HOT NOVEL UPDATES

Tokyo Ravens - Volume 1 - Chapter 3.4




Hint: To Play after pausing the player, use this button

Part 4 

Harutora crossed the iron railing that the shikigami had crushed, entering the construction site. 
Buildings were lined up before his eyes, and it became noisier and noisier. He clumsily splashed through puddles, his entire body soaking, as he ran. 
He ran towards the back of the construction site. 
There was a parking lot in the back of the construction site, and there was a big truck stopped there as well as two armored vehicles with their lights on. 
In addition, there were big and small human figures fighting in the rain. 
Those people were Suzuka and the Mystical Investigators who had showed up yesterday. 
There was a big difference between the current state and the battle yesterday, and Suzuka had been tightly surrounded, with only two shikigami present - giant, three-meter tall shikigami being manipulated by the Mystical Investigators. Suzuka's shikigami that had displayed overwhelming might yesterday was not present. 
No, looking carefully, there were scattered scraps of paper covered with mud on the unpaved surface of the parking lot. The scene by the taxi just now should have been mirrored here, and the wreckage of the scripture could even be seen by Suzuka's feet as it was battered by the rain. 
...But, why? 
Harutora was a bit confused, but he soon found the answer to that question. 
There were ten Mystical Investigators surrounding Suzuka, and among them there were only two fighting Suzuka directly, with the other eight continuously chanting incantations as they encircled Suzuka. 
An intense light was rising from the ground around the Mystical Investigator chanting incantations. The sound of the incantation and the sound of the wind and rain formed a unique melody, following the oscillations of the light. 
"......Is that a barrier? Are they using that to seal the shikigami?" 
Of course, Harutora didn't know it was named the 'Eight-Point Barrier', a powerful technique of exorcists that was prohibited in combat. It was mostly used to seal spiritual disasters third phase or higher, and normally wouldn't be used against humans. This time, the Onmyou Agency had specially permitted those in charge to take the same measures as for a spiritual disaster in order to deal with the rebellion of a National First-Class Onmyouji. 
The use of that prohibited move proved that the Mystical Investigators' ambush was successful. Suzuka had used Harutora and obtained Natsume's spiritual power, and the Mystical Investigators had taken advantage of her putting all her effort into seizing that spiritual power. 
"......Stop right there. Even if you're the 'Child Prodigy', you can't destroy the Eight-Point Barrier from the inside. Listen to me and surrender." 
One of the Mystical Investigators persuaded Suzuka with a strict tone. 
Afterwards, the two giant shikigami standing on both sides of the Mystical Investigator moved forward. They were the heavy-duty law enforcement shikigami 'G1 Emperor', and they seemed colossal compared to Suzuka's small body. 
...Had they won? 
Harutora hid behind a building, holding his breath as he watched the situation unfold. 
"......Don't think you've won......" 
Suzuka murmured inside the barrier. 
Her tone was breathless, and her thin shoulders were heaving up and down, she was soaked, and her originally tied-up golden hair drooped down heavily. Her appearance as she stood in the rain was like a child who had been abandoned by her parents. 
But, her round eyes were still shining with light, and her small body gave off a dangerous air. 
"To think you treat humans like spiritual disasters...... But unfortunately, you should have taken the opportunity to shoot me quickly or taken some other actions. I see that you guys don't have enough real battle experience." 
The rain dripped down the girl's face. 
She didn't wipe off the rain, but showed an appalling sneer. 
"Do you know what my research specialty is? I'll let you experience the original creation, not by me, but by Tsuchimikado Yakou - The military-use shikigami that he created!" 
Saying this, Suzuka turned around, casting her gaze on the truck stopped in the parking lot. 
She shouted at the container on the truck: 
"Spell release! Come, Tsuchigumo [12] !" 
Crash - A heavy sound rang out, and the container was destroyed from the inside. 
Crash, crash, the container was destroyed, torn open, split into fragments, and fell to the ground. 
Immediately after, a strangely-shaped form appeared in the rain. 
It was a spider. 
