Tokyo Ravens Volume 2 Chapter 5

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...Yakou's shikigami......!?

Kakugyouki, the Mystical Investigator had said, naming himself Hishamaru. Harutora had impressions of those two names, and he remembered that they had indeed been two especially famous ones among Yakou's shikigami, but why would Yakou's shikigami be here? His mind was befuddled and his gaze stared intently at the oni before him, unable to move.

"R, Really? Is that the real Kakugyouki? No way!?"

"Shut up, Tenma, how would I know whether it's real or not!"

Kyouko reprimanded Tenma who had sunk into a panic by the side, but her internal shock was clearly audible from her angry voice. She only reprimanded others to force herself to stay stable.

Touji's gaze was solemn, and he asked of Natsume who was lying in the arena: "Natsume! Can you tell?"

But Natsume, who was collapsed on the ground and had a close look at the strange figure, couldn't reply to Touji's question for some time. Her mind was close to paralyzed, and all she could see by looking up from her position was Kakugyouki's overwhelming, gigantic bulk.

She squeezed out the words "I don't know......", her gaze still lingering on the oni before her.

"I don't know, Kakugyouki is a servant shikigami, which is a materialized spirit! Moreover, it was an ancient 'demon' that lived for several centuries - rumored to be a true oni. Going by those sayings, its exterior could have changed significantly...... E, Except for the spiritual characteristic of its single arm......"

The Mystical Investigator couldn't help but snicker upon hearing Natsume's explanation. Natsume could 'see' the link of spiritual power between the Mystical Investigator and the oni, and this oni - Kakugyouki - was surely his shikigami that he used.

"I materialized, yet you show no signs of awakening......"

"How troublesome, Natsume-kun. It seems like this will take some time."

The Mystical Investigator let out two kinds of voices one after another with an entranced look, two obviously different voices.

"What's going on? The whereabouts of Hishamaru and Kakugyouki were lost after Yakou died, and they're still unknown even today! What are you playing at?"

"I do not intend to answer the question you ask, my King."

"It's alright, Kakugyouki - the situation is very simple, Natsume-kun. As Yakou has reincarnated into your body, I am Hishamaru's reincarnation, and that is why Kakugyouki is beside me. We have always been gathering comrades, waiting for our master to awaken."

The Mystical Investigator was in a trance, speaking for both Kakugyouki - the oni before them - and the reincarnated Hishamaru - himself - at the same time. Natsume unconsciously stared dumbfounded.

"......This, how can such a stupid thing......"

"That won't do, King. Reality is laid out before you, it is undeniable."

"Hishamaru, enough talking, let's get that brat first."

A s.a.d.i.s.tic smile floated onto the Mystical Investigator's mouth, like a cat torturing mice.

At the same time Kakugyouki took action.

Its target was - Harutora.

--What?

Kakugyouki's body was gigantic, and it was hard to imagine that its movements were quite swift. Its fist closed the distance in moments, swinging towards the spectator seats - right underneath the railing Harutora stood on.

The patterns on the wall flashed intensely, and the originally colorless and transparent barrier flared in countless sparks, the air shaking violently. The National First-Cla.s.s barrier's shape distorted, creaking.

Even so, the magic practice field barrier that was the pride of the Onmyou Academy did not break, but it was unable to block the intense physical shock. Harutora who stood above it lost his footing due to the shaking magic practice field and tumbled down.

"Ah!?"

Harutora fell into the arena from the railing. The arena was specially set to not react towards humans out of safety considerations.

"Harutora!"

Natsume shrieked in surprise as she saw Harutora fall, and Kyouko and Tenma also screamed out. Touji cursed, quickly running towards the front of the spectator seats.

"H-H-H, Harutora-sama!"

Kon hurriedly chased after Harutora in fright and slammed into the barrier as a result. Touji who was rushing forward grabbed Kon by her tail, roaring: "Go around from the back entrance!" and then threw her out.

Kon frantically took advantage of that time to leave the spectator seats, and seeing this, Kyouko also had Hakuou and Kokfuu quickly leave and chase after Kon.

The shikigami could still be controlled from outside the arena barrier after they entered the area. She hadn't actually considered what actions the shikigami and Kon could take after they entered the arena, since even now her mind was still blank.

Tenma ran to the front of the spectator seats along with Touji.

Kyouko also hurried after them.

"Hey, are you alright!?"

"Harutora-kun!"

Harutora heard the voices calling out to him from above. He endured the pain from the fall, standing up in the arena.

He was right by Kakugyouki's feet.

Kakugyouki kicked out with its right leg, sweeping towards Harutora and leaving him with nowhere to hide. He hastily dodged and blocked with the shakujou, but it wasn't certain whether that move would actually be effective. Before he noticed, he was flying backwards in midair like he had been hit by a car.

"Harutora!"

Natsume screamed again. Immediately after, his body tumbled to the ground, doing several somersaults like he was rolling down a hill, then finally collapsed on the ground.

His entire body was paralyzed, and a burning shock lingered in the areas where he had been hit. The paralysis rapidly became intense pain coursing through Harutora's body like electricity.

A light moan trickled from Harutora's mouth.

...No, No good! Right now isn't the time to moan in agony!

He supported himself with the shakujou, standing up.

He first checked his own position, surprised that the kick just now had sent him through the entire arena. Only now did Kakugyouki move back the right leg it had kicked with.

He stood up before the enemy could follow up with a decisive blow - No, the other side hadn't actually pursued.

"Ugh......"

He stood up shakily, a shrill sound ringing deeply in his ears. Touji and the other three were shouting from the spectator seats, and Natsume was also voicing something at him, but he didn't know what they were saying. His entire body was hot, his heart feeling like it had inflated twice as large, beating intensely in bursts.

"......It's really not a fake, huh......"

His ears caught his own murmuring to himself, and only then did he confirm that his eardrums hadn't been damaged. He tried moving his body, ignoring the pain coming from every part of it. It was fortunate that his bones weren't broken, truly a fortune among misfortune.

But--

"What's wrong? Try to resist!"

"Haha, Kakugyouki, don't be inconsiderate."

At the same time as the Mystical Investigator teased, Kakugyouki jumped up. Its over five-meter tall body almost hit the arena's ceiling, and that shocking scene made Harutora unable to help but stare dumbstruck - just then, his vision suddenly went dark.

A shadow covered him.

"--d.a.m.n!"

Harutora sprinted with all his might, diving to the side. Kakugyouki immediately dropped next to him as he fled. The floor shook from the force of the impact, and Harutora staggered. Kakugyouki kicked out again.

