“I apologize for what happened earlier.  Allow me to introduce myself once more.  I am Mizukami Tatsumi, father of Uruka and Uruna who are over there, and also the current head of the Mizukami household, one of the Five Great Onmyouji Clans.  Pleased to meet you.”

With Tatsumi’s greeting as the start, a discussion among the 7 begins within the mansion’s great hall.

“otou-san, I’ll say this first, but we are on the side of Shizuku-san and her companions, alright?”
“That’s right.  If our senpai hadn’t been there, we might have died.”
“They are comrades with whom we walked the line of death together.  I am also on the side of our respectable senpai, desu!”

“Everyone…”
“Thank you so much.”
“Thanks.”

Hearing the feelings of Uruka, Uruna, and Owl, Shizuku, Akari, and Souji express their gratitude.  During the midst of that, Tatsumi opens his mouth to speak.

“It’s alright, I understand.  You rescued my daughters and the daughter of a good friend.  I myself am also sincerely grateful to you.  Precisely because of that, I have not reported anything about your existence to the country.  I decided to make this incident one Uruka, Uruna, and Owl resolved alone.  Naturally, I haven’t reported anything about Yuuki-kun either.”
“The… country?”

Shizuku reflectively asks back at Tatsumi’s unexpected remark.

“Correct, a portion of onmyou technique users serve the country.  As such, our ties with the country are very deep.  You could say we are similar to civil servants on the national level.”
“Civil servants on the national level…?”
“Somehow, onmyou technique users suddenly feel less mysterious…”

Tatsumi continues to speak, as if building off the words of Souji and Akari.

“Well then, let’s begin with that area of the story.  The onmyou techniques that we use took form about 1500 years ago.  Those able to use it obtained the position of [onmyouji] and served the country.  Before long, however, friction arose between them and the populace who came to fear the peculiar power of onmyou techniques.  After various conflicts, onmyouji disappeared from the front stage of history.”

Tatsumi speaks concisely about the relationship between [Onmyou Technique Users] and the Japanese state.

“However, completely losing onmyou techniques would have been a great lose to the country.  Hence why a portion of practitioners continued their activities while maintaining ties with the country in the shadows of history.  Among them, the technique users of the Five Great Onmyouji Clans have very deep connections with the country.  We also often carry out activities upon receiving requests from the state.”
“Come to think about it, [Magicians] have similar circumstances.  During the [Witch Hunts] that happened around 500 years ago due to friction between the commoners and rulers who feared magic, magicians vanished from the front stage of history.  Although, a segment of technique users also serve the country.”
“Uwaa, I feel like I just casually overheard something incredible…”

Due to Shizuku’s offhand question, Akari ends up learning a hidden truth of history and mutters that remark.

“It isn’t just technique users, those with special ability users also serve the country.  That is the reason why I knew about the existence of [Special Abilities].  I intended to eventually tell Uruka and Uruna as well, and this made for a good opportunity.”

“[Special Abilities]… so there are powers like that too.”
“I didn’t have the slightest idea.”
“Japan is quite the fascinating country, desu.”
“There are many countries besides Japan that secretly employ special ability users.  England is one of them.”
“Really, desu!?”

Owl cries out in astonishment at the unexpected truth.

“The total number of special ability users is far fewer than those of technique users, so the country would certainly desire you should it learn of your existence.  Well, under the protection of the state, you’d be able to make a living with a stable salary, so it wouldn’t be all that bad.”
“Except we… aren’t people of this country…”
“I understand that as well.  You are not people of this country.  I believe your family registers are all falsified?”
“Wha…!”

Tatsumi continues to speak, ignoring the astonishment of his guests.

“After that attack by the special ability organization last month, I was the one who ordered the information to be manipulated so as to conceal that incident from the public.  During the course of that, I also had you 3, who were involved in said incident, thoroughly investigated.  I don’t know everything, but I believe I understand your circumstances to an extent.”
“…What do you… intend to do with us?”

Shizuku, though shaken by the fact that everything about them was apparently known, poses a straightforward question.  She does so because she understands that clumsy bargaining will be meaningly against Tatsumi.

“I wish for you to be at ease.  I truly have no intention of doing anything to you.  There is also my debt of gratitude for saving my daughters.  If necessary, I intend to give you my full support so that you may live peaceful lives.  Now then… [Phantom Mist Barrier].”
“““!?”””
“otou-san!?”

While everyone is startled by the sudden barrier technique, Tatsumi continues to speak.

“Excuse me for the sudden action.  I will be changing the topic a bit, but this here is the true reason I called you today.  What follows must not, under any circumstances, be heard by anyone other than you.”
“The main subject… starts here…?”
“That is correct.  As you are familiar with him, this is something that must be shared with you.  We shall be discussing Yuuki Kousuke-kun.”