It was a giant spider made of steel. It had eight long legs, and its body was far larger than the container. Samurai armor was affixed to the top half of its body, around its head, abdomen, and the muzzles of the cannons that poked out from both sides. 
It wore an ancient conical samurai helmet with a flashing golden pentagram on the front, and a dim flame shone in the rain from the half-covered eye holes. 
"......A, An 'Armored Juggernaut [13] '!?" 
The Mystical Investigators voiced their surprise one after another, and the chanted incantation paused because of this, the light of the barrier vanishing accordingly. 
Suzuka laughed loudly. 
"Go." 
The steel spider moved. 
Its outer appearance was like a heavy machine, but its movements were about the same as a normal shikigami, as if it were just a living spider. It moved on its eight legs, closing in on the Mystical Investigators step by step. 
"......Ugh!" 
One Mystical Investigator among them opened fire on Tsuchigumo. The bullets sparked and were easily repelled. Guns were useful against man-made shikigami, but they were worthless against a steel shikigami. 
"Damn!" 
The Mystical Investigator who had just been speaking to Suzuka sent out the two Emperors, trying to suppress Tsuchigumo's movements. 
However, the movements of the modern Emperor shikigami were inferior to the Armored Juggernaut built for war. Tsuchigumo leaped up, kicking aside an Emperor and piercing through the body of the other. 
The Emperor that had been pierced through grew blurry as if its body were being tampered with, showing 'lag' effects. The Armored Juggernaut slashed out again with a huge blade. 
The blade flashed in the dim lighting. 
As Armored Juggernaut swung the knife, cleaving the giant shikigami in two, the shikigami's charm tore in half, falling onto the rain-battered ground. Tsuchigumo speared the other Emperor with a fluid movement. 
The Mystical Investigators were in disarray. 
Gunfire rang out, and countless charms flew through the air, but none of these attacks were effective. 
"What kind of monster is that......" 
Harutora muttered, dumbstruck. 
Regardless of whether it was fire or shikigami generated from charms, magic would become 'ambiguous' upon coming in contact with material, and though the laws of physics were unable to affect them fully, receiving a strong external impact would wound its materiality and lead to a 'lag' phenomenon. 
Since the Armored Juggernaut had a steel body, it was directly imbued with 'hardness', and the spells engraved on the inside of the armor upped its strong defensive power against magical attacks. 
It had been crafted 'flesh' through oil and metal, and had compensated for its 'ambiguity'. It was a shikigami that had true destructive force and defensive power. 
The Armored Juggernaut was a military shikigami. 
...H, How could they defeat this kind of thing? 
The parking lot of the construction site turned into a burning battlefield of magic. 
Flames spread and engulfed the darkness, torrents of water swept up the rain, fragments of metal danced through the air, and sharp spikes of earth flew from the cracked ground. 
Tsuchigumo's movements were nimble, like an armored vehicle fighting infantry. There seemed to be no ammunition in its cannons, but even without firepower, there was an overwhelming difference between the fighting power of the two sides. 
Spider silk shot from the mouthpiece of the wrathful-looking samurai armor on Tsuchigumo. 
One Mystical Investigator after another was captured by the spider silk, quickly becoming weak and unable to resist. It was a similar scene to Natsume when she had been stung by the bee-shaped shikigami, and he knew at a glance that their spiritual power had been absorbed. 
Tsuchigumo drove off the resistance of its enemies one by one, continuously spitting silk to constrict the Mystical Investigators. 
Then, its feet stomped down forcefully, and the final Mystical Investigator collapsed. 
The noise of the rain became more apparent in the inadvertent silence that fell. Harutora clenched his teeth, but he could do nothing at all other than hide in the darkness. 
...What the hell. 
This was truly the worst possible situation. Since the manpower assistance from Tokyo hadn't come on time, they had basically announced that they could no longer stop Suzuka, and of course it wasn't at all possible for there to be an opportunity to sneakily beat her up. 
...What should I do? 
Harutora couldn't think of a single clue as he stood blankly in the rain. 
