Undercover

After parting ways with Yura, Miketsu had originally intended to return to Inari Mountain, but she suddenly remembered something and turned back. She realized that this trip wasn't just to meet Yura; she also needed to visit the Onmyoryo. She wasn't there to accept a mission, but to change her clothes. Her previous kariginu was stained with too much demonic blood that was extremely difficult to wash out, making it completely unwearable.

Fortunately, the guards already remembered her appearance, so this time Miketsu was able to enter the Onmyoryo without her kariginu. Since she needed to find out where to get a new kariginu, she decided to look for Fujiwara first.

However, what Miketsu didn't expect was that not only was she looking for Fujiwara, but Fujiwara was also looking for her. After being found by Fujiwara's attendant, she was informed that Fujiwara no Saneyori wished to see her.

What's happened now?

Puzzled, Miketsu followed the attendant back to the quiet room where she had met Fujiwara no Saneyori last time. Fujiwara no Saneyori was already waiting for her inside.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Miketsu and Fujiwara no Saneyori quickly got to the point. Miketsu received a piece of news from Fujiwara no Saneyori that utterly shocked her.

"What? You want me to investigate a yokai named Owl?" Miketsu asked, her face filled with disbelief.

"That's right. As long as you can uncover Owl's whereabouts and report them to us, you will be directly promoted to Junior Secretary." Fujiwara no Saneyori said unhurriedly, looking at the astonished girl.

Holy crap, how did you suddenly come up with the idea of having me investigate Owl? If it's a test, there should be plenty of other missions to choose from!

"I know that you are more suited for destruction than for covert investigations. This mission might be a bit difficult for you. I already tried to get you a different mission, but unfortunately, the other two seem to have made their decision," he continued, seemingly having noticed Miketsu's astonishment.

No, this mission isn't difficult for me at all. I can give you as much information about Owl as you want; I could even make her surrender to the Onmyoryo...

After finishing her internal monologue, Miketsu thought for a moment and then continued.

"Who proposed this mission for me?"

"Minamoto no Mitsunaka, the Minamoto Clan's representative in the Onmyoryo, and an Onmyo Taiyu like myself." With these simple words, Fujiwara no Saneyori revealed the proposer. Miketsu was startled when she heard "Minamoto Clan," as they had also been involved in the Vermilion Bird Seal incident.

"So, do you have any advice regarding this Owl, or how much do you know about her?" Miketsu asked, trying to gather information. Although she had anticipated that Owl might attract the Onmyoryo's attention or even pursuit, she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Miketsu now needed to know the extent of the Onmyoryo's intelligence on Owl.

"This Owl is very mysterious. We still don't know his origins, only that he appears irregularly in the Ghost Market outside Heian-kyo. Furthermore, his power is immense, probably surpassing the Demon-Faced Centipede you subjugated. If you encounter him during your investigation, do not engage him recklessly; you won't be able to defeat him."

No... I think I could at least go toe-to-toe with him.

After another internal comment, Miketsu organized her thoughts and continued to question Fujiwara no Saneyori.

"I shouldn't be doing this mission alone, right?"

"Of course not. The Onmyoryo's undercover agents spread throughout the demon realm have already begun their operations. Since Owl only appears in the Ghost Market within the demon realm, and his movements are erratic, we must rely on these undercover agents to find him and pinpoint his lair."

"Undercover agents?" Miketsu quickly seized upon the key point in Fujiwara no Saneyori's words.

"To keep track of the yokai's movements, the Onmyoryo has disguised shikigami as ordinary yokai and infiltrated them into various Ghost Markets, large and small, around Heian-kyo to gather intelligence. These shikigami are controlled by onmyoji who have voluntarily descended into the demon realm, also disguised as yokai. They are spread throughout the demon realm, secretly assisting our operations." Fujiwara no Saneyori finished, and his words made Miketsu's heart clench.

These are damn undercover agents! So the Onmyoryo has sent a whole bunch of undercover agents into the Ghost Market? Turns out I'm not the only one in this world who can pretend to be a yokai.

It's terrifying to think about. Her trips to Choyo-machi for meals were not exactly discreet. If the Onmyoryo had undercover agents in Choyo-machi, her next visit there as Owl could easily lead to her being secretly watched by shikigami disguised as yokai, then followed all the way back to Inari Shrine, and everything would be exposed.

The thought alone was terrifying! If she hadn't come to the Onmyoryo today to change her kariginu and been informed of this by Fujiwara no Saneyori, she would have unknowingly fallen into their trap.

At that moment, Miketsu was suddenly glad that she hadn't gone to Choyo-machi after returning, but had instead come to the Onmyoryo first to gather this crucial information.

At that moment, Miketsu suddenly wanted to grab Fujiwara no Saneyori's hand and gratefully tell him, "You're my undercover agent in the Onmyoryo!"

"What's wrong? Do you suddenly find this mission difficult?" Fujiwara no Saneyori asked, looking at the somewhat dazed Miketsu, completely unaware that he had just divulged extremely important information to the very target they were pursuing.

"No, I was just thinking, since the Onmyoryo already has so many undercover agents stationed in the demon realm, perhaps I could cooperate with them on the mission?" Miketsu continued, hoping to extract information about those agents.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. Information about those undercover agents is absolutely confidential and will not be shared directly with others," Fujiwara no Saneyori stated bluntly. As a high-ranking official of the Onmyoryo, he was privy to the details of these agents.

"Is that so... In that case, I'm afraid this mission will be very difficult for me to complete," Miketsu said with a light chuckle. If she couldn't participate in the undercover agents' operations, it meant her mission was separate from theirs, not integrated. If the undercover agents completed the task, she would have nothing to do. It was clear they didn't want her to complete this mission!

"I know that. Kamo no Tadayuki's main reason for assigning you this mission is to ascertain your attitude. If you accept and undertake it, it will show that you are willing to obey the Onmyoryo's arrangements to some extent. In that case, even if you don't complete this mission, you will still get a chance for promotion next time, and it won't be long," Fujiwara no Saneyori said. He had largely guessed Kamo no Tadayuki's intentions: he didn't want Asakura Hao to be promoted too quickly, but he also wanted to use this as an opportunity to assess her attitude towards the Onmyoryo, which was why he had agreed to Minamoto no Mitsunaka's proposal for this nearly impossible mission.

...

Leaving the Onmyoryo, Miketsu pondered deeply all the way back to Inari Mountain on her donkey. The information she had gained from this trip was profoundly unsettling for her.

For Miketsu, the mission itself was secondary. Her immediate concern was the Onmyoryo's investigation into Owl. She had to find a way to resolve this crisis, or her identity as Owl might become unusable.

But an open attack is easy to dodge, while a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. How could she defend against this covert surveillance?

Thinking of this, Miketsu couldn't help but sigh. She had originally planned to go to Choyo-machi for dinner tonight, but now it seemed that wouldn't be possible.

Miketsu had a premonition that the moment Owl appeared in Choyo-machi, she would immediately be targeted.