, okay?”

Kiyoka had been fretting an awful lot over Miyo’s health lately. Though there were a number of possible explanations, perhaps he already knew.

But all that meant was that she couldn’t afford to stop here. She wanted to shed her few inconvenient qualities and move forward.

After she’d insisted that she was fine, Kiyoka didn’t press any further. With Hazuki also smiling in relief, they returned to the topic of Miyo’s studies.

“Well then, I think it’s important to have a bit of a goal in mind, wouldn’t you say?”

“A goal?”

Hazuki took out a number of textbooks from her luggage and arranged them in front of her.

“That’s right. With a bit of a goal in mind, it’ll be easier to apply yourself, right? Things won’t go quite as smoothly if you aim for some sort of lofty ideal.”

It made sense to Miyo when it was laid out this way. Striving to achieve a goal that you could attain with some elbow grease would actually allow her to measure her progress.

“There’s going to be a very nice party happening two months from now. Both Kiyoka and I are invited, so we can start by having you attend with us.”

“What?”

The sudden turn startled Miyo.

She had never been to any sort of social gathering before. Her basic etiquette was already dubious, so she couldn’t believe she would be ready to attend a gathering in a mere two months’ time.

Hazuki smiled as though she saw through the concerns weighing on Miyo.

“No need to worry. I’ve known the organizer for a long time, and they’re someone we’re both comfortable with. And to be honest, the party is just a simple get-together.”

“But…”

Kiyoka interjected as Miyo struggled to digest the situation.

“Can’t hurt to give it a try, right?”

“B-but…Kiyoka…”

“There’s no point in studying if you can’t put it into practice, right?”

It was a harsh way to phrase it, but he was absolutely right. If she couldn’t muster up her courage now, all her efforts would be pointless.

She wanted to change. That meant she had to do this.

“I understand… Please allow me to attend the party as well.”

Miyo was aware of the stiff expression on her face. Just saying that she would join the gathering made her terribly nervous. It felt as if her heart were bouncing around inside her chest as it pounded.

“You’ll be fine. I’m not going to tell you to slip into a dress and start dancing out of nowhere, okay? We’ll both do our best until then, got it?”

“All right.”

Hazuki was kind. While her loquaciousness was wholly unlike Kiyoka, the generosity she showed was similar to his own.

She was truly grateful to her fianc
é
for calling his sister to serve as her instructor.

After broadly outlining their arrangement going forward, Hazuki left behind a mountain of textbooks for Miyo, then went home to the main Kudou residence.

Though the books were all slightly faded from sunlight, probably since Hazuki had used them in girls’ school herself, they were so pristine otherwise that it seemed hard to believe they’d belonged to someone else. Miyo gleefully gazed at them all.

Seeing a rare sparkle in her eyes, Kiyoka watched on with mixed feelings.

…I know that things can’t keep going like this.

Wasn’t it about time he made her quit studying?

Despite his concern, when he saw the happy look on Miyo’s face, he couldn’t say a word.

That night, he awoke to a strange sensation.

A feeling Kiyoka was very familiar with was oozing, wafting through the house amid the dark, like ink being washed away in a fresh pool of water.

Not again
, he thought, but it was difficult for him to ignore.

Slowly rising from his futon and taking care not to move too loudly, he stood outside the room provided to his betrothed.

Now that he thought about it, there had been signs from the start. Ever since she’d come to his house. But in the beginning, they’d been too faint for even Kiyoka to detect, so he hadn’t noticed them.

The presence of supernatural abilities.

Like the smell of gunpowder after firing a pistol, the sensation that remained after using supernatural abilities was all around him.

Her faintly anguished voice, all too familiar as well, leaked through the screen door.

……Miyo.

Kiyoka slowly slid the screen open and entered.

The presence of supernatural abilities grew markedly thicker. A tingling jolt ran across his skin, and his breath caught in his throat as though he were choking.

Slowly approaching the futon laid out in the center of the room, he sat down beside her.

“N-no… Stop, please…”

No matter how many times he saw Miyo like this, weakly mumbling in delirium, sweat dripping down her forehead, it made Kiyoka’s heart ache.

“It’s all right… You’re okay now.”

