Tokyo Ravens Volume 12 Chapter 1

The twinkling of the stars, and the shining of crossing comets.

They approached, moved away, became alone, and gathered together.

He felt like unraveling all of this would be impossible.

Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi quietly muttered "Unraveling all of this is impossible".

That was why he thought he should pray.

Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi murmured: "That's why I'll pray."

As for how that went......

The cold February night felt as if pieces of ice were floating in the air.

The cold wind that blew across the roof of the building fluttered people's hair and chilled their bodies. But Hishamaru materialized and allowed the cold wind to batter her body as it pleased. Her unstable existence alleviated the brunt of the cold wind.

This old building in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district was in an alley two blocks away from the bustling streets near the station. There were similarly-old, quiet buildings nearby, as if the area were from twenty or thirty years ago.

This eight-story building was rented out to various people on a monthly basis, with the exception of the Chinese restaurant on the first floor, the seventh floor that was being used as a warehouse for a medicine shop, and the topmost eighth floor which outsiders were told was 'empty'. But the room on the eighth floor wasn't registered on any real estate listing. It was a small blank s.p.a.ce in the noisy, fast-moving city.

Also, that blank s.p.a.ce was the den of a certain oni who had hung around Tokyo's darkness for a long time.

The night wind blew Hishamaru's hair. Of course she was stealthed, and anyone who saw her would have to be killed. This stern young woman wearing an old military outfit was a blue-eyed beauty. But even an imitation of her gorgeous contours would lack the charm of the original. This beautiful enchantress's figure seemed like an illusion in this old building and the backdrop of the lonesome night. Soon afterwards, the enchanting 'fox spirit' slightly moved her ears and looked down indifferently.

Her master was carrying out a magical ceremony on the eighth floor. As ordered, Hishamaru was dispersing the local waves of magical energy to camouflage the ceremony.

Though her master had said 'it's very unlikely that we'll be noticed, but we should still be careful', Hishamaru hadn't spotted any attempts to conceal this. Her master was currently carrying out an extremely special magic. He had probably had her move away just in case the magic affected her. Of course, camouflaging the ceremony was just a formality.

Hishamaru had said: "Though I'm very happy for your feelings......", but she hadn't looked happy.

Hishamaru had once served Tsuchimikado Yakou as a shikigami. She had been called one of Yakou's retainers, and her name was still famous in the magic community. Hishamaru had always been waiting after Yakou's death, and when Tsuchimikado Harutora (the master who had been mentioned previously) had been born, she had immediately rushed to his side.

But Hishamaru couldn't immediately serve Tsuchimikado Harutora, since Harutora's father, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, forbade her from doing so. Yasuzumi had viewed his son as Yakou and wanted him grow up as independently as possible. Hence, he didn't permit Yakou's shikigami Hishamaru to serve Harutora. But Yasuzumi had still permitted Hishamaru to stay by his son's side. But at the same time, he had made a condition - he would need to seal Hishamaru's strength, personality, and memories until his son was able to face his fate of his own will. Hishamaru had accepted that condition and had chosen to serve at Harutora's side in the form of Kon (her form when she had been small).

That seal had been broken during the summer two years ago. But it couldn't be called a clean break. Hishamaru had forcefully broken the seal in order to save Harutora during a battle with the Divine General Kagami Reiji, and had greatly harmed her own spiritual body. She had almost broken herself apart in order to break through the binding of the seal. Though her body had recovered after that, her spiritual body was still in an extremely unstable condition. Harutora had made Hishamaru keep her distance from this magical ceremony because he was worried about her body.

No, that might not be it.

Though he had already awakened as Yakou's reincarnation, Harutora was just Harutora. It was hard for him to accept that Kon, who had been with him all this time, had suddenly transformed into Hishamaru. Kon was what Hishamaru had looked like when she was a child, but it was hard for Harutora to not feel confused when she suddenly grew up.

When Hishamaru broke the seal, she had lost a part of her memories in addition to the damage to her spiritual body. It included her memories of Yakou and her memories from being sealed along with memories of being Kon. Hishamaru wasn't worried, but it was more accurate to say that she couldn't be worried. She realized the gaps in her memories when she saw the att.i.tudes of Harutora and Kakugyouki. That was also a reason why Harutora was worried about Hishamaru.

It had been more than a year and a half since then. Time had flown.

She didn't regret her choice to break the seal. Rather, she felt like it was a kind of honor. But now she felt very depressed that she couldn't use all her strength as a shikigami. Her master was also doing what he could to restore Hishamaru's memories and strength. But right now, not only was she unable to use all her power, but she had even become the one being cared for by her master. It was so shameful. But there was also anxiety in that remorse. Hishamaru knew that her spiritual body lacked stability and that this stability was worsening every day. She had only felt it faintly at the start, but now she was certain. Also, she feared that it was an irreversible change.

It was even harder for Hishamaru to avoid aggravating her condition when she was with Harutora. The incident that had happened in the dark temple last year was a good example. Hishamaru's aura, which was continuously becoming less stable, would worsen severely every time there was a battle. But Hishamaru didn't know how many battles she could fight. Of course, there was the terror of facing vanishment. But she was more terrified of being separated from her Master. Especially now that he was opposing the Onmyou Agency.

