Tokyo Ravens Volume 2 Chapter 2

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"Harutora, since you weren't wrong, you don't have to care about her."

"How can I......"

The morning cla.s.ses had ended, with Harutora still carrying awkward feelings after the disastrous self-introduction. His shoulders were tired and heavy, as if they were stone, making him slump on the cla.s.sroom desk out of exhaustion.

It was the noon break. The many students - including Kyouko just now - left the room, venturing out to eat. Of course, no one dared to chat with Harutora, who had caused an uproar as soon as he entered the cla.s.sroom.

There was just one male who was an exception.

"Haaaah..."

Touji gave an undisguised grin, himself half an outsider.

"Becoming remarkable the moment you enter, simply perfect, Harutora."

"What 'perfect' are you talking about, it's all over."

"That's not the case, showing a display of power at the start to gauge everyone's reaction counts as a way of looking for strong people, it's not bad."

"d.a.m.n, to think you have that kind of carefree att.i.tude... More importantly, I wasn't the one displaying power."

Touji would normally undoubtedly be the one who was more eye-catching, and never Harutora, but this time Touji had been completely outshadowed behind the 'Tsuchimikado pair', even saying: "This way, it's a lot more convenient to move around, so I approve."

"Right, Natsume. Is that student named Kyouko always like that? She seemed to have some deep hatred for the Tsuchimikado family."

Touji asked, but Natsume shook her head soberly.

"No...... She doesn't let up opportunities to attack me, but she rarely displays her opposition to me like she did today. Thanks to her, I also felt a bit fired up."

"......I didn't see it as only 'a bit'."

"What are you dissatisfied about? Harutora, I spoke out for you. On the other hand, protecting my own s.h.i.+kigami is only natural."

Natsume spoke n.o.bly and proudly, and Harutora slumped on the desk, the corners of his mouth drooping.

On the other side, Touji was sitting on the table, deep in thought.

"......Could it be that we did something to offend her?"

"I don't know, I don't even have a single clue."

"When you called her Kurahas.h.i.+ Kyouko just now, could it be 'that' Kurahas.h.i.+? In that case, maybe it's related to that aspect."

"She is indeed from that family, but even so, I don't understand why. My father has met with their family, but I have almost never come in contact with the Kurahas.h.i.+ family."

Natsume replied, showing an embarra.s.sed expression. Harutora suddenly raised his head upon hearing the name 'Kurahas.h.i.+' again.

"Oh yeah, sensei just mentioned it early, so is that Kur... Wait, Natsume, Touji, aren't you too familiar? Wasn't yesterday your first meeting?"

Harutora asked confusedly, and Natsume's body visibly trembled upon hearing this.

Harutora and Touji had been in the same high school, and the two of them had had a good relations.h.i.+p before since Harutora's father treated Touji. But Touji had seen Natsume for the first time when he had come to Tokyo with Harutora yesterday. At that time, Harutora had even said Natsume was actually a girl - after all, he had often mentioned the girl he had played with during his childhood to Touji before he knew about the main family tradition. But the two of them hadn't said anything to each other more than a simple greeting.

But, never mind Touji, why was the normally shy Natsume now chatting this energetically with him?

"Uh, this, well......"

Natsume's delicate face went rigid and her words became broken, her gaze wandering around.

In comparison, Touji seemed unruffled.

"Didn't you know, Harutora? People just can't help but come talk to me, I'm such a charming guy."

"......To think you would proudly say that kind of thing after being a juvenile delinquent before."

Harutora raised his head from where he lay on the desk, frowning in wonder. Touji smiled and put his hand on Harutora's head, messing up his hair.

"Alright, don't concern yourself with it. For some reason, I feel like it's not my first time meeting this person, it's definitely because we're very chummy. Right, Natsume?"

"Yes, right! That's it, Harutora. We're chummy! And the cat I had before was named Touji, so I feel especially close to him and I don't think Touji is an outsider at all!"

Touji showed a fake smile, but Natsume forced herself to laugh out loud. Harutora felt that there was some kind of comedy playing out before him, and his frown got deeper and deeper.

But, Natsume and Touji indeed could not have known each other before, so he could only believe their claims. More importantly, he had secretly worried before that 'I fear that these two people's personalities won't mix well', but in contrast he saw this situation instead...... He felt relieved upon seeing that these two were suddenly in such harmony.

"Could you be jealous?"

"Hey you..."

"You and Natsume were estranged for a long time, but we became this friendly in an instant, so for you to be jealous wouldn't be--"

"......Alright, I know. Honestly, I'd be troubled if you were to fight."

Hearing Touji's mischievous questions, Harutora could only unwillingly give up on his investigation.

Harutora was bound to become even more exhausted the moment the two of them fought, so he could only hope that there wouldn't be any such crisis in the future.

Then, he turned to Natsume, as if giving his stamp of approval: "So, I guess that's how things are. Natsume, you can have faith in Touji. If you need something, you can find him to talk, not just me."

"............" But, Natsume didn't respond for a while.

Harutora who had originally planned on lying back down went "Nn?", turning his body to look at Natsume. He noticed that Natsume was standing still with her eyes wide, her cheeks tinged slightly red.

"......What is it, Natsume?"

"Uh, nothing......"

"Yeah? Could it be that you don't have faith in Touji?"

"Th, That's not it...... It's just, well...... Y, You don't have to worry...... okay? Touji and I aren't that friendly......"

Her att.i.tude was bashful and she didn't speak clearly. Harutora couldn't help but frown.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I, I mean, I trust Touji, but...... The most...... well...... the person c-closest to me is Harutora, I promise......"

She whispered softly without even looking at Harutora, Harutora didn't get the meaning in her words and turned around looking to Touji for help, but Touji was staring at the ceiling for some reason. Harutora, whose look was as stunned as before, felt as if he were watching a slapstick comedy.

"A, Anyways!"

Natsume frantically changed the topic.

"Everything will go smoothly between me, Touji, and Harutora! So - you don't need to concern yourselves with other students, even that girl. As long as you work hard and seriously, I believe that she won't say more. If she dares to find you to make more trouble, I won't let her off."

After calling out with a red face, Natsume suddenly regained her seriousness, and then said:

"First and foremost - we came to the Onmyou Academy to be able to work independently as soon as possible, and only for that goal."

"Natsume......"

Those words revealed the lifestyle Natsume had in the Onmyou Academy, and Harutora inadvertently sat up straight upon hearing that.

On that note, Natsume had also mentioned before that she didn't have to fear being looked down upon as long as she showed her power in the Onmyou Academy.

That way of saying things was equivalent to directly expressing that she wasn't concerned about the other students, and admitted that she was isolated from the cla.s.s, with no friends. That proved Harutora's predictions and worries.

