Far from the clamor of the city, this place had less of its bustle, but much more tranquility. Mountains, woods, and water blended together, displaying nature's beauty in full. Where the mountains met the forest and the river happened to pass, a quiet old temple stood.
Night had fallen. Usually, at this hour, the place would have fallen asleep along with the natural scenery around it, but today, a small change had suddenly appeared.
"Hajime Tsukasa, formerly known as Kamo Hajime..."
What sounded like an introduction to someone drifted out from beneath the eaves, where three people sat: a young man, a young woman, and a bald man.
Dressed in gray monk's robes, the bald man continued recounting information about the person in question. Beside him, a boy with tousled hair in a black jacket and a long-haired girl in a white top listened intently to his account. Their attentive manner pleased the bald monk.
After listening to the bald monk's introduction, the tousle-haired boy could not help asking, "Did you already know I wanted to ask you to investigate Hajime Tsukasa?"
The boy was clearly Tatsuya Shiba, and the identity of the girl who never left his side went without saying.
"No, this has nothing to do with your request. I already knew about her."
"Though I'm a monk, I'm also... no, before that, I'm a practitioner of ninjutsu. I thoroughly investigate anyone who might cause trouble somewhere connected to me."
The bald monk narrowed his eyes... or perhaps that was simply how he looked, and his eyes could not open any wider. In any case, he wore an expression that suggested a karmic bond with the Buddha.
"Does that include us?"
Tatsuya Shiba frowned slightly. He did not want others obtaining his information at will, not even the bald monk before him. After all, this concerned his younger sister's safety, and he had to take it seriously.
"I did try to investigate you, but I found nothing at the time."
"Information concerning you seems to be classified to a surprisingly high degree!"
"Your information has been managed quite flawlessly."
"I suppose I should say, 'Your reputation is well deserved'!"
The bald monk looked up at the dark sky, as though regretting that information about the young man and woman before him was beyond his reach. Perhaps only by looking at the dark sky could he find a trace of shared misery.
"Then, Master, what is Senior Tsukasa's relationship with 'Blanche' (Blanche, the name used from now on)...?"
Miyuki Shiba looked at the master before her and asked.
"The person Hajime's mother remarried had a child, who became Hajime's older stepbrother..."
Once again, the bald monk calmly recounted another family's private information, as though such information ought to be delivered with a perfectly composed expression.
"Tsukasa Hajime was probably the one who instructed Hajime to attend First High School."
"They'll probably make a move at your discussion tomorrow, too!"
Stroking his chin, the bald monk offered his conjecture with a confident expression.
"Yes. Since Blanche is the source of this unrest, we can be certain that they won't let the turmoil at First High School settle down before they achieve their objective. At the very least, they'll have to do something and obtain some of what they want."
Tatsuya Shiba nodded, agreeing with the bald monk.
"Master, do you have any connection with Chiba Yeyou?"
Miyuki Shiba suddenly asked with a smile.
Tatsuya Shiba had actually wanted to ask about him as well. After all, he was often with his younger sister, so it would be better to know his background.
At the name Chiba Yeyou, the bald monk opened his eyes, a rare occurrence, and a trace of gravity appeared on his face.
Seeing their master like this, the siblings were puzzled. Then, as though something had occurred to them, their expressions grew solemn.
"Is he with Blanche too?"
Miyuki Shiba spoke first.
"Oh!"
"No, he isn't!"
Seeing Miyuki Shiba grow anxious, the bald monk stroked his chin and took a careful look at his young disciple.
Miyuki Shiba blushed, realizing she had shown too much concern, and hurriedly drew back from her forward-leaning position. Tatsuya Shiba paid no mind at all to his sister pressing down on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I know you've taken on a young master. Rest assured, he has absolutely nothing to do with illegal organizations."
The bald monk reassured his disciple.
"How can you be sure, Master?"
Tatsuya Shiba was somewhat surprised. Logically, did five years of missing information not make him even more suspicious?
"Chiba Yeyou was originally the child of a family living in a suburban villa. But when he was seven, his parents were in a car accident, and he began living alone afterward. With a modest amount of assets and a fairly independent nature, the boy managed to take care of himself. He showed some talent for magic from childhood, though few people knew about it. And as far as I know, the magical talent he displayed as a child was no worse than yours. He was even more remarkable than the genius who became famous at thirteen for discovering Source Code and was called 'George the Origin.'"
The bald monk looked at Tatsuya Shiba as he spoke.
Tatsuya Shiba visibly froze for a moment, clearly surprised by Chiba Yeyou.
"But it's rather laughable, really. All of this is information I only uncovered recently."
"When it comes to his history starting five years ago, I can no longer access any information about him."
"Didn't you ask why I was so certain? It's because I can't find his specific information anymore, but those criminal groups could never block information from me to this extent."
The bald monk's expression was somewhat grave.
"Did someone approach him?"
Tatsuya Shiba wondered whether Chiba Yeyou had accomplished this himself or had someone's help.
"Starting five years ago, he remodeled the villa where he lived. And as the city's population began concentrating toward the center, fewer and fewer people remained in that villa district, so he bought up the surrounding properties. His parents' inheritance couldn't have covered those expenses."
"Then, quite clearly..."
"Do you know that Yakumo Kokonoe?"
Chiba Yeyou was also learning about the identity of Tatsuya Shiba's master, Yakumo Kokonoe.
"Yakumo Kokonoe?"
Tiffany murmured to herself.
"Tatsuya, Haruka, and Kazama's martial arts teacher. A fairly renowned 'ninjutsu practitioner' and an inheritor of the ancient magic known as 'ninjutsu.'"
"He has no particular preference for being called a 'magician' or a 'ninja.'"
"His actual age is unknown. He is also a monk and possesses exceptional intelligence-gathering capabilities."
"He seems to have come from the former Ninth Laboratory of the Magician Development Research Institute. According to him, the Kudou Family's secret technique, 'Parade,' was adapted from 'Coiled Armor Mirage,' a spell used by his master-who is also the grandmaster of Kazama, Tatsuya Shiba, Miyuki, and Haruka."
"In short, this fellow has considerable influence. His disciples have made names for themselves all over Japan and have plenty of connections, while he himself is Japan's top intelligence chief."
Tiffany slowly explained.
"Kazama? Harunobu Kazama?"
"You know him too?"