She was a valuable fighting force to her master, even if her spiritual power was unstable. She might disappear at an important time, and maybe her not being there would send her master to a fatal end. Hishamaru couldn't calm down when she thought of such a terrible possibility.

Hishamaru hesitantly looked down towards the magic ceremony again. Another retainer was next to Harutora as he concentrated on the ceremony - Kakugyouki. Kakugyouki had started doing more and more now that Hishamaru's activity was limited. To Hishamaru, Kakugyouki was a rival as well as a partner with the same master. Though having him stay next to her master now that she had to move away could guarantee her master's safety, her heart was still very envious.

"Kakugyouki arranged for this place too..."

After all, Hishamaru didn't have any interpersonal connections after being sealed for more than ten years. In contrast, Kakugyouki was a legendary oni, with a history to match the Tsuchimikado family ancestors. He had been alone for a very long time. Of course Hishamaru couldn't match his intellect, experience, and societal connections.

Actually, it wasn't just their hiding place. Kakugyouki had even provided their living expenses. In the past, Hishamaru and even their master Yakou had viewed Kakugyouki as a dependable man wise to the world.

"In that case, if I were worldlier instead of being more loyal......"

To be honest, she still wasn't sure exactly how loyal Kakugyouki was to Harutora. Kakugyouki didn't have Kakugyouki's dedication; it was more like interest and concern. Because of that, he had retreated into seclusion after Yakou died instead of chasing after his master like Hishamaru. But when Harutora awoke, Kakugyouki came out of seclusion again and pledged himself as a shikigami again. In any case, Yakou and Harutora still held his interest. Also, comrades as reliable as him were rare. Kakugyouki also followed Harutora for a more important reason than avoiding the worst possibility that Hishamaru thought of. That reason was...... he was Harutora's friend, not just a powerful shikigami. Hishamaru unconsciously put on a charming smile as she thought of this.

She thought of the television broadcast last month. The ceremony held at the Onmyou Academy - the New Year's Ceremony. Hishamaru and her master had seen what had been hidden in the recording - the group of swallows dancing above the stage. It had truly been a beautiful and heartwarming scene. Kurahashi Kyouko and Momoe Tenma were the only ones still in the Onmyou Academy now. Since Kyouko had partic.i.p.ated in the shikigami dance, it was probably Tenma who had arranged things. It was probably tough to live while being monitored.

The monitored Kyouko and Suzuka back at the Onmyou Agency knew about Tenma coming in contact with Tsuchimikado Natsume. Ato Touji, who was still in hiding, still might not know. No, judging by the situation, Natsume might have tried to come in contact with him on her own.

"Natsume-sama's back again."

"Natsume-sama's probably moving together with Yasuzumi-sama right now."

The Tsuchimikado family that was taking care of Natsume had switched between various locations for the last year and a half, evading the Onmyou Agency's search. But Natsume's contact with Tenma was evidence that the Tsuchimikado family was still alive. It was very likely that Natsume and the others had returned to Tokyo now.

"Then, my friends, reunite in the Tokyo sky next time."

Hishamaru looked up at the starry sky and quietly closed her eyes. Memories of those nostalgic faces from when she was Kon still lingered, and even now they were treasured friends. She prayed in her heart to reunite with them and laugh together. However...

"Back then, I......".

Inadvertently, the figure of Natsume appeared in front of her eyes. The crying Natsume who reached out to tightly hug Harutora, along with Harutora who tightly hugged Natsume as he wept......

Hishamaru closed her eyes and balled up her fists. Nostalgic thoughts that she couldn't let go of made her heart faintly ache. She furrowed her brow, sharpened her gaze, and thought of the past in order to cover up her inner anxiety.

A pretty, un.o.btrusive girl stood in front of the entrance to the roof. She looked like a middle-schooler, but she was actually much older. After all, she had been a member of the Onmyou Academy's thirty-sixth cla.s.s, a cla.s.smate of Harutora's homeroom teacher Ohtomo Jin as well as one of the twelve Divine Generals Kogure Zenjirou. Though her looks were pretty, she gave off a cold, expressionless impression. Though her gaze was staring in one direction, it was impossible to guess what she was thinking. Though Harutora and the others had said 'You'll know once you get used to it', Hishamaru still couldn't tell what she was thinking under that expressionless face. She was Saotome Suzu. She had moved together with Hishamaru and the others since the night Harutora had awakened.

"An extraordinary stealth magic as always."

"That's my specialty."

"Do you need something?"

"No, I was just taking a walk."

