A completely new work in the beloved 2000s light novel series, "Inukkami!" Keita and Yoko continue their chaotic yet cheerful life together, but as spiritual mediums, they have completely become relics of the past and are fading from the world's memory. However, they suddenly find themselves caught up in a battle between a visiting American President and the world's most dangerous spiritualist, who is targeting the President's life. Can Keita, who has become a "person of the past," manage to reg
Shin Inukkami! ~Master of the Highest Edition~ - "The Forgotten Psychic"
Youko and Nadeshiko arranged to meet at the train station and then headed to their usual café, "Le Zarbrule," where they began their chat. There was nothing particularly pressing they needed to discuss.
It had become their long-standing habit to meet regularly for tea. Both were inukami with complicated personal histories. There had been times when their differing positions led them into life-or-death battles, and times when they stood together against overwhelmingly powerful enemies.
Laughing together, shedding tears for one another—so many shared experiences.
Those accumulated experiences had gradually transformed the two of them into a relationship that could be described in just a single phrase.
In other words: inseparable best friends.
As best friends do, they chattered away over a single cup of black tea, discussing all manner of things. Updates on each other's lives. How they needed to switch their wardrobes with the changing seasons. How that cheap supermarket had closed down. About all those discount coupons piling up online.
The conversation leaned somewhat toward housewife territory, but interspersed among these topics were updates about the inukami belonging to Kawahira Kaoru, like Sendan and Tomohane.
Youko was fundamentally cheerful and high-spirited, laughing frequently. She'd bluntly criticize people at times, but her eyes always held a certain kindness in their laughter. In contrast, Nadeshiko was refined and composed, with polished speech patterns, though she occasionally delivered surprisingly sharp comments. These two girls were opposite in appearance yet similar in substance. Their conversation seemed endless.
After chattering away for about an hour, and having nearly finished the cake they'd ordered alongside their tea, Nadeshiko stretched with an "Mm~" and smiled softly.
"I'm so glad I got to talk with you today, Youko-san. It really recharged my spirits. We'll both be quite busy for a while from here on out, won't we? Will Keita-sama be joining the meeting with Karina-san starting tomorrow?"
"Huh?"
"I won't be going to the actual site this time. I've been assigned to provide support from the rear. I haven't been told the details yet, but it seems our opponent will be formidable indeed. Please be careful, alright?"
"Sorry."
Youko pressed her fist to her temple, paused a moment, then said:
"...Nadeshiko. I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."
Nadeshiko couldn't seem to understand Youko's words either. She stood there with her mouth hanging open, frozen in place.
Then:
"Huh? You haven't received a briefing from Karina-san?"
She asked back, eyes wide as saucers, her movements stiff. Youko gave a large, emphatic nod. After that, Nadeshiko suddenly:
"I-I'm so sorry! I'm terribly sorry!"
She went into full apology mode.
"I apologize! Let's just pretend I didn't say that! I completely thought—"
"Wait, wait, wait. What? What do you mean?"
When Youko pressed her, Nadeshiko replied:
"This is bad. I'm sorry. Please forget everything!"
Nadeshiko pressed her fist against her lips, trembling with tears in her eyes as she shook her head.
"Come on—"
Youko leaned forward.
"Don't say it like that! Now I'm totally curious about it!"
She tapped the table repeatedly with her palms. After considerable coaxing, threatening, and cajoling, she finally managed to extract the gist from Nadeshiko.
"I really can't go into details. Even though I've carelessly mentioned it, this is government work, so there are confidentiality obligations, I believe."
With that preamble, what Nadeshiko told her could be summarized as:
"So basically, there's a pretty huge job coming up soon?"
Nadeshiko gave a small nod.
"Yes. I heard that psychics with proven abilities have been called up for it."
"..."
Youko's eyes narrowed.
"Kaoru-sama said it might be 'the biggest job yet.'"
Nadeshiko added. Youko looked pensive.
"...So Keita hasn't been contacted at all about this, huh?"
"Um, is it true that Keita-sama hasn't received any notification whatsoever?"
Nadeshiko pressed, as if she couldn't quite believe it. Youko grinned.
"Nope. Keita hasn't been hiding it either. He genuinely hasn't been contacted."
"That can't be..."
"And another thing—Keita hasn't done any work with Karina-san for the past year. Not because they had a fight or anything like that, mind you. He just... stopped getting any calls from her."
"..."
Nadeshiko placed her hand on her lap and curled in on herself.
It seemed to hurt her more than just the shame of carelessly leaking information—the fact that Keita wasn't involved at all in the case that Kaoru had called 'the biggest job yet' struck her like a genuine shock.
She was shocked, and at the same time, profoundly sad.
"Nadeshiko," Youko asked her slowly.
"Do you think the same way? In other words..."
Was Keita a psychic who had already 'finished'?
Her tone, while smiling, did not let the matter drop.
Nadeshiko's face suddenly looked up.
---
At the same time, Special Assignment Psychic Investigator Karina Shiro was chasing after his superior through the corridors of the Spiritual Pacification Bureau.
"Wait, please, Director! Why won't you approve the recruitment of Kawahira Keita!"
He walked quickly, his voice loud.
"Director! Please! His unique talents shine brightest on stages like this. I beseech you to reconsider!"
The soft-haired young man walking ahead turned around. With a sigh, he said:
"You sure are a persistent fellow, Chirou. I examined Kawahira Keita fairly and rigorously from an objective standpoint, as you suggest. And I reached the conclusion that his current ability as a psychic is inferior. There is no leniency nor ulterior motive in this assessment. End of discussion."
With that peculiar, childish tone of his, he was about to turn and leave.
Karina hurried to grab his sleeve and hold him back.
"W-wait, please. Inferior? Kawahira Keita, you mean?"
His tone was one of disbelief. The director made no attempt to hide his irritation this time and shook Karina's hand away.
"Then let me ask you in return! You seem to have valued Kawahira Keita quite highly all this time, but on what grounds exactly is that based? According to official records, he's produced virtually no noteworthy results in the past five years!"
"No, that's... well..."
"Moreover, his results from before five years ago are themselves remarkably vague. The great turmoil in Yoshiichi caused by the ancient kitsune and Akamichi? Wasn't that primarily due to the efforts of the previous and current heads of the Kawahira clan? The trial of the ancient gods? We have no records of it whatsoever!"
"B-but that's not—! The Grim Reaper! The one that possessed the Shindo family—"
The director gave an exaggerated shrug and laughed.
"Yes, yes, that's right. The one and only case where Kawahira Keita produced clearly tangible results. But conversely, it could also be said this way: that was his peak. Early-blooming psychics aren't particularly rare, you know."
"..."
The director softened his tone just slightly.
"If you dislike the word 'inferior,' I suppose I could walk it back a bit. But the current state of his abilities is merely average, or at best, slightly above average. He absolutely does not meet the high level of combat prowess, judgment, and other standards required for this operation. As you know, this is a massive undertaking with the nation's honor on the line. And furthermore..."
Here the director frowned.
"When I traced through his records from five years ago, there were instances of him being detained at police stations multiple times. Even for indecent exposure incidents of a decidedly antisocial nature."
"Ah, well, I believe some sad accidents occurred, but..."
"Look, I'm not about to hold his past misdeeds against him at this point. Simply put, he's completely unsuitable for this operation—not only in terms of ability, but in terms of character and conduct as well."
The director added this as a final statement:
"Well, that concludes this discussion! You have mountains of work to attend to, I'm sure. You'd best forget all about this mediocre psychic whose only achievements are in the past!"
With that, the director left. Karina Shiro stood alone in the corridor, motionless.
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