The surrounding air made a low noise, and Harutora swung the shakujou in his hands almost by reflex.

The impact of the kick sent Harutora flying, but this time he didn't show any openings in his stance. He hurriedly regained his balance as he flew backwards, letting his feet touch ground. Though he had slid several meters backwards, his feet were still steady in the end and he hadn't collapsed to the ground.

...Right! This shakujou...

The shakujou had blocked Kakugyouki's kick.

The blow just now hadn't caused any damage because he had swung the shakujou defensively. Of course, this small rod couldn't block the giant's attack from a physical standpoint, but the instant the shakujou had encountered Kakugyouki's kick, he had sensed the shakujou itself reflecting the impact back. Magic had been cast on this shakujou.

...Way to go, Ohtomo-sensei! I see you differently now!

Unfortunately, he couldn't relax. Kakugyouki didn't give Harutora breathing room this time, kicking again and quickly following up. Harutora desperately dodged left and right.

It was like he were standing in the center of a high-speed interstate highway, as every one of Kakugyouki's kicks made the air swirl and almost drew his entire body in. He dodged the attacks at a nimble pace, suddenly standing and diving, managing to avoid Kakugyouki's attacks using the shakujou as a shield.

"Hm."

"Oh my, not bad. That toy in your hands seems pretty interesting."

The Mystical Investigator laughed. Shut up and go die, b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Harutora roared angrily in his heart, but he didn't have the energy to raise his voice. The shakujou was still holding up, but the hands he grasped the shakujou with had long since neared their limits and begun to go numb.

Just then.

"Stop!"

Natsume yelled, and Kakugyouki simultaneously stopped moving.

"Please, don't keep fighting......!"

She lowered her head from where she lay on the ground, her voice bitter. Harutora wanted to call out to Natsume, but his breathing stopped him from doing this. He was using all of his strength to breathe, and he couldn't even let out his voice.

The Mystical Investigator hmphed.

"Oh, King......"

"...It seems like you are finally willing to cooperate. I shall comply with this order, my King."

Kakugyouki slowly relaxed its stance upon hearing this, moving back from Harutora. Harutora gritted his teeth and endured, inadvertently sitting down on the ground. His strength had rapidly been depleted in the tempest of violent attacks.

"Do you understand now?"

"You must accept your fate, and us as well, of course. We have always been waiting, and we will continue to serve you in the future. Are you willing to recognize us?"

The Mystical Investigator asked, his tone quite arrogant. Natsume lowered her head, silently listening to what he said.

Her flowing black hair covered her face, hiding her expression, and the white cheeks exposed underneath slowly moved.

Harutora took a deep breath--

"Hold on, Natsume."

Hearing this, Natsume turned around.

Her teary black eyes gazed at Harutora from between the gaps in her drooping bangs. Harutora showed a courageous smile before his childhood friend's eyes.

He desperately regulated his breathing, forcing saliva down his dry throat.

He pushed the trivialities like pain and fatigue to the back of his mind, standing proudly, and set the shakujou against the ground, making a metallic sound.

"You don't need to pay attention to the words this lunatic says, and you don't need to rely on your past life's subjects for help either. Aren't your companions all here right now?"

"......Harutora......"

Natsume forgot the surrounding situation momentarily, her eyes gazing straight at Harutora. Harutora returned her gaze, breathing rapidly.

"I'm sorry for the words I said to you at noon. I'm tactless, but I don't think that I said anything wrong. You indeed need courage, even more courage that I talked about during the day. So..." Harutora spoke forcefully. He was clearly forcing himself - this claim was clearly painful and difficult, but he still spoke straight from the shoulder.

"So, don't be affected by those silly rumors about the past, don't try to shoulder everything by yourself, and don't pretend. Even if there are people scared of you and people who are troubled by you, there are definitely people who are willing to lend you a helping hand. So, don't be scared of getting along with others. Be brave and rely on us."

Natsume's eyes widened as she stared firmly at Harutora. She had heard it. He truly felt that way. Strength inexplicably filled forth, his body's pain lessened, and his depleted strength swelled again.

Master and shikigami.

The powers of the two people interacted through the bond between them, strengthening each other.

But--

"Idiotic!"

"Truthfully."

The Mystical Investigator reviled, his voice and tone clearly showing his incomprehension.

"You're confusing the King, you brat! As expected, I can't leave you alone!"

"Exactly, Hishamaru, let us put that brat in order as quickly as possible.[1]"

Kakugyouki who had backed off once again strode towards Harutora. Harutora raised the shakujou, engaging the giant's arena-shaking attack head-on.

Be brave and rely on your companions' help.

Those words were not only for Natsume, as they were just as suitable for his immature self. At the same time as Harutora engaged Kakugyouki, he spotted their figures quietly approaching out of the corner of his eye.

"Do it, I'm counting on you guys!"

Harutora shouted, and Hakuou and Kokfuu, who had circled around to the arena's blind spot, quickly attacked Kakugyouki.

The katana and spear cleaved Kakugyouki's legs. The giant made a wordless howl, its movements becoming chaotic, and Harutora rushed forward all at once, swinging the shakujou to attack.

"Take this!"

The small rings on the front end rattled, making noise. The rings formed blades using aura, like circular guillotines in midair.

He swung the shakujou, hitting Kakugyouki's right arm that it was trying to support itself with. The dark-colored skin tore, leading to an intense 'lag' reaction.

"H, Harutora."

"Don't worry, Natsume! This thing is minor compared to that spider!"

He shouted out, half from his heartfelt belief and half to force himself.

This oni was indeed a frightful shikigami. In Harutora's view, both the Tsuchigumo from back then and the Kakugyouki before him were monsters surpa.s.sing his imagination.

But, both Tsuchigumo and Kakugyouki were shikigami in the end. No matter how powerful a shikigami was, finding out the strength of the controller meant there was a chance of victory. He couldn't sense any of the terrifying feeling that Dairenji Suzuka had carried back then from the Mystical Investigator before him.

Harutora swung the shakujou again, taking advantage of the moments that Kakugyouki had stopped moving due to 'lag'.

He circled to the side, slashing at Kakugyouki's stomach. Every time he attacked, he could feel the shakujou quietly absorbing aura and returning a more violent aftershock to his arms.

...So it's like this, no wonder this shakujou is this easy to use......!

When he had fought with the Armored Juggernaut, Natsume had given him a 'Protection Sword', and the sensations of the two were similar. The magic cast on Ohtomo's shakujou might be the same kind of magic that was on the Protection Sword.

"W, What's wrong, to think you're this shameful! Use your full strength, Kakugyouki!"