Saotome replied casually, walking quickly to Hishamaru's side. She didn't feel a strong spiritual power even when Saotome was this close, only a faint sensation. But why was her stealth technique so refined? Her ability to hide herself was certainly great, but there were only a handful of pract.i.tioners who could take Hishamaru by surprise. Saotome had entered the Onmyou Agency with her cla.s.smates Ohtomo and Kogure after graduating from the Onmyou Academy. She had been the foremost Yakou researcher in the past, and later on had become a member of the Imperial Household Agency's Lingering Spirit Division, the origins of the Twin-Horned Syndicate. In addition, she had been Ashiya Doman's pupil for some time, and had met Kakugyouki several times during this period. Certainly a unique history. Saotome had called herself a senpai of the Onmyou Academy since long before - starting when Hishamaru had been with Harutora as Kon - and had been unconscionable and nosy. It was certainly no lie that she was a graduate. Come to think of it, things had already become troublesome at that time. Saotome had activated the Raven's Wing that Tenma had gotten his hands on during that night (the night Harutora had awakened), creating the trigger for Harutora to awaken as Yakou. Also, she had been the one to prepare beforehand for Harutora's use of the Taizan f.u.kun ritual to resurrect Natsume. Now, this expressionless Yakou researcher was hiding alongside her research subject, moving together with a group that the Onmyou Agency treated as a terrorist group. If Saotome were doing this solely for her Yakou research, then she could only be called a fool.

Of course, Harutora had allowed Saotome to move with them. It seemed like Harutora and Saotome had reached some kind of agreement. Though she didn't know the details of it, basically she was allowed to act freely. As Harutora's retainer, Hishamaru was confused by why she was allowed to act freely. But as expected of Doman's pupil, there was nothing worrying about how Saotome's lived in hiding.

She had tried talking with Kakugyouki about it once, but he had just said 'don't worry about it'. In the end, Harutora had allowed it, so Hishamaru didn't have any objections. Did she? Or didn't she? ......When she thought of her memories as Kon, there were a lot of things she wanted to speak of but couldn't put into words.

"Is this alright?"

"What?"

"You're not watching the ceremony of Harutora-sama, your object of research?!"

"I've already seen him countless times."

"We might be spotted today as well."

"I'll deal with that when the time comes. We can only risk it, anyways."

Saotome stooped forward slightly on the roof's small flight of stairs. Even so, she still stared straight and expressionlessly at Hishamaru. Hishamaru ignored that and continued her camouflaging work. Saotome looked at Hishamaru for two minutes without so much as a blink. Hishamaru sighed, unable to endure it.

"What is it?"

"I'm just watching you."

"Please stop, you'll make me lose my focus."

"Oh no!"

"Hmm?"

"Your aura got worse again." Saotome's expression finally became serious as she flatly pointed this out.

"I know......"

"Then why don't you do something?"

Saotome suddenly moved her face over, only two centimeters away from Hishamaru's. Hishamaru quickly became restless and moved her eyes away. "I'm doing my best."

"Right now too?"

"When it's necessary."

"It's not the time for that anymore. You should do it often to stop it from getting any worse."

Saotome was carrying out a rare emotional conversation. Hishamaru felt a bit annoyed. Though she felt awkward at Saotome's earnestness, the important thing was that everything she said was true. As evidence, Saotome also asked: "Is there anything you can do now other than my proposal?", as well as:

"You're a burden for Harutora-kun, right?"

"That is true."

"You have to keep yourself in good shape in order to do your duty, right?"

"Right......"

"I'm only saying this for you and Harutora-kun, I'm not being selfish."

"That's a lie, isn't it."

Hishamaru felt extremely annoyed, but all of that was correct. The countermeasure Saotome had thought of before to combat Hishamaru's unstable spiritual body was truly effective. But she felt sorry to use it.

Going on a walk was an excuse. Her goal was to convince Hishamaru. Unlike her usual att.i.tude, Saotome continued talking and convincing the shaken Hishamaru.

Harutora's magical ceremony was still going on. Not long afterwards, Hishamaru sighed deeply and started practicing charm magic.

At first glance, this seemed to be an abandoned room. It was the eighth floor of an inhabited building, the primary base of Harutora and the others. Walls had been torn down in half of the floor s.p.a.ce, and a large rectangular pillar stood there looking somewhat lonesome. The walls and floors were tattered everywhere, and the materials placed in a corner of the room were covered by plastic sheeting. But this room was very clean. The improvement in her master's living environment was all due to Hishamaru's hard work. Simple beds and similar furniture had been brought into the room, and various household objects were placed close together. Most of them were disposable supplies and wilderness survival equipment. Since there were no lights installed, their illumination came from handheld flashlights. Because of that, the abandoned room felt kind of like a secret base.

Tsuchimikado Harutora sat cross-legged on the floor in the deepest part of this room. His right eye was tightly closed, and energy seeped from his left eye. He focused his mind, quietly and cautiously carrying out the magic ceremony according to the ritual. Though Hishamaru had been entrusted with the mission of camouflaging the ceremony, he had to do his best to keep people from the Onmyou Agency from noticing it.

A large wooden box was placed in front of the cross-legged Harutora, with a raven perched on top of it. Looking carefully, it had three legs. The legendary bird that was called the symbol of the sun in Onmyoudou - the yatagarasu. It was a shikigami that Tsuchimikado Yakou was purported to have created - the Raven's Wing. It became a jet-black coat when Harutora used it, but normally it appeared as a three-legged raven as it was now. Harutora sat facing the yatagarasu. In contrast to Harutora's closed right eye, the yatagarasu's golden eyes stared at Harutora. Of course, it was impossible to guess what the raven was thinking, but those golden eyes aroused instinctive feelings of fear.

