When the god-slayer Hikigaya Hikigaya killed a deity on foreign soil, Japan's magical society appeared to remain completely unperturbed. Even when a large number of abducted girls were recently returned to Japan under the protection of the Chinese sect, the country remained as "tranquil" as always.
Yukinoshita Haruno was one of the few who knew the filth lurking beneath that tranquility.
"Father, did you really do this?" Looking at the man behind the desk—who in just a short ti had beco terribly worn and fatigued—Haruno felt her heart ache.
Her father and mother had truly done sothing utterly foolish.
They had actually tried to accept the protection of the Seishuin clan while also throwing themselves into the arms of the Sayanomiya clan—though from the perspective of her parents, it may have seed like the latter's "embrace," to Haruno, it was nothing but a bottomless abyss of despair.
And because she had been abducted, this connection had been exposed in front of Hikigaya Hikigaya. While Hikigaya wouldn't say anything, this also ant that others would notice, and the Seishuin would inevitably find out.
After her experience in China, she had witnessed, through the Phoenix Mountain clan, the true darkness of the magical world—a world governed by the brutal law of predation, where the strong dictated the lives and deaths of the weak. The Japanese people were never a tenderhearted nation, and the four great families ruling over the island nation's magical society were far from as amiable as they pretended to be.
But... was it truly because of her that the truth was exposed?
Thinking back to what happened after returning to Japan, Haruno doubted that very much.
She had seen with her own eyes that none of the Chinese had stepped foot on Japanese soil; the handover of her and the other girls had taken place in international waters.
And once the handover was complete, the treatnt of those girls varied drastically. For example, a pair of sisters with chestnut-colored hair were shown extraordinary respect by the Committee's curse practitioners.
In contrast, ordinary people like Haruno were basically left completely unattended.
Would the Sayanomiya clan have revealed their connection to the Yukinoshita family just to quickly persuade Hikigaya Hikigaya to rescue her?
Haruno didn't believe that for a second.
She believed that her family must be at the edge of destruction.
And that only one person could change that.
"Father, now—right now—pack only the essentials. Yukino can stay at school, but the rest of us must hide!"
"Are you insane?" Her father, the Diet mber Yukinoshita, stared at her in shock. "I'm a mber of parliant!"
"Father, you don't understand." Haruno's face was pale. She instinctively touched her belly, a flash of sharpness appearing in her expression. "Until Hikigaya returns, no one from the Yukinoshita family other than Yukino can show their face. Otherwise, before Hikigaya returns, there will no longer be a Yukinoshita family."
"Then why doesn't Yukino need to hide?"
"Because she's Hikigaya's classmate. Those people won't dare step into his life. There's no ti, we need to go."
"Hikigaya... are you really that obsessed with him? He and those people are just magicians! I'm a Chiba representative—do I need a child to protect ?!"
"Father, it's exactly that kind of thinking that led you to make such a foolish mistake! Hikigaya and his kin are beings so special that all the world's humans combined could not stand against them. If soone wants to punish the Yukinoshita family for its betrayal, this is their only chance. If we survive this, we'll be safe—because harming us then would an interfering with Hikigaya's life. That's sothing they absolutely won't dare to do."
The argunt left Haruno ntally drained. Her father had absolutely no understanding of the magical society—he treated interactions with magicians as if they were political gas, just like his power plays in the Diet. He had no idea that his ability to do so had always relied on the support of one of Japan's four ruling magical clans—the Seishuin.
To his credit, her father had remarkable capabilities—he had hidden his connection with the Sayanomiya clan from everyone, even from her. But because of her abduction, he had made a catastrophically foolish move.
To the Sayanomiya clan, the Yukinoshita family—no, even all of Chiba—was just a tool in their sches. However, due to Hikigaya's connection with Yukino, the Yukinoshita family's value must have risen. If Haruno had been in charge, she would never have burned that resource so carelessly. The fact that they had done so anyway ant that among the abducted girls, there must have been soone of extre importance to them.
As for the Yukinoshitas, they were now expendable. The Sayanomiya would not—and could not—stop the Seishuin from exacting their punishnt.
The Yukinoshita household was in decline. Even if Hikigaya returned in ti, the Seishuin still had enough ti to strip away everything they had once granted this family. That was why her father looked so worn—because the Seishuin had recently accelerated their efforts.
This could only an one thing—sothing had happened on Hikigaya's side. Either he would never return for the rest of his life—or he was about to return very soon.
"Whether you agree or not, Father, I will not allow Yukino to beco the price for your failed gamble. I only hope that after all this, our family can still be together."
Looking at her father's stubborn expression, Haruno let out a hopeless sigh. She knew she might have to rely only on Yukino from now on—because she understood her father far too well.
As her father glared in anger, she walked out of the study and quietly shut the door. When she turned around, she saw her mother standing silently behind her.
"Has it really co to this?" her mother asked softly.
Though she had two teenage daughters, Mrs. Yukinoshita still looked quite young. Her figure was elegant, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes barely visible. She was a well-maintained, beautiful woman.
She also had a forceful personality—one that Yukino had clearly inherited. Haruno's temperant, on the other hand, more closely resembled her father's.
That was why she could not accept the mistake her father had made.
And yet... if she hadn't experienced the abduction, Haruno might have agreed with her father's actions.
But everything changed when she saw that terrifying brilliance that covered the heavens from Phoenix Mountain. All her past illusions were shattered.
This wasn't the kind of ga she had always imagined.
"Yes, Mother. Please persuade Father!" she said with a hopeful expression.
If it was her mother, she believed she could succeed.
But instead, she saw her mother shaking her head.
"You're too young, my daughter. Your thoughts are correct—but you've overlooked sothing important. Since this is punishnt, a price must be paid." Mrs. Yukinoshita showed a tenderness Haruno had never seen before, gently caressing her cheek. "Only the blood of your father and I will satisfy them. So you must hide—but we cannot. Everything is prepared. Go now."
"Mother!" Haruno's eyes widened in disbelief. Then suddenly, sothing struck her—she turned and looked toward the study door she had just closed.
"Don't go back. It's better this way," her mother said, taking Haruno's hand and dragging her away. "Don't worry about Yukino—arrangents have already been made. What matters now is that you stay hidden. Your father and I believe you can revive this family. Take good care of your sister, alright?"
"But…" Haruno stumbled along, her eyes filling with tears.
"No crying!" her mother turned her head sharply and scolded her. "A woman of the Yukinoshita family does not shed tears for anyone but her husband."
After that, she dragged Haruno all the way to the front gate, where an inconspicuous small sedan was waiting.
Firmly pushing her crying daughter into the car, Mrs. Yukinoshita leaned down and said to the man in the driver's seat, "Katou, this is your final duty to the Yukinoshita family. Your mission is to protect her—and ensure that once Hikigaya Hikigaya returns to this city, he can find her."
"You flatter , madam. Once I settle the young miss, I'll return at once," Katou said with a heroic look.
"No. Anyone who returns will die. None of you are to co back. Just protect Haruno and Yukino. If the Yukinoshita family ever rises again, we will never forget your kindness today."
Inside the car, Haruno sat in despair, tears pouring down her face. Suddenly, she rembered sothing and pulled out her phone, opening her contacts.
And at last—she found it.
A na:
Hikigaya Komachi.
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