Tokyo Ravens Volume 7 Chapter 1

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Listen, don't you dare forget this, it's a promise.

Of course, the boy had probably forgotten.

The vast courtyard of an old residence. The lost ribbon. The time spent by those two searching for it. The exchanged silly conversation. That memory from childhood was no more than a few hours, so it would be natural to have forgotten about it. That small, fleeting memory.

But the girl didn't forget. Even many years after that, she couldn't forget.

It was resentful and sad that the boy had.

However right now, that would do. Once more, with a fresh beginning. It was fine to start over from scratch.

It was a wonderful thing to be able to fall in love with him twice.

That's right, she thought.

Two ravens spread their wings under the thick, dense gray clouds.

An elderly black raven danced in a compet.i.tion of magic with a young white one.

Magic flew like splas.h.i.+ng waterfalls, scattering to the surroundings, mixing with the wind, integrating with the air, and stirring the aura. The two ravens danced within thick aura.

They bathed in aura.

Absorbing it.

Feeling it.

Harutora focused all of his attention.

It was the first time since he had been born that he sincerely and seriously wanted to 'learn'. His eyes didn't blink. He couldn't miss even a moment. He wanted to perceive time and s.p.a.ce together and grasp onto the high-level battle in front of him, absorbing it into his body. He wanted to open all of his senses.

The movements of the fingers' seals. The paths of the charms thrown into the air. The intonation of incantations. The flow of magical energy. The swirl of aura. The techniques of pract.i.tioners.

It held a deep complexity, but he could believe that there was a certain simple 'core' that the sophisticated system combined with the 'strength' inherited from ancient times.

What were the Kuji-in[1]?

And what meaning did mantras have?

Conflict and rebirth. The pentagram and the circle.

What was the five elements?

And what did yin and yang mean?

The truth and the answer to these questions moved vividly in front of him. The systems that had been hidden in the world - no, the systems that had been forgotten by many were resuscitated by these excellent pract.i.tioners and were currently operating. The tremendous scale was sometimes surprising, and sometimes it was delicate and precise. Moreover, it was daring, ingenious, swift, and powerful.

The black raven had mentioned a 'compet.i.tion of magic'. This was actually a contest of some sort, a game that obeyed set rules. When they fought with their common system as a stage, the side that understood the rules more deeply, trained techniques more attentively, faced things more calmly, and was more unyielding would triumph.

The victor of this 'magic' world.

Now, the aura that the two parties of the battle released reflected the contours of 'magic'. When it was infused with a stronger magical energy, the existence of 'magic' would become even clearer. The scene before them deeply fascinated Harutora.

Yes......

He was fascinated deeply indeed.

He watched whole-heartedly, wanting to engrave it in his heart...... At least at first.

But.

...d.a.m.n.

After the battle ended.

The more he thought, the more agitated he got.

He couldn't touch the nature of his anxiety.

At the time, he had just been overwhelmed by the pressure. But even recalling afterwards, the important parts still felt strange, like a photograph that had been taken while he had been moving. The more he looked at it in detail, the more obvious it was that it was slightly out of focus. He made every effort to reproduce it, but when he approached the depths step by step, it became vague and unclear. Being in reach of it but being unable to touch it made him incredibly anxious.

The thing he had vaguely learned at the time could very well be a mistake. His extreme fatigue and tension had produced wishful thinking that couldn't possibly exist. His condition back then had been too abnormal - that was something he couldn't change.

But even so, what he felt back then had been real.

It wasn't like his memory had become poor.

It hadn't become poor, it was just insufficient.

The more he calmly recalled afterwards, the more insufficiencies there were in him. He wanted to stop the battle from back then. There were things he hadn't seen - he hadn't completely sensed the decisive portions. He had that sort of understanding.

In closing, he was just not matured enough. At best, he was just an uninitiated novice. Anyway, he was only at this kind of level - his mood started becoming bad.

But......

Before he realized, Harutora was compensating for his insufficient areas with imagination and constantly challenging them one by one. He was struggling to approach the nature of the magic that he had felt from that battle.

He lamented his immaturity and smiled bitterly at his arrogance, but he still couldn't give up.

Honestly, this weighty trial and error was even more exhausting than he had imagined.

What was magic?

Harutora was thinking.

And as the person himself was unaware - he went deeper and deeper.

"H, Harutora? Harutora!"

His childhood friend's familiar voice made Tsuchimikado Harutora come to his senses in a snap.

"Uwah!"

Two giant crows flapped their wings and flew in front of him. The simple s.h.i.+kigami Harutora controlled had become huge compared to when they had been created, and they were currently losing control. Harutora frantically tightened his grip on them, putting his consciousness in the simple s.h.i.+kigami. In the next moment, the two simple s.h.i.+kigami suddenly stopped moving in midair.

The two crows swelled to the point where their wingspan was about one meter. Since they had suddenly gained weight after they stopped moving in midair, they fell while flapping their wings. After they fell to the ground, they turned back into two s.h.i.+kigami charms.

Hah. Tsuchimikado Natsume let out the breath she had been holding. The practical skills teacher, who had been prepared, smiled wryly.

"......Dangerous, dangerous. What's wrong, Tsuchimikado-kun? You were doing quite well."

"Ah, well."

"Something drew your attention? That won't do. Being distracted while using magic is extremely dangerous. It's the same as driving a car, you could injure others. Please always realize that."

"Yes. Sorry......"

Harutora lowered his head shamefully. The teacher smiled slightly, but didn't show any forgiveness for such a naive att.i.tude. He nodded with a solemn expression.

This was something that happened during practical skills coursework.

His cla.s.smates all breathed again and the tension eased, with waves of laughter going through the room. The red-faced Harutora hastily picked up the s.h.i.+kigami charms.

"Give me a break, Harutora~"

"You really scared me to death."

"S, sorry......"

"Ah, but it was very powerful, that thing just now."

"Yeah, it was incredible up to halfway through."

His cla.s.smates chatted openly to the shamed Harutora. The reason most of them wore smiles was probably because Harutora was a good person.

"If you think about it, it's actually pretty good progress. At the first, even using a simple s.h.i.+kigami charm was tough."

"Well, though it was still off, just like before."

"......Tch, I guess I'm just easily distracted."

Harutora's self-deprecation made the cla.s.sroom suddenly break out in laughter. After the red-faced Natsume heard the evaluation that Harutora had grown, she also showed a happy expression.

Actually, even without Natsume's biased view, the simple s.h.i.+kigami just now had been completed quite well. Harutora's magical energy output had originally been overly strong, but recently he had learned appropriate manipulation techniques.