...But, Natsume.

That wasn't a good thing. Natsume's circ.u.mstances were complex and difficult to understand, but he still didn't believe closing herself out was the correct way.

Just as Harutora was hesitating over whether he should speak his concerns...... "Tsuchimikado-kun - Ah, I'm looking for Natsume-kun." A student spoke from the front.

It was a gla.s.ses-wearing male student. Harutora and the others turned around at the same time, making him freeze for a second.

"Uh - that person's here."

He pointed to the cla.s.sroom door as he said that.

A suit-wearing young man stood in the corridor outside the cla.s.sroom. His body was tall and thin, and his appearance was quite handsome. He smiled leisurely upon noticing that Harutora and the others were looking at him, lightly nodding his head in greeting.

Harutora was just feeling confused, when - "Oh no! I forgot. Sorry Harutora, I have to go." Natsume exclaimed.

"What is it? What happened?"

"Uh...... I, I'm taking a special cla.s.s right now, so I also have cla.s.s during noon break...... Do you know where the student cafeteria is?"

"Yeah, I should."

"Then you two can go eat lunch, I'll probably only return right before afternoon cla.s.ses start."

She hurried down the stairs after saying this, rus.h.i.+ng towards the cla.s.sroom door.

But, she suddenly stopped halfway, quickly returning to them and leaning forward over the table.

Then--

"Harutora, Touji, let's do our best."

"...Ah, okay."

"Yeah."

Harutora and Touji responded separately to those clear eyes and direct gaze.

Natsume happily laughed like a child, turning around almost as if she were dancing and finally leaving the cla.s.sroom. She spoke a few words to the man waiting for her in the corridor and immediately disappeared.

After Natsume suddenly left, Harutora's whole body relaxed, but Touji said wryly: "She's really excited."

"Excited...... huh?"

Harutora gazed at the corridor that Natsume had left from with a complex look.

"......Maybe because she's wearing a male uniform, her personality changed. How should I say it...... she feels more childish."

"Oh."

"But, what's strange is that it doesn't feel unexpected at all, but rather it feels like I'm used to it already......"

"Oh, no wonder."

Touji spoke quietly with a grin upon hearing Harutora's mumbling, his look clearly indicating 'so these two are the same after all'.

"But...... Is that guy who came to get Natsume also a teacher here?"

"Do you want to know?

"Kind of......"

"Maybe he's the boyfriend she met here."

"W, What stupid things are you saying, Natsume's pretending to be a guy here."

"So what?"

"Hey, what do you mean!"

In the end, Harutora was from a rural area, and when Touji who had grown up in Tokyo said this, he almost believed 'that kind of thing' wasn't unusual in this place. His good friend good-naturedly smiled upon seeing Harutora's panicked appearance.

"In any case, Natsume left at a perfect time. I have the opportunity to start some secret reconnaissance after showing strength - wait here for me."

When Harutora asked about it, Touji had already stuck his hands in his pockets, leisurely striding away.

Then - "Yo, thanks for earlier." He spoke friendlily to one of the students who had stayed behind in the cla.s.sroom, the male student who had just told Natsume that someone was here for her.

He seemed to be in the group that brought their own bentoes to school, and he was sitting in his seat, just about to open his bento box when Touji came over. His eyes widened in surprise when the transfer student - and already the center of attention - called out to him without warning.

"Do you remember my name? I'm Ato Touji, nice to meet you. How about you?"

"Ah, yes, I'm Momoe, Momoe Tenma..."

"Tenma, what a memorable name. You can call me Touji."

"Ah, okay, then......"

He could see even from afar that the student Tenma was quite tense. He made sure to be polite when talking, even though Touji was acting close.

His body was quite small and slim, with a conservative, generic hairstyle. His gla.s.ses-wearing face showed a middle-school immaturity, and at first glance he looked like a childish youth, but he also seemed affable because of this.

...So this is the reconnaissance he was talking about......

Touji seemed to be planning on taking advantage of Natsume's absence to hear some information from the students. However, to the eyes of Harutora who watched from afar, it seemed like a juvenile delinquent bullying an errand boy.

Touji later brought up three reasons as to why he had chosen Tenma as the object of his information gathering.

First, Tenma had been willing to tell Natsume there was someone looking for her, showing that he didn't hold any particular malice towards Natsume, and also proving that he was someone who would honestly do things that someone requested of him.

Second, he was just about to open his bento, or in other words he didn't have any suitable reason to leave, so it would be hard for him to escape.

Third, he looked very 'easy to trick'.

Though Harutora felt dumbfounded upon hearing that, Touji had already been observing the reactions of all the cla.s.sroom's students when Natsume and Kyouko had fought during the self-introductions, locking on the candidates to grill for information.

"Are you about to eat lunch? Can I bother you for a second?"

Touji had first antic.i.p.ated Tenma's response - actually, he asked in a strange manner. He said he didn't want to bother him, but he smiled naturally at the empty seat next to Tenma.

As Touji expected, Tenma really did show a good-natured smile, replying: "Sure."

"Great. I just came here so I'm not familiar with this place at all, can I ask you a few things?"

"I, I see. Go ahead, if you don't mind."

"Thanks a bunch. Ah, don't worry about me, keep eating."

What was scary about Touji was that he had clearly been a juvenile delinquent in the past but his manners were so slick. Actually, when they had been in the first year of high school, Harutora had seen many girls become deceived by the disparity between his grim outer appearance and gentle att.i.tude.

"The Onmyou Academy is really an incredible place, not only are the facilities new, there were even a pair of komainu by the door."

"You mean Alpha and Omega, huh. After you get used to them, those two s.h.i.+kigami are pretty interesting."

"s.h.i.+kigami, huh. Of course, I don't know how to use s.h.i.+kigami, but can you already use them?"

"Uh, I, I can more or less use manmade s.h.i.+kigami...... In the end the current control interfaces for s.h.i.+kigami are quite excellent."

Tenma was a bit tense, but he still chatted with Touji. Even if Touji had bothered his meal, he didn't scowl, so his personality seemed as kind as his appearance.

Touji quietly motioned to Harutora while he was chatting with Tenma, probably to explain 'we can get close to this person'. Harutora stood up reluctantly, walked toward Touji and Tenma's seat.

"Can I join in?"

"Huh, ah--"

"Hey, you don't need to be that scared. I don't know how Natsume is, but we're harmless. Since there are two Tsuchimikado in the cla.s.s, you can call me Harutora."

Harutora didn't expect that he would frighten Tenma more than Touji had. He endured that light blow, circling around to the seat in front of Tenma and sitting down.

