Tokyo Ravens - Volume 12 - Chapter 1.2

Part 2 
The weather had turned cold. 
But noisy activity still continued on the bustling street. The excitement of the people made the entire street feel distant from the winter. Tsuchimikado Natsume, Souma Akino, and Tsuchimikado Takahiro walked out from the southeast exit of the JR Shinjuku Station into Meiji Road of the central district of Tokyo, heading towards Yasukuni Shrine. 
It was already ten at night, but the groups of people on the street showed no signs of reducing in number. The amount traffic was the same. Actually, now was the start of the night activity. 
Natsume and the others were currently hiding in an old residence in Kichijoji. They were just wandering around Shinjuku to train Akino's stealth magic. Takahiro believed that although Akino's stealth magic was high-level, it was still better to accumulate actual experience. Though Akino hated training, she immediately agreed when she heard 'Shinjuku'. 
Since the Onmyou Academy and Agency were in Shibuya, Natsume was already used to the bustling Shinjuku night. But Shinjuku's night gave a different impression from Shibuya's. Shinjuku didn't feel as crowded as Shibuya, but there were people no matter where they walked. The people were older and there were eye-catching people wearing formal clothing. Actually, these differences in atmosphere were very important for controlling stealth magic. Capable people would be able to perfectly use stealth magic no matter where they were - it was a skill. One had to get used to the surrounding environment in addition to concealing their presence and aura. The first stage of that was grasping the surrounding atmosphere and reacting to it. 
Natsume wore a jacket, a short skirt, and boots. The outerwear she always wore was the most practical. But Natsume was wearing something more exposing and eye-catching. It was just like Akino said, 'beautiful girls are pretty no matter what they wear'. Akino was wearing a sweater and a coat, with a scarf around her neck. It seemed a bit girly and cute. Incidentally, Takahiro, who walked with them, wore very simple clothing. Suddenly, Takahiro stopped and said: 
"Hey, Akino!!" 
Natsume, who was walking ahead, looked back, and at the same time, the slightly slow Akino was stopped and looking into the distance. She was standing still with her stealth magic released. In addition, a pair of rabbit ears had materialized. Her normally-concealed ears were extending from her head. 
"What's up with you, you're a bit absent-minded." 
"Sorry." 
Natsume wryly moved closer to the dejected Akino. 
"Akino, you don't need to apologize, just conceal yourself again." 
"Eh...... Okay." 
Akino made a seal and quietly chanted an incantation. Instantly, Akino's aura was concentrated and covered the surroundings. Though it wasn't very complete, it was at a usable level. Natsume, who guided Akino's practice every day, was also very surprised when she saw this. The ears she had seen just now were evidence that Akino was a rare rabbit living spirit. But Akino was a bit undisciplined, so she hadn't made a great deal of progress. 
"We're not here to play! This area is within the range of the Spirit Sensers. They might be constantly monitoring it, and you aura is very unique, so don't get careless!" 
"Yeah, I'm sorry." 
Akino instantly turned depressed at Takahiro's scolding. 
"It's Akino's first time out at night, so of course other things would catch her attention." 
Though she was very stern when she taught Akino, Natsume still spoke up for Akino when it was someone else's turn to do so. 
"No, that's not it. I didn't get distracted just now by the scenery, even though I've only seen this scenery on TV before and it's very nice......" 
"Then what is it? Is the stealth making you tired?" 
"Uh...... How should I say it...... Um......" 
"Oh, I know, you're hungry, huh." 
Just then, Akino's stomach growled. Akino's face reddened and she said: 
"Hey!!! Natsume, you idiot!" 
Takahiro looked at his watch to check the time, unable to stop himself from laughing. 
"Okay, okay. It's a bit late, so it's time to go back, hahaha." Takahiro's expression changed greatly after he said this and he hastily looked back. Natsume noticed and also frantically looked in the same place. Akino watched the two of them blankly. 

"Natsume, you noticed too, huh." 
"Yeah, a spiritual disaster. It's getting faster and faster." 
Meiji Road went in the direction of East Shinjuku, but it was quite a fair distance away. The aura disturbance was expanding very quickly, but they could sense that it was coming in their direction. A mobile spiritual disaster had appeared. 
"Ah, that's a bit bad. If we don't hurry up and escape......" 
"Don't worry. This place is in the area of the Shinjuku branch, so it'll be exorcised before a situation happens." 
"But we can't be careless. If a spiritual disaster happens, the Spirit Sensers in this area will focus over here." 
Though spiritual disasters were happening pretty often recently, there were almost no mobile spiritual disasters. 
"We should be fine, right?" 
"At least there's no need to panic." Takahiro said naturally. At the same time, Akino, who was a bit unconvinced upon seeing his attitude, said: 
"But it's a spiritual disaster. Didn't you just get mad and tell me not to get careless?" 
Takahiro smiled wryly and patted Akino's head. 
"Listen, Akino. What's important for a practitioner isn't what kind of crisis you face, it's keeping an alert attitude." He looked at Natsume and continued: 
"Magic is a fighting technique, and unlike martial arts, practitioners can't do anything if they don't focus their mind. That's why you can't do anything if you're caught off-guard, no matter how much skill you have. Defensive shikigami are made for those emergency situations. Realize that, as a practitioner, it's extremely important to focus your mind." 
Takahiro had lots of experience as a former Mystical Investigator, and his words were also very convincing. Akino nodded diligently, and Natsume also expressed her agreement. 
"If a spiritual disaster happens, the media will pour out in addition to the exorcists, and traffic will be restricted as well, so it would be wise to leave Shinjuku immediately." Takahiro proposed. Suddenly, something flew through the night sky. A bird? No, it was something like a large, remote-controlled aircraft. 
"What's that???" 
"A shikigami?" 
"Garuda." Takahiro said, somewhat surprised. "That Shigeoka's in the Shinjuku branch too, huh." 
"Someone you know?" 
"Not one of my acquaintances. Don't you know him? He's an Independent Exorcist, the Colonel of the Twelve Divine Generals." 
"I've only heard his name." 
Shigeoka Shunsuke was a National First-Class Onmyouji and exorcist, or an Independent Exorcist. Right now there were a total of five Independent Exorcists. Since Kogure had transferred from the Exorcist Bureau to the Mystical Investigators, the Exorcist Bureau now only had four of the Independent Officers. Natsume had often heard the name 'Colonel' in the news when she came to Tokyo. He had left the frontlines after the Hinamatsuri Repurification incident two years ago, as it seemed like he had suffered from spiritual encumbrance during a spiritual disaster purification. After that, Shigeoka had worked hard to recover from his spiritual encumbrance, and had returned for good last fall just in time to replace Kogure. Since then, Shigeoka, Yuge Mari, and Kagami Reiji had carried out spiritual disaster purifications in the city underneath Miyachi Iwao. 
"A Divine General? Like the three who came to Seishuku?" 
"Yeah. If you remember that woman Yuge from back then, she was also an Independent Officer." 
"Amazing." 
"Yeah...... But she's a troublesome woman, and a more outstanding Onmyouji than the other Independent Officers." 
"Hmm? Is she stronger than the Exorcist Bureau Chief?" 
"Miyachi, you mean. That guy's certainly powerful, but he has too much horsepower. For example, you'd use a kitchen knife instead of an axe when you're cooking." 
Takahiro was silent for a bit, then said: 
"Okay, then, it's a good opportunity. Before we go back, why don't we go to the scene of the spiritual disaster purification and study a bit? It's good to understand Independent Officers a bit. After all, they're an enemy - a powerful enemy - of we who lack power."