However, he kept making small errors, he wasn't completely familiar with the magic, and the problems were overall very conspicuous.

But compared to the situation when he entered the academy, it was as if he had been reborn. Especially his grades related to practical skills. He had already become ranked in the top of the cla.s.s. This was also relying on the several real battles he had inadvertently experienced.

The teacher's face was bitter. He didn't know how to evaluate it.

"Anyway, if you rashly allow your s.h.i.+kigami to go out of control, you might instantly be surrounded by exorcists and then become a responsibility for me to oversee. Please use your magic carefully."

"U, Understood! I'll focus carefully next time!'

The teacher jabbed at him slightly, and Harutora replied with a pained face.

Actually, Harutora and the others weren't at their familiar academy building right now. That academy building - the academy building that had been newly constructed after forty-seven cla.s.ses of students - was being repaired now.

The reason was obviously the incident that had happened last month. The mysterious Onmyouji 'D' - the man who called himself As.h.i.+ya Doman - had attacked the academy building.

That incident had created huge news over the country, and fortunately no one had died or been severely injured. But the academy building itself had been ravaged by 'D's s.h.i.+kigami, which had caused severe destruction to the interior. Because it was a newly-constructed building, the damage to the foundations was small, but needless to say, they couldn't go about business as usual, nor could they repair while holding cla.s.ses.

Hence, in the week after the incident, the Onmyou Academy decided to temporarily close off the academy building for repairs. In this period of time, they would borrow a different building for coursework.

The place that had been chosen to be 'borrowed' was relatively close to s.h.i.+buya. It was a relatively large, magic-related facility - the Onmyou Agency Exorcist Bureau branch in Meguro.

Right now, Harutora's cla.s.s was using the Meguro branch's training room. Professional exorcists would carry out their normal magic training here. Though it was a bit cramped when compared to the magic practice field underneath the academy building, it was enough for one cla.s.s to hold a practical skills cla.s.s. Needless to say, it seemed a bit wasteful to have students using this place.

Also, there were several meeting rooms being used as cla.s.srooms, which was very convenient. Though the Onmyou Academy was a training inst.i.tution formally recognized by the Onmyou Agency, it probably had to do with Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+'s personal connections that the Exorcist Bureau had accommodated them to this degree.

"Well, though I don't really want everyone to know, my father is the Exorcist Bureau's boss."

Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+'s granddaughter, their cla.s.smate Kurahas.h.i.+ Kyouko, had quietly explained this to Harutora and the others after the borrowing had been decided. Her father - also the princ.i.p.al's son - Kurahas.h.i.+ Genji was currently the chief of the Onmyou Agency, and simultaneously held a position as the head of the Exorcist Bureau. Of course, it was very easy to communicate the wishes of the Onmyou Academy.

Moreover, the Onmyou Agency couldn't stay out since the Onmyou Academy had been attacked. Astonis.h.i.+ngly, 'D' had attacked the main branch of the Onmyou Agency at the same time as he had attacked the Onmyou Academy. Though the damage to the Onmyou Agency ended up being light, the Onmyou Academy - an educational facility where many minors were gathered - had suffered heavy damage in its place, thoroughly shaming the Onmyou Agency. In that kind of situation, it was very hard to refuse the Onmyou Academy's proposal.

Even so, the Meguro branch wasn't enough to accommodate all of the students. Hence, the theory curriculum was scattered across other public facilities and various colleges, leading to severe changes in the instructional plans. But chaos hadn't happened, probably because of the teachers' determination to do their part.

But there were changes.

After the attack, there were quite a few students who had left the Onmyou Academy. In particular, there had been about ten students in each cla.s.s of the newly-entered first-years who had withdrawn from the academy. Even among the people who stayed in the Onmyou Academy, most of them still hadn't left their shock from the incident.

It hadn't been his own fault...... Harutora and the others, who couldn't a.s.sert that, felt extremely bitter. The only thing they could take consolation in was that no one had left Harutora's cla.s.s, at least.

Harutora returned to his seat. The teacher clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"The place has changed, our environment has changed, but the magic we are studying has not changed. You still need to learn many things, so continue studying."

During lunchtime, they could use the branch cafeteria. But it was packed after the students joined in, so people would go to the courtyard to eat lunch when the weather was good.

The Meguro branch courtyard was a quite vast, breezy courtyard. The neatly paved stepping stones and white sand along with the pinewood trees gave an impression similar to that of a shrine courtyard.

The s.h.i.+ning sun had already started melding into the colors of summer. The verdant lawn was extremely charming, and one would really want to lie on it and roll around while resting.

"Alright, let's go eat."

Harutora and the others arrived at the stone garden next to a pond, forming a casual circle and sitting down. Natsume and Kyouko came with him, along with their cla.s.smates Ato Touji and Momoe Tenma. Though these people frequently moved together, Kyouko often went to the princ.i.p.al's office to keep Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+ company, and Tenma ate his bento in the cla.s.sroom. Hence, it was the first time they had eaten lunch together since they came to the branch.

"The food here is really good. Exorcists get some nice stuff."

"Really? I like the academy cafeteria more. Harutora, you always ate everything clean too."

"I didn't say I hated what we had, it's just that there are more choices here...... Also, just eating outside probably makes it taste better."

Harutora picked up the pork in his katsudon with his chopsticks while looking around.

The courtyard was a much frequented location during lunchtime. There were many people who had come to the courtyard to eat other than Harutora's group. Several days ago, they had heard the branch members joking about how 'it was like a college campus'. They probably felt interested rather than annoyed at the students who had intruded upon their workplace.

"Come to think of it, there are almost no exorcists. This place is a branch of the Exorcist Bureau, so shouldn't there be dozens of people on standby here?"

"You're wrong, Harutora-kun. You probably happened to run across them a few times, you know? But it's very hard to distinguish them when they're not wearing miasma protection clothes."

Tenma answered happily upon hearing Harutora's voiced question.

Miasma protection clothing was the uniform that exorcists wore while purifying spiritual disasters. Like its name, the special outfit was to defend against the miasma produced when spiritual disasters occurred. That dark uniform with a matching belt and coat was the sign of an exorcist.

Just as Tenma said, it was very hard to distinguish a normal Onmyouji from an exorcist without that sign. At best, one could only speculate based on the strength or weakness of their aura.

"And I thought exorcists always wore that."

"How could that be. Exorcists basically only wear it when they're purifying spiritual disasters."

"Now that you mention it, there are also people who like to wear miasma protection clothing and kendo armor and fight against s.h.i.+kigami barehanded."