"This guy's also pretty troubled. He's a Tsuchimikado all right, but he's from a branch family and he doesn't know anything about Onmyoudou. And he and I were both studying at a normal high school until this summer. The reason we were able to enter the Onmyou Academy isn't actually that incredible. Do you know about the big Onmyouji commotion a while ago? Actually, we were dragged into it at the time." Touji spoke with a grin to the stiff Tenma.

"Hey, Touji."

Harutora hurriedly interrupted, but Touji replied carelessly: "It's alright."

"Honestly, the Onmyouji who caused that incident was related to some higher-ups in the Onmyou Agency, that part wasn't even released to the media, and us two normal people ended up becoming involved with the 'industry' - that's what happened."

"You mean that incident? So that's the story."

Tenma showed shock. It seemed that he had also heard about that summer incident, since it had become national news.

Touji nodded his head solemnly, continuing to say:

"The name Tsuchimikado somehow got out, and he resolved to endure the pressure he was getting from others - but he didn't expect the public criticism he suffered just now, so he was dispirited for the whole morning."

His words sounded disparaging, but he nudged his chin affectionately in Harutora's direction. That remark wasn't false at all, but his rhetoric was quite clever.

Tenma's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the whole explanation. "So it's like that." He accepted Touji's words. Even some sympathy emerged in the gaze looking at Harutora. Harutora was grateful, but he felt like Touji was stretching things a bit, so he couldn't help but be a bit hesitant.

Touji shrugged his shoulders.

"But I guess it was what we wanted, and I decided to become an Onmyouji because of it, but...... Just like Touji said, I'm indeed a bit troubled."

"I see, that's really unfortunate."

Tenma showed a cordial smile as he spoke. He had a cute face, and Harutora finally had the feeling of chatting with a 'cla.s.smate'.

"......So, we wanted to ask a little about the 'cla.s.sroom situation', it's fine to respond with whatever you know - That female student from the morning, she was called 'Kurahas.h.i.+' if I remember correctly?"

Touji leaned forward as if to speak directly into the student's ear and cut to the chase, perhaps believing the opportunity to be just right. Tenma whispered an "Ah", quickly understanding the meaning in Touji's words.

"Right, she's the princess of the Kurahas.h.i.+ family. But she's not such a stuck-up girl, she even speaks to me with an open att.i.tude."

"......But she was pretty barbed today."

"Yeah, she gets like that once Natsume-kun gets involved...... It seems like she made him a rival."

Tenma's gentle smile became slightly bitter. It seemed that Kyouko's reaction in the morning didn't represent the general opinion of the cla.s.s, but was just a personal grudge.

However, that wasn't what Harutora was concerned about.

"Ah, right, speaking of 'Kurahas.h.i.+', I wanted to ask just now, what's significant about the Kurahas.h.i.+ family? Are they famous?"

Upon hearing that question, Tenma showed the same reaction as Ohtomo before, his eyes widening tremendously.

"You see, he's really not familiar with this industry."

Touji hurriedly came forth, only now opening his mouth to explain to Harutora:

"The Kurahas.h.i.+ family is the same as the Tsuchimikado family, they're famous families of Onmyoudou. The Kurahas.h.i.+ family is the top name since the decline of the Tsuchimikado. You heard the princ.i.p.al's name, right? Kurahas.h.i.+ Miyo, that old granny is the head of the Kurahas.h.i.+ family."

"Famous? So that's why sensei said she was a 'behind-the-scenes figure', huh...... Th, Then Kyouko too?"

"Yeah, she's also from the Kurahas.h.i.+ family, and not only that, she's also the granddaughter of princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+. Moreover, the current head of the Onmyou Agency is the princ.i.p.al's son, so also her father."

Tenma's supplemental explanation stunned Harutora.

"That's so overwhelming! My dad's just a rural Onmyou doctor, and Natsume's dad...... I forgot what he was doing, but he's definitely not some important government official. That's crazy! What a ridiculous family!"

"Didn't I say so?"

Touji replied coldly to the surprised Harutora.

"But regardless of the current powers, the Tsuchimikado family holds the history and the pedigree, and that's why Kurahas.h.i.+-san is so one-sidedly hostile to Natsume-kun - That's probably what everyone believes, but doesn't say." Tenma smiled lightly.

"One-sidedly?"

"That...... you can tell just by looking."

Tenma spoke apologetically. Anyone would believe this upon seeing Natsume's cold demeanor compared to Kyouko's angry reaction.

"But it's no wonder she cares this much, since after all they're the two best students in the cla.s.s."

"......Could it be that Kyouko is the same as Natsume, and had basic Onmyoudou training ever since she was small?"

"It wouldn't be strange if she did receive that training, since she's the princess of the Kurahas.h.i.+ family."

Maybe Kyouko was a powerful Onmyouji. Harutora silently alerted himself that even if he were challenged, he definitely couldn't get angry and rush to accept.

"But the first-year cla.s.ses are focused on lectures, so no one is actually sure about their power, it's just that the two of them perform perfectly during the rarely-held practical training, and it seems like they're the only ones in this year that have defensive-type s.h.i.+kigami."

Tenma explained.

"What does defensive-type mean?" Harutora's question surprised Tenma again - "Shut up for now." Touji covered his mouth from the side. Seeing the pair of them acting completely impolitely, Tenma laughed, obviously relaxing quite a bit.

"But I was really surprised this morning, and I'm not the only one. Other people were probably also surprised."

"Why? Weren't they originally like oil and water?"

"Yeah, Kurahas.h.i.+-san actively provokes Natsume-kun, but Natsume-kun rarely retaliates that fiercely, it's really not like him......"

Upon saying this, Tenma realized that the two of them were close to Natsume and cast out a questioning look. Touji noticed and told him to "Don't worry, speak freely." He once again showed an apologetic look, continuing to say:

"He - Natsume-kun is normally very calm, and it might not be good to say this, but he seems uncaring about the things around him, and he always gives everyone an impression of listening silently. So when he was like that in front of everyone - how should I say it? It was really unexpected for him to quarrel so pa.s.sionately with someone. Kurahas.h.i.+-san was so angry in the morning because Natsume-kun's reaction scared her."

Tenma spoke of his feelings sincerely, and Harutora and Touji unconsciously looked at each other as they listened. From Natsume's naive demeanor just now, it was really hard to imagine the 'usual Natsume' that Tenma spoke of.

But--

......Thinking carefully, that was indeed closer to her disposition.

Harutora had said himself that Natsume dressed as a male seemed more childish, but the Natsume from before - the main family girl that Harutora had been close to since he was small - gave people the same feeling as Tenma described. She carried the heavy burden of being the heir to the Tsuchimikado family, and wanted wholeheartedly to become an exceptional Onmyouji without paying heed to anything else. She was proud and strict with others, that kind of girl.

Of course, her personality couldn't flip even if she were dressed as a male, and she had been this agitated and excited today because--

"You're very important to Natsume-kun."