Just then, a phone rang again. It was Harutora's phone that rang, not someone else's. 
The lively sound of the ringtone echoed through the post-battle parking lot, and he actually felt his own heart leap. 
"Who's there!?" 
Suzuka asked fiercely, and the originally motionless Tsuchigumo began warming up simultaneously. Was it the fault of his luck for being that bad, or was it his own fault for not thinking to silence his phone? Harutora couldn't help but stare into the sky. 

Regardless, he was now stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he showed himself in the parking lot, depressed. 
Suzuka's fierce look disappeared momentarily upon seeing an unexpected person emerge. 
"You're from yesterday......" 
"......Hi." 
Harutora grudgingly called out. 
He had declared in the cafe that he would step up and fight, and he hadn't thought he had been forfeiting his life, but after he saw how Suzuka used the bee-shaped shikigami and how she easily fought off the Mystical Investigators, his confidence from that time had already vacillated immensely. 
However, Suzuka didn't give him the same fate as the Mystical Investigators. 
He didn't believe that communicating with Suzuka could reverse the situation, but it was better than sitting still and waiting for his death. More importantly, he hadn't thought of any other way, and a compromise by both parties was the best way to keep Natsume from getting dragged into the situation. 
Suzuka didn't stop sizing up Harutora, her gaze filled with suspicion. 
Harutora checked his constantly ringing phone. He couldn't help but show a dry smile upon seeing the caller ID on the phone. 
It was from Hokuto. 
...Really, she was so nosy. 
Judging by the time, it was probably Touji's fault. He had definitely told Hokuto about Harutora's current situation, and Hokuto had called him out of worry. Even though the two of them had fought and parted yesterday evening. 
"......Who's calling you? Is it alright not to answer?" 
Suzuka asked coldly. Harutora made a 'nn' sound, hanging up without answering the phone. 
If Hokuto had learned of his location from Touji... If she noticed she had been hung up on, it was possible that she would immediately rush over here even in the current typhoon. Touji should also be here soon. He had to take action as soon as possible, before they got here. 
...Though on the other hand, what action would that be. 
He mocked himself while breathing deeply at the same time, letting his mood calm down. 
He stared into Suzuka's eyes, thinking about what step to take. 
First...... 
"......Nice of you, making your shikigami stay a whole evening in my stomach. Just thinking about it makes me shiver." 
"......Hmph, let me tell you, that was my first kiss, so it's a small price to pay. Right, darling?" 
Suzuka remained vigilant, but her attitude facing Harutora was much more relaxed than with the Mystical Investigators. The tone she replied with was as overbearing as yesterday's, but it was kind of intimate. 
"But don't get me wrong, you're no longer useful. I don't know how you found this place, but if you want to follow me around like a pervert, I won't forgive you." 
No longer useful - Suzuka's goal really was to seize Natsume's spiritual power, and in other words, everything was already prepared now. Harutora cursed in his heart. 
"Let me tell you, you weren't the person I was originally looking for. If there was a photograph in the research lab database, I wouldn't have made that outrageous mistake." 
"......Research lab? It seems like you usually shut yourself inside there, right? Judging by your appearance at the festival yesterday, you're not very worldly." 
"What? You're too arrogant, do you not understand your position?" 
"Did I hit the mark?" 
"Ugh...... You, you're really maddening!" 
Suzuka narrowed her eyes, looking like he really had hit the mark. But she seemed as if she instantly remembered something, asking: "Right! What happened with you and that ugly girl yesterday? Did you fight?" 
"......It wasn't all you." 
"Haha! You deserved it, who asked you to perform that crappy drama. What a joke." 
Harutora narrowed his eyes, and Suzuka clapped her hands and cheered while looking on, looking like she was having fun, it now being Harutora's turn to be angry. 
"......You're really such an uncute brat." 
"Huh, are you blind? You can't find many girls in this world as cute as I am." 
"Never mind your appearance, your personality is terrible." 
"Haha, what 'never mind appearance'. You're angry because you realize it, huh? So simple." 