"Hahaha. Though I don't mean to show off, I fought against spiritual disasters barehanded later. Without kendo armor or miasma protection clothing."

Harutora forced a laugh at Touji's teasing. Natsume also recalled it, looking into the distance with an 'ah'.

Tenma's shoulders shook with laughter.

"That was something from right after you and Harutora-kun entered? The s.h.i.+kigami showdown. How nostalgic. Thinking back now, your independent training was all fighting. That was the first time Harutora-kun fought against Hakuou and Kokfuu."

Hakuou and Kokfuu were the names of the two 'Model G2 Yaksha' defensive s.h.i.+kigami that Kyouko used.

Since Harutora and Touji had entered the academy, they had continuously held independent practical training after school ended. Though they had received special instruction from their cla.s.s teacher and practical skills teachers after the practical skills camp during their second year, before that it had mostly been mock battles conducted between Harutora and Kyouko's defensive s.h.i.+kigami.

"Right, Kurahas.h.i.+-san and Natsume-kun had trouble getting along at the start. Now they can practice on their own and eat lunch together. Hard to imagine, huh?"

Tenma looked in Kyouko's direction, asking jokingly.

But Kyouko didn't look at Tenma. She stared at the tray of pasta next to her hands with her head lowered. The hand that grasped her fork didn't move at all either.

Then, she finally noticed that the conversation had halted:

"Eh?"

She looked at Tenma.

Then, she hastily said:

"Ah. With Natsume-kun? Y, Yeah. I was a little weird back then......"

Kyouko laughed and strung words together, but her smile was clearly empty. Tenma didn't know how to respond, just uttering a "yeah".

Harutora stopped eating when he saw Kyouko's demeanor.

"Kyouko, have you been a bit strange recently?"

"Wh-What do you mean, 'strange'."

"Well, I'm not criticizing you. How should I say it, you're always deep in thought, always absentminded......"

"Oh, are you not feeling well?"

Harutora's words also brought about a worried look from Tenma. Kyouko showed a bit of timidity under the gazes of the two of them.

Glancing at Natsume, Kyouko showed an uncomfortable, weak gaze that she very rarely revealed.

But she quickly got ahold of herself again.

"There's no such thing. What's more, you're the one who's absentminded, Harutora. In the practical training just now."

Kyouko's accurate response left Harutora speechless.

Then,

"That's right!"

Natsume rapidly chimed in from the side, as if it were her business.

Glaring at Harutora with a stern expression:

"Just like Kurahas.h.i.+-san says, you're too reckless, s.p.a.cing out while casting magic! Even sensei was shocked!"

"I'm sorry about that. I'm already reflecting."

"Of course! ......Also, hasn't your attention has been a bit lax recently? In any case, this is your first time thinking about other things while using magic, right? Could you be getting overconfident after getting just a little familiar with General Onmyoudou--"

"N-No, it's not like that."

"Then why. Is something bothering you?"

"Bothering......"

Natsume, who stayed sitting, suddenly leaned forward to question him. Harutora leaned back with a bitter expression.

Harutora thought of the scene from the training room again. While he had been controlling his own simple s.h.i.+kigami just now, he had suddenly sank deep into thought.

How would a professional Onmyouji control that simple s.h.i.+kigami?

An exorcist? A Mystical Investigator? How would a Divine General control it?

...Also,

What about those two people?

Harutora thought about these things that he shouldn't have thought about. As a result, his consciousness completely turned to that direction and he later noticed that the simple s.h.i.+kigami had lost control.

It wasn't just today's incident. Just as Natsume pointed out, Harutora had frequently been thinking hard and absentmindedly about various magics. Though he had seriously considered with his own style before, this time was 'different'. How should he describe it? It was a different kind from his thinking before, filled with doubts and uncoordinated feelings, making him restless.

...Well, it's not like me.

It was indeed quite a bother, but he couldn't talk about it with the people around him. He didn't even understand it in his own heart. It was just a vague impression, and hence it was hard to convey to others. Even if he said 'yeah, I'm bothered about what exactly magic is', he would only increase the troubles of those next to him.

But after seeing Harutora struggling to find words,

"It's not just Harutora."

Touji, who changed his meal every day, chewed on his ginger pork while muttering with a smile.

But the smiling Touji's expression was serious. He slowly surveyed the group around him.

"All of us more or less have our 'own business', right? After all, we saw that kind of thing."

Touji's words took everyone aback.

Touji didn't clarify what 'that thing' was. But everyone present immediately realized, marking the 'personal business' that he spoke up dead center.

The incident of the attack on the Onmyou Academy last month.

The climax at the end was a magical battle between Ohtomo Jin, Harutora's homeroom teacher, and As.h.i.+ya Doman, codenamed 'D'.

"......Ah."

Harutora made a sound, smiling wryly at his good friend.

"It was indeed very shocking."

"......Yeah. Just like Touji says...... it made me think about a lot of things."

Natsume also nodded her head honestly. Tenma and Kyouko, along with the others, didn't say anything more. In that moment, the five of them had probably shared 'that moment' again.

Many things had happened since Harutora had entered the academy. Natsume had been kidnapped by a Mystical Investigator, and they had encountered a Nue and Divine Generals during their exam. They had even been sent out to partic.i.p.ate in a large-scale spiritual disaster purification and had actually fought with a Nue, and finally succeeded in purifying it.

But Doman was the first time that they had been in a crisis where they could do nothing in the truest sense. He had made them feel that clear despair.

Afterwards, Ohtomo had almost completely overturned Harutora and the others' despair.

Ohtomo hadn't been 'victorious in battle'. Since the start, Doman had suppressed him, and he had relied on the Independent Exorcist Kogure Zenjirou along with his official exorcist team to resolve things in the end.

But from the start till the finish, it had been Ohtomo who dominated and controlled that magic battle. It wasn't a pure victory. Rather, he had been standing on a higher operational perspective.

"......Ohtomo-sensei's hospitalization is longer than I imagined."

"Ah, but Grandma said that he's already recovering very fast. Also, he's arguing about the amount of labor accident insurance with her."

"It feels like something he'd do. The princ.i.p.al's a lot stronger in that kind of negotiations, though."

Kyouko replied to Tenma's uncertainty, and Touji snickered.

Haggling vigorously about labor accident insurance with the princ.i.p.al. That kind of impression was very easy to superimpose over the homeroom teacher Harutora was familiar with. Natsume was probably imagining him in her mind as she half-closed her eyes and giggled quietly.

Then,

"I felt that he was a mysterious person from the start, but I didn't think he would be that proficient in magic."

