48 hours before the appearance of "The Gates of Hell".

Shinjuku, Takashimaya Department Store, Witch Love Divination Cafe.

"Ah, Ayano-chan, it's been a long time, it's been a long time, it's such a touching reunion......"

Natasha, a noble lady who has not seen her for a long time, with a rich fragrance, warmly embraces Mochizuki Ayano.

"It's only been two months, and the dark circles under my eyes have reappeared like this, it's really distressing......"

"It's not that heavy, is it...... I do come over for coffee occasionally, but a wayward boss who left the shop and 'just said go' naturally didn't see me. ”

Mochizuki Ayano, who finally struggled out of the other party's arms, took a sip of the coffee on the table, revealing a look of enjoyment.

"Hmm...... WORTHY OF TANZANIAN PEABERRY...... It's just the right amount of fruity, velvety and delicate, like a blackcurrant suddenly turning into a chocolate-like aftertaste......"

Whether it is about the taste and dependence on coffee, she has stayed up late for a long time to handle cases and relied on coffee to "continue her life", no one can beat her.

"By the way, you've been on this trip to Europe for a long time, and you're not afraid that the store will be sold when you come back?"

"Oh hehehe...... I can't help it, but the rainy season in Tokyo always makes people's joints sore, and it's easy to catch a cold, so if you're not careful, you might not even be able to save your life......"

Natasha took the coffee in front of her, elegantly adding brown sugar.

"So, why not wait until August is over and come back? In the past two days, it was the time when the rain was at its worst. ”

Looking at the hazy sky and the never-ending raindrops outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Mochizuki Ayano used her pair of golden-blue eyes to look curiously at Natasha in front of her, who had a graceful and luxurious temperament.

"That's because ......"

When asked this question, a blush of happiness appeared on Natasha's face.

"The long-awaited show is going to open in Tokyo......

"Huh? It must be an opera or a symphony or something, and I really envy your casual and pompous life. ”

Mochizuki Ayano took out a photo from the bag behind him.

"I came here this time to trouble you to help me divinate the whereabouts of this thing......"

In the photo, it is a white mask.

"This thing ......"

Natasha picked up the picture and looked at it carefully.

It's a pair of white masks with no features to speak of, mountains piled up on Don Quixote shelves.

"As you can see, it's a grudge."

Ayano Mochizuki stirred the coffee thoughtfully with a spoon.

According to her analysis of what happened to her on the dock, one of the functions of the white mask is that it can make people unable to focus on the wearer.

Even if the eyes see it, the brain's cognition will actively ignore it, achieving the effect of forgetting it at a glance.

Mochizuki Ayano, who happens to be able to objectively replay what she sees like a camera, was able to discover the existence of the other party by "flipping through her memory" at that time.

Although the appearance is very ordinary, Mochizuki Ayano uses his unforgettable memory to compare its appearance, size and other details with a certain item in his memory.

The 100% consistent result makes the identity of the resentment of the appearance of this mask come out.

It was she who personally led the team to contain, the complaining object "Rip Girl's Mask".

This item, after containment, was handed over to the Occult Research Institute for identification according to the procedure.

Last night, the research institute's application feedback results showed that the resentful object was implemented "permanent containment procedures" because of too many side effects and could not be used stably.

“…… Finding objects is not the strong point of tarot cards...... I can only try to guide you in the general direction. ”

With that, Natasha picked up a large stack of tarot cards on the side and shuffled them carefully.

"This time, is little Alkena added?"

Looking at the large stack of tarot cards that the other party had shuffled and handed over, Mochizuki Ayano's expression became serious.

"Of course, this is an extra service for Ayano-chan who hasn't been seen for two months."

The standard tarot deck consists of 78 cards, divided into 22 major Alkena main cards and 56 minor Alkena secondary cards.

The more cards used for scrying, the more accurate the result is, but the greater the cost of spiritual power to Natasha.

Thinking silently about the mask in her heart, Mochizuki Ayano hesitantly reached out and pulled out a card, placing it on the table with her back facing up.

Natasha closed her eyes tightly and reached out and pressed her hand on the back of the card.

The disturbing "spirits" kept coming from the level of position, lingering around the two of them, making obscure whispers.

"The invisible web of fate has given the answer......"

After a while, Natasha opened her eyes, blue spiritual power flowed in her eyes, and quickly turned over the cards.

On the board, there is a bright red heart.

Above that heart, there were three long swords, piercing through the center with precision.

Sword III, reversed.

Natasha slowly turns the board around and switches to straight position.

This is unique to her, the "reversal tablet" divination.

"I felt it...... Sadness...... Disappointed...... Suffering...... Harm from the outside world...... Betrayal from around you...... The answer I've been looking for......"

Rubbing the cards, two lines of tears slipped down her face as she muttered to the surface.

"And ...... The end of eternity! ”

As if electrocuted, Natasha pulled her hand off the card, as if sensing something terrible.

"Ayano-chan, promise me not to go after the whereabouts of this thing......"

She excitedly shook Mochizuki Ayano's hand: "Such a dangerous and direct sense of warning, I haven't seen divination for many years. ”

"The answer you've been seeking?"

Looking down at the heart that had been pierced by the sword, Mochizuki Ayano had a smile on her face for some reason.

……

44 hours before the appearance of the "Gates of Hell".

Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Occult Research Institute.

"It's not the day of the routine physical examination today, did you feel uncomfortable coming here in advance?"

Yasuji Mochizuki, who was wearing a white coat and gray hair as usual, carefully examined the data on the instrument.

"I just think that the fluctuation of pupil power has not been very stable recently."

Ayano Mochizuki, who walked out of the instrument, casually looked at the row of giant test tubes that were one person tall next to her.

These giant test tubes are filled with liquid spiritual power, which is used to isolate the connection between the resentful object and the outside world, and has a certain sealing effect.

"Patriarch, have all the resentments in this place been sent to permanent containment?"

The last time I visited, the tubes were soaked in fragments of the Cloud Mirror, the Headless Horseman's helmet, the Human-faced Dog's collar, and ...... Slit Woman's Mask.

This time, except for the [Necklace of the Human-faced Dog] borrowed in Lesson 9, several other resentment items have disappeared.

"Those few things were tested and the side effects were too great, so they were sent to permanent containment in accordance with the guidelines......"

Koji Mochizuki replied nonchalantly, his eyes intently confirming the dense data printed out on the instrument.

Immediately, his expression became serious.