Chapter 30
âThose Who Aim for the Three Sacred Treasuresâ
While Ruri and the others were enjoying their peaceful time together,
a new development began to unfold.
The expression on Takagiâs faceâwho had been monitoring the situationâsuddenly changed.
Ishibashi, sitting beside him, didnât seem to notice,
but Takagi was already running through possibilities in his head.
âIs that the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office? The Public Security Bureau?
Or⌠some new organization entirely?â
Recently, Japan had seen an increase in covert operatives from multiple factions,
each working under different jurisdictions.
The stronger the organization, the closer its ties to the upper echelons of power.
He couldnât tell which group this was,
but considering that the Public Security Intelligence Agency had taken over from the Public Security Bureau before,
it was clearâthis house must hold an extraordinary secret.
Now Takagi finally understood why their unit chief had been so insistent:
âNo matter what it takes, get the Three Sacred Treasures.â
Whoever managed to seize control of those items
would gain immense influenceâthat much was certain.
From the way the two men on screen moved,
Takagi could tell they were not ordinary intruders.
âTheyâre searching through that house,â
Ishibashi muttered, frowning at the monitor.
âThey donât look like thieves to me.
Think theyâre the same kind as us?â
âWho knows,â Takagi replied evasively.
If it were just the Cabinet Intelligence Office, he could probably handle it.
But if these men were from Public Securityâor someone on that levelâ
things could get dangerous fast.
Ishibashi would be taken out in seconds.
Takagi kept watching the screen intently.
âAhâ! They just broke into the house!â
It was a standard household lock,
so they easily picked it and slipped inside.
Their movements were clean, deliberateâclearly professionals.
âIf they find the camera, thatâs bad,â Ishibashi said.
Right then, the men seemed to notice the surveillance camera.
They looked straight up and smirkedâ
a fearless, mocking grin.
That was enough to tell them the truth:
there was nothing valuable left in this house.
The two men exited as calmly as they had entered.
âUm⌠they definitely noticed the camera, right?
Should we report this to the higher-ups?â
âYeah, we should,â Takagi replied.
âThere are all sorts of people going in and out of that house.
Isnât that dangerous for her?â
âOf course itâs dangerous,â Takagi said with a small laugh.
âAfter all, even weâre watching her like this.â
Then, as he looked at Ishibashi,
he recalled the words of their unit chief:
âThe old man apparently used a mirror.
They say there was a crystal as well,
but the âvoiceâ itself came from that mirrorâ
a minister who witnessed it confirmed as much.
The other two treasures donât matter.
Just get that mirrorâno matter what.â
But a âmirrorâ could mean many things.
Just what kind of mirror was it?
If only they could figure that outâŚ
Takagi leaned back and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Meanwhileâ
After finishing their picnic sandwiches and spending a fun day at the amusement park,
Ruri and the others returned home.
The moment they stepped inside, they sensed something was off.
Their eyes scanned the room.
âSomeoneâs broken in again,â Alec said grimly.
Before leaving, he had cast protective magic over the entire house,
just in case something like this happened.
Ruri activated a time spell,
and the image of the intruders appeared before them.
Huh? Who are these guys? Theyâre different from the last ones.
Just how many groups are after us now?
She couldnât help but wonder how her grandmother had lived like this.
With people like that sneaking around all the time,
it was a miracle she hadnât been murdered.
Dying of old age mightâve been pure luck.
Maybe I should check with Mr. Godai about thisâŚ
Heâs not a spy, right?
Ruri switched the surveillance footage
to a magical projection that would deceive outside monitors.
A harmless recordingâ
just her cooking dinner, taking a bath, and then watching TV before bed.
That should keep anyone watching satisfied.
âYouâre getting pretty good with magic now, Ruri,â
Fenn said with a warm smile.