"Shut up, let me tell you, there definitely won't be anyone liking you in the future!" 
"How's that possible, I'm a beautiful prodigy Onmyouji, there will definitely be a big group of people scrambling for my favor!" 
"Don't speak nonsense, you near-criminal!" 
He inadvertently roared, and maybe because he had hit the mark, Suzuka suddenly closed her mouth. Damn, Harutora also returned to his senses at the same time. 
He had carelessly spoken the words in his heart, and if this went on, 'properly discussing' was a pipe dream. If Touji were here, he would definitely be shaking his head with a face full of pity. 
But, that unreasonable conversation seemed to have eliminated the knife-edge atmosphere from the area. Harutora mustered his courage, slowly approaching Suzuka. 
"......Hey, why don't you stop this, alright?" 
"What? What are you spewing? Are you really an idiot?" 
"I realize that I'm stupid, but you're also being dumb." 
Harutora replied candidly, wording it directly. Anger plainly showed on Suzuka's expression, but she didn't interrupt Harutora's words, so it was a decent reaction. 
"You said you wanted to revive your brother, right?" 
He spoke to confirm, and Suzuka showed a stiff expression. 
Harutora didn't back off, continuing to speak: 
"I don't have brothers or sisters, but I can understand your feelings. After all, it's a normal feeling for people to want to revive their dead family, but you shouldn't do it. Even if your brother is revived, you and even your brother will become criminals." 
"......You're really annoying, what are you trying to say?" 
"Idiot, my meaning is, your brother won't be happy even if you revive him like this." 
"Don't talk like you understand my brother, I'm the one who knows my brother the best!" 
Suzuka howled, her eyes staring straight at Harutora. 
Tsuchigumo behind her stomped the ground with its eight legs, responding to its master's emotional agitation. Tsuchigumo was shockingly imposing from up close. Harutora held his breath, but he couldn’t give up here. 
"Did you tell your parents? Did they not oppose you doing this?" 
"Hmph! I don't have parents, I definitely don't recognize them. Those two people only used my brother and I like garbage." 
"Hey, don't talk about your own parents like--" 
"They aren't even people! How do you think I became a Divine General at this age? Since I was born - no, since before I was born, they tortured me! They cast forbidden spells on my body, and they killed my brother like that!" 
Suzuka's face twisted as she yelled loudly. Harutora momentarily didn't know how to reply upon hearing the girl's devastating accusations. 
In other words, Suzuka had been made into an experimental product by her parents - who had probably both been magic-users. They had cast various magics on her body in order to make her become an excellent magician, uncaring of her wishes. 
Since she had been born, she had been forced to bear a tremendous darkness. It was different from himself who grumbled about family traditions. 
Harutora felt anguished, but there were things he felt he had to say. 
"......I shouldn't have spoken rashly without knowing anything. Sorry, I'm sorry for that......" 
"Stop joking around! I don't need your sympathy!" 
"......I thought so too. But listen, since you hate your parents so much, that’s even more of a reason not to do the same thing as them." 

Harutora strode forward again upon saying this. He was scared, but the feeling that he couldn't leave her alone was growing more and more intense. 
"Isn't soul magic banned? If you cast that magic, won't you be the same as your parents?" 
"Shut up, what do you know!" 
"I know one thing at least - You're planning on holding the final ceremony of Yakou's life, right? Do you know how many people will be sacrificed if the same thing happens again? Doing that is the same as trampling on countless human lives!" 
"No one will be sacrificed! I'm a specialist dedicated to Yakou research, and I completely investigated the Taizan Fukun Ritual long ago. If I pay the right price, it won't lead to spiritual disasters!" Suzuka insisted. 
She shouted loudly, like a hurt cat trying to intimidate someone approaching it. But, even if this cat had been hurt, it could still claw people to death. Harutora suppressed the fear in his heart and approached Suzuka. 
But-- 
"You haven't actually checked, right?" 
"That's why I need to experiment!" 
"That's too messy. Also, what's the correct price?" 
"It's my life!" 
