Tokyo Ravens - Volume 4 - Chapter Int1

Story 1 - Frog Day 

Mentioning this great person was inevitable when discussing the history of Japanese magic. 
Onmyouji Abe no Seimei. 
Driving back the Hyakki Yagyou [8] during the Heian period, purifying demons, the exceptional practitioner that had spirits serve him. 
After his death, his offspring called themselves the 'Tsuchimikado', looming over the magic community as the foremost Onmyoudou family for several hundred years, until a genius emerged among his progeny, bringing huge innovation to magic - along with devastating calamity. 

"...My report ends here." 
A deep, bright voice. Once Tsuchimikado Natsume closed her mouth, praising sighs immediately drifted around the classroom. 
This was the premier national Onmyouji cultivation facility, the Onmyou Academy. Students whose goals were to become Onmyouji sat in the big classroom, and every one wore the uniquely designed uniform similar to Heian-era imperial clothing. 
The males wore black-colored uniforms, while the females' uniforms were pure white. Natsume, who had risen to give a report, also wore a black uniform. 
Her body was small and slim and her good looks were androgynous, her waist-length black hair tied up with a pink ribbon. However, her standing posture was even more imposing than a vast majority of the male students, and her appearance gave off an immutable intellectuality and self-confidence. All of the students perked their ears up and listened seriously to her report, and there were quite a few female students who cast enthusiastic gazes in her direction. 
"Very good." The homeroom teacher Ohtomo stood on the podium, nodding his head in satisfaction. "Full score. You almost don't need to take classes." 
"...That's not true." 
"Don't be that modest, no wonder you're the progeny of the famous Tsuchimikado family." Ohtomo smiled cheerfully at the reticent Natsume. This teacher was young but he seemed very old for his age, since there was a fake leg fixed to his right foot and he held a short cane in his hand. 
"Alright--" Ohtomo still beamed. "Natsume-kun, sorry, could I bother you to help wake up that happily sleeping other Tsuchimikado-kun next to you?" 
"What?" Right when Natsume asked back, she heard the faint, sound of snoring from next to her. The one snoring was a male student, his entire body leaning on his chair, his head up and his mouth half-open. That appearance was completely unimposing, but just as Ohtomo said, he looked quite happy. 
Snickers arose from everywhere in the classroom. Natsume's face reddened and she hastily knocked on the male student's head. 
"Ugh! ...It hurts, Natsume. What are you hitting me fo...... Ah." 
Halfway through speaking, he looked around and finally realized the situation. The sound of laughter didn't stop in the classroom, and Natsume's face flushed even more from embarrassment. 
"Good morning, Tsuchimikado Harutora-kun, did you have a good dream?" Ohtomo spoke with a grin. 
"Uh, S, Sensei...... Good morning......" 
"Good - Ahh, Natsume-kun, you can sit, we'll have Harutora-kun stand up now." 
Natsume furrowed her brow, expressionlessly sitting back on her seat. Then, Harutora stood up with an awkward face. 
"How regrettable, Tsuchimikado. Truly unfortunate, Tsuchimikado." Ohtomo lamented deliberately, and Harutora's face sank when he heard this. 
"......Please don't say any more, the peak time of the Tsuchimikado family passed a long time ago." 
"That's not true~ The Tsuchimikado family is an extremely famous family right now." 
"But it's a declining family. What do you mean, fame? Those kinds of thoughts will just make me troubled." 
"I see, especially because you were an ordinary high school student not long ago." 
"Doesn't that make sense? I just entered this realm, so expecting me to perform well will just trouble me, just increasing my burden." 
"Uh huh, you mean even though as a member of Tsuchimikado family, you could still carelessly doze off during class." 
"Oh, you understand me?" 
"I'm very clear. Anyway, why don't you stand up during class." 
Laughs sounded throughout the classroom again. Harutora scratched his head helplessly, and the neighboring Natsume lowered her head, her shoulders shaking inadvertently. 
"Actually, dozing off during class has nothing to do with where you were born. It's a problem of attention, your attention is insufficient." 
"Ah, how cunning. Sensei was the one who mentioned the Tsuchimikado in the beginning! Also, I haven't been exposed to this field for very long, so I'm a bit disadvantageous, so sleeping during a class that I'm not familiar with is--" 
"Harutora-kun." 
"Yes." 
"We're in history class right now, not magic." 
"......Really?" 
Ohtomo grinned. 
"I got it, why don't you stand on one foot during class." 

Spiritual disasters - There were often spiritual disasters happening centered at Tokyo. Their origins came from the final phase of World War Two when Japan was nearing certain defeat. 
During the war, the Onmyou Bureau had reestablished at the request of the military, changing its name to the Onmyou Agency at the end of the war, and dealing with the spreading spiritual disasters using the newly constructed 'General Onmyoudou' system of magic. At the same time, they formulated Onmyoudou, actively regulating magic and related laws as well as applying strict guidelines. They used a qualification system for magic-users, cultivating and promoting new talent to create the professional practitioners of modern society. With this, the ravens soaring in the dark sky of Tokyo were born. 

"This is an insult!" Natsume resented the injustice, waving her fist and scolding loudly. "Acting like that is degrading the Tsuchimikado family's fame. Listen, Harutora. You transferred into the Onmyou Academy half a year late, so you should be working harder than the other students, not sleeping during class! And what kind of bad excuse did you think up? Can you even consider yourself a Tsuchimikado family member like that?" 
"......Ugh." 
Natsume's face flushed red with anger, and Harutora, who had stood on one foot for the entire class, was stiff-faced from exhaustion. 
