Tokyo Ravens Volume 12 Chapter 2

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She no longer had any options left. She didn't know how many days she had racked her brains without being able to leave this dead end. There hadn't even been two months left in the first place. Now there weren't many days left until X-day[1].

Tokyo Akihabara, inside the agency building of the Onmyou Agency.

Suzuka[2] sank listlessly into the sofa in her research lab.

She curled herself up on the sofa with her white lab coat casually draped over her, glaring upsettedly at the calendar on the table. Recently, the mere occurrence of the calendar greeting her eyes had been enough to feel terrible. All she saw in it was the rude, inescapable reality.

Of course, it couldn't be said that she had nothing to do all day. She was thinking of ways to get in contact with her friends every minute of every day, even when she was sleeping. But it was all fruitless. She lacked the power to break through her circ.u.mstances and could only watch as time escaped from her.

"......d.a.m.n......"

After voicing her displeasure, Suzuka rose from the sofa.

She searched her mind for any possible countermeasure again. Suzuka gave up on thinking in a mere several minutes, and fell back onto the sofa sulkily.

Who knew how many times this scene had already been repeated. After all, she had never before experienced getting pushed into such a quandary.

Suzuka had obtained that information last month.

It had been the morning after Tenma had sent a message to his friends. The most aggravating part was that it was the 'enemy' himself who had confirmed Suzuka's suspicions about the plot she had noticed.

It was coming on March third, Hinamatsuri[3].

They were going to carry out another spiritual disaster terrorist attack on that day. The third 'purification', following after the Great Hinamatsuri Purification four years before and the Hinamatsuri Repurification two years ago.

And according to what they said, this time was 'for real'. That hadn't seemed like a joke at all.

"Those guys......"

The past two incidents had all been brought about by the Twin-Horned Syndicate, a group of Yakou fanatics. The culprit of the first incident was Suzuka's own father, Dairenji Shidou; the second time was his subordinate Mutobe Chihiro. The two of them had both lost their lives after the spiritual disaster terrorist attack.

But now, the two of them were again planning the third spiritual disaster terrorist attack.

Dairenji Shidou and Mutobe Chihiro had been resurrected as Souma Takiko's defensive shikigami, Yashamaru and k.u.momaru. No, this had probably all been within Souma's calculations from the start. After disrupting the spirit flow of Tokyo twice in a row, the Souma were finally going to go after their goal - to realize the desire of their clan.

......This was what Suzuka thought.

She was incomparably upset with herself for understanding everything but being unable to do anything about it.

She had risked great danger and returned to the Onmyou Agency - the enemy's den - in order to dig up information on the enemy. In that sense, being able to obtain information on the spiritual disaster terrorist attack was already an incredible accomplishment.

That being said, everything was meaningless now that she was unable to convey the information she had obtained to her friends and sound the alarm.

This was her research lab, but it was also the room she was confined to - in other words, a prison. Her connections with the outside world had been cut off in the first place, and the jail had been strengthened after they learned that Suzuka held information about the spiritual disaster terrorist attack. For example, she had seen shikigami used for surveillance outside the research lab before, but now it was k.u.momaru who had left his master Takiko to personally guard her.

k.u.momaru was a Yase Doji, a powerful shikigami that had even posed a threat against the dragon Hokuto that Natsume controlled. He was an enemy that Suzuka could not overcome with her magical energy restricted. Never mind defeating him, simply escaping from his monitoring was no more than a dream.

Even so, maybe there would be some opportunity to tell a different agency member about the current crisis. After all, Suzuka was currently confined inside the Onmyou Agency building, and outside the research lab were employees and Onmyouji at work. If she could get through k.u.momaru and loudly expose their schemes, someone would hear her.

But no matter how seriously Suzuka shouted, there might not be anyone to believe her. After all, this was the Suzuka who had violated Onmyou law and had been convicted of using forbidden magic.

She was one of the Twelve Divine Generals as well as the Onmyou Agency's figurehead girl, the 'Child Prodigy'. But although the employees in the Onmyou Agency had a straightforward impression of Suzuka, she was a prodigal troublemaker who had been left to her own devices. Even if that Suzuka accused someone of something, people might not listen sincerely.

...Most importantly......

Behind Yashamaru and Souma was the Onmyou Agency Chief, Kurahashi Genji.

Not only was Kurahashi the current head of the famous Kurahashi family, but he was a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji like Suzuka, the person who stood at the top of the modern magic community. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that standing against him was opposing the entire magic community.

No, ultimately Kurahashi was helping the enemy, so he was an accomplice of the enemy. In other words, this spiritual disaster terrorist incident was a 'crime of the Onmyou Agency'. Telling the culprit, the Onmyou Agency, about the danger of this situation wouldn't accomplish much.

Also, just like old man Daizen had said, was she actually able to prove their terrorism?

It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to detect crimes of magic. The national judiciary would naturally have a hard time, and the only organization that could validate a crime of magic was the Magical Crime Investigation Division of the Onmyou Agency. And Kurahashi was the Chief of the Magical Crime Investigation Division.

Also, Kurahashi was currently monopolizing both official and private power over the magic community. Resisting him by asking groups of the magic community for aid would be incredibly difficult.

...In addition, according to what Takiko said, the Souma family also held sway in political circles.

From the rumors she heard from Takiko, Satake Masumi, a member of the currently-dominant New Democratic Party, seemed to be a member of the Souma clan. In addition, he was the nephew of her father - in other words, he was actually Suzuka's cousin. Though they hadn't met, Suzuka inadvertently shivered at realizing her connection of blood to the Souma clan.

The Souma family had long since calmly slipped into the higher-ups of the military during the Pacific War era, building their power along the way. Those means were still effective in modern society.

In addition to the Souma, Chief Kurahashi was also politically connected. He hadn't directly partic.i.p.ated in spiritual disaster purifications or Mystical Investigator work these few years, and he almost never personally directed that work. Rather, he had focused on expanding the Onmyou Agency's influence outside the Onmyou Agency. He was the most influential Onmyouji in the current political world.

How could Suzuka and her friends oppose the powerful Kurahashi and Souma families......

"......Well, thinking about that now is of no help......"

The first priority right now was stopping the third spiritual disaster terrorist attack planned for this Hinamatsuri. For this, Suzuka had to get the information she held onto outside and transmit it to people who would sincerely accept it, her friends who had been in continuous hiding.

"Well, I'm only this anxious because I can't do that. ......d.a.m.n."