Tenma's gaze held no other meaning, and Harutora turned away to conceal his embarra.s.sment.

Natsume had put forth effort to defend him, but she absolutely had not considered what effects that vigor would have on the surroundings.

Harutora only wanted to settle down in the Onmyou Academy as smoothly as possible, for both himself and Natsume. Because maybe even Natsume had to show a willingness to get close to her cla.s.smates other than him and Touji.

"......Don't worry about it, 'let's do our best'."

Harutora was speechless, and Touji spoke as if seeing through his thoughts. Harutora nodded his head heavily in front of the wondering Tenma.

"This is practically an insult! You Bakatora, this is too shameful!"

Natsume roared her complaints.

However, Harutora, who was lying on the desk, had long since lost the energy to respond, with invisible black smoke flowing out of his head. Touji sitting next to him didn't come to his rescue, watching from afar instead.

"I always thought you were an idiot, but I didn't think you would be so dumb you didn't know anything! It's a wonder you even got into the Onmyou Academy! Even if I'm not Kurahas.h.i.+ Kyouko, I still doubt whether you sneaked in through the back door!"

"Don't keep calling me idiot idiot, I just don't know......"

"That's why I'm saying you're an idiot! You're aiming to become an Onmyouji but somehow you don't even know the types of s.h.i.+kigami, that just proves that you're a genuine, huge idiot!"

The afternoon cla.s.s had come to an end, and it was time for cla.s.s to let out.

The reason Natsume was this angry was the afternoon cla.s.s. Actually, nothing peculiar had happened, just an inevitable outcome.

Simply put, it finally came to light that Harutora had absolutely no knowledge about anything related to Onmyoudou.

"What types of General-style s.h.i.+kigami are there? What's the difference between the Rikujin-s.h.i.+kisen and the General-style Rikujin? What relations.h.i.+p is there between the scale of a spiritual disaster and the danger level?"

"......Uh, well......"

"What 'uh, well'! What in the world were you doing before!"

She yelled hysterically, not even hearing Harutora's "Studying in a normal high school......'

The teachers responsible for the cla.s.s had originally thought Harutora was joking around, deliberately answering incorrectly. In the end, he was still a Tsuchimikado even if he was a new student, so some of the teachers even thought Harutora had been angry.

But, they gradually frowned and became stunned, finally choosing to ignore the existence of Harutora. All of the teachers who came in the afternoon showed similar reactions, and Natsume's face became paler and paler until she finally stared fiercely at Harutora with her face flushed in utter shame.

"He crammed before entering, so he forgot it all after the test."

Harutora laid on the table, and stared resentfully at Touji after hearing him speak indifferently and mercilessly. "Also--" Touji didn't back down, continuing to say:

"'General Onmyoudou' divides s.h.i.+kigami into two types. One includes deities, spirits, and beasts - these kinds of traditional spirits that exist as s.h.i.+kigami are called servant s.h.i.+kigami, but now most modern s.h.i.+kigami are now made by infusing magical power into a manmade vessel. In addition, manmade s.h.i.+kigami are divided into simple manmades which were created purely by the pract.i.tioner's magical power, and standard manmades which can hold external magical power. Simple manmades must be directly controlled or issued orders beforehand, but standard manmades can act autonomously to some degree, and in particular there is also a type of high-level manmade which can think on its own and can be said to have an independent personality."

"......Why is a normal kid from an ordinary family like you so knowledgeable......"

"Because I'm not an idiot."

"Th, Then what do defensive s.h.i.+kigami, general or domestic s.h.i.+kigami mean?"

"Those are methods of creation or usages, and there's no such thing as a domestic s.h.i.+kigami."

But, other than Touji, the other students who had viewed him as a 'new student from the Tsuchimikado' were all extremely surprised at his showing himself as an amateur. They were the same as the lecturers, first surprised, then doubting whether he was serious, and then more and more astonished, greatly disappointed, and then finally so stunned they weren't even able to laugh or get angry. Even Tenma was amazed, and it really hit Harutora hard.

But needless to say, Kurahas.h.i.+ Kyouko was the one who changed the cla.s.s atmosphere the most. A ridiculing and contemptuous gaze naturally shot out to the master of the s.h.i.+kigami, and Natsume shrank her body in humiliation, lowering her head.

"This is the biggest shame I've experienced in my life......"

She mumbled painfully, her face livid and her shoulders trembling. Her tone was quite grim, and the tense atmosphere she gave off had no trace of a relaxed 'hahaha, this is way too much'.

"A crash course...... You have to take a crash course, and it has to be a focused crash course from h.e.l.l! You have to take back the half year, no, the sixteen years of your life that you're behind. First are 'Introduction to General Onmyoudou' and all the reference books relating to 'Onmyoudou Second Level', and 'Modern s.h.i.+kigami Theory', 'Extended History of Yin and Yang'...... There's also cla.s.sics, you have to read the 'Kinugyokuto Works', every volume of 'Arts of Divination', and also the very basic 'Cycles of Change', 'Principles of the Five Elements', 'Essays in New Onmyouji', and several of the 'Imperial Directive'......"[1]

Natsume rambled on, and it sounded like an incantation to Harutora's ears, and even an incantation with 'evil' or 'dark' attributes.

"......Harutora, you live in the dorm, right?"

"Uh, yes."

"Then we'll begin your crash course in the dorms."

"Uh, but it's a male dorm......"

"I'm also a 'male student'."

"Uh, but......"

"You don't need to worry, I know a magic that will let you stay awake even through the night, and it can last for a whole week if you ignore the side effects."

She looked seriously at Harutora, her eyes flas.h.i.+ng with a dangerous madness without any intention of joking. Even the exhausted Harutora unconsciously froze, his body stiffening.

But just then......

"...Natsume, the guy from noon came again." Touji's words were like a bucket of cold water.

The suit-wearing guy who had appeared during the noon break was waving his hand at them from the corridor outside the cla.s.sroom. Natsume made a sound of surprise, her tone returning to normal.

"Oh no, I forgot about after cla.s.s......"

"I, I see, it's really unfortunate, but we'll have to postpone that crash course--"

Harutora was planning on proposing that they forget about the matter, but Natsume suddenly stared at him, making him shut up like his mouth had been sewn shut.

Natsume took out a notepad, scribbling down the names of books with a mechanical pencil.

"...Here. The library should have all of these books, so go borrow them for now."

After writing that, she tore off the sheet and gave it to Harutora, herself hurriedly putting away her things.

"I'll return to the dorm later, so go read through those books first. No, you have to finish them, that's an order!"

After resolutely stating those words, Natsume rushed out of the room, her figure disappearing into the corridor with the man. The s.h.i.+kigami who had been left behind didn't even have the chance to say a word of opposition.

