Please to Kitsune-sama!

Thanks to some high-octane maneuvering at dusk, they had finally managed to shake the suspicious car… but Inari, overwhelmed more by mental exhaustion than physical, was left completely drained.

"Are you alright?"

"Uu... well, I shall be fine, it is just a tad tiring, that is all."

Though the car was cruising calmly now, that was only because it would be troublesome if the tailing vehicle managed to catch up.

Still, Sebastian’s driving had been nothing short of extraordinary.

"By the way, that car from earlier—they were Awakeners."

"Oh? Thou canst tell?"

"Yes. Awakener-only vehicles have distinct features. Which means... there’s a good chance that lot were scouts of the less savory variety."

Scouts—as in, those who recruit for Clans.

There were countless Clans in Japan, and with the national headquarters of the Awakener Association located in Tokyo, many Clans had either their main offices or branches established there as well.

But Clans came in all shapes and sizes. Among them were ruffian-like groups not much better than thugs, or Clans that wore the face of respectability but were rotten to the core.

Such Clans often used underhanded methods to gather members, and it wasn’t uncommon for the Awakener Association to crack down on the ones that went too far.

"I see... so that’s how it is," Inari murmured thoughtfully.

She figured this whole mess likely stemmed from the dungeon outing with Yasuno. There were certainly people snapping photos or making calls back then—odds were, among them were agents from one of those shady Clans.

"They only had a photo of my face, so they waited in Akihabara… that wouldst explain it."

"Makes sense. Akihabara’s a go-to spot for Awakeners after all."

"That seems likely. In which case... what now?"

"Hmm. Well, I shall manage somehow. Let’s see… Yasuno’s number is…"

Pulling out the business card she received, Inari began fumbling with her newly acquired smartphone to make a call.

After a few rings, Yasuno’s voice answered on the other end.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"Ah, ’tis I, of course."

"Okay wow, impersonation scams are so out of date."

"It’s Inari."

"...Geh—please ignore that last comment. What’s the matter?"

"Hmm. It seemeth some unsavory fellows have taken an interest in me. I hitched a ride with a passing maid and butler and lost them for the time being."

"Wait, wait, wait. That’s way too much to dump on me all at once. Uh... hold on..."

Inari heard the sound of someone tapping on a desk through the line.

"First of all, what’s this about a maid and a head butler? Are they the help from some noble household?"

"Nay, they were maids from Akihabara."

"Ah... right. Yeah, I’ve seen those. Well, that’s a relief. But seriously, don’t go hopping into strangers’ cars so easily. That could’ve gone south!"

"Aye, aye. I was prepared to handle it should that come to pass. Worst case, I’d have lit a foxfire or carved the door open with Kogetsu."

Indeed, that was her backup plan. Had she needed to put it into action, tomorrow’s headlines might have featured her. It truly was a stroke of luck that the maid and butler turned out to be decent folk. But anyway—

"In any case, that explains the unknown number on my screen. As for those suspicious individuals... I’ll dispatch a team. Tell the driver the location I’m about to give you."

"Understood. The address is..."

"Ah, that’s the Japan HQ, then. So I take it we’re headed straight there."

As Sebastian drove them onward, the car soon arrived in front of the headquarters building. A staff member guarding the entrance ran up and knocked on the window.

"We’ve been informed by Yasuno. We’ll handle moving the vehicle—please proceed to the 32nd floor, Second Reception Room. Here is your permit."

"Thank you kindly."

Sebastian accepted the permit, stepped out first, and opened the rear door for the others.

Eri followed right after and, in her full maid persona, offered a gracious escort with a, "This way, milady." It seemed now that things were secure, she was back in high spirits.

"You two... well, I suppose it matters not."

With both of their eyes sparkling with excitement, Inari had no real reason to stop them. She walked on with them in tow.

One of the security staff joined their procession, which from an outsider’s perspective must have looked like a full VIP entourage.

"Whoa, that’s a maid and a butler..."

"Hey, that butler’s so... Sebastian..."

"They’ve got security too. Must be someone real important."

“Hmm... Is this what they call standing out too much? Well, at this point, a bit more attention’s hardly worth fretting over…”

Inari had finally wrapped her head around what a smartphone could do—apparently, it could send a person’s photo to someone else in an instant.

Thinking back to the number of people holding up their phones in the dungeon, it was safe to assume her face had been widely circulated. Today’s incident was simply the natural result.

The question now was what to do next.

And most importantly—Inari still had no intention of bringing others into the dungeon with her.

Regardless of whether the Clans were noble or corrupt, she intended to reject any and all recruitment offers.

The only concern was how to do so effectively.

She could only hope that whoever she was about to meet already understood that much.