She had already lived in the Onmyou Agency for over a year and a half, and she was conscious of the fact that she was talking to herself more and more. She knew she couldn't run her mouth since k.u.momaru was outside, but the habits that had formed in her mind after a long time were hard to change.

...As expected, she had to break through with force......

A conclusion she had reached many days ago.

But k.u.momaru was a shikigami and didn't need to eat or sleep. He was able to constantly watch over Suzuka twenty-four hours a day, so escaping from this jail would be an incredible feat. She racked her brains trying to think of some way she could make an opportunity to escape, but she couldn't think of any strategies.

......She had to hurry...... If she didn't hurry, then......

Unconsciously, Suzuka's gaze fell on the calendar on the table. Suzuka's expression instantly twisted into a frown and she furrowed her brow - looking like she was about to cry.

Then.

"Excuse me."

The moment she heard this voice, Suzuka cringed and jumped up from the sofa.

After consciously pushing back her instinctive terror, she turned her head in the direction of that voice with all the strength in her body.

Standing there was a slender young man. He was dressed like an old aristocrat, wearing a white shirt and black vest along with trimmed pants and an ascot. But he gave off a cold, dark impression from underneath that dress, without any of the honesty and n.o.bility that a true aristocrat ought to have.

He was Takiko's shikigami, Yashamaru, as well as Suzuka's father Dairenji Shidou after resurrection.

"Haha. Don't glare at me like that. I just came to check whether you've made any progress."

"......I wish you'd knock before entering."

"Ahh, sorry, sorry. After all, it's a lot of work to lock the door again."

Yashamaru smiled as he replied.

Suzuka's research lab was always magically cut off from the outside by a strong barrier. It had originally been a barrier that Suzuka set up herself, but now Yashamaru and the others had modified the spell. That was why he was able to come and go as he pleased.

"Also,"

Yashamaru continued asking with the same frank tone as always:

"How's the research?"

"......Didn't I already write a report last week? Did you not look at it?"

"Of course I looked at it, but it's important to write what you yourself feel in the report. Ah, it's hard to understand without talking directly with the author."

Every time Yashamaru took a step towards the sofa, Suzuka retreated a step to maintain the distance between the two of them. Unconcerned about his daughter's uncooperative att.i.tude, Yashamaru bent his waist a bit to lean against the back of the sofa, leaning his upper body forward as he looked at Suzuka.

Yashamaru had given Suzuka a mission when she returned to the Onmyou Agency. The mission was regarding the research of 'soul magic'. Suzuka had originally been an Onmyou Agency researcher specialized in the 'Imperial Onmyoudou' that Tsuchimikado Yakou had established. Also, though soul-related magic was designated as forbidden now, it had existed during Yakou's time - during the time of Imperial Onmyoudou. The representative magic was the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual that Harutora had resurrected Natsume with.

Suzuka had also tried to resurrect her dead brother with the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual, and had thus investigated 'soul magic' before.

However, when she saw the trove of magic books and data that Yashamaru had sent to her from the Souma and Kurahashi, she realized that her knowledge from back then had only been the tip of the iceberg. Even the magic that had resurrected Dairenji Shidou and Mutobe Chihiro as Yashamaru and k.u.momaru also came from the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual. Suzuka hadn't even imagined such a thing to be possible back then. The Taizan f.u.kun Ritual wasn't a single magic, it was a 'system of magic' to control souls that Tsuchimikado Yakou - no, that the Tsuchimikado clan had established after many years.

It seemed that Yashamaru's understanding of the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual was far above Suzuka's. Since he was still ordering Suzuka to research it, perhaps fully verifying the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual system was tough for a single person. Also, more importantly, he also had other things to do.

"......Is it really alright?"

"Hmm? What are you referring to?"

"Being away from Takiko. Isn't it k.u.momaru who's responsible for guarding me, not you?"

"Ah, that. I just finished things up over there. She probably won't regain consciousness for some time."

"......Looks like the 'gift' is going very smoothly."

"Of course. She's the legitimate successor to the thousand-year-old Souma bloodline. A perfect messiah."

Yashamaru laughed unconcernedly as he said this.

She couldn't sense any hostility in that laugh, nor could she sense any animosity, but a mysterious pressure seeped from it and tried to crush Suzuka.

Takiko had been coming to the research lab to talk to Suzuka less frequently this year. Maybe it was since Suzuka had gotten her hands on information about the spiritual disaster terrorist attack, or maybe it was because of the biggest reason, which was that Takiko was 'preparing' for the next stage so seriously that she couldn't visit the research lab.

In order to achieve the Souma clan's desire.

The Souma bloodline's shaman princess would finally show her true worth.

"In any case, tell me whether you've had any progress here, Suzuka. We're eventually going to have to put on a good show...... I hope that you can at least put forth as much research on the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual as possible. After all, it failed back during the war."

Yashamaru said with a laugh.

A hair-raising light shone coldly from the eye beneath his monocle.

His control was still insufficient. In the end, he couldn't say he had succeeded in controlling it at this stage.

But he was slowly understanding 'ways to use it'. It wasn't that easy, but he was slowly getting the feel for it.

"Haaaaaaah!"

Ignoring the roar that came from his throat, Touji focused his excited mind on the battle in front of him.

His third seal was currently released. Touji was transformed into his armored form, a flaming body of demonic aura, as he took part in a fierce battle.

The location was the same training place as always. It was the sealed-off first-cla.s.s magic practice field next to the old abandoned Onmyou Academy building. Touji's opponent was one of the Twelve Divine Generals, Independent Exorcist Kagami Reiji. Kagami calmly dodged the shockwave-producing onslaught of the demonized Touji.

His expression looked calm, but actually he could lose his life at any time. Touji finally took a moment to catch his breath from the full-force a.s.sault urged on by his demonic power. Just like how Touji might become a demon with one wrong step, his training opponent Kagami could lose his life with one wrong step. But Kagami was calm and put on his best performance.

There was no room to be distracted, nor did he have the leisure to go easy. Touji had gradually become able to calmly a.n.a.lyze the battle after learning this. Kagami was fighting with Touji knowing that he was in severe danger of losing his life. Having such an att.i.tude was a great benefit in the battle, but it wasn't something that was easily imitated.

It was control over the battle itself and not just strength.

...This was it.

Touji had finally reached 'that stage' after braving the danger of demonic transformation, using his demonic power to its limits, and establishing a foundation of real combat experience. Though some conditions had been added that were dangerous enough to scare him and severely restrict his freedom, Touji had found the strength to overcome them.

