Tokyo Ravens Volume 4 Chapter 2

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"Hi~ I took the chance to come see you - Hey, don't go, Jin, don't stand up in such a rush, and what's up with that hateful expression? I even came to find you, so you should be a bit - Ah, hold on, huh? Strange? You want to - Tch, what are you doing? Wait, Wait a moment, wait a moment! Hey, Jin?"

On the second floor of the academy building, inside the faculty office of all the teachers. The office was normally giving off a calm and tranquil atmosphere unlike the students' cla.s.srooms, but once this man walked in, it instantly set off bursts of whispers in the office.

However, it was no wonder, as after all that man's strength could be called outstanding among the whole nation, a famous, brilliant Onmyouji.

He was close to thirty, wearing an age-old aviator jacket and tattered jeans, and for some reason woven sandals were on his feet. He was dressed casually, but it didn't reduce his heroic spirit - since his body carried a lively, boyish heroic spirit, he didn't seem threatening no matter how strange and sharp his gaze was.

He was a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji who had obtained the First-Cla.s.s Onmyou qualifications according to Onmyou regulations, one of those who were named the Twelve Divine Generals. He was hailed as the rookie star of the Exorcist Bureau, the able Independent Exorcist, Kogure Zenjirou.

In addition, the man who had forcefully pulled out his chair, left his seat, and wordlessly walked towards the door with a cold expression as soon as Kogure walked into the office was a type completely contrasting with Kogure. His age was similar to Kogure's, but unlike the heroic, brilliant Kogure, he seemed much more aged. His rumpled suit was matched with a rumpled tie, and he wore a pair of old-looking gla.s.ses. The most notable thing was the short cane he had in his right hand and the wooden fake leg that showed outside his pants.

He was Harutora and the others' homeroom teacher, Ohtomo Jin.

The teachers talked in a chatter, and Kogure seemed not to notice the gazes focusing on him, loudly chasing Ohtomo. Ohtomo's back showed impatience as he irritably left the office.

☆

"Jin, hey, wait a moment!"

"What is it, don't walk so fast!"

"......Ahh, shut up, can't you quiet down a little?"

After walking into the corridor, Ohtomo frowned, irritably saying a few words to Kogure who had followed behind him. He moved through the corridor with a clunking sound of footsteps, walking near the stairs. After checking that there was no one around, he finally sighed heavily. He turned his angry gaze behind his shoulder.

"......You really can't learn to read the atmosphere."

"Me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, whatever, it's not important. Anyway, it's too late to say this now, so goodbye."

"Hey hey hey, you're leaving right after we met? Think about how long we haven't seen each other for."

"We saw each other just last month."

"Huh? Ah, come to think of it, we did see each other last month."

"Alright, goodbye."

"No no no, don't be that heartless."

Kogure forced a smile and didn't let him go. Ohtomo looked up and sighed, then turned towards his old friend, his back leaning on the corridor wall.

The inconspicuous Onmyou Academy teacher and the Onmyou Agency's proud Divine General. They seemed like an unexpected match with each other, but the two of them had actually known each other for a very long time. Ohtomo and Kogure had both been in the Onmyou Academy - in the thirty-sixth cla.s.s. And in addition to the Onmyou Academy, they had later entered the Onmyou Agency at the same time.

But, there were few people who knew that Ohtomo and Kogure were both National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji. When Ohtomo held a post at the Onmyou Agency, he had belonged to the Magic Crime Investigation Department and had a position requiring him to hide his Divine General ident.i.ty as he worked in the underground magic community.

Though Ohtomo and Kogure had walked the same path, the present positions of the two were worlds apart.

The current Ohtomo was just a plain academy instructor, and his previous experience was just an ordinary Mystical Investigator. Inside the academy, only Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+ knew his true past, and hence if many people learned that he was so close to a Divine General, the explanation afterwards would just be inviting trouble...... Unfortunately, Kogure's thinking hadn't been so thorough, and he wasn't concerned at all about those small details.

"I really can't stand you." Ohtomo lifted an eyebrow, staring at Kogure. "I heard that the Exorcist Bureau was worked to death right now, how do you still have time to make trouble here?"

"What making trouble, I came here for my work...... Though formally it counts as paid leave......"

"Oho, a highly-paid elite taking paid leave, gracefully returning to his alma mater to visit, how enviable."

"What are you joking about, I'm busy to death right now. I don't have any time to rest at all, I'm even working overtime every day. I have to return to the bureau in a while and make a report to the higher-ups."

"I see, then you'd better--"

"Stop trying to get rid of me."

Upon seeing Kogure frown in annoyance, Ohtomo couldn't help but harrumph with a wry smile.

Actually, the Exorcist Bureau had been too busy for anything else recently. In the incident last month, a group of criminals had disturbed the spirit flow inside the city, performing spiritual disaster terrorist attacks. This led to the city's spirit flow becoming disordered after the incident ended, with frequent spiritual disasters.

The Onmyou Agency Exorcist Bureau - especially the exorcists who purified spiritual disasters on the frontline - was limited to only the exceptionally outstanding professional Onmyouji. The people who could become professional Onmyouji were extremely limited in the first place, and right now most of them were working overtime. Hence, the work of the Independent Exorcists - the National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji who could do the work of many - had greatly increased.

"Right now I'm really worked to death, and I finally managed to get some precious break time, so why are you--!"

"Okay okay, you're so annoying, I understand. It's my blessing to be able to spend an Independent Officer's precious break time with him, so relax. Anyway, you managed to finally escape from your duty of watching that child."

"Huh? So you knew?"

"I pretty much knew. Though we have a meager 'guarantee', we can't let her do what she wants on the very first day, so you came to supervise her, right?"

"......Yeah, it's pretty much like that." Kogure scratched his face, replying hesitantly.

Actually, Kogure had visited the Onmyou Academy today mainly to 'watch over Suzuka'.

Dairenji Suzuka was a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji, the youngest to pa.s.s the First-Cla.s.s Onmyou exam, an elite among elites. Because her age and outer appearance were unique, the media often called her the 'Child Prodigy', holding special reports. Of course, this was a result of her power being universally recognized, but on the other hand the Onmyou Agency also had ideas on using her existence and improving the Onmyou Agency's image, which had even been criticized for being closed and exclusive.

However, last summer, she had brought about a huge incident. She had researched the soul magic that had been designated as forbidden magic, trying to perform the magical rite called the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual, the forbidden magic that had led to the spiritual disasters plaguing Tokyo.

