Part 2
Heat and noise filled the gaps of the jumbled Shibuya district.
The road gave off heat as if it had lost to the radiating sunlight. The air was filled with exhaust and the cry of cicadas sounded from somewhere. Also, there was an endless flow of people.
The people that walked on the road had all changed to light clothing to match the summer season. They stopped in the stores with air conditioning or in dark shade, temporarily cooling off.
"......It's been a long time since I wore the Onmyou Academy uniform."
Harutora muttered.
"How could we wear that kind of uniform in the summer."
"......Yeah."
Touji, who walked next to Harutora, nodded agreement upon hearing Harutora's personal thoughts. The Onmyou Academy uniform was modeled after court clothing, and they had a very strange design. Though they were less stuffy than they looked like and comfortable when actually worn, the male uniform was the color of crow feathers - a black with a bit of a blue - so no matter what, it would feel hot. Touji also had a bandanna tied around his forehead, making it even hotter. But he looked better than Harutora on the outside, the reason probably being a problem of their individual tolerances.
Natsume, who followed behind Harutora, also wore the same clothing as the two of them, but she didn't seem hot. Her black hair, tied with a pink ribbon, gave off a cool impression instead.
But to her, she didn't have the leisure to worry about the temperature in the first place.
As they walked on the road to the Onmyou Academy, the number of figures wearing academy student uniforms increased the closer they got to the academy building. At the same time, the number of gazes shooting towards Natsume became more than before.
Some exclaimed "Ah". Some whispered secretly. Some constantly peeked over towards them.
"......Looks like..."
Touji showed a fearless smile, watching the reactions of the students passing by.
"Or maybe I should say that, as expected, word of 'Natsume's matter' seems to have gotten around."
"......"
Harutora pursed his mouth as he listened to his good friend's sarcastic words.
He glanced back, checking on Natsume.
Natsume wasn't cowed by the curious gazes looking at her, or at least she was maintaining calm on the outside. But she looked a bit paler than usual, or maybe that was just Harutora's mistake.
The Mystical Crime Investigation Division's sweeping operation against the Twin-Horned Syndicate had left huge scars inside and outside the Onmyou Agency.
At the end of this operation, an unexpected chain reaction of spiritual disasters had been brought forth in the Exorcist Bureau Meguro branch. At the time, the Onmyou Academy had been out of use because of Ashiya Doman's attack, and the students had been borrowing the Meguro branch location for classes. Of course, that was true of Harutora and the others as well.
Moreover, it hadn't just been spiritual disasters attacking Harutora and the others. The Divine General Kagami Reiji's servant shikigami Shaver had been present and had ended up going out of control upon being submerged in high-density miasma. He had raised his blade at Natsume, who he originally should have been protecting.
The fight with the out-of-control Shaver could be described as a desperate battle.
During the battle, Natsume's true identity - the fact that she was actually a female posing as a male while attending the Onmyou Academy - had been revealed.
"Natsume had a lot of attention inside the academy in the first place. The rumor that 'she's actually a girl' really spread instantly."
Touji chatted while shooting a cold gaze at the students who stared at Natsume. The students who felt Touji's gaze turned their heads in a panic, quickly walking away.
In the end, because of the spiritual disaster and Shaver's rampage, the Meguro branch had fallen into a half-destroyed state, and of course they couldn't continue borrowing the bureau building. The Onmyou Academy had helplessly decided to halt classes and let the students return home.
Yesterday, they had finally received notice that the academy building repairs were complete.
"Really...... I thought everyone was waiting at home. Why do even people who weren't there at the time know?"
"Nowadays, the spread of information is completely unrelated to your location. That's the same for students in the dorm, too."
Harutora went silent again after hearing Touji's words.
The last incident had carried huge effects, and the confusion among the personnel still hadn't completely stabilized. Hence, Natsume's punishment for falsifying her gender hadn't been decided, and it would be delayed.