A statement with deep feelings. Everyone present had the same feelings.

Touji ate his food again. Someone continued his words with a "So."

"Who exactly is that teacher?"

"Ah, I'm also very interested, so I asked Grandma. But she just said that he was a former Mystical Investigator and wasn't willing to reveal any more information."

"If he were just a normal former Mystical Investigator, the Onmyou Agency would be able to enjoy peace."

"Yeah. I heard that he withdrew because his right leg was injured, but if he had power of that level, it shouldn't have been a big problem. I wonder why he came to the Onmyou Academy to be a teacher."

"I don't get it either. Could it be that Princ.i.p.al Kurahas.h.i.+ invited him?"

"Rather than inviting him, it's probably more like he was grabbed by the neck."

"......Yeah, Touji's opinion sounds more like it, though I shouldn't say such a thing."

Natsume and the others chatted about how they saw Ohtomo. None of them had seen through the power of their homeroom teacher, and in their extreme astonishment, they didn't think that they had been tricked either. It was natural to go investigate for various information.

But,

Harutora's heart felt slightly restless upon seeing the reactions of Natsume and the other four.

Of course, Harutora had also been hugely surprised at Ohtomo's power. Though he had felt that Ohtomo was 'quite a powerful person' since he had instructed his independent training, he hadn't thought that his power was of that kind of level. It was completely understandable that he couldn't help but think 'how can this be' and wanted to complain loudly.

But the most shocking thing to Harutora from that incident wasn't Ohtomo's hidden strength. It was the 'magic' that Ohtomo and Doman had manipulated.

Were Natsume and the others not the same?

"Hey, Tenma?"

"Eh? What is it, Harutora-kun?"

"About Ohtomo-sensei's magic. Uh, don't you think it's a bit different from the magic we use?"

"Yeah! There's still a lot of magic we don't know. Most of them aren't General Onmyoudou in the first place. There's a huge difference in terms of skill--"

"No, it's not that kind of problem of skill. It's more fundamental......"

He really couldn't express it accurately in words. He looked at Tenma's blank expression. In the end, Harutora hadn't been able to understand the meaning of his own words, or perhaps was his question impossible to understand in the first place?

...Is it really me that's weird?

Maybe the 'restlessness' in Harutora's heart only existed in Harutora's heart. As for the other four, although they believed that Ohtomo's magic was 'very powerful', it wasn't anything 'different'.

...But......

If it were like that, then it was actually only Harutora who had gotten the fundamentals wrong, or it was very likely that he 'still didn't understand'.

Extremely disturbing.

"......Harutora?"

"Harutora."

"Eh? Ah, sorry."

Natsume looked with a worried expression at the Harutora who was being distracted by other things again. She didn't get mad.

Then, she forced a cheerful smile on her face:

"......Yeah, uh, what about Harutora? It was very surprising, and it's not a problem if you want to become strong, but don't immerse yourself in it any more. In particular, that magic battle was 'special'. It's no help to suddenly focus on magic of that kind of level. We can only start from the things we can do with our own power."

Natsume cheered the speechless Harutora up in an encouraging tone.

"Harutora, you're also clearly growing. You made a very dangerous mistake in the practical cla.s.s just now so you have to pay more attention later, but you're practically a different person from before when it comes to simple s.h.i.+kigami. You're growing and improving. Most importantly, it's not Harutora's style to worry about things alone."

"Natsume......"

It seemed that Natsume was mistaking Harutora's restlessness as a lack of self-confidence. For now, Harutora swallowed the true words 'that's not the problem'.

Even if he asked himself, Harutora didn't believe that he currently lacked self-confidence. That's not to say that self-confidence wasn't an issue for him. Rather, he felt that when it came to 'magic', he was fearless to a presumptuous level.

But, he probably couldn't convey that kind of complex, delicate feeling. Moreover, his childhood friend's worry made him very happy.

Harutora relaxed his taut expression.

"......That's true."

He smiled lightly back. Natsume didn't respond, but she happily glanced at Harutora's eyes, the corners of her eyes slightly reddening.

"Well."

Touji's quiet sigh changed the atmosphere.

"We can't do independent training after that, and Harutora's acc.u.mulated too much energy. We can't release it in the practical training cla.s.ses."

"Ah, I see. Sometimes I indeed want to challenge myself as much as possible. ......Then, Kyouko? Will the academy repairs still need a long time?"

"Eh? Yeah. I didn't ask much about the detailed situation, but our situation will be going on for some time."

Their current situation where they borrowed places from all around was a big burden on the Onmyou Academy in the first place, and undoubtedly put tension on the repair process.

But many magics had been cast on the academy building and it had various sealed magical equipment. It hadn't just been the physical aspect that had been destroyed during Doman's attack, the magical aspect had also suffered great damage. In order to restore it to its previous state, it would undoubtedly require a large amount of effort and time.

"I see." Harutora showed a regretful expression after hearing Kyouko's response.

"We could just go to some park in the evening, but that probably wouldn't work."

"Bakatora. That definitely wouldn't work. You'll be kicked out of school if you do reckless things."

"Then, can we use the training room here? Can they let us use it in our spare time after cla.s.ses end?"

"Touji, isn't that also difficult? Even just providing it to us during the day makes a big burden for the professionals. Moreover, the Exorcist Bureau becomes busy from the evening onwards, right? It would be going too far for us to bargain for more."

Spiritual disasters would happen in large numbers after Omagatoki - the time from sunset to the dawn of the next day. They had learned after arriving at the branch that therefore, the Exorcist Bureau's true work hours were at night, and most exorcists were night workers.

The number of spiritual disasters increased year by year. The Exorcist Bureau's duties were serious, and anything that would impede their actions should be treated carefully. Tenma's opinion was extremely reasonable.

But, Touji said:

"But the work of the exorcists is mostly standing by, right? That's why they set up the training room. Don't they train while standing by?"

"Yeah, I don't know any details, but it's probably something like that, right?"

"In that case, it's not a problem if we go partic.i.p.ate in their training, right?"

"Don't speak nonsense. Training of professional exorcists? We can't possibly keep up. We'll hold them back and give them trouble."

Tenma almost dropped his bento box when he heard Touji's proposal.

Exorcists counted as stars among professional Onmyouji. All who chose to be an exorcist were outstanding elites, and the people with this ability honed their skills through increasingly rigorous training. Anyway, they could be described as the top-cla.s.s group of modern Onmyouji. Their training was definitely nothing ordinary.

But,

"......It shouldn't be a problem, right?"

That voice came from someone outside of Harutora's group.