The next step was to figure out how to use the strength he had developed to this level and how to control it.

The focus was on strategy and ways of combat. It was meaningless to rev his engine up to the max if he couldn't even attack at that speed.

To be honest, it already took all his power just to maintain that speed.

But speed was just a means to an end. In other words, it wasn't something 'necessary'.

Here was the true problem.

"Uooooh!"

He roared like a tiger and moved like a cheetah. Touji used the reins that bound tightly around the oni as he desperately thought of strategy. A world where one misstep would destroy him revealed itself at a speed that his eyes almost couldn't keep up with. It was the will of 'Touji' that was reflected in the battle, not the will of the 'oni'. Bit by bit, step by step.

Soon afterwards, Kagami's movements also started changing. He stopped solely dodging and began attacking Touji. A completely head-on attack. Taking the attack, Touji almost lost his control over the oni, but gritted his teeth and pulled back on the reins to regain dominance. It felt as if he were riding a stallion or a high-output motorcycle. He strode forward violently, rocking at the helm, and fought explosively.

There were probably only a handful of Onmyouji who could fight head-on with the current Touji. Getting used to this feeling of power, Touji greedily absorbed this rare battle experience.

However,

"......Tch."

Kagami suddenly clicked his tongue and changed his stance. With his demonic power at full force, Touji was unable to stop his momentum, but Kagami swiftly dodged back with flawless movements.

Then,

"Touji. Seal yourself again. If this goes on the barrier won't be able to stand it."

He hastily 'looked' over after hearing this. Just like Kagami said, the permanent barrier set up in the training area - one of the best barriers in the nation when it had been put up - was creaking and on the verge of crumbling.

"Reboot!"

The seal cast on Touji's body rapidly bound the oni alongside his shout.

The armor and materialized flame on Touji's body vanished together. Then, he was a.s.saulted by a feeling as if his vitality were stolen away, his physical strength surging away in a wave.

He inadvertently staggered. "...Ugh!" He gritted his teeth and stabilized his body as it was about to collapse, putting his hands on his knees to keep his balance.

Touji regulated his frantic breathing, managing to win against the temptation to sit down on the ground. All that supported his body right now was his own stubbornness.

Even if he reapplied the third seal after releasing it, he would lose his fighting power for some time. But he couldn't be overcome by such a huge flaw every time. At the least, he had to be able to escape on his own after re-sealing himself.

Just then,

"Touji-sama."

A kimono-wearing young woman hurried over from a corner of the arena. She was Suisen, the shikigami who had been taking care of Touji's group.

Suisen came to Touji's side, taking out healing charms and sticking them on Touji's body. The healing charms let him properly catch his breath, but his body still couldn't move. He had always been confident in his physical strength, but conquering this feeling of fatigue required quite the courage.

From the side, Suisen watched her hardworking master with a pleased look. Her master had specifically ordered her not to do anything until it was necessary.

Though Suisen was Touji's shikigami, the contract between the two of them was just one where he provided her with magical energy. She actually served the other person who was in hiding with Touji.

"Hmm, it's your first draw, isn't it, Touji?"

That other person smiled happily as he spoke, waving the fan in his hand.

He was an old man who had been sitting in a wheelchair on the side of the arena watching the battle with Suisen. He was dressed up prim and proper - a three-piece suit, a slanted hat on his head, and a scarf. His eyes held an ageless vitality, making him seem like he wasn't actually old.

He was the former Chief of the Mystical Investigators, Amami Daizen. Now his magical energy was being sealed, and he could only move with a wheelchair. He was Touji's current boss.

Touji looked at Amami, trying to regulate his erratic breathing.

Speaking of which, this was the first time he had been able to 'control' it until training ended. Touji had always reached his limits and been forced to stop the training in the past.

And come to think of it, the tie was the result of Kagami holding back. Though Kagami was seriously fighting with Touji, he wasn't using all his power to win. Even if he did attack a few times without holding back, they were deliberate head-on attacks. If Kagami purely wanted to 'defeat' Touji, he could do so easily.

In contrast to Touji, who still couldn't stand straight after healing charms, Kagami was just at the level of breathing hard with his shoulders hunched after interrupting the training. He walked straight over to pick up his jacket with no intention of listening to what Amami had to say. Carefully 'looking' at him only revealed that his aura was slightly erratic after the intense battle, but otherwise normal as if nothing at all had happened. How vexing.

...But I got a bit closer to you again......

Now he finally saw how to pursue that back in the distance. The distance between him and Kagami was surely narrowing. At least he had gotten that good feeling from this fight.

I can fight.

Firmly directing this faith into his heart, Touji stubbornly stood up straight.

"This barrier really is wailing. This barrier that should even be fine in the face of a materialized spiritual disaster running amok."

Kagami snorted at the sighing Amami, glancing at Touji over his sungla.s.ses.

With a snickering, debasing tone that was completely like Kagami's style, he said "You're finally starting to look alright, demon-boy. Though it's only your horsepower."

He used the same irritating tone, but his words surprised Touji and Amami. After all, it was incredibly rare for that Kagami to praise someone.

"Hm~? Touji, you're pretty amazing for that Independent Officer to recognize you."

"If you're to become my shikigami, it would be inconceivable for you to be unable to reach your current level. It's be annoying as h.e.l.l if I hit you when I was p.i.s.sed and you died from it, brat."

Kagami threw arrogant, detestable words at Touji.

Becoming a shikigami - that was one of the conditions Kagami had made when he accepted Touji's request for training. The condition was that if Touji fell and became a demon during the training, Kagami would take him as a shikigami. Touji and Amami had constantly been on their guard for Kagami pulling some kind of trick since accepting that condition, but Kagami hadn't done anything to deliberately send Touji's demonic power out of control at all. Rather, he held out merciless Spartan training with Touji so diligently that it surprised them.

Today too, Kagami had summoned Touji for training.

The deal between Kagami and Touji was that, as compensation for Kagami holding special training for Touji, Touji and Amami would give Kagami any information about Harutora and Ohtomo. In other words, once Touji got his hands on some information, he had to immediately contact Kagami as the price for the training.

But today it was Kagami who had first brought up this time before working hours before requesting that they provide information. The deal with Kagami had continued for more than a year, and such cases had happened many times.

...Unexpectedly, he might be warming up.