Harutora abruptly stopped moving. 
Suzuka finally showed a satisfied smile upon seeing Harutora's surprised expression. 
"......Right, I'm going to give my own life to my brother...... How is it? Are you still concerned?" 
Harutora felt it hard to believe, and he gazed at Suzuka - gazed at this girl who was even younger than he was, and then he understood. She wasn't lying, she truly planned on sacrificing her own life. 
An almost crazed light flashed in Suzuka's wide eyes as she reveled in the sublime act of self-sacrifice. Maybe this reaction proved that her mind wasn't fully matured, but she was truly trying to sacrifice herself. 
A National First-Class Onmyouji was destroying the regulations, encroaching upon forbidden magic, and even planned on sacrificing her own life. 
A youthful craze drove her to do this - and her family. In particular, the latter had made her unable to turn back. 
But. 
"......Then that's even more of a reason to stop." 
Harutora insisted. 
Suzuka's haughty look froze for a moment upon hearing Harutora say this. She had originally believed Harutora had already been convinced, and for a while, couldn't understand the meaning behind Harutora's words. 
Once she understood what Harutora's words meant, her anger instantly flared up, and she opened her mouth, preparing to lambast the stupid man in front of her with venomous words. 
But Harutora made the first move, speaking with a calm tone: 
"You plan on leaving first and making your brother bear the crime you committed? Sacrificing yourself? That would be rather pitiful for your brother who will be left alone in this world." 
"That......" 
For once, a timid look showed in Suzuka's eyes. 
"......That's nonsense, it's impossible, my brother would definitely......" 
"Do you think he'd be happy to see you do this? Sacrificing his sister for his own life - do you think he'd be grateful for you? Don't even talk about after revival, he'd be treated as an experimental product of forbidden magic. If it does lead to a spiritual disaster, all of society will raise its voice to condemn your brother - not just the Onmyou Agency. Do you have the heart to make your brother live on pitifully, bearing your mistake by himself? Are you still going to say that you're doing this for your brother?" 
Harutora spoke every word slowly and clearly. 
Suzuka's pink lips trembled. She wanted to stare at Harutora, but she didn't want their gazes to cross, so she could only grind her teeth. 
"......What, how can you lecture me......" 
In her heart, Suzuka desperately denied Harutora's words, no longer noticing the Mystical Investigators or the tension of the situation, and instead feeling the wavering of her heart and her own flaws. 
The rain spilled forth, swaying with the wind, roughly battering the bodies of the two people standing in the rain. 
Harutora looked at the shaken girl. 
"......Your life will still be pretty long, so you don't need to rush a decision. Think about it a little more." 
Suzuka hesitated, timidly looking at Harutora. Her body already seemed frozen, as her face was pale and her lips were clenched. 
It was no longer one of the Twelve Divine Generals who stood before him, and this was the first time Harutora felt a sense of closeness towards Suzuka. 
In the end, Suzuka was similar to Harutora, just brats who had been cornered by reality. Harutora realized how different the two were, as Suzuka had chosen destruction. Harutora hadn't had the ability to resist, but Suzuka did and had. 
Harutora slowly closed the distance to Suzuka in the rain. Suzuka's entire body trembled - but she didn't try to escape. 
The distance between the two shortened, and all that was left was as much distance as when they had first confronted each other. 
Unfortunately, this was already the closest they would get to each other. 
"......B, Bind her! Order!" 
Suzuka was attacked. 
A fallen Mystical Investigator flung out a charm, trying to perform his responsibility with his final bit of spiritual power as he barely maintained his consciousness. 
The wood-element charm became a tendril in midair, wrapping around Suzuka who stood in the rain. The magically-formed tendril bound Suzuka in a moment, and her small body toppled accordingly. 
The Mystical Investigator laboriously stood up in front of the scared-silly Harutora. He was the same as Natsume, with a hazy consciousness due to his loss of spiritual power. 
On the other hand, Suzuka who had been attacked was covered to mud in head to toe, and furious. 
"Damn it - Don't mess with me!" 