The group flinched in surprise and turned around. A twin-tailed girl was walking over, holding a tray.

"Ah, Suzuka. Wasn't your cla.s.s today in s.h.i.+buya University?"

"......That was in the morning. The afternoon is in the Meguro branch. It's really annoying to walk back and forth......"

She was the first-year Dairenji Suzuka. She kept her head lowered and didn't look over as she replied to Harutora, seeming to be balancing her tray to keep the Chinese soup on it from spilling out. The reason she walked a bit slowly was the same.

"Dairenji. When you said it wouldn't be a problem, did you mean my proposal just now?"

"......What else. It's just training, right? Well--"

After walking next to them, Suzuka finally raised her head, deliberately revealing a mocking smile.

"Seems like you're definitely scared of losing, right? ...Wah!"

"Hey, hey, are you alright?"

"I-I just tripped! Also, get out of my way! I can't get through!"

Suzuka kicked mercilessly, but Harutora just made s.p.a.ce for her with a wry expression. Suzuka complained 'really' while - carefully - sitting on the rock where Harutora was.

"......Then."

Touji, already having trouble concealing his smile, said:

"Dairenji. When you said it wouldn't be a problem, did you mean my proposal just now?"

"I answered you just now! You're looking down on me, right!?"

"Well, well...... never mind that, Suzuka. Do you know how exorcist training goes? Is it alright if we partic.i.p.ate?"

"Impossible. That's too presumptuous for newbie academy students! ......Well, if it were just 'newbie students'. If a Divine General requested, the situation would be different."

Suzuka proclaimed brusquely, then showed a fearless smile.

Suzuka, who was currently an Onmyou Academy first-year, had been a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji who pa.s.sed the 'First-Cla.s.s Onmyou Exam'. In addition, she was the youngest of the 'Twelve Divine Generals' - though never mind her current circ.u.mstances - along with a famous individual who had become a celebrity of the magic community. Now, she was being punished because she had violated Onmyou law, but the only ones who knew the truth were the higher-ups of the Onmyou Agency and some related people. Even Harutora's entire combined group was nothing compared to her power of influence towards people within the industry who didn't know the truth.

"So? If you bow your head and plead with a nice plea~se~, I might be able to help you ask. Since I'm the 'Child Prodigy' of the Twelve Divine Generals."

The second-year senpai couldn't immediately reply to the flaunting proposal of their kouhai. They stopped moving their chopsticks, silently exchanging glances.

...We could partic.i.p.ate in the exorcist training......

Confusion and hesitation were mixed into the eyes of Natsume, Kyouko, and Tenma.

But......

During their silence, Suzuka started drinking her cold Chinese soup.

At the end of the lunchtime, the five bowed their heads to Suzuka.

☆

"That's good."

The girl nodded and replied to the quiet proposal.

She stood up and breathed deeply. Though it had been her own wish, it was still a long-lost feeling of release. After checking the feeling of the hair that fell to her shoulders, her mouth naturally broke out into a smile.

"Ah, sorry for troubling you."

A voice not from the girl thanked the man next to her.

The man didn't reply, continuing to speak to the girl.

"Spiritual body abnormalities can recover in a night. But it's a huge burden to maintain it for two years. Even you will be in danger if this continues."

The girl understood this, but had made her decision. Even this man's judgment wouldn't change that. The girl nodded to reply to the man's advice.

"And there's still the conventional contract. You had best hurry."

Right now they could still easily use the altar. After hearing the man announce this indifferently, the girl showed a confused expression. The thankful voice just now once again interrupted the conversation of the two.

"Though we'll need to someday, we don't need to rush right now. It's an eventful time right now. Tiring yourself out is dangerous."

"But we should hasten our preparations. Half of those people have already been eliminated."

The man's words made the girl show a lonely expression.

Then, expressing that she wanted the people talking to shut up,

"I understand."

She nodded to the man.

Extremely unfortunately, the influence of the 'Child Prodigy' of the Twelve Divine Generals was no use towards the Exorcist Bureau.

"We're very sorry, our training is part of our work. Never mind students, even professional Onmyouji and even National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji are not permitted to join in."

They were refused like that, with no wiggle room. Though they had long since expected that they might be refused in the end, they hadn't thought it would be this cold.

Come to think of it, the other party was really in the wrong.

There were actually many current exorcists who had come from the Onmyou Academy. Onmyouji was an industry that was governed by talent to a great degree, and people who possessed outstanding talent and had the will to become Onmyouji would set their sights on entering the famous Onmyou Academy from an early age. As for the exorcists, who were stars of the industry appointed from only the most outstanding people, obviously many had graduated from the Onmyou Academy.

But that was just 'many', and not all exorcists had come from the Onmyou Academy. Hence, the people who didn't belong to the largest faction were in a vulnerable position. This kind of situation came up in all organizations. These people obviously harbored resentment towards the largest faction, and even felt excluded.

Last night, the ones who had obtained permission to use the training room was the thirteenth spiritual disaster purification team belonging to the Exorcist Bureau Meguro branch.

Though they had only learned afterwards, Captain Eto of the thirteenth team was a famous member of the branch's anti-Onmyou Academy faction.

Of course, though they opposed the largest faction, they didn't hate the Onmyou Academy or the students. During the day, most of the members would turn a blind eye to the special case of the students entering their professional area. But of course, there were also people who questioned it, and a group that had come from outside the Onmyou Academy was particularly prominent among the opposition. Eto was one of them.

"Though the Bureau decided to share this facility, we definitely have priority. You just need to focus on your lesson plans."

It was completely true and irrefutable.

Suzuka, who had brought it up first, was thoroughly discredited, but she, who pretended to be an idol-type Onmyouji on the surface, couldn't release her anger. "Well, but, I'm also a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji......" She just showed a twitchy, dumbfounded smile and continued her clumsy negotiations, but was completely ignored. Never mind her true personality for now, it was very refres.h.i.+ng to see the 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka being treated like a child.

But just as Harutora and the others were about to give up, unexpected help appeared.

The Onmyou Academy practical skills teacher, Fujiwara.

"Don't say that, Eto. Even if it's just for a limited time, 'helping out the Onmyou Academy students' is a duty of the branch."

He seemed to have heard about Harutora and the others' request from somewhere. After seeing Fujiwara appear, Eto muttered "Fujiwara-san" as if he had eaten a bug.

Fujiwara had originally been an exorcist, and recently he had been guiding Harutora's group's individual training together with Ohtomo. Probably because of his character, he was highly respected all-around, and still had influence in the Exorcist Bureau even after leaving. He clearly knew Eto, and from the conversation of the two, one could speculate that he had once been Eto's boss.