Upon answering Souji’s question, Tatsumi confirms that the barrier is functioning properly and begins to speak with a calm voice.

“First, as you know, his combat ability is considerably high.”
“I know.  He even defeated a technique user carrying the heart of an evil god.”

Uruka responded to Tatsumi’s words, recalling the battle that had broken out at recreational lodging.

“That’s right.  The strength of a technique user who houses the heart of an evil god within themselves is equivalent to that of a paranormal calamity on the national scale.  The fact that he defeated such a being means that, at the very least, he has enough power to stand against an entire nation.”
““““Against a nation!?””””
“He’s powerful enough to stand against a nation!?”

“Yuuki-kun doing something like that…”
“I understand.  Considering his actions until now, it is impossible to think he is the kind of dangerous person who would do such a thing.  He is also someone whom the Neko-kami-sama acknowledges as his Master, after all.  This conversation merely involves the matter of him possessing power of that magnitude.”

Tatsumi cuts of Uruka and continues speaking.

“He himself possesses tremendous power, but I also believe that he has comrades who excel in information warfare.  In fact, there was an event that convinced me of that.”

He speaks while recalling that during the incident with the special ability organization, information on the operatives who had infiltrated Hokkaido was sent to him over email.  At that time, he thought it had been sent from Kousuke’s smartphone, but the information-gathering ability involved was too high of a level to believe that the sender’s record not being hidden was natural.  As such, he considers it highly likely that another entity deliberately made it look as though the email had been sent from Kousuke’s smartphone in order to make it appear to be Kousuke’s achievement.

In reality, that was Near’s first time sending an email, and so it was sent without any thought regarding the matter of the sender record.  Tatsumi, however, has no way of knowing such a thing.

“At the very least, I believe that a being equal to him, if not greater, is standing behind him.”
“If there is such a major existence, wouldn’t something be discovered if you investigated?”
“That’s just it, no matter how much I looked into Yuuki-kun, nothing came up.  Whether it be his his family register or his personal history, he is entirely an ordinary high school student.  Precisely because of that, I am convinced he has comrades skilled in information warfare.”

Souji becomes convinced at Tatsumi’s words and falls silent.

“For the time being, what we do know is that he possesses tremendous power, and that his objectives are entirely unknown. I don’t think he is a bad person, but if you are to get involved with him, then this is what I wanted to say today— you should be fully aware of that fact before you do.”
“A debt of gratitude received must absolutely be repaid.  Even if he had some kind of objective, the fact remains that he helped us.  No matter who Yuuki-san is, it doesn’t matter.”
“I’m not as blindly devoted as Souji, but I’m largely of the same opinion.  We were saved twice, after all, and I don’t believe him a bad person.”
“Yuuki-kun is… a good person… I want to be of help… to Yuuki-kun.”

To Tatsumi’s words, Souji, Akari, and Shizuku respond without hesitation.  Uruka, Uruna, and Owl nod in agreement as they listen to their words.

“I see, I seem to have said something unnecessary.  Now that I think about it, even if indirectly, Uruka, Uruna, and Owl have already been of help to him.”
“Eh?  Of help to Yuuki-kun?”
“onee-chan, me, and Owl?  We did something?”
“On the contrary, I can only remember Yuuki-senpai helping us with various things.”

The three, Uruka, Uruna, and Owl, tilt their heads at Tatsumi’s unexpected words.

“The matter of the Evil God’s Heart is considered the achievement of Uruka, Uruna, and Owl.  In that sense, you have helped conceal his existence, you were of help to him. Incidentally, this was a national-level incident.  As the 3 of you are reported to have resolved it, your evaluations have become something tremendous. Before long, a certificate of commendation from the nation is scheduled to arrive.”
““Eh!!?””

Startled, they press their doubts on Tatsumi.

“otou-san… can’t we decline that?”
“That’s already impossible.”
“I’m still a middle schooler!  Getting a commendation from that nation?  My stomach is starting to hurt!”
“Japan is a fascinating country, desu.”
“Owl-san is scheduled to be commended in England upon returning home during the next long vacation.”
“Me too, desu!?”

“A commendation from the nation?  Practitioners are amazing.”
“Onmyou techniques… this is just like from manga or anime.”
“Shizuku, aren’t our special abilities more or less the same?”

As the conversation shifts from a serious topic to a lively and cheerful one, Tatsumi becomes lost in his own thoughts.

There have been numerous peculiar incidents that ordinarily should not have occurred, and Yuuki-kun has been involved in all of them.  With him as the trigger, a new current has been born between practitioners and special ability users.  Is all this really just a coincidence…?

While murmuring such a thing in his heart, Tatsumi can’t help but distrust the existence that possesses tremendous power standing behind Kousuke.

---

T/N: Well… Enjoy??

~Alea

<62. Maybe I Should Look for a Part-time Job…
64. Hanazono Lisa>