It would be annoying as h.e.l.l if Touji were at a level where he randomly died. That sentence wasn't restricted to the scenario where Touji was Kagami's shikigami. In mock battle after mock battle, Touji had also slowly understood what kind of a person Kagami was. That man was extremely serious and completely sincere about magic. No one knew whether Kagami and Touji would be enemies after this, but he wanted to have a good fight if that time came. He was definitely looking forward to it.

And......

"Hey, as I was saying. You're about able to move properly, right? If you can move, it's about time to get on with the main business."

"Hah? What main business?"

"Keh. What are you pretending at, old man. You guys have been pretty hyped up since last month. In other words, something new has happened."

Touji and Amami inadvertently traded glances at Kagami's accusation. Though something had certainly happened, they hadn't thought Kagami would notice.

As Kagami said, his motivation right now was worlds different from his motivation last year.

He was working harder than before, but he had also formed the ability of calm judgment. After objectively a.n.a.lyzing himself, he had reached the conclusion that he couldn't go without a hardworking mentality. Touji didn't hesitate to get reckless when he felt that he needed to in order to reach his destination.

But like today, calm calculations weren't the only thing that drove Touji on. There were also irrational, vexing thoughts along with impulses he couldn't suppress, burning emotions, and a fire that Tenma had ignited in him on television that day.

It was a fact that Natsume had returned. Tenma had the mettle to convey this to them.

Antic.i.p.ating that the time was coming, Touji couldn't help but charge forward after laying low for a long time. It definitely wasn't because he was happy, was it......?

No, wait.

It was because he was happy. He couldn't deny an excitement like that on the eve of a festival. Perhaps Amami felt almost the same. He was excited enough that Kagami, who they only met occasionally, had seen through him instantly.

But - that was natural. The two of them had hid underground and endured this long for this day.

"......Even so, you must be really worried to come over for the 'main business'."

But Kagami didn't respond to Touji's challenging provocation.

His mouth curled into a cold, fickle smile.

He said almost self-mockingly:

"......What's wrong with that? I've certainly thought that the current situation wasn't bad."

"What?"

"Nothing, it's my business."

Kagami shrugged as he spoke.

The wheelchair-bound Amami stared at Kagami and his strange att.i.tude. Touji eyed Kagami with the same suspicious look, but was ultimately unable to see through what the young Onmyouji was thinking. A detestable silence covered the arena and Suisen looked restlessly between the three of them.

"Hey, Touji."

Kagami's vague words broke the silence.

"When the time comes, don't pull something shameful like dying right off the bat, alright? Or else I'll look like a fool for spending more than a year training you."[4]

That was obvious.

Touji glared back at Kagami without speaking a word. Then, he silently replied with a nod.

"I know. Look forward to it."

What a pain. She focused on keeping a wry smile off her face as she sat elegantly on the sofa, wearing a professional smile.

In the receiving room[5] of the Onmyou Academy building, four people including Kyouko smiled around a table.

Sitting next to Kyouko was an old man wearing a suit - the current princ.i.p.al of the Onmyou Academy. Across from her was a young female reporter holding a notebook and pen, along with a photographer who pointed the lens of his camera at her every so often. In addition to four cups of cooled green tea, a voice recorder was on the table.

This was an interview for a magazine.

"Kyouko-san's father is Chief Kurahashi Genji, right? In other words, Kyouko-san is the daughter of the famous Kurahashi family--"

The princ.i.p.al gracefully replied something like "Yes, that's indeed the case, as you say" to the smiling female reporter asking a question she knew the answer to.

"Chief Kurahashi himself is a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji, and Kyouko-san inherits the Kurahashi bloodline. Kyouko-san stands a head above the excellent Onmyouji gathered in the academy from over the entire nation......"

"And you have such stunning looks. Kyouko-san, you must be very popular among the male students, right?"

"No no, you're exaggerating......"

"Hahaha, she's the daughter of the Kurahashi family, so she's an unreachable flower in the eyes of the male students."

"Oh my, doesn't that feel upsetting for you as a girl?"

"No no, you're exaggerating......"

Keeping up this deliberate smile was making her face muscles cramp up a bit. Her only salvation was that she didn't have to spend effort thinking about what to say, thanks to the princ.i.p.al replying to the reporter's every question before she said anything. That said, she wondered whether the princ.i.p.al could make some more normal reply, but the princ.i.p.al seemed quite happy.

The current princ.i.p.al was a temporary Onmyou Academy princ.i.p.al that the Onmyou Agency had arranged for, a replacement for Kyouko's grandmother Kurahashi Miyo. He looked like one of her father's followers, but it looked more like he submitted before her father's powerful image than he actually held the same ideology. In that sense, it was correct to call him a peaceful, 'normal' person. He would probably faint if he learned that her father was the mastermind behind the Twin-Horned Syndicate.

He was making various reforms to the Onmyou Academy's ways in order to change the exclusive impression of Onmyouji and to cooperate with the opening of the magic community that her father advocated. Activities like magazine interviews with students were one kind of these reforms.

Kyouko secretly glanced at the table. Other than the green tea placed in front of her, there was also the business card that the female reporter had given her before the interview.

The magazine was called the 'Monthly Onmyouji'.

Though the t.i.tle was very stiff, it wasn't actually a professional magazine. Instead, it was a magazine covering topics on magic and Onmyouji aimed towards ordinary readers. It was the most cla.s.sic name among similar magazines. Indeed, this 'Monthly Onmyouji' had been the first to call the Onmyouji who pa.s.sed the Onmyou First-Cla.s.s exam the 'Twelve Divine Generals'.

Kyouko had once loved to read the special section of the 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka, and even now they were put away in some corner of her room. Although thinking of the exaggerated, idol-like Suzuka from those reports now made a kind of bitterness rise up in her heart.

"I see~~, how interesting. Actually, when I came to view the New Year's Ceremony last month, I was completely drawn in by Kyouko-san's shikigami dance. Not only is she beautiful and an outstanding student, Kyouko-san has an extremely good disposition. Kyouko-san will certainly be a future Divine General and the star of the next generation."

"So very true. After all, many of the Divine Generals are graduates of this academy. Our Onmyou Academy's roster is quite famous, isn't it? Right, Kyouko-san?"

"No no, you're exaggerating......"

Kyouko felt more and more fatigued as she carefully answered the courteous questions.

According to what they said, the Onmyou Academy New Year's Festival that had been broadcasted live on television last month had caused quite a stir among the Monthly Onmyouji readership. Since it was very rare for an error to happen in the middle.

