-517- As my shikigami?

Kurahashi Miyo's words made Rozen have a certain thought.

"Truly an unpleasant sense of humor, Director," Rozen said with a disdainful tone.

"Oh my, why would you say that?"

Kurahashi Miyo responded, feigning innocence.

But Rozen wasn't buying it.

"It's been six months since this incident happened. You should have known about it long ago. Bringing it up now, isn't that unpleasant?"

Rozen replied, somewhat speechless.

Indeed, Rozen hadn't anticipated that Dairenji Suzuka would still be kept confined for half a year. However, through the connection of the Shikigami contract, Rozen knew that she was safe, so there was no rush.

And this incident was not widely known in the industry.

If the public were to learn that one of the 'Twelve Divine Generals,' and moreover, the image spokesperson of the Onmyou Agency, Dairenji Suzuka, had turned into a fearsome criminal just like her father, it wouldn't bode well for her or the public image of the Onmyou Agency.

This was something the Onmyou Agency was desperately trying to avoid.

Currently, the Onmyou Agency was focused on establishing a good image in front of the public.

In reality, Onmyouji were never well-received by the general public.

There were many reasons for this, but the main ones were twofold.

One was the exclusivity within the world of Jujutsu, dividing individuals based on talent, leading to a negative impression among the general populace.

The other was that modern Jujutsu, developed by Tsuchimikado Yakou during the Pacific War half a century ago, known as the 'Imperial-Style,' had strict restrictions on its use due to its origins during wartime.

Despite its outstanding convenience and versatility, only a very small portion of its applications were openly displayed to society.

Yet, much like the spiritual disasters, modern Jujutsu was a legacy of Yakou, and no matter how restricted and controlled it was, sometimes Onmyouji managed to break free from the constraints and show their fangs.

As a result, in recent years, there was a clear increase in nationwide Jujutsu-related crimes.

Thanks to this, the public held a strong aversion towards Jujutsu.

So, most events that didn't catch the attention of the general public were handled by the so-called 'industry insiders.' This was to showcase the excellence of the Onmyou Agency and also to demonstrate to the public that Onmyouji, apart from doing work related to exorcising spiritual disasters, were essentially isolated from the world.

Thus, the Onmyou Agency aimed to establish a good image in front of the public, which led them to shape Dairenji Suzuka as the image spokesperson.

If a person like that were to turn into a Jujutsu criminal, the Onmyou Agency's careful plans would go up in smoke. Naturally, they wouldn't want such a thing to happen.

Given this, Dairenji Suzuka's situation has been kept concealed, not disclosed to the public.

But who is Kurahashi Miyo?

The former head of the Kurahashi family, the director of the Onmyou Academy, a renowned stargazer in the industry with extensive connections.

How could she not know about this?

Bringing it up after six months, isn't that a rather twisted sense of humor?

That's what Rozen thought.

"You've misunderstood, Akikan,"

Kurahashi Miyo said innocently.

"After all, I'm somewhat in retirement. It's not strange for me to find out about this just now, right?"

Best if it's this way.

Rozen shrugged, indifferent.

However, Kurahashi Miyo slightly opened her eyes and gazed at Rozen, smiling knowingly.

"In that case, besides Hishamaru, you've also obtained Kakugyouki," Kurahashi Miyo said, making Rozen furrow his brows.

—Hishamaru.

—Kakugyouki.

These were the guardians that once belonged to Yakou, extremely powerful Shikigami.

It was said they even held official positions in the military, a groundbreaking event during their time, becoming the subject of much later legend.

Among them, Hishamaru was a former member of the Tsuchimikado branch, who, following family traditions, became Yakou's Shikigami.

Based on this, Kurahashi Miyo once said that Natsume was Rozen's Hishamaru.

But...

"Dairenji Suzuka has no connection whatsoever to Kakugyouki. Isn't this a stretch?"

Rozen retorted.

Indeed.

It should be noted that unlike Hishamaru, Kakugyouki was not a human but a genuine Orge(Oni), a Orge that had survived for thousands of years and had once been regarded as a Orge king, possessing an unimaginable level of power.

//// don know which is better, Demon, Oni or Orge. But I guess I'll use Orge cuz it's the official term.////

Perhaps Dairenji Suzuka was also powerful, but she could hardly be compared to a Orge. Isn't it far-fetched to claim she's Kakugyouki?

However...

"Even if it's Kakugyouki, it became Yakou's Shikigami because it was subdued by him. Originally, Kakugyouki was a very free Orge king, you know?"

Kurahashi Miyo calmly explained.

"Comparatively, 'The Prodigy,' though not a spirit, was also subdued by you to become your Shikigami. Considering this, don't you think that child is suitable for this position?" Kurahashi Miyo calmly explained.

However, Miyo's explanation didn't satisfy Rozen. It didn't convince him; instead, it furrowed his brow even more.

"I must say, Director," Rozen spoke, a hint of displeasure in his tone, "could you please stop linking me to Yakou like this? It's rather unpleasant, you know?"

When Rozen said this, his tone indeed carried an air of discomfort.

Bringing up Hishamaru and Kakugyouki, was it not an insinuation that he was Yakou just because he possessed two similar Shikigami?

"I'll say it again, I am not Yakou," Rozen stated unequivocally. "Please refrain from making me emphasize it again, alright?"

Rozen's tone sounded like he was giving an ultimatum.

"...Is that so?"

Kurahashi Miyo fell silent for a moment, then smiled as usual.

The next moment, in an extremely abrupt manner, Kurahashi Miyo shifted to a different topic.

"In that case, would you consider taking my granddaughter as your Shikigami?"

Kurahashi Miyo suddenly said.

"Huh?"

Rozen was stunned.

Make Kurahashi Kyouko his Shikigami?

"Are you joking?" Rozen's words nearly slipped out.

"Is it not possible?" Kurahashi Miyo remained very calm. "Lately, that child seems to be troubled by some things, so I thought this might be the best solution."

What the heck?

Even Rozen found this moment a bit inexplicable.

But what he wanted to say was very clear.

"I don't know what you're trying to say, but even if you put it that way, the young miss won't agree to become my Shikigami. You're really overthinking." Rozen said, laughing.

This Rozen did not realize...

"Akikan, you're surprisingly dumb," Kurahashi Miyo looked at Rozen with pity and sympathy, speaking like this.

"It seems that even the most intelligent person finds it difficult to understand a girl's heart. I hope you can apply your intelligence in this aspect as well."

After saying this, without waiting for Rozen's reply, Kurahashi Miyo, true to her style, steered the conversation to a different topic for the third time.

"Actually, the main reason I called you here this time is to tell you something."