A retainer leaned against the pillar next to the two of them.

He was a huge man close to two meters tall, wearing a jacket. His right hand was in the pocket of his pants, and he had no left hand, the sleeve of his jacket drooping down from the elbow. He wasn't a human, he was an oni, a true oni who had lived for centuries. He was Harutora's retainer, Kakugyouki.

Harutora focused his mind on performing the ten-minute spell. He opened his right eye, sighing deeply and seeming slightly depressed. Kakugyouki smiled wryly, saying: "Looks like I don't need to ask if it succeeded or not." Harutora didn't reply and shook his head listlessly. The yatagarasu flapped its wings, flying to a clothes stand near the entrance. It was the place that the yatagarasu usually stayed. Kakugyouki glanced at the seated Harutora as if to say that the failure wasn't his fault. Then he turned his head in a different direction, saying with a sarcastic tone: "I already told you a dozen times. If it doesn't even react with this, then it's already disappeared or been sealed."

Harutora replied bitterly: "I don't know."

"As a relic of Yakou, it's most likely that the Onmyou Agency's taken it into custody. But if so, Chief Kurahashi and the rest couldn't have failed to notice the signs even if Yakou sealed it himself. There should have been some reaction. But it doesn't look like that's the case, right?"

Harutora's face fell and he nodded at Kakugyouki's words.

Harutora and the others had searched the Onmyou Agency research facilities many times. This was also one of the reasons why the Onmyou Agency treated Harutora and the rest as terrorists. According to Saotome, who had been a member of the researchers, they hadn't had what Harutora was looking for in custody. Of course, Saotome couldn't have known details about every tool that was sealed in the agency building, but she had partic.i.p.ated in the Yakou research. There was a Raven's Wing replica in the agency building that only she could see through.

"The Princ.i.p.al hid the Raven's Wing and prevented people from getting their hands on it. Maybe people who didn't know better used this[1] like an ordinary magical tool. Most people don't know that it exists."[2]

"I see, and the Souma scattered at one point as well. There are a lot of breaks in information."

"Well, it's not strange that its whereabouts became unknown after the post-war chaos."

"In that case, most of our clues have disappeared."

"That's why I keep calling out to it like this." Harutora frowned and stared at Kakugyouki.

The Kurahashi family and the Souma family had supported Tsuchimikado Yakou during the Pacific war. The Kurahashi family was a branch family of the Tsuchimikados, and had continued on with the support of political circles and strong societal connections, unlike the declining Tsuchimikado main family. On the other hand, the Souma family had been a group of pract.i.tioners since the feudal era and had mysterious connections with the old imperial army. The Souma were the ones who had gotten the higher-ups in the military to reconstruct the Onmyou Bureau and recruit Yakou as its highest authority figure. The two families had been crucial aids to Yakou's abilities.

But after the defeat in the war, the Souma family had been split into several lines. The true princess was Souma Takiko, who had created the trigger for Harutora's awakening. And speaking of other family lines, there was her shikigami Yashamaru - Dairenji Shidou.

There might also be other family lines. Among them could be family lines that had abandoned magic. After all, it had already been half a century since j.a.pan's defeat.

"But, Harutora, supposing that it was lost after the war, it's possible that it's gone somewhere outside Tokyo. In that case, the signal itself won't even work."

"Yes, that's also a problem. Both the Kurahashi and the Souma were based in Kanto[3]. But I think that it's very unlikely that it left Tokyo. Ah, where's that Full Moon[4]."

"Truly a tough problem."

"......Ah, what a waste of effort. I'm not thinking deeply enough about the problem."

The sharp light that radiated from Harutora's eye as he muttered hadn't disappeared since that night. It had already been more than a year and a half since then. Harutora had always been chasing after that enigma. Harutora laughed coldly and quietly, got on one knee, and looked into the distance, murmuring: "There's no time."

"Natsume's come to Tokyo. There might be action soon. No, it's possible that action has already started."

"The Onmyou Agency, huh."

"Of course, that's the center of everything. But that's not the only place. The problem is what we should do and what we should choose."

"Even so, Hishamaru's in a very dangerous state right now. There'll be problems if we do something now." The latter half of his words were spoken in a self-derogatory tone. Kakugyouki looked expressionlessly at his master.

Silence fell over the room.

Soon afterwards, Kakugyouki said: "No matter what, we can't ignore the Kurahashi and the Souma. But to be honest, it's even more troublesome than your situation back then. We'll have to conduct a thorough investigation."

"You can never think of a way at the critical moment."

"Yeah, I know, but right now......" Harutora's face turned apprehensive.

Kakugyouki sighed, finally moving away from the pillar. He smiled and said:

"Alright, then how about this."

"Hmm?"

"This time isn't for the nation. Just go do what you want."

"Kakugyouki......" Harutora smiled.

But Kakugyouki said very calmly:

"But, I might pull out if it's very boring."

Harutora furrowed his brow and said:

"What!? You're so cold-hearted!"

"Since I'm an oni."

Harutora smiled knowingly. Just then, someone knocked on the door and it opened. Saotome entered. Harutora turned his body, calling out "Senpai". Harutora still called Saotome 'Senpai' in this kind of situation. It wasn't that Harutora wanted to call her that, but rather it was Saotome's wish.