The morning class had ended and it was currently lunchtime. Harutora and the others weren't in the classroom, but rather the emergency stairwell in the back of the academy building instead. 
When Natsume, who was concerned about outside perceptions, wanted to scold Harutora, she would usually bring him here. Because she had to look up at him if they were standing, she made Harutora sit on the stairs, constantly griping about him. 
Even if Harutora and Natsume were both first-year Onmyou Academy students and even if they were both born to the Tsuchimikado family, the positions of the two were greatly different. 
Harutora had been born in the Tsuchimikado branch family, and he didn't have the spirit-seeing ability, nor could he sense aura. Before this summer, he had studied at a normal high school, passing a mundane high school life. Of course, he had almost no specialized knowledge related to Onmyoudou, and he accepted himself as a dunce among the Onmyou Academy, which was a gathering of national elites. 
On the other hand, Natsume had been born to the famous Tsuchimikado main family, showing excellent ability since she had been small and receiving various trainings. She had already been chosen as the Tsuchimikado family's next heir, and her grades at the Onmyou Academy were also outstanding. She was an amazing genius not only to the students, but also in the eyes of the teachers. 
It was because of this that her blood-related childhood friend being behind made her unusually annoyed. 
"What's more, this is all because you're too lax. Onmyoudou is competitive, so you'll be left behind quickly if you still think you're a normal high school student!" 
"......I was left way behind a long time ago, and also my high school grades were never passing either." 
"Even more of a reason why you can't lose in momentum! Since you're incurably stupid, at least be up front about it!" 
"......Are you encouraging me, or insulting me?" 
Natsume's tone was indignant, loudly haranguing the troubled Harutora. Her callous attitude in the classroom was like a deliberate act, as she was actually extremely shy and introverted. 
"......But, Natsume, you don't have to be that mad, right? I'm the one who has to stand up in shame when Sensei gets mad, right?" Harutora spoke tiredly. 
Natsume's eyes narrowed as soon as she heard that. "I know what you want to say." Harutora immediately and hastily reached his hand out to hold back her words. "Anyway, it's the same old 'as a Tsuchimikado family member', right? But, it's no use to bring out past fame to pressure people now." 
"Could it be that you plan on giving up?" 
"Look at reality. Normal people don't even know the name 'Tsuchimikado', and your strict attitude just increases my troubles." Harutora resisted tenaciously. 
Actually, though Abe no Seimei was widely renowned, very few normal people knew of the existence of his descendants, the Tsuchimikado family. Even if they had been a prominent Onmyoudou family in the past, this name was only spotlighted inside the 'industry'. 
However, Natsume showed a cold gaze, staring at Harutora. 
"......Even so, everyone here thinks that 'Harutora is being stupid again, what a Tsuchimikado - pff'." 
"Let them laugh if they want! Anyway, that's also a fact!" 
"Don't say such shameful things so straightforwardly! Don't you feel embarrassed?" 
"Didn't I say just now! It has nothing to do with you!" 
When Harutora retorted with this, Natsume's face suddenly went dark, speaking with a firm tone. "No, of course it's related. You're my shikigami, so even if I put the Tsuchimikado family to the side, my troubles will increase if you don't work hard, considering my own reputation. No, you have to work hard!" After saying that, Natsume puffed out her chest proudly, her childish attitude making Harutora show a worried expression and look up at his master. 
Shikigami. 
In other words, the 'familiars' controlled by Onmyouji, originally referring to a spiritual existence but in a broad sense it means a type of magic, referring to all 'individual that serves' Onmyouji. 
The Tsuchimikado family tradition put forth that the branch family had to become a shikigami to serve the main family. Harutora had complied with the family tradition, becoming Natsume's shikigami. 
"The master has the duty to teach the shikigami! I have a duty to make Harutora into an Onmyouji that can stand alone!" 
"......So annoying......" 
Harutora rested his hand on his knee, putting his chin in his palm. Underneath the fingers over his chin - under Harutora's left eye - was a pentagram that seemed like a tattoo, the Tsuchimikado family's 'star mark' family crest. It was the mark branded on Harutora when he had become Natsume's shikigami. 
"Anyway, I forbid you from continuing to shame yourself! Get serious! Understood?" 
"Y, Yes......" 
Once Natsume spoke about 'master and shikigami', continuing to debate was just a waste of breath. Harutora could only reply honestly because of his past lessons. 
"Haah, I miss my normal high school life." 
Harutora muttered a complaint to voice his annoyance and then sighed, looking up at the ceiling. 
This summer, Harutora had left his normal high school, coming to Tokyo and transferring into the Onmyou Academy. Though he had been affected by many factors, it had been a giant, sudden change after all, and hence even if he had gradually become used to the academy life, he still often doubted his current situation, unable to believe that it was reality. 
What's more, he hadn't contacted his past high school classmates for a long time now. What were they doing right now? Were they still living the same unchanging life after he left...... 
Just then, "......Huh?" Her wordless gaze caught Harutora's attention and he turned towards Natsume again. Natsume's momentum from earlier was no longer visible, and her expression seemed unusually weak. 
"Wh, What's wrong?" Harutora was taken aback, hastily asking. Natsume replied faintly: "No, it's nothing......", restlessly lowering her head. Then, she looked up at Harutora. 
"......Do you still like your school from before more?" 
"Huh?" 
"......Do you regret becoming my shikigami, did you not want to enter this place?" 
Natsume gingerly observed Harutora's reaction. She pretended to be calm on the outside, but her expression and words gave away her anxiety. 
Harutora didn't know how to respond for a while. 
Just then, "So you really were here." A deep voice came from the top of the emergency stairwell, making the two of them panic for a moment. 