Fortunately, the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual hadn't been truly performed and it had been forcefully terminated in the middle. But before Suzuka performed the rite, she beat back the groups of Mystical Investigators who had been chasing her, once even in a public place like a fireworks festival. In addition, it was also noticed during investigation that she had researched the magic designated as forbidden in private and had even entered the experimental stage.

The outside world saw magic like smoke and mirrors, and hence the criticism that came from society was extremely intense. A professional Onmyouji belonging to the Onmyou Agency and an underage youth - and the youth was even an elite Onmyouji - had stirred up trouble. Once such an incident was made public, they might not be able to avoid tarnis.h.i.+ng of the entire industry's image.

The Onmyou Agency's higher-ups decided to take desperate measures, not revealing her name on the grounds that she was a minor and letting the incident cool down like that. Even if there were ultimately investigators who came from various directions on their own, they were all dealt with in private, so the truth was hidden.

"......Chief Amami had it pretty hard back then, complaining all day long."

"That's his job, you don't need to worry about him. Also, if the Mystical Investigators could have arrested her sooner, things wouldn't have become that serious. The chief can't whine about having to step forward to pick up the pieces."

That way of dealing with things - even for the Onmyou Agency - had succeeded, and in less than a month's time, the incident had already been completely forgotten. But, Suzuka obviously still had to undergo the Onmyou Agency's punishment, and as for how the Onmyou Agency punished her, it was by making Suzuka into a special student from this day on and having her enter the Onmyou Academy to study.

"Suspending her First-Cla.s.s Onmyou qualification indefinitely and confinement for half a year, then after that period ended she had to transfer into the Onmyou Academy to receive moral education." Kogure shrugged. "The higher-ups seem to believe that the lack of a common sense that comes from her family environment was the main reason Dairenji went out of control. But she certainly hasn't received any normal compulsory education."

"......You see those kinds of people pretty often in this industry."

"The current person is very peculiar. I agree with their judgment, though maybe it was a bit lenient - in the end, Dairenji's involvement with the incident wasn't made public, so punis.h.i.+ng her too severely might bring about unnecessary speculation."

"......I see."

Ohtomo listened to Kogure's remark with a cold smile. His cold and somewhat amused voice didn't sound like he was praising his old cla.s.smate's opinion.

The two of them were cla.s.smates at the Onmyou Academy, but compared to Kogure who was active 'in the light', Ohtomo was active 'in the darkness'. He hadn't had a good impression of the higher-ups since he had taken his position in the Onmyou Agency.

Kogure was unconcerned, continuing to speak.

"But if we let her enter a normal school to study right now, it'll just create a heap of trouble, and moreover if we need to supervise her...... It's more suitable to have her reeducation in the Onmyou Academy where once something happens, it can be resolved on the 'inside'. More importantly, if something truly does happen, you're here to help deal with it."

Kogure's optimistic speaking made Ohtomo unable to help but sigh.

"......That's true, there's the princ.i.p.al as well as me here. But, didn't you forget an important person?"

"Huh, who do you mean? Are there other people here being instructors?"

"Not an instructor, I mean a student."

"Oh, you mean Tsuchimikado." Kogure laughed deviously as if he had suddenly thought of something. "The opening ceremony just now was really eye-opening. That Harutora was the student who defeated the Nue with Natsume in the incident last month, right? I haven't spoken with him yet, I heard he's the son of a branch family?"

"It's nothing to laugh about, didn't you also hear that those two were the ones who stopped the 'Child Prodigy' from holding the Taizan f.u.kun ritual? In other words, there's a deep connection between them."

"Seems like it, but I'm not too clear on the details."

"Moreover, the 'Child Prodigy' specializes in researching Imperial-style magic, so simply put, she's a specialist in Tsuchimikado Yakou research. The higher-ups know this, but to think they still deliberately--"

"Careful not to say too much, Jin. The 'rumor' regarding Natsume-kun hasn't been proved, after all."

"Never mind whether it's a rumor or not, it already wields power of influence. Even 'D' came out to nose around, so if this increases the Onmyou Academy's troubles......"

"With such a pa.s.sionate confession, she can definitely get along well with them."

"Don't hear a deliberate provocation as a confession. They definitely won't get along."

Contrasting with Kogure who leisurely watched the liveliness, Ohtomo's face was dark. Though he had come to supervise Suzuka, Kogure only had to bear his burden for the day of her entrance, and that was why he could calmly have fun with the situation before him. However, Kogure could relax not just because he could drop the task after today.

"You don't have to worry, even if Dairenji deliberately makes trouble, there's still a trustworthy homeroom teacher by the two Tsuchimikado students." Upon saying this, Kogure grinned, teasing the teacher of this Onmyou Academy. Ohtomo frowned irritably, looking angrily at his old cla.s.smate.

"The 'Child Prodigy' against the 'Shadow', that's quite an unusual combination among the Twelve Divine Generals."

"Unfortunately......" Ohtomo spoke quietly, his tone cold. "Suzuka-kun is also a student in the Onmyou Academy from today onwards. I don't care what kind of plans the Onmyou Agency has, she has still entered the Onmyou Academy, and the academy will be responsible for taking care of her."

Kogure understood the meaning of Ohtomo's 'declaration', inadvertently changing his expression and looking at his old friend again. Then, he made a '...Ha' sound, laughing like an unguarded boy.

"......What's this, you look really cool, sensei."

"This is work." Upon saying this, Ohtomo turned away, looking down the empty corridor. Kogure also followed his gaze along the corridor, his face nostalgic.

"The academy building has changed...... But to the people who live in this world, the Onmyou Academy is still a special place no matter how it changes. They should also be able to get some valuable experience."

Ohtomo narrowed the eyes behind his gla.s.ses upon hearing Kogure talk about old times.

The current academy building was a new building opened last year, and the academy building the two of them had used when they were students had long since been demolished. However, just as Kogure said, the Onmyou Academy, as the school for Onmyouji, was different from other teaching inst.i.tutions, and a mysterious sense of belonging and a.s.sociativity formed between the students. Moreover, the feeling was the same whether for chicks in the nest or independent Onmyouji who had already left the nest.

The profession of Onmyouji was highly visible, but the job contents were little known. Since it was hard for the general populace to understand, they often got strange stares from the outside world. Because of this, the industry was tightly knit and Onmyouji had exceptionally close relations.h.i.+ps with each other. Moreover, such relations.h.i.+ps formed naturally regardless of the benefits. To the vast majority of Onmyouji, the Onmyou Academy was the place where they had all spent their youth together and could be called their first 'home' in the world.

Ohtomo and Kogure weren't excluded.

However--

"......Come to think of it, that person's currently......"