The Mystical Investigator roared with a hoa.r.s.e voice. The one-armed shikigami followed its master's orders, turning around with no regard to the injuries on its body.

Kakugyouki readily turned its back to the two Yaksha behind it, kicking out with its scarred feet. Harutora jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. Hakuou and Kokfuu slashed with their blades again, and Kakugyouki, whose back was cut, tumbled to the ground and collapsed.

A good opportunity.

The moment Harutora thought this, the fallen Kakugyouki unexpectedly swung its right arm, not planning on guarding its own body.

The rough arm that was several times larger than Harutora's body swept across the ground. Harutora immediately raised the shakujou to block, but couldn't block the impact, crashing violently into the wall surrounding the arena.

Though the shakujou had absorbed a good part of the shikigami Kakugyouki's attack power, just the physical impact of crashing into the wall made Harutora gasp for breath. An intense pain wracked his whole body, his vision was tinted red, and his lungs stopped breathing. It was a fortune among misfortunes that he didn't collapse, and he slid down the wall, propping himself to his knees with the shakujou.

The strike just now had been quite strong, and he couldn't even move a finger with the painful impact that had just wracked his body.

Kakugyouki raised the right arm it had struck Harutora with from where it was collapsed on the ground. Hakuou and Kokfuu hurriedly slashed their blades to help, but Kakugyouki didn't concern itself with them at all. The face hidden underneath the mask obeyed its master's orders, and only Harutora was in its eyes.

...d.a.m.n!

The attack came from above, and he couldn't escape this blow, nor did he have the energy to dodge.

But, just as his face paled from fright, a small figure flitted across in front of Kakugyouki.

It was Kon.

A burst of pale blue flame.

Kon's foxfire blocked the mask, doing almost no damage, but enough to distract Kakugyouki's focus, achieving a disturbance effect.

Kon who had released the foxfire swiftly rushed towards Harutora, grabbing him and rolling to the side - Kakugyouki's fist immediately followed, smashing into the position where Harutora had just been kneeling.

Harutora clenched his jaw as the tempestuous impact a.s.saulted him. He stood up, leaning on the wall behind him, putting force into his legs to stay stable on the ground.

"Hah!"

The shakujou forcefully pierced into the mask of Kakugyouki who laid nearby.

He mustered his entire body's spiritual power, using all of his strength.

Harutora's full-power strike smashed the mask on Kakugyouki.

In that moment.

Kakugyouki howled madly.

A close to human face showed from underneath Kakugyouki's mask.

But, that face seemed abnormally ugly, lacking a feeling of reality, like a doll whose face had been carelessly added on, completely unlike a creature.

The grieving face that was revealed roared with all its might.

This was the first time Kakugyouki had let out its voice, and dejection, anger, and panic filled its voice.

"This is......"

Harutora had pierced the mask in a strike, carving a hole in the oni's forehead. Blood seeped out of the wound, and Kakugyouki angrily leaned upwards, bellowing towards the ceiling. The bellows were like a baby's cries - single-minded, full-power, and extremely grieving howls.

Just then.

"Harutora-sama!"

Kon reached out her hands, grabbing Harutora and fleeing from Kakugyouki with all her might as she almost carried him. Kakugyouki didn't pursue, but instead stomped on the ground with all of its might, flipping backwards in midair.

It kicked towards the ceiling and was repulsed by the barrier, causing the arena to shake for a while as it deftly turned in midair like a cat while falling. It beat the walls, smashed the ground with its forehead, and thrashed its right arm and legs, completely out of control. Hakuou and Kokfuu hastily pulled away from Kakugyouki, almost caught up in its frenzy.

"W, What's going on! Why did that thing go crazy!"

Harutora shouted in surprise, but the desperately fleeing Kon didn't have the energy to reply.

"Y, You idiot!"

The Mystical Investigator screamed, his look no longer leisurely. Even his insane demeanor had disappeared without a trace.

"Th, That mask was Kakugyouki's seal! With this, I can't even control Kakugyouki! He won't stop raging until he destroys everything around him!"

The low voice that he had called Kakugyouki was no longer audible in his tone, only leaving his own voice filled with terror and despair, which had more authenticity than anything else he had said.

"What did you say!" Harutora looked at Kakugyouki from Kon's arms. Kakugyouki hadn't singled out anyone - not even himself - and just destroyed wantonly while roaring, its movements even more violent and reckless than when it had been covered by a mask.

They were helpless - perhaps it should be said that they could do nothing at all, as even approaching it would be difficult.

"d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n, you d.a.m.n brat! Look at what you've done!"

The Mystical Investigator gritted his teeth, cursing continuously. However, his face was pale, and things were obviously already irreversible.

The moment Kakugyouki's fist fell near him - "Eek!" The shock made the Mystical Investigator's body tremble, and he retreated while stumbling, and then fled towards the exit without heeding anything.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d--!"

Harutora twisted his body in Kon's arms, brushing off the shikigami who tried to stop him and tumbling to the ground in midair.

But he couldn't catch up. The Mystical Investigator was on the other side of the arena, and the raging Kakugyouki blocked the s.p.a.ce between them. The Mystical Investigator had stood around the exit since he had started to control Kakugyouki, ensuring an escape route. He could only stand by anxiously and watch the suit-wearing figure leave through the exit.

Just then--

"Harutora-kun!"

"Tenma?"

"You hurry up and escape too! That shikigami has already lost control, so take advantage of it and escape while you can!"

Kakugyouki's current actions could be described as aimless, and it just unscrupulously destroyed everything in its surroundings, seeming truly arbitrary.

"But can we just let that thing mess up the arena?"

"It can't destroy the barrier here, so it can't leave the arena! As long as we close it inside, we don't have to worry about dealing with it!"

Harutora raised his head to shout at the spectator sears, and Kyouko shouted back a reply from next to Tenma. Her shikigami had already begun to leave the battle site.

"Harutora-sama, please go!"

From the situation before him, Harutora wouldn't be able to stop the raging Kakugyouki even if he stayed inside the arena. Even Kon who descended next to Harutora also urged her master.

But--

"Harutora!"

A shout as loud as gunfire came from Touji, and that shout wasn't to urge Harutora to escape quickly.

In truth, it was just the opposite. That voice was to encourage Harutora and give him a push from behind. When he understood Touji's meaning, electricity momentarily coursed through Harutora's body.

...Natsume!

After the Mystical Investigator escaped a step ahead, only Natsume was left in the area. She laid on the ground, her hands and feet bound, desperately crawling on the ground and trying to take refuge by hiding near the wall.