She roared angrily, her eyes bloodshot. The shikigami directly reacted to its master's anger, raising the steel limb that it had just pierced through the Emperors with and emotionlessly swinging it down at the buckling Mystical Investigator below. 
Mud and water splattered underneath Harutora's sneakers. 
His body advanced, running forward while stumbling. Tsuchigumo's movements seemed extremely slow in that instant, and the steel leg slowly closed in on the Mystical Investigator's head. 
Harutora kicked off the ground, using the force of his entire body to knock away the Mystical Investigator. The Mystical Investigator was sent flying out, collapsed on the ground, and lost consciousness again. 
But, everything was over. Harutora fell to the ground after knocking away the man. 
Mud sprayed onto his face and water splashed everywhere. A scream sounded from the side, probably Suzuka's. Harutora didn't have the leisure to listen to that scream, as he rose to his knees with difficulty. He had just thought of standing up, when the feeling of something approaching came from above him. 
He was going to die, Harutora calmly thought. 
Twelve accidents hadn't taken away his life, but he had never expected to die from being crushed by a spider. That was way too miserable. An emptiness washed over his mind and he cursed his misfortune. 
Slowly, he noticed that there was no impact. 
His body could still move. He hurriedly adjusted his body, turning around halfway and raising his head. 
This time, a complete emptiness entered his mind. 
"......Hokuto?" 
Hokuto stood in front of him, using her own body to block Tsuchigumo's leg. 
The incomprehensible scene in front of him interrupted his thinking, making him feel detached from reality. He stared blankly and mechanically at the scene. 
Hokuto was between the fallen Harutora and Tsuchigumo that had slashed out with its leg. The tip of Tsuchigumo's leg pierced deeply through Hokuto's left shoulder, straight through her heart. But Hokuto didn't collapse from this, and she had grabbed the steel limb with both hands, stopping Tsuchigumo's attack. Her eyes were wide and bright, and her cute face had become pale, teeth clenched. 
What kind of joke was this. 
"......Hokuto? You......" 
"......Run away......" 
"What are you saying, you're......" 
"Run away!" 
Hokuto yelled. 
Then, her fingers slid along the exterior of the steel limb piercing through herself. 
"Ban, Un, Taraku, Kiriku, Aku [14] ! By the five elements, destroy the inner wall!" 
Every time she chanted one of those names, she drew a line. 
A pentagram [15] . 
It was a magical pattern representing the five elements of yin and yang, known in Onmyoudou as the 'star mark', 'Seimei's Bellflower Mark', or 'Seimei's Mark'. After being used by Abe no Seimei, it later became the Tsuchimikado family crest. 
Light emerged from the mark as she chanted while drawing it. Tsuchigumo - just like a true spider fearing fire - suddenly jumped backwards, throwing Hokuto off. 
The leg piercing through Hokuto's shoulder mercilessly carved through her chest, and her body drew out an arc and flew out like a ball after being tossed out in midair. 
A shrill scream entered Harutora's ears. 
He stood up, not noticing that it had been his own scream. 
He completely pushed the matters of Tsuchigumo and Suzuka to the back of his mind, turning his back to the enemy and sprinting towards Hokuto who had been thrown off to the side. 
His body moved, his blood began pumping, and his rationality gradually began accepting the situation that his emotions refused to understand. 
Hokuto had rushed over because of that phone call just now. Right, hadn't he predicted all of this? In the end, it was right in front of him. Impossible. Something had to be wrong. His rationality tried to seal off the emotions bursting through his throat. 
What spilled forth next was terror. 
A boundless fear began to assault Harutora. 
"Hokuto!" 
Hokuto's limbs drooped powerlessly to the ground like a broken doll. 
The rain battered her slightly trembling body, and Harutora's vision darkened as he looked at the scene of his heavily injured friend. He angrily roared, shouted, and picked Hokuto up in despair. 
In that instant. 
Hokuto's body suddenly wavered as if its image were being interfered with. 
Her profile distorted, and her body became transparent. 
'Lag'. 