"Zenjirou." Ohtomo muttered quietly. His voice wasn't sharp, but rather seemed calm or even tender, but when Kogure heard that remark, his body trembled in shock. He scratched his head awkwardly, not saying sorry or any words of apology.

"Anyways, if there are people making trouble in the Onmyou Academy, the princ.i.p.al and I will think of a way to resolve it, so don't worry...... Right, have you and the princ.i.p.al met?" Ohtomo spoke casually.

"I went to look for the princ.i.p.al once I got here, but......" Kogure's face suddenly went serious, quickly sweeping a keen gaze around, then lowering his voice. "......I don't know if I was overthinking it, but Alpha and Omega's auras seem like they've become quite a bit weaker. Is the princ.i.p.al's physical condition alright?"

Alpha and Omega were the komainu guarding the main entrance to the academy building. They were different from normal komainu, as they were the personal servants of Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+, belonging to the type of s.h.i.+kigami named mechanical-types. They were guard dogs that had accompanied the Onmyou Academy through history.

"......What, those words finally sound like an exorcist's." After Kogure said this, Ohtomo inadvertently showed bitterness, also lowering his voice to speak.

"Hey, Jin, does that mean--"

"Calm down, the princ.i.p.al's still healthy, she won't suddenly collapse, but......"

"B, But?"

"That old granny's been around for a long time, and she seems to know herself that her physical condition is getting worse every day."

Kogure was speechless for a while upon hearing Ohtomo's explanation. Ohtomo smiled wryly when he saw that complex expression. He changed his grip on his cane, using the end to tap Kogure's chest.

"What's wrong, Zenjirou, don't make that kind of depressed expression, especially since Onmyouji can't just write their mood on their face whenever."

"Sh, Shut up. Exorcists who deal with spiritual disasters don't need all that."

"That's true, and anyway you only need to worry about what kind of actions Suzuka-san will take in the future. In my opinion, she's definitely not going to be very law-abiding."

"You're responsible for resolving any troubles stirred up in the academy, right?"

"That's just on the surface. As for Suzuka-san's future, she'll just have to look to her own fortune."

Ohtomo remarked, moving from the wall. "Though I shouldn't say this about my own students, the two Tsuchimikados are very interesting, and will Suzuka-san have animosity towards them until the very end, or...... In any case, things aren't at the point where we have to intervene. Watching for changes from the side is the mature response." He used his cane to tap his own shoulder as he spoke.

"What happened in the morning! What exactly is going on! Hurry up and explain clearly, Harutora!"

In the cla.s.sroom during lunchtime.

The Onmyou Academy didn't change up cla.s.ses when the first-years advanced into second-years, and hence even if they had changed their cla.s.sroom, the students in the cla.s.s were still familiar faces, and they spoke with no apprehension at all about the other party's feelings.

From the morning up until when cla.s.s ended, Harutora had either cleverly s.h.i.+fted the topic or directly escaped from the cla.s.sroom, successfully avoiding disaster. Unfortunately, when the bell for lunchtime rang, he wasn't in time to escape the cla.s.sroom before his cla.s.smates blocked his path. That scene was like a celebrity whose scandal had been exposed being chased by reporters, but that actually wasn't so far from the situation, it was just that the celebrity wasn't Harutora, but rather the 'other party'.

"To think you stole the 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka's first kiss! I remember that you studied at an ordinary high school near your home before you entered the Onmyou Academy, right? Exactly where and why did that kind of thing happen!"

"C, Calm down a bit, Kyouko! Things...... Things aren't like that!"

"What are you joking about! I couldn't even concentrate on the lecture this morning because of this matter! Never mind if it were Natsume, the next heir of the Tsuchimikado family - Ah, no, fortunately it wasn't Natsume-san - But why exactly would you do such a thing?"

"Yeah! Hurry up and answer, Harutora!"

"It's really complicated......!"

"Hurry up and say it clearly, Tsucchi!"

The cla.s.smates' eyes gleamed sharply as they questioned Harutora. The foremost among them was his friend Kurahas.h.i.+ Kyouko. Her beautiful appearance was no worse than a young female idol's, and she was the oldest daughter of the famous Kurahas.h.i.+ family - the granddaughter of Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+ who had just spoken a greeting on the podium.

Kyouko seized Harutora's chest, short of breath.

"Listen up, Harutora, the 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka is an extraordinarily famous Onmyouji that even ordinary people know - the Onmyou Agency made her into a spokesperson, you could say that she's an industry idol!"

"......I, It seems like that way......."

"And she isn't just an idol with a cute outer appearance. She's the youngest person in history with First-Cla.s.s Onmyou qualifications, a true National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji! She's the object that the Onmyou Academy students all look up to! She's a star!"

"......I, I see......"

"Why is such an incredible person k-k-kissing a student like you whose lineage barely pa.s.ses and whose grades are terrible! Isn't that too strange? That's really incomprehensible! What kind of relations.h.i.+p do you have?"

Kyouko raved excitedly, swinging around her head of tied-up brown hair as her questioning gradually became sharper.

Most of the students in the cla.s.s weren't particularly mad, they were just purely driven by curiosity.

The cla.s.s all recognized the after-school tutoring regular whose grades were behind, and no one in the Onmyou Academy didn't know the famous Twelve Divine Generals. That kind of combination wasn't just strange, it was so shocking that it wouldn't be strange for one's eyeb.a.l.l.s to pop out. Even his usually mild-mannered friend inevitably had a similar reaction.

"You're acting too unfamiliar, Harutora-kun! Since she spoke so energetically, you should just truthfully announce whatever's between you two." Momoe Tenma opened his mouth to speak from next to Kyouko. He had a doll-like face, and his small external appearance looked gentle. The eyes underneath his gla.s.ses gleamed as he naively asked Harutora.

Though Kyouko was tough, it wasn't easy to deal with Tenma who brought up the question so matter-of-factly, especially because the person who wanted to figure out Suzuka's true intentions was none other than Harutora.

"Alright, hurry up and answer! Could it be that you can't answer? What kind of unspeakable things did you do?"

"Just say it, Harutora-kun. What kind of relations.h.i.+p do you two have? Could you be boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yeah! Hurry up and say it clearly, Harutora!"

"Did you really only kiss? Or............"

"You'd better say it now!"

"H, Hold on, you guys......!"

The cla.s.s's mood gradually swelled with Harutora as the center, making the expressions of the people questioning Harutora become rigid, with nothing he could do about it.

...I, I'm......done for.

If the positions were reversed, he would most likely also try questioning to get to the bottom of things. However, as for Suzuka and the incident that happened last summer, the Mystical Investigators who had been responsible for dealing with the aftermath were under strict gag orders, and if he explained his experience meeting Suzuka, he was inevitably bound to mention that incident.

