The Principal's Office - Lunch break

Back in this room again---Akane isn't here, but rather, an old yet sturdy looking man is. Judging by the way he's standing near principal Yuriko, I can only assume that he's her butler, or her bodyguard.

"Glad you could make it this quickly, boy. I'd like you to meet this man here---his name is Taniguchi Reizo. He's been serving my family for generations. And Reizo, this is Yoshida Ryou, the new student." Yuriko introduced us to each other.

"It's very rare of Henry to recruit students, and it's absurd that you passed Motomi-sama's test. Nevertheless, it wasn't my decision." Reizo said.

He's served her family for generations? Is she that rich?

"May I enter?" Someone spoke from behind the office's door.

"Come on in, Henry. We were just about to start the discussion."

Henry's also here. This must be the talk she said she'd have with me regarding Akane's case.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you must not leave this room, unless I permit it. Got it, boy?" Yuriko said, in a threatening manner.

"Y-yes, but why isn't Akane here?" I asked.

"She's undergoing treatment, so I can assure you that she's fine. I won't let anyone even harm a hair on her head." Yuriko responded.

"Why don't we get this discussion going?" Henry insisted.

"All right. Listen closely, boy. Six months ago, Akane was sent on a solo mission to an enemy base to spy for intel. But, she got caught in the process, and was presumably dead, until Henry tracked her down---working part-time, along with a rekishiya such as yourself, and having no memories of her past, including her powers. We can only assume that it was the enemy's doing."

"What enemy? You mean like those who attacked me and Akane?"

"Correct, but they were just expendable pawns of the enemy. They were only sent to confirm one thing---Henry's existence."

"What do you mean by that? Is he officially supposed to be dead, or something?" I asked, with a puzzled expression.

"No, not quite. I believe dormant is the word you're looking for. Henry is one of their biggest threats---has been for a long time. Sending him to find Akane proved to be successful in drawing out the enemy, but at the same time, compromising his existence. We interrogated those two men, and were able to gather some good enough information---They revealed that Akane was abducted by a certain someone after she was captured by the enemy. They also mentioned that he single-handedly wiped out the entire base effortlessly---no ordinary fighter could pull off such a feat." Yuriko explained.

Now that we are talking about this, what about her university? Her parents? Were they all lies? No, that can't be. And who is this enemy?

"Regarding the two men, they are part of an organisation called Imperium. It's believed that it was formed just before the First World War, and they are, to simply put, the enemy of humanity. After almost 5 years of tracking, we were finally able to pinpoint the location of one of their research bases---naturally, we sent our then-best soldier, Akane, to investigate, and to gather valuable information. We did get something from her---an audio transmission just before she got captured. Here, listen."

She picked her phone up from the table and played the recording.

"...This is bad. Real bad. There are people here, in captivity, being used for experiments. They look lifeless. Blood is being extracted out of them through tubes attached to them, and they're leading to... another room...? Wha---there are people in here too, and they are... being fed with the blood!? There seems to be a small paper here, regarding the research... What could it b--...."

The audio stopped. Akane sounded so much different---but it was undoubtedly her voice. So, she really did work for these guys.

"We have no clue as to what was truly going on, but all we know is that they were conducting heinous experiments on people---experiments that are considered taboo, even among us. They are illegal to be performed as well." Yuriko said.

"What kind?" I asked.

"That'll be a conversation for another day. What I want you to do is to use your powers---on Akane. Henry told me about your ability, and it's too valuable. I plan to make good use of it. You can consider this as payment for studying here." Yuriko said, with a sadistic smile.

Of course, I knew it was too good to be true, to be freeloading. But then again, they aren't using me for anything shady. I suppose I'll give in.

"I don't see why not. We have a deal."

"Good. All I need you to do is to glance into Akane's past and tell us what you see. Simple as that. This is very sensitive information that we're looking for, so we need you to do well."

"I'll do what I can. Meanwhile, tell me something... Is your sword the Honjo Masamune?" I asked.

"So, I presume you saw the past of this blade?"

I nodded yes.

"It's... not the legendary blade. It is one of the other ones that went missing, along with the Honjo Masamune. I'm impressed, nevertheless."

"Then what's that gem-like stone embedded onto the hilt?"

She threw a serious expression.

"Do you really want to know, boy?"

"Yes." I replied.