Chapter 19

  Unfinished Symphony — The Vanished

  Third Party

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  The emergency call echoed through Ichika Harumiya’s office.

  It was a sound that should never have been heard.

  The call came from the special ward.

  The ward where Nia Sunway was being kept.

  A place buried deep inside the hospital, known only to a handful of people.

  A ward reserved for cases involving spiritual interference, curses, possession, and ancient rituals.

  Japan had always been a land where yokai, spirits, and demons still lingered.

  And this hospital existed to deal with the consequences.

  Ichika stood up at once, throwing on his white coat.

  “Of all times…”

  He rushed out of the office.

  The door to Nia Sunway’s room slid open.

  The scene inside made him stop.

  The ritual circle was broken.

  Its lines burned away into ash.

  The formation that had kept Nia Sunway’s body tethered to the living world had collapsed.

  And on the bed—

  Two bodies lay tangled together.

  Nia Sunway.

  And Hinomichi Nia.

  Ichika moved immediately, checking their pulse, breathing, and pupils.

  “…Alive.”

  Not only alive.

  Both souls were present.

  He gently separated them and laid Hinomichi Nia beside the bed.

  “…They’re back.”

  That much was clear.

  Five days had passed since their separation and confinement.

  Five days of forced training, restraint, and isolation.

  Ichika had already heard reports of their escape from their respective supervision.

  Honestly, the timing was perfect.

  They were overdue for an emotional explosion.

  Then Ichika noticed something else.

  A trace of immature spiritual technique lingering in the air.

  “…I know this signature.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Kuga.”

  The Kuga family — practitioners tied to Utsusemi Temple.

  A ritualist lineage aligned with the Hinomichi faction.

  Enemies of the Harumiya house.

  And at their head…

  Kuga Ichika.

  The girl who had visited Nia Sunway when he was still listed as an unidentified coma patient in the general ward.

  The only visitor who ever came.

  “She pressed the nurse call,” Ichika muttered.

  That much was obvious.

  But there was something else.

  Something far more disturbing.

  Between the residue of Kuga’s ritual and Harumiya’s own formation, something else had slipped through.

  A third presence.

  Malice.

  Hatred.

  Murderous intent.

  A blackened spiritual residue that tried to dissolve into the dust at the corner of the room.

  Ichika did not allow it.

  He produced a small glass vial — not the one that had once held Hinomichi Nia’s soul, but another.

  He whispered a short incantation.

  The residue screamed silently as it was dragged inside.

  The cork sealed itself.

  “…Evidence secured.”

  Ichika’s voice was cold.

  This presence matched the foul energy that had been spreading through the city lately.

  The same hand that had attempted to erase Nia Sunway.

  The same hand that now dared to interfere here.

  Japan.

  The Hinomichi bloodline.

  And now even Harumiya territory.

  Someone was moving pieces on a very large board.

  Ichika exhaled slowly.

  “…Perfect timing.”

  Harumiya had rotted from the inside.

  If someone had been reckless enough to infiltrate this hospital with inside assistance, then this was exactly the excuse he needed.

  The enemy would be exposed.

  And Harumiya’s old leadership would finally be removed.

  He took out his phone.

  “Saeki.”

  “Yes, young master.”

  “Hinomichi Nia is secured. Nia Sunway is alive.”

  “…That is good news.”

  Ichika’s eyes hardened.

  “Saeki. It’s time to flush the rats out.”

  “…Understood.”