Just as he was in distress...

"......Stop right there!"

A young girl's angry voice suddenly sounded, and a fist-sized ball of flame appeared above Harutora and the others' heads.

The ball of fire whirled, sparks flying. Kyouko, Tenma, and the other students hastily moved back from Harutora, and a small girl wearing imperial clothing and a hakama immediately appeared.

The girl looked to be in first or second grade at the most, and her appearance was proper like a j.a.panese doll, but her eyes were bright blue, a pair of pointed ears grew on her head, and a leaf-shaped tail grew out behind her.

She was Harutora's servant s.h.i.+kigami - Kon.

"Impolite heathens! I dared not speak while silently staying by Harutora-sama's side as he ordered, but I did not expect you to be this rash. Back, back!"

In contrast with her outer appearance, her language was archaic and she brandished a wakizas.h.i.+ in her hand, her beloved blade Kachiwari. Kyouko, Tenma, and the others were familiar with Kon's temper, hurriedly keeping a distance from Kon.

"Wah, Kon! Calm down a bit."

"I-I-I-If I dare say, I am always deeply calm! Even among enemies, I will definitely not allow enemies to approach Harutora-sama by half a step......!"

Her ears and tail shot up abruptly, a towering rage showing on her immature face as she intimidated the students.

Kon was a defensive s.h.i.+kigami. Basically, she was always on standby around Harutora, and she was normally always hiding herself, not taking form before others. Her outer appearance looked like a youthful little girl, but she wouldn't hesitate to brave fire and water or take heavy wounds if it was to protect her master. She was a somewhat insubordinate and easily excited s.h.i.+kigami.

However, the students in the cla.s.s had already gotten used to Kon's overly faithful loyalty over half a year.

"Oh my, Kon-chan, we're actually admiring Harutora, we're not blaming him." Kyouko smiled rea.s.suringly like she was placating a child.

"I won't be deceived, you showed killing intent!"

"Because we're very interested - Kon-chan, what about you? Don't you want to know?"

"O, Of course! I am responsible for protecting Harutora-sama--!"

"Then you should be even more interested, isn't the other party a Divine General? If you don't first figure out the relations.h.i.+p between them, how can you focus on guarding?"

"That......!"

"Also, didn't she say she and Harutora kissed? Do you know what a kiss is? It means mouth to mouth, smooch......!"

"Ki......mou......smooch!"

"That's right. Though you're a s.h.i.+kigami - No, because you're a s.h.i.+kigami, you should be even more interested! After all, this incident involves your important master, right, Kon-chan?"

"That......!"

Kon's tail trembled, her ears squirming and turning in random directions. With Kyouko's every word, she seemed even more tense and anxious. Actually, this matter had long since troubled her even without Kyouko especially pointing it out.

She held Kachiwari in a backhand grip, still not releasing her attacking stance. But, "............" She looked back over her shoulder towards the master that she protected, her face flushed red and her blue eyes moist, as if tears would leak out at any time. Harutora couldn't help but sigh lightly.

"Ah, right. Touji-kun, did you know something had happened? Weren't you and Harutora in the same high school before transferring here? You should know a lot about him before he came to the Onmyou Academy, right?"

When Tenma asked that question, the students encircling Harutora - and Kon as well - immediately turned their attention towards Touji. Touji, who was watching from slightly farther away, smiled, his expression a bit surprised.

"That's true. What about it, Touji? Do you know something?"

Kyouko asked her heartfelt suspicion on behalf of the other students. Behind Kyouko and the others, Harutora desperately shook his head left and right. Touji leisurely shrugged his shoulders while enduring everyone's enthusiastic gazes.

"......Let me think. This is the first time I've heard about a kiss, but..." Ohhh, the students exploded into a clamor, and Harutora shook his head again for dear life. Touji looked at the audience, grinning. "If it's true, it probably happened on 'that festival evening' ......So that's what it was, that's why the next day he and Hokuto......"

He spoke quieter and quieter, and the last part of it was almost inaudible, but the first half of his words already held sufficient destructive power. In particular, once they heard the meaningful keyword 'that festival evening', almost all of the girls in the cla.s.s made enthusiastic cheers, but Harutora screamed on the inside.

"Tenma was right, you're acting too unfamiliar, Harutora. With our relations.h.i.+p, is there any need to hide that kind of thing?"

"Sh, Shut up, Touji! Right now isn't the time to make that sort of joke!"

"Nonsense! Is there anything more important right now?"

"Don't take this opportunity to make a fuss, Kyouko! Anyway, it's a long story!"

"Hearing you say it's a long story...... Harutora-kun, could it be that you don't have any interest in Dairenji-san, yet you stole her first kiss?"

"I didn't! That's not true! Don't say things that are so easily misunderstood, Tenma!"

"To think even Kon is like this! Please, don't look at me with a tearful face!"

Harutora desperately denied it, but the excited emotions of the people around him wouldn't let up. As Kon gradually slackened her attacking stance, the students approached Harutora again. Just then, a pounding sound rang out and the cla.s.sroom momentarily fell silent. After a second, the students turned around in confusion, looking one by one at the source of the noise, only then noticing that Natsume had been the one who made the sound. She was standing up from her seat, keeping the posture with which she had forcefully smashed her textbook onto the table, her head slightly lowered and not moving a muscle. Her bangs covered the expression on her face, but even without seeing it clearly, the students still instinctively held their breath.

"......N, Natsume......?" Harutora probed quietly.

"......Sorry." After saying this, Natsume slowly raised her lowered head, the narrow eyes under her bangs shooting out a gaze that definitely wouldn't easily let her target go. Harutora, Kyouko, Tenma, and even Kon didn't dare speak, and Touji was the only one in the cla.s.sroom who grinned. It was really hard to tell whether one should praise him or say that this was a bad habit of his.

"I need Harutora for something. Sorry, could you wait until later to speak with him?" Natsume continued to say.

☆

It looked like there wouldn't be time to eat lunch. Harutora prepared himself, following behind the silent Natsume.

...I wouldn't have appet.i.te anyway......

Maybe noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, Kon had already dematerialized, hiding her whereabouts even though she was still with him. Right now, Harutora wanted her to stay with him, but he didn't have the courage to order her to appear in front of Natsume.

Among the students who walked through the corridor, there were several who noticed Harutora. They had a hard time concealing their shocked expressions, perhaps remembering the scene from the opening ceremony. In the end, having the entire student body of the Onmyou Academy all gathered in the same place and having all their curiosity-filled gazes focused on him made Harutora want to dig a hole in the ground to escape. Things would truly be troublesome.