The one who appeared in the top of the emergency stairwell was a boy with a cold, sharp expression. He wore his black uniform untidily, using a bandanna to tie up his hair. His body was slim and his casual dress quite fit his personal style. 
That person was their classmate, Ato Touji. 
"Is the lecture time over......" Touji sized up the pair's appearance, noticing that a strange, tense atmosphere floated in midair and raising one eyebrow. "......Oh." 
"What is it, Touji? Do you need something?" 
"It's nothing, I'll talk about it later." 
"Wait, go ahead, that attitude is a bit unnatural! Say it if you need something, we're already done talking!" Harutora frantically called out to stop Touji. Touji smiled shallowly, slowly stopping his feet. 
Touji was Harutora's classmate from when he was still studying in a normal high school. He was the same as Harutora, transferring into the Onmyou Academy with the identity of a normal person. He and Harutora had been buddies since high school - actually, they were something closer to comrades. Hence, he also had a close relationship with Natsume. 
"Wh, What is it, Touji?" Natsume also asked with a bit of hesitation. 
Touji asked casually after hearing that: "Natsume, was today's lecture the same as always, teaching Harutora about how to be a shikigami?" 
"I, I guess so." 
"That's perfect. Harutora, now it's your turn to lecture." 
After hearing Touji's hinting remark, Natsume furrowed her eyebrows and Harutora was stunned. But, Harutora quickly guessed what was going on, momentarily becoming apprehensive. 
"Kon? Are you still here?" 
He looked left and right, calling out to his surroundings. However, no matter how he called out, no one responded. Natsume was shocked by the change in situation, looking up at Touji in dismay. 
"......Could it be that Kon got into some trouble?" 
"The homeroom teacher called for Harutora. He wants you to do something about that loyal shikigami." Touji grinned as he spoke. 

The loyal shikigami was caught in a net, struggling to try to free herself in the center of the faculty office. Once she saw Harutora's dejected face, her bright blue eyes immediately widened, her porcelain-like white skin flushing red from shame. "H-H-H, Harutora-sama......!" 
This shikigami was a small girl, and she was even a young girl who might be younger than an elementary schooler - she was actually a little girl. With her lustrous, neat, short hair and the suikan and hakama that she wore, her outer appearance looked extremely like that of a Japanese doll. In addition, there was a pair of randomly twitching animal ears on her head, with a leaf-shaped fluffy tail growing out of her waist. In addition, she brandished a wakizashi in her hand, so anyone could see that she wasn't an ordinary girl at first glance. 
She wasn't a human, but a true shikigami - those words weren't a figure of speech, as she was a true shikigami as a spirit, Harutora's defensive shikigami, Kon. 
"......What are you doing...... Uh, oh god, I can probably imagine......" 
Kon shrank her body, kneeling inside the net. 
His homeroom teacher Ohtomo frowned behind the girl, sitting on a chair. He had a towel on his head and the shoulders of his suit were drenched. On the table was a large, visibly cracked cup of tea. 
"This little one took advantage of when I was drinking tea to attack. This is the first time I was assaulted by a student while resting in the office." Ohtomo spoke aggravatedly. 
"......Sorry......" 
Harutora apologized prudently, casting an overwhelmed gaze at Kon. 
"Really...... Did you go try to take 'revenge' by yourself again?" 
"I, I should be put to death--" 
"Since you're sorry for it, why don't you change those reckless actions." 
"Yes, I was very close to--" 
"Don't get the important point wrong!" 
Harutora narrowed his eyes and Kon's ears drooped listlessly like a dog that had been kicked away. 
Kon had originally been a fox spirit, a shikigami serving the Tsuchimikado branch family. Because Harutora was her current master, she offered him her loyalty like a faithful dog to its master. 
The problem was that she often caused quite a few incidents because of her excessive loyalty. She had only come to take revenge this time because Ohtomo had shamed Harutora in the classroom. 
"How many times have I told you, you can't be reckless in school. Also, even though you're thinking of me, every time you act impulsively it ends up making even more trouble." 
"......I-I, I had no such intention......" 
"Even if you didn't mean to, the end result is the same. H, Hurry up and apologize to sensei." 
"......Forgive me......" 
Kon didn't continue resisting when Harutora scolded her, obediently apologizing politely towards Ohtomo. The courage that she had assaulted the teacher's office with vanished without a trace once she encountered Harutora, and she even spoke tersely and in a stammer. 
Ohtomo sighed. 
"Please take care of her, Harutora-kun. If an ordinary person went through this kind of situation it would bring up huge trouble." 
"Uh, I'm really very sorry, I'll discipline her properly." 
"It's no use just to say that...... Kon-kun's the Tsuchimikado family's personal shikigami, and we can't use magic to deal with her however we want. We can only rely on you to control her actions by tightening the reins." Ohtomo spoke, his expression unusually serious. 
Kon belonged to the class of defensive shikigamis. Normally, she was always dematerialized and hiding her body to act as Harutora's guard. But, Harutora could never completely get a hold of her each and every move, often leading to her acting on her own like this. 
"But she's very good at stealth. I don't know where she goes as soon as she disappears." 
"Hey, she's your shikigami you know. You can't say those irresponsible things." 
"Yes......" 
Harutora replied helplessly, the gaze that he stared at the shikigami with slightly resentful. Kon kneeled on the ground, her body shrinking smaller and smaller. 
Even if they were dematerialized, it should be possible to observe the position of shikigami by using the spirit-seeing ability to 'see' aura. In the end, this could be called the basic ability possessed by all people who wanted to become Onmyouji. 