"Looks like it failed."

"Honestly, everyone around me is an emotionless b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Ah, that's mean. I was concerned about you."

Saotome was a bit displeased, but her expression was still the same as always. Saotome was a very useful woman for the fugitive Harutora and the rest. The Onmyou Agency didn't know that she was moving together with Harutora either. Allegedly, Saotome had also been declared missing, and the Mystical Investigators' search still continued. She was more skilled than Hishamaru and Kakugyouki at various kinds of secretive jobs. That was probably from Ashiya Doman's teachings.

"Anyways, this time was a waste of effort too."

"Yeah."

"How depressing. I want to see the Full Moon too. Harutora-kun, let me slightly ease your worries."

"Ah? What are you trying this time?"

"The convincing succeeded."

Just then, Hishamaru entered.

"Kon......"

"Yes, Harutora-sama."

It was Hishamaru who entered. But her body had shrank a lot. She had turned from a young woman into the form of an elementary-schooler. But her ears and tail were still the same.

Harutora smiled.

"What is it? It's been a long time since you dressed like that."

"E-Eh, that's embarra.s.sing, ah, no!"

Hishamaru's ears twitched frantically as her face reddened. She didn't dare look at Harutora.

Saotome spoke in place of the stammering Hishamaru.

"Regretfully, Hishamaru-chan's spiritual instability is undoubtedly the truth. So I had her at least turn into Kon's form while we're in hiding. Right, Kon-chan?"

"Don't add the 'chan'!"

Hishamaru glared angrily at Saotome. This was the countermeasure that Saotome had thought of. Actually, Hishamaru's spiritual body was stable in Kon's form. Hishamaru was a powerful defensive shikigami. Her spiritual body was obviously composed of powerful aura that could only be disturbed by a powerful force. But the speed at which it ran out of control was also very fast. But Kon's spiritual state was mostly sealed by Yasuzumi's power, so she could keep the instability and keep her main spiritual body stable.

"This is a way to save energy."

"Not only am I useless as a retainer, I've caused Harutora-sama to worry recently. I'm extremely sorry and truly ashamed for that. I truly apologize, but please allow me to continue staying by your side."

Hishamaru kneeled on the ground after speaking, deeply lowering her head.

Saotome balled up a fist when she saw this. She said:

"Harutora-kun, be a man."

"No, it would be great to be with Kon. Kon - no, it might be better to call you Hishamaru. Raise your head, you're overreacting."

"Harutora-sama, although you say that, my current form is really a bit......"

"Then we can be together again after you turn back."

"Isn't it great that I was able to succeed in convincing you so selflessly, Kon-chan?"

"Hmm? If it was selfless, then stop rubbing her tail."

Kakugyouki leaned against the pillar again. Saotome stared intently at Hishamaru's tail, and the yatagarasu hopped around on the clothes stand and cawed.

"It's great that everyone's here."

"Harutora-sama......" Hishamaru's eyes sparkled as she looked at Harutora. Kakugyouki smiled wryly and got down on one knee, the yatagarasu stopped jumping about, and Saotome quietly walked behind him.

"I remember that Kogure called forbidden magic a game with the world on the line. How insightful."

Harutora said this and bent his waist, stretching his muscles. He continued speaking:

"Kakugyouki and I spoke. Right now, I'm not being praised or thanked by anyone. Actually, it's the opposite. So......"

Harutora looked at the shikigami.

"You guys are the same. You have the right to choose, and I'll respect your choices."

Hishamaru replied to her master's announcement:

"Does that need an answer?"

Then, Kakugyouki said:

"You're overreacting too."

The yatagarasu cried out loudly, and Saotome quietly looked at their master. Harutora nodded happily at the shikigami.

The weather had turned cold.

But noisy activity still continued on the bustling street. The excitement of the people made the entire street feel distant from the winter. Tsuchimikado Natsume, Souma Akino, and Tsuchimikado Takahiro walked out from the southeast exit of the JR Shinjuku Station into Meiji Road of the central district of Tokyo, heading towards Yasukuni Shrine.

It was already ten at night, but the groups of people on the street showed no signs of reducing in number. The amount of traffic was the same. Actually, now was the start of the night activity.

Natsume and the others were currently hiding in an old residence in Kichijoji. They were just wandering around Shinjuku to train Akino's stealth magic. Takahiro believed that although Akino's stealth magic was high-level, it was still better to acc.u.mulate actual experience. Though Akino hated training, she immediately agreed when she heard 'Shinjuku'.

Since the Onmyou Academy and Agency were in Shibuya, Natsume was already used to the bustling Shinjuku night. But Shinjuku's night gave a different impression from Shibuya's. Shinjuku didn't feel as crowded as Shibuya, but there were people no matter where they walked. The people were older and there were eye-catching people wearing formal clothing. Actually, these differences in atmosphere were very important for controlling stealth magic. Capable people would be able to perfectly use stealth magic no matter where they were - it was a skill. One had to get used to the surrounding environment in addition to concealing their presence and aura. The first stage of that was grasping the surrounding atmosphere and reacting to it.