...d.a.m.n, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d......

In any case, the current priority was explaining clearly to Natsume. Harutora gritted his teeth, gazing at the back of his childhood friend who hadn't opened her mouth to say a single word after walking out of the cla.s.sroom.

Natsume brought Harutora to the emergency stairwell near the outer wall of the academy. Harutora and the others would always come here when they spoke privately.

How should he explain this. Harutora had been troubled the whole way, and once they went through the door to the emergency stairwell, his mouth moved of his own accord, and he spoke more and more anxiously. "Natsume, listen to me. That's not the truth...... No, that person and I truly - Dairenji Suzuka and I truly did kiss in the incident last summer...... But, it wasn't truly like that." His cheeks burned, his manner strange, unable to control himself.

"Natsume, y-you also remember, right? Wasn't that person's s.h.i.+kigami in my stomach back then? She kissed me to set a trap...... A, Also, the situation of the kiss was completely different from what those guys in cla.s.s imagine. I was being held by that person's s.h.i.+kigami, I couldn't move at all, and that girl was incredibly mad...... Because my lie that I was Natsume got exposed...... A, Also, do you remember the s.h.i.+kigami Hokuto I mentioned before? She was right there, and Suzuka ended up mistaking Hokuto as my girlfriend and deliberately messed with us to retaliate for me tricking her, so in front of Hokuto, she deliberately......"

Natsume walked into the stairwell, still not turning back to look at Harutora.

Harutora desperately explained the situation back then, but he couldn't explain it clearly no matter what he said. Conversely, his emotions got more and more fretful and he couldn't help but think of escaping.

"A, Anyway, we did kiss, but it's not like that at all. Of course, neither that person nor I have any interest...... We even became enemies because of that incident...... She definitely said that just now to deliberately trouble me, it's really stupid. What kind of person is that, does she even have a heart? Right?"

Harutora was even adding gestures to his explanation before he noticed. He even felt unable to understand why he was this agitated.

...What's wrong with me, why am I explaining so anxiously......

One reason was definitely because he feared Natsume getting angry, but it seemed that this wasn't it, his feelings of wanting to resolve this misunderstanding were so intense that he was unable to keep calm.

Then, "......You don't need to say any more." Natsume finally opened her mouth, her voice sounding like she was forcefully holding back her agitated emotions. Upon hearing her speak like this, Harutora conversely became more fretful.

"Please listen to my explanation, I really--"

"Didn't I say you didn't need to keep talking!"

Natsume shouted again with a different tone from when she normally acted as a male, letting out her 'original' voice - a girl's clear and high-pitched voice. She cried out with a trembling body.

"I already knew those things, you don't have to explain things one by one, I understand them!"

"What?"

"E, Even if I understand...... I can't help it!"

Natsume's face reddened as she spoke, her expression complex. It didn't really seem like her cheeks were flushed from anger, and he couldn't tell whether it was anger, sadness, or regret. Even if he didn't listen to Natsume's voice or words, the current her didn't look like a male student.

Natsume's reaction stunned Harutora for a while.

"C, Can't help it...... What does that mean?"

"Well - None of your business!"

"How can you say that...... But Natsume, you really know what happened?"

"Of course! How many times are you going to ask?"

"W, Why? Did I mention that incident before?"

He couldn't help but raise the question. Natsume was visibly confused once she heard this, not knowing what to do.

"D, Didn't you just explain it! I understood what happened after hearing your explanation."

"Huh? But you said 'you don't need to explain things one by one'......"

"What are you saying? That kind of trivial detail isn't important at all! Wh, When the s.h.i.+kigami inside you charged out, I pretty much knew what was going on!"

Harutora didn't get why Natsume was so fl.u.s.tered and angry. Thinking carefully, the s.h.i.+kigami planted in his body might have been related with the kiss, though such speculation was rather far-fetched. However, right now he didn't have the energy or courage to dispute. Anyway, since the message that the kiss with Suzuka was different from a normal kiss had been conveyed, it would just be looking for trouble to enrage her further.

...Great......probably.

Harutora convinced himself.

"I, It's good that you understand. Th, Thanks."

"......You don't need to thank me for this kind of thing."

"Y, You're right, but still thanks"

Natsume glared at Harutora with reddened eyes, and after a while, "......Bakatora." She murmured lightly, sighing deeply. Though that reaction was hard to understand, at the least it looked like she had calmed down a bit.

"Anyway......never mind k, ki......never mind that kind of thing for now, there's a serious problem at the moment."

"Wh, What problem?"

Natsume's tone was solemn, and Harutora's heart jumped again.

"......Did you forget? Last summer, she and I met directly and she saw me." Natsume continued speaking.

"Of course I remember, how could I forget it, but that's--"

"How was I dressed back then, do you still remember?"

Natsume stared intently at Harutora. Harutora was confused and tried to recall the situation from back then again.

In the stormy night last summer, Harutora had become Natsume's s.h.i.+kigami in the main family household in order to stop Suzuka from holding the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual. The two of them had headed to the Imperial Hill and had confronted Suzuka who had been preparing to hold the rite at the altar on the peak of the Imperial Hill.

At that time, the rain had stopped, the moon was hazy, and the two of them had ridden the horse-shaped s.h.i.+kigami Yukikaze that served the Tsuchimikado family. Harutora had a bamboo trunk on his back, and Natsume was responsible of holding Yukikaze's reins, glowing heroically--

"......Ah."

Harutora finally noticed the problem and suddenly went speechless. Natsume nodded her head.

"......You finally noticed it, I was...... wearing miko clothing at the time. When I was riding on Yukikaze's back...... I talked with her from the horse, and it's very possible that she saw me clearly, saw me dressed as a miko, and knows that I'm actually a girl."

Harutora's face paled. Natsume was right, Suzuka had indeed seen Natsume dressed as a miko appear before her. That meant that she knew that Natsume, who was dressed as a male and interacted with the outside world as a male due to family tradition, was actually a girl.

But... "H, Hold on! Suzuka didn't know what Tsuchimikado Natsume looked like back then, so that's why she mistook me as Natsume. Also...... I don't remember very clearly, but when she saw you dressed as a miko, she might not have realized that you were Natsume."

"Back then, she certainly said to me: 'are you also a Tsuchimikado', so in other words, after she saw me, she still didn't notice that I was Tsuchimikado Natsume. She definitely judged that Tsuchimikado Natsume is a male from her investigation beforehand, but......" Natsume's voice sank. "She saw my face."

Harutora couldn't say anything else.

Right, even if she didn't know the other party's ident.i.ty, Suzuka had indeed seen the appearance of the 'girl dressed as a miko', and if she saw Natsume right now, maybe she would see that 'Tsuchimikado Natsume' and the 'girl dressed as a miko' looked exactly the same.

