Part 3
Harutora was in his dorm rushing fiercely to do his homework on the first Sunday since coming to Tokyo.
It was beautiful outside, with the late summer sun shining bright. He had originally planned on going out to buy some daily necessities, but after that incident, he had been continuously resting for several days and had been unable to go to class. He was now desperately copying down detailed class notes in order to catch up. But he was just copying, and didn't actually understand the contents of the notes at all.
Touji, who had come to hand over the notes, was also inside Harutora's room. He sat by the window looking at the pleasant sunshine outside, talking about the subsequent developments that he had inquired about while Harutora was resting. Incidentally, Touji had only sent the notes over, and Tenma was the one who had organized the curriculum inside it. Touji generally didn't take notes during class, and Natsume had begun cooperating with Mystical Investigators with their investigation again, so she hadn't been able to properly attend class.
"......In the end, the puzzle was never solved."
"Yeah, just like the one from before we came here. Yakou fanatics found Natsume, but in the end we still aren't sure who was behind them."
The teachers who had finally arrived afterwards had been greatly surprised at the situation of the magic practice field and hurriedly protected Harutora and the others. The principal had contacted the Onmyou Agency herself, and the Mystical Investigators - Harutora's trust in Mystical Investigators had already slid a great deal - rushed to the scene one by one, gathering evidence around the scene and performing questioning. Harutora and the others had only left at ten in the evening, and their homeroom teacher Ohtomo had only arrived ten minutes before that, five whole hours apart from when Harutora and the others had encountered danger. His evaluation of his homeroom teacher finally hit rock bottom.
Later, they had heard that the escaped Mystical Investigator had already been arrested, but the interrogation process was unsuccessful. The deeper they investigated, the more evident it was that he had been used without knowing anything.
"He said he had other comrades, so did we single out other Yakou fanatics?"
"No, it seems like his memories were magically blocked, and the Onmyou Agency is trying to undo the magic, but they didn't reveal their identities to each other in the first place, so it's doubtful how much they can dig up."
"......What about that Kakugyouki?"
"As expected, it was fake, and of course that guy calling himself Hishamaru was also a huge lie, and he was magically influenced - simply put, he was fantasizing, so Natsume's words actually hit home with that guy."
Touji looked at the scenery outside the window, showing a sharp but detached gaze.
"......But that isn't very unexpected. That thing can't even be compared with the oni that I saw."
He mentioned it casually, but Harutora couldn't help but stop copying notes and turn his head to glance by the window.
"It's noisy." Harutora frowned slightly, and only then did he realize that the room where noise was coming from should have been an empty room. He couldn't help but wonder whether someone was secretly using that empty room as a warehouse.
As he thought, Touji who had returned to natural at some point continued to speak:
"What's interesting is that the styles by which the fake Kakugyouki's and kodoku's vessels were made are completely different, like they weren't made by the same person."
"Th, That means...... That person didn't make the oni shikigami?"
"It seems like he believed it was the true Kakugyouki, and according to his statements, there was someone pulling the strings."
"Who?"
"I don't know that."
Touji replied coldly. After all, the incident was still under investigation, and there would be a day when they could get more details. They could understand very few things right now.
Just then, a huge sound came from the room next door, like someone was moving things around.
"What in the world is going on?"
Harutora was just planning on going over to inquire when the sound of knocking came from outside the room.
He stood up and passed through the room to open the door. Kon was standing outside the door with a red tray in her hands and cups of tea placed on top. She had crashed through the first floor to make tea just because her master had a guest.
"Oh, so it was Kon. Thanks for helping to make tea."
Saying this, he opened the door and moved aside to let Kon enter the room, but Kon stood in the corridor without moving.
"H, H, Harutora-sama, actually......"
Kon's ears twitched anxiously and she glanced towards the corridor - at the neighboring room where noises came from. Harutora asked: "What is it?", leaning his head out of the door and looking into the corridor.
Natsume was standing there.
She was in front of the open door to the neighboring room, looking at the condition inside with many boxes and suitcases by her feet. Harutora's eyes widened in surprise.
"Natsume?"
What are you doing here - Just as he thought of opening his mouth to ask, a humanoid shadow came from inside the neighboring room. Natsume didn't pay any heed to the shocked Harutora, her attitude clearly composed. The shadow knelt in front of Natsume, picking up a box placed in the corridor and then returning into the room.
Harutora ran out into the corridor, panicked.
"N, N, Natsume? What is that thing?"
"Oh, Harutora, is your homework going well?"
Natsume turned around and smiled like she had only finally noticed him now, her look inexplicably happy.
"I'm doing it right now. What in the world is that black thing?"
"That's a simple shikigami that I made to help me move luggage."
"Move what luggage?"
"I will also be living here starting today."
