Chapter 22

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**"In the early hours of today, three unconscious individuals of unknown nationality were found on the rooftop of the JR Tower...”**

“Ahh!”

I was watching the news when a little girl changed the channel.

Well, it’s fine. It wasn’t that interesting of a news story anyway.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you. Someone tried to break into the house last night?”

“Burglar!?”

What kind of news is that!? That’s more concerning than the TV news!

“I didn’t notice anything. Did anything get stolen?”

“It’s fine. Thanks to the barrier, they couldn’t even enter the property.”

“Oh! So the barrier adjustment worked, then?”

Kuro said it was just a precaution, so I mimicked the barrier I saw during the divine match and covered the property. However, if I just set up the barrier, no one could come back home. So, I learned the adjustment method from the chairman’s father through Kuro and tried it out. The barrier I have now reacts to ‘malice and aggression.’ The burglar had malice, so they couldn’t get in.

“Anyway, you should have told me about something so important earlier.”

“Sorry, I forgot.”

Kuro often forgets things... Ah! Speaking of which, I forgot too. I had something I wanted to do today.

“Emergency family meeting!”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“Caw?”

There’s something I’ve been wanting to address for a while, so I’m going to resolve it today. It’s about—

“I’m going to name the crow and the little girl.”

“Hmm.”

“Caw!”

“...!”

I thought we could wait until it was necessary to name them, but I can’t put it off anymore. The crow is one thing, but the little girl needs a name urgently. Our neighbor, Isa, and the other moms in the neighborhood really like her, and they often ask for her name. I’ve been dodging the question, but I’ve reached my limit.

“Well, to be honest, I’ve already decided on the names.”

“K!?”

“...!!”

The crow and the little girl look at me with hopeful eyes. No, no, don’t get your hopes up. The names are pretty straightforward...

“First, the crow. Your name is ‘Shiro.’ I thought it would be a good match with Kuro, and it also plays on the concept of yin and yang... there are various reasons.”

“Caw! Caw!”

Wow!? Is this a sign of happiness? Well, it’s fine.

“Next, the little girl. Your name is ‘Rin.’ I’ll never forget the sound of the sword being sheathed during the collapse of the tower. It sounded like a bell, so I chose this name.”

“...!”

Oh!? Did she just speak? Why now? ...She seems like she wants to say something more.

“...snack”

“Snack?”

Oh!? Snack? Why now? And the first word she says is snack... She’s as laid-back as ever.

With Shiro and Rin’s names decided and Rin starting to speak... what started as a casual family meeting turned into a bit of a milestone.

“Let’s celebrate.”

I took out the snacks I had bought for the occasion and, while lying on the kotatsu, we all celebrated lazily.

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In a room of a building in Sapporo, a woman was holding her head, and a large man was casually looking out the window.

“Kōji Yuki... who exactly is he?”

“Beats me. I lost without even seeing his face, so I have no idea. When I came to, I thought it was a dream to find myself in the holding cell.”

The large man laughed and answered the woman’s question.

The woman’s name is ‘Chie.’ She holds the rank A position in the paranormal organization ‘Divine,’ which was formed with the goal of ‘reaching the divine.’ This rank is given only to those who have transcended their abilities to the highest level.

The large man’s name is ‘Dies.’ Due to his powerful abilities, he also holds the rank A position. Seeing Chie in distress, he spoke up.

“Did you find out anything with your ability, Chie?”

Chie’s ability is ‘Perception,’ which allows her to sense events within a radius of several kilometers. From a sealed room, she can perceive images and sounds within her range, though it’s not combat-oriented, its versatility and wide range have earned it the rank A designation.

“The battle ended with a black cat instantly killing three people. The target, Kōji Yuki, didn’t even appear. The house was surrounded by a transparent barrier, which I couldn’t penetrate... the mystery only deepens.”

“Maybe if Yui or Touri were there, they could have seen inside the barrier. The network seems to be connected...”

Chie shot Dies a glare so cold it could freeze the air.

“What are you saying? They’re dead. Besides, it was because of them that the ‘Cold Heat,’ ‘Bestowal,’ and ‘Combination’ members escaped. Don’t talk about traitors.”

“S-Sorry.”

“And the headquarters tried to hack into Kōji Yuki’s computer, but it didn’t work. So, even if they were there, the result wouldn’t have changed.”

Despite her cold anger, Chie answered Dies’s question.

“S-Sorry.”

Dies, who had inadvertently mentioned the former comrades who betrayed the organization and were eliminated, turned to Chie and quietly reflected. Chie, who could understand his thoughts, decided to move on.

“Anyway, the headquarters was shocked by Kōji Yuki. They didn’t expect that someone could instantly kill one rank A and two rank B paranormals. They’re holding an all-night meeting right now.”

“...Wow, the headquarters must be tired.”

Chie glared at Dies, who had regained his nonchalant attitude, but he didn’t notice as he continued to look out the window.

“Haa...”

After a particularly heavy sigh, Chie began to speak about the future.

“For now, we can only wait for the release of Cefek, Toy, and Melt, and for orders from headquarters. I expect the order will be to prioritize capturing ‘Cold Heat,’ ‘Bestowal,’ and ‘Combination.’ Get some rest in preparation for that.”

“Understood.”

The paranormal organization quietly began to move to disrupt Kōji’s peace.

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I hope you will continue to watch the adventures of Shiro and Rin, now with their names.

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