Natsume wore a jacket, a short skirt, and boots. The outerwear she always wore was the most practical. But Natsume was wearing something more exposing and eye-catching. It was just like Akino said, 'beautiful girls are pretty no matter what they wear'. Akino was wearing a sweater and a coat, with a scarf around her neck. It seemed a bit girly and cute. Incidentally, Takahiro, who walked with them, wore very simple clothing. Suddenly, Takahiro stopped and said:

"Hey, Akino!!"

Natsume, who was walking ahead, looked back, and at the same time, the slightly slow Akino was stopped and looking into the distance. She was standing still with her stealth magic released. In addition, a pair of rabbit ears had materialized. Her normally-concealed ears were extending from her head.

"What's up with you, you're a bit absent-minded."

"Sorry."

Natsume wryly moved closer to the dejected Akino.

"Akino, you don't need to apologize, just conceal yourself again."

"Eh...... Okay."

Akino made a seal and quietly chanted an incantation. Instantly, Akino's aura was concentrated and covered the surroundings. Though it wasn't very complete, it was at a usable level. Natsume, who guided Akino's practice every day, was also very surprised when she saw this. The ears she had seen just now were evidence that Akino was a rare rabbit living spirit. But Akino was a bit undisciplined, so she hadn't made a great deal of progress.

"We're not here to play! This area is within the range of the Spirit Sensers. They might be constantly monitoring it, and your aura is very unique, so don't get careless!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

Akino instantly turned depressed at Takahiro's scolding.

"It's Akino's first time out at night, so of course other things would catch her attention."

Though she was very stern when she taught Akino, Natsume still spoke up for Akino when it was someone else's turn to do so.

"No, that's not it. I didn't get distracted just now by the scenery, even though I've only seen this scenery on TV before and it's very nice......"

"Then what is it? Is the stealth making you tired?"

"Uh...... How should I say it...... Um......"

"Oh, I know, you're hungry, huh."

Just then, Akino's stomach growled. Akino's face reddened and she said:

"Hey!!! Natsume, you idiot!"

Takahiro looked at his watch to check the time, unable to stop himself from laughing.

"Okay, okay. It's a bit late, so it's time to go back, hahaha." Takahiro's expression changed greatly after he said this and he hastily looked back. Natsume noticed and also frantically looked in the same place. Akino watched the two of them blankly.

"Natsume, you noticed too, huh."

"Yeah, a spiritual disaster. It's getting faster and faster."

Meiji Road went in the direction of East Shinjuku, but it was quite a fair distance away. The aura disturbance was expanding very quickly, but they could sense that it was coming in their direction. A mobile spiritual disaster had appeared.

"Ah, that's a bit bad. If we don't hurry up and escape......"

"Don't worry. This place is in the area of the Shinjuku branch, so it'll be exorcised before a situation happens."

"But we can't be careless. If a spiritual disaster happens, the Spirit Sensers in this area will focus over here."

Though spiritual disasters were happening pretty often recently, there were almost no mobile spiritual disasters.

"We should be fine, right?"

"At least there's no need to panic." Takahiro said naturally. At the same time, Akino, who was a bit unconvinced upon seeing his att.i.tude, said:

"But it's a spiritual disaster. Didn't you just get mad and tell me not to get careless?"

Takahiro smiled wryly and patted Akino's head.

"Listen, Akino. What's important for a pract.i.tioner isn't what kind of crisis you face, it's keeping an alert att.i.tude." He looked at Natsume and continued:

"Magic is a fighting technique, and unlike martial arts, pract.i.tioners can't do anything if they don't focus their mind. That's why you can't do anything if you're caught off-guard, no matter how much skill you have. Defensive shikigami are made for those emergency situations. Realize that, as a pract.i.tioner, it's extremely important to focus your mind."

Takahiro had lots of experience as a former Mystical Investigator, and his words were also very convincing. Akino nodded diligently, and Natsume also expressed her agreement.

"If a spiritual disaster happens, the media will pour out in addition to the exorcists, and traffic will be restricted as well, so it would be wise to leave Shinjuku immediately." Takahiro proposed. Suddenly, something flew through the night sky. A bird? No, it was something like a large, remote-controlled aircraft.

"What's that???"

"A shikigami?"

"Garuda." Takahiro said, somewhat surprised. "That Shigeoka's in the Shinjuku branch too, huh."

"Someone you know?"

"Not one of my acquaintances. Don't you know him? He's an Independent Exorcist, the Colonel of the Twelve Divine Generals."

"I've only heard his name."

Shigeoka Shunsuke was a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji and exorcist, or an Independent Exorcist. Right now there were a total of five Independent Exorcists. Since Kogure had transferred from the Exorcist Bureau to the Mystical Investigators, the Exorcist Bureau now only had four of the Independent Officers. Natsume had often heard the name 'Colonel' in the news when she came to Tokyo. He had left the frontlines after the Hinamatsuri Repurification incident two years ago, as it seemed like he had suffered from spiritual enc.u.mbrance during a spiritual disaster purification. After that, Shigeoka had worked hard to recover from his spiritual enc.u.mbrance, and had returned for good last fall just in time to replace Kogure. Since then, Shigeoka, Yuge Mari, and Kagami Reiji had carried out spiritual disaster purifications in the city underneath Miyachi Iwao.