Kakugyouki was roaring behind her, and Harutora had already spread his legs and bolted before he had time to think.

He immersed himself in sprinting.

Kakugyouki thrashed indiscriminately, destroying the floor and smashing the walls with enough momentum to make the air seethe. With such a destructive rage, Harutora didn't even have the time to shout at Natsume, just rushing straight for her. He even flung the shakujou in his hands to the side, sprinting with all his might towards Natsume.

Kakugyouki leaped out in front of him, a thunderous roar coming from its mouth.

The angry roar burst out, the impact slamming into Harutora. Harutora's hair stood on end, the skin all over his body feeling numb as if he had been electrified, but he didn't stop his feet, reaching out his right hand instead and searching for the box of charms on his waist.

His finger flicked open the buckle on the box's lid - simultaneously drawing out a charm.

"Order!"

It could almost be described as Harutora's only good skill - rapidly throwing charms. Kyouko and Tenma couldn't help but gasp in the spectator seats as they looked at his fluid and unhesitant charm-throwing movement. He threw a protective charm that glowed in the air, forming a magical barrier and blocking Kakugyouki's movement.

But this only lasted a short few seconds.

When Harutora was about to circle around Kakugyouki's body, Kakugyouki's right arm forcefully swung in a punch that almost crushed the ground, destroying the protective charm's barrier and leaving a five-fingered mark on the ground. Then, it approached Harutora.

In that moment--

Kon cut through the air like an arrow, the tip of her wakizashi stabbing into the oni's left eye. Kakugyouki reflexively swung its right arm, pa.s.sing over Harutora's head.

Kakugyouki bellowed angrily again.

Kon spun in midair, rapidly leaving Kakugyouki's side. Harutora took advantage of that opportunity to rush towards Natsume.

"Natsume!"

Harutora knelt by Natsume's side, picking her up directly with no time to release the rope that bound her hands and feet.

The crisis hadn't been dealt with. He hurriedly rushed towards the exit, but Kakugyouki blocked his path again. Kakugyouki, who should have fallen into a frenzy, 'identified' Harutora and roared, showing its fangs towards him.

...d.a.m.n, I can't escape!?

Harutora held Natsume in his arms, frozen in place.

The shakujou had been flung into the center of the arena, and even if he held the shakujou in his hands right now, he couldn't protect Natsume while blocking attacks. Kon hastily flew in front of Harutora to protect her master and to confront Kakugyouki, but her figure was far too small compared with the giant that was approaching before him.

He could only use that moment to break through and pa.s.s under Kakugyouki's legs while carrying Natsume.

Just as Harutora had resolved himself - Natsume spoke from Harutora's arms:

"There's no need."

The uniform on her body was messy and her black hair was tangled due to her crawling on the ground just now, a strong and surprising contrast with her porcelain-like beautiful appearance.

Two eyes contained a strong light beneath her black hair, like faintly flickering stars in the night sky.

Natsume stared at Kakugyouki.

"Harutora-kun, tear off the four charms stuck on my body."

Harutora immediately did as she ordered without saying a word.

Kakugyouki progressively approached, a burning breath emanating from its giant mouth.

However, Harutora didn't move at all, as Natsume in his arms absolved him of all his fear.

Natsume calmly and forcefully called out a summons in her shikigami's arms.

She summoned a different shikigami.

"I command you by the name of Tsuchimikado Natsume. Emerge, Hokuto. I order you to attack--"

In the next second, a golden light burst forth above Harutora and Natsume's heads.

The light shot out, gradually extending upwards, and the lengthening gigantic body swayed as if breaking the chains that bound it.

A blinding golden band of light soared leisurely into the air.

A dragon.

The Tsuchimikado guardian beast that had been inherited by the Tsuchimikado family's heir Natsume - the servant shikigami, Hokuto.

Kyouko and Tenma who were watching the battle with bated breath from the spectator seats gaped, and Touji's mouth thinned, his wide eyes gazing at the scene before him. Even Kon by Harutora's feet widened her eyes, her body trembling all over, exclaiming in surprise.

Hokuto didn't pay any heed to the surrounding awestruck gazes at all, comfortably stretching its body out in midair.

The dragon seemed to be enjoying its freedom, obviously carefree, and completely ignoring the breathless oni before it. To describe that appearance a bit favorably, it was laziness, and to describe it unfavorably, it was indolence. The quarrel underneath it was like a slight breeze, and it just roamed about the vast arena however it liked.

There were openings across the dragon's entire body, but the oni didn't swing its violent right arm. Moreover, it couldn't help but moan and step back as if it were simply scared.

It had only just emerged, yet the aura the dragon gave off had such an overwhelming sense of presence.

Harutora who had already experienced it couldn't help but look up in amazement, even feeling like once Hokuto appeared the originally threatening and mighty Kakugyouki had instantly become minuscule.

"......Hokuto!"

Natsume ordered again, and Hokuto could only twist its body in resignation--

It neatly took a battle stance in midair like a drawn bow.

A blazing flame kindled in its calm eyes, warning the enemy of the upcoming imminent disaster.

Kakugyouki's expression tightened.

In an instant, like the sword strike of a master - The golden scales on Hokuto's body shone, and its twisted body suddenly extended, rushing straight at Kakugyouki using the force of the rebound.

Like an avalanche pouring down a mountainside, Hokuto had already approached by the time Kakugyouki noticed.

Kakugyouki raised its right arm, trying to defend against Hokuto's attack. But before its hand had risen, the surging Hokuto's body twisted, turning back around.

The two of them overlapped for a moment.

The dragon's fangs had bitten apart the oni's neck.

Blood spewed out like a fountain, dissipating into mist before it dirtied the floor.

The oni's giant figure became blurry, oscillating and flickering intensely.

Kakugyouki vanished accordingly.

The aura forming the oni rapidly scattered.

"......Did we win?"

They had unexpectedly won so easily - just as Harutora thought this, his body's strength was exhausted all at once. He staggered and almost fell to the ground while carrying Natsume, but fortunately Kon hastily came to support him.

"......Did we beat Kakugyouki?"

More accurately, it was Hokuto's doing, not theirs, but Natsume still replied: "Yes." She quietly nodded.

"H-H-Harutora-sama, this battle was splendid!"

"Ah, I didn't...... rather, I've been at my limit......"

Harutora's feet buckled again, and he sat down on the ground with Kon's help. After sitting down, he still didn't dare to believe that the battle had already ended.

But things had finally come to an end. The Mystical Investigator had escaped, and unfortunately Harutora couldn't even chase after him right now. There was no choice, he could only settle for the time being, and leave the rest to someone else - leave it to be dealt by someone who had enough strength to stand up.

