It turns out that the price for the short-term "hell" tour at the Keio Plaza Hotel is not just a few scratches or the panic of our human vessel, Kaito. It is a Category 5 administrative storm crashing straight down on Department 1031. The incident is so serious that every single employee involved, except for the rookie Kaito who is at school, was dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn for an emergency meeting with the higher-ups over at Takama-ga-hara.
"Thirty..." I mumble into the wooden floor, my breath weak. "A total of thirty explanation forms. My claws are worn down to the quick just from typing..."
This morning has been a conveyer belt of nightmares.
First was the tense meeting with the Board of Directors of Takama-ga-hara's Department 1031. Those guys tried to shift the blame for their lax management onto us, even though it was clearly their employee who got kidnapped. I had to utilize the full capacity of my silver tongue to verbally parry their attacks.
Next was the closed meeting of Team 7 with Director Ariel. The Lion Boss spoke in measured tones, but his majestic aura and glowing golden eyes were more terrifying than a thousand curses when he heard the report on "spatial security loopholes."
Finally, I had to drag my carcass back to chair the internal meeting of the Diplomatic Relations Team. I issued an ultimatum: "Everyone must be present at the office before 11 AM System Time. If anyone is absent, regardless of the reason, fifty percent of their bonus for the next quarter gets slashed." The result was a stampede of pale faces rushing in.
Now I am a desiccated husk of a fox in the truest sense. My soul has already flown up to the 9th floor of The Nexus.
"What's wrong? You look like you just had your vitality sucked out by a Kitsune. Oh wait, you are the Kitsune."
Alethea steps into my tea ceremony area holding a light-file tablet, her expression annoyingly fresh. It seems she has finished torturing her analysis team and has come over here to gossip.
I do not bother lifting my head. I simply raise a clawed finger and press the Send button on the hologram screen hovering in front of me.
Ting!
In the group chat "Diplomatic Relations Team: Where Love Begins (and Ends with Deadlines)", a thick file uploads.
[Confidential Document: Comprehensive Investigation Report on Keio Incident - 88 pages.pdf]
Eighty-eight pages of detailed reports from Zhen Shan's Security Team. I force them to read it all and memorize every comma, period, and semicolon. If anyone asks about information already contained in there, I will send them to scrub the basement.
I crawl up, leaning my back against the beanbag chair, smoothing the messy fur on my cheek. "The testimony of the Takama-ga-hara Sensitive reveals too many instabilities, Alethea. We cannot be negligent."
Alethea nods and sits opposite me, her posh demeanor unwavering. "I ran the simulation. The current objective is to protect that man at all costs. We saved him from death, and it seems someone out there is getting irritated because we keep poking our noses into his business."
She pushes up her glasses, her eyes sharp and cold. "The Slit-Mouthed Woman case, the Elevator Game... and now if his words are true, another urban legend will be involved soon. It seems some lunatic thinks manipulating urban legends is a disruptive startup idea."
Just then, the silk curtain separating Zhen Shan's area lifts. The Tiger God steps in, still holding an energy measuring device. His suit is so immaculate it's annoying, a stark contrast to my disheveled state.
"For now, we keep a close watch on our Sensitives," Zhen Shan says, his voice steady but full of concern. "I have ordered increased security at all Outposts. Our department is being dragged into Takama-ga-hara's mess."
"Sigh..." I let out a long breath, my fox ears drooping to cover my eyes. "At first, I thought it was a good deal to sign a support contract for some extra market share. Who knew the Japanese market would be this troublesome? I thought I would get sushi, but instead I have to eat a whole wasabi root."
I look up, trying to salvage a bit of optimism. "But anyway, they have the main responsibility to solve this. The contract clearly states 'support' only. We surely just... help a little bit, right?"
Zhen Shan turns to look at me. He says nothing, just glares.
Those amber eyes narrow, seeing right through my dark heart. That glare carries a clear message. You know very well that 'help a little bit' in our dictionary means 'carry the whole team on our backs', so do not play dumb.
I give a forced smile, my tail wagging innocently. "Well... let's hope so."
Continuing with the unfinished pile of paperwork, I let out a long, weary sigh, my hand swiping across the hologram screen again, flipping through electronic documents as thick as history textbooks.