An unexpected group of shikigami had formed during the shikigami group dance, leading to the failure of the dance.

In the end, the reasons weren't understood. The princ.i.p.al had squelched the topic, choosing to brush it off rather than probe for reasons. Their former teacher Fujiwara-sensei had resigned at the same time as her grandmother. With that, perhaps Kyouko was the only one in the Onmyou Academy who knew the 'culprit' of this 'incident'.

A warm light shone in Kyouko's heart when she thought of the scene from back then.

Who would have known that she would be chosen like this.

Allegedly, the Monthly Onmyouji's interview this time was to ask about things related to that New Year's Ceremony, but they hadn't received permission from the princ.i.p.al and they hadn't been able to publish a report on the New Year's Ceremony last month. Wanting to get some dirt on the incident before it subsided, they had set their eyes on the next-best target, Kyouko - that was probably what this development was about.

According to what the female reporter said, it seemed like the readers of their magazine wanted Kyouko to become a new professional idol in place of the Child Prodigy who hadn't shown her face in a long time. Give me a break.

...Anyway, it would be nice if she could be inconspicuous and avoid interviews like Tenma.

That said, she had been suddenly called over without warning for an interview this morning, so she hadn't prepared anything.

First off, her divination practice was still continuing, but she hadn't been able to see anything new about Harutora, Natsume or Ohtomo. Now that everything she did was being monitored, it was best not to provoke any unnecessary suspicion. Because of that, she concealed her true disaffection in her heart.

"Oh right, Kyouko-san? Two years ago, you were at school with the Child Prodigy Dairenji Suzuka when she became a special student, right? Did you get along well with her?"

"Hm? Ah, yes."

Kyouko accidentally stopped smiling at the sudden question and nodded unconsciously.

Upon seeing this reaction, the female reporter smiled proudly and continued asking:

"As I thought, you got along very well as top students?"

"Y-Yeah. Uh... we talked a lot, and...... and...... um, Su-- Dairenji-san really looked up to me. Yeah."

"I see. As I thought, 'birds of a feather' still holds true."

She took notes as she looked at Kyouko.

"Dairenji-san's already returned to the Onmyou Agency now. Are you still in contact with her?"

"N-No...... She's very busy, I think...... And it might not be good for a student to be too familiar with a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji from the outside."

It was true that she couldn't contact Suzuka. After all, Suzuka and Kyouko were both actually being imprisoned. In addition to contact with each other, contact with the outside was extremely difficult.

Because of that, Kyouko felt heartfelt grat.i.tude for the next question.

"Do you have anything you'd like to say to Dairenji-san in the Onmyou Agency?"

She couldn't say the important part, but at least this could reach her.

"......I'm always supporting her. Even if we can't meet, I'm always supporting her."

★

In the end, the interview continued for more than an hour after school ended.

The students had mostly all returned to their dorms, and Kyouko was left to walk out of the back door alone. Now that Kyouko's life was being monitored, she had to be driven to and from school. Of course, taking small roads was forbidden. She had gotten used to driving around the academy by car.

There weren't even any students left in the hallways to talk to Kyouko. She silently headed to the back door.

Just then.

"Aah, great, I found you."

"Ah, uh, you're the one from before......"

On her way to the back door, someone suddenly called out to Kyouko. It was the female reporter of the Monthly Onmyouji from earlier. The cameraman wasn't with her, so it was just her.

"I heard that you took a car from the back door every day, so I waited for you."

"Ah......"

The female reporter smiled at the confused Kyouko.

"Sorry for suddenly calling out to you. Can I have a bit of your time again?"

"Eh? Are you continuing the interview? Then you need to ask the princ.i.p.al for permission......"

"AH, it's alright, it's alright, I'm not asking about the New Year's Ceremony."

"But......"

Kyouko looked towards the back door. After she walked out the door, she would immediately be pulled into the car by members of her household and shuttled back home.

But though the female reporter asked for permission, she pulled Kyouko into an empty cla.s.sroom of her own volition. Even if she was a member of the media, she treated underage students in a surprising way.

Those thoughts were immediately expressed on her face. The woman laughed devilishly.

"Your family members will capture you once you go out, right? Here, have this."

"......Canned coffee?"

"I bought it before coming here, it's probably already cold."

"Ah, no, that's not what I meant......"

She ignored Kyouko's confused expression and thrust the coffee towards her.

The reporter was very young, probably twenty years old. Her inconspicuous suit and pants were indistinguishable from a normal office lady's.

But Kyouko's interest was piqued when she noticed her expression changing, especially by her vitality-filled eyes. They had maintained a distance during the interview from before, since it would be unprofessional of them to be too involved.

After giving Kyouko coffee and opening her own share, she said in a friendly voice:

"Sorry. I actually wanted to invite you to a nice coffee place, but it looks like you don't even have the freedom to do that. Man, it was hard work, you know? It was really tough to get an opportunity to approach you. I definitely wouldn't be able to handle that way of life. You've for some strong endurance."

Kyouko finally became alert.

Even though Kyouko was the daughter of the Kurahashi family, she wouldn't have investigated this much beforehand for a mere student interview.

"......Who are you?"

"Eh? Ahh, don't worry. The Monthly Onmyouji ident.i.ty wasn't a lie. The business card from before was also real. Do you remember my name?"

"......Wakamiya Rika of the Editorial Division."

"Oh, amazing, as expected of a top student. Ah, also, I have no relationship to your distant Wakasugi relatives. It's 'miya', not 'sugi'. There are occasionally people named Kurahashi in the Editorial Department too; I really can't stand this industry."

The woman - Wakamiya - replied casually to the guarded Kyouko.

The Wakasugi family were indeed distant relatives of the Kurahashi family. More accurately, the Kurahashi and Wakasugi were both branch families of the Tsuchimikado. But unlike how the Kurahashi family was in the spotlight of the magic community, the Wakasugi family was not well-known. The fact that she said this was proof that she was an 'insider' of the magic community.

That said, she couldn't drop her guard.

"So, what do you need?"

Wakamiya adjusted her posture again, seeming troubled over what stance to take.

Soon after that, Wakamiya pointed at Kyouko with her index finger while holding the canned coffee:

"In short, please tell me about your Tsuchimikado cla.s.smates. Both Harutora and Natsume. Also Ato Touji and Dairenji Suzuka like we talked about earlier. And in particular - about the incident last summer during the Sumida fireworks festival."

She reflexively gulped and looked at Wakamiya with wide eyes.