"Fujiwara-san. Even if you vouch for them, disturbing the team's discipline is......"

"Well, listen to me. Even if it's just for your work, learning about their power wouldn't come without benefits. After all...... it's possible that you'll have a mission like protecting them."

Eto showed a surprised reaction, and Fujiwara leaned in to whisper quietly. Eto looked at Harutora and the others, stunned - especially Natsume.

It seemed that they were talking about Natsume's true ident.i.ty. "That's him?" He murmured quietly.

Fujiwara's lobbying had obviously shaken Eto's att.i.tude. Though in the end they felt like he still regretted about their training time, he still bitterly accepted Harutora and the others' request.

But what happened after that was completely different from what Harutora and the others predicted.

The training Eto allowed them to partic.i.p.ate in was mock battles conducted between exorcists.

"Don't force yourself...... Though I want to tell you that, at the least you have to show off for us as someone who's coming in and disturbing them."

"I'll do my best......"

Harutora replied gripingly to Fujiwara's relaxed tone.

Harutora and the others and three team members were currently divided off into two sides of the training room. They were going to carry out one-against-one mock magic battles. Though the exorcists didn't use magic much outside of purifying spiritual disasters, it wasn't that they didn't use magic at all. It wasn't rare to hold mock battles like this to refine their skills.

As a result of drawing straws, Harutora was the first to take the stage. His opponent was Captain Eto.

"It seems like you fought with that Yakou Fanatic Mystical Investigator on your third day after entering the academy. Even an exorcist can't compare to a professional Mystical Investigator in a magic battle - in magic against other people. Don't be afraid, even though your opponent is the team captain."

"No, no, no, I wasn't fighting alone at the time! Also, that person was originally Fujiwara-sensei's subordinate, right? Do you have any advice?"

"Yes. He's undoubtedly far stronger than the current me."

"That's not advice at all!"

Harutora warmed himself up - strictly speaking, it was mainly to let himself calm down. At the same time, he breathed deeply.

The rules were basically that anything goes. In order to mimic a real battle, charms were obviously allowed along with magical tools and s.h.i.+kigami, and they could use everything that they were able to. Harutora's extended hands grasped a shakujou. This was a specialized magical tool that Ohtomo had made for him. He had brought it before coming to the training area just in case, and it seemed that he had made the right choice. This shakujou could help Harutora control the magical energy he wasn't too good with. As long as he had this weapon, he could perform in mock battles - at least, that should be the case.

"Don't falter, Harutora. You defeated a Mystical Investigator, you also defeated a Nue, and you just battled As.h.i.+ya Doman's s.h.i.+kigami a while ago."

"Ah, y-yes, that d.a.m.n living spirit! b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Harutora! Keep your calm and carefully observe the opponent. It'll be fine if you keep the mentality as if you're taking a test!"

"Understood. ......Alright, let's go, b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

After replying to Touji's calls and Natsume's cheers, Harutora gave himself a push. Tenma shouted "Do your best!" at him, and Kyouko watched him uncharacteristically quietly.

The only exception was the troublemaking Suzuka.

"Uwah, senpai, do your best~ Show everyone your coolest side~"

She cheered for Harutora in a completely indifferent tone, not a whit of enthusiasm audible in her voice. This kind of cheer made Harutora lose his vigor instead. He hoped that she would at least shut up.

The members of the thirteenth team sat on the bench that had been pulled out from them, shooting them curious gazes. They seemed to already know that Harutora was a Tsuchimikado family member, and their expressions were as if unexpected show were about to start. Maybe they were secretly gambling. Of course, that was if they had been able to set the gambling ring up.

...For now, I have to focus.

He wanted to challenge himself as much as possible. Harutora had said this during lunchtime, and they hadn't been empty words. Anyway, he was an idiot, and even if he thought about the problem of what magic was, it would be hard for him to come up with anything.

He had been groping around since entering the Onmyou Academy. He had developed his skills somewhat, but his fundamental position still hadn't changed. Just putting it into practice. He had turned the truths he had felt from his stumbles, falls, and injuries into his own flesh and blood. One drop at a time, he had slowly acc.u.mulated them.

That was all he could do.

With a booming voice, Eto asked:

"Are you prepared?"

"Yes!"

He replied loudly in order to disperse the feeling of tension, swiftly walking forward and confronting Eto.

"Then let's begin."

Eto proclaimed concisely.

"Kon!" Harutora immediately summoned his defensive s.h.i.+kigami.

A small figure appeared in front of Harutora, swiftly kicking off the ground to approach Eto before him. The girl wore a suikan and hakama, and had foxlike ears and a tail. Kon had already reached behind her back, gripping the hilt of her blade Kachiwari.

Ohh? The exorcists let out sounds of praise. There weren't many pract.i.tioners who could use defensive s.h.i.+kigami among professionals either. Their gazes suddenly gained some antic.i.p.ation, as if evaluating what kind of level Harutora was on.

But the opponent Eto didn't even bat an eyelash.

Kon, who charged straight ahead, swung her tail as she was in front of him, using the recoil force to step sideways. She didn't lower her speed as she changed her path, leaping agilely.

Her small body flew through the air and her sword left the scabbard. Kachiwari's blade flashed in a line, cutting towards Eto.

But just as Kon was about to hit him, she suddenly suffered an impact in midair and was knocked flying with a cry.

Slight lag appeared on Kon's body from the force of the impact. At the same time, she spun her tail and twisted her body like a cat to land on the ground. Then, she turned her body to momentarily pull away from Eto. On the other hand, lag also appeared in the s.p.a.ce that had sent the s.h.i.+kigami flying, and then a giant figure clearly contrasting with Kon appeared.

A heavy-duty warrior that wore a suit of heavy armor. This robust, inorganic figure was the defensive s.h.i.+kigami 'Model G1 Emperor' created by the Onmyou Agency. This kind of standard defensive s.h.i.+kigami was the most widely used among exorcists dealing with spiritual disasters. In addition to in front of Eto, another one appeared behind him as a guard, motionlessly checking Kon, who prowled around threateningly like a cat, and preventing her from coming close.

But just then, Harutora charged towards Eto himself.

A slight commotion sounded among the exorcists, and Eto was also surprised. It had always been Harutora's way to attack himself as the pract.i.tioner, but it wasn't a normal strategy in magical battles. It was even more unexpected because the opponent was an experienced exorcist.

Of course, even if he were surprise attacked, he wasn't so naive that his heart would falter.