He looked down at the paper. All over the column of literature and reference books were words that he had never seen before, so it seemed that he would have to start by learning how to p.r.o.nounce these words.

"Great, Harutora, Natsume-sensei seems very motivated."

"Touji, you couldn't have read all of these books before, right?"

"Unfortunately, because of physical problems, I get anemic once I read anything from before the Heisei era."[2]

His good friend's frivolous tone finally made Harutora relax his shoulders, sighing.

Speaking of grades, Harutora had originally been the preeminent king of failing, and in his previous high school he had often had to take remedial cla.s.ses. No wonder he would encounter setbacks upon entering the academy and suddenly being expected to study a specific field like Onmyoudou.

"Have all the students here read and memorized these books?"

"The students who pa.s.sed the Onmyou Academy exam to enter should more or less have read them."

"Are all the cla.s.ses from now on going to be like that?"

"Didn't Tenma say, the first-year cla.s.ses are centered around lectures."

Harutora collapsed back onto the table, and Touji looked into the distance while stroking his chin. The pupils of their eyes were hazy, and they had long since lost the energy to get angry.

"I feel like I'm barely hanging on......"

"The cla.s.ses here are more tiring than I imagined."

"Is there any magic to improve the brain?"

"What kind of idiotic magic is that."

They opened their heavy eyes, talking about foolish topics. After speaking, the two of them went silent, looking at a daze towards the podium in the front.

The students all seemed too busy to talk, and only the two of them were left in the cla.s.sroom.

Not long after, Harutora started leisurely folding the paper.

He folded it into two sides, making a paper airplane. Then, he lightly swung his arm. He and Touji silently watched the paper airplane leave his hand and slowly fly through the cla.s.sroom, hit the blackboard, and fall a short distance onto the podium.

"......I'm so hungry."

"I'm hungry too."

"......Let's go."

"Okay."

Harutora had predicted correctly. Sure enough, the future would be difficult.

The Onmyou Academy had specifically prepared a student dorm to let students from around the nation gather here to live.

The dorm was split into male and female dorms, and the former was located a ten minute walk away from the academy. It was different from the newly constructed academy building, and even Harutora and Touji's ages added together were far less than the history of this dorm.

The dorm's outer wall was constructed of red brick. After they pa.s.sed through the entrance, on one side was an eating area and lounge, and straight ahead was the modified shower and bathing area. Harutora had been a.s.signed the second room on the second floor, and Touji was one room down.

There was still some time until dinner.

Harutora walked up the second floor with heavy steps, parting with Touji in the corridor.

The dorm room was six tatami mats large, and the tatami mats left by the previous student were still in Harutora's room, having never been switched.

After returning to his room, Harutora sighed deeply with a "Haaah......", rolling around on the floor without taking off his uniform.

He had arrived to the dorm yesterday evening and had first organized his luggage, but the only thing in his luggage other than the change of clothes stuffed in his bag was bedding. In addition, the only furniture in the room was a folding table, so it didn't look lived-in at all.

The empty room was just like the present Harutora - the Harutora who wanted to become an Onmyouji.

"I'm exhausted......"

He looked blankly up at the ceiling as he muttered. The ceiling was completely different from the one at home, and his environment had indeed changed.

...I'm really in Tokyo......

The first time he had come to Tokyo it was his first time living alone even though it was a dorm. Unfortunately, the exhilarating feeling of liberation from yesterday evening had disappeared after only a day.

"I'm just too useless......"

The teachers' stunned faces weren't much. Their att.i.tudes afterwards as if Harutora didn't exist had been the hardest to bear. In addition, he hadn't profoundly felt the cold gazes and knowing smiles from the unfamiliar cla.s.smates during cla.s.s, and he had only recognized how much that blow exceeded his imagination after he had left the academy and was on his own.

...He felt like he was being left out.

But, this situation was much better compared to the situation that Touji had predicted at the start. So far, Kurahas.h.i.+ Kyouko was the only one caught up over Harutora being a Tsuchimikado, so this had nothing much to do with the feeling of distress and alienation that plagued Harutora.

The problem was with Harutora himself.

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

He had studied once before the entrance exam for the Onmyou Academy - he believed it counted as serious. But he only realized now when he was truly here how naive his thoughts back then had been. He had studied at best for half a year, and he feared that the 'sixteen wasted years of his life' that Natsume had spoken of was not an exaggeration.

Even so...

...'That's an order!'

"......Tch."

He couldn't help but click his tongue.

"I came here as a dropout......"

It had been his own decision to transfer, so he couldn't expect to be treated specially.

But... the thought 'I came here especially for you' refused to leave his head. He had given up on his past life to come to Natsume's side; however, she had only been happy at the start, and upon noticing Harutora's ignorance - actually, she should have had suspicions long ago - she had immediately betrayed him, crying 'this is the biggest shame I've experienced in my life.' What kind of a joke was that, he was the one who got shamed, Natsume was just feeling embarra.s.sed by herself.

"Come to think about it, could that girl be treating her s.h.i.+kigami like a pet she raised?"

He had never come in contact with the Onmyouji world in his life, so naturally he was amazingly ignorant. She should have wanted to console him upon seeing her childhood friend this pained, rea.s.suring him by showing with a tender voice and gaze... Don't worry, Harutora, I'm here......

"Impossible......"

He tried to imagine it, but he couldn't put together that scene no matter how he tried. If Natsume were that cute of a girl, he wouldn't have let himself become distant from her during middle school.

As he thought and thought, the face of a dead friend suddenly emerged in his mind.

"......Hokuto."

He recalled the happy times when he, Touji, and Hokuto had fun together. Even now, his heart hurt once he thought that those times would never return.

No, though the s.h.i.+kigami who was a girl on the outside - Hokuto - had disappeared, the pract.i.tioner who controlled her should still be somewhere in the world, and it wasn't impossible to regain those nostalgic times. Maybe he could see the true Hokuto - the person who had controlled Hokuto, and one of the reasons that Harutora had stepped into this world.

He wanted to see Hokuto.

He wanted to see her and talk freely with her some day. What would Hokuto think if she knew that he had entered the Onmyou Academy and was suffering there? Would she be happy for him, or encourage him?

Maybe she would also be stunned at his uselessness, but even if she were stunned, she would still laugh and tell him to cheer up afterwards. She had a sharp tongue, but she definitely wasn't the same as Natsume who thought that such performance reflected on her own self.

"Ah, Hokuto told me long ago that I should ask my dad about Onmyoudou basics."

Harutora twisted his body on the floor while muttering.

Then, he suddenly rose.

"Right......"

He recalled that his father had given him a farewell gift before he left home.

It was a s.h.i.+kigami - that is, a s.h.i.+kigami talisman.

