Expected and Unexpected

Even after the news had spread overnight and all sides had swiftly launched their searches, there was still not a single clue to Riko Amanai's whereabouts.

The most they had uncovered was that a girl in Riko Amanai's class-the one Ogami had killed-could not be reached and was suspected to have gone missing as well.

Because Ogami had covered her tracks so thoroughly, it would take them quite some time to discover that the girl was dead, then realize that the person who appeared that day had not actually been her.

However, jujutsu sorcerers would not be handling the follow-up investigation. Any further inquiries would be handed over to the police in ordinary society, since the clues currently available showed no clear signs of anything related to jujutsu.

Nearly all the manpower in Jujutsu Society had already been assigned to the search for Riko Amanai. New evidence would have to emerge before anyone could be spared to handle this matter.

And once the case was handed over to ordinary society, Tan Man actually had more room to maneuver.

He could simply bribe the rank-and-file officers handling the investigation.

Or he could use his connections to put pressure on the police station in charge. Either option would be quite easy for him.

Tan Man had his own "front men" who could handle these problems for him.

Last night, Tan Man had also assigned some unsuspecting Zenin Clan members to search the areas where clues might remain. That way, even if they found traces he had not managed to conceal in time, Tan Man would be the first to receive that information.

All of these arrangements were the result of Tan Man's careful deliberation. He was also completely confident that none of the people involved would slip up.

At the same time, he could show Jujutsu High and Jujutsu Headquarters the effort he had made on the Zenin Clan's behalf in this incident, inviting them to compare it with the responses of the other Three Great Families.

But that was not all. Beyond demonstrating the Zenin Clan's usefulness to Jujutsu Headquarters, covering his tracks so thoroughly was also part of the groundwork Tan Man had laid to undermine Jujutsu Headquarters from within.

Unsurprisingly, the way this incident unfolded had also caused considerable upheaval, particularly within Jujutsu Headquarters.

Information about the star plasma vessel, Riko Amanai, was highly classified even within Jujutsu Headquarters. In theory, only the few people at its very top were authorized to know about her.

More than twelve hours had passed since Riko Amanai was discovered missing. Forget catching the culprit-they had not even found the slightest clue that could point them in a direction.

All of this was thanks to the culprit's extraordinarily thorough preparations, which had left not the slightest trace behind.

Precisely because the culprit had executed everything so flawlessly, Jujutsu Headquarters had no choice but to suspect a traitor within its own ranks. Otherwise, it was difficult to explain.

After all, there was still quite some time before Tengen would actually begin the merger.

In other words, Jujutsu Headquarters had not yet passed the assignment to protect the star plasma vessel on to Masamichi Yaga at Tokyo Jujutsu High. From their perspective, the information should not have had any chance to leak before the incident occurred.

They could now think of only two possibilities: first, there was a mole among Jujutsu Headquarters' higher-ups; second, something was wrong with Misato Kuroi, the caretaker responsible for Riko Amanai's personal care.

As for the first possibility, seeds of suspicion had already taken root in the minds of several higher-ups. The second was much simpler to address. They had already taken Misato Kuroi into custody and were subjecting her to brutal interrogation, in case she was simply refusing to talk.

And this response from Jujutsu Headquarters was also part of Tan Man's plan.

Tan Man had not obtained his information through investigation or from anyone else. He had brought it with him when he transmigrated, so there was no source or trail to investigate. That was precisely what would make Jujutsu Headquarters turn its suspicions inward.

Only by throwing Jujutsu Headquarters into internal turmoil could he create more opportunities and possibilities for placing Zenin Clan personnel within it.

Especially at this point in time, Kenjaku had yet to gain a particularly strong grip on the Kamo Clan, and the same was true of his control over Jujutsu Headquarters. Otherwise, Tan Man would not have needed to resort to such a straightforward plan.

Of course, this alone was not enough. Tan Man had also specifically sought out Naobito Zenin to ask about the situation at Jujutsu Headquarters regarding the incident.

"How strange. No one should have known about this, so how could someone have taken the star plasma vessel away as if they'd planned it all in advance?"

At first, Naobito Zenin did not understand what Tan Man meant by this strange muttering. After all, Naobito Zenin knew perfectly well that Tan Man was behind the star plasma vessel's disappearance.

But when Naobito Zenin considered it alongside the information Jujutsu Headquarters had gathered from Jujutsu High during its overnight operation, realization suddenly struck him.

Like Jujutsu Headquarters, Naobito Zenin began to wonder how Tan Man had known about the star plasma vessel. Where exactly had he obtained that information?

Even Naobito Zenin himself, as the head of the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Families, had never learned information classified at such a high level. How had Tan Man managed it?

Only then did Naobito Zenin feel that, despite secretly observing Tan Man for so long, he still did not seem to know everything about him.

Thinking back carefully now, he felt that ever since the night nine years ago when Masamichi Yaga had brought him to meet Tan Man, the boy had seemed to understand everything.

Seeing Naobito Zenin's puzzled expression, Tan Man stopped being cryptic and spoke plainly.

"All you need to do is convey that doubt to Jujutsu Headquarters. They can think of this question themselves; I just want it brought out into the open for discussion. You can rest easy. I covered my tracks thoroughly. They'll never find any trace of my involvement."

After a little thought, Naobito Zenin decided that conveying this in itself posed no risk, so he tacitly agreed to the request.

But something had actually happened last night that even Tan Man had not anticipated.

After confirming the information once more, Naobito Zenin considered it for a moment before asking Tan Man.

"That Suguru Geto from Tokyo Jujutsu High, the one Jujutsu Headquarters is considering classifying as Special Grade-was he part of your plan last night too?"

Suguru Geto was part of my plan too?

Hearing this, Tan Man looked up at Naobito Zenin in confusion. He did not quite understand what Naobito Zenin meant by that question.

"What do you mean? What happened to Suguru Geto?"