Harutora's heart leaped as he panicked.

"Oh no! In the entrance ceremony just now--"

"Don't worry, I quickly used stealth magic to hide my presence when she noticed you. Our gazes didn't cross either, so it's reasonably certain that she didn't notice me, so at least she doesn't know yet."

"B, But......"

"......Right, the problem is what to do now......"

Natsume spoke vaguely, lightly chewing her lip. Harutora didn't know what to say for a while.

Though she wasn't as famous as Suzuka, Natsume was a celebrity in the Onmyou Academy. Natsume was the Tsuchimikado family's next heir, had a reputation for being a genius, and was very famous. No one in the academy didn't know her, and she could be called a focus of attention.

In particular, the 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka was a specialist in researching magic related to Yakou and believed that Natsume was Yakou's reincarnation. Moreover, she had tried to approach Natsume in order to hold the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual, so she should have been quite interested in the existence of 'Tsuchimikado Natsume' since the beginning.

Now, since Suzuka had transferred into the Onmyou Academy, she had to feel interested in Natsume. In the near future, she would definitely want to try to come in contact with her.

If Suzuka saw Natsume's appearance, how would the situation change?

The chance that Natsume was exposed as a girl pretending to be male was quite high, and even if that didn't happen, it was very difficult to say that Natsume's male disguise was successful.

...What should we do......

Harutora worried silently and Natsume did the same. The two of them didn't say a word, looking at each other, but neither of their faces held the answer. They could only hear the faint sounds of the lunchtime clamor from inside the academy.

In the end, they didn't come to a conclusion. Just like that, the first day of the new term reached the time when school let out.

Maybe because Natsume's words and actions during lunchtime were still vivid, Kyouko, Tenma and the other students didn't crowd around Harutora again, only daring to watch from afar. Hence, the interior of the cla.s.sroom was full of an unusual tension and a silent atmosphere.

But there was an exception, and it was Touji.

"......What was up with 'that incident' in the morning? Are you going to fight with that brat again?" Touji sat in a seat adjacent to Harutora and Natsume who were also attending cla.s.s next to each other, asking in a quiet whisper that the surrounding people couldn't hear.

Even if the opponent was one of the Twelve Divine Generals, he could still calmly use a description like 'fight', as expected of something Touji would say. He normally didn't hesitate to ask for trouble, and it seemed that he was even more elated than usual.

Natsume sat in her seat, looking up at Touji and quietly replying: "......I'm not sure." The guy who always loved making trouble couldn't help but frown slightly. He seemed to be concerned more about Natsume's look and att.i.tude than this response.

"What's wrong, is the situation that serious? I mostly heard about the incident last summer...... Is there some deep animosity between you?" Touji raised the question straightforwardly while keeping an eye out for surrounding gazes.

Natsume's face looked confused, and she turned her vision towards Harutora in the next seat, not knowing how to respond. "......Natsume, could you explain to Touji." But once Harutora said this, he suddenly stood up from his seat.

"What?"

"...Harutora?"

Natsume and Touji were shocked for a moment. "......I'm going to go meet her." Harutora looked at the two of them in turn, using a voice that only the two of them heard. However, he left the two of them, rus.h.i.+ng out of the cla.s.sroom door. "H, Harutora!" Natsume hurriedly called out in surprise, but he didn't turn back, thinking that he was unable to bring Natsume along with him since she couldn't show herself.

Leaving behind the cla.s.sroom that became noisy again, Harutora ran out through the door and into the corridor, sprinting to the first-year cla.s.sroom.

...If this went on, there would be no end to it.

He hadn't discussed ways to resolve this with Natsume during lunchtime, but actually it was natural. Suzuka herself was the most knowledgeable about what kind of action she would take next. In that case, the fastest way to resolve things was to meet with her directly and understand her intentions face-to-face.

The explosive remark at the entrance ceremony was definitely a deliberate action, and, after all, he had stopped her plans last year, so she definitely had a grudge against him.

...Better to die than live in dishonor...... Though it would be best to avoid that kind of ending as much as possible......

Anyway, it would definitely be harmless to meet with her first and understand what Suzuka was planning. The current her was different from her last summer - who had used forbidden magic to try resurrecting her brother from death and had fallen into a crazed state. She shouldn't be the same person anymore. Touji's worry that she still held animosity had a very high chance of being true, but continuing to procrastinate like this wouldn't resolve the problem.

One by one, Harutora avoided the students who were returning home after school, hurriedly heading to the first-year cla.s.sroom. However - "What? She went back? When?" After arriving in the first-year cla.s.sroom, Harutora asked the two female students who walked by the door - the new students wearing new uniforms - asking their help to call out Suzuka.

Unfortunately, Suzuka wasn't in the cla.s.sroom. According to the two female students' story, Suzuka had said goodbye to everyone after school and left the cla.s.sroom early.

"She just left. Right, she might just be leaving the cla.s.sroom, she might not have gone home."

"But someone came to get her, right? She should be looking for that person."

"Do you know where that person who came to get her is?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not sure either......"

d.a.m.n. Harutora scratched his head. He had rushed out of the cla.s.sroom so courageously, but maybe he had ended up running for nothing. He knew that he should have rushed over here directly during the lunchtime.

On the other hand, the two new students remembered the sudden situation during the entrance ceremony and seemed to also remember the appearance of Harutora who had been involved. They answered Harutora's questions with goodwill, and simultaneously elbowed each other a few times.

Once Harutora stopped asking--

"Um......Senpai? Is what Dairenji-san said during the entrance ceremony true?"

"Senpai, are you Dairenji-san's ex-boyfriend? Or are you actually her current boyfriend?"

Their faces shone with curiosity, leaning towards Harutora excitedly. A few unfamiliar new students pa.s.sed by, every one of them perking their ears up to eavesdrop.

The unfamiliar t.i.tle 'senpai' made Harutora's ears itch. Though it sounded nice to have newly entered female students speaking so intimately with him, he really couldn't feel happy in this kind of situation.

"It's not like that, that girl was just troubling me."

"But didn't you come to find her?"

"Moreover, you referred to a Divine General as 'that girl'. You really don't have an ordinary relations.h.i.+p."

"It's not like that! We just...... know each other."

"Ah, you hesitated just now."

"Kyaah!"

What are you squealing for... Harutora almost shouted a reproach, but he forced himself to endure it. Anyway, it was a waste of breath to continue saying something now, Harutora thought. Just as he was planning on turning around and leaving--

--Right.

