They mean business

Next morning, Avery is already buzzing with energy by the time he goes to greet her.

The first stop is a brief meeting with a few of the enforcers. It's over in less than half an hour—nothing new to report. On his way out, Atsunori is surprised to see Avery still in her seat, practicing magic. The moment she catches sight of him she drops all focus and waves.

After that, they head to one of the larger company buildings in the city, a likely future target—assuming the culprit intends to harm the Munakata. There, Atsunori meets with one of the managers and goes over additional security measures, contingency plans and potential weak spots.

On their way to the third location, Avery is still behaving. But as soon as they approach the entrance, she perks up.

"Woah, so your family also owns the supermarket chain?"

"We don't own it. We're just affiliated. Some of my relatives have connections to the company's leadership, that's all."

"Don't pretend that's nothing. I don't care much about business, but I know well how much influence connections carry. Especially the invisible ones." She then smiles at him. "Like your family."

Atsunori turns toward the entrance, but she tugs his attention back.

"You know, I'm noticing your family has plenty of power in this city, and a mountain of resources."

"Yeah, so?"

She glances at the building, then back at him. "All these reunions, the inspections, taking notes, the constant calls… it feels to me like you're ready to pounce on the tiniest lead and unleash an army on it."

"Because I am. The moment I find the attacker's trail, I'm going all out. I'll capture them at any cost."

"See, that reminds me of when my bro did a speculation exercise and thought the correct answer was to throw everything in at the first market shift."

"If there's a point, get to it."

"What I'm trying to say is: are you sure you want to empty your pockets all at once when there might be, like… I don't know, a shift in the wind or something? Sorry, I'm losing the metaphor."

"Then drop it and just say what you mean."

"That if the bad guys stage a mock attack, you'll deploy everyone you've got, and leave the other regions unprotected."

He wants to say, That's too unlikely. Entertaining her suggestion only adds another layer to the tangle of tasks he's already juggling for this operation.

And yet…

His hand reaches for a familiar notebook, its spine creased from a month of constant use, and jots down a new reminder.

"You might have a point. At the very least, I'll treat it as a possibility."

"Yay, I'm helping."

He leaves her then and there, ignoring her cheerful, "See you in a bit Atsun," and "Try not to scare the employees."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The rest of the day goes smoothly. Even though Atsunori has to drag Avery from one district to another, she doesn't ask for detours and only slows him with the occasional remark.

He ends the day with a few calls whose details he makes sure Avery doesn't overhear. Letting her glimpse the other side of the family's dealings would only bring headaches.

"We're done for the day. Let's head back."

"So you're free for the rest of the evening?"

Suspecting her angle, he heads straight toward the estate.

"I'm planning a training session once we get back, then dinner with my father."

"You have a gym on the estate? No, wait, that's not the important part. When are you taking an actual break?"

"I don't take breaks for fun."

"No wonder you're so serious all the time."

"Whatever you're trying, drop it. I don't have time to waste."

"Haven't you heard that rest is part of the work?"

"I rest by training."

"That makes no sense. And what about playing with the kids? They adore you. You must've spent a ton of time with them. Is that not a pastime?"

"Fine, I admit that much. When the family is threatened, though, they're at risk too. I can't afford the time to see them again until this is resolved."

"What if overworking hurts your performance, though?"

"Hasn't happened so far."

"Then… umm…" She sighs. "Alright, you win."

This isn't some contest to win.

She adds, "I wanna train with you." His brow tightens.

Shouldn't you go help people like you always preach about?

Avery ends up joining him, as well as for the next few sessions.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

A little over a week and a half after she started tagging along, the day finally arrives: Atsunori is set to go get the results from the culprit's hood.

It took far longer than expected because the investigation team apparently noticed something unusual and decided on a thorough analysis, pushing the date back several weeks.

I really hope that means good news. All this inactivity and lack of progress is starting to weigh on everything.

The enemy is taking their time preparing for their next move which, ironically, only makes things worse for the family. Even with the Elders' authority behind him, Atsunori can't expect his relatives to keep pouring all their efforts into the investigation—most of them are balancing it with their normal work.

He's already starting to suspect that some of them say "nothing to report" just to get him off their backs.

"Can I come in?" Avery's voice drags him back to reality just as he's about to step inside.

"Why now, of all times?"

"Cause this isn't just any public place. You're about to walk into police headquarters. You're going to look for clues and chase leads, right?"

His temples throb as the mistake becomes clear. He's let her tag along everywhere lately—so much that the lines she isn't supposed to cross have started to blur.

Right. This was one of the family connections she wasn't meant to learn about.

"That's all confidential," he says.

"But what if I can help?"

"Do you have legal clearance to assist the local authorities with an investigation?"

"N-no… but—"

"I'm not negotiating."

