Chapter 73: Sōma Takiko
Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward.
Here stood the spiritual heart of Japan.
The Imperial Palace.
Most areas of the Palace had never been open to the public. Visitors could only tour the outer grounds beyond the moat—the Imperial Palace Outer Garden, the East Gardens, and Kitanomaru Park.
From the Outer Garden, tourists could see Nijubashi Bridge stretching across the moat, the closest glimpse most people would ever get of the Palace's inner world. The East Gardens, once part of the imperial family's grand garden, allowed visitors to wander among historic buildings and carefully maintained scenery. To the northwest lay Chidorigafuchi, one of Tokyo's famous cherry blossom viewing spots, with Kitanomaru Park beside it, where residents once ran, cycled, and strolled in peace.
That had all ended with the Supernatural Revival.
Without warning, the Imperial Palace had been sealed off completely.
Not only the inner grounds, but even the previously accessible outer areas—the Outer Garden, the East Gardens, Kitanomaru Park—were forbidden to ordinary residents.
At the time, the decision had caused quite a stir. People had questioned it, protested it, speculated about it. But as the years passed and supernatural incidents grew more frequent, the matter gradually faded from public attention.
Now, with Mount Fuji erupting and panic sweeping across Japan, the Palace remained untouched.
The chaos outside seemed unable to cross its borders.
Somewhere deep within the inner gardens, a young woman in a luxurious gold-and-red kimono sat gracefully beneath the quiet morning light.
Her presence was difficult to describe.
At one moment, she seemed like a noble princess raised above the dust of the world. At another, she carried the dignity of a refined lady from an ancient court. Then, with a slight tilt of her hand or the curve of her posture, she became a gentle bride, soft and lovely enough to make the heart ache. A breath later, that gentleness would shift into something charming, alluring, and dangerously intoxicating.
Every kind of beauty that could make a man lower his head seemed gathered in her.
She was temptation given human shape.
The only pity was her face.
Her features were blurred, obscured by some mysterious power that prevented the world from gazing upon her true appearance. It was not a veil, nor a spell that simply hid her identity. It felt more like a law: the world itself was not permitted to look at her too clearly.
She was the same woman who had appeared in the park area of Houjuo Academy after Gin Tsumugi destroyed the Wedding Dress Tree.
"Their scheme succeeded."
She held a cup of black tea with elegant ease, watching the apocalyptic glow of Mount Fuji on the distant horizon.
"Yamata no Orochi awakened ahead of schedule. After this battle, Onmyodo's strength will fall to its limit."
The red light of the eruption reflected faintly in the tea.
Even that small movement—lifting the cup, taking a sip—carried an almost fatal charm.
"Your Highness."
A blue bird no larger than a palm landed lightly on her shoulder.
It spoke in human words, its voice crisp and pleasing to the ear.
"You've worked hard."
The woman raised a finger and gently tapped the little bird's head.
The blue bird narrowed its eyes in comfort, clearly enjoying the affection.
"Your Highness," it said, unable to keep the indignation from its voice, "why did you tell those creatures about his news? They're all villains. They're planning to push you and the white fox in Kyoto into the open so you and Onmyodo weaken each other."
The bird did not dare criticize her outright.
But in its view, giving such important information to those Yokai had been too careless.
The woman took another sip of tea.
"Even if I said nothing, they would have found ways to investigate news from the Underworld. It was only a matter of time."
Her tone was unhurried.
"Telling them now raises my standing in their eyes."
The blue bird hesitated.
"Then what should we do, Your Highness? We can't let their scheme succeed."
Its urgency was understandable.
Those hidden beings were all Great Yokai-level existences. Individually, none of them might be her equal, but together, even Her Highness would have to retreat.
The matter of Yamata no Orochi had already made the bird feel a deep chill.
It had not expected their scheme to succeed so perfectly. By using Yamata no Orochi, they had crippled the strength of Onmyodo by more than half in a single move.
Now their next scheme was aimed at Her Highness.
How could it not worry?
"He has already discovered me and them," the woman said.
The answer did not seem to match the question, but her voice remained calm.
"At this point, any attempt to interfere will only expose us further. The lesson of standing against him was already painful enough a thousand years ago."
The blue bird lowered its head.
"Kiyohime doesn't understand."
The woman did not seem surprised.
"How long do you think it will take him to regain his strength?" she asked. "Three years? Five?"
"I don't know, Your Highness."
"Neither do I."
The woman set the teacup down.
"But from the moment I learned that he had formed an identical Onmyodo Framework, I knew that day would not be too far away."
She rose.
Her kimono trailed behind her like flowing flame as she turned toward the distant horizon, where Mount Fuji's eruption showed no sign of calming.
"Watch carefully, Kiyohime."
Her voice softened.
"The more someone stirs the waters now, the sooner they will face reckoning in the future."
One by one, sealed.
One by one, eliminated.
The blue bird's eyes flashed with fear.
Those who had not lived through the era dominated by him a thousand years ago could never understand.
They could never know his terror.
They could never understand the feeling of trembling from the depths of one's soul every time his name was remembered. He was like a shadow that followed them through time, impossible to shake off even after a thousand years.
Perhaps Her Highness was right.
He had already entered the game since the Wedding Dress Tree incident.
What they needed to do now was not break the situation by force.
It was to extract themselves as cleanly as possible.
As for the remaining villains...
Sooner or later, he would deal with them.
"Go, Kiyohime," the woman said. "Erase our traces as much as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Kiyohime spread her wings and flew away.
Not long after the blue bird left, the mysterious woman turned her gaze toward a certain direction within the Imperial Palace.
"I warned you once already."
A faint sigh left her lips.
"What a stubborn little cat."
Then she vanished from the garden.
Inside one of the Palace rooms, an unexpected figure had appeared.
Hirata Atsune moved through the space with practiced familiarity, reaching a hidden mechanism and opening a secret passage that led downward into an underground chamber.
The movements were cautious and extremely well concealed.
No one noticed the intrusion.
The fact that an outsider could navigate the Imperial Palace—an area only the imperial family and certain authorized personnel could enter freely—with such ease proved that Hirata Atsune's identity was far from simple.
Not merely Amami Daizen's capable assistant.
Not merely an official of the Omnyo Agency.
"Her attention should be on Mount Fuji right now," Hirata murmured. "The timing is perfect."
The underground chamber was quiet.
At its center stood an altar of unknown purpose. Talismans and ritual formations had already been arranged across it in meticulous layers, each one prepared in advance.
Hirata stepped into the center of the formation.
The expression on that familiar face was filled with worry.
"I have to perform the ritual again."
The voice trembled slightly.
"This time, I hope I can call back Sister's consciousness."
That consciousness had not appeared for some time.
If things continued like this, there was a chance she would fall into eternal slumber.
Then, within the chamber, Hirata Atsune's appearance began to change.
The tall, capable assistant vanished.
The figure became petite. Long red hair spilled down. Soft, delicate features emerged beneath the fading disguise.
What stood in the formation was no longer a young man.
It was a beautiful girl.
A truth even Amami Daizen had likely never discovered.
Her real name was Sōma Takiko.
She possessed the blood of the Imperial Family.
And she was the only direct descendant of the Sōma Clan, an Onmyodo family.
.....
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