He wrapped one hand tightly around hers, icy cold despite the hot summer night, and with the other, he brushed her bangs from her forehead.

Kiyoka stayed at her side until he at last heard her breathing grow steady and peaceful.

At dawn, Miyo blearily opened her eyes on top of her futon.

Her face was hardened and stiff, with traces of sweat and tears still lingering on her cheeks.

…She’d had another nightmare.

It had been several months since she’d moved here from the Saimori estate. The season had passed from spring to summer. Yet that whole time, Miyo had been hounded by bad dreams night after night.

While there were times when she would recall everything that had happened in her dreams, there were others when she would forget everything immediately.

At first, it had seemed as if the majority of her visions had concerned bitter and painful memories from her time in the Saimori house, but now there were others. In some dreams, a group of people she didn’t know would disparage her, while in others, she would be locked up in a tight, dark space. There were nightmares where monsters chased her down, or visions of people dying, as well as—

“Dreams. They’re just dreams…”

Sometimes, Kiyoka and Yurie would appear to her as well. On those nights, her heart ached even more.

Miyo was accustomed to waking up in tears, but she was also so terrified of her nightmares that she hesitated to go to sleep. Consequently, she fell quickly behind on getting enough rest, to the point where her physical condition was beginning to suffer for it.

Her body, which her fianc
é
’s care and concern had temporarily brought back to health, was once again on the decline.

…I can’t cause trouble for Kiyoka.

There was still so much more she needed to do. She didn’t have the time to rest or lie in bed.

Miyo rubbed her face with her hands briefly before getting dressed as usual and rushing over to the kitchen.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Have a good day.”

After seeing Kiyoka off at the door, Miyo let out a deep sigh.

For the second day in a row, the temperature had gradually risen as the morning went on. Coupled with the extra humidity, the heat turned the air sticky and damp. In this environment, she couldn’t help but feel her stamina rapidly deplete.

It was a casual gesture, but Yurie frowned slightly when she looked up at her.

“Miss Miyo, please don’t push yourself. The summer heat saps the body’s energy…”

“I-I’m okay,” Miyo quickly asserted, before heading back inside.

Both Kiyoka and Yurie carefully watched over her, and both were very perceptive. She understood more than anyone else just how wonderful it was to have someone fretting over her, but she couldn’t let them pamper her forever.

Though it may not have been enough, she did get
some
sleep each night, so she didn’t believe the weather would have much effect on her. She was just a little lethargic; that was all.

If I can bear with it, I’m sure everything will go back to normal eventually.

Internally persuading herself, she returned to the kitchen and quickly finished washing the dishes.

She wouldn’t have any problem calming down while she handled household chores she had performed for many years now. The tasks were so ingrained in her that her body would practically move on its own.

When she’d finished cleaning up the kitchen, she moved on to the laundry.

The cold water of the fountain felt pleasant in the summer morning. As she scrubbed the laundry, liquid splashing out of the washbasin, it felt as if she were rinsing out her own hazy and absentminded head.

Once the moisture was cleanly wrung out, Miyo hung the thoroughly washed laundry up to dry on the clothes pole. Though it was an everyday chore, she always felt a slight sense of achievement once everything had dried.

“…Phew.”

She was fine. She could keep going.

Compared to how things had been at her previous residence, this amount of exertion wouldn’t have even registered with her.

Smacking her cheeks with both hands, Miyo fired herself up once more.

Hazuki would be coming by again later to tutor her. Before she arrived, Miyo wanted to review some of the book she’d been loaned the day before.

“Um, Yurie. I’m going to prepare for my lessons in my room for a bit, if you don’t mind.”

“Yes, yes, of course. You can leave the cleaning to me.”

Holding the tub in her arms as she returned into the house, Miyo called out to the maid, and Yurie cheerfully nodded her head.

Though she felt guilty for burdening Yurie, she picked up one of the textbooks in her room.

An Encouragement of the Home.

An extremely direct title.

The content seemed to focus on the basics of household chores. It began with a long, drawn-out treatise across multiple pages on the meaning of the phrase
good wife, wise mother
, as well as one’s duty as a spouse and parent, and how to maintain the home with one’s husband.

Even the most obvious points were painstakingly and scrupulously laid out, as if to ingrain the words into the reader’s brain.

