21st Century Necromancer

Minami returned to the surveillance line of sight, which undoubtedly relieved everyone on the operation team. Although the presence of Kojo Kyoko added an unpredictable element, increasing the danger of the surveillance, the panic caused by the Magician had, at last, subsided.

All members of the operation team went back to their routine surveillance duties, following the trio of Minami as they strolled through the streets of Shibuya.

Of course, due to the appearance of Kojo Kyoko, the operation team became even more cautious in their surveillance. They not only maintained their distance but also switched to using electronic devices to film Minami and her companions rather than having team members follow them closely.

The purpose of this was to avoid alerting Kojo Kyoko to any surveillance, a necessary precaution when monitoring high-level Transcendents.

After all, high-level Transcendents had a very strong sense of perception, and even the slightest gaze could trigger their vigilance. Using electronic devices, which prevented the detection of gazes, made it less likely for them to be discovered.

However, it seemed that Kojo Kyoko had no ulterior motives and spent most of the day just following behind Minami and Kohinata Kaori, window-shopping with the two girls, seemingly just there to accompany Minami for the day.

Even though everything seemed back on track, as if no accidents would happen, Kusanagi Ritsuko did not let her guard down. She didn't know where the problem might arise, but her intuition told her that today there would definitely be danger and significant events occurring.

Just as Kusanagi Ritsuko heightened her alertness in secret, Minami and Kohinata Kaori, after a day's wandering, had grown somewhat hungry.

"Let's go eat something! My stomach is growling after a whole day of walking. Miss Kojo, are you hungry yet?" Minami rubbed her stomach. Although as a Spiritual Body she didn't need to eat, under the influence of Chen Yu's "resurrection" Spell, she still retained sensations identical to those of a normal person, including hunger and appetite.

While it wasn't a problem not to eat, it was better to have something when feeling hungry.

Kojo Kyoko was no exception. In fact, before breaking through to Legendary status, even though Transcendents had stronger physical constitutions than normal people, they also required more food because their powerful bodies needed more nutrients.

At the Mingyue Society, there were chefs dedicated to providing high-energy food for Kojo Kyoko, but now she didn't mind joining the two girls for what was considered ordinary food.

Though high-energy foods could satisfy the body's needs, their taste was hardly appealing.

"I'm a bit hungry. What do you want to eat? I know there are a few good restaurants nearby, one of them serves Thai food that's quite delicious," Kojo Kyoko said, looking at Minami and Kohinata Kaori, asking for their opinion.

"Thai cuisine? I've never tried it before! Minami, how about we have Thai food tonight?" Perhaps having developed a psychological shadow from three years in the United Kingdom, Kohinata Kaori now couldn't resist any delicacy, especially unfamiliar foods, which were particularly tempting to her.

Minami hesitated a bit, but seeing Kohinata Kaori so excited, she also nodded, "I've never had Thai cuisine either, so let's go for that!"

Seeing that both agreed to have Thai cuisine, Kojo Kyoko also nodded and took out her phone to call the restaurant for reservations.

Although it was almost time for dinner, because of Kojo Kyoko's phone call, they were still able to make a reservation successfully, so the three girls headed towards the restaurant's location.

The restaurant mentioned by Kojo Kyoko was not far from where they were, so the three of them chose to walk.

Watching over them, Kusanagi Ritsuko saw that the three were preparing to dine and confirmed the location of the restaurant and Inomata Naoki's current position. Seeing that the two were still in different districts of Tokyo, she felt somewhat relieved. Although her sixth sense was still warning her, Kusanagi Ritsuko knew that for the time being, nothing should go wrong.

After thinking it over, she instructed her subordinates, "Send someone to order food. Let each team take turns to rest and eat. It's been a hard day; don't starve. We can't fight a winning battle on an empty stomach."

However, while giving her subordinates a break, Kusanagi Ritsuko also asked with concern, "Where is Inomata Naoki now?"

"Inomata Naoki is currently on his way to the previously reserved restaurant. Tokairin Yuko is also nearing the end of her workday; they should arrive at the target restaurant within an hour," the team monitoring Inomata Naoki reported to Kusanagi Ritsuko. Unlike Minami's side, their day had been uneventful.

But the calmer it was, the more intense Kusanagi Ritsuko's sense of foreboding became. This feeling was like having a gun pointed to her head; even though it hadn't fired, the sense of danger was always there, making Kusanagi Ritsuko keep her nerves tightly wound.

"The location of his reserved restaurant?" Kusanagi Ritsuko persisted, still not reassured.

"Near Tokyo Skytree. We have already contacted the restaurant in advance, and the scene has been set up," the surveillance team responded. Once they knew where Inomata Naoki had made his reservation, they had prepared accordingly.

The response from the action team should have reassured Kusanagi Ritsuko, but for some reason, she felt increasingly uneasy.

If the reason Kohinata Kaori approached Minami was to take her out today, and the magician's actions were to ensure Kojo Kyoko's presence beside Minami, how then were these events connected to making sure Minami and Inomata Naoki met?

Kusanagi Ritsuko did not believe these were mere coincidences. She keenly felt that there was a hidden manipulator behind all this, guiding everything, and that the ultimate goal was to have Minami and Inomata Naoki meet.

But now, with one person in Shibuya District and the other in Sumida Ward, separated by the entirety of Chiyoda Ward, how could they possibly bring the two together? Was it time for the magician to perform another magic trick?

Instinctively, Kusanagi Ritsuko thought it was impossible. After all, the same method might have gone unnoticed the first time, but to allow the same approach to work twice and let the opponent succeed, she felt she would have to commit seppuku as an apology.

With such doubts in mind, Kusanagi Ritsuko marked the positions of Minami and Inomata Naoki on the map, as well as the locations of the two restaurants.

Looking at the map, she felt there must be a connection, but she could not find the clue to link them together.

Just then, a message came through the command channel: "Tokairin Yuko has finished work and left UDI. She is heading to Tokyo's inner city."