Deduction

The morning in Heian-kyo, Miketsu, clad in a Kariginu, rode her small donkey slowly along Suzaku Avenue, meandering towards the Greater Imperial Palace. As it was still early, not many humans were active on the streets. Most were Yokai who had been reveling all night or setting up their stalls early, and cat-drawn carts collecting corpses and pulling them out of the city.

After riding her donkey, eyes squinted, to the entrance of the Greater Imperial Palace, Miketsu didn't dismount and tie up her donkey as she usually would. Instead, she rode directly inside. Amidst the guards' salutes, Miketsu quickly rode to the Onmyoryo, dismounting before the Astronomical Pavilion.

After Miketsu waved her hand, her donkey, Ami, autonomously walked to a nearby patch of grass. Over these past ten-plus years, Ami's spiritual intelligence had grown considerably, and it was gradually beginning to break through the limitations of an animal's lifespan. All of this was thanks to the abundant spiritual energy within the Inari Secret Realm.

Entering the Astronomical Pavilion, Miketsu, amidst numerous respectful bows, proceeded directly to the uppermost floor of the Five-Story Pagoda. Within that pavilion, two figures were already quietly awaiting her arrival.

“Heh heh, it's truly rare to see Young Lord Hao at the Onmyoryo so early. I thought you'd arrive a bit later.” Seimei, clad in a blue Kariginu, with long white hair, still handsome but much more mature, said with his unchanging smiling expression.

“Oh, please. It's good enough that she even came. Usually, she's as elusive as a dragon.” The speaker was a woman with short black hair and a delicate, pretty face. She was leaning languidly against a colossal azure wolf beside her, casting a sidelong glance at Miketsu.

“Such a lax posture so early in the morning. It seems becoming a Senior Secretary has made you lose your drive. Shall I suggest to those fellows in court that they revoke Ashiya Doman's appointment?” Miketsu shot her long-time friend a glare and spoke bluntly. At that, Yura sprang upright.

“Don't spout nonsense. I was only lying down because my chest binding was a bit too tight and stifling. I'm not like you, with non-human blood, barely changing over all these years.” Yura retorted, annoyed, looking at Miketsu.

“Whose fault is it that you still insist on presenting yourself as a man? You've suffered for it more than once or twice.” Miketsu shook her head slightly, looking at her friend who was desperately trying to flatten her chest.

“Ugh… I wanted to be open about it sooner, but the name 'Ashiya Doman' still needs a bit more time to be fully internalized. Until then, I'll just have to endure. Sometimes I really miss my former flat chest…” Yura muttered softly. Just then, a cough interrupted her.

“Cough, cough… Alright, you two, now isn't the time to discuss such things. We have serious matters to attend to…” Seimei cleared his throat awkwardly, cutting off Miketsu and Yura's conversation.

“Indeed, you're right. I didn't come here to chat with you two.” Saying this, Miketsu sat on a cushion. A round low table lay between the three of them.

Over ten years had passed, and the Onmyoryo in Heian-kyo had undergone immense changes. The most striking change was in its personnel: the older generation had retreated to the second lines of their families, while the younger generation had stepped up. The most representative of these changes was the shift in the three Onmyo Taiyu.

Abe no Seimei, Ashiya Doman, and Asakura Hao, three young prodigies of Onmyodo, had now officially replaced Kamo no Tadayuki, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, and Fujiwara no Saneyori—the weakened leaders of the old era of Onmyodo—to become the Onmyoryo's new governing body, the new Onmyo Taiyu.

All three of the new generation possessed once-in-a-century genius aptitude. Even their achievements in their youth had already earned them the admiration of the Onmyo Clans. After these ten-plus years of accumulation, their growth had fully qualified them for the position of Onmyo Taiyu. Of course, Miketsu's Onmyodo proficiency, due to her not dedicating much time to its study, was quite mediocre. Her Onmyojutsu level was mostly built upon the public's imagination and exaggerations, but her track record of summoning deities was undeniable, so those exaggerated rumors were rarely questioned.

The three Onmyo Taiyu of the Onmyoryo were originally supposed to be controlled by the Three Great Clans. However, the three young genius Onmyoji now holding the Onmyo Taiyu positions were not from the Three Great Clans. This fact initially surprised many. But upon closer inspection, it could be seen that while the Three Great Clans no longer had direct members in the Onmyo Taiyu positions, their influence over the Onmyoryo persisted. Abe no Seimei was Kamo no Tadayuki's disciple, Ashiya Doman had joined the Minamoto Clan to study Onmyojutsu, and Asakura Hao was famously close to the Fujiwara Clan. Therefore, many interpreted this as the Three Great Clans seeking a more covert way to control the Onmyoryo.

Seeing Miketsu seated, Yura also straightened her posture. Seimei's expression turned serious, and he began.

“Let us begin officially now. I believe you both generally understand why you've been summoned. Regarding the recent incident where nearly ten innocent lives were lost crossing between two realms, there has now been significant progress.”

“Progress?… Didn't they say before that the culprit left almost no traces, that there were no clues at all, and not even enough information for divination? How could an investigation into such a completely untraceable case even begin?” Yura asked, her expression puzzled, upon hearing Seimei's words.

“The lead came from Owl, through channels in the demon realm. They've already encountered the culprit, but unfortunately, couldn't kill or capture it. Just last night, Owl sent a messenger to share his intelligence, which is why I summoned you all this morning.” As Seimei spoke, he produced a small bamboo tube, twisted open its end, and extracted a tiny scroll of paper, which he handed directly to Yura, who was closest to him. Yura's expression immediately changed after glancing at it.

“Resembles a puppet… undetectable demonic energy… disappears with blue flames… This, does this mean the culprit might be an Onmyoji's Shikigami!?” Yura's expression clearly showed astonishment, while Miketsu, after receiving and reading the letter written by Konkiku under her command, also feigned a hint of surprise and slowly said.

“It seems this matter is far more serious than we imagined…”

“Indeed. If Onmyoji are involved, then our side must be the primary focus of the investigation. But there are still so few clues. How should we begin our inquiry?” Yura spoke, then fell into thought, at which point Seimei continued.

“Since the clues are too scarce, why don't we make a bold assumption first? Based on the existing information, let's see which of the clans within the capital might be involved in this incident.” As Seimei spoke, he unfurled his folding fan, fanning himself lightly as he continued. “Skilled in using Shikigami… their Shikigami can conceal demonic energy… plus this matter seems very much like some unfolding conspiracy. Based on this, have any of you thought of anything?”

Following Seimei's lead, everyone began to ponder. Ultimately, both Seimei and Miketsu's gazes fell upon Yura, who herself wore a look of bewildered astonishment.

“This… this means the Minamoto Clan?”