She had a faint premonition, but hadn't thought she would be pressed so far.

Wakamiya was still smiling. But she stared at Kyouko with a serious look.

"The Onmyou Agency completely blotted out that incident, but there are quite a few people who were at the scene who have doubts. Have you seen the discussions about this online?"

"......No."

"Oh. Well, I don't recommend it. Most of them are people taking advantage of the chaos to write whatever they like. But objectively, it's true that there are some unnatural places in the Onmyou Agency's statement. Also, it's very strange how dogged the Onmyou Agency is - they're even mobilizing Independent Exorcists and Special Sensers to track down Tsuchimikado Harutora. It's also true that an underage boy can't be prosecuted, but the Onmyou Agency's treating him like a terrorist. As Tsuchimikado Yakou's reincarnation."

The most important point. Wakamiya continued speaking as Kyouko gasped:

"No one's going to believe you if you say you don't know about these things, you know? You were friends with the Tsuchimikados, right?"

It was more like a confirmation than a question. Wakamiya stared at Kyouko, interested more in Kyouko's reaction than her verbal answer. Kyouko bit her lip.

A completely unexpected situation. She had to be calm and think......

But there was nothing she could do. Kyouko could only give up and slump her shoulders.

...There was nothing she could do about this situation.

It wasn't her own fault, it was an accident. Kyouko sighed lightly, her expression becoming stern.

She formed a seal with her left hand that wasn't holding the coffee. Surprised, Wakamiya hastily backed up. Kyouko didn't use magic right away. She just gathered an appropriate amount of magical energy, turned her body, and thrust her hand out behind her.

Just then, a s.p.a.ce slightly above Kyouko's head with nothing in it twisted and reacted to the magical energy Kyouko released.

"...Eh? W-What?"

"A shikigami."

"A shikigami? Yours?"

"No."

Kyouko stopped her dramatizing and smiled self-derisively.

"It's a monitoring shikigami that my father put on me. In other words, it heard all the questions you just asked."

Though the shikigami wasn't stealthed and its aura was visible, it wasn't usually materialized and hence people without the spirit-sensing ability couldn't spot it. After seeing the distorted s.p.a.ce in the air and hearing Kyouko's explanation, Wakamiya also noticed it and suddenly dropped her cheerful expression.

Kyouko smiled wryly and said "Sorry" to the female reporter staring over at her.

"But I can't do anything about it. All I can tell you is about this shikigami. Is that enough to cover the coffee?"

After frankly saying what she had to, Kyouko folded her arms.

She couldn't actually do anything, just like she had thought before. As a result of this, Kyouko's monitoring would be strengthened, the Onmyou Agency would complain to the Monthly Onmyouji, and Wakamiya would therefore be punished. It was all unavoidable, and their powerless selves could only accept it.

Wakamiya stared at the distorted s.p.a.ce for a while.

Then she returned her gaze to Kyouko.

"Thanks. You're very nice."

She thanked Kyouko with a smile.

She used a very calm tone. Also, her smile was even more natural than before.

But when she opened her mouth again...

"But...... To be honest, it's not like I didn't antic.i.p.ate this situation."

"......Eh?"

"I knew you were being completely monitored after investigating you a little...... I got quite a bit of information during that, too. So I was prepared to be exposed. I don't know how many times I've been reprimanded by my boss by now, especially about your business."

She spread her hands and blinked, feigning a foolish att.i.tude as she spoke.

She was very laid-back, but her expression was still serious. Kyouko's feelings became muddled again and she wasn't sure how to reply.

"Why are you......"

"A hobby."

"......It's not work?"

"Of course there are also work reasons. In society, there are jobs taken to earn a living, and there are jobs taken for other reasons. This job is on both sides. How should I describe it, it's kind of like my mission. You'll understand some day when you start working."

Wakamiya spoke indifferently without any banter. Kyouko didn't know how to respond to this.

"And to be honest, there are actually some personal reasons too."

"......Personal reasons? What personal reasons?"

"Actually, my older sister was an Onmyouji. But she wasn't in the Onmyou Agency, she worked here."

"Here...... in the Onmyou Academy?"

"Yeah, she was a teacher. Though she died a long time ago."

Kyouko stopped talking when she heard that she had died.

That said, there was no gloominess on Wakamiya's face. Her expression was even a bit embarra.s.sed.

"......Is your sister's death related to why you're investigating that incident?"

"It's not directly related. Probably. But I've always distrusted the Onmyou Agency since my sister's death. During my current work, I've also noticed that I'm not the only one who doesn't trust the Onmyou Agency. So I think that my mission is to investigate the suspicious things of this world. Though my boss scolds me saying things like how I'm ten years too early."

At the end, she furrowed her brow and gulped down the remaining half-can of coffee in one go, sighing.

Anyway, I'll withdraw for today, I don't want to bother you too much. Sorry. But just remember that I'm around; I might be able to help you out some day."

Of course, Kyouko couldn't say much with the shikigami monitoring her, nor could she reply with 'got it'. Wakamiya didn't expect a response either. She waved lightly and went towards the exit with an "I'm off".

"Oh, right." She stopped in front of the door.

"Kyouko-chan, can you reveal any information on someone who's not a student?"

"......Who?"

"Your cla.s.s's teacher, Ohtomo Jin. He also disappeared after that incident, right?"

An unexpected name was brought up. As Kyouko had thought, she had done a lot of investigation beforehand.

But Kyouko didn't know about Ohtomo-sensei's whereabouts either. Actually, Kyouko even wanted someone to tell her about it.

She prudently shook her head without saying a word. Wakamiya laughed lightly, not seeming very dejected.

"......What about Ohtomo-sensei?"

"Hmm. Well, I'll tell you what I've heard. The 'personal reasons' unrelated to you that I mentioned before involve him."

That moment.

Her consciousness swelled up and an inexplicable sensation spread out before her.

The scenery before her eyes was a vast, boundless universe. Groups of stars glittered palely like beautiful lights.

This was a sign of her divination. Hastily grabbing on to the feeling she had finally gotten used to recently, Kyouko entered a stupor. Her body flowed along with it, but she still kept her self-consciousness. She floated up - leaving the ground.

It happened in an instant. Wakamiya didn't notice anything at all, and continued speaking in the same tone:

"My sister was Ohtomo Jin's teacher when he was still a student at the Onmyou Academy. There was him, Kogure Zenjirou of the Twelve Divine Generals, and another person. Anyways, she always used to tell me things about the Three Ravens of the Thirty-Sixth at home. Of course, that was when she was alive."