He hastily rushed over to his athletic bag stuffed full of clothes.

"I forgot because I was too busy yesterday......!"

Since your goal is to become an Onmyouji, you are a member of the 'Tsuchimikado'.

His father had said this back then and given the talisman to Harutora as he was about to leave home. He remembered that this was the first time his father had mentioned the name 'Tsuchimikado' to him.

Harutora didn't even know what kind of s.h.i.+kigami this was, and he hadn't even thought about asking to clarify. But, his father had given him this s.h.i.+kigami while specially mentioning the name 'Tsuchimikado', so even if he didn't expect a tremendous servant s.h.i.+kigami like Natsume's dragon Hokuto, he still couldn't help but expect a s.h.i.+kigami that was perhaps useful and prestigious like that white horse Yukikaze. In addition, since the main family had a dragon, the branch family was naturally a tiger. It could even be a strong one to make the teachers and students admire him, a fearful, extraordinarily strong s.h.i.+kigami......

"Found it!'

He took out a paper envelope the size of a playing card. The paper was thin, like a protection charm a shrine would sell, and the back was sealed with wax, with the word 'Tsuchimikado' written on the front in ink along with the pentagram family mark. Inside was placed a s.h.i.+kigami charm - the charm that the s.h.i.+kigami used as a vessel. But...

"......c.r.a.p, how do I use this?" He had used healing charms and had also used protection charms reflexively in the incidents before. Outside of charms, he had also once used - though he had just swung it around randomly - the strong 'Protection Sword'.

But, this was his first time touching a s.h.i.+kigami charm.

Maybe Natsume would know how to use it, but after encountering that att.i.tude, he wanted to surprise Natsume if he could.

"......Could this have an instructions manual?"

Hoping weakly, Harutora planned on opening the seal on the back.

That moment, a tingle abruptly ran through the pentagram on his cheek.

More accurately, it was a feeling of aura.

And it was right behind him.

Harutora reflexively turned around, noticing a small child kneeling on the ground, both hands placed on the floor as she leaned forward.

"What?"

He couldn't help but doubt his own eyes.

He couldn't clearly see her face because her head was lowered, but he could see a neatly combed - though there were two protrusions on the sides of her head - small head. The child wore clothing similar to the Onmyou Academy uniform, but it was more like the original style of the uniform - Heian-era imperial clothing with a hakama on her lower half. The clothes were clearly loose, and her body type looked like an elementary schooler's, no, maybe even younger.

He was speechless for a while at this sudden event.

When had this child entered the room? Harutora wondered in some corner of his mind, but another corner calmly thought that he couldn't have failed to notice if someone entered such a small room. In the end, he had no idea where this child had come from, why she was in his room, or why she was prostrated before him.

"Uh, hey......"

Harutora carefully opened his mouth.

Just as he had spoken, the child's back suddenly trembled as if she had been splashed with hot water. Harutora couldn't help but tremble as well, swallowing the words that he hadn't said.

However, just then, something else caught Harutora's eyes. When the child had trembled, it seemed like something had swished around behind her prostrated body - in other words, near her rear. When he noticed that thing, Harutora's eyes widened in surprise.

It was a tail.

It was a tail draped with soft, straight hair, a leaf-shaped fluffy tail. Harutora almost jumped from surprise, moving his gaze back to the child's head. Those things on her head hadn't been natural hair formations, but the lightly trembling things on the child's head were flaps of fur similar to her tail, triangle-shaped pointed ears.

"You, your ears...... and your tail......!"

The moment Harutora opened his mouth in shock--

The child raised her lowered head.

It was a little girl.

The girl had a head of neat bangs, her skin as white as if it had been powdered. Her looks showed a youthfulness matching her age, and she looked like a living doll, with even her fine details seeming quite refined.

The thing that impressed upon him the deepest were the clear eyes that stared at him.

Her eyes gave off a blue light.

The girl's round eyes were blue, beautiful like gla.s.s, deep as the sky, and made Harutora gaze in amazement, causing him to completely forget about the many questions he had about the girl.

A moment after the two of them stared at each other.

Suddenly--

Pearl teardrops dropped from the girl's blue eyes, and only then did Harutora come to his sense, panicking for a moment.

"What! Hey! Why are you suddenly crying! Come to think of it, who are you? ......Ahh whatever, it doesn't matter who you are, please don't cry!"

Harutora reached out his arms but didn't dare to touch the girl's body, only able to wave them helter-skelter in midair. The girl looked at Harutora's frantic appearance without blinking, her teary eyes widening.

Not long after, the girl chewed her lip, quickly wiping away her tears with her sleeve. Then, she lowered her head again, raising her voice:

"A p-p-p, pleasure to make your acquaintance--"

Even though she was raising her voice, she was just mustering her strength to let out her originally very weak voice. That voice was just as childish as her outer appearance, and Harutora's brain was simply blank.

"......Huh? W, What did you say? What's going on?"

"M-M-M, My name is Kon, a descendant of the ancestral fox Kuzunoha, r-r-retainer of Tsuchimikado Harutora-sama as so a.s.signed, i-i-if it pleases you--"

She kowtowed on the floor as she said this. Of course, Harutora was already too stunned to speak.

...W, What did she say? Ancestral fox? Descendant? Pleases you...... What was supposed to please him?

'Speechless' referred perfectly to this kind of situation. Harutora's mind was in chaos, his thoughts were spinning around wildly, and in the end he returned again to the visual shock.

In other words, those ears and tail.

They weren't accessories, since they could move, and they also looked quite real. More importantly, a girl's body couldn't have real ears or a tail.

She wasn't a human girl.

In other words, she was......

"Ah! Sh, s.h.i.+kigami! Could you be a s.h.i.+kigami?"

As Harutora confirmed, the girl - Kon - quickly nodded forcefully.

At that point, Harutora finally got it. She was a s.h.i.+kigami, a s.h.i.+kigami that looked like a small child, so then......

"Could it be - this is it? This talisman...... The s.h.i.+kigami my dad gave me is......!"

Kon nodded again, an extremely cautions look emerging on her delicate face.

"B, But, I didn't do anything? How did you suddenly come out?"

"A, As I am a retainer, I must guard my master at all times. I h-heard your summons as I was guarding you from the shadows--"

Harutora asked blankly, and Kon explained in a tiny voice as her limbs trembled from surprise.

"Huh? Y, You mean, you've been beside me since my dad gave me that talisman? But you weren't there! I didn't see you at all!"

"A, As my master did not call for me, I hid myself nearby."

"Hid? You hid yourself? You were always there, though I couldn't see you?"

"Y, Yes."

Harutora confirmed a third time, and Kon just bowed her head, flattening her fluffy tail.

