Monogatari Series - Volume 21 - Chapter 0.22

022

The battleground was the bookstore.

The only large bookstore around here.

This type of bookstore, where it stocks every genre, was only here because this was a rural town; anyway, this was the place where I buy my books.

Ononoki-chan’s right hand on Divine Nadeko’s back became a transmitter, and we set off as the crow flies from the Sengoku household, ending up in front of this two-storey building.

‘Dear me. If I had the “Unlimited Rulebook”, this would have been over in one leap. I can’t take it. Do humans always live this painfully as ground-crawlers?’

Please don’t call us ground-crawlers.

I had no idea how to respond to this sudden burst of character.

Speaking of, I only remembered just now, I left Ougi-san’s BMX outside the Araragi household — because I fled the place without a second thought.

I completely forgot about that.

Well, even if that bike was still there, it was a BMX difficult enough to put any beginner off, and I would not want to transport Ononoki-chan on that… my desire to go near the Araragi household was even lower now, so I will have to ask Tsukihi-chan to get the bike back.

I do pray that by putting the bike there, they’d think it was Ougi-san who destroyed the door — speaking of, where was Ougi-san? And what was he up to?

Don’t tell me he got tired of this and went home.

Moving on, the fact that Divine Nadeko and Gentle Nadeko based themselves in the bookstore came as a surprise. Normally, I would expect somewhere more hidden, not a place filled with people.

But that does not mean I did not have a hunch.

Those past days in the Kitashirahebi Shrine, when I was slicing up countless snakes, that inhuman act was to lift myself from a curse, but back then, the basis for that cruelty was knowledge I got from the bookstore.

That book in the occult section, A Complete Collection of Snake Curses, that was the source of my massacre.

Come to think of it, instead of saying this was going around places, today seemed more like a trip down Sengoku Nadeko’s past haunts.

Not every place I left with good memories though…

I heard the word ‘nostalgia’ from Sodachi-onee-chan, if I remember correctly.

Then would the next location be the primary school where I first met Tsukihi-chan? No, there was no next stop; this is where it ends.

‘By the way, Ononoki-chan.’

‘What is it, Nadeko-chan?’

She’s closer to me now.

Was this another shift in her character?

I really cannot be sure.

‘Now that we are here, there’s no point in asking this, but what was the other option you had in mind, Ononoki-chan? That is, the other plan you had if I refused to combat by summoning my shikigami…’

‘Indeed, now that we are here, there is indeed no point in asking this, and it is a last resort. I will only say it now, but it was a solution I proposed in order to convince you not to go with it; I do not want to use it at all.’

‘You say “I will only say it now”, it’s hasn’t even been an hour…?’

‘To ask the former Kissshot Acerolaorion Heartunderblade for help. The Aberration Slayer now designated harmless — the Iron-Blooded, Hot-Blooded, Cold-Blooded vampire.’

‘……’

Was that also a Kizumonogatari joke?

It’s still not funny; I stayed silent.

‘Nono, whilst it is difficult to say if it can be done, the idea itself was completely serious. Can’t count on the leader of the specialists Gaen-san to help, and Divine Nadeko’s successor, that god who likes roaming around, would also be a difficult ask, but if it’s the former Kissshot Acerolaorion Heartunderblade, she’s a free agent, and more or less an acquaintance; get somebody already certified harmless and let her “eat” the two remaining shikigami, that really is the simplest solution.’

‘…But I remember Divine Nadeko’s the one who mutilated the former Kissshot Acerolaorion Heartunderblade — Shinobu-chan?’

Ononoki-chan did say with only her head that vampires are blood-type aberrations, and don’t fare well against venom.

Though technically, it was not Divine Nadeko who mutilated her over and over, it was me.

‘Yes, absolutely. That is the point. Divine Nadeko is in the end, only a shikigami. It might be a god, but more than that, it’s a sheet of paper. This is unlike last year’s killings — and the location is also no longer the spiritual realm that is the Kitashirahebi Shrine.’

‘…But —’

‘I know. I know what you want to say, but couldn’t.’

Ononoki-chan said, as if trying to stop me from mouthing a second ‘but’.

‘If we do introduce the former Kissshot Acerolaorion Heartunderblade into the equation, “that man” will come as well. Once “that man” of tactlessness intervenes, everything will become unpredictable… no simulation can handle it. Even so, from where I stand, it is desirable in a way, but it would be inconvenient and difficult for you, wouldn’t it, Naddie?’ [12]

‘…Thanks for being considerate.’

I have problems with accepting Naddie, that much is certain.

‘Nadeko-chan’ sure lasted a long time, huh.

‘Mm. So whilst this would prove effective, the chances of it working are low. However, if I deem your life to be in danger the longer this goes on, I will go against your wishes — if that situation comes, I will ask for assistance, be it from the former Kissshot Acerolaorion Heartunderblade, Gaen-san, or the newly appointed god.’

It appears this was the pro’s line in the sand.

I cannot help but worry here about where Ononoki-chan will go once this problem is over.

‘I will think of my way somehow.’

She lightly brushed me off.

‘My own problems, my own solutions.’

With her saying that, I cannot really ask any further — I couldn’t think of my own solutions to my own problems; all I can think of is my own incompetence.

‘It’s okay. You’ve helped me tons by letting me rant about Araragi Tsukihi.’

So it’s that important a task?

Anyway, from where I was sitting, in order to keep Ononoki-chan’s position and dignity, I will have to go with the original plan — that said, a battle in a bookstore was not what I want, so I did want to settle this peacefully somewhere quiet.

It was not a mere offhand remark.