But, Harutora had only obtained the spirit-seeing ability from Natsume this summer, and his senses towards aura were far behind the other classmates in his class. 
"Sorry, Sensei, I'll be more careful in the future." Natsume volunteered herself, standing up. But-- 
"It's no use if you're careful." 
"Quiet, Touji." 
"......Busybody......" 
"Kon! What did you say!" 
"............" 
Natsume glared at Kon huffily and Kon immediately tossed her head, her big tail waving left and right as if she didn't care. 
"See, she doesn't listen to you at all." Touji spoke jokingly. 
Natsume was Kon's master's master, but this was Harutora's individual circumstance and she had no direct relationship with Kon. As could be seen by her assaulting a teacher alone, this shikigami was inexplicably arrogant towards people other than Harutora for some reason. 
Natsume glared at Kon and Kon turned her head in disdain. Touji happily enjoyed this scene, but Harutora's face was full of helplessness. 
Just then, Ohtomo seemed like he suddenly thought up some idea. He grinned, his expression quite strange. 
"How about this. I'll let Harutora-kun undergo some training for Kon-kun's sake." 

"......So that's why sensei stuck that simple shikigami on your head?" 
"Right, he wants me to look after this thing and keep it from escaping." Harutora replied, moving his gaze up irritatedly, but however he tried to look up, he couldn't see it. This had nothing to do with spirit-seeing ability because the 'thing' was sitting on his head. 
Ohtomo had put a frog on Harutora's head. Of course, this wasn't a real frog, just something that Ohtomo had made in the interim. 
"Harutora-kun is too unskilled at sensing aura. You have to continuously sense a shikigami's aura, and once it moves rashly, order it not to move. It will definitely obey your orders." Ohtomo explained, casually placing the frog on Harutora's head, then added gloatingly: "Once this shikigami gets one meter away from you, you'll be punished. I'll go to the classroom after school to take back the shikigami, so properly watch over it before then, and don't let it escape!" 
Hence, Harutora fell into the dilemma of taking class for the entire afternoon with a frog on his head. 
"This is pretty light, it doesn't fall off my head no matter how I move...... But it's really annoying." 
In addition, even he felt that this scene was ridiculously stupid. 
"It suits you, let me take a picture as a memory." 
After saying this, his classmate Kurahashi Kyouko laughed and shot a picture of Harutora's disagreeable appearance. She was also the first one who was dumbfounded and brought up the question. 
Her combed head of brown hair naturally drooped down. Her eyes were bright, her eyelashes long, and her lips pink. With her sweet, cute appearance and her beautiful, feminine body, no one would doubt it if she were called a model for a fashion magazine. 
"Natsume-kun really has it hard too. It's already tiring enough to have an idiot shikigami next to him, and he has to tend his shikigami's out-of-control shikigami too." 
Kyouko cast a sympathetic gaze at Natsume. Those words were heartfelt, with no intention of sarcasm, but to Harutora's ears, words without sarcasm were even harder on his ears. 
"This time I won't step in to intervene. After all, Harutora can also grow from learning." 
"That's awesome, Natsume-kun! And Harutora, stop thinking of yourself as an outsider and respond to Natsume-kun's wishes for once." 
"Don't talk about useless things." 
Harutora couldn't help but humph in disdain, since her attitude towards Natsume and her attitude towards him were two completely different types - though she was usually like this. 
Incidentally, the shikigami's shikigami Kon was currently still kneeling in the faculty office. On one hand, this was to keep her from running around and disturbing Harutora who was currently training, and on the other hand this was to make her properly think about what she had done. For the entire day today, she was not allowed to get near her master. Kon's face was teary and unwilling. Though she was pitiful, this was also her own fault. 
"Don't struggle so much, just endure it until school's over." 
"......You seem very happy, Touji." 
"My life's goal is happiness." 
"......What an enviable life." 
"Right, if you let this frog escape, what kind of 'punishment' will you get?" 
"I don't know, Sensei kept it a secret and refused to say." 
"Could it be that you'll stay behind to take after school tutoring? Or is it cleaning? Or could it be a shaved head - Pff!" 
"......You seem to be looking forward to it, Kurahashi." 
Harutora narrowed his eyes, glaring at Touji and Kyouko. 
Just then, Touji suddenly opened his mouth. 
"I think it's probably about time to learn what kind of punishment there is." 
"Why?" His good friend's words made Harutora ask back in incomprehension, but Natsume's eyes widened instantly. "Harutora! The frog--" 
"Huh? ......Ah!" 
He frantically felt his head. It was gone, where had that frog gone - just as he hastily searched for aura-- 
"...Ribbit." 
Three desks away, a green frog was croaking loudly. Its distance to Harutora was a bit more than one meter. 
Once Harutora noticed, "...Puah!" Water immediately splashed onto his head, drenching his entire face, the freezing water even spraying onto his shoulders. "Th, That damn evil teacher......!" Harutora muttered a curse, his bangs stuck to his forehead. 
About a cup of water suddenly poured from the sky, about as much water as had been poured on Ohtomo. 

"...Ribbit." 
"So cold!" 
"...Ribbit." 
"Puah!" 
"...Ribbit." 
"M-My nose!" 'Cough cough' 
Harutora's ordeal didn't end after the afternoon classes started. His upper half was drenched, and his entire uniform was wet. 
"......I can't stand this! Step it up, Harutora. Sensei has been staring this way since a while ago." Natsume who sat next to him warned quietly. 
"I can't do anything about it. This stupid frog takes the chance to jump around as soon as I look away for a bit." 
"It'll be fine if you focus a bit." 
"Even if you say that...... Damn, I could do something if only it stayed in a place I could see." 