She seemed tense and extremely frightened, and Harutora recovered some of his calm upon noting her abnormal stiffness.

"I see...... I, I understand. Anyway, first raise your head, you're prostrating so much I don't know what to do, and it's hard to talk."

Kon immediately raised her head once Harutora said this. That childhood face was still tensed, and her caution had not changed, and her ears would occasionally twitch like she couldn't hold back her tension.

"......Come to think of it, Alpha also said some strange words in the morning like my familiar had been registered...... So he was referring to you."

Harutora sat cross-legged across from Kon, sizing up the s.h.i.+kigami in front of him again. Kon became even tenser under her master's gaze, shrinking back her sitting body and looking back at Harutora, her hands still placed on the floor.

Ignoring the ears and tail for now, Kon seemed like an ordinary girl, but she indeed seemed more mature than girls - actually, probably children? - of a similar age. Otherwise, she was no different from a true human. Her features were a bit too perfect, but her straight-looking eyes, the soft contours of her face, and her small lips were all clearly 'ordinary', just like an 'ordinary' cute child.

...She was a s.h.i.+kigami? Such a small child was somehow a s.h.i.+kigami?'

If Natsume was here, maybe she would explain altogether that the s.h.i.+kigami was accustomed to appearing with the form of a 'child', but Harutora who didn't know such things really didn't know what kind of att.i.tude to take towards a reverent and respectful small girl.

"......Dad gave you to me?"

Kon strongly nodded her head.

"I, I have also served generations of the Tsuchimikado branch family in the past--" Maybe noticing that simply nodding didn't resolve the confusion in Harutora's heart, she opened her mouth to voice a supplement.

"What? When was that? Could it be my dad?"

"M, My past memories no longer exist, but it was indeed not just one generation of the branch family."

"You mean that you served the branch family for generations? I see."

Just like Yukikaze of the main family - Harutora accepted that explanation. In other words, the branch family had s.h.i.+kigami like Yukikaze who served the family, and his dad had given one of those s.h.i.+kigami to him. In that case, it wasn't strange that his dad had especially brought up the name 'Tsuchimikado'.

"Uh, so you......"

Harutora called out, and Kon instantly cried out in trepidation and hesitation.

"M, Master, please call me by my name directly."

"Master...... I, I understand, then how about you don't call me 'master', it's fine if you call me Harutora."

"H, H-H-H, Ha, Ha, Haru-t-t-tora......sama!"

"......You don't need to be that nervous."

"Uh, really! I won't mind at all, I really don't mind, so please don't show that kind of expression!"

Kon's round eyes began getting moist again, and Harutora hastily spoke to appease her.

"Calm down a bit first! Relax! Breathe deeply! Alright?"

Harutora did his best to convince her. Kon straightened her back and opened her small mouth to breathe deeply in accordance with his words. Her nature was very simple, but it was really troublesome to figure out how to deal with her.

...However...... This was also far outside his expectations. He felt that this was more like the relations.h.i.+p between a child and her guardian rather than a s.h.i.+kigami and her master.

At the least, she was far from Harutora's expectations and was not a s.h.i.+kigami that her pract.i.tioner could boast about to others. She definitely wouldn't be of much use in battle, and conversely, he might even have to protect her.

But, the biggest problem was still her external appearance. After all, if he brought this little girl around with him everywhere in public, it was very possible that it would give rise to unnecessary mistakes.

...That b.a.s.t.a.r.d dad......

He had originally believed his dad had finally congratulated his son seriously for leaving home, but he was definitely laughing out loud behind his back right now. Harutora had simply been a fool for jumping for joy with expectation.

But, hold on, Kon might not necessarily fail his expectations.

s.h.i.+kigami couldn't be judged by their appearance, and though a strong exterior was obviously good, actual power was still the most important. It wasn't impossible that a strong s.h.i.+kigami actually hid underneath the exterior of a little girl.

"Okay, how about this. Kon, I want to ask about you first."

Kon quickly regained her serious look as Harutora spoke.

"First is...... Right, what kind of s.h.i.+kigami are you? It's fine to just say your type."

Harutora brought up what he thought to be the most basic question, but all he saw was Kon's confused face and rigid expression as if he had asked her to do something incomprehensible.

"Huh? You don't know what type of s.h.i.+kigami you are? Right, didn't you say you were a retainer? Could it be that you're a defensive s.h.i.+kigami that Touji just talked about?"

"Yes, I serve as Harutora-sama's retainer."

"Is that right? Uh...... what else did he say? In other words, you're a manmade type?"

"M, Manmade......?"

Kon's originally cheerful face was instantly covered by shadows. Pears of sweat emerged on her dismal face as if she believed there was no way to reply to that unforgivable sin.

"Huh? You don't know that either? ......Ah, I know, you served generations of branch families, so could you be an ancient s.h.i.+kigami from farther back than the General style? Uh, you don't remember things from before, right? But that should be right."

He remembered that Yukikaze had also been from long ago and had been designated a high-level manmade s.h.i.+kigami by the General style, so it was very possible that Kon was the same type as Yukikaze.

"Whatever, it's no use to continue asking since you don't know, so I'll change to a different topic. What are your special moves? What kind of things can you do?"

"...Yes, I apologize for being dull, but my best move is a stealth technique."

"Oh, a stealth move, let me see it."

"A, As you command......"

Saying this, Kon's figure became fuzzy and vanished in moments. Even though it was his own request, Harutora was still greatly surprised.

"Uwah! you vanished! Amazing, I can't see where you are at all."

He couldn't help but reach out, but his arm pa.s.sed through the position Kon had been without obstruction. It seemed more like she had instantly moved somewhere else rather than hiding her body.

"Kon? Are you here?'

"Yes."

"Ohh, I heard your voice! Incredible, you didn't just make your body become invisible?"

"Th, Though that can be done, I have currently left my actual body and eliminated my presence."

"L, Left your body? What does that mean? Is it like a ghost?"

"Yes, I am in a spirit form...... and merged with the surrounding aura. H, However, if I speak like this, the aura will inevitably fluctuate......"

As Harutora heard this, he looked towards the direction that the voice came from and saw something like a blur of aura. But he didn't actually see it with his vision, but rather 'saw' the aura with his spirit-seeing abilities.

But, if Kon hadn't spoken, he wouldn't have noticed even with spirit seeing. So it was that kind of stealth - Harutora excitedly nodded.

"Okay, that's good."

Kon instantly reappeared once Harutora spoke. Even though it was right in front of him, she was just 'there as soon as he noticed it' like before, appearing soundlessly and presencelessly.

"Hmm...... It looks pretty amazing, way to go, Kon."

"Th, Th-Th, Thanks for your praise......"

"Don't be humble, that move is really amazing, I really admire it."