The 'Emperor' in front of him quickly aimed at Harutora. Kon across from them loudly warned "H-Harutora-sama!", but Harutora didn't pay her any heed, continuing to approach.

Eto revealed a serious look, believing that this was just the recklessness of a newbie. He reached out, attacking Harutora by using the Emperor whose movements were linked to its master and intending to capture him. This kind of manipulation might have seriously wounded Harutora if he had been just a little bit careless. The exorcists all sighed.

But Harutora's thinking was the opposite.

...Alright, success.

Kyouko had once done the same thing. Because the opponent was a flesh and blood human - especially a newbie - one would unintentionally hold back when the pract.i.tioner was about to directly collide with a s.h.i.+kigami. Harutora infused the shakujou with magical energy as he had practiced, sweeping sharply at the Emperor's legs. Of course, he didn't hit. But though he didn't hit, he also defeated its attack.

...Think, keep thinking.

A magic battle involved guessing the opponent's intents, not just a simple clash of strength. Harutora had clearly learned the importance of 'strategy' in magical battles from Ohtomo and Doman's battle. There weren't many magics that he knew, and his skill in using them was also very rough. But how he combined the cards in his hand was more important than what level the cards in his hand were. Hence, he had to first clearly 'see' the aura and magical energy.

He 'saw' the opponent, 'saw' the situation, and simultaneously 'saw' himself objectively, controlling the battle.

Just like what Ohtomo had done before.

"s.h.i.+kigami, arise. Order!"

The charms he threw out were simple s.h.i.+kigami charms. The things he had used in the morning coursework.

Two crows flew at a low alt.i.tude. One of them was struck by the Emperor that had raised its fist. But the other pa.s.sed by the Emperor's body and arrived in front of Eto.

...How will he respond?

He focused his attention on Eto's body. Would he take priority on defending his body? Would he continue to manipulate the Emperor?

It was both.

Eto's fingers moved without hesitation, throwing a protective charm at the simple s.h.i.+kigami that attacked from the front. During his brief chant of "Order", his consciousness turned to the Emperor. This level of attack couldn't make him falter.

But Harutora wasn't so immature that this would make him panic. He stabbed out with his shakujou at the approaching Emperor, the rings infused with magical energy on the front end of the shakujou rotating intensely. Magical energy was Harutora's strongest weapon. The Emperor was suppressed by the magical energy and its giant body was pushed back. The team members exclaimed one by one upon seeing lag produced on the team captain's defensive s.h.i.+kigami.

But Harutora's target was always Eto.

Harutora saw the crow simple s.h.i.+kigami that had been knocked aside by the protective charm flashed with lag and stopped in midair in the corner of his vision. Eto still hadn't noticed the 'trap'. No, he had actually already realized? Focus. He 'watched' Eto's aura for his next move. Focus--

But,

"...Ah! Kon! Fire!"

Unable to read the outcome, he set down some insurance. Kon understood her master's intent, shooting out exaggerated foxfire. It was a feint. He wanted to draw the opponent's attention behind him.

But this was a poor choice. The obvious feint made Eto's movements clearly change. Harutora clicked his tongue, avoiding the Emperor's attack and leaping to the side. As he dropped to the floor, he extended his index and middle fingers.

"Bind! Order!"

The target of the released magical energy was the simple s.h.i.+kigami that had recovered from its state of lag - no, it was the wood-element charm approaching the enemy hidden in the crow's wings. Using the s.h.i.+kigami to activate charms was a tactic that he had learned in the practical skills camp......

...No good.

Eto, who had just realized the trap, was already ready for it. Though he was burdened by the foxfire feint, he still didn't falter. He let the Emperor behind him fend off Kon, and the Emperor in front of him pursued Harutora. He himself easily dealt with the wood-element charm. Calm and composed. The power of a professional exorcist who had experienced h.e.l.ls. How should he attack? Rolling on the ground after landing, Harutora 'looked' at Eto again. Focus. A slow feeling of pain suddenly pa.s.sed through his left eye.

Eto's counter - his aura was of the metal element. That meant that Eto intended to use a metal-element charm for Five Elements Mutual Conquering. Metal conquers wood. Then, if he could suppress it - he could still make it in time--

"Order!"

He stood up using the momentum of his roll and threw out a fire-element charm from the charm box on his waist with the speed of lightning. It was a childish charm quickdraw, but this was also experience that Harutora had obtained. The metal-element charm that Eto used to offset the wood-element charm was stopped by the fire-element charm. Fire conquers metal.

Eto's expression changed for the first time.

He chanted an incantation and formed a hand seal. Harutora completely focused his mind. But he still couldn't 'see' everything. The pain of his left eye became more intense. Was this a magic he didn't recognize? Should he continue attacking? ......No, he couldn't. If he couldn't judge Eto's next action, continuing to attack had a very low chance of success. He changed his target with an instant judgment.

Immediately afterwards, magical energy suddenly roared as if shot from Eto's entire body. Never mind Harutora's wood-element charm, his own metal-element, the fire-element charm that attacked immediately after, and the crow simple s.h.i.+kigami were sucked in and wiped out in unison.

He finally knew what Eto's magic was. It was a barrier. He had put up a barrier centered around him, but he hadn't made it firm at the end, swiftly scattering it outwards. It was Harutora's first time seeing barriers used this way.

In that case, battling while targeting the pract.i.tioner would be a complete failure. But while marveling at Eto's skill, Harutora had already changed his target and was forming the next strategy. While Eto's attention was away from him, he should at least render the Emperor in front of him ineffective, even if it were only temporary.

The plan was...... Right, he would first use a water-element charm, followed by a wood-element charm. He would let the wood-element charm absorb the magical water flow produced by the water charm, thereby allowing the vines produced to increase in strength. This was a technique that had been shown while Ohtomo was facing Doman as well. Five Elements Mutual Generation. Actually, the other crow simple s.h.i.+kigami just now had already been fitted with a water-element charm. If it hadn't been struck down by the Emperor just now...... No, he had to think about his next strategies.

Focus.

"Go - Order!"

He threw two charms at almost the same time. He depicted different magics in his mind, refining his aura and turning it into magical energy. Throwing charms was originally something that Harutora, who had plenty of spiritual power, was good at, but for some reason, his mind was hurting as if it were being torn right now. No, the reason wasn't unclear. It was because the 'nature' of every magic was different, and also because Harutora seeked a higher precision and a higher quality. He understood how 'rough' the magic he used now was, and did all he could to control the magic from getting out of hand.

