"My my, this lovely fox lady - we're not open for business yet."
Hagoromo Gitsune stopped walking, frowning as she studied the black-clad girl standing across the pedestrian crossing who mirrored her own dark aesthetic.
"SDS personnel?"
Hagoromo Gitsune voiced her question.
Kurumi Tokisaki flicked her bangs, her golden Time Eye fixed on the fox woman as she replied:
"How strange, fox lady. You're the one who came seeking us, yet you ask whose side I'm on?"
At these words, Hagoromo Gitsune's brow furrowed slightly.
Meanwhile, Kyokotsu beside her tensed, gritting her teeth as she moved closer to whisper:
"Sister, that woman opposite us is terrifying."
Kyokotsu swallowed hard, staring nervously at Kurumi Tokisaki.
In those heterochromatic eyes, she saw a ravenous hunger.
It was the kind of gaze a sweet-toothed girl might give a walking cake – brimming with both fascination and appetite.
Though it seemed absurd, Kyokotsu felt that in the other's eyes, she and her sister had somehow become delicious pastries.
"This was my mistake, Kyokotsu."
For the first time, Hagoromo Gitsune spoke to Kyokotsu with genuine remorse in her voice:
"I rushed here too hastily, forgetting to scout the area first, and ended up provoking this... monster."
Hagoromo Gitsune took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the Spirit of Time standing not far ahead.
Compared to Kyokotsu, the more powerful Hagoromo Gitsune could perceive far more.
The distorted, chaotic spatial anomalies. The inhuman pressure of will.
No mistake – this being far surpassed even the level of a Great Yokai. Something even more monstrous.
If even she, who could suppress and slay Great Yokai, felt this way... could this be a being that surpassed Great Yokai entirely?
While intelligence suggested the SDS – capable of gathering over a hundred Great Yokai – must harbour formidable experts, Hagoromo Gitsune never imagined encountering someone this powerful.
"Kyokotsu, prepare yourself."
She didn't specify what preparations were needed. She knew Kyokotsu would understand.
Facing such a foe, Hagoromo Gitsune couldn't guarantee Kyokotsu's safety.
Beside her, Kyokotsu bit her lip hard upon hearing this. She understood Hagoromo Gitsune's meaning – if battle commenced, she'd be given a chance to flee.
Knowing herself to be a burden, Kyokotsu resolved to run as fast as possible when the time came, to avoid hindering Hagoromo Gitsune.
Just as both reached their decisions, Kurumi Tokisaki, opposite them, suddenly smiled and said:
"My, my, why such expressions? As if I'm about to devour you both. Surely it was you two who barged into my barrier uninvited?"
Hearing this, Hagoromo Gitsune paused before replying:
"I came looking for Luo Shu."
Kurumi's smile froze momentarily, her eyes flashing with sudden understanding as she regarded Hagoromo Gitsune:
"So that's why a yokai would come here at this hour. How interesting."
"Are you also a candidate?"
The word "candidate" made Hagoromo Gitsune frown slightly, but Kurumi suddenly stiffened, as if receiving some revelation, her expression turning playfully amused.
With a bright smile, Kurumi then said:
"The Director isn't in today."
'Director? This woman was Luo Shu's subordinate?'
Hagoromo Gitsune blinked in astonishment. Instinct told her Kurumi was far stronger than Luo Shu, yet she clearly acknowledged herself as his inferior.
This contradicted everything Hagoromo Gitsune understood – shouldn't the weak naturally submit to the strong?
Unless... that Luo Shu she'd briefly encountered was actually stronger than the terrifying being before her?
Hagoromo Gitsune found this hard to believe, yet couldn't dismiss the possibility:
"When will he return?"
"Oh dear, I'm just a minor functionary. How would I dare inquire about the Director's whereabouts?"
Kurumi Tokisaki covered her mouth with a giggle, speaking as if it were the absolute truth.
That tone and expression wouldn't even fool a child, making Hagoromo Gitsune frown slightly. She couldn't tell whether Luo Shu genuinely had no time or if Kurumi before her was toying with her.
Hagoromo Gitsune leaned towards the latter, but the tricky part was—even if she was being teased, she didn't dare provoke a fight.
She ultimately didn't dare gamble, didn't dare bet that Kurumi Tokisaki was just a paper tiger.
"I understand." Suddenly, a massive fluffy fox tail unfurled behind Hagoromo Gitsune. As the tail flicked, a white envelope was presented before her by the movement of the tail.
"This contains my contact details. Please pass it to him when he returns."
With those words, Hagoromo Gitsune's tail lashed out, sending the envelope shooting towards Kurumi Tokisaki like a bullet from a barrel.
The envelope sliced through the air with a piercing shriek, making one wonder whether it might cut through flesh like a blade upon impact.
Yet bizarrely, the closer the envelope got to Kurumi, the slower it moved, until it came to a complete halt mid-air, suspended perfectly before the heterochromatic girl.
With effortless grace, the girl plucked the envelope between two fingers and casually tossed it aside. From the void, a woman's hand emerged, snatched the envelope, and withdrew into nothingness.
Watching this sudden apparition, Hagoromo Gitsune's eyelid twitched, but she remained silent.
"If the director returns, I'll notify him." Kurumi maintained her elegant, composed smile. "Was there anything else?"
"Nothing more." Hagoromo Gitsune gave Kurumi a long, penetrating look before turning away.
Her movements were deliberately slow, yet every muscle remained taut, ready to defend at any moment.
She maintained this cautious vigilance until well beyond the Hidden Management Department's barrier perimeter, only relaxing slightly when Kurumi was no longer in sight.
"Sister..." Kyokotsu gasped for breath, feeling they'd narrowly escaped disaster, before anxiously addressing Hagoromo Gitsune.
"Kyokotsu, take me to Akihabara's information broker." Hagoromo Gitsune's voice was ice-calm. "Heterochromatic eyes, black-red magic, time-slowing abilities - someone of that calibre can't have existed long without leaving traces."
Hagoromo Gitsune now firmly believed that relying solely on herself would make reviving Abe no Seimei or locating Hao Asakura to confirm their relationship impossibly difficult.
If even a branch of the SDS housed monsters like Kurumi Tokisaki - a being her instincts warned was unbeatable - what might other organisations conceal?
After all, the SDS wasn't the only transnational mysterious organisation in this world.
Until she understood this world's true landscape, reckless actions were unthinkable.
"Sister wants to visit an information dealer?" Kyokotsu hesitated. Their recent intelligence purchases had nearly drained most of the Hagoromo Group's coffers.
But she dared not oppose Hagoromo Gitsune's wishes, murmuring instead:
"Which dealer should we approach?"
Akihabara's information broker was merely a public platform - the real dealers were those backed by various factions.
Kyokotsu desperately hoped they'd choose a cheaper option this time; their finances couldn't withstand another expensive transaction.
"We'll find that dealer called Tsubame Shim at the broker. Yesterday's intel showed her information was more comprehensive."
'And twenty per cent more expensive,' Kyokotsu mentally groaned before replying aloud.
"Yes, sister, I shall take you there immediately."
With those words, Kyokotsu promptly led Hagoromo Gitsune towards the nearby streets of Akihabara.
...
Just as the two departed...
Hidden Management Department, third floor.
Luo Shu leaned against the window, watching the two figures gradually fade into the distance.