Above Harutora and the others, Hokuto, who had gotten rid of the enemy, showed a triumphant appearance, wandering proudly through the air.

Touji jumped down into the arena from the spectator seats, and Tenma and Kyouko followed suit and jumped down after hesitating for a moment.

The three of them rushed towards Harutora and Natsume, and ignoring Touji for now, the other two were the same as Harutora and wore an expression of being unable to accept that the battle had already ended. However, upon seeing that Harutora and Natsume were safe and sound, the creases on their faces finally relaxed.

...We made it.

Harutora deeply appreciated that fact. Comfort and joy flooded forth, and there was no moment more beautiful than the present in the current Harutora's heart.

Just then, Natsume suddenly collapsed onto Harutora, lightly burying her small head in Harutora's chest.

Had she fainted? Harutora thought, unable to help panicking a bit.

But.

"Natsume? Are you alright?"

"......Yeah."

A weak voice from his chest replied to his call, none of the stern voice from when she had summoned Hokuto audible. Harutora wondered, and when he thought about seeing her face clearly, she turned her body again.

"N, Natsume?"

He called out anxiously.

"......I was very happy to see you save me, thank you......"

Natsume spoke hoa.r.s.ely. After she said this, she buried her face in Harutora's chest again as if to escape. The soft sensation combined with her tender whisper p.r.i.c.ked Harutora's heart.

His heartbeat accelerated intensely.

"Uh, okay."

He replied with a distressed tone that even he himself felt was comical. Kon by his side seemed inexplicably peeved, huffily glaring out of the corners of her eyes at Harutora and Natsume who was curled on his body.

"......As I thought, this...... is different." Just then, Touji's low murmur cut through the arena's silence.

Harutora and Natsume turned around, and Kyouko and Tenma stopped.

Touji stood in the place where Kakugyouki had disappeared, looking at the ground with a grave expression. Then, he knelt down.

"......I thought things were strange early on. That thing was very powerful...... But a true oni doesn't have only that much capacity."

Touji picked up a damaged, almost torn apart charm as he said this.

"......What, what does that mean?"

Harutora tilted his head because he failed to understand, but the expressions of the other three changed upon seeing the charm.

"A shikigami charm?"

"And it's also...... a new shikigami charm? What's more, this is just a charm sold in the market."

Natsume and Kyouko spoke in confusion.

"S, Slow down, how could this be a shikigami charm sold in the market? Kakugyouki isn't a manmade-type, he should be a servant-type, right?"

Tenma raised his doubts as well, and only then did Harutora finally notice what was wrong.

When servant-type shikigami took shape as spiritual beings, the most often encountered situation was with some object as a materialized core, like an excessively bloodstained sword, the vestments that an extraordinarily strong head monk wore, or sometimes even in the form of humans, with aura gathered from the surroundings producing a spiritual beings.

However, shikigami charms were charms used as shikigami vessels, a tool for using manmade shikigami.

Since it had a shikigami charm - and moreover a 'brand-new shikigami charm sold on the market' - as a vessel, that meant this oni - this shikigami that appeared in the form of an oni - was a manmade shikigami.

In other words...

"......That Kakugyouki was fake?"

Natsume murmured blankly.

None of them nodded a.s.sent, but none of them spoke up to disagree.

Then......

The man escaped out of the Onmyou Academy building's back door with a pale face. The old man overlooking that scene sighed lightly in disappointment.

The old man was sitting in the backseat of a limousine stopped by the road in the parking lot not far from the back door. He rolled down the car window, angrily staring at the back of the desperately escaping man.

"What a waste of my expectations."

His wrinkle-lined mouth let out an unexpectedly youthful voice.

"Or should I say those children performed better than expected...... But it's really an eyesore to see that dignified man fall so low."

The old man wore a pitch-black kimono, with blood-red sungla.s.ses on his face. His head of thin white hair had been styled neatly and tidily.

The old man seemed like a senior, but more accurately he looked like a dead man who had long since been killed. Though he was wearing sungla.s.ses, no expression appeared on the old man's face. He just spoke while indifferently moving his lips.

However, his tone was young and showed rich emotion, completely different from the corpse-like cold exterior that he wore, like a young person with plentiful vigor had been put into the body of a dying old man.

The man who escaped from the academy building turned a corner into an alley, his figure vanishing.

Just then, a darkness suddenly fell over the back window.

It was as if the sun had hidden behind a dark cloud, but what blocked the sun wasn't a cloud.

"...Yo."

A gruff voice came from above the car window, and it was a man who blocked the sunlight. He leaned on the limousine, peering into the car through the window without warning.

It was a giant man, his body about two meters tall, with impressive muscles all over his body and his big frame complementing each other.

Underneath his short golden crown of hair was a small face contrasting with his body type, with deep features as if he had a southern European ancestry.

The man's eyebrows were beautiful, and his eyes were narrowed into slits. His nose was high and his lips were rich. The fitted striped suit moderately regulated the man's overly strong unruliness, giving off a shrewd impression instead. On the other hand, every portion of that giant body gave off the rough temperament of a carnivore, and he couldn't hide it even if he tried. But, every movement the man made was clearly mature, worldly, and elegant, forming a sort of charm like a perfume floating in his presence.

Even someone blind could see that he wasn't a normal person, and 'a mafia leader' would be an apt description of him. His age seemed older than thirty, but it didn't seem like he had reached forty.

The man put his st.u.r.dy arm on the roof of the limousine, speaking to the old man inside the car:

"Could you not use someone else's name however you want."

Those words sounded like a denouncement, but there was no anger in the tone. The old man also replied leisurely as if he were bantering: "You caught me." His face still had that corpse-like expression, and he didn't speak with a guilty conscience at all, but was clearly elated as if they were having great fun.

"Are you actually very curious?"

"Not really."

"How cold, didn't sixty years pa.s.s in an instant?"

"They weren't even sixty short years, it's not a past to be nostalgic about."

The man spoke calmly, and the old man secretly laughed as he listened.

"Really? I acc.u.mulated quite some resentment over these sixty years. I can truly call those times nostalgic."

"Don't take it to heart that much."

"You say that, but I've always had this disposition."

"Really...... You should just stay behind the scenes. Whenever you come out, there's significantly more trouble."

The man spoke like he was annoyed, but he was actually just pretending, and wasn't concerned at all in his heart. In the end, he still didn't plan on b.u.t.ting in even if the troublesome situations increased.

The old man seemed to get angry at his unconcerned air, stubbornly asking:

"Are you truly not concerned at all?"