I can only guess as to why Divine Nadeko and Gentle Nadeko used the bookstore as their safehouse, but once I trepidly stepped in, I realised how good a hiding place a bookstore is.

I have never viewed a bookstore this way before, but dense rows of bookshelves provide plenty of cover; you never know where an enemy would pop out — in shooter terms, there’s tons of room for reloading.

But with that said, this was not only advantageous to the enemy… we could confirm Divine Nadeko’s position with Ononoki-chan’s right hand, so a bookstore was not the worst battleground.

I analysed it the way I would a video game, but it seems things were not so simple.

The reason I say that was not due to places for cover, but because the bookstore was empty — no, this being the middle of a weekday, it would not be unusual if it was crowded; for us, the culprits, it was nice that nobody innocent had to get involved either, but not only were there no customers, the staff were gone as well.

Which meant ‘the bookstore was empty’ was neither metaphor nor exaggeration.

There was not a single soul in the bookstore.

‘……?’

‘A barrier? No, that’s not right. It doesn’t follow the rules if it’s one. Probably a special shikigami technique. ’Fraid it’s Gentle Nadeko.’

As I was bewildered by the odd sight of an empty bookstore, Ononoki-chan said that.

‘This empty store could be something Gentle Nadeko craves — to evade arrest despite being a downright pervert, probably implies the presence of a skill; a “deflective barrier born from fear of human contact”.’

Hm.

It would be weird if I started digging deeper, but if Gentle Nadeko had this skill with her, then it would explain why, despite multiple witness testimonies, she was not arrested or caught — after all, she led not only myself or Ougi-san, but Ononoki-chan as well, deep into the mountains.

But Ononoki-chan’s little counterattack then proved plenty useful now — although I originally thought Gentle Nadeko would be caught earlier on, now that I knew she had such abilities, she could have evaded us forever, but thanks to Ononoki-chan’s right hand, we knew the girls were in the bookstore.

‘This way.’

Ononoki-chan said whilst slowing down her pace, as we stealthily made our way across the forest of bookshelves, going ever deeper.

This two-storey bookstore now has the ground floor stocking fiction, magazines, textbooks and reference books, and the upper floor comics, picture books and children’s books — even so, Divine Nadeko and Gentle Nadeko would not necessarily be in the upper floor… I trotted cautiously as I took out two sheets of folded paper from my pocket, one in each hand.

They were not blank sheets for capturing.

On my right hand, a drawing of Fawning Nadeko.

On my left hand, a drawing of Anti-Nadeko.

I prepared myself for the moment when I needed to ‘activate’ them.

‘I’ll say this one more time… Naddie, no matter what happens, remember to “activate” the shikigami one by one.’

Ononoki-chan faced forward and lowered her voice.

I almost forgot.

The tension and anxiety made me take out both sheets at once, even as Ononoki-chan gave me this advice before entering the bookstore.

Ultimately, this was the main reason for this morning’s failure — simultaneously conjuring four shikigami resulted in me being unable to restrain or control them.

Now that she put it like that, she’s right.

Until now, I have not required the help of shikigami, not even when I was a god; even though all my shikigami were myselves, there was no way I could ask for four of them to help me at once.

This was probably what Ougi-san meant when he said Ononoki-chan’s miscalculation being me successfully summoning all four shikigami at once.

Hence, it must be done one by one.

Sheet by sheet.

It may be true that I had a greater number of Sengoku Nadekos on my side (three versus two), but an all-out team match was something better avoided.

If one had to say it, basically, they should be dealt with one by one too.

Once discovering a shikigami, I will lead an attack with one of the two Nadekos I have sealed — not one round of three-versus-two, but two rounds of two-versus-one.

That would be ideal.

Which meant it probably would not happen, but even so, activating both shikigami at once was completely off the table.

It might end up with a real one-versus-four.

Therefore, I had to read the air and summon a shikigami that suited the situation; two extremes in the form of Fawning Nadeko and Anti-Nadeko.

Fawning Nadeko for negotiating, Anti-Nadeko for fighting.

I did not want to mix them up.

‘Mm… looks like they’re above us.’

Ononoki-chan pointed with her right index finger made from dirt.

Above… that means the upper floor, right.

Then according to what I know about them, they were probably in the comics section — no, in this crucial hour, Gentle Nadeko was probably not going to want to buy any manga.

Having heard that, that also meant Divine Nadeko is not on the ground floor, where we were; I felt a little relieved.

No, that was no good.

To be relieved is another way of saying to let my guard down — even without mentioning that, now that Ononoki-chan was leading the way, I might have forgotten that she was only here as support.

A mere hint of relief.

A mere hint of relief made me slow down as Ononoki-chan approached the staircase to the upper floor.

Although my pace was slow to begin with too.

Besides, I biked and hiked all morning; the exhaustion I picked up going around town was not going to disappear with only an hour’s break at home.

Therefore, although I wished to stick to Ononoki-chan as closely as I can, I ended up about one metre behind her — this one metre became my Achilles’ heel.

Upon knowing we had to go up one floor, most of my attention was already focused on the upper floor, but whilst scooting past the bookshelves, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

I managed to catch something Ononoki-chan missed; only in retrospect did I feel there was something wrong with that, but it was also inevitable — Ononoki-chan was now fully committed, fully concentrated on getting that severed right hand of hers back, which meant me, lounging behind her, noticed something other than that right hand; even so, it was not something worth bragging about.

Besides, I did not want to brag about it at all.

It was not praiseworthy in the slightest.

Because far out opposite the stairs, I found Gentle Nadeko in a school swimsuit, standing there, reading a book.

Was that really something I can be proud of?