"Alright, come in."
When Amami Daizen spoke these words, Rozen and Natsume were first taken aback, then instinctively turned their heads, following Amami Daizen's instructions, to look at the door.
However, even before looking at the door, Rozen, relying on the sensing ability from the Shikigami contract, perceived who was outside the door.
"Could it be..."
Rozen suddenly understood everything, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Crack..."
At this moment, the door to the director's office was opened.
The next second, a person entered from outside the door.
It was a petite figure, relatively young, dressed in a gothic lolita style, with prominent wavy golden hair tied into twin tails.
Seeing this young girl, Natsume couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"Dairenji Suzuka...!?"
Yes.
The newcomer was the last among the 'Twelve Divine Generals,' bearing the title of 'Child Prodigy,' who was arrested about half a year ago and has been under investigation in the Onmyou Agency. She was also the Shikigami Rozen had a contract with - Dairenji Suzuka.
Half a year later, there was no apparent change in Dairenji Suzuka's appearance. Despite her petite stature, she had an extraordinary level of cuteness and an exceptional amount of spiritual energy, emitting a remarkable presence.
"Hmph..."
Perhaps knowing in advance who she would encounter here, Dairenji Suzuka snorted coldly, maintaining her usual unpleasant attitude.
But besides that, Dairenji Suzuka did nothing and said nothing. Her gaze first shifted to Natsume, then landed on Rozen. There was a flicker of something in her eyes before she fell completely silent.
This attitude of not intending to say much surprised not only Natsume but also Rozen.
Amami Daizen, seemingly to clarify the situation, spoke nonchalantly.
"Considering your situation, since we couldn't arrange satisfactory protection for you here, we decided to enhance your strength. For this reason, I specifically released Dairenji early, allowing your Shikigami to return to your side. That should settle any complaints, right?"
Amami Daizen said in a slightly teasing manner.
In other words, unable to arrange suitable guards to protect Rozen, Amami Daizen had thought it through and ultimately decided to release Dairenji Suzuka early.
This way, Rozen not only could summon back his capable Shikigami but also gained the combat power of a member of the 'Twelve Divine Generals,' which was a very appropriate solution given the current circumstances.
"Although she's the last seat, she's still a member of the 'Twelve Divine Generals.' Just make do with her."
Amami Daizen said indifferently.
This seemed to finally break Dairenji Suzuka's silence.
"Hey! Who said I'm going to be just 'made do with'? Stupid old man!"
Dairenji Suzuka glared at Amami Daizen, swearing with a rough tone.
This was exactly the same as what Rozen and Natsume saw half a year ago, relieving the two who had been worried due to Dairenji Suzuka's earlier awkward silence.
On the contrary, Amami Daizen started arguing directly with Dairenji Suzuka.
"Who do you think cleaned up the mess you made? We had to go through quite a bit of trouble to arrange for your early release!"
"Who asked you to release me? Did I say I wanted to come out? Meddling old man!"
"You dare say that? Clearly, you're just a stupid little brat who keeps causing trouble. Now you're worried about being released because you're afraid of being played with without being able to resist after becoming someone else's Shikigami, aren't you?"
"What...!?"
Amami Daizen and Dairenji Suzuka were now arguing, one smiling confidently, the other flushed with anger. It was clear who was winning.
"...Seems like these two get along well."
Rozen looked on in amazement, then burst into laughter.
At this moment...
"...You won't be doing something weird with Dairenji Suzuka, right? Akikan?"
A deliberately lowered voice suddenly came from beside Rozen, sending a shiver down his spine.
And there was no need for any special explanation about the owner of the voice.
At that moment, Rozen quickly spoke up.
"I... I certainly won't!"
"...That's good."
Hearing Rozen's response, the chilling words subsided, making Rozen hesitant to look in Natsume's direction, wondering what expression she wore at this moment.
"Anyway, you can take Dairenji with you, Tsuchimikado."
Amami Daizen, disregarding Dairenji Suzuka's angry gaze, spoke with a composed demeanor.
"As you can see, she's just an immature brat, but she should be of help to you."
Quite audacious words indeed.
"Doing a favor like this seems pretty effortless," Rozen quirked his mouth.
Even without Amami Daizen's interference, Dairenji Suzuka would have been released sooner or later. Now that Amami Daizen acted, it was merely a convenient favor.
Of course, even a convenient favor was still a favor.
"Alright, I won't pursue this matter," Rozen asked, "but when will this kind of thing come to an end?"
Referring, of course, to the attacks by the Yakou followers.
"I don't want to keep living like this."
Even if the attackers were just some harmless troublemakers, enduring this situation was becoming too vexing for Rozen.
Fortunately...
"Currently, most of the Twin Horn Syndicate members have been apprehended. Only a few stragglers remain, and the operation will end soon. Rest assured."
Amami Daizen said confidently.
It seemed that Amami Daizen had indeed put in considerable effort for this operation and had no intention of letting any Twin Horn Syndicate member escape.
However, this Amami Daizen failed to notice that when Dairenji Suzuka heard the words "Twin Horn Syndicate members," her whole body trembled slightly, clenching her teeth and lowering her head.
Rozen also didn't notice this scene.
"Let's hope so," Rozen said indifferently. "In that case, we'll be leaving."
With that said, Rozen looked at Natsume and Dairenji Suzuka.
"Natsume, Dairenji, let's go."
Upon hearing this, Natsume nodded obediently.
"..."
Dairenji Suzuka remained silent, her eyes alone showing a self-abandoning expression.
Seeing his two Shikigami like this, Rozen shrugged and prepared to leave.
Unbeknownst to all present, behind the desk in the Onmyou Agency, Kurahashi Genji, who had been sitting there with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke.
"Tsuchimikado Akikan."
Kurahashi Genji opened his eyes, focusing them on Rozen.
Then, the head of the Onmyou Agency spoke.
"What is your opinion regarding the collective disappearance of the Tsuchimikado family?"
One sentence, and the atmosphere in the room changed in an instant.