"Hey, let me ask, you're cla.s.smates with that girl - with Dairenji Suzuka, right? You were with her for the whole day today, right?"

"Right."

"Of course."

"Then how is that girl - how is she? How much did you talk with her?"

"How could we find her to talk. Even if she's a cla.s.smate, she's a Divine General, you know."

"When I greeted her, she replied with a really easygoing att.i.tude, but if I continued talking I would be so tense I wouldn't know what to say."

The two of them shook their heads in unison. These two people weren't tense at all when facing their Onmyou Academy 'senpai', Harutora thought to himself, but he didn't say anything.

"Also, Dairenji-san leaves the cla.s.sroom as soon as cla.s.s ends and during lunchtime, slipping away to somewhere else."

"Right, there are people in the cla.s.s who want to hear what exactly is going on about the entrance ceremony thing from her directly, but unfortunately they haven't been able to ask."

"......I see."

From her att.i.tude at the entrance ceremony, he had originally thought she would act a bit friendlier to the cla.s.smates around her. Harutora had been worried about her spreading nonsense rumors, but after hearing them say this, it seemed that his worries had been unfounded.

...So the morning business was really just revenge?

The two new students still doggedly pursued Harutora, trying to figure out the truth. Harutora casually dodged their questions, quickly escaping the first-year cla.s.sroom.

Harutora had immediately gone to the first-year cla.s.sroom after school let out, and it seemed that Suzuka had left the cla.s.sroom not long ago. If she was meeting with the person who came to get her, it was very possible that she was still in the academy building. Harutora decided to look around first, but the academy building was quite vast, and it was quite difficult to find Suzuka with just one person. Even if he could ask Kon to help search, it was hard to say whether he could find her.

"It's very possible that I could stop her by Alpha and Omega, but...... everyone makes her out to be an idol, so maybe she'll leave from the back entrance."

Inquiring about Suzuka's whereabouts was probably the most accurate method, as even if that morning incident hadn't happened, there probably wasn't a single person who didn't know Suzuka. But if he truly did that, the rumors about Harutora himself would just get worse and worse. This commotion was already more than he expected, and it was hard to imagine what kind of rumors would spread if he asked everywhere for Suzuka's whereabouts. Maybe at some point he and Suzuka would already have become lifelong companions.

...Maybe I should just wait until tomorrow?

Harutora became more and more depressed as he thought, slumping his shoulders in a dark mood. But he still decided to try his luck and see whether he could find Suzuka. He didn't head to the entrance with the Komainu guards, but chose to wait by the academy back entrance instead. He chose the back entrance because there were more people by the main exit, and even if he succeeded in coming in contact with Suzuka, he wouldn't be able to escape the eyes of others. In order to avoid calling forth a greater misunderstanding, it was best to communicate directly with Suzuka while avoiding eyes and ears.

"......Uh, wait, since someone came to get her, I can't possibly talk to her alone, right?"

In the end, he had rushed out to find her impulsively, so he could only take things one step at a time. Harutora was at a loss again, and in the end could only walk in resignation towards the back entrance.

After school let out, almost all of the students would leave from the main entrance, and there weren't many people walking by the back entrance. Harutora unconsciously eased up. He had been the focus of strange looks since early on today, and he really couldn't stand it.

...Tch, how troublesome.

The joyous and anxious feeling of advancing to the second year had been gone a long time ago. Honestly, he had already cleanly forgotten about kissing Suzuka until today morning. The incident last summer had strongly influenced Harutora, and Suzuka kissing him was an insignificant sudden event compared to the other shocks he experienced during this incident. He had never even dreamed that that matter would actually bring him this much trouble.

Maybe this was magic Suzuka had cast - second-cla.s.s magic.

"What's more, no one listened to my explanation at all...... The kiss back then was a completely different matter."

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was present, Harutora griped. But, Kon was beside him.

"......P, Pardon my intrusion...... May I ask whether things are truly as Harutora-sama says?" Kon spoke up to ask, her tone sounding a bit frightened yet unable to help but ask.

"......Kon." Harutora inadvertently held his head in bitterness. "Didn't you hear everything when I explained to Natsume? Everything I said is the completely authentic truth."

"H, However......!" Maybe because she was unable to keep enduring it, Kon panicked, appearing in front of Harutora. Seriousness showed in her blue eyes and her pair of pointed ears trembled as if they were cold, her small hands clasped in front of her chest. "With an Onmyouji whose name is reputed over the whole world, and who is still a young girl, you cannot just k-ki......!"

"I said, Kon, I didn't kiss her, that girl took the opportunity while I couldn't move to kiss me. A traditional person like you wouldn't be able to understand, but to young people nowadays, kissing one or two times isn't anything huge."

"Th, The cla.s.s was in no small uproar......"

"They just want to tease me! Suzuka definitely isn't hung up about this matter, I'd bet that she deliberately brought up that incident in the morning just to get revenge on me!"

Harutora could no longer take being doubted by his own s.h.i.+kigami, refuting her agitatedly. His demeanor made shock appear all over Kon's face, but his ideas seemed accurately conveyed. True confidence emerged on Kon's immature face and she nodded again and again.

"Th, Therefore...... Harutora-sama has no feelings for this person?"

"None! Not a bit, none at all, that's not even possible! I said several times, she and I are enemies. Though I don't hate her, there's nowhere for love."

"......Yes......"

Kon stared at Harutora for a good while, then finally released her tension, her expression seeming quite a bit relaxed. The ears on her head wiggled back and forth, and her tail wagged lightly in happiness.

"U, Understood...... I apologize for my transgression."

She apologized sincerely although her face was pleased, and Harutora inadvertently relaxed when he saw this. However, a moment later, Kon's ears leaped up, as if her perturbed att.i.tude just now had been an illusion. She deftly drew out her sharp wakizas.h.i.+, quickly circling behind Harutora's back.

Harutora's heart leaped. "What happened, Kon?" After he turned around, he noticed that Kon's back was to her master, guarding her master's back while gripping Kachiwari.

Kon grasped her wakizas.h.i.+, and in front of her... appeared a figure.

Harutora was currently advancing through the corridor of the back entrance. Originally, there hadn't been anyone around anywhere, and someone had quietly approached from behind his back at some point.

A female student.

She had an unfamiliar face and short hair. Her body was smaller than Natsume's, and the sleeves of her uniform were overly long, seeming like they didn't really fit. Moreover, at first glance she looked like an ordinary female student, only noticing after a careful look that she was amazingly pretty. This could be attributed to her thin sense of presence. Even if she was right before him, he didn't feel the slightest bit of presence. It was as if he noticed right after turning around that there was a ghost standing behind his back, frightening Harutora stiff.