This frog seemed to be an extremely clever shikigami, even harder to catch than Kon. Maybe he was over thinking it, but the frog's croaking sounded more and more like mocking to Harutora's ears. Even if he couldn't see the frog's expression, it seemed like it would cast a contemptuous gaze towards him before it croaked every time. 
"You're just imagining it - Hey, Sensei's looking again! Focus on class." 
"That's impossible, I can't even focus on dealing with the frog." 
The frog's aura was extremely weak, so it was hard to catch even if he focused his entire attention. In addition, though this was to train his spirit-seeing ability, focusing his entire attention on the frog would lead to being unable to focus on class, so this training wouldn't have much meaning. 
"......Alright." Natsume spoke quietly. "Since it's a simple shikigami, it should obey practitioners' orders. Harutora, why don't you keep silently chanting 'don't move' to yourself." 
"U, Understood. Don't move......Don't move......Don't move......Don't move......" 
Harutora immediately listened to Natsume's proposal. Every time he said 'don't move', the frog's body would tremble and stop moving. 
Just as Ohtomo had said at the start, the frog would go motionless as soon as he ordered. He even felt as if the frog on his head was clicking its tongue like it was cursing about being caught. 
"......Don't move......Don't move...... - Ohh, It's really not moving! That move is really effective!" 
"Harutora, your voice, you're talking out loud!" 
Harutora verbally gave orders for it not to move while using his finger to try touching the frog on his head. The frog twisted its body in dislike, but could only faithfully follow orders. 
Harutora dropped his eyes, snickering. 
"Very good. It looks like lasting until school ends won't be a problem like this." 
"That goes against the meaning of the training, but I guess you can focus on class a bit--" 
"Hehe, don't move~......Don't move, don't move...... Stupid frog, stupid frog...... Don't move!" 
"Didn't I tell you not to speak out loud!" 
As the two of them spoke quietly, "Tsuchimikado!" The teacher's angry roar sounded through the entire classroom. "Yes." The two who both had the same last name stood up in unison, and faint snickers could be heard in the classroom. The two's faces flushed inadvertently. 
The moment both of their faces simultaneously stiffened-- 
"Pfah!" 
"Uwah!" 
Water poured on Harutora's - and Natsume's - head, and the amount wasn't just a cup, it was like an entire bucket of water. 
"...Ribbit ribbit." 
The classroom was dumbfounded and silent as the frog sitting on a distant table croaked happily. 

"That was too shameful!" 
After school let out, Natsume immediately couldn't hold back her anger, flying out of the classroom. 
She had forced herself to endure it during class, but endurance had its limits. Her eyes seemed teary, but he hoped he was only over thinking things...... 
"......Honestly, I didn't expect that your aura senses wouldn't just be ordinarily bad." Kyouko shot him a disdainful look, speaking mercilessly. 
The desks and even the floor around Harutora were covered in water. Next to Kyouko, the glasses-wearing, pretty-faced male student looked at Harutora with a face of pity. 
"It's really a disaster, Harutora-kun. Ohtomo-sensei really gave you a weird training." 
"Tch, he's a weird person - don't move - didn't everyone know that a long time ago - don't move." 
"But, to think a simple shikigami could do this kind of thing, it must have been made quite skillfully. Could its vessel have been made with water-element charms?" 
"Who knows - don't move - anyway, it's definitely a rotten shikigami - don't move." 
The male student who talked to him was his classmate Momoe Tenma, with a kind heart and a candid personality. He could be said to be a commendable, honest person among the Onmyou Academy filled with strange people. 
Actually, he wasn't the only person in the classroom looking at Harutora. There were also several other students watching the commotion in the distance, and probably quite a few of them were snickering to themselves: "This Tsuchimikado is really stupid - Pff." It was hard to fault Natsume for being unable to endure anymore and hastily running out of the classroom. 
"Now I just need to wait for Ohtomo-sensei to take this thing back - don't move - and once this thing turns back into its vessel, I'll definitely put that damned charm in the paper shredder - don't move!" Harutora cursed ferociously, water droplets dripping off his wet bangs. 
"You'd better pray that the teacher gets here quickly, that thing looks like it's about to burst." 
Touji spoke the truth. The frog that had been prohibited from moving had its cheeks swelled up like it was close to its limits of endurance. Though he couldn't see its expression like this, maybe the frog was swearing to itself that it would get revenge. 
"I know...... What is that bastard doing, he's so slow - don't move." As he said this, he stared at the classroom door, and the door just happened to open. Unfortunately, the person entering the room wasn't Ohtomo that he had been waiting for. 
"H-H-H, Harutora-sama, I, I apologize for making you wait--!" 
"Kon?" 
Kon charged into the classroom. The small shikigami leaped and bounded towards her master, sliding and kneeling on the ground. 
"I have acted wrongly and brought shame to H-H-Harutora-sama--!" 
"Uh, don't worry about it...... But why is it only you who came? What about Ohtomo-sensei?" 
"Yes, when the bell sounded, that person said 'Ahh, it's finally over.' and then walked out of the faculty office, his expression happy--" 
"Did he come this way?" 
"No, he seemed to say he was going to 'pachinko'--" 
"Did he forget?" 
This was far from good, but this kind of situation was often seen from Ohtomo. 
"What's wrong with it, being wet makes you look charming." Kyouko spoke teasingly. 
"What are you joking about, how can I go back to the dorm like this - don't move!" 
The frog jumped out once it saw there was an opportunity and Harutora hastily commanded it. Kon narrowed her eyes once she saw this, glaring suspiciously at the frog. 
"......Please allow me to deal with this shikigami, if H-H-Harutora-sama wishes......" 