Oh no…

The more she read, the more her anxieties surged.

Miyo wanted to become a spouse worthy of Kiyoka. Did that mean becoming a
good wife, wise mother
? Or did it mean becoming an outstanding lady who was always preparing food, clothing, and other necessities for her husband?

If that was the case, then what was different from how things already were?

The aristocratic wife Miyo had the most familiarity with was her stepmother, Kanoko. Thinking that she needed to do as much as Kanoko did, she’d decided to ask for someone to tutor her.

I don’t think I’m making a mistake, but…

The ideal wife, a spouse worthy of Kiyoka. These ambiguous ideas clung to Miyo’s mind like fuzzy, formless shadows. Now all she had left was anxiety about whether this was the correct path to tread, the path she’d chosen for herself.

Miyo stopped turning the pages. Time marched on as she sat in dazed uncertainty.

After a short while, Hazuki arrived as scheduled, and their lesson kicked off immediately.

“Now then, Miyo. What should we start with first?”

Grinning, Hazuki was as stunning as the day before.

Despite the woman’s cheerful and talkative demeanor, when Miyo looked carefully, she realized Hazuki’s gestures and behavior were just as exquisite. Miyo couldn’t fathom how she would look after getting the hang of mimicking these mannerisms in time for the party.

Hazuki raised her brow as Miyo sank lower and lower.

“There’s no need to look so anxious. From what I’ve seen so far, I personally think your poise and bearing are more than graceful enough.”

“You think so…?”

“I do. You had etiquette lessons when you were young, didn’t you? I wonder if those fundamental mannerisms have already become a habit for you.”

Although they treated her like a servant, Miyo had indeed put care into her behavior and mannerisms to avoid sullying the Saimori family name. The things she’d learned were paying off…

When she considered that something she’d gleaned during those days of hardship and cruelty was now beneficial to her, she felt ready to burst into tears.

“Let’s save flower arrangement and tea ceremony for later since we’re
preparing for a party. Kiyoka also said you don’t need any lessons on housework, either… We’ll prioritize manners and conversation skills, then. Give me just a moment to find something, okay?”

Hazuki started rummaging through the pile of textbooks from the day before.

Her movements seemed almost childlike, totally opposite of the comfortable and leisurely mannerism moments prior, which helped Miyo choke back her tears.

“U-um…M-Miss Hazuki…”

The instant Miyo addressed her, Hazuki’s hand went still, and she turned around wide-eyed in shock.

“What was that?”

“Huh?”

Had she said anything strange?

Hazuki gently placed her hand to her mouth and clarified her comment to the bewildered Miyo.

“My name. What did you just call me?”

“Oh, um…I called you, Miss Hazuki…”

“No, no, no!”

Miyo’s shoulders trembled in shock at her biting rebuke.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have yelled out of nowhere like that.”

“I-it’s fine.”

“Sheesh, there I go, doing it again…,” Hazuki said, sighing.

The sudden rebuke shook Miyo, reminding her of her time before meeting Kiyoka.

Judging from Hazuki’s reaction, it seemed Kiyoka had told her about the treatment Miyo endured in her previous home.

If anything, though, Miyo felt sorry for making Hazuki take extra care around her.

The other woman gave another brief apology before trying to lighten the mood, taking Miyo’s hands into hers with a smile.

“The thing is, Miyo. If it’s all right, I’d like you to treat me like your big sister.”

“…E-excuse me?”

The abruptness of the request caught Miyo totally off guard.

“You see, I’ve always wanted a cute younger sister like you. But instead, I was stuck with a little brother, and he just isn’t cute at all! It’s a tragedy, really.”

“Um…”

“Miyo. You’re cute, you’re very well mannered, why, you’re perfect. Kiyoka’s never been any fun. I always considered him a stubborn little brat, but I’ll give him credit for picking a wonderful girl like you to be his bride.”

“…I see.”

Miyo couldn’t get a word in edgewise as Hazuki rhapsodized, her eyes slowly beginning to sparkle.

“I want to get to know you better. After all, we’re going to be family, right? Let me pamper you; lean on me as much as you want! Kiyoka’s surly and taciturn, so it’s hard to tell what’s going on in that head of his, but I’m sure he feels the same.”

