A Shadow on Kazuya's Family

Kazuya drove at a moderate speed, with his half-dog-yōkai junior partner, Inuko Takeda, sitting beside him. She held her fluffy white tail so it wouldn’t get in Kazuya’s way if she wagged it by accident.

“Oh, your phone is calling, Senpai,” she said, noticing Kazuya’s phone beeping on the dashboard. “It says ‘Ken’.”

“It was about time,” Kazuya sneered. He addressed his phone’s virtual assistant, “Sheri, accept Ken’s call!”

“Understood,” Sheri’s robotic voice replied.

Inuko watched the phone screen as Ken’s profile picture popped up. It depicted a 22-year-old man with pearly eyes and dark purple hair tied in a messy braid, stuffing his face with a bowl of ramen.

“Yo!” Kenzō’s high-pitched grunt, with hissy undertones of a playful dragon, echoed from the phone. “Am I interrupting, Kazu?”

“I would’ve declined the call if you were,” Kazuya replied with knitted brows, focusing on the road. “Ken, I have a junior with me – Inuko Takeda, the half-yōkai girl I talked to you about the other day.”

“The one that shot up the ranks in just a year?” Kenzō chuckled. “Heh, nice to meet you, Miss Takeda!”

“You told your friend about me?” Inuko’s golden canine eyes brightened, and her white ears pricked up as she gazed at Kazuya. She turned to the phone screen and said, “I’m honoured to meet the son of Dairyū Ōji no Kami, the Dragon Prince, as well!”

“Oh, quit it!” Kenzō’s timid laugh echoed, tinkling like pearls but resonant. He was too shy when people referred to him with reverence as a half-kami. “Just call me Kagurayama.”

“Alright, Mr Kagurayama!” Inuko smiled, her tail willing to wag but held tightly in her arms, so that she wouldn’t disturb Kazuya at the wheel. So cool, I got to meet Dairyū Kami-sama’s son! She looked at Kazuya with admiration. Senpai is amazing, having a half-kami and the heir of the Kagurayama Clan as a friend! After all, it’s their blacksmiths who provide the magical bullets for our department. Even if they’re humans, they’re a powerful family.

“So, did you find out anything about Genzaburō Kagenashi’s movements?” Kazuya asked Kenzō, moving to business. He gripped the wheel more tightly, his muscles tense as he mentioned his enemy’s name.

“Yeah, but it won’t be of any use to you,” Kenzō replied. “The old man is sitting in his castle every day. His underlings visit him themselves. If we trust my network, it’s his grandson, Yukihiro, who’s stepping up nowadays. But,” he added teasingly, “I believe you’ve got someone else to track Yukihiro better than me!”

At Kenzō’s last words, Kazuya’s green eyes glimmered with fury. He clutched the wheel, trying to maintain his composure. He wished he could hit the pedal and speed boost right now, but his junior partner, Inuko, was sitting beside him, so he refrained from it.

“I told you not to joke about that!” He almost snarled at Kenzō. “If you’ve got no useful intel, why are you even calling?”

Inuko watched Kazuya in dismay. Her nose caught the scent of sweat on his forehead, and her canine intuition discerned his boiling blood.

Why is he so angry? She wondered. Whom did Mr Kagurayama mean, who can track Yukihiro Kagenashi?

“I called to tell you that Genzaburō Kagenashi hasn’t been moving. That’s also intel,” Kenzō’s voice sounded, now stern. He snorted some vapours from his nostrils, as Inuko’s sharp ears noted. “And for real, dude, stop being such a pain in the neck to that girl about Yukihiro_”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Kazuya interrupted, glancing with apprehension at the troubled Inuko. He cleared his throat, looking back at the road. “If that’s all, I’ll hang up!”

“Yeah, be my guest,” Kenzō replied, upset. But his voice regained its playfulness as he addressed Inuko, “It was nice to talk to you, Miss Takeda! Cheers!”

“Goodbye, Mr Kagurayama!” Inuko smiled at the phone screen and even waved her hand, forgetting that Kenzō couldn’t see her.

The call dropped. Kazuya sighed with exasperation.

“Always with his godly advice,” he muttered. “Forgiveness and compassion… as if that ever helped anyone!”

“W-What was it all about?” Inuko asked, raising her eyebrows in the inner corners. Mr Kagurayama said, ‘that girl’. Who did he mean?

“Nothing.” Kazuya tugged at his tie, somewhat nervous. “Uh… Please forget it, Miss Takeda!” He gently smiled. “It’s just our friendly arguments. I’m sorry you had to see it!”