"A Divine General? Like the three who came to Seishuku?"

"Yeah. If you remember that woman Yuge from back then, she was also an Independent Officer."

"Amazing."

"Yeah...... But she's a troublesome woman, and a more outstanding Onmyouji than the other Independent Officers."

"Hmm? Is she stronger than the Exorcist Bureau Chief?"

"Miyachi, you mean. That guy's certainly powerful, but he has too much horsepower. For example, you'd use a kitchen knife instead of an axe when you're cooking."

Takahiro was silent for a bit, then said:

"Okay, then, it's a good opportunity. Before we go back, why don't we go to the scene of the spiritual disaster purification and study a bit? It's good to understand Independent Officers a bit. After all, they're an enemy - a powerful enemy - of we who lack power."

The general-purpose shikigami Garuda was the third kind of manmade shikigami that the Onmyou Agency research department invented. Garuda was a special kind, primarily a detection-type but also very similar to a transport-type. It was a shikigami made at Shigeoka Shunsuke's request. The Garuda was carrying dozens of shikigami charms. They were specially-manufactured defensive shikigami that Shigeoka used, 'Modified G1 Emperors' and 'Modified G2 Yaksha'.

Shigeoka and the Garuda shared senses, and rushed to the scene carrying shikigami charms. Defensive shikigami were originally supposed to be things that were by their master's side all the time to protect them. Shigeoka's Emperors and Yaksha were materialized for the spiritual disaster purification. Shigeoka first materialized the Emperors, surrounding the spiritual disaster, and suppressed the spiritual disaster's expansion. Then he materialized the Yaksha, connecting them to the Emperors to create a surrounding net and to carry out the spiritual disaster purification. The group of shikigami that materialized were linked together. The shikigami created this time could be viewed as two small teams of exorcists. But if Shigeoka wanted to, it would be possible to increase their numbers and spread them out. It was a team of shikigami that only a special pract.i.tioner could use. The Garuda spiraling in the sky received instructions, and the shikigami team surrounded the spiritual disaster and commenced the purification. Also, they completed a mission that would take other people ten minutes in a mere five minutes after the Garuda arrived.

"Mission complete."

Shigeoka checked the condition of the shikigami and nodded.

If Shigeoka were to be described in one word, that word would be 'obsessive'. He was over thirty years old, and was a bit eccentric, often wearing a gloomy expression. He wore a beret with the Exorcist Department mark and wore wrinkle-free miasma protection clothing. Looking carefully, one would notice that these clothes were a bit different from normal. They felt like a military uniform. Actually, the nickname 'Colonel' came from this.

"Officer, I have a report."

"Before that......"

"Hmm?"

"Your collar is untidy."

"Ah?" His subordinate hastily fixed his collar upon hearing the criticism.

"A disruption of equipment is a disruption of the regulations. It's not just our clothing, it's our equipment. It can block miasma and stop leaks of magical energy. If you don't pay attention to it, you can't call yourself qualified."

"Yes, sir."

"Also, don't drop your guard, or it might become a vital mistake."

Shigeoka continued lecturing, and the subordinate straightened himself and kept replying with "Yes, sir", until he finally answered with a respectful "Thank you, I'll be sure to pay attention in the future."

"Then, the report."

"Yes, sir."

The subordinate immediately began his report from after had arrived on scene. Shigeoka silently listened, and afterwards said:

"Good, begin dealing with the aftermath immediately."

The subordinate bowed and began work.

Shigeoka took out a notebook from his pocket and started writing. He was writing an informational memo for the higher-ups. The subordinate who happened to be pa.s.sing by next to him smiled wryly and said "This again", but of course Shigeoka didn't pay him any attention. Shigeoka was a hard-working, thorough Independent Exorcist. Most of the Twelve Divine Generals all had excellent talent since youth, and had probably become National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji at around age twenty, but Shigeoka had only done so after age thirty. The reason was very simple - Shigeoka wasn't a prodigy like they were. Of course, his spiritual power was good compared to the average person, and his control of magic was outstanding.

"Officer Shigeoka!"

Shigeoka's subordinate called out to him as he was writing. He immediately stopped and looked towards his subordinate.

"Sorry, but actually......"

"What is it now......"

"I have something to say."

The subordinate also looked very confused as he gave the report. Shigeoka stayed silent, then said:

"So the lingering miasma has already dispersed completely."

"Yes, there's no danger here right now."

"Return to your post." Shigeoka nodded and gave a brief order, walking a few paces to the side. Across the road was a white, high-cla.s.s car stopped by the road. Anyone who worked in the Exorcist Bureau would know at a glance. As Shigeoka's boot-clad feet strode closer, a beautiful, grandiose woman got off the car, wearing a brilliant smile.

"Shigeoka-sama, you've done well tonight."

"It was just a spiritual disaster."

"You already purified it, huh. I wanted to see a purification scene."

"There are spiritual disasters every day. Speaking of which, no one's seen more spiritual disasters than you."

"No, I haven't seen them with my own eyes." This woman wore a smile from beginning to end as she spoke.