"What? You can deal with it?" 
"Y, Yes...... Assailing enemies is my duty as Harutora-sama's retainer......" 
Kon was extremely respectful, a dangerous gleam momentarily flashing in her pair of bright blue eyes. The frog croaked once it saw this, its call sounding full of fear. 
"Th, That's great, go ahead, Kon! I allow you to slaughter this damn frog, it would be best if you didn't even leave a corpse - Oh, don't move, stupid frog!" 
"A-A-A, As you command......!" 
Harutora immediately ordered without a second thought. Kon nodded when she heard the order, drawing out her beloved blade. Since it had been a long time since she received her order, her young face momentarily radiated light. 
The frog called out shrilly, but of course Harutora didn't have any intention of forgiving it. 
"Don't move~ Alright, go!" 
"...Yes, hah!" 
Kon jumped on the table and then leaped upwards again, swinging the wakizashi in her hand with strength. 
However, her excessive investment easily led to a backfire. When she leaped off the slippery table, she immediately fell down hard. 
"--Iyah!" 
She turned a somersault in midair, crashing into the knee of Harutora who sat in his chair. The drawn wakizashi approached him and Harutora couldn't conceal his shock, somehow managing to stop the blade empty-handed, both hands tightly holding to the wakizashi with the tip one centimeter away from piercing between his eyebrows. 
"Th, That was close! You almost stabbed me to death!" 
"I-I-I-I-I should be put to death." 
Kon, whose body was toppled over his knee, was red-faced, her limbs hastily struggling. Every time her tail swung, it happened to hit Harutora's head. 
"......A useless master and a shikigami that's no good either." 
"......Haha." 
Kyouko and Tenma watched the battle from the side. First they were stunned, and only then did they smile wryly. However, Touji's response was different from theirs. 
"Kurahashi, Tenma, hurry up and get away from Harutora." 
He rapidly moved to the corner of the classroom, saying a warning to the pair who stood still blankly. 
The two made 'huh?' sounds simultaneously, and once they turned around, "Ribbit ribbit ribbit!" The frog that had taken the opportunity to escape its magic bindings croaked out loud. At the same time, a large quantity of water gushed forth with Harutora as the center, a flooding torrent like a ruptured swimming pool whose water had all fallen out at once. 
"Gah!" 
The water instantly engulfed Harutora and Kon, and Kyouko and Tenma by the side - and even the other students watching from afar - were unable to escape. 
"Tch! What exactly is going on!" 
"S-S, Save me--!" 
"Aah! Help!" 
"What the hell is this!" 
The torrent didn't stop flowing, flooding the classroom instantly and even swirling into a giant whirlpool that drew all of the students in, who bobbed with the waves. 
"--Puah!" 
Harutora desperately swam out of the surface, and Kon who had swallowed a belly full of water clung to his neck, limp and disoriented. 
"Wh, What's going on? What exactly is this!" Harutora grabbed on to a desk fixed into the ground. 
"Idiot! You know it's that frog without even having to think about it! Hurry up and think of something!" 
"I, Incredible! What kind of magic is this!" 
"Tenma, right now isn't the time to admire it!" 
With the hairstyle she had carefully set up destroyed, Kyouko struggled in the water, shouting at Harutora and Tenma. Of course, she wasn't the only one raging. 
"This is all your fault, right? Harutora!" 
"Bastard! Hurry up and think of a way to resolve this!" 
"Harutora-kun, I can't believe you!" 
"E, Even if you say that, I......!" 
The pouring water had no intent of subsiding, and not long after, it burst through the classroom door and flowed into the corridor. 
The screams of other victims outside the classroom arose. Actually, the situation had long since gone past the point of no return. 
"Harutora! The frog escaped!" Touji, who had jumped on a desk for shelter one step ahead of everyone, spoke up to warn Harutora. Looking carefully, a green dot was mixed in with the water flowing into the corridor. "Don't move!" Harutora hastily barked, however-- "It's no use, that thing can't hear it!" 
Once the frog left the classroom, the water finally began to retreat, but they couldn't leave the frog to run around wherever it pleased. 
"Kon! Get up! Go chase it!" 
He advanced over water, chasing behind the frog while forcefully pulling Kon and shaking her shoulders. 
"Uwah!" The shikigami finally awoke. "F, Forgive me, Harutora-sama. How could I allow you to be troubled with artificial respiration, since...... isn't it a k-k......" 
"Does your brain also have water damage? Don't think about nonsense, hurry up and chase the frog!" 
"Don't run, Harutora! You think you can escape after causing such huge trouble?" 
"I'm not escaping, I'm chasing the frog! Also, this isn't my mistake!" 
"Hey, Harutora's running away!" 
"Don't run, Harutora!" 
"You've got the wrong target!" 
Harutora shouted behind him. Just then, the magically created torrent ferociously counterattacked, rushing forth while ignoring gravity and catching Harutora, hauling him into the torrent. Kon managed to jump into midair, evading disaster, but Harutora didn't resist in time at all. 
"H, H-H, Harutora-sama!" 
"Gah......!" 
Damn, Harutora thought, he was submerged in the water again. 
After the torrent dragged Harutora in, it accelerated again. Though the directions of the flows couldn't be predicted, the entire group seemed to be moving with gravity, or in other words, it was very likely that this torrent would flow into - the room underneath! 

"......Hah." 
Natsume had finally calmed down after taking a hot shower and drying her long hair with a hairdryer. 
There was a magic practice field underneath the academy building, a floor that was dedicated to the use of magical technique practical training. There were several shower stalls inside it, which could be used to wash away sweat, as well as a changing room where clothes could be changed. 