"I can't say I'm completely unconcerned, but I won't run out especially to confirm. My methods are different from Hishamaru's." The man spoke impatiently.

"Hmph, I see...... So, you still can't make contact with Hishamaru? That guy is pretty cold."

"That's none of your business."

The man replied coldly. The interaction between the two seemed cold, but their responses seemed like they were familiar with each other, making one suspect whether the two men had been acquainted for a long time. In truth, the dealings between the two of them had been going for an incredibly long time.

"Right, the ghostly presence from your body is a bit too strong. I warned you before, can't you hide yourself a bit more seriously?"

"Sorry, I never really cared about these things since a long time ago."

"You're already this old...... Ah, you see, you even made me get noticed, and it was even by that youngster! Really......"

The old man muttered in disgust. If his expression could change, his face would have definitely scrunched up right now.

The man leaned on the car and turned his st.u.r.dy neck.

"......That guy huh, he doesn't seem as bad as you say. Do you know each other?'

"We crossed before. That arrogant fellow gave up a leg to escape my grasp."

The old man cursed resentfully. The man smiled slightly, saying sincerely: "That guy has a promising future." Those words made the old man unhappy.

"In any case, the Onmyou Academy's princ.i.p.al is a brilliant diviner, and perhaps she's long since seen through your deceit."

"Scheming against each other is the most interesting area."

"That's really a bad interest."

The man took his arm off the car roof as he said this, his body leaving the car's backseat window.

"Anyway, I don't plan on chipping in about how bad your interests are, but don't use my name however you want for these silly games. I just came to warn you about that."

He turned his back to the limousine. The old man didn't urge him to stay, nor did he open his mouth to say goodbye.

Just as he was about to stride away, the man suddenly stopped.

"......Right, where exactly is that brat from?"

"Nn? Which brat?"

"The tiger.[2]"

"Ahh, he seems like a branch family child, his strength isn't bad. With this, the tiger and dragon are side by side, but the tiger is truly weak...... Do you have some interest in that person?"

The old man asked, not understanding. Someone keen might be able to notice that there was a serpentine curiosity hidden in the old man's voice.

"......No, it's nothing. Remember not to go overboard, Doman."

"Hey hey, didn't you just say you wouldn't chip in about other people's interests?"

The old man retorted like he was lecturing a child. The man smiled wryly, finally leaving the limousine.

He walked with his back facing the old man and the academy building.

"......You haven't changed at all, still so loyal."

No one other than he himself heard those murmured words.

The man slowly walked away.

His right hand was stuck in his pants pocket.

The left hand of his clothing flapped gently in the wind.

"d.a.m.n...... d.a.m.n...... b.a.s.t.a.r.d......"

Tears were streaming down the Mystical Investigator's face as he fled, his shoulders heaving up and down with his breathing.

Things shouldn't have turned out like this, everything was horribly wrong. Why had he fallen into such a miserable fate? He couldn't understand.

"Why? I'm Hishamaru, I am Hishamaru, but Kakugyouki...... Ahh, d.a.m.n, what should I do to become accountable to that great man[3]!"

His mind couldn't operate normally because of confusion and despair. For the time being, he could only return to his comrades' side and listen to that great man's instructions. That old man who had suddenly appeared before him one day, told him about his[4] past life, and allowed him to reunite with his past partner Kakugyouki. He deeply believed that great man definitely had a way to resolve the difficulties before him--

"......Though I've been gone for a while, the quality of Mystical Investigators has fallen quite a bit."

The Mystical Investigator screamed and stopped moving, not knowing where the voice had come from.

He didn't see anyone whether he looked forward or backward in this small alley between two buildings. But--

"......I guess spiritual disasters have increased, so all the excellent people ran over to the exorcists. How terrible, that's really too dangerous......"

The voice came from behind him - and moreover it had suddenly sounded from a distance close enough to touch. He wanted to leap back and turn around, but his body couldn't move, not even a finger - no, he couldn't even move his tongue.

This was magic. This was different from the charm magic he had made Natsume faint with, this was the Shugendo subjugation method, Unmoving Golden Chains. But, the other party had used it without a mantra, and he hadn't even felt the presence of the user. Stealth magic. It wasn't a normal stealth magic - he feared that it was the Marici Stealth Tantra[5].

The presence behind him slowly approached, making a clunky sound of footsteps. A cold, hard sound different from the sound of shoes treading on the ground echoed in the empty alleyway.

The pract.i.tioner who had bound him walked up in front of his bound self, but at the same time, the magic that bound his body also invaded his vision, binding his sight and ruthlessly plunging him into darkness.

He held open his gradually darkening eyes, forcing himself to see the pract.i.tioner's feet. A walking stick, and a toy-like fake wooden leg. In that moment, memories awoke in his mind.

When he had been in the Mystical Investigators, there was a rumor regarding a certain extraordinary Mystical Investigator that had long since become a legend. That man possessed the qualifications to become a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji, one of the Twelve Divine Generals, but his name was never made public because of his position's secrecy.

He had left the frontline after losing his right leg, and it was rumored that only a few higher-ups knew where that Onmyouji had gone afterwards. He had originally believed it to be an empty rumor, and he had never thought he would encounter it in this kind of place.

Then--

As those thoughts flashed across his mind, the magic bound not only his vision, but also even his thinking.

At the same time as the light vanished from his eyes, his consciousness also fell into darkness.

"Oh my, this youngster even made me work overtime. How exhausting."

Ohtomo lowered his head to look at the Mystical Investigator fallen at his feet, muttering in annoyance.

Just then, a small calico cat walked into the alley where Ohtomo was with a meow.

Ohtomo frowned immediately upon seeing the cat. The cat didn't pay any heed to Ohtomo's reaction, soundlessly walking by his fake leg.

It checked the fallen Mystical Investigator and then looked up at Ohtomo.

"You've worked hard, Ohtomo-sensei."

Princ.i.p.al Kurahashi's voice came from the cat's mouth, and Ohtomo responded with an unwilling face: "Don't mention it."

"He was just a small fry anyway, to put it a bit nastily, but I guess there still are these kinds of h.e.l.l-bent people around right now."

"He was probably deeply influenced for a long time. According to what I saw in the arena, his personality has a noticeably serious split."

"Oh, that one-person-two-roles skit? You saw that too, Princ.i.p.al?"

"Of course, they're my precious students."

The cat's expression remained unchanged, and Ohtomo turned his head and muttered: "......You happened to be monitoring me anyway, right?"

"What was that, Ohtomo-sensei?"

"No, Princ.i.p.al, I didn't say anything."