Natsume spoke proudly and Harutora gaped dumbly upon hearing that.
"Live here...... You?"
"Didn't I say that?"
"But this is a male dorm!?"
"I'm a guy, remember."
Natsume spoke self-assuredly, and Harutora couldn't find words to refute it for a while. Though he wanted to take this as a joke, he was very clear that she wasn't joking about this, regardless of how little he understood about Natsume's true intentions.
Natsume pursed her lips angrily as she looked at the silent Harutora.
"You're really slow, Harutora. Such a big incident happened before, but could it be that it didn't warn you at all?"
"W, Warn...... What warning?"
"Do I need to say? Of course the fact that I could be in danger at any time!"
"......So?"
"How come you still don't understand! You're my shikigami, and it's your duty to protect me all twenty-four hours of the day!"
Natsume spoke seriously as if she were a class president explaining the class rules to another child.
"Uh, so you want me to guard you, but you......"
You won't need to fear anything as long as you have Hokuto, so it doesn't matter if I’m there or not, right?
Harutora almost voiced those words.
"But you were the one who wanted me to do that."
"Me?"
"You wanted me to be brave and rely on other people."
"Ah......"
Harutora couldn't help but blush slightly as he recalled the words he had said and his surging emotions at the time. His master also blushed as she quietly gazed at her shikigami. As he looked at that trust-filled look, Harutora couldn't help but feel that Natsume, who had been willing to change her style to fit his opinion, was even more sincere and cute than usual......
"But, first! Isn't this a bit too reckless? It's impossible for you to live in the male dorm!"
"Help me."
"Help? How can I help you!"
"What, didn't you want me to rely on you?"
Natsume pouted again, raising her eyes to look at Harutora as she spoke, as if condemning him for being heartless. The question made Harutora speechless, and only then did he notice that Kon and Touji were peeking their heads out from his room and watching the liveliness with high spirits.
Just then-- "Huh? What are you doing, Harutora-kun?" Tenma walked onto the floor of the dorm. Not only had he given out his class notes, he had even taken up the burden of coming to explain them. Kyouko also followed behind him.
"Tenma, and...... Kurahashi? Why did you come too?"
"......What, I'm not welcome?"
"No, that's not it......"
He had been lying in bed unconscious after the incident had ended and hadn't spoken with Kyouko. Though they had banded together to escape a crisis, the two had been incompatible before, and Harutora didn't know what kind of attitude to take for a while.
As Harutora was hesitating and indecisive--
"Tenma-kun, Kurahashi-san, thank you for the incident before and sorry for troubling you." Natsume stepped forward.
Tenma and Kurahashi seemed not to have expected Natsume to be here as well. Natsume's sudden appearance, and moreover her bow of thanks, made the two of them flustered.
"D, Don't say that, especially since...... I wasn't much help at all."
"That's not true, I'm very grateful for your help."
Natsume thanked again with a sincere attitude.
Generally, Natsume was stubborn and unwilling to mingle with others, but once she opened her heart, she was sincere like a child. Tenma and Kyouko couldn't help but show a stiff smile facing this surprising change.
"Kyouko-san, I need to thank you as well."
"Uh, that......"
"Though I said many harsh words to you, please believe that I have no ill will. Also, you were willing to help me even though I held a bad attitude towards you, so I am truly grateful. I will imitate your tolerance, so I hope we can get along in the future."
"............"
Natsume stared with her innocent eyes at the speechless Kyouko. Her face was blooming in a flowery smile, and Kyouko watched blankly, her face flushing redder and redder.
"Don't say that...... I was just......"
She replied shyly, unable to help but turn her head bashfully before she had finished speaking.
Then-- "H, Harutora-kun, come here for a bit--"
She pulled Harutora's arm and left behind the stunned Natsume and Tenma, running out of the corridor, walking down the stairs, and bringing the surprised Harutora into the stairwell.
"W, What is it, why did you suddenly take me here?"
"Could Natsume-kun have thought of the thing from before? Did he remember his promise with me?"
Kyouko's face was extremely red as she questioned Harutora excitedly. She seemed to have misunderstood Natsume's sudden reversal of attitude as her having remembered their meeting before.
"Uh......" Harutora replied awkwardly. "......Sorry, I didn't check with him, but I don't think the situation is what you're thinking."
"Th, Then why did he suddenly change his attitude?"
"Actually, you can't really call it sudden. Didn't he say that he was grateful that you came forward to help? That's why."
Harutora explained. Kyouko's lips tightened as if she were still unable to accept that statement. When Harutora stopped speaking, Kyouko suddenly realized that she was still holding his arm, and hurriedly let go.
"It's true that the only thing in his mind are the matters about himself and the Tsuchimikado family, but those are all actions taken unconsciously to protect himself. Once he thinks of you as a companion, his attitude will naturally become sincere. That person's personality is actually like a child's, and because of that, his actions are also very simple." Harutora spoke straightforwardly.
