Tokyo Ravens - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3 - Onmyouji, Visiting 
Part 1 
Not far from the main entrance of the Onmyou Academy building, which was a pair of automatic doors, was a low staircase continuing into a wide, tiled plaza. 
A high-class black sedan that appeared turned in to the plaza, silently stopping in front of the stairs. 
Not long after, 
The backseat door of the car opened and an old man slowly walked out, standing in the plaza. 
A kimono-wearing old man. 
His body was small and he held a staff. He wore a black mantle over his black clothes. Only his sunglasses were red as blood. His plumage-like hair ran towards the back of his head. 
He was probably quite old - he seemed more like a dead person or a mummy. His wrinkled face didn't have anything like an expression, and one would even suspect whether he was a live or not. 
The old man leisurely raised his head to look at the Onmyou Academy building. 
The building towering in the dim sky had been erected not too long ago. The outer surface was inlaid with black granite, and there were red embellishments placed everywhere to fill the exterior with an overall sense of enclosure. The modern style simultaneously showed a solemn impression like a temple's. 
If one used spirit-seeing to 'look', he would probably be able to notice that the building was completely covered by a magical defensive barrier. Though the barrier was invisible, it was extremely strong. Moreover, a suddenly-added new magic could be 'seen' on the ancient magic. It wasn't hard to surmise that someone had especially added it anticipating an enemy. 
"......Well then." 
The voice that came from the old man's dry, cracked lips was unexpectedly youthful. 
Instantly, the automatic doors at the entrance opened from the inside. 
It wasn't a person who walked out of the academy building, but rather a calico cat. 
The cat's tail was perfect straight. It walked out of the academy with dignity, arriving in front of the stairs and staring at the old man. 
The old man's strange figure was reflected in the cat's large eyes. 
"...It's been a long time, Priest Doman." 
The cat spoke. It was Principal Kurahashi's voice. This calico cat was a shikigami the principal used. 
The old man who had been referred to as Priest Doman - Ashiya Doman - gracefully greeted the cat. 
"The previous head of the Kurahashi family. Have we met before, if you say 'it's been a long time'?" 
"Yes, when I was a child." 
"I see. I remember now. You were the Kurahashi family miko by Yakou's side, right?" 
Doman nodded joyfully, but one could only realize his joyful feelings through the tone he spoke in. His expression didn't change a bit. 
"The little girl at that time became the current 'Kurahashi Stargazer', I see. Hoho. You truly cannot anticipate people's changes." 
"But," Doman continued to speak. 
"It must be said that it was because of Yakou, you know. I have grown old and believe I am able to identify talented people, but it's hard to read that person." 
"......That is why you want to witness the fates of different people." 
"Indeed. In line with the experience of a principal." 
Doman said this and then laughed 'ke, ke'. 
Even when he smiled, his face barely moved. His youthful, emotion-filled voice was a stark comparison with his corpse-like outer appearance. 
"...Priest." 
The Principal called out again. 
"If you agree with my opinion, please leave here. The academy is a school to nurture Onmyouji. So the students in the school are all people whose futures are worth the wait. I wish to avoid unnecessary chaos." 
The principal argued respectfully. 
In comparison, Doman smiled lightly again. 
"That's why it's interesting. My words may be a bit arrogant, but those who want to become Onmyouji could 'meet' existences like this old man face-to-face. Isn't it a valuable opportunity?" 
"You speak reason, but in the end they are fledgling chicks - they cannot accept the great wings of a master." 
"How regretful. Then I will leave after finishing my business, how is that?' 
"......What business?' 
"Do not feign ignorance. You've also heard, right? Yakou's 'Raven's Wing'. I want to borrow it." 
Doman calmly brought up his request. 
The cat's tail waved cautiously. 
"......I have indeed heard rumors of Priest wishing to borrow the 'Raven's Wing'. But I still do not know Priest's reasons. What business are you borrowing the 'Raven's Wing' for?" 
"Ah, to be honest, it's my shikigami's need, not mine." 
Doman spoke the truth without reservations. The cat's whiskers twitched in confusion after hearing. Doman said strangely, "We over here have various reasons", smiling. 
Then, the cat and Doman silently stared at each other. 
The corpse-like, all-black, stiff-bodied old man and the calico cat that confronted him. In some sense, it looked like a cat attentively gazing at an invisible dead spirit. 
But, this black-colored dead spirit wasn't from the underworld. He stood in the real world. 
"Priest, allow me to tell you. The 'Raven's Wing' is not in the Onmyou Academy right now." 
"Oh. Is that so?" 
"It is the truth." 
"Alright. I had originally planning on conducting an investigation myself." 
"Priest. Let me repeat again, there are only underage chicks inside. Your attempt is too unreasonable - no, it's too rude. Please leave immediately." 
The principal spoke with an ice-cold tone. 
That remark was enough to be considered heroic in front of a legendary Onmyouji. The cat kept its attention on Doman, its unyielding attitude giving off an awe-inspiring air inconsistent with a kitten. 