“…Family.”

“That’s right, family. So there’s no need for any formalities, okay? I’d be overjoyed if you’d call me ‘sister’ instead. Of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“S-sis…?”

Sister.

Miyo was certain she’d flash the same innocent, childlike smile in delight if she did call her that… But.

“My dear sister.”

She froze up every time someone called her that. It terrified her.

That girl was gone now. But Miyo still couldn’t help remembering. Couldn’t help but recall her family and her sole little sister.

As an image of her sister flickered before her eyes, Miyo hesitated to call Hazuki by the title she’d requested.

“…Is it okay, um, if I call you Hazuki instead?”

At this, the other woman smiled and replied, “Of course.”

Miyo was happy that Hazuki had the consideration to completely hide her disappointment.

The Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit station. A section of the capital.

Kiyoka, as commander of the unit, was once again focusing solely on dealing with the paperwork in his office.

“Commaaander.”

“What?”

Kiyoka kept his eyes on his desk as he answered the voice of his trusted subordinate, Godou, who was peeking his head into the office.

“The major general’s here to see you.”

“…He’s early.”

He frowned upon learning of the visitor, who’d arrived ahead of schedule. His guest was his direct superior, though, and an extremely busy man. It wasn’t Kiyoka’s place to complain.

He hastened to the reception room.

“My apologies for the delay, Major General Ookaito, sir.”

“It’s fine. I got here too early. Sorry for interrupting your work, Kiyoka.”

“Not at all.”

Sitting on the reception room sofa, the giant man dressed in a military uniform gave a forced smile. He left a somewhat boorish impression.

Masashi Ookaito. He was an officer with the General Staff of the Imperial Army who held the rank of major general. At forty years old, he was on the younger side among the primary players in the capital, but as the heir of the Ookaito family, who were known for producing many military men, he was expected to do great things in the future.

Additionally, he also exercised formal command over the Special
Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, which the rest of the military regarded with disdain.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about before we head to the Imperial Palace.”

“What is it, sir?”

Kiyoka sat down opposite him and inquired. A mixture of emotions passed over Ookaito’s face before he answered bluntly.

“There’s been a grave robbery.”

“…Really, sir?”

“That’s right.”

Kiyoka couldn’t help reacting with anything other than a frown.

“I believe that’s a job for the police.”

Disposing of beings commonly referred to as ghosts largely fell under the jurisdiction of the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit.

Surprisingly, however, graveyards were not home to malevolent spirits who required extermination. The fact there were graves in the first place meant that the deceased interred there had been given proper memorial services. A few getting dug up wouldn’t cause any major issues.

There were, of course, outlier cases where problems had resulted from grave robberies, so Kiyoka knew he still needed to ask his superior for a more detailed account.

“I’m well aware. It’s not that anything’s happened, per se, but…”

Ookaito’s strangely ambiguous answer showed he was indeed at a bit of a loss.

“It seems they somehow managed to break into the Forbidden Land outside the city, see,” the major general added.

“…Excuse me?”

Unable to believe his ears, Kiyoka stood there bewildered for a few moments.

As its name suggested, the Forbidden Land was a region outside the city, far from human settlements, where access was strictly controlled. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a forest, but it was
actually under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Imperial Household—that is to say, the domain of generations of emperors and their families—and like with all their secrets, its true purpose could not be disclosed to the public.

If Ookaito was referring to this area, then by
grave
, he must have meant…

“No, you’re kidding.”

“I’m dead serious. The Burial Grounds were desecrated.”

“Hng!”

He gasped.

There was only one graveyard located in the Forbidden Land. It was known as the Burial Grounds.

Simply put, it was a cemetery for Gift-users.

People with the Gift or Spirit-Sight generally possessed a large amount of spiritual power. Thus, when they passed, their souls ultimately grew even stronger, which meant a regular memorial service often wasn’t enough to put them to rest.

The Burial Grounds was where the spirits of those Gift-users were sealed away.

But if it had been desecrated, then…

Many Gift-users perish in battle, resentful and holding hatred and anguish in their hearts. If their ghosts are awakened from their slumber and set free, then there’s plenty of reason to be concerned they might direct their hatred on the general populace.

