ch21-ch40 · 027-ch24

Chapter 24 — Shinjuku Demon Frontline ①

The Ichijō family was scrambling to respond to the bombing of the Japan Exorcist Alliance's Kanto branch building.

"Huh?! An explosion at the Kanto branch?!"

It was early morning, and Hiyori was about to leave for school when her attendant Yoshida called out to her with the news.

"Yes, young miss. According to Sakuraba's investigation, magical power was detected from the explosion site."

"Sakuraba... Uncle Sakuraba, he's..."

"He's a Mana Eye wielder, so his judgment is reliable. There was also a fairly strong curse-type reaction, so it's almost certainly the work of demons."

"Demons..."

Hiyori had taken down plenty of demons in the field as part of the active duty force.

But she'd never faced a demon that could use explosion magic.

"Did Uncle Sakuraba say anything else?"

"He suggested it might be a mid-rank or higher demon."

"Finally showed up, huh..."

A mid-rank or higher demon was at a level Hiyori had never fought before.

"Where are Dad and Grandpa now?"

"They're discussing countermeasures with the government and the Alliance. There's also the matter of dealing with the general public — it's a pretty serious incident."

"So the active forces are stretched thin."

"I'm sorry to trouble you before school, young miss..."

Yoshida apologized, looking pained.

Yoshida had watched over Hiyori since she was little. Because of an injury, he could no longer fight as an exorcist, and he'd been forced to push the responsibility of front-line combat onto the younger generation — including Hiyori. He wanted them to live healthy, peaceful lives, yet he had to send them to fight. That thought tormented Yoshida.

But the person who understood that feeling best and treasured it most was none other than Hiyori herself.

"Don't worry about it! I'll call Mio-chan and head to the scene. Is Shiroharai ready?"

"Yes. Already in the car."

Shiroharai was the name of Hiyori's beloved blade.

A famed sword that displayed unparalleled power when pitted against demons and evil spirits.

On Hiyori's wrist was a bracelet Sai had given her.

"Okay. As expected of Yoshida-san! Alright, let's go!"

There was a chance — just a chance — that she might be fighting a powerful enemy.

Yet Ichijō Hiyori laughed cheerfully.

"Young miss."

Seeing Hiyori like that, Yoshida turned solemn.

"What's up, Yoshida-san?"

"Your attire... are you sure that's... fine...?"

"Ah..."

Hiyori was about to leave for school, still in her blazer uniform.

She'd tried to make a cool exit, but it didn't quite land.

Hiyori contacted Mio and met up with her shortly after.

Now Hiyori and Mio were heading to the scene, with Yoshida driving.

Mio, too, was in her blazer — probably because she was also about to leave for school.

They could only pray that no battle would break out.

"The branch explosion. It's on the news."

"Yes, Miss Mio. It looks like this time it's being handled as a gas explosion."

"That makes sense. We can't say it was demons."

"That's the thing, isn't it..."

Hiyori's face was troubled.

"Have demons ever been active during the daytime before?"

"...No, they haven't."

Whether evil spirits or demons, beings of that sort were always active from evening onward.

"Back when I looked into demon activity records with Yoshida-san, daytime activity was..."

"At least in the written records we have, there's nothing. But if I recall correctly, there might have been some in the Edo period, or even earlier."

Yoshida picked up where Mio's sentence trailed off.

"Huh, really?!"

"Yes. A lot of records were lost in the air raids during the war. But I've heard from deceased exorcists that such stories were passed down orally."

"...Working backward from that, our opponent this time would be a demon of the class that was active in the Edo period."

At Mio's words, the air in the car grew colder.

Since Shinjuku Tower appeared, the world's mana had been activated.

How much mana was in this world now was unclear, but the denser the mana in the atmosphere, the more active demons became, and the stronger demons were more likely to emerge.

The great demons of history were still sealed, but this was proof that the limit was approaching.

"Man... we really need to get stronger fast, or we're in deep trouble."

"Speaking of which, Hiyori. Should we tell Sensei about this?"

"Hmm... I'll decide depending on the opponent. If it's seriously dangerous, I'll ask for advice."

"Understood."

"Are you talking about that adventurer teacher of yours, young miss?"

The adventurer teacher who'd taken on the Ichijō princess as a disciple had become a hot topic in and around the Ichijō family.

A being that Hiyori — said to be the prodigy of the Ichijō clan — couldn't beat and had chosen to revere as her master.

Though his figure could be seen on Tower Tube streams, Hiyori had ordered that even Yoshida, her close attendant, not be allowed to meet him.

"Yes. He's incredibly strong."

Mio spoke happily about him. Even Mio the mage was learning from him.

A man who could handle both martial combat and magic.

If a man like that became an exorcist, it would be a significant boost to their fighting strength.

"I'll leave the decision to you, young miss."

"Yeah."

As far as Hiyori was concerned, she didn't want Sai to get involved in exorcist work.

Having returned from another world, Sai had probably dealt with evil spirits there too — Hiyori hadn't confirmed it with him, but she was sure of it.

If she asked, he'd handle it. Definitely.

But the problem was that he was too strong.

Power that was too outstanding was a kind of dangerous drug.

If they left everything to Sai whenever a strong enemy appeared, what would happen?

After Sai was gone. The next generation — meaning Hiyori and Mio themselves — would be screwed.

They had to get stronger as an organization.

Soon, the car carrying the two of them arrived at the Exorcist Alliance Kanto branch building.

The fire was already out, and police and firefighters were conducting their on-site investigation.

What was different from usual was the large number of men in plain clothes and suits.

All of them were government personnel handling exorcist-related affairs.

"Good work."

Noticing Hiyori and Mio's arrival, a suited man approached.

With an unusual calm, Hiyori asked questions.

"What's the situation?"

"Sakuraba is confirming things now."

"Okay. We're going in."

Hiyori and Mio ducked under the restricted tape and entered the building.

The onlookers gawked at the sight of two high school girls in uniform entering the scene, but someone casually said, "They must be related to the building," and the atmosphere around them settled.

That someone was from the Exorcist Alliance.

They were part of a unit specializing in public information control, also tasked with gently stopping or interfering with anyone trying to take photos on their smartphones.

A unit whose sole purpose was to prevent information leaks.

After all, fighting wasn't the only job of an exorcist.

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Thank you for reading.