"Companion? Me? But I was so over-the-top towards Harutora-kun [22] earlier......"
"Though I don't understand why you're always looking for trouble with the Tsuchimikado family, he doesn't hate you, nor is he mad. He didn't hate you before this incident happened either."
She just felt that you were unreasonable - Harutora didn't say that, shrugging his shoulders.
Upon hearing this, Kyouko suddenly lowered her head meekly.
Her red-tinged face turned bright, as if a long, dark, night had finally become dawn, welcoming the light of hope. She was clearly in glowing spirits and extremely energetic.
"I......"
"What is it?"
"I...... really love Natsume-kun."
"I see, that's grea- What did you say?"
Harutora couldn't help but doubt whether he had heard wrongly. Unfazed by Harutora's shock, Kyouko showed a pure, shy maidenly smile on her face.
"Though it's regretful that Natsume-kun forgot about the promise between us...... I actually realize that I can't fault him, since it was something from many years ago after all. So, I've also given up on confirming with him - no, I won't give up, but for now I have decided to start again from the beginning. I finally understand that I've loved Natsume-kun all the way up to now."
"............"
Harutora was stunned, his eyes wide from shock, gazing at the nonsensical Kyouko. The reversal in her attitude beat Natsume's. Where in the world had that animosity-filled girl vanished to? What had he endured so much suffering for?
"Y, You love Natsume? But then why--"
"Idiot, don't say it that loudly! Natsume-kun is talented and cool and gentle, and in particular he looks pure on the outside, but he's very tender on the inside, so why can't I love him? Also, I've loved him since I was small, so you aren't allowed to oppose it."
"I, I didn't mean to, it's just that......"
Her face flushed, Kyouko spoke in a torrent as if to hide her shyness. Harutora had long since known that they had met, but this was the first time he had heard that Kyouko had fallen in love with Natsume after that encounter. He didn't know how to respond for a while. Kyouko then said "right," seeming like she had thought of something.
"I helped you that much during that incident, so you owe me. Help me get together with Natsume-kun as thanks."
"Get together!?"
"R, Right, what's wrong with that? Shouldn't you be helping me out? In fact, I could count as your savior! Could it be that you're unwilling?"
Kyouko transformed, regaining her original personality, staring at Harutora with her eyebrows furrowed and an intimidating tone.
"I, It's not that I'm unwilling, but it's really hard for me to help......"
Many years before...
She had long since heard from her parents that the Tsuchimikado family had a child about the same age as her, but Kyouko had never seen him.
Her grandmother and parents didn't express it, but she could tell from her other relatives' expressions that the Tsuchimikado family was past its time and was on the edge of decline. Those people slandered maliciously from the shadows, but they actually unconsciously knew that they belonged to the group that was 'declining'. Because of this, inauspicious shadows had fallen over the Tsuchimikado family in the young Kyouko's heart, leaving a abhorrent yet helpless bad impression.
In front of that family's child, even the one whom others cared for as the Kurahashi family 'princess' would have a 'lower standing', and being unable to keep her 'princess' identity made her incomparably upset. These thoughts troubled her, and she was uneasy inside even though she feigned a strong exterior.
So that day - when she heard that child was bedridden because of an illness, the first time she entered the Tsuchimikado family's ancient residence the butterflies in Kyouko's stomach calmed down. She quickly regained her original majestic arrogance and her mood brightened, since she had originally been thinking she would have a showdown with that child.
Why don't you go play in the courtyard.
When Kyouko heard this, she walked into the courtyard with a fearless mood, playing to her heart's content in the vast courtyard.
By the time she noticed, her ribbon had long since disappeared.
It wasn't an ordinary ribbon, it was a precious ribbon that her grandmother had made for her. She had tied that ribbon to encourage herself not to lose to the Tsuchimikado child. It was her most treasured valuable.
She desperately searched for the ribbon with a teary face and ended up losing her way in the courtyard. The courtyard that was her personal kingdom became an unfamiliar environment in the blink of an eye. The sun was bright in the sky, but the tall trees blocked the sunlight, casting darkness over Kyouko's heart.
She had fallen into the terrifying hands of the Tsuchimikado, and she feared that she wouldn't be able to return home. When she thought of this, she was so frightened that she hid behind a tree and sobbed. Just then, he suddenly appeared.
He was a boy whose age was similar to hers, and he seemed lively and mischievous.
He noticed Kyouko and asked with surprise and round eyes: "Are you crying?". His honest, gentle tone caught Kyouko's heart that was falling into deep despair, rescuing her.