Ohtomo spoke innocently, beaming and showing an uncommon fake smile.

The cat straightened its posture.

"Let me properly thank you again, Ohtomo-sensei. But, the spectacle the students ran into this time was a bit too dangerous, and I cannot approve of it. You should have stepped in even when he summoned the imposter Kakugyouki."

"That would be rather difficult. Never mind an idiot stalker, what about the two big shots eyeing hungrily from the side? If I lost my last leg, my future career as a teacher would be troublesome."

"I can specially create a wheelchair shikigami for you. Free offer."

"Uwah, how frightful...... Why doesn't this old granny hurry up and die......"

"What?"

"No, nothing."

Ohtomo took a short breath, cowering back exaggeratedly.

"And I took precautions long ago. Seeing that wooden sword break really made me jump. Though it was a magical tool I made in a snap, I never thought it would overheat! But, because of that lesson, you could call that shakujou my proud work, and wasn't it actually very useful too? And also, your granddaughter did quite well! You saw the effects of my strategy yesterday, the friendship between them increased because of the sensei's toilsome planning, and that's why they could exert the strength of their beautiful friendship and deal with that evil fake oni!"

Ohtomo danced around and wantonly boasted about his own work. The cat shikigami wordlessly gazed at the fake-legged-Onmyouji, showing the customary skeptical gaze of a cat.

"Also, could it be that you were too disorganized this time, Princ.i.p.al? You knew that this idiot was a Yakou fanatic long ago, right? But to think you let him go...... that's a bit too risky."

The cat twisted its tail upon hearing Ohtomo's sarcasm, clearly not concerned at all.

"All I knew beforehand was that he was affiliated with the Twin-Horned Syndicate, I didn't notice anything further. This was a good opportunity for us."

"So you mean, you're really using your students as bait, and you even say things like 'I can't approve' to others."

"Please get used to these small things as soon as possible. Also, I warned the concerned parties long ago."

The cat spoke calmly, and Ohtomo frowned in displeasure.

"......Hypocrite......"

"What?"

"No no, nothing at all."

The cat sighed at the pretending Ohtomo, then turned its back to him, leaving the feel of a wry smile.

"I have to go inform the Onmyou Agency, so I leave the aftermath to you."

"......I don't get overtime pay?"

"Oh my, isn't this for your cute students? Money shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"......The problem isn't money, it's sincerity......"

Ohtomo complained, and the cat didn't inquire any further.

The cat left the alleyway with light steps, and its subordinate watched the shikigami go, childishly sticking his tongue out in the direction the cat vanished.

Harutora was in his dorm rushing fiercely to do his homework on the first Sunday since coming to Tokyo.

It was beautiful outside, with the late summer sun shining bright. He had originally planned on going out to buy some daily necessities, but after that incident, he had been continuously resting for several days and had been unable to go to cla.s.s. He was now desperately copying down detailed cla.s.s notes in order to catch up. But he was just copying, and didn't actually understand the contents of the notes at all.

Touji, who had come to hand over the notes, was also inside Harutora's room. He sat by the window looking at the pleasant sunshine outside, talking about the subsequent developments that he had inquired about while Harutora was resting. Incidentally, Touji had only sent the notes over, and Tenma was the one who had organized the curriculum inside it. Touji generally didn't take notes during cla.s.s, and Natsume had begun cooperating with Mystical Investigators with their investigation again, so she hadn't been able to properly attend cla.s.s.

"......In the end, the puzzle was never solved."

"Yeah, just like the one from before we came here. Yakou fanatics found Natsume, but in the end we still aren't sure who was behind them."

The teachers who had finally arrived afterwards had been greatly surprised at the situation of the magic practice field and hurriedly protected Harutora and the others. The princ.i.p.al had contacted the Onmyou Agency herself, and the Mystical Investigators - Harutora's trust in Mystical Investigators had already slid a great deal - rushed to the scene one by one, gathering evidence around the scene and performing questioning. Harutora and the others had only left at ten in the evening, and their homeroom teacher Ohtomo had only arrived ten minutes before that, five whole hours apart from when Harutora and the others had encountered danger. His evaluation of his homeroom teacher finally hit rock bottom.

Later, they had heard that the escaped Mystical Investigator had already been arrested, but the interrogation process was unsuccessful. The deeper they investigated, the more evident it was that he had been used without knowing anything.

"He said he had other comrades, so did we single out other Yakou fanatics?"

"No, it seems like his memories were magically blocked, and the Onmyou Agency is trying to undo the magic, but they didn't reveal their ident.i.ties to each other in the first place, so it's doubtful how much they can dig up."

"......What about that Kakugyouki?"

"As expected, it was fake, and of course that guy calling himself Hishamaru was also a huge lie, and he was magically influenced - simply put, he was fantasizing, so Natsume's words actually hit home with that guy."

Touji looked at the scenery outside the window, showing a sharp but detached gaze.

"......But that isn't very unexpected. That thing can't even be compared with the oni that I saw."

He mentioned it casually, but Harutora couldn't help but stop copying notes and turn his head to glance by the window.

"It's noisy." Harutora frowned slightly, and only then did he realize that the room where noise was coming from should have been an empty room. He couldn't help but wonder whether someone was secretly using that empty room as a warehouse.

As he thought, Touji who had returned to natural at some point continued to speak:

"What's interesting is that the styles by which the fake Kakugyouki's and kodoku's vessels were made are completely different, like they weren't made by the same person."

"Th, That means...... That person didn't make the oni shikigami?"

"It seems like he believed it was the true Kakugyouki, and according to his statements, there was someone pulling the strings."

"Who?"

"I don't know that."

Touji replied coldly. After all, the incident was still under investigation, and there would be a day when they could get more details. They could understand very few things right now.

Just then, a huge sound came from the room next door, like someone was moving things around.

"What in the world is going on?"

Harutora was just planning on going over to inquire when the sound of knocking came from outside the room.

He stood up and pa.s.sed through the room to open the door. Kon was standing outside the door with a red tray in her hands and cups of tea placed on top. She had crashed through the first floor to make tea just because her master had a guest.

"Oh, so it was Kon. Thanks for helping to make tea."

Saying this, he opened the door and moved aside to let Kon enter the room, but Kon stood in the corridor without moving.

"H, H, Harutora-sama, actually......"

Kon's ears twitched anxiously and she glanced towards the corridor - at the neighboring room where noises came from. Harutora asked: "What is it?", leaning his head out of the door and looking into the corridor.

Natsume was standing there.

