The soft scrape of a sliding door cut through the silence.
Ayase stepped inside.
The air was still, the same quiet tension that always lingered in the Jūmonban Captain’s quarters. A room steeped in precision. Order. Intent.
He set the sealed report gently on the desk.
Koharu didn’t even gnce at it. Her eyes rose the second she heard his steps.
“You don’t look like a man who was attacked by a Death Phantom,” she said.
Ayase let out a dry chuckle, one hand settling behind his back.
“It was a sneak attack, after all. But… him being number six—guess that’s what saved my life.”
Koharu’s gaze didn’t waver.
“For the Shingan to brand them so early on…” she muttered. “It means he’s different. More prepared. More calcuted.”
Ayase nodded.
“If that’s the sixth… I’d rather not imagine what Number One could do. If he’d been stronger, I would’ve been forced to draw my sword.”
Koharu leaned back slightly in her chair.
“That won’t be a problem anymore. The Elders have given us full reign.”
Ayase’s eyes flicked to the side.
“Yes… I heard.”
A pause.
“But it’s a bit te, is it not?”
Koharu smirked faintly.
“If they had just approved my request in the first pce, the Kegare might already be down a Death Phantom.”
Ayase gave a small shake of the head, amused.
“I truly didn’t think I’d need to draw my Reibaku. If it hadn’t been for that barrier…”
Koharu picked up the report and began flipping through it.
“Yes. The barrier.”
She stopped on a page, eyes narrowing.
“It seems the Shingan has turned to forbidden techniques.”
Ayase folded his arms.
“It felt more… primal. Animalistic.”
Koharu’s voice cooled.
“They’ve created a realm of distorted Tamashkii—separated from the Chūkan, but veiled by its air. Masked. As if hiding under its skin.”
She closed the report.
“A technique meant to bury their scent beneath our own. Just like predators masking their trail.”
Ayase blinked slowly.
“And for him to show it to us so soon… perhaps we’ve gained the upper hand.”
Koharu raised an eyebrow.
“Perhaps. But if they were to attack again before our squad reaches here… we may not hold it for long.”
Ayase nodded.
“They’re only just now finishing up at the first gate. The training ahead will be… intense.”
“I’ve thought of that too,” Koharu replied. “But if the Kegare are starting to deploy their underlings again, perhaps the interference will push our squad further.”
Ayase tilted his head slightly.
“The Hayashi boy said he wouldn’t have defeated his opponent without the Ichimonban’s training. But…”
He paused.
“If she was a Death Phantom, it would’ve been a losing battle—regardless.”
Koharu’s voice grew colder.
“I had hoped each gate’s captain would be enough to repel a Death Phantom.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“But it seems it’ll take a captain and lieutenant together. Or worse.”
Ayase looked at her for a moment. Then—
“You’re giving each captain a capsule, aren’t you?”
She said nothing.
He continued.
“How are we certain none of them are with the Kegare?”
Koharu smiled thinly.
“That’s exactly why I’m giving them out.”
Ayase’s brows furrowed slightly.
Koharu leaned forward.
“Any captain that receives one and acts will reveal themselves as aligned with us.”
“It’s the ones who don’t move… who stay silent… that I’ll be watching.”
A long silence.
Then Ayase exhaled.
“Hmph. You’ve thought further ahead than I have.”
She smirked. “Of course I have. I’m your captain, after all.”
Ayase chuckled. “So. What’s the pn?”
Koharu’s eyes locked on his.
“Let them continue their training. But you and I…”
She stood slowly.
“We need to start investigating ourselves.”
Ayase’s expression shifted—quietly amused.
“That’s just like my captain. I was thinking the same thing.”
“Good,” Koharu said. “Make your preparations. We’ll leave Hitomi in charge.”
She turned toward the window, eyes set on the horizon beyond.
“We leave for that despicable Earth Realm tomorrow.”
Ayase bowed.
“Of course… Captain.”
CUT TO BLACK.