But, Doman wasn't moved at all. 
Ke, ke, ke. He laughed quietly. 
"......Well, 'Kurahashi Stargazer'. You were just a little girl when you were with Yakou. Even though you became famous as an astrologist afterwards, we never met again. You've grown, huh?" 
An unexpected question made the cat's ears sway lightly. 
"That is true. ......What of it?" 
"No, it's nothing. Your manner of speech is very strange. I could understand if you were someone without battle experience." 
"What does that mean?" 
This time it was the principal who asked back. Doman joyfully shrugged his shoulders. 
"At the least, the brats you're sheltering under you definitely wouldn't say the same things. In the world we live in, 'courtesy' indicates 'skill'." 
"Skill?" 
"Exactly. In the ancient past strength was produced from the association between man and god, but now it is from the association between man and man. 'Courtesy' is the skills, customs, and patterns emerged to make use of this strength. Of course, the rules of etiquette that you speak of have the same roots. Unfortunately, in my world, 'courtesy' is applied in its original form. Tragically, 'courtesy' unaccompanied by 'skill' is simply prattle. Or rather - rudeness." [8] 
Doman raised his staff with one hand. 
The cat's entire body tensed up. Doman laughed with a cackle. 
"This old man has no plans of being 'courteous'." 
Right as the words left his mouth, Doman swung the staff held before him behind his head. 
The front of the staff tapped the sedan stopped behind him - the cover of the trunk on the back of the car. 
The car instantly trembled and the cover of the trunk opened as if someone underneath had lifted it up. A black-colored torrent inside spewed out and burst out. 
"Ah!" 
The cat unconsciously retreated backwards. 
The cat's vision followed the flowing black torrent. It extended upwards like a rocket, the front of it already reaching a height where it could touch the academy building, then it scattered messily, beginning to spread into the surroundings. After the cat observed the truth behind the torrent, the fur bristled over its entire body. 
"Shikigami? This is all a shikigami?" 
Like a pillar formed by a giant group of insects, it continuously crept up from the ground. A frightful quantity and a frightful magical energy. 
On the other hand, Doman extended his staff again amidst the principal's shouts, announcing in a light tone. 
"You won't let me touch the fledglings? ......In the end, if they're chicks whose wings would be broken by an attack of this level, it's this old man's responsibility as a senpai to break them." 

 

"...He's come!" 
After receiving Principal Kurahashi's message, the former Exorcist teacher Fujiwara's face twitched. 
"......It really would have been better to cancel classes." 
Of course, last night they had considered the idea of cancelling the Onmyou Academy classes for today. But, rashly taking an unnatural action might draw 'D's attention instead, so in the end they hadn't done so. Considering the situation at the time, the probability that he appeared at the Onmyou Academy hadn't been high. 
In the end, that judgment had been mistaken, but the Onmyou Academy obviously had no plans of quietly acquiescing. 
Fujiwara received the message and immediately rushed to the staff room on the second floor of the building. 
To the surrounding teachers: 
"The information in the morning was true! Everyone, begin evacuating the students! The main entrance is unusable, have all the students escape to shelter through the back entrance!" 
The Onmyou Academy had already made a plan of action beforehand for when 'D' appeared in the academy. The safety of the students was the top priority, and hence even the teachers who didn't have class today had been summoned. 
Among them, the practical skills teachers had suspended the coursework originally scheduled for today, inspecting magical charms, tools, and equipment and preparing for the upcoming magic battle. 
"Immediately contact the Onmyou Agency and the Exorcist Bureau. The Onmyou Agency building seems to also have been attacked. They're probably a decoy. The Meguro branch squad should be able to come over immediately......!" 
There were Exorcist Bureau branches in Shinjuku and Meguro in addition to the headquarters. Fujiwara used his past network of contacts to mediate. Though most of the team members were deployed in the Onmyou Agency building in Akihabara, the lowest-ranked members were still left in the branches. 
They probably wouldn't be able to make it if they came from Akihabara. But the Shinjuku and Meguro branches should be able to make it, and then it was just a question of time. Exactly how long would the Onmyou Academy be able to hold out for? 
But, 
"Fujiwara! Outside!" 
A teacher near the window shouted. Fujiwara rushed out to the window and then stared blankly. A strange black monster was thrashing outside the window. 
"That man's shikigami......!" 
At the same time, the sound of a message rang out from his phone from the practical skills teacher who had been deployed at the back entrance beforehand to ensure safety. 
"There are too many! They've already gone around to the back entrance! Breaking through to evacuate from there will be difficult!" 
His colleague's report made Fujiwara clench his teeth. 
But, the enemy's shikigami hadn't entered the interior of the academy. No, it couldn't enter, because of the academy's barrier. 
When Principal Kurahashi had been formulating countermeasures, she had imagined 'D' as a National First-Class Onmyouji - even treating him like an Independent Exorcist. Actually, 'D's strength was unknown, but in any case, braking the barrier head-on would probably take quite a long time. 
"......Okay. Change to the plan for a siege. Bring the students underground immediately! Have them take shelter in the magic practice field!" 
The academy's barrier was extremely strong, but the barrier placed on the underground magic practice field was even more outstanding. It served as a safety area for when the inside of the academy suffered magical attacks, and its size was sufficient to fit all of the students. 
"Hurry! The enemy's attack is coming!" 
The teachers received Fujiwara's orders and sprinted out of the staff room one by one. 
Suddenly, 
"......Hold on. Have you received communication from Ohtomo-kun?" 
He asked a clerk who was sitting blankly in a chair, who immediately answered Fujiwara's question after suddenly being talked to. 
"No. O-Ohtomo-sensei hasn't come to the staff room yet today--" 
"......I see." 
Yesterday, Fujiwara and Ohtomo had learned via the principal the information that 'D' might attack today. Afterwards, Fujiwara had immediately summoned the teachers to formulate a plan for today with the practical skills teachers as the core. But Ohtomo had suddenly vanished and couldn't be contacted. The principal seemed to know the situation to some degree, but to Fujiwara, his whereabouts were still unclear. 
Fujiwara had heard that Ohtomo had originally been a Mystical Investigator, and he had seen his impressive power first-hand. In the current situation, he was an invaluable fighting power...... 
"......All we can do now is focus on dealing with what's in front of us." 
Fujiwara's face twitched and he left the staff room following the other teachers.