She was in front of the open door to the neighboring room, looking at the condition inside with many boxes and suitcases by her feet. Harutora's eyes widened in surprise.

"Natsume?"

What are you doing here - Just as he thought of opening his mouth to ask, a humanoid shadow came from inside the neighboring room. Natsume didn't pay any heed to the shocked Harutora, her att.i.tude clearly composed. The shadow knelt in front of Natsume, picking up a box placed in the corridor and then returning into the room.

Harutora ran out into the corridor, panicked.

"N, N, Natsume? What is that thing?"

"Oh, Harutora, is your homework going well?"

Natsume turned around and smiled like she had only finally noticed him now, her look inexplicably happy.

"I'm doing it right now. What in the world is that black thing?"

"That's a simple shikigami that I made to help me move luggage."

"Move what luggage?"

"I will also be living here starting today."

Natsume spoke proudly and Harutora gaped dumbly upon hearing that.

"Live here...... You?"

"Didn't I say that?"

"But this is a male dorm!?"

"I'm a guy, remember."

Natsume spoke self-a.s.suredly, and Harutora couldn't find words to refute it for a while. Though he wanted to take this as a joke, he was very clear that she wasn't joking about this, regardless of how little he understood about Natsume's true intentions.

Natsume pursed her lips angrily as she looked at the silent Harutora.

"You're really slow, Harutora. Such a big incident happened before, but could it be that it didn't warn you at all?"

"W, Warn...... What warning?"

"Do I need to say? Of course the fact that I could be in danger at any time!"

"......So?"

"How come you still don't understand! You're my shikigami, and it's your duty to protect me all twenty-four hours of the day!"

Natsume spoke seriously as if she were a cla.s.s president explaining the cla.s.s rules to another child.

"Uh, so you want me to guard you, but you......"

You won't need to fear anything as long as you have Hokuto, so it doesn't matter if I'm there or not, right?

Harutora almost voiced those words.

"But you were the one who wanted me to do that."

"Me?"

"You wanted me to be brave and rely on other people."

"Ah......"

Harutora couldn't help but blush slightly as he recalled the words he had said and his surging emotions at the time. His master also blushed as she quietly gazed at her shikigami. As he looked at that trust-filled look, Harutora couldn't help but feel that Natsume, who had been willing to change her style to fit his opinion, was even more sincere and cute than usual......

"But, first! Isn't this a bit too reckless? It's impossible for you to live in the male dorm!"

"Help me."

"Help? How can I help you!"

"What, didn't you want me to rely on you?"

Natsume pouted again, raising her eyes to look at Harutora as she spoke, as if condemning him for being heartless. The question made Harutora speechless, and only then did he notice that Kon and Touji were peeking their heads out from his room and watching the liveliness with high spirits.

Just then-- "Huh? What are you doing, Harutora-kun?" Tenma walked onto the floor of the dorm. Not only had he given out his cla.s.s notes, he had even taken up the burden of coming to explain them. Kyouko also followed behind him.

"Tenma, and...... Kurahashi? Why did you come too?"

"......What, I'm not welcome?"

"No, that's not it......"

He had been lying in bed unconscious after the incident had ended and hadn't spoken with Kyouko. Though they had banded together to escape a crisis, the two had been incompatible before, and Harutora didn't know what kind of att.i.tude to take for a while.

As Harutora was hesitating and indecisive--

"Tenma-kun, Kurahashi-san, thank you for the incident before and sorry for troubling you." Natsume stepped forward.

Tenma and Kurahashi seemed not to have expected Natsume to be here as well. Natsume's sudden appearance, and moreover her bow of thanks, made the two of them fl.u.s.tered.

"D, Don't say that, especially since...... I wasn't much help at all."

"That's not true, I'm very grateful for your help."

Natsume thanked again with a sincere att.i.tude.

Generally, Natsume was stubborn and unwilling to mingle with others, but once she opened her heart, she was sincere like a child. Tenma and Kyouko couldn't help but show a stiff smile facing this surprising change.

"Kyouko-san, I need to thank you as well."

"Uh, that......"

"Though I said many harsh words to you, please believe that I have no ill will. Also, you were willing to help me even though I held a bad att.i.tude towards you, so I am truly grateful. I will imitate your tolerance, so I hope we can get along in the future."

Natsume stared with her innocent eyes at the speechless Kyouko. Her face was blooming in a flowery smile, and Kyouko watched blankly, her face flushing redder and redder.

"Don't say that...... I was just......"

She replied shyly, unable to help but turn her head bashfully before she had finished speaking.

Then-- "H, Harutora-kun, come here for a bit--"

She pulled Harutora's arm and left behind the stunned Natsume and Tenma, running out of the corridor, walking down the stairs, and bringing the surprised Harutora into the stairwell.

"W, What is it, why did you suddenly take me here?"

"Could Natsume-kun have thought of the thing from before? Did he remember his promise with me?"

Kyouko's face was extremely red as she questioned Harutora excitedly. She seemed to have misunderstood Natsume's sudden reversal of att.i.tude as her having remembered their meeting before.

"Uh......" Harutora replied awkwardly. "......Sorry, I didn't check with him, but I don't think the situation is what you're thinking."

"Th, Then why did he suddenly change his att.i.tude?"

"Actually, you can't really call it sudden. Didn't he say that he was grateful that you came forward to help? That's why."

Harutora explained. Kyouko's lips tightened as if she were still unable to accept that statement. When Harutora stopped speaking, Kyouko suddenly realized that she was still holding his arm, and hurriedly let go.

"It's true that the only thing in his mind are the matters about himself and the Tsuchimikado family, but those are all actions taken unconsciously to protect himself. Once he thinks of you as a companion, his att.i.tude will naturally become sincere. That person's personality is actually like a child's, and because of that, his actions are also very simple." Harutora spoke straightforwardly.

"Companion? Me? But I was so over-the-top towards Harutora-kun[6] earlier......"

"Though I don't understand why you're always looking for trouble with the Tsuchimikado family, he doesn't hate you, nor is he mad. He didn't hate you before this incident happened either."

She just felt that you were unreasonable - Harutora didn't say that, shrugging his shoulders.

Upon hearing this, Kyouko suddenly lowered her head meekly.

Her red-tinged face turned bright, as if a long, dark, night had finally become dawn, welcoming the light of hope. She was clearly in glowing spirits and extremely energetic.

"I......"

"What is it?"

"I...... really love Natsume-kun."

"I see, that's grea- What did you say?"

Harutora couldn't help but doubt whether he had heard wrongly. Unfazed by Harutora's shock, Kyouko showed a pure, shy maidenly smile on her face.

"Though it's regre