"Another one," I mutter, eyes glazing over as I stare at the dense lines of text. "If there were an award for 'Deity Who Reads the Most Reports of the Year,' I would definitely sweep the Champion, Runner up, and even the Consolation prizes."
This time, it is the Witness Statement and Memory Extraction Record of that unlucky Sensitive.
[INCIDENT SUBJECT PROFILE #4466 ALPHA]
- Full Name: Takeshi Ogawa.
- Age: 42.
- Cover Profession: Senior Software Engineer at Tech Corp X.
- Affiliation: Takama ga hara Ventures (Sector 1031).
- Sensitive Rank: Middle.
- Current Status: Under intensive care at the Sensitive Hub (Loss of one arm - Regenerated, Soul damage 35%).
This report is presented in a style so dry and cold that I suspect young Nanao copied the template straight from the administration department. The names of the interrogators are abbreviated mysteriously, even though everyone knows exactly who they are.
I start skimming through the main content.
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[INTERROGATION RECORD - EXTRACT 1]
Interrogating Officer: Agent X & Supervisor N.N.
Subject Ogawa: "I swear... I didn't know that elevator led to... that godforsaken place. I have never heard of the Elevator Game."
Agent X: "Calm down. Let's start from the beginning. Why did you accept the mission at the Keio Hotel?"
Subject Ogawa: "It started a few weeks ago. I detected an anomaly in the subway passenger movement data. Some people... they swipe into the station but never swipe out. A few days later, they reappear at random locations, but acting very strangely. They claim to have left something very important at a desolate station. I investigated and suspected it was related to a 'Non existent Station'."
Supervisor N.N: "Note: Another urban legend. Did you report this to your superiors?"
Subject Ogawa: "Yes! I messaged the internal chat group of Takama ga hara. But before anyone could respond, the automated mission system pinged me. A low level Anomaly, a Sludge Stalker type, appeared in the Keio Hotel elevator. I am a Middle rank; handling these things is just a chore to save the gods some trouble."
[INTERROGATION RECORD - EXTRACT 2 - INCIDENT TIME]
Subject Ogawa: "I arrived at the hotel. Entered the elevator. The mud monster appeared on the 3rd floor. I used a level 2 explosive talisman and blew it away in a single note. Job done. I intended to press the button for the ground floor to go home and sleep."
"But then... the elevator door opened on the 4th floor. A man walked in."
Agent X: "Description?"
Subject Ogawa: "Couldn't see his face. He wore a long trench coat, collar turned up high, hood pulled down tight. He stood with his back to me, right in front of the control panel. And then... he started pressing buttons. Not the 1st floor. He pressed a chaotic sequence of numbers. Up, down, up, down... I was about to ask him, 'Buddy, are you drunk?', but the aura radiating from him... was cold enough to freeze my throat."
Supervisor N.N: "He was performing the ritual."
Subject Ogawa: "Reached the 5th floor. Door opened. There was a woman in a red dress standing there. By the instinct of a Sensitive, I knew immediately it was an Anomaly. I prepared to draw a talisman to fight. But... she didn't enter."
Agent X: "Didn't enter?"
Subject Ogawa: "She saw that man. And she... trembled. I swear I saw the ripped smile on her face twist. She backed away into the darkness. Door closed."
[INTERROGATION RECORD - EXTRACT 3 - THE JUMP]
Subject Ogawa: "The elevator started going up to the 10th floor. I knew something was wrong. I intended to use force to stop the elevator. I reached out to grab his shoulder."
"But he was faster. He didn't need to turn around. He caught my wrist, twisted it behind my back, then grabbed my neck and lifted me up like a chick. That strength... was absurd. It wasn't human strength, nor was it the type enhanced by magic."
"Door opened on the 10th floor. But outside wasn't the hotel corridor; it was that crimson world. He threw me out like a bag of trash. I hit my head on the floor, dizzy. Before the door closed, I saw him standing there, looking at me... then he vanished along with the elevator."
I turn off the hologram screen, leaning back in my chair, claws tapping rhythmically on the tea table.
"Hmm..."
"Kisaragi Station. Kuchisake onna. The Elevator Game," I mumble. "This guy is manipulating a series of famous urban legends. He is intentionally editing them according to his own design, but for what purpose? There is no connection at all."
And the most valuable detail: The red dressed Anomaly on the 5th floor was afraid of him.