Kyouko hurriedly wiped her tears, replying in a huff: "I wasn't crying." The boy was surprised. Though he wanted to pursue the question, Kyouko stubbornly repeated in an agitated voice that she wasn't crying, and he finally closed his mouth in confusion. Kyouko's anger had intimidated him.
Kyouko regained her original imposing manner upon seeing this and thought in her heart that she should take this moment to let this child understand completely that she definitely wouldn't lose to the Tsuchimikado.
Kyouko took on a provocative attitude.
"Are you this family's child?"
"Huh? I'm not."
"Liar, aren't you Tsuchimikado?"
"Yeah, that's right, but......"
The boy still wanted to continue saying something, but Kyouko interrupted him, loudly proclaiming her identity and demands:
"I'm Kurahashi, your relative. I came here today to visit, so I'm an important guest. When an important guest like me loses her ribbon in the courtyard, as this family's child, you should apologize to me, right?"
The boy blankly stared at Kyouko for a good while.
"You're so cute, but you're like a boy."
Kyouko's rock-hard imposing manner almost crumbled upon hearing those words. You're so cute - those words she had long since grown tired of hearing now lead to a shock different from before, bursting inside her chest. At the same time, the following words gave her anger and shame that she hadn't had before. She became restless and couldn't help but think of fleeing.
She desperately suppressed the chaos inside her.
"So, how will you repay me?"
"Alright, I'll look for it with you."
The boy replied readily. She didn't dare to believe him for a while.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"You'll really help me look?"
"Yeah."
The boy nodded his head with a smile, sincere and gentle and guileless, the same as when he had asked her whether she was crying.
So, the two of them looked for the ribbon together.
As they were looking for the lost ribbon, the boy took the initiative to chat with Kyouko. Kyouko replied coldly at the start, but she soon stripped herself of the tension in her heart, even laughing. Shouldn't he be in bed because he was sick? That doubt flashed through her mind for a moment, but that question instantly became insignificant when she looked at the healthy boy before her.
Kyouko didn't end her princess act for a moment, but not only did the boy not show any dislike of it at all, on the contrary he would often tease her for always being so serious. Strangely, those words didn't enrage her, and she even cheerfully pretended to be mad.
"You're really like a boy."
"That's so rude."
"Watch out, there are rocks there, be careful."
"I got it, why didn't you tell me earlier."
His jokes made her laugh, and even if she was mad she couldn't help but smile. She gradually became fascinated with that boy, and time flew by.
In the end, they still hadn't found the ribbon.
The sun was in the west, with the courtyard rendered in the evening twilight, and the boy was clearly at a loss, faced with Kyouko asking about what she should do. He committed quite apologetically and with a difficult expression:
"I'll look carefully again."
"Really? Will you really find it for me?"
"Yeah, I'll do my best and look again."
"Okay, then I'll forgive you, but..."
Kyouko moved closer to the boy as she said this, looking up at him and raising her index finger as she repeated.
"Listen, don't you dare forget this, it's a promise."
The boy was a bit frightened, nodding his head continuously with a serious face. Kyouko felt completely joyful for some reason when she saw the boy with that expression.
The next time they met, if she took the ribbon from the boy's hand, she would tie it into her hair right then and there and let him see her cute side.
She definitely couldn't let that boy think of her like a boy again.
Kyouko swore in her heart, saying goodbye to the boy. She only remembered after she left that she still hadn't asked for the boy's name.
She would have to ask her grandmother after returning home.
As for the name she heard from her grandmother's mouth later, she treasured it in her heart, never once forgetting it.
...That had happened many years ago.
That past event in a sunny afternoon was always hiding deep inside Harutora's memories.
Several years ago, perhaps even decades ago...
A bright moon hung in the sky.
"Are you going?'
An oni asked.
It was a strong, powerful oni who had lived for a long time. After his master died, he no longer served a human as a shikigami, and returned back to a simple oni again - a legendary oni. Now, he believed that there would never be a reason to continue such loyalty. He recognized the emotional connection between him and his master, and he liked him, but since he loved being free, he didn't find any meaning in continuing to be loyal to someone who was dead.
However, his partner didn't think so.
"I'm going."
His partner spoke resolutely without a trace of hesitation. They had promised that he would endlessly wait on, regardless of how many tribulations and how many years. His partner would embark on a lengthy adventure in order to fulfill that promise, seeking to reunite with his lost master.
"We'll part ways here. Take care of yourself."
After saying this, his partner left him without turning back. That uptight, dedicated attitude had always annoyed him, and he had made fun of it many times.
But now, it felt incomparably dazzling. Why was that?
"......What a truly devoted fellow."
He smiled wryly and murmured quietly as he watched his partner's departing back.
The moon in the sky quietly watched the separation of the two.
...Many years had already passed since then, even decades.
In the one-armed oni's memories, the final curtain was pulled down over those glorious years.
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