In the morning, the light was just right.
The spire-like steel buildings in the city received the baptism of sunlight early on. the mist and water vapor evaporated, wrapping around the waists of the towering buildings like silver-white ripples.
Light shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, leaving the shadows of potted plants indoors.
Tojo Aoi, with her exquisite makeup, sank lazily into her executive chair, letting lethargy crawl over her body.
In her private office, a quiet and empty space, the girl could freely indulge in non-work matters—like painting her nails.
She hummed a song.
On the desk calendar, a circle was heavily drawn in red pen.
Today was the festival day at Sen Getsusa's school. She had already instructed the person protecting Tsukisa to record it and send it to her. Thinking of the curly-haired girl's singing, Tojo Aoi couldn't help but feel pleased.
Air was drawn out and pumped back in by the fresh air system. On the large, glossy desk sat a few pens, a stack of documents, and a steaming cup of coffee.
There was also a small jar of wine-red nail polish.
Tojo Aoi curled up in her chair, hugging one leg, carefully applying the polish layer by layer to her toes with a small brush.
The air conditioning seemed to be turned up a bit too high; the slightly cold wind made her delicate and cute feet move around.
Koma Sha... Tojo Aoi thought distractedly.
Lately, the name 'Masquerade Ball' had been appearing in her records from time to time. Regarding this chaotic organization, the reports from her subordinates were always rather vague.
Events like the 'Major Plane Crash Incident Two Years Ago' and the 'Large-Scale Infection Incident' all indicated that members of this organization were involved.
From the information provided by Usami Reiko, it seemed there were also figures of official Ritualists mixed in.
A complete mess.
Tojo Aoi lowered her leg and switched to the other foot.
Sen Getsusa... according to the information received, Tojo Chenzhu had also recently started paying attention to Tsukisa's movements—Tojo Aoi knew very well what was on her father's mind.
This was one of the reasons the girl had been on guard and sent her subordinates to protect Sen Getsusa.
Her father had been suppressed by Grandpa for half his life. Under the so-called 'indifferent education,' it was hard to imagine how he would view Sen Getsusa, whom she had always cared for deeply.
If he were to hurt her because of this... but it was too late now to let go and pretend to be cold and indifferent.
She wasn't a fool, and neither was her father.
Tojo Aoi's originally mature expression suddenly crumpled, her eyebrows bunching together like a Child worried about being scolded for not finishing homework.
She had no interest in so-called greatness, legacy, or eternal life, including being the 'heir to the Tojo Family.'
Let alone the numerous blood debts concerning her mother behind these dirty conspiracies—
Before entering the World of mystery, Tojo Aoi's own naive ideas had now been completely ground down and shattered. This wasn't just a tragedy caused by a certain organization or a certain ritual.
This was merely one of many tentacles under a massive conglomerate.
The so-called Tojo Family, with its extremely luxurious and decent background and power, was nothing more than a tiny molecule in their eyes.
The darkness hidden beneath the iceberg had only had its corners revealed in Tojo Aoi's relentless investigation—Tojo Chenzhu was but an incompetent puppet.
Masquerade Ball, Koma Sha, Host.
Who else is behind your organization... Suddenly, a sharp ringing broke the silence. On the desk, the black phone buzzed and vibrated.
"This is Tojo Aoi."
She picked up the phone, and a crackling sound of static came from the receiver.
The environment on the other end seemed very noisy, and the voices were intermittent, both urgent and tense.
It was the Contactee she had sent to stay by Sen Getsusa's side, Noguchi Tadashi.
"My Lord! Here..."
Crackle, crackle.
"Something... is wrong!"
Crackle, crackle.
The mystery was interfering with the electronic equipment.
Tojo Aoi knew this call wouldn't last long. Ignoring her other foot, she dropped the brush, and the wine-red pigment splashed onto the desk.
The girl stood up quickly, put on her high heels, and paced anxiously around the room while holding the phone.
"Tadashi?"
"Noguchi Tadashi?"
"What happened at the school?!"
The woman paced uneasily, switching the phone from her left ear to her right. Her soft, thin red lips were bitten into two marks by her teeth.
"My Lord! Miss Tsukisa's school..."
Crackle, crackle.
"Mist ritual... New teaching building..."
Crackle, crackle.
The sound suddenly fell silent for a moment, as if the other party had found a way. After a series of noises like falling stones and collisions, a clear and powerful voice finally came through smoothly.
"...I will save her! Please take care of my parents!"
These were Noguchi Tadashi's only and final words.
The young man's voice was sincere and desperate. After he did his best to convey it to Tojo Aoi's ears through the receiver, only noise remained on the other end.
Click.
The call ended.
The door was pushed open forcefully, and in the blink of an eye, the person in the room had vanished... "Help me pull up the information on the school personnel, especially any recent personnel changes."
Driving with one hand, Tojo Aoi held the phone and issued orders methodically.
Only the occasional trembling in her voice betrayed her.
The speeding car wove through traffic, the blaring horn mixing with the angry curses of drivers after they rolled down their windows.
Tojo Aoi stared seriously at the road, her mind filled with information about Sen Getsusa and that school.
"Don't let anything happen, don't let anything happen... Wait for me, wait for me!"
the mist was already getting thicker.
The school was still very lively. Aside from the somewhat heavy fog, the participating students and passersby hadn't lost their enthusiasm because of this small issue.
Except that their vision was somewhat obstructed.
A black sedan stopped by the roadside, its front almost touching the school gate, headlights still on—Tojo Aoi ran down in her high heels, her face full of worry and alarm.
Her long nails grabbed a security guard. "Excuse me, excuse me, where is the new teaching building?"
The security personnel looked at this young and beautiful woman in confusion.
Short hair, perfectly applied makeup and clothes, long legs, a good figure... and those watery almond eyes.
"Over... over there..."
As soon as he pointed his finger, the beauty dashed off like she was crazy, her heels clicking as she ran.
"What's going on?"
Scratching his head, the guard watched the woman's retreating back. A few seconds later, she was swallowed by the vast mist.
"What's with today? Such heavy mist..."
The deeper she went into the campus, the thicker the mist became.
Circling around the surroundings, she could still vaguely see figures, but by the time Tojo Aoi stood before that new teaching building, visibility was incredibly low.
"Sen Getsusa..."
The sound of her heels ran up the stone steps, and with a light push, she opened the unlocked front door.
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