"Mayumi, are you planning to deal with the people from Blanche yourself?"
Mayumi Saegusa's question startled Mari Watanabe. As her friend, she knew exactly why Mayumi had asked.
"Yes, I am." Mayumi nodded without hesitation.
In the past, she might have considered it extremely dangerous and would certainly have tried to prevent things from developing that way. But after making a deal with Yunyi, she had begun to think differently.
Whatever Yunyi's reasons for going after Blanche, he was clearing away a threat to Japan's magical community. As someone in the know and a daughter of the Saegusa Family of the Ten Master Clans, she would be falling short if she left an outsider operating undercover to handle the entire operation.
"It's too dangerous, Mayumi!"
"Saegusa, aren't you going to leave this to the police?" Katsuto Jumonji also voiced his opposition.
"Chief Jumonji, if we leave this to the police, that means sending students from our school to court on charges of attempted theft. I believe President Saegusa is planning this because she wants to avoid that, isn't she?" Tatsuya Shiba suddenly spoke up, offering a defense of Mayumi.
"Thank you, Tatsuya." Mayumi thanked Tatsuya before turning her gaze to Katsuto. "Jumonji-kun, just as Tatsuya-kun said, it wouldn't be appropriate for the police to get directly involved in this matter."
"I see. I understand. I'll arrange a vehicle. Let's meet at the school gates later."
"Jumonji-kun?" Mayumi tried to stop him, but before she could finish, Jumonji spoke. "I am a Jumonji."
Those few words made Katsuto Jumonji's position clear. And with that as his reason, Mayumi had no way to stop him from coming along.
"Mayumi, I'll go too..."
"No, Mari, you need to stay at school!"
As soon as Mari spoke, Mayumi guessed what she wanted to say.
"There might still be remnants of the terrorists on campus. We can't have the head of the Public Morals Committee absent at a time like this!"
"Hey! By that logic, you're even more important as the Student Council president, aren't you?" Mari retorted irritably.
"Sorry, Mari, but I have a reason I have to go!" Mayumi said.
"Ah, honestly!" Mari was at a loss. It was the first time she had ever seen Mayumi take such a firm stand.
"President Saegusa, if possible, please let me come along too."
Just then, Tatsuya, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up and expressed his desire to go with them.
"Tatsuya-kun?" Mayumi looked at him in confusion.
"If we don't pull the terrorists out by the roots, they'll likely target First High School again. I can't just stand by and let people who would disrupt my life with Miyuki do as they please," Tatsuya said.
His words struck everyone present as surprising, while Miyuki, standing beside him, wore an inscrutable expression.
"Tatsuya-kun..."
"Then it's settled."
While Mayumi was still hesitating, Katsuto spoke up and made the decision for her.
"Then, Mibu, could you tell us where the Blanche branch is?"
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Mayumi stopped objecting and brought the conversation back to her original question.
"Well, I only know it's somewhere in the outskirts. I'm not very sure of the exact location. I'm sorry, my memories of where Blanche's base is are a little hazy," Sayaka Mibu said apologetically.
Hearing that, Mayumi and the others naturally guessed the reason. Just then, Tatsuya walked to the infirmary door and opened it under everyone's puzzled gazes, revealing Teacher Ono standing outside.
"Wah!"
The door suddenly opening startled Haruka Ono. She looked awkwardly at the people in the infirmary and muttered, "I thought I could escape the notice of Teacher Kokonoe's gifted pupil. It seems I was too naive."
"Teacher Ono, you must have heard our conversation. Could you tell us what you know now?" Tatsuya got straight to the point and asked the question he most wanted answered.
Haruka Ono sighed in mild dejection and sent Tatsuya the information on the location of Blanche's base through her terminal.
After receiving the information, everyone immediately sprang into action. Once they had left the infirmary, Mayumi took a chance when no one was paying attention to her and forwarded the location to Yunyi.
"Saegusa, what are you doing?"
Katsuto's voice suddenly rang out, startling Mayumi as she sent the message to Yunyi!
"Ah! It's you, Jumonji-kun. Honestly!" Mayumi complained, but when she glimpsed the successful delivery notification on her terminal, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry. The car's ready, and everyone's waiting for you," Katsuto urged.
"Then let's go," Mayumi said.
Meanwhile, after seeing the location Mayumi had sent him, Yunyi cursed loudly!
"Those rats really know how to hide!"
Yunyi had visited the location shown on his terminal not long ago. It was the very same abandoned factory where Zhou Gongjin had arranged to meet him!
"I can't believe I ignored such an obvious clue as an abandoned factory! But come to think of it, Zhou Gongjin is that Old Black Bug's loyal subordinate. How could he not know where those Blanche guys' base was?"
"If I'd known, I would've taken him and that guy called Hajime Tsukasa out in one fell swoop last time! I wasted an opportunity and let Zhou Gongjin get away. What a shame!"
Yunyi kept muttering and complaining, but his hands never stopped moving. He changed his clothes, then put on an exquisitely made robe.
Finally, Yunyi put the mask he held over his face and walked out of his home.
"Hunting time? No, I suppose this only counts as a mouse hunt."
The moment the words left his mouth, Yunyi's robe stirred without wind. His body rose into the air, and he flew toward the location of the abandoned factory he remembered.