Ah! Mommy!

Bureau of Supernatural Disaster Management (BSDM) – Organizational Chart

BSDM General Director: Dayuma Aka

Director of Personnel Employment Division:

Director of Technical Support Division:

Director of Procurement Division:

Director of Communications and Technical Support Division:

The Personnel Employment Division had three separate operation chiefs. Their names were …

The document I was holding included a table showing the organizational chart; there were so many names that I only skimmed it before turning the page.

Here, I found the section defining the Crystal Crisis and the files related to the murders.

The censored photographs and autopsy reports irritated me.

So, you’re forcing a high-school student to join an official operation, but you think I’m too young to see the gruesome parts, huh?

One section of the Crystal Crisis file listed the possible jewels humans might carry. Those gods must’ve been ridiculously wealthy! I wonder what the thieves plan to do with those teardrop-shaped jewels with a hole in the center.

Wait a second…

I’m sure I’ve seen these jewels in an anime before.

When my father entered the living room carrying a box, I lifted my head from the file and looked at him. “I gathered some of your mother’s belongings in this box,” he said.

I watched the flower-patterned box he placed in front of me for a moment. My father, who couldn’t bear to store my mother’s memories in a dull cardboard box, continued speaking.

“The things I couldn’t quite make sense of…” Her clothes and books were still in their places, after all.

Inside the box were a photo album, a diary, a stack of letters, and a few objects I couldn’t identify. One resembled a strange kind of rosary; another looked like a talisman not native to this country.

I started with the photo album. The first picture showed a baby sleeping under a blanket—my mother as an infant.

The second was a family photo taken in front of a shrine. My mother looked about five, and everyone wore the garments of priests and priestesses.

“Your mother came from a shaman family, Chika,” my father began.

“She used to say they were a traveling family because of their work. For a while, they served with them at various shrines. Later she said she didn’t want to follow the family trade and left them. When I met her, she was working as a waitress in a café.”

While he was talking, I was staring at a photo of my mother taken when she was around fifteen. She was standing alone, smiling, arms outstretched. Ordinary people saw it as a simple photo, but what I saw was my mother resting her hand on the shoulder of a spiritual companion.

“Apparently, she wasn’t from an ordinary shaman family,” I murmured.

My father nodded. “She told me a few times that she came from the Seers. When I asked what that meant, she said she could see things ordinary people couldn’t. I thought she was joking.”

As soon as I picked up the diary, the first date my eyes fell on was March 11, 2011. The ink blurred by tears formed trembling words that I read aloud:

“It seems I’ve passed on whatever flows through my blood to Chika as well! She sensed today’s disaster so intensely that her fever wouldn’t drop. The fact that she can see such a heavy vision at such a young age means she’s a prodigy among Seers.”

“I must find a spell—anything—to suppress her powers! My little Chika must never feel something like this again!”

This page explained why my ability to sense and see things was always vague and unstable. My mother had probably found a way to suppress my powers.

Wait a minute—does that mean this is my power suppressed?

As I frowned and glared at the wall as if I could tear it down, my father’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Maybe you should visit your mother’s family,” he said. “This sounds dangerous. I can’t just sit here doing nothing. If my strength isn’t enough, I’ll do whatever I can to make you stronger.”

“Do you know where they are?” I asked.

He touched his chin thoughtfully, then raised his head. “We’ll request BSDM’s assistance,” he said.

***

“We can’t locate them.”

That was the response we received from the BSDM official.

Maybe it was because I stayed silent on the phone, but after a pause the officer sighed and added, “If we could find an experienced member of the Kobayashi family, we probably would have taken the job offer to them instead, Ms. Takayama.”

My father muttered, “Makes sense.” Then, in a clearer tone, he asked, “Would it be possible to contact another shaman—or perhaps another Seer?”

The officer hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’ll forward your request to my superiors. Please wait for further instructions.”

***

Standing in front of the mirror, I brushed my short, chestnut-brown hair. I let out a sigh as I looked at my clothes.

Chief Operations Officer, Personnel Employment Division — Takayama Chika.

