“Now then… what remains is the cleanup.”
After defeating the attackers, Inari looked around. The ones she’d tossed aside earlier—those who had still been conscious—had already fled. But that didn’t matter. She had the ringleader pinned under her foot.
The mist still lingered in the air, and it didn’t seem like it would dissipate on its own. She could leave it, but abandoning something like this wasn’t wise. So, Inari summoned Kogetsu in its blade form, running her finger along the shining edge.
As her touch slid across the steel, the blade took on a cold emerald glow.
“Banish the gnawing evil… Secret Sword: Ōdenta.”
Riiin.
A sound like a ringing bell spread outward from Inari, carrying ripples of green light. The mist was dispelled in an instant—and while it was at it, the box catalyzing the Mist of Slumber itself shattered into pieces.
“That’s that. ’Tis already quite late… but, well, it cannot be helped.”
Pulling out her Awakener Phone, Inari dialed Yasuno’s number. A drowsy voice answered.
“Mmhh… Yasuno speaking… Miss Kogami? What’s happened?”
“Oh, forgive me at this late hour. A bit of trouble hath arisen.”
“Eh—trouble? Please, explain in detail.”
The sleepiness in her tone vanished immediately, and Inari thought, “As expected,” as she explained simply: “An attack.”
“Wh—were you unharmed!?”
“Aye, no problem. But I am wondering what should be done with the attackers.”
The police weren’t an option. Some among the assailants were awakener, and law enforcement existed to handle ordinary citizens, not them. The Association wasn’t exactly a police force either—at least not officially.
“I understand. We’ll dispatch a team immediately. Please leave them to us.”
“Aye, I entrust them to thee.”
It wasn’t long before several cars bearing the crest of the Awakener Association pulled up, awakener agents pouring out.
“Apologies for the delay. Shiraki, Rapid Response Division. Now, the attackers are…?”
“This one here—hm? Oops.”
“Guhh!?”
“Wha—what happened!?”
The Association staff stared as Inari suddenly stomped hard on the man she’d been pinning. She nodded calmly.
“He was feigning sleep, biding his time to escape. I pressed him down again.”
“R-right, I see. And the others…?”
“There, look.”
Atsuage came dragging another man across the ground. Alongside the ringleader, three more were still present—knocked out earlier but prevented from fleeing by Atsuage’s watch. Every time one stirred and tried to escape, it’d blast them with beams or kick them flat. As a result, they were far more battered than the ringleader himself.
“Some managed to flee.”
“No matter. This is more than enough. We’ll make them talk about their backers.”
The Rapid Response Division—its name implied security, but in truth it was the Association’s unit for resolving awakener-related violence. Unlike contracted freelancers like Maruyama or Takui, these were official agents of the Association’s Japan Headquarters. Their work wasn’t openly advertised, but it was an “open secret.” At best, one could call it a form of self-regulation.
“All right, take them. Don’t forget restraints.”
The captured men were bundled into cars and driven off. Watching them go, Inari felt her part was finished. She had a fair idea of who was behind it all, but that was the Association’s problem. Such matters didn’t interest her.
“…So, they’d kill others as though it were play, all for their own ends.”
Ten Great Clans, giant awakener corporations… Inari found it all meaningless. What mattered was that for money or status, these people would kill without hesitation, and others were willing to serve them for pay. That was something Inari could never understand.
Her real concern lay elsewhere.
“How should I explain this to Eru…?”
If the girl learned assassins had been sent after her, she would surely suffer. But if Inari kept it hidden, wouldn’t that betray her trust even worse?
From what Inari could tell, Eru was a kind-hearted child. She didn’t want to burden her. But pretending nothing had happened would be a hollow lie—one Eru would see through quickly.
Inari crossed her arms, tapping her foot against the ground. Tap, tap. Beside her, Atsuage mimicked her, stomping its own foot in rhythm.
She pondered, and pondered, and at last reached a conclusion.
“…’Tis best to tell her plainly.”
She couldn’t know how Eru would take it, but hiding the truth out of misplaced concern would only hurt more in the end. She wouldn’t demand strength from the girl. She would support her, as best she could.
That was what Inari resolved, though even she muttered with uncertainty, “Uuummm,” wondering if she could truly manage it.