After that, Rozen returned directly to the male dormitory of the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart and gave Shouko a call.
The means of communication had been given to him by Irori, who claimed it had been handed over by Shouko herself, instructing her to pass it to Rozen whenever needed so that he could contact Shouko.
Now, Rozen used it to get in touch with her directly.
And the moment the call connected, Shouko seemed to already know who it was, as she immediately said:
"Have you met the revenge maniac yet, little boy?"
Shouko directly brought up the matter.
Rozen could only respond with one sentence.
"You sure hid things well. You never even mentioned this to me."
Though Rozen held no real grudge over it, he couldn't help but bring it up and scold her a little.
Shouko chuckled softly.
"That's just how we show our consideration. Whether it's me or Yaya and the others, none of us wanted you to be too caught up in the affairs of the Akabane clan—especially after seeing what became of the second son of the Akabane household."
That was Shouko's explanation.
"Am I that irrational?"
Rozen objected aloud.
"Who knows?" Shouko sounded indifferent, then shifted the topic. "You didn't call just to complain to me, did you?"
As sharp as ever, Shouko immediately sensed that Rozen wasn't reaching out just because of Raishin.
Rozen didn't beat around the bush either and got straight to the point.
"Has something happened recently on the Izanagi side?"
That one question rendered Shouko speechless.
"Did you hear something?"
This time, Rozen didn't just sit and wait for an answer—he pressed her, almost aggressively.
"…Seems like you did some digging after meeting the second son of the Akabane family."
Shouko didn't answer directly, as if weighing her words.
Judging by her attitude, she clearly didn't want Rozen getting too involved with the Izanagi clan.
In the past, when Rozen had suspected the Izanagi clan might have known something about the Akabane clan's massacre and tried to approach them, it had also been Shouko who stopped him.
It was clear that she disapproved of Rozen having too much contact with Izanagi.
That clan was one of the noble houses of the Far Eastern island nation, akin to imperial bloodlines—pillars of the country. They had deep connections with the government and military—perhaps even being part of them—and held absolute authority. They were also longstanding enemies of the Akabane clan. Now that the Akabane clan had been wiped out, Tenzen had betrayed the nation, and Rozen possessed a power that stirred envy, even Shouko had to carefully balance between the two sides. Naturally, she wouldn't have it easy.
Strictly speaking, Shouko was a puppeteer affiliated with the Japanese military. She had provided the military with Oborofuji, a revolutionary creation that enhanced their capabilities and secured their support. This allowed her to afford the costly seiryuu and continue pursuing the limits of living automatons and bionic dolls, while protecting herself from covetous eyes and persecution. But clearly, Shouko had her own ambitions. That's why she entrusted Setsugetsuka to Rozen and hoped he would win at the Night Party.
In doing so, if the military ever tried to move against Rozen, Shouko wouldn't allow it. Yet, she couldn't afford to offend the military either, and had to work tirelessly to maintain a delicate balance.
Now, just when that balance had barely stabilized, Rozen wanted to touch the pillar of the nation—Izanagi clan. Of course Shouko had to think it over seriously.
But considering the anomalies he'd noticed in the past, combined with the fact that Hinowa had yet to return, and Magnus's words, Rozen couldn't help but dig deeper.
"Tell me, Shouko," Rozen said calmly. "I know where the boundaries are."
At those words, Shouko was silent for a long, long time.
Finally, she sighed.
"Something has indeed happened with the Izanagi recently."
Shouko revealed a hidden piece of information.
"Apparently, not long ago, the Izanagi clan foresaw some kind of dire omen, throwing their entire clan into turmoil. The princess of the noble house—Hinowa—has supposedly been extremely busy because of this."
The unexpected intel made Rozen narrow his eyes.
"A dire omen?"
So that was why Hinowa had been so busy back then and got summoned back during summer vacation, never to return since?
But...
"What kind of omen was it?"
Rozen asked.
The Izanagi was a clan of onmyouji, perhaps the last remaining such clan in the world. Their foundation was built on the heritage of onmyoudou, with high expertise in shikigami and divination. If they suddenly foresaw a dire omen and were thrown into chaos because of it, it wasn't unthinkable.
But what kind of omen would throw such a central pillar of a nation into such disorder? One that even dragged in a princess studying abroad in England?
"That I don't know. Izanagi's information control is extremely strict in this regard, so it clearly isn't a minor issue," Shouko said. "But apparently, the government knows something and is giving the Izanagi full support. Sending the second son of the Akabane family to me as a guard was supposedly at Izanagi's behest."
Rozen's brows furrowed.
"Raishin coming here was also Izanagi's idea?"
So whether it was to monitor Shouko, restrain Rozen, or move against Tenzen—was it all the will of the Izanagi clan?
"What about Hinowa?" Rozen asked again. "Is she also being held back by this situation?"
Otherwise, Hinowa should have returned immediately.
Considering that girl's obsession with Rozen, that much was obvious even without thinking hard.
But Hinowa still hadn't returned—clearly, something was up.
As expected...
"As for the princess, it's currently unclear," Shouko said honestly. "But according to a lieutenant general I know in the military, after returning to her clan, she appears to have been placed under house arrest. Meanwhile, the Izanagi clan has supposedly been in contact with some important figure from Britain."
"I see." Rozen furrowed his brows again, then said, "So there's a high chance Hinowa is still under house arrest?"
"I don't know," Shouko replied bluntly. "But it's very possible."
"Is there any way to contact Hinowa?"
"No way. That's the princess we're talking about. You seriously want to give the princess a call?"
"What about contacting the Izanagi clan?"
"You want to reach them just to get in touch with Hinowa? I don't think that's going to work."
True. If she was already under house arrest, there was no way they'd let him make contact.
Unless Rozen agreed to align with the island nation, this route was unlikely.
"Fine. Then if anything happens on the Izanagi side, let me know."
"You really treat me like your subordinate, huh?"
"Then I'll go myself."
"…You little brat. Already know how to threaten me, huh? Fine, fine, I'll let you know. Seriously, what do I even owe you…"
With Shouko's voice filled with resignation and sighs, Rozen ended the call.
Then, Rozen stood in place for a moment, pondering silently. After a while, he spoke in his mind.
"Serenity, are you there?"
Rozen called out to one of his contracted Servants.
"Yes, Rozen-sama. Serenity is always here."
Serenity responded immediately.
"Could I ask you to head to Japan and infiltrate Izanagi clan's headquarters?" Rozen said. "I have the Night Party on my side, and all eyes are on me. I don't know what might happen next, and I can't slip away. Please take care of this."
For Serenity, this mission should be quite easy.
After all, as a Hassan and an Assassin-class Servant, infiltration was her specialty.
Without hesitation, Serenity accepted.
"Please leave it to me, Rozen-sama."
As she spoke, a faint mist of blood drifted from Rozen's body, forming into the figure of a girl.
The girl immediately turned to spirit form and used the skill Presence Concealment to hide herself, vanishing without a trace.
Rozen watched Serenity disappear, then turned to head toward where Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki were waiting.