Kiyoka brought his hand to his chin as his thoughts raced through his head.

Specters possessed no reason or intellect. If the released spirits made it out of the Forbidden Land, there was no telling what sort of damage they’d wreak.

I imagine that the Ministry of the Imperial Household is doing what they can…

It wouldn’t be easy to return the escaped ghosts back to the Forbidden
Land and seal them away once again. The issue would take time to resolve, regardless of how they went about it.

“What’s the situation? How many of the seals were lifted?”

“Apparently, the Ministry of the Imperial Household’s practitioners have mostly gotten it under control. That said, they aren’t giving us much information. Even when we inquired about it directly, they were coy. Puts us in a rough spot, honestly.”

Ookaito sighed, his expression grim. The news made Kiyoka want to sigh right along with him.

“At any rate, if the Ministry of the Imperial Household’s avoiding the topic, it must mean they haven’t been able to keep all the seals there in check. We can’t let anything happen to the citizenry, so we’ll stay on guard as well.”

“I appreciate it.”

Kiyoka wasn’t a fan of how the Ministry of the Imperial Household was handling things, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. All he and his men could do was pray that a request for their cooperation would come before any harm befell the general public.

With the headache-inducing subject out of the way, Ookaito stood up from the sofa.

“All right, you good to go? I figured we’d head over to the Imperial Palace now.”

“Yes, that won’t be a problem.”

Departing the station as previously scheduled, Kiyoka climbed inside the major general’s automobile, where one of Ookaito’s subordinates was at the wheel. From here, the two men headed toward the Imperial Palace, residence of the emperor.

There was no shortage of things to discuss inside the car along the way.

While their conversations almost always went to their work, the two men had dealings in both their private and their public lives, and they enjoyed a close, trusting relationship. Since they were so busy that they
rarely had a chance to spend a moment of downtime together, there were plenty of things to catch up on.

“Kiyoka, I heard you’re betrothed. How have things been?”

“Nothing worth mentioning, really,” he evasively replied to the inevitable question. Ookaito continued on, unfazed by the commander’s expressionless face and curt tone.

“Considering how opposed to settling down you’ve been, you must really get along with her, huh.”

“…I wasn’t purposefully avoiding marriage, you know.”

As the head of the Kudou family, he would be forced to wed eventually, and he’d never taken issue with that fact. He’d simply never found a suitable partner.

In that sense, he could say that he got along well with Miyo indeed.

“Still, must’ve been a tough time, given everything that happened. You must be pretty serious about her since you stuck by her after all that.”

“She wasn’t at all to blame for any of it.”

“…Looks like the talk about you hating women was completely wrong, too.”

“You’re free to think whatever you want.”

Ookaito discreetly kept his chuckle in his throat following the curt reply.

Evidently, all the details regarding the uproar resulting in the Saimoris’ house being burned to the ground had reached the major general as well.

Suddenly feeling that it was a bit hard to breathe, Kiyoka cleared his throat, then took the opportunity to artlessly change the subject.

“Do you think Tatsuishi’s there already?”

“Yeah. He’s unexpectedly diligent with his work, it sounds like.”

“Not surprising, really. That family can’t afford to lose any more of their reputation.”

Kiyoka’s true feelings on the matter were that it’d only be more trouble for him if Tatsuishi wasn’t.

Owing to the crimes of the former head of their family, Minoru
Tatsuishi, the role of head of the family had passed down to his eldest son, Kazushi Tatsuishi.

This Kazushi was a bit of an odd fellow, though. Neither Kiyoka nor Ookaito really expected him to maintain his family’s position now that their reputation had fallen so low, yet he was apparently smoothly fulfilling his role as the family successor. He handled complicated procedures without difficulty and willingly complied with military and police investigations.

Half of their business at the Imperial Palace involved him, and they planned on meeting up when they arrived.

Before too long, their automobile passed through the castle gate belonging to the highest-born family in the whole country.

A moat stretched around the vast grounds, and alongside the stone pathway rose lines of verdant trees, from cherry blossoms to pines. A number of residences were scattered across the grounds, each housing a member of the imperial family, but Kiyoka’s group was visiting the biggest among them, which was located in the exact center of the premises.