To be honest, he was too naive. His charm magic was far from the precision and quality that he imagined. Even so, he still forcefully formed it. Connecting charm magic to strengthen the five elements. After the vines produced from the wood-element charm swelled several times, they covered the Emperor like a net, sealing its movements. But the intensely swelling vines rapidly started to flake and crumble, and could only hold for a while. But buying time was also very meaningful.

...How will the opponent react?

He rapidly turned his attention towards Eto. But the opponent's speed was faster. The Emperor's movements had been locked down - after he noticed he was too late to stop it, he immediately started chanting an incantation. At the same time, he fluidly formed a new hand seal. First was a dharmacakra[2] seal, then - a seal of magic binding.

...Unmoving Golden Chains?

d.a.m.n. Harutora took a stance, infusing magical energy into his shakujou. He couldn't stop it, he was too late. Dodge - no, Unmoving Golden Chains couldn't be dodged. What should he do? He couldn't think of it. He could respond by 'looking'.

Focus.

"Ah......"

Just keeping his left eye open was incredibly painful. His vision began becoming fuzzy. Before he noticed it, he felt a scorching heat beneath his left eye. It was the pentagram mark that had been placed on Harutora as proof when he had become Natsume's s.h.i.+kigami. But right now wasn't the time to pay attention to the pain and the heat. He forced himself to concentrate his on his fuzzy vision, wanting to see through the opponent. He unconsciously gritted his teeth, and the hand that tightly grasped the shakujou was also shaking.

"...On bis.h.i.+bis.h.i.+ karakara s.h.i.+bara sowaka!"

Eto's Unmoving Golden Chains magic. It was coming - the moment after he 'saw' it, a paralyzing impact hit Harutora's entire body.

"H-Harutora-sama!"

Harutora heard Kon's wail, but couldn't respond. He lost control of his body as if he had been knocked over by a raging gale.

"Ah!"

He endured the pain, getting a grasp on his current situation. His body wasn't at the level where it couldn't move at all. He could still struggle on the ground if he forced himself. The shakujou that he had been continuously infusing magical energy into had reacted to Harutora's unconscious defensive instincts, putting up a defensive wall of magical energy just in time. But Eto's Unmoving Golden Chains simultaneously suppressed the defensive wall and Harutora himself. Harutora tried with all his power to undo the magic in the gap between the Unmoving Golden Chains and the defensive wall.

But he didn't get it.

He couldn't see the flow of the magic and couldn't understand the magic. When he realized it, he noticed that his breathing had become chaotic like a storm. Though he poured magical energy into his shakujou and made every effort to escape, Eto's magic didn't show even the slightest weak point.

...No!

It couldn't have no weak point. He just hadn't 'seen' it. He couldn't accurately recognize the form of the Golden Chains. Ohtomo's shakujou had given Harutora a rare opportunity, but he hadn't been able to use it successfully. "b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" He cursed unconsciously.

Just then,

"......The victor is decided."

The Emperor broke free of the wood-element chain's bindings and swung a fist down at the curled-up Harutora, who was below it and couldn't rise. Harutora clenched his teeth, a burning resistance instantly flaring up--

It vanished.

He had lost. This fact sank into his chest, making Harutora unable to help but admit it.

"......Hah......Hah......"

The roughly-breathing Harutora turned his head to look at Eto. Eto hadn't shed a single drop of sweat.

Behind the team captain, Kon's tail was bristled from frustration of inability to break through the Emperor. In the end, the two-sided battle hadn't been able to make Eto panic. In addition, Eto had basically beaten Harutora back while withstanding Harutora's surprise attacks. It could be called a complete, flawless victory.

...It really still wasn't enough......

Feelings of admiration rose in Harutora's heart. On the other hand, it was more of a deep remorse and impatience at his uselessness. Kon rushed over worriedly with a "H-Harutora-sama", but he couldn't respond.

A shameful magic battle. Harutora felt deeply embarra.s.sed at himself.

But,

"Hey, not bad, kid!"

"How powerful. Tsuchimikado really isn't just a t.i.tle."

After the victor of the mock battle was decided, the exorcists clapped and cheered with expressions full of expectations. Unreserved praise flowed from their evaluations of the academy student's fight. Harutora, who still hadn't risen, widened his eyes.

Hah, hah. He panted.

"......Huh?"

Of course, not only the exorcists were clapping. Fujiwara also nodded, showing a surprised smile. Tenma clapped vigorously, moved. Touji was also smiling. Kyouko s.p.a.ced out while staring at Harutora, and even the disgruntled Suzuka looked over without turning away.

Then Natsume.

"Bakatora!"

With a flushed face:

"I said to use protective charms! And it definitely won't work to rush forward yourself against a professional defensive s.h.i.+kigami! You're my s.h.i.+kigami! At least listen to your master's opinion!"

Natsume reminded him with an exhausted tone. Her eyes were also moist. After she muttered "protective charm" to Harutora, he finally realized it. Eto's Unmoving Golden Chains. Right. It would have been fine if he had used a protective charm. In that case, even if he couldn't completely defend against it, the magic would have been weakened and there would have been the possibility of breaking through it.

Moreover, that didn't seem to be all of Natsume's proposal. Her voice was a bit hoa.r.s.e. It seemed that she had been continuously shouting throughout the mock battle, reminding him. But he hadn't heard it at all. So that was how deeply engrossed he had been in the mock battle.

The applause still hadn't stopped. Harutora didn't understand why.

Then,

"Quiet!"

Eto barked. The exorcists suddenly stopped moving and the training room became silent.

Eto slowly looked at Harutora in this silence. At some time, he had released the Golden Chains and the two Emperors had also dematerialized. Harutora moaned quietly, finally sitting upright.

"Do you get it?"

Eto calmly announced.

"I see. Though I can understand your reason for being arrogant...... Let this be something of a warning to you. Being an Onmyou Academy student and being from a famous family have nothing to do with this. If you want to be treated like a professional, you have to follow the appropriate order of things and come after receiving qualifications. Don't think about selfish things like skipping steps and special treatment."

His solemn tone formed a clear contrast with his subordinate exorcists. I don't care about that - Harutora took his words back before they left his mouth. "You--" The glaring Kon wanted to draw her wakizas.h.i.+, but after noticing the complex expression on her master's face, she forced herself to endure it and flicked her tail.

"It's just like I said at the start. You should focus on your own lesson plans. You're ten years early to 'imitate professionals'."

Eto coldly looked down at Harutora. Though Harutora felt regretful about it, his words were indeed quite heavy. This weight caught in Harutora's chest, making him unable to speak.

"......You're as strict as alw