Spy
Mistress Sato sighed. A spy in her classroom? Who would waste placing a spy at this level? They'd have to be both intelligent and cunning whilst being incredibly dense - almost mono-focused. This was not the person she was expecting. Still as said, there was a difference between a spy and an asset. And while one was likely an asset for the terrorists she was not the spy. However this person being the spy made no sense. Yes, she fit the profile, but why would someone from that family ever do that?
This did explain a lot of Stallion's odd moves. A mix between incredible brilliance and utter stupidity. But why and how? What made her deviate from the truth? Mistress Sato then look at who the girl was spying for. That would make sense. Not a spy for any any of the yokai or the any of the terrorist groups themselves, but the cult instead. It had been believed to be less dangerous because doom-sayers always exist. But with how things were, a greater recruitment and danger would naturally occur. So Cult of Dawn or Cult of Fire?
Officially she hoped for the Cult of Dawn, but it would be easier to deal with if she was in the Cult of Fire.
Mistress Sato spoke up. "I am sorry to block you all from leaving. But There is a spy in one of the teams."
Team stallion grinned. Then Mistress Sato shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid while Team Lion has certain sympathies, they are not the people who have been penetrated. You have, Team Stallion. At first it didn't seem like your team, Kia, but then I realised something. Your recent moves have been a mix of utter genius and incredible density. You have been manipulated with consummate skill by a traitor. Still it's not as bad as it could have been. When did you join the Phoenix Cult, Sakiko?"
"The Phoenix cult?" Sakiko asked completely clueless.
Mistress Sato sighed. "The Cult of Dawn, or the Cult of Fire."
"Oh. I see what you mean. I joined the other branch. The very small one, you know. It seemed the most accurate to the truth. But what on Earth makes you think I'm spying for them?"
"The attack on the Yotsuba group. Encountering white Meteor. All were carefully tipped from the original plans by you. Oh you never actually officially gave the ideas, but a small slip of the tongue, got your team pointing in the direction you wanted. By reporting certain things or not reporting them. It seems odd that you didn't alter which plants were listening froim daffodils, once you knew the enemy knew. But if you did you could still hear plans and guide your team."
Mistress Sato noticed as Yukiko seemed to conspicuously not move her hand towards her sword but stopped. Why would Yukiko be doing that? Unless -Oh.
"Whose life did you take, Sakiko? The only reason a Shadow Mage would be reacting like that is if you are a dark Mage."
"No-ones." Sakiko stated. "Or possibly mine, depending on how you look at it. I gained past life memories."
"You'd be in a monastery. We can detect past life memories."
"Oh, you'd certainly detect them If I gained them from this world's past. But I gained them from an alternate future. Team Stallion died on their frame job against Team Lion, so Team Lion was executed. You needed someone to blame. But I redirected them from the very dangerous Dark Kingdom to the mostly harmless Yotsuba group, where hopefully they'd be caught and just given a community service and some scrubbing while learning the truth. Unfortunately they were too skilled to be caught."
"Memory alteration?" everyone else panicked.
"I just meant cleaning off the graffiti they caused." Sakiko stated. Nobody believed her (In her mind 7 mini-Sakiko's sighed.) "So next plan get in good with someone who did need our help. White Meteor. We could be helpful. Show that we were useful. Until the ministry almost ruined that as well. Though the Oni fortress changing sides was a surprise to me."
"You should have spotted Sakiko's change of fate." Mistress Sato complained
"Sakiko didn't alter fate. It's just that she can sometimes adjust certain details."
"Think of it as a Visual Novel. I can sometimes change outcomes but not the events themselves . Team Stallion was still caught by a dangerous magical community. The member of Lion who was escaped being killed by by going native in the Yotsuba group is still there. A bit later than originally happened, and not so native."
Mistress Sato barely moved before a swirling black mass erupted from Sakiko's shadow blocking her way before forming into a dog-like shape changing from wolf to a puppy and back with rapidity until it seemed to settle as a Grim. While Shadowy tentacles surrounded Sakiko.
"I recognise that Dark Familiar. It should be collared. The only way it can't be..." Yukiko looked astonished. "Tears of a Phoenix. Rebirth through their own death. The Moon prophecy is obvious now we think about it. But I can't see the Senshi freeing so many yokai so quickly by that method. They're far too busy to do that."
"Oh, from what I remember they hadn't worked out the Tears of the Phoenix yet in the original time-line." Sakiko stated only to get yelled at by two of the mini Sakiko's inside her head. "But they probably have now. After all the capture of the market happened a lot earlier, here."
The Dark familiar shifted and breathed Shadow-flame destroying a wall before catching the now very sleepy Sakiko and carrying her off through it.
Later that night.
"Mom, something weird happened at class. "Sakiko turned out to be part of the Phoenix Cult."
"Sakiko?" Yukiko's mother sighed. "She's quite sweet when you can finally get her to stop being all insufferably noble. How did anyone manage to get that important information into the idiots head?"
"Weirdly she had a past life, but from an alternate future. and had manipulated Team Stallion."
"Probably by little nudges here and there that she likely never realised she made. Sakiko is very dense and over does every thing she commits too. Not stupid but dense. There is a difference."