Ā Chapter 30
āThose Who Aim for the Three Sacred Treasuresā
While Ruri and the others were enjoying their peaceful time together,
a new development began to unfold.
The expression on Takagiās faceāwho had been monitoring the situationāsuddenly changed.
Ishibashi, sitting beside him, didnāt seem to notice,
but Takagi was already running through possibilities in his head.
āIs that the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office? The Public Security Bureau?
Orā¦ some new organization entirely?ā
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 couldnāt tell which group this was,
but considering that the Public Security Intelligence Agency had taken over from the Public Security Bureau before,
it was clearāthis house must hold an extraordinary secret.
Now Takagi finally understood why their unit chief had been so insistent:
āNo matter what it takes, get the Three Sacred Treasures.ā
Whoever managed to seize control of those items
would gain immense influenceāthat much was certain.
From the way the two men on screen moved,
Takagi could tell they were not ordinary intruders.
āTheyāre searching through that house,ā
Ishibashi muttered, frowning at the monitor.
āThey donāt look like thieves to me.
Think theyāre the same kind as us?ā
āWho knows,ā Takagi replied evasively.
If it were just the Cabinet Intelligence Office, he could probably handle it.
But if these men were from Public Securityāor someone on that levelā
things could get dangerous fast.
Ishibashi would be taken out in seconds.
Takagi kept watching the screen intently.
āAhā! They just broke into the house!ā
It was a standard household lock,
so they easily picked it and slipped inside.
Their movements were clean, deliberateāclearly professionals.
āIf they find the camera, thatās bad,ā Ishibashi said.
Right then, the men seemed to notice the surveillance camera.
They looked straight up and smirkedā
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.
āUmā¦ they definitely noticed the camera, right?
Should we report this to the higher-ups?ā
āYeah, we should,ā Takagi replied.
āThere are all sorts of people going in and out of that house.
Isnāt that dangerous for her?ā
āOf course itās dangerous,ā Takagi said with a small laugh.
āAfter all, even weāre watching her like this.ā
Then, as he looked at Ishibashi,
he recalled the words of their unit chief:
āThe old man apparently used a mirror.
They say there was a crystal as well,
but the āvoiceā itself came from that mirrorā
a minister who witnessed it confirmed as much.
The other two treasures donāt matter.
Just get that mirrorāno matter what.ā
But a āmirrorā could mean many things.
Just what kind of mirror was it?
If only they could figure that outā¦
Takagi leaned back and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Meanwhileā
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.
āSomeoneās broken in again,ā 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? Theyāre different from the last ones.
Just how many groups are after us now?
She couldnāt help but wonder how her grandmother had lived like this.
With people like that sneaking around all the time,
it was a miracle she hadnāt been murdered.
Dying of old age mightāve been pure luck.
Maybe I should check with Mr. Godai about thisā¦
Heās not a spy, right?
Ruri switched the surveillance footage
to a magical projection that would deceive outside monitors.
A harmless recordingā
just her cooking dinner, taking a bath, and then watching TV before bed.
That should keep anyone watching satisfied.
āYouāre getting pretty good with magic now, Ruri,ā
Fenn said with a warm smile.