Fortunately, there was no one in this place using these facilities. Natsume walked out of the shower stall with a towel wrapped around her, returning to the changing room. 
She silently blew herself dry for a long time, getting madder and madder. 
Why had she ended up in this kind of tragic situation? Why was that childhood friend always so lax and carefree? Couldn't he be a bit serious and show some mettle for facing magic properly? She could give him quite a few suggestions about that. 
When her thoughts reached that point, the anger in her heart turned into sighs, the sighs turned into a worrisome, melancholy lamentation. 
The scene from noon passed through her mind. 
Harutora originally hadn't intended to be an Onmyouji. He had only transferred into the Onmyou Academy because several things happened, joining her who had been set on becoming an Onmyouji since birth, and whose thinking and even lifestyle were vastly different. 
When Harutora had decided to become her shikigami, Natsume had almost cried in joy. But, he had said words like 'that nostalgic ordinary high school life'. 
"......Harutora, you idiot......" She muttered her complaints. 
Just then, sound came from the outside of the changing room. 
The sound of water? And...... screams? 
She remembered that she was only wrapped in a towel and hurriedly reached her hand towards her uniform, but unfortunately she wasn't able to put her clothes on in time. The sound of water became roaring thunder, ferociously bursting through the entrance to the changing room. 

Harutora thrashed in the water, advancing with the flow. He sped through the corridor, dropping through the stairwell, his body hitting the wall and bounding off the floor. The water choked his nose, filling his mouth. Then, a strong force violently pushed him from behind and he forcefully crashed into a door, the water pressure simultaneously crushing the door. Harutora's body rushed through the opened doorway along with the torrent. 
Once he rushed in-- 
"Order!" 
Magical energy burst forth along with a voice, blocking the mighty torrent - along with Harutora inside it - from continuing to advance. 
"Gah!" 
Harutora was crushed between the magical energy and the torrent, like a fish leaping out of the surface and then dropping heavily back into the water. He was going to die, he was definitely going to die if this went on. He thrashed his arms, kicking his legs, and finally grabbed on to something. 
The sensation was soft and not very sturdy, but the drowning Harutora held onto it like he had managed to catch floating driftwood, wrapping his arms right around it-- 
"Eek!" 
"......Huh?" 
He did his best to open his eyes, noticing that he was currently on the floor of the changing room. Water was everywhere, the height at about his knees. Most of the water had been stopped at the entrance. 
What blocked the water was a charm fixed in midair. Magic. An earth-element charm of the five elements. 
Also-- 
In front of Harutora, he saw Natsume collapsed and lying on the floor with him. Natsume was naked, her dripping wet hair scattered over her dazzling white skin. Her undeveloped, small body depicted healthy and slim curves, and none other than his own two arms were wrapped around her waist. 
To make matters worse, his face was even buried in her chest, and a kind of soft, gentle sensation - though it couldn't be called a full feeling - came from his face. 
"N, Natsume? Why......!" 
"......!" 
Natsume's cheeks flushed red, and then-- 
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" 
She let out a shrill scream. 
The magic blocking the torrent immediately showed weakness and the water flowed into the changing room. 
"Uwah! Natsume, don't panic! Calm down a bit!" 
"Yaah! Aaah!" 
The water level immediately rose, and the flow became rapid, swirling into an eddy with a rumble and destroying the lockers on the walls one by one. 
"H-Harutora-kun, you beast! Pervert! Go die!" 
"I'll die if I let go right now!" 
Natsume wailed, violently flinging off Harutora's hands. With the practitioner's mind in disarray, the light that the charm gave off weakened accordingly. If this went on, the two of them would soon be swallowed by the torrent. 
...It won't be good if this goes on! 
Harutora desperately held on to the agitated Natsume. 
"Calm down, Natsume! If this goes on, people might come here soon! It might be teachers or students...... The fact that you're a girl might be exposed at any time, won't that destroy the main family tradition!" 
Harutora's remark finally made Natsume come to her senses, making her get a hold of herself. 
The branch family that Harutora belonged to obeyed the family tradition of 'becoming shikigami to serve the main family', and Natsume's main family tradition dictated that 'the heir must show himself as a male to outsiders'. Hence, Natsume was pretending to be a male and had entered the Onmyou Academy with the identity of a male student. 
"Right, my eyes, I'll close my eyes! Hurry up and think of some way to block this water!" 
"Uuuu......!" 
Natsume held back her sobs, raising her head with her tear-filled eyes and staring at the charm in midair. 
She had first used the charm to block the water from getting in, but it hadn't completely resolved the problem. The water rose from her waist to her chest, and Natsume moved back, sticking out her index and middle fingers and drawing a seal in midair. 
"Eliminate this chaotic water aura with earth! Earth conquers water, or--" 
The water had already rushed towards Natsume before she finished reciting the incantation. The water knocked a locker down from the walls, which approached Natsume like a giant tree crashing around in the rapids. 
Natsume noticed the danger and froze in place, not knowing what to do. 
"...Ugh!" 
"Harutora-kun!" 
Harutora leaped forward, grabbing Natsume. The locker hit his back, and the force of the collision made him dizzy from pain. 
"......Don't worry about me, Natsume, you need to focus......!" 
He spoke a warning, but unfortunately it was too late. Harutora getting hurt had flustered Natsume for a while, and the charm blocking the water collapsed at the same time. 
As the torrent burst forth, the changing room momentarily became a sea, engulfing the pair in seconds and hauling them into an eddy. 
The two of them bobbed up and down in the water, the water pushing down on them as it poured from all directions. A large amount of bubbles came from Natsume's mouth as the force of the flow continued unabated. Harutora managed to pull Natsume into his arms. 