Exiting the automobile after it had parked in front of the entryway, the two men walked the familiar path inside the residence.

“Your other companion is waiting this way, please.”

Their servant guide opened the sliding door, and beyond it they saw Kazushi Tatsuishi, who’d gotten there ahead of them.

“Hello, Mr. Kudou, Mr. Ookaito.”

The young libertine man, wrapped in an ostentatious kimono, looked at them and flashed a dubious smile.

“…Tatsuishi, you plan on going in front of His Excellency like that?”

Kiyoka pressed down on his temples, feeling the beginning of a headache.

Unfortunately, since the Tatsuishis were now a retainer clan to the Kudous, Kiyoka was responsible for supervising them. He couldn’t let Kazushi off without a stern scolding.

“I’m not with the military, and I heard that Gift-users were all like this anyway.”

Kazushi replied nonchalantly, showing no deference whatsoever.

Kiyoka conceded that what he’d said was indeed true. The only rule that Gift-users needed to follow was serving the emperor. For Gift-users outside the military, that meant they weren’t subject to any particular clothing requirements. There was no inherent problem with Kazushi’s outfit.

This custom dated back from before the Restoration, from times immemorial. It also served as proof of just how special the Gift-users were to the country.

Nevertheless, Kiyoka still wanted him to follow the bare minimum of proper etiquette. The garish yellow and red colors of Kazushi’s clothes were hard on the eyes.

“This is my formal wear, so to speak, Mr. Kudou. No need to be so uptight about it.”

“…Just this once. Do it again, and your head will be on the floor.”

Seeing the look of commiseration in Ookaito’s eyes made Kiyoka wish he was done already.

Despite their momentary quarrel, they joined up with Kazushi, and then the time came for them to finally meet with the person they were there to see.

Though the atmosphere was grand and imposing, Kiyoka and Ookaito had grown accustomed to it at this point.

They reached the innermost area of the residence. On the other side of the extravagantly designed sliding door was the chamber the nobles living there used to hold audiences with guests.

“Excuse me. Ookaito, Kudou, and Tatsuishi have arrived.”

“You may enter.”

Ookaito announced their presence on behalf of the group, and a reply promptly came from beyond the sliding door.

“It has been too long, Prince Takaihito.”

They entered the room to find that the resident noble was seated directly before them, in front of a recessed alcove.

Bright red lips on snow-white skin. Any emotion remained completely obscured beneath his almond-shaped eyes. Despite being close to Kiyoka in age, the man’s figure was so otherworldly that some might take him for a boy or even a girl. At the same time, he possessed an intimidating aura that naturally made others put up their guard.

He had no last name. He went by only one name: Takaihito.

This meant he was indeed a child of the emperor. In other words, he was an imperial prince, the very next in line to succeed the imperial throne.

“Thank you for coming, Masashi, Kiyoka. And the new head of the Tatsuishis.”

The three guests lined up and prostrated themselves before the prince. Even Kazushi knew enough to be well behaved here.

Takaihito sat leaning on an armrest, with what appeared to be a smile on his lips.

“Please, raise your heads and be at ease.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Following after Ookaito’s reply, Kiyoka and Kazushi both raised their heads and straightened out their posture. While no one here was foolish enough to fully relax, Takaihito’s words did serve to slightly loosen the tense atmosphere.

Kiyoka exchanged a quick glance with Ookaito, and the two swapped positions with each other.

The topic at hand involved supernatural abilities and thus fell under Kiyoka’s purview. While Ookaito was Kiyoka’s superior, being Giftless himself, he’d accompanied his subordinate simply as a formality.

Kiyoka bent his head down slightly and began to speak.

“…Prince Takaihito, I would like to give Kazushi the opportunity to introduce himself.”

“Very well. Let us hear it.”

At Kiyoka’s prompt, the young man moved forward slightly and bowed his head.

“My name is Kazushi Tatsuishi, Your Majesty. I have begun serving as the new head of the Tatsuishi family. Allow me to offer up my deepest words of gratitude for granting me an audience, despite our family’s recent crimes, committed in defiance of the Gifts heaven sent to us.”

“Pay it no mind. You had quite a difficult time as well, did you not?”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, I am unworthy of such kindness. The Tatsuishi family is now under the Kudou family’s beck and call, and I intend to do my utmost to restore honor and confidence in my clan’s sullied name.”