The white shirt and navy-blue suit made me look a few years older. Still, wasn’t I far too young for this position? Besides, I didn’t even know exactly what my duties were supposed to be.

Hopefully, I'll find out something today.

***

My father and I stood before the plaque beside the door. Until I saw the sign on the second floor of the Prefectural Police Headquarters that read “Bureau of Supernatural Disaster Management,” I honestly thought this was all some kind of hidden-camera prank.

The receptionist at the entrance must have already notified them of my arrival, because as soon as we walked through the door, a staff member appeared to escort us to a conference room. The more I realized that this was a serious affair, the more tense I became.

We hadn’t been waiting long when several people entered. One of them was the female officer who had visited our home two days earlier. This time she wore a special-operations uniform. Her jet-black hair was neatly tied and braided into a ponytail.

After greeting us, she introduced herself. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Misaki Airi. I’m the Director of the Personnel Employment Division at BSDM. During this mission, I will be your commanding officer and the one responsible for your safety, Ms. Takayama.”

Her gaze—sincere and steady—pierced through me just as it had two days ago. Bowing slightly, I replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Misaki-san. I’m in your care.”

After our greeting, Misaki-san turned toward my father. Crossing his arms, he said,

“I’m not about to send my daughter off alone, Misaki-san. I hope you understand.”

Letting out a resigned sigh, Misaki-san answered, “Very well. But you may accompany her only for today. Ms. Takayama will depart without you. We can’t increase the number of individuals under our protection.”

I raised my hand slightly. “Chika is fine,” I interjected. She softened a little and said,

“In that case, let’s begin our meeting, Chika-chan,” and invited us to the table.

“There are two other individuals who hold the same position as Takayama-san under the Personnel Employment Division. They’re on their way, but it’ll take them a bit longer,” she explained, checking her wristwatch.

“They should arrive in about fifteen minutes.” While Misaki-san was speaking, I raised my hand.

“Are they like me? The kind you called ‘Seers’?”

She nodded. “After the general briefing, you’ll meet them one by one. One of them is an experienced Seer—she’s participated in several operations before. She may be able to help you understand certain things.”

One of the staff members turned on the projector, casting an image onto the screen on the wall. Another distributed a document and a book to each seat around the table. The cover of the book read Kojiki.

I had heard of this book before— my mother used to read me a children’s storybook version of it when I was little.

My father muttered under his breath, “Kojiki? Seriously?”

“It’s the best source we can rely on for information related to the jewels,” Misaki-san explained. “We have a specialist who interprets this text and other sacred scriptures, but I recommend reading both the operation files and the Kojiki whenever you have time.”

While she spoke, an aide placed a nameplate bearing my name on the table along with five others. Then came a knock at the door, and a voice entered the room before its owner did.

“Couldn’t sleep last night—the excitement of the journey got to me.”

Everyone turned toward the newcomer: a curly-haired, middle-aged man. Misaki-san stood respectfully.

“Our mythology expert has arrived,” she announced.

The man patted his rounded belly, tugging lightly at his suspenders. “Hello everyone. My apologies if I’m late,” he said, taking the seat marked with his nameplate.

“This is Professor Fujimoto Haruto,” Misaki-san explained.

“He’s the head of the Department of Mythology and Folklore Studies at Hoshinomiya University’s Faculty of Humanities. His field of expertise is Comparative Mythology and Shinto Cosmology. He’ll be the one providing us with his insights throughout this operation.”

Then, gesturing toward me, she added, “I’ll make a full round of introductions once everyone has arrived, so I’ll keep this brief.”

A few minutes later, a sudden chill crawled over me. I tried to resist the urge to rub my arms. Something had entered the building—I could feel it.

I jumped to my feet. “A-are we under attack?” I blurted out.

Misaki-san, startled, glanced at me while adjusting her earpiece. “Calm down, Chika-chan. The others just arrived.”

As I sat back down, clutching my skirt with tense fingers, Misaki-san murmured,

“My god… you really are a prodigy of the Seers.”

With every step they took closer to me, the dreadful auras I sensed grew stronger.

What could possibly be the source of such power?