“Oh, it’s no problem!” Inuko shook her hands, her cheeks red. It must be a serious matter about Yukihiro Kagenashi. Senpai’s always been set on their clan, after all. I’d better not pry.

After some silent driving, they arrived at the Hanaka Park in Shinjuku City. Kazuya and Inuko got out of the car and looked around. The park was full of blooming trees and flowers, a perfect place for a walk. Now, in broad daylight, many people were roaming there or relaxing on the benches. Some had even brought their dogs and kids. But the park resembled woodland with its vastness and abundance of trees. So, it was a good place for shady figures to gather at night without being seen.

“Well, do you sense anything?” Kazuya asked Inuko, who was already sniffing the air, her brows knitted.

“Yes, there’s a subtle fox scent,” she replied. She looked at the copse of Japanese tree lilacs in the distance. “It’s more intense there, but the pungent smell of those flowers gets in the way. Hmph, a common foxy tactic! Didn’t they consider that the flowers’ delightful fragrance is too different from the stink of their fur?!”

She clenched her fists and stomped towards the Japanese tree lilacs. Kazuya chuckled at her canine joke. He followed her with his hands in his pockets. He activated his Absolute Sight Magic, zooming in on the copse of lilac trees to discern a spiritual trace. He caught some signs of the foxfire’s flaming aura, but the burning spider lily scent had already dissolved. The foxfire aura vanished on the road, preventing Kazuya from tracking it further.

They must’ve taken cars from there. He frowned. Their vehicles are coated with magical barriers to conceal their spiritual trace.

He looked at Inuko sniffing the air around the lilac trees. Kazuya hoped she’d find the foxes’ tracks he couldn’t detect, with her sharp nose. Inuko’s big, fluffy white tail was lowered and tensed, her white dog ears upright, almost like a Samoyed on a hunt. Kazuya smiled at the thought. Samoyed was his favourite breed.

“I’ve got it!” Inuko ran back to him, her joyous cry mixed with a bark. “I can track them.”

She grabbed Kazuya’s arm and pulled him towards the car. Kazuya followed, bashful from her touch. They returned to his Honda Civic, retook their seats, and fastened their belts. Inuko lowered her window and inhaled the air.

“Drive to that copse,” she pointed to the Japanese tree lilacs, “and I’ll give you directions.”

“Hold on tight,” Kazuya said.

He turned on the engine and pushed the pedal, hitting the road.

“Whoa!” Inuko yelped, grabbing the handle over the open window. “I-It’s too fast, Senpai!”

“But due to that, we’re already at the lilacs,” Kazuya smirked. “Where to next?”

“Uhm…” Inuko took deep breaths, her heart pounding from the speedy ride. “Let’s see…” She sniffed the air again. She pointed to a narrow alley. “There!”

“Roger!” Kazuya swerved in that direction. The corners of his lips lowered. Let’s hope we get to Mr Nobara in time…

“Senpai, you’ve got a message,” Inuko said, looking at his beeping phone. “It says ‘Big Sis’.” She turned to Kazuya, excited. “Is it your sister, Kasane Hattori? Chief Shinemori said he had tried recruiting her when she was a teen, because of her powerful Wood Magic.”

“Trust me, a girl with her ideas would never work for the police.” Kazuya rolled his eyes, resentful of his sister’s decisions. “Such an impeccable talent, and she became a florist! As if flowers can save the world… But that’s not even all.” He sighed. “Anyway… Let’s keep tracking.”

“Oh, y-yes. I’m sorry!” Inuko smiled timidly, embarrassed to have touched a sore spot. What was I thinking, prying into his personal life? It seems his relationship with his sister is complicated. Wait a minute… Could his sister be ‘that girl’ whom Mr Kagurayama mentioned? Her eyes widened, and her dog ears pricked up. Is Senpai angry because his sister associates with Yukihiro Kagenashi?!

Inuko knew it was wicked of her, but she couldn’t help glancing at Kazuya’s mobile phone now. Curiosity gnawed at her. Kazuya’s sister’s message contained the following lines:

“I heard you took on a dangerous case, Kazu. Please, be careful! I… I’m worried.”

Inuko knitted her brows. It was no wonder that Hattori Senpai’s sister might hear of their new case. Kenzō Kagurayama, of all people, might’ve told her. But “dangerous”? – That sounded suspicious. It couldn’t be Kenzō’s description, because his light-hearted banter from earlier had reassured Inuko that he didn’t think much of this case. Her ears slumped, and her heart throbbed. She realised now why Kazuya considered his sister a painful topic.

Kasane Hattori might be linked to the Kagenashi Clan, after all.