“I pardon your line in the emperor’s stead. Ensure you do not fail to live up to your words.”

“Absolutely, Your Majesty,” Kazushi replied before again prostrating himself before Takaihito.

Gift-users submitted to the emperor alone. Thus, even if they were tried and made to atone in accordance with the laws of society, they would be unable to justify their existence without an official pardon from the Crown.

Now the Tatsuishis had received permission to serve the emperor once again.

“You had a rough time of things, too, Kiyoka. It is a shame what befell the Saimori family.”

Though the Saimoris’ position had been on the decline, they had still lost a family that inherited the Gift. It was a huge blow to both the emperor and Japan itself. Enough to normally prompt an investigation into who was ultimately responsible.

Since there were no deaths from the latest incident, and the bad actors of the Saimori family had all been properly punished, things had been left undecided. That was all.

Kiyoka despondently cast his eyes down.

“Forgive me for failing to stop it.”

“It does not matter. Theirs was a predetermined fate.”

Takaihito smiled, nodding magnanimously. Kiyoka relaxed his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief.

Since the imperial prince and the empire’s preeminent Gift-user had been in contact since an early age, they shared a particularly close bond; it went beyond formality and custom.

“Thank you for your lenient handling of the situation. Also, Prince Takaihito, I’ve heard you’ve received a Divine Revelation.”

“Indeed. You’re aware of the seal around the Burial Grounds being broken, yes?”

So that’s what this is about.
Kiyoka furrowed his eyebrows.

Divine Revelation was a type of supernatural ability passed down through the direct imperial line.

This Gift would give the user advanced warning from the gods about disasters that would befall the nation.

In other words, precognition.

Using their Gift, emperors throughout the ages would learn of threats to their country and either avoid them or take great pains to keep casualties at a minimum.

In truth, there was no way of knowing if these divine messages were indeed the work of the gods. What was certain, however, was the history of Gift-users obeying these Divine Revelations as part of their duties and using the information to combat Grotesqueries.

Takaihito was the reigning emperor’s second son, but since the eldest hadn’t inherited the Divine Revelation, it was nearly a given that Takaihito would take the throne. Such was the importance of the Gift of Divine Revelation.

At present, the reigning emperor was in poor health. Takaihito was using Divine Revelation in his stead to give directives to Kiyoka and the others.

“Take care… A battle is coming. If things go poorly, lives will be lost.”

Kiyoka solemnly took in Takaihito’s words, alarmed.

Death was inevitable in battle, but for Takaihito to call him here and
warn him directly meant the danger was indeed dire. This almost never happened.

“When you say some will perish, who exactly will that be?”

“Hmm. Since I have yet to ascend to the throne, my powers are still unstable. That is all that was shown to me.”

“…Understood. In any case, the threat itself is certain?”

“Yes.”

Kiyoka knew this situation needed to be treated with the utmost caution.

If he and the other people in this room were in peril, that meant the innocent and unaware citizens were in far greater danger.

Ookaito and Kazushi swallowed hard as they listened, steeling their nerves.

“I’ll contact you if I have any other visions.”

“Thank you very much, Prince Takaihito.”

“Oh yes. One more thing, Kiyoka.”

Just as Kiyoka thought their meeting had been adjourned, Takaihito stopped him.

“What is it?”

“I’ve heard you’re engaged. At long last.”

Not this again.
Kiyoka had grown a bit weary of the topic. Just as it had with Ookaito, this subject would always come up whenever he met with an acquaintance.

He had gotten quite sick of replaying the same conversation over and over.

“Your fianc
é
e… Well, I am sure things will be quite trying from here on out.”

“Trying?”

“But knowing you, I am confident you will be fine.”

Takaihito spoke with an entertained giggle.

“Is that another Divine Revelation?”

The precognitive imperial prince didn’t provide an answer to Kiyoka’s question.

Given their long relationship together, Kiyoka knew that Takaihito wasn’t apt to explain every single thing to him.

“…I will keep that in mind.”

With these words, the three men’s audience with Takaihito ended. Their minds consumed by thoughts of all the possible futures on the horizon, they left the imperial residence behind.