The scene in his hands caused Harutora to stop thinking again, and he even forgot to breathe, his entire body stiffening up. 
Just then, he finally noticed something. 
Tsuchigumo had carved a huge, deep wound from Hokuto's left shoulder to her chest, an appalling wound. 
But she didn't shed a single drop of blood. Only the constant rain wet her body. 
"......Hoku... to......?" 
Harutora called out softly, with a pathetic, weak tone. 
Hokuto looked at him from his arms, her mouth forming a lonely smile. 
"......Bakatora...... Why didn't you...... pick up......" 
"............" 
Her figure didn't stop flickering as she spoke, and her profile became blurrier and blurrier, with some interfering noise like static mixed in with her mumbled voice. The feeling of her lying in his arms also gradually faded. 
"Hokuto, you...... you......" 
Hokuto showed a wry smile. 
She put on a sad expression, saying: 
"......I lied to you...... I'm sorry for always deceiving you." 
"Idiot, what does that mean? What are you saying, why did you become like this, what's going on?" 
Harutora panicked, but Hokuto just looked at her confused, panicked friend with a slight smile. 
She reached out with her shaking arm, grabbing Harutora's chest with force. 
"Harutora, I...... I love you, so...... Run away...... I won't forgive you if you die......" 
Hokuto smiled as she spoke. 
Then, as if her image burst apart - Hokuto disappeared. 
An old shikigami charm with traces of repairs all over it floated into Harutora's hands. 
"......Hokuto?" 
A voice squeezed out from inside him unconsciously drifted out of his mouth, and his body's energy dwindled in the rain. 
"......Are you an idiot?" Suzuka said. 
The magical energy in the charm had lost its effectiveness, and she had long since rid herself of the binding tendrils. 
She stared at Harutora through the rain. 
"What, that person was a shikigami all along? You made your own shikigami your girlfriend? Haha, how stupid. To think you would do such disgusting things in private while speaking so righteously!" 
Suzuka's voice trembled, and a faint guilt could be sensed from her trembling voice as if she were afraid of being berated. It was as if she were faking strength, trying to gloss over things. 
Harutora slowly turned around. 
"Who are you talking about?" 
"That girl, of course. I didn't immediately see she was a shikigami, so she was made pretty well, huh. Did you make it? But in that case, you should at least make one a bit more useful, no, no matter, I'll make one for you, I'll make one stronger than that--" 
"............" 
Harutora slowly rose, deciding not to listen anymore. He spoke with a tone he had never heard from himself before: 
"...Shut up." 
"......Huh?" 
"Don't say another word." 
The atmosphere in the air was changing. 
Harutora's vision stabbed through Suzuka. 
His eyes gave off the light of a tiger's ferocious anger, with fangs and claws that could easily tear a girl apart. 
Suzuka's expression contorted like she had been slapped in the face. 
"What? Wh, who do you think you are? Do you know who you're talking to?" 
Suzuka replied angrily, but her voice was trembling more than before. Her indignant, sharp tone hid a glass-like fragility. 
She stared back at Harutora, a sliver of killing intent mixed in her gaze. 
However, she was the first to avert her eyes. She swung her wet hair as if to escape from Harutora's gaze, turning around. 
She clicked her tongue, running towards the truck. Tsuchigumo followed its master and jumped onto the truck bed where the debris of the container remained, folding its eight legs back up into the container. 
Suzuka summoned the black suit-wearing simple shikigami, ordering it to drive, as she opened the door to the passenger seat. 
Finally, she turned around and spat out the words: 
"......I'll definitely kill you next time." 
Saying that, she got in the truck and closed the door. 
The truck quickly started its engine as soon as she got on, leaving the parking lot. Harutora watched the truck vanish on the road, alone in the rain. 
Thunder suddenly flashed from afar, and the low rumble of thunder sounded amidst the sounds of the wind and downpour. 
The sun had already set. 
The storm showed no signs of stopping. 
 



Share This :


COMMENTS

No Comments Yet

Post a new comment

Register or Login