The woman looked young, or rather, her appearance didn't belie her age. She was actually older than her colleague Yuge, so she should be older than 25, but she looked a bit younger than Yuge.

"Then......" They suddenly entered the main topic.

"What business do you have this suddenly, Special Senser Kadei."

"Well...... Actually......"

"We came to see Morito, Shigeoka-sama. We still haven't seen Morito working."

Just then, another woman came out of the car. She wore the same smile, and her voice was similar to Kadei's, and they were almost exactly the same except for the fact that one had white eyes and one had black eyes. They were twins. The two sisters were both Divine Generals who possessed G.o.dlike senses, known as the Exorcist Bureau's treasures just like Miyoshi Tougo. They were Special Sensers Kadei Byakuran and Kadei Kurogiku. As Spirit Sensers of the Exorcist Bureau, and in particular Special Sensers who were National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji, they were treasures that the spiritual disaster purification business couldn't do without. They normally worked in the Exorcist Bureau main headquarters and rarely went outside. Shigeoka consented after hearing Kurogiku's words.

"So it's that intersection close by. Can you see the signal on the other side? It's the one over there."

"Oh, that one."

"Onee-san, which one, which one?"

"Look, that little one."

"Hmm? I can't see it clearly here, let's get a closer look."

This pair of sisters were as cute as children. They weren't faking it; this was how they normally were.

j.a.pan's two representative clans of Onmyoudou were Abe no Seimei's Abe clan and the talented Kamo clan of his teachers Kamo no Tadayuki and Kamo no Yasunori. The former later became the Tsuchimikado, and the latter became Kadenokoujike. But the Kadenokoujike family broke apart during the Warring States period at the end of the Muromachi period. Afterwards, during the Edo period, the broken-apart Kadenokoujike family became the Kadei.

"As I thought, the two of you are worried about Morito."

"You could call it a work partner for the two of us."

"Yeah, our work got harder after Miyoshi transferred."

"But there's no helping it, since Miyoshi's a genius."

"Miyoshi's so pitiful. Mystical Investigator work...... It would be nice if he could come back to the Spirit Sensing Division."

"Yeah, Onee-san. Should we take a vacation and invite Miyoshi to come travel?"

"That's a good idea. Kurogiku, where should we go? Hot springs? Or skiing?"

"Good ideas. What about Paris? Or Hawaii?"

The sisters spoke and laughed, completely out of place in the spiritual disaster purification scene atmosphere. Shigeoka coughed dryly, but he didn't get noticed. The two of them were actually talking about the Spiritual Disaster Early Detection Net that the Onmyou Agency was working on, for which progress was already eighty percent complete.

But speaking of that, Shigeoka was greatly looking forward to the sensory net. After all, Shigeoka held the opinion that spiritual disaster purification should be systematized, so it was perfectly in line with what he thought. Of course, what Morito could do was very limited. Shigeoka looked at the sisters in the back of the car. They seemed to have completely forgotten about Morito[5] and were happily chatting about travel plans.

Divine Generals - first-rate modern Onmyouji with outstanding ability.

In the end, Shigeoka's team withdrew from the scene and the sisters also returned to headquarters. Though it was very unfortunate that they weren't able to see a spiritual disaster purification scene, it was nice that they had been able to see Morito.

"It's nice to go out like this once in a while."

"Yeah, there are some fresh new auras."

"Yeah. There are so many people in this area, it makes me dizzy."

"That's true, but the other Onmyouji are all very calm."

"The other Onmyouji don't have as keen senses as the two of us."

"Having talent is tough too. I wonder how Miyoshi-sama has it."

"Ah, right, we finally came outside, so why don't we go to a convenience store, Onee-san?"

"Yeah, good idea."

"Okay, let's go look at some new things."

"I'm a bit nervous. There's a worker in the store who makes my heart race."

"You should be a little braver at this kind of time."

"Eh......"

"What is it, Onee-san?"

She didn't reply.

"Did you see a spiritual disaster?"

"No, but, Kurogiku, I'm a bit interested in that aura. Help me out."

"Hmm? Where?"

"Look, over there." Byakuran pointed outside the car and Kurogiku called for the driver to stop as she focused her consciousness and looked over there. She didn't notice it at first since the aura was concealed. Also, it was stealth on the level of a professional Mystical Investigator. It was just coincidence that Byakuran had noticed it. It was truly just a coincidence, as their work usually only involved spiritual disasters and they very rarely looked at human auras.

"I got it. Then, Onee-san."

The sisters linked arms and pointed in that direction.

Their auras resonated, increased, and improved their spirit-seeing abilities. They could only complement each other like this because they were twins - it was a special technique of theirs. The sisters had an even better spirit-sensing ability than Miyoshi Tougo's when they combined their power.

"Onee-san, is this aura a dragon's?"

"Yeah, and it's not a shikigami. Could it be possessing someone?"

"Now that you mention it, in some temple last year, Miyoshi......"

There seemed to be a dragon living spirit in a place not far from the scene of the purification. It was currently moving in the direction of the station. Perhaps it was riding a train. Byakuran silently continued following that aura.

Then......

"Sorry, Kurogiku, we'll have to go to the convenience store next time."