"I-I, It's nothing special......"

Kon lowered her face with red-tinged cheeks, her tail constantly waving back and forth. She seemed shy, and that expression was really quite cute.

"What else? Do you have other moves?"

"F, Floating in midair......!"

"Ooh, beautiful! It's like magic! What else?"

"M, Manipulating fire......!"

"Uwah, f, fireb.a.l.l.s! Hot! Those are real fireb.a.l.l.s! Amazing!"

Kon floated about fifty centimeters into the air while continuing to kneel, and a light-blue fist-sized ball of fire appeared above her head. The fireb.a.l.l.s increased by two, so that there were a total of three fireb.a.l.l.s floating round inside the room. The fireb.a.l.l.s looked like wandering souls, but the heat they gave off was genuine.

...Really strong! This s.h.i.+kigami was so amazing!

Even though he had doubted at first, she had stealth, had levitation, and showed moves very suitable of a s.h.i.+kigami, simple yet convenient. The fireb.a.l.l.s too - never mind how their strength was - they clearly gave off an intimidating presence, and Harutora was extremely satisfied.

Kon also looked proud upon seeing her master reacting like that, and her tail became even more active as she almost wriggled her body in happiness, unable to hide her excited look.

But...

"Incredible, Kon! What else? Do you have other skills?"

"......Huh? Other......"

Kon's face sank, the floating fireb.a.l.l.s vanished in a puff, and Kon herself also dropped with a thunk from midair. "...Huh?" Her face gradually paled in front of the clueless Harutora.

Then, a strange light flashed in her blue eyes as if she had suddenly thought of something.

She rapidly changed her sitting posture, putting one knee forward as her right hand simultaneously reached quickly behind her back. Her movements were sharp and hard to imagine from her demeanor just now. Something was s.h.i.+ning - just as Harutora thought this, the wakizas.h.i.+[3] she clutched with a reverse grip arrived at the tip of his nose.

Harutora gasped in surprise.

"I, I-I-If Harutora-sama orders, I shall not hesitate to sacrifice my life! E, E-Enemies of Harutora-sama shall be made into rust on this beloved blade 'Kachiwari'......!"

Her gaze was fierce, and the blade of the wakizas.h.i.+ flashed in front of his eyes, making Harutora's face stiffen.

"......I, I see, thanks, Kon. I got it, I understand already, so please put that thing back......"

Kon gasped in panic and returned the wakizas.h.i.+ behind her back as per Harutora's request. It seemed that the scabbard was inside her belt. After putting it back, she hastily returned to a kneel again.

...This wouldn't do.

"A, Anyway, Kon, that...... K, Kachiwari? That name is pretty scary...... Anyway, don't draw that blade without my permission. Got it? You definitely can't draw it!"

"B, But, Harutora-sama, as your guard, it is my responsibility to ensure your safety, if something unexpected--"

"Even if I encounter something unexpected, you still have to confirm with me first! Got it?"

Harutora snapped back, and Kon finally nodded her head reluctantly.

...A little s.h.i.+kigami doll who would draw a blade without warning, give me a break......

Though he wasn't sure when this s.h.i.+kigami had been made, it seemed like he needed to quickly correct Kon's overly old-fas.h.i.+oned manner of speech[4], as there might be some day when it would lead to an unexpected grave situation.

...If this girl got into trouble, all the responsibility would be on him, right? What a joke, I can't deal with this myself.

He felt like his head hurt. It really wasn't a time to plan to use this s.h.i.+kigami to improve his image. Everything was the fault of his own bad luck, Harutora complained in his heart.

Just then - 'I always thought you were an idiot, but I didn't think you would be so dumb you didn't know anything!'

"Ugh......!"

Natsume's roar suddenly flitted through his mind, and Harutora hurriedly rid himself of his pretentious att.i.tude.

...I, Idiot! How can I have this kind of arrogant att.i.tude!

Right, this child had more reason to complain than him. In the end, he was only an outsider with the empty name Tsuchimikado, and a student whose grades were far behind and unable to keep up with the pace of studies. The s.h.i.+kigami with this kind of master was the one with the downright worst luck.

Kon seemed to believe that Harutora was scolding her, and her head was lowered in silence, with the ears on her head drooping down in depression.

On the other hand, could it be that Kon had this att.i.tude of putting Harutora on a pedestal because she had made some kind of mistake? Maybe she believed that since Harutora was a Tsuchimikado, he was definitely a powerful 'great man'.

"Hey, Kon, in order to avoid any mistakes, let me first make it clear......"

"Uh, uh, yes."

Harutora's tone was serious, and Kon instantly straightened her back upon hearing it.

He coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat.

"L, Listen up Kon, I'll say it flat out, even though I'm a Tsuchimikado, I'm not like the incredible Onmyouji you served before. Honestly, I'm not even confident I can use your power to the fullest......"

As he said that--

Kon's eyes suddenly widened.

A bottomless despair was reflected from her blue eyes.

"Y, y-y-y-y-y-you mean that I am not needed?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears and her small body trembled intensely. "H, Hold on!" Harutora frantically leaned forward.

"No! You're mistaken! I didn't say anything about needing you or not, it has nothing to do with that, that wasn't what I meant...... I wanted you not to think so highly of me."

Kon's teary eyes were wide in wonder, seeming as if she hadn't understood the meaning in Harutora's words at all.

"Actually, uh...... I'm still a student - something like an Onmyouji trainee, and my grades are terrible, almost to the level of a complete outsider, and I'm not at all incredible, so you don't actually have to be so respectful to me."

He said so much that even he felt ashamed, but that was the truth, he was helpless.

Kon listened to Harutora's confession with her mouth tightly closed and surprise all over her face. It made him think of the reactions of his teachers and the students from earlier in the day, and he couldn't help but turn his head embarra.s.sedly.

But--

"That's not true."

Kon spoke resolutely.

She spoke smoothly and with a firm confidence in her voice, a reversal from before. However, after Harutora turned back around in surprise, the resolution on her face instantly collapsed and returned to the original fl.u.s.tered appearance.

Even so, she still tried hard to express her thoughts.

"I, I-I was guarding Harutora-sama the whole day today."

"...Ah."

Indeed, that meant that she had seen all of Harutora's idiotic appearance in the Onmyou Academy.

"Th, Then you should know clearly that I don't understand anything, right? Then why......"

"Because I-I am Harutora-sama's s.h.i.+kigami."

"For just that reason? You're so reverent and respectful of me because of that?"

Harutora asked in surprise. Kon showed a confused look and stared at him upon hearing this, as if that were common sense. If her att.i.tude were indeed common sense...... As Natsume's s.h.i.+kigami, Harutora couldn't help but feel despair towards that kind of world.

"A, Am I troublin