Zhen Shan retrieves a physical file folder from his dimensional storage (yes, real paper, real ink; he still clings to these archaic habits to create a sense of importance) and slams it onto the tea table. The dry thud drags my attention out of my drowsiness.
"Why are you clearing your throat? Just get to it, boss," I yawn, resting my chin on my hairy hand.
"Since we already reviewed the reports with Director Ariel, let's systematize the clues to see how distorted the big picture is," Zhen Shan says, his voice deep and resonant.
Alethea pushes up her glasses and opens the analysis session. "First: Technology. That Law interfering with the elevator to tear open space and throw people into another universe does not belong to any major conglomerate today. I cross-referenced it with the databases of Asgard, Olympus, and even Heaven Inc. No match."
She taps her fingernail on the stone table. "It seems an underground lab is trying to create interdimensional travel tech outside The Nexus's supervision. The Analytics Team is trying to decode the residual energy structure, but it is encrypted with extreme sophistication."
"Second," I continue, pointing at the note about Kisaragi Station. "The behavior of the Anomaly. Previously, cases related to this ghostly station were rare and usually just simple pocket dimensions. Takama-ga-hara handled them easily. But this time..."
I narrow my eyes. "Its behavior has changed. It does not just abduct people randomly. The victims who return have lost something important in their memories or souls."
"Correct," Zhen Shan nods. "Due to this severity and strangeness, Takama-ga-hara has decided to send the best person from their Sector 1031 Security Team to investigate personally."
I freeze. An ominous premonition, or rather a familiar headache, strikes me. "Don't tell me it is..."
"That's right," Zhen Shan smirks, a rare expression on his stern tiger face. "It is your beloved former colleague."
"Remove the word 'beloved' right now!" I scream, my tail fur standing on end. "Hearing it makes me want to vomit my breakfast."
"Oh?" Alethea giggles, her eyes full of teasing. "Why did I hear a rumor from Xiaolang that you still wait day and night for him to unblock you on GodChat? Do you still cherish the old feelings that much?"
"That treacherous mongrel!" I grind my teeth.
"Alright, enough," Zhen Shan waves his hand, cutting off the office drama. "I will discipline my Security Team later. Let's return to the main topic."
(I know perfectly well there will be no discipline; he might even reward Xiaolang for providing entertainment).
Zhen Shan turns to the next page of the file. "Third, and most importantly: When Ogawa announced his investigation on the internal group chat, it seems someone deliberately pushed him to his death by assigning the task at Keio Plaza."
"Could the technology be compromised?" I hypothesize. "Like hacking into Solak?"
"How can Solak be compromised?" Zhen Shan shakes his head vigorously. "Solak's security system is an impregnable fortress. The research result of dozens of allied conglomerates cannot be broken that easily."
"Then can they trace who sent the order?"
"It was an automated system," Zhen Shan replies, his voice cold. "Because this was classified as a low-level, trivial task. The algorithm automatically scans and assigns the nearest person with the most suitable ability to accept the task."
The air in the room grows heavy.
Alethea looks pensive, twisting a lock of platinum hair. "Hmm. This is complicated. The mastermind didn't hack the system. He knew how to exploit a procedural loophole."
"Then it doesn't necessarily have to be someone inside Takama-ga-hara," I rest my chin on my hand, playing detective. "It could be an outsider, some Sensitive exploiting this flaw."
"That is highly unlikely, little fox," Alethea shakes her head, her eyes sharp as a scalpel. "To manipulate the auto-assignment algorithm, he must know exactly the operation schedule, real-time location, and assignment status of all members in the Shinjuku area. If Ogawa just went for coffee in another district, or if another Sensitive was free and closer, the system would assign it to someone else immediately."
She taps her finger hard on the table. "To ensure Ogawa definitely received that death mission, the mastermind must fully grasp every move of the entire personnel. Clearly, there is a problem within their leadership or coordination ranks. There is a mole."
"Have you told anyone this?" I ask, lowering my voice to a whisper.
"Not yet," Alethea replies.
Zhen Shan closes the file and stores it in his dimensional pocket. His amber eyes look straight at Alethea and me, steadfast and cautious.
"For now, only the three of us and Director Ariel know," he says. "Knowing too much sometimes startles the vipers hiding in the dark. It is best to just pretend nothing has happened."