She deliberately put on a sentimental expression and spoke somewhat lonesomely.

Kyouko's heartbeat raced as her heart felt the abnormality that was occurring right now.

The new office building of the leading consumer magical tool manufacturer, Witchcraft, was in Nihonbashi. The old office building was in Waseda.

The old office building was now used for the development of magical tools, and its name had been changed to the 'development center'. But the company members called it the 'workshop', since it had been an automobile and motorcycle factory before. Even now, traces of its past could be seen in its exterior.

The development center was quite small compared to the new office building. But Tenma felt that the old office building was nostalgic. When he was small - when his parents had still been alive - the two of them would often bring him here to play.

He hadn't visited this place for a long time since his parents had died.

But recently, he had been showing his face here every month.

"Oh, Tenma, you're here. Come in, come in."

"Morning, Tsuru. Sorry to bother."

A man wearing work clothes came outside to welcome Tenma.

He was just over forty, with a tall, strong body without an ounce of extra fat. He had skin bronzed from the sun and, unexpectedly, had his hair in a pompadour. This man who didn't look at all like an Onmyouji was the manager here.

His name was Tsuruta Kameo. The name sounded like a joke[6], but it was his actual name. But it had been none other than Tenma's parents who had hired him here just on the basis of his name. He was also an old entrepreneur who had been at the Witchcraft Corporation for a long time like Tenma's parents.

After Tsuruta led Tenma in, they walked straight on in.

The employees they pa.s.sed by all cheerfully greeted Tenma when they saw him. This was probably an effect of the manager Tsuruta as well. Also, he had come here so many times that everyone easily recognized him. Maybe some of them had also heard about Tenma's situation. Tenma greeted each and every one of them as he entered the corridor with Tsuruta.

He was brought to Tsuruta's office, the manager's office on the second floor. But though it was a manager's office, it was actually a car warehouse with a work desk installed. Tools and magical implements were scattered everywhere. Even the top of the computer was opened, and one could tell at a glance that it was self-a.s.sembled.

Tenma was dazed by visiting after so many years. Everything had changed greatly from when his parents had been in charge.

After Tsuruta let Tenma have a seat,

"Want a cup of coffee? Though I just ran out of sugar."

"Thank you very much."

"Want milk?"

"No need."

"Haha, you can even drink black coffee now. When you drank black coffee as a kid, you spat it out so dramatically, remember?"

"It was a long time ago, so I don't remember it."

"What? I even cleaned it up for you."

Tsuruta smiled as he poured coffee into the plastic cup. Tenma thanked him and accepted the coffee he handed over. He changed his originally formal demeanor to keep from upsetting Tsuruta.

Witchcraft was the company that Tenma's parents had managed. Tenma only had some vague memories from when he had been small, but he clearly remembered the young man that his parents had affectionately called 'Tan Boy'. Tsuruta hadn't forgotten about him either. During the summer two years ago, the Momoe family had suddenly gotten a call from Tsuruta asking whether he wanted to come to the workplace.

It seemed like Tsuruta had been worried about Tenma losing his parents. It seemed like he knew about Tenma being admitted to the Onmyou Academy and had considered it a good time to say h.e.l.lo to him.

"I have a lot to thank your parents for."

Tsuruta said this to Tenma after their long-awaited reunion.

"Though a lot of things have changed, your parents would be happy if you worked here."

To be honest, he had been confused at first. But a great joy had immediately followed that. That was because he hadn't imagined there was still someone who so respected his parents. And with his nostalgia about the old office building, being able to come back and see it practically moved him to tears. Tenma accepted Tsuruta's goodwill and accepted a tour of the 'workshop'.

"So how are things? Can you pa.s.s the Second-Cla.s.s Onmyou exam?"

"Hmm - Will I pa.s.s?"

"Hey hey, don't be too lax, the test is next month."

"It was always supposed to be a hurdle, so it won't be that easy."

"Work hard. Even with my authority, I can't accept anyone who hasn't pa.s.sed the exam."

He poured coffee for himself, boldly laughing at Tenma's timidity.

In contrast to how Tsuruta enthusiastically invited him to Witchcraft, Tenma himself didn't have any clear plans. Though he was living with his Momoe grandparents, the two of them hadn't gotten along with his mother and had almost been estranged.

The Momoe family on his mother's side had been a family of Onmyouji extending back to the Edo period. Originally, her husband ought to have inherited the Momoe family, but his free-spirited mother had been unable to accept the Momoe family's traditional ways and had left with his father, never coming back to her old family even once before she died.

After his parents died, his grandparents accepted him when he had no family to belong to.

During his life with his grandparents, Tenma had started to understand their true feelings towards his mother bit by bit. They didn't resent or hate his mother for betraying the family. But they were surprised, hurt, and didn't know what to do about his mother's betrayal.

Forever losing any opportunities to reconcile, his grandparents' thoughts about his mother were forever unrequited and stuck in the past.

Witchcraft was actually the company that his mother had established after betraying his grandparents. Tenma couldn't resolve himself to work there. Catching wind of this, Tsuruta didn't push the invitation any further.

...Also......

Before he was able to obtain qualifications or not, he still didn't know 'what to do'. If he wasn't careful - no, it was actually quite possible - the Onmyou Agency would investigate him. If he were in that company, he would definitely trouble the company and Tsuruta.

...Or maybe it's already very dangerous......

Tenma had received that message from Natsume last month and mixed a large amount of materialized shikigami into the shikigami group dance of the Onmyou Agency's New Year's Celebration. His goal was to secretly inform his friends about Natsume's return under the Mystical Investigators' noses.

The shikigami he had used at the time were the blue, swallow-shaped 'Type WA Swallow Whips' produced by the Witchcraft Corporation. The Swallow Whips were the most suited to convey the information that Tenma wanted.

But manmade shikigami charms were expensive, and they weren't things that Tenma could easily buy dozens of with his own means. And more importantly, the Swallow Whips were binding-type shikigami. Witchcraft's main customer for them was the Onmyou Agency Mystical Investigators, and they didn't sell to many others. It was very difficult to obtain that many.

It was Tsuruta who had acquired so many shikigami charms for Tenma. He had gotten his hands on some unused old charms claiming that they were for study, but actually the true goal was for 'that event'.