"But I already gave you an idea you hadn't thought of! The don't put all your eggs in the first basket that attacks your stocks."

A beat of silence.

"What?"

"That the next attack might be a mock one."

"Don't act like that's some groundbreaking insight. Honestly, I'm starting to doubt there will even be a next attack."

"Then what's the harm in letting me learn about it? I'm already in on the secret about your family's magic."

"Why are you so insistent lately? When we first met you were far less overbearing."

"I decided I'm helping you, and you agreed to let me. Come on, you know you can trust me, and I'm actually pretty good at reading clues."

To be fair, at this point, what's the worst that could happen?

She already knows about Yokai powers, and has a Blessing of her own—far more dangerous than a few confidential clues that might not even lead anywhere.

"Fine. But you don't give the people here any of your insight. Save your ideas for when we're alone. Understood?"

Avery snaps into a police salute—using the wrong hand.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The walls are plain grey, lit by an equally dull fluorescent light. An acrid, chemical smell—probably alcohol from the nearby labs—seeps in from adjoining rooms.

The small, square space only holds an empty metal desk and a door opposite the one they entered through.

That door swings open, admitting a short, bald man swallowed by an oversized lab coat.

"Mr. Atsunori, pleasure to have you here. Please, take a… ah, no, we don't have chairs. Ha. Ha."

His insipid humor dies in the flat room.

The man clears his throat and hands over a thin manila file.

Dark brown hair. Young male. Between 1,65 and 1,80. B-negative blood.

The file goes to Avery while Atsunori's gaze returns to the man.

"What else do you have?"

"That's about… you know." He curls his fingers like claws, sticks out his tongue and twists his face.

"You can say it. The girl knows enough."

"Right. Well… our guy has wind magic. Traces of it were still on the hood."

The words fall like stones, each one weighing down his back a little more. The implications scratching at the back of his mind can wait. Right now, the present demands his attention.

"I discussed it with my peers," the man continues. "The most likely suspects are a Kamaitachi, a Tengu or certain Yakubyou Gami. My recommendation: prepare measures to capture a fast and slippery foe."

All Atsunori can manage is a nod and a few curt parting words. Then, trying to mask the stiffness in his body, he leaves.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

"What if the explosion wasn't a bomb, but extremely powerful wind magic?" Avery says the moment they step onto the streets. "The sound of explosions is supposed to be wind pressure, as far as I know."

At her mention, the thoughts he tried to bury surge back, but his body instinctively rejects them.

"No. That's impossible."

Avery hums, tilting her head, eyes still glued to him.

"I don't think it's wise to discard the idea so quickly. Maybe we're dealing with someone who has a very strong Yokai."

Wind magic strong enough to destroy buildings, trigger landslides. The magnitude of destruction such a person could unleash dries his mouth. No one in the family—not even multiple members combined—could summon that kind of force.

His mind races. Knives, guns, even military-trained soldiers—they all fall short against Yokai-powered opponents. But bombs, high-end military weapons, armored vehicles… those are another matter. Such power is meant to be beyond reach—lone humans aren't supposed to wield it.

The possibilities unfold in his mind: legendary creatures, dragon-related Yokai, or maybe even named deities like Fuujin or Amanozako. Far above the ordinary species the Munakata control, like a cat compared to a tiger.

"So… the idea scares you?" Avery asks, eyes glinting.

Her remark threatens to make him spill all his tension.

"This is not the time for jokes."

"It wasn't one. It's fine to be scared, mind you. All that matters is…" She breaks eye contact. "You know… facing your fear and all that."

Who are you even trying to convince? Me, or yourself?

Air fills his lungs—a deliberate pause before taking out his notebook. The scratch of pen on paper and the rustle of pages ease the stiffness in his hands.

"I'll keep it in mind," he says, closing the notebook. "Let's hope they only have makeshift bombs, a much more grounded, manageable weapon than godlike magic."

"Nice. Also, how about we stop by the library? I can check out some folklore books for the next two days and see if I find anything useful."

"I doubt you'll learn anything I don't already know, but fine. No need to go to a library. I'll have a servant bring you some of our old family scrolls. They contain less mysticism or made up stories. Make sure you treat them with care."

"Yes, sir."

Two days a week, Avery is to stay back in the estate to focus on her training. In truth, this is mostly a pretense Atsunori devised so he can visit his shadier contacts without involving her—or having to deal with her lately relentless curiosity.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

On the night of the second day after receiving the results, Atsunori is getting ready for tomorrow, when Avery will share her findings as they move through the city. His phone suddenly rings.

Not unusual these days, but never this late.

On the other end, a member of his combat team speaks, voice firm but hasty.

"Trouble's brewing, boss. A big crew of thugs just hit the station, and they're armed like they mean business."