If this went on, the two of them would drown, but they couldn't chant incantations in the water. 
...What should I do? 
Harutora gritted his teeth. Just then, something flashed before his eyes. 
The charm Natsume had just used. 
The charm gave off a weak light, the magic not yet completely dissipated. 
"...Ugh!" 
Harutora forcefully stretched out his arm. 
In the realm of Onmyoudou, his power was about as much as an outsider, his spirit-seeing ability was poor, and he was ignorant of magic. However, his spiritual power was exceptionally strong - and definitely didn't lose to Natsume's. 
Though he was unable to imitate Natsume and use the same charm magic that she had-- 
Harutora was also a member of the branch family. 
...Now! 
He grasped the charm tightly, focusing his spiritual power. His willpower refined his spiritual power and turned it into magical energy, flowing into the charm. In order to compensate for his lack of technique, he raised the magical power, forcibly activating the magic. 
"Order!" 
Natsume's magic was reborn. The charm gave off a strong radiance, and the flood receded immediately, vanishing like mist. 
The light split open the flow, air entering the water and covering Harutora and Natsume. The two of them momentarily lost their buoyancy, tumbling hard onto the ground. Another impact hit Harutora's back, but he never let go of Natsume. 
"Ugh...... N, Natsume?" 
"......Harutora-kun......" 
Natsume was lying on Harutora's body, coughing powerfully a few times while responding to his call. It seemed that she hadn't lost consciousness. 
The two of them sprawled out on the floor, catching their disordered breath. The realistic flood in front of them was dematerializing, disappearing like a mirage. 
"......Ribbit." A frog fell in front of Harutora and Natsume. 
"Ah." The two of them simultaneously exclaimed. 
"...Hmph." With a smacking sound, a small hand flattened the frog. 
Harutora and Natsume were stunned, too late to react. Kon, who had rushed to the scene, harrumphed, snorting her nose majestically. 

"......I, Is it over?" 
Harutora murmured in shock, hastily letting go of Natsume. His face was red and he avoided looking at Natsume. 
"N, Natsume. Even though the clothes aren't dry yet, you should probably wear them first......" 
He stood up and took off his outer jacket, hastily wringing it out and offering it to Natsume. Natsume silently accepted it. 
"S, Sorry...... for just now." 
"......Don't mention it again." 
His childhood friend replied like she was mad and also like she felt that it was helpless. Harutora finally eased up when he heard that she had already gotten a hold of herself. 
"Kon, you helped out a lot, well done." 
"I, It was nothing...... Things would not have become like this if I had defeated with in one strike in the classroom......" 
"That's true, but you saved us in the end...... I thought that I would definitely drown in that flood." 
The sound of Natsume putting clothes on came from behind him. Harutora laughed dryly, desperately averting his attention. 
The aftermath of the flood was very disastrous. 
The torrent had disappeared, but the destroyed entrance and lockers hadn't been restored to their original state. The area looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane, and the fake smile on Harutora's face became stiffer and stiffer. 
"Magic is really scary. I really miss my peaceful high school life, haha......" Harutora muttered with a face of helplessness. 
When Harutora said this, the movements from behind his back stopped momentarily, and one could hear someone gasp lightly. Of course, that change didn't draw Harutora's attention. 
"H-H-Harutora-sama? Do you prefer your past life?" Kon couldn't help but ask, and the presence behind Harutora's back showed tension again. 
Harutora smiled lightly. 
"It's meaningless to compare those kinds of things. Even if I was affected by my birth and family traditions, I decided myself to enter the Onmyou Academy." He spoke extremely naturally, without hesitation or pretenses. "In the end, this is the road I chose, and I'll keep going no matter how hard it is." 
Kon relaxed her breath, and the other person behind Harutora also sighed in relief. 
"......Harutora-kun." 
Harutora finally turned around when he heard his name being called. 
Natsume's head was lowered and her face was red. 
Because their sizes were different, Harutora's uniform almost reached to Natsume's knees, but her pair of beautiful legs was visible at a glance. Her glossy hair was dripping wet and her shoulders were huddled together. Harutora's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. 
"......Sorry, I said some impolite things before......" Natsume spoke, her voice a whisper. 
"Wh, What are you talking about, I, uh, though it was an emergency, uh......" 
He hadn't seen his childhood friend show her 'true' side for a long time. In particular, even if she was wearing clothes, he had just seen what she looked like underneath. 
Natsume kept her head lowered, but actually Harutora was also the same. He didn't dare raise his head and look carefully at her, and he didn't even notice Kon pouting huffily next to him. 
Just as he was thinking of these things-- 
"Uh...... H, Harutora-kun." 
"Wh, What is it?" 
"......I, I'll let that matter pass......" 
Harutora's face instantly reddened, and Natsume's face flushed further when she saw that. 
"Uh, but, it's good!" 
"......Huh?" 
"I originally thought you would have to bind your chest with something to be able to hide it, b-but it looks like there's no need...... Aha, ahaha......" 
With the widespread tense, silent atmosphere, Harutora didn't get what he had just said as he laughed stupidly. The loyal Kon also widened her bright blue eyes in shock, seeming to find it hard to believe that the man in front of her had dared say this. 
Natsume stood still in shock for a while, then her shoulders started inadvertently shaking. 
"Harutora, you......" 
"What?" 
"Huge idiot!" 
Natsume roared angrily, and a forceful slap resounded in the changing room. 

Ohtomo-sensei's wages were garnished for three months. 
The next day, Harutora was punished by having to stand on one foot during class for the entire day.