Fortunately, no one had investigated who the main culprit behind the commotion was, and they just took it as someone's prank. But as soon as someone felt that something felt wrong and started investigating the Swallow Whips, it was very possible that Tsuruta would get in trouble. Tenma hadn't thought things out carefully at first since he didn't have enough time, and now he was upset with his lack of forethought.

But......

Though he realized it was heartless, if someone asked him whether he was conscious that 'using the Swallow Whips would bring Tsuruta trouble' and whether he would have stopped his plans...... The answer was 'no'. Even if he brought great trouble to the person who had always taken care of him, Tenma would work towards his foremost priority.

...That was pretty heartless.

If he thought that way, how was he different from a terrorist? In the end, he would do anything 'for his goals'. That was why he didn't know what to think. If he didn't draw a line somewhere, some day Tenma would no longer be Tenma.

......He had thought so much about it, and still ended up coming in to bother him and drink coffee. How thick-skinned.

In any case, he was happy about meeting Tsuruta. Even if it had now become the 'workshop', every corner was still filled with beautiful memories with his parents. It was a nice feeling.

"Right, Tenma, I have some more useless shikigami charms. Do you want to bring them back with you?"

Being asked this as he was still introspecting made his heart pound.

He forced a smile and replied:

"Ah, thanks a lot. But I've already figured it out, so I won't need them this time."

"Hey, no need to be polite."

"I still haven't used all the ones I got last time...... And you know, I, uh, I'm still working hard to prepare for the exam, so I won't have time to mess with them even if I bring them back."

As he refused and shied away, Tsuruta smiled with a strange expression and said, "Ahh, I see."

...Speaking of which......

He really wanted to ask Tsuruta whether he knew about the New Year's Ceremony incident. In this field of work, and especially for someone with a position like Tsuruta had, people would naturally look to the Onmyou Agency to discover new talent. Actually, there were many graduates of the Onmyou Academy in Witchcraft.

Also, even if Tsuruta himself didn't know, there had to be a couple workers who did, right? The commotion had been a very popular topic in the industry. They definitely knew.

That Tsuruta would definitely notice the truth on the spot after learning about the New Year's Ceremony incident. After all, they were the shikigami charms that he had given out himself.

But Tsuruta didn't mention a word of the New Year's Ceremony in front of Tenma.

He didn't know, then. Or maybe he had noticed but deliberately didn't say anything. If it were the latter, then what were Tsuruta's motives?

Was he secretly colluding with the Mystical Investigators? He wasn't willing to think that way. But Tenma had to think about every possibility right now, including this one. Whether he believed them or not was up to his judgment.

It would be best to keep his distance from him.

But Tenma had chosen to trust him.

The more dangerous the crisis, the more he had to believe in his friends.

"Well, I won't force them on you if you don't want them. Instead, you should hurry up and see if you can make your own shikigami."

"To join Witchcraft?"

"Naturally, that would be the best. But actually it's not important. I just want to see a shikigami that you made with your own hands, Tenma."

"I'm not as talented as my mom and dad."

"Do you think only talented people can make interesting shikigami? You're too naive, Tenma. Actually, the shikigami that idiots make are the monsters that you can't underestimate. And didn't I say? No matter what your mom was like, your dad was a complete and utter idiot."

An unexpected reply. "Really?" He asked back, and Tsuruta answered with a reddened face.

"Or else he - Ahh, no, never mind."

He hastily shut his mouth before he got carried away and waved it by.

Tenma's mother was actually famous in the industry. She had invented the popular Swallow Whip and had been an ace designer of the Witchcraft Corporation.

But the biggest legacy she left was starting the trend of shikigami 'for a specific purpose that anyone could use with the same effectiveness'. The general-type and binding-types that shikigami were divided into now were all started from various types of her shikigami. She was a notable figure who could be included in magic history textbooks.

Concealed by that brilliance, the work of Tenma's father was not very well-known. Even Tenma didn't understand it.

He only remembered him tinkering with machines in the workshop wearing the 'Ace Engineer' badge on his shoulder. Now that he recalled it, he had been making vessels of mechanical-type shikigami. But the impression his father gave off was more like an engineer than an inventor.

"Did my dad make shikigami?"

"Of course. In terms of numbers, he made several times more than your mom, you know? Though the number he made that could actually be used was less than half that of your mom's...... But who knows. They were all mysterious things."

Tsuruta smiled as he said,

"Why don't you come look at an actual product? We still have some of his test products left behind."

"Ah, sure, okay! Thank you."

After he actually saw them, they really were stupid and mysterious things.

There were ones comical enough to provoke laughs, and there were ones that made him speechless. But he could see that every vessel was a product that his father had poured his heart into. The vessels his father had created were all infused with the creator's painstaking effort.

"......You really didn't throw these away and held on to them until now, huh."

"Hmm? Well, it's all my good management. No matter how shoddy the craftsmanship is - the sentiment, it's the sentiment that's the most important. After all, this is the company that your parents built up together."

Tsuruta spoke happily about the past. It wasn't clear how much of it was a joke.

Time pa.s.sed without him noticing as he looked back and forth among his father's inventions. Realizing that the sun was about to set, Tenma hastily prepared to leave the 'workshop'.

"Thanks. Today was really fun."

"Oh, it was nothing, is that enough to satisfy you? Someday I'll show you your dad's best work."

"It's even more 'out there' than what I saw today?"

"A man doesn't go back on his word! I guarantee it!"

Tsuruta guaranteed, full of self-confidence. Tenma smiled.

Just then,

"Ah, right. Tenma, I have to bother you with this. Throw these away for me on your way back."

Tsuruta gave him a paper bag.

Tenma took the paper bag and opened it to look inside, and his eyes widened - inside were shikigami charms.

"Hey, Tsuruta-san......"

"Don't grumble, I have to get rid of the old stuff to make s.p.a.ce for the new. They're already recorded as discarded, and our company won't sell them. Sentiment's very important."

He looked at the perturbed Tenma as he spoke.

Tenma had been at a loss before, but with this it truly felt like he had 'lost'. It was worth a long laugh, but all that came out of him was a short word:

"...Yeah."

By the time he noticed, it was already dusk.

Takahiro, who had been focused on some charms he had gotten his hands on, came out of the bedroom and moved to the kitchen after seeing that no one was there.

He asked his wife, who was preparing dinner:

"Where did Natsume and Akino go?"

"Those two just left. They said they were going to the station to practice stealth magic."

Chizuru replied, cutting the onion on the cutting board with rhythmic chops.

"Just the two of them?"

"Ah, come on. There's no problem if Natsume's there. That girl can alr