Her expression was indifferent, giving off a transparent sense of beauty.

Like a fuzzy image of a mirage.

Harutora couldn't help but stare.

After his starting shock disappeared, Harutora didn't feel any 'danger' or 'tension' from the female student's body, and he soon eased up.

He 'looked' carefully again, not noticing any abnormalities in aura. Kon still held her wakizas.h.i.+ threateningly, but she didn't get fl.u.s.tered. Maybe he hadn't been able to notice immediately because the other party had cast stealth magic, and from her thin feeling of presence, she hadn't completely removed her stealth.

Her indifferent expression looked simply like she was s.p.a.cing out, and she currently looked like she was daydreaming as she stared blankly at Harutora.

"......Uh......"

...Who are you?

Harutora hadn't had time to ask when, "Little girl." The female student opened her mouth first, letting out a light voice.

"Huh?"

"A little girl."

"Little...... Oh, you mean Kon?"

"A little fox girl."

"A cute little fox girl."

She had said 'little girl' a few times consecutively right after opening her mouth, so it was no wonder Harutora would frown in confusion and incomprehension.

Kon quietly cast an inquisitive gaze towards Harutora, and Harutora nodded, so she returned Kachiwari to its sheath for now. Harutora put his hand on Kon's head, in case she suddenly lost control.

"Her name's Kon, my defensive s.h.i.+kigami. Could I ask--"

"A cute little fox girl s.h.i.+kigami."

"Uh, who exactly are--"

"In other words, you're Tsuchimikado Harutora."

Harutora's heart jumped. He hadn't expected the other person to suddenly say his own name.

"So you knew who I am? ......Right, it's definitely because of the incident in the morning......"

"What happened in the morning?"

"Huh? It's unrelated to that?"

In that case, she hadn't recognized Harutora because she had seen him, but instead because she had noticed Kon first. But to jump from 'little girl s.h.i.+kigami' to 'Tsuchimikado Harutora'... Though it matched reality, he really couldn't feel happy about that kind of a.s.sociation.

"I didn't attend the entrance ceremony." The female student spoke calmly.

"I see, then how do you know about Kon and I?"

"Were you confessed to by a little girl in the entrance ceremony?[1]"

"Answer my question first! Also, no one confessed to me, and she's not a little girl!"

"What are you wondering about, I'm the one who doesn't understand!"

Were this year's new students all this strange? Not just Suzuka, but also the girl in front of him and the two female students he had met in the cla.s.sroom. He couldn't help but wonder whether he could communicate normally with these new students. Though Kon had sheathed her wakizas.h.i.+, her expression still looked like she was staring at a suspicious person, carefully watching her each and every move.

"Who exactly are you? What did you find me for?" Since the entire day had been troubles one after another, Harutora had difficulty concealing his impatience, questioning this unknown female student. But even faced with Harutora's unfriendly gaze, the female student seemed unmoved, her expression still indifferent.

"I'm your senpai." She spoke with a flat tone.

"What? Y, You're a third year?"

Harutora was surprised again.

This was the floor that the first-year cla.s.sroom was on, and her body was so small, hence Harutora had a.s.sumed that she was a new student. But, if she had truly cast stealth magic just now, then it was indeed more convincing to say she was a third-year student rather than a new student.

"Excuse me - No, I'm sorry, I thought you were a new student......"

"Because I'm very small."

"No, uh......"

"I'm like a little girl."

"That's not the reason!"

"It's alright, people always get it wrong."

"What are you currently saying is alright? Being mistaken for a new student, or little girls?"

"My outer appearance looks very young."

"Relax! At least you definitely don't look like a little girl!"

Natsume had mentioned that the third years could be called semi-professional Onmyouji, but though their skills were high, their personalities might be hard to stomach. His respect for his senpais instantly vanished and Harutora couldn't hold back his angry tone.

"Ahh, d.a.m.n, whatever...... Anyway, uh you......"

"Senpai."

"Alright, Senpai, could I ask why you're looking for me? I have things to do." However annoying she was, Harutora would still try to stay polite.

"It's nothing, I just happened to meet you." The female student replied casually.

"......That answer's not outside my expectations."

"I couldn't control myself for a while because I noticed there was a little girl here."

"Could it be that you like little girls, senpai?"

"No." The female student replied with a flat tone. "Because I know the son of the Tsuchimikado branch family brings a s.h.i.+kigami like that around with him."

"Huh?"

That pair of daydreaming eyes seemed to truly focus for the first time since the female student had appeared. Though she had looked at him before, this was the first time her hazy demeanor had become truly clear.

Of course, this was just Harutora's own feeling, and it might possibly be a pure mistake.

"I've always wanted to meet the Tsuchimikado family member."

"Wh, Why......"

"Because I'm curious."

"......Then did you meet Natsume before?"

"I only saw the main family son from afar, and I would pa.s.s by your side occasionally."

After hearing the senpai's explanation, Harutora finally got a clue.

Once Suzuka had appeared, Harutora had completely forgotten that he and Natsume had originally been centers of attention in the Onmyou Academy, especially Natsume. She was the next heir of the famous Tsuchimikado family, with excellent grades and a beautiful appearance, and there were even outside rumors that she was the reincarnation of Tsuchimikado Yakou.

Maybe the newly entered students still didn't know much, but the current third-years were probably extremely interested in the 'two Tsuchimikado kouhai'. In that case, it was understandable that she would want to greet him if they b.u.mped into each other.

"But..."

"B, But?"

"I don't hate little girls either..."

"Senpai, I have no interest at all in your private affairs." Harutora muttered a complaint, interrupting her words, unable to help but think that this was really an exhausting senpai. "But whatever, you know what kind of a person I am now, right senpai? Are you satisfied?"

"Let me think about it." Saying this, the female student walked near Harutora. Kon rapidly took a stance once she saw that, but Harutora used his hand to stop her.

The female student walked in front of Harutora, looking up at him. That kind of action made her look even smaller, and she was probably not much different from Suzuka, and maybe she was even shorter. Then, the female student quickly raised her hand, reaching out a finger from her long sleeve, pointing at Harutora's face - more accurately, she pointed at the pentagram mark under his left eye.

"What's that?"

"Huh? ......Oh, you mean this tattoo-like thing? Long story short, it's basically a magic--"

"It looks weird on your face."

"You don't have to care!"

With every word, Harutora felt that he was becoming more and more tired. But, the female student seemed like she was already satisfied, and though her expression didn't change, her shoulders twitched up and down. Maybe she was laughing.

"I'm going." After quietly saying goodbye, she neatly turned her back towards Harutora, striding away without turning around to look