But it was good that Natsume hadn't been kicked out of the male dorm immediately. The male dorm's female manager had been extremely shocked when she learned of this matter and had fallen into a panic, but she had decided herself that until the Onmyou Academy decided on an official punishment, she would still 'formally' treat Natsume as a male student. On the other hand, she had taken care of all the finer details like setting aside a dedicated time for bathing. Thanks to her, things had gone smoothly for Natsume after that incident without her having to change her living habits.
But the reactions of the dorm residents were greatly different. Perhaps this was natural, as the friend that had been male up until yesterday had suddenly became female. Since she had Harutora and Touji as guards and because Natsume's power had long since been a topic of conversation, no one came to confront her. However, it seemed that they lost their past candid interactions with her and watched from afar, holding their grudges.
"Maybe all of the students know, but the teachers don't - that's possible."
"That would be troublesome in its own way too. But the principal's definitely heard, right? From Kyouko--"
Harutora closed his mouth. Touji also noticed and didn't continue speaking.
Principal Kurahashi was Kyouko's grandmother. It was logical that she had learned about Natsume from Kyouko's mouth...... but it wasn't certain. Kyouko had received the greatest shock after learning about Natsume's true gender. It was doubtful whether she would talk about this incident, even to her grandmother.
"......This is terrible. We shouldn't need to announce it ourselves...... right?"
"Well, for now, let's stay silent. As long as no one asks, isn't it fine for us to maintain this situation for now?"
His good friend responded to Harutora's worries. Touji was in a relaxed position that wasn't directly related, so that was why he could objectively make such a proposal. Harutora replied with a grunt.
Just then,
"H-Harutora-kun! Touji-kun!"
"......Hah, a gloomy expression just like I imagined."
A male student walked towards them from the direction of the academy building, with a female student following behind him. Seeing his face for the first time in a while made Harutora's expression relax.
"Yo, Tenma! Suzuka's with you too, huh. It feels like I haven't seen you for a long, long time."
"Hah, you can talk. Weren't you texting me all the time while I was waiting at home?"
"...What are you saying, weren't you waiting anxiously for Harutora-kun and the others by yourself even before I got here?"
"Hey! Glasses! Don't go making up whatever delusions you want! I wasn't waiting at all, I just got here!"
Tenma's friendly words made Suzuka glare in a panic. The knot in Harutora's heart seemed to alleviate slightly upon seeing the unchanging attitudes of the two of them.
"You two, what did you do when you were waiting?"
"Nothing special. I studied by myself at home."
"The Mystical Investigators had me go over a lot for their investigation. But......"
Suzuka thought for a while and then didn't continue speaking. "But?" Touji urged her to go on with a sharp look.
"......I'm not too sure, but the situation was different from before. They were a bit unstable."
"That kind of incident happened after all, so isn't it reasonable?
"The investigation was several days after the incident happened. ......Although I'm not too sure, it seems that the Mystical Investigators have their own business."
Suzuka's ponytails swayed as she shrugged her shoulders. Though Suzuka was one of the Twelve Divine Generals, her strength was currently being sealed and she was under the Mystical Investigators' supervision, so she couldn't get ahold of any information from inside the Onmyou Agency.
Harutora replied back indifferently, but he suddenly noticed that the shrugging Suzuka held a rolled-up piece of paper in her hand.
"Suzuka? What are you holding?"
"Eh, well, this is......"
Suzuka quickly hid the paper in her hand behind her back, a bit panicked for some reason. Harutora, Touji, and Tenma all looked at Suzuka with suspicious gazes.
But,
"......Tenma-kun."
Natsume, who had been silently standing behind Harutora, spoke after seemingly making up her mind. Her voice showed unconcealable tension.
Tenma and Natsume looked at each other. "Morning." He replied back with an unyielding attitude.
"It must have been tough on you before. Are you still in the male dorm now? Are things alright? Everyone in the dorm knows, right?"
"Y, Yeah...... it's alright. But I'm a bit ostracized......"
"Ahaha, I know what you mean. Everyone's confused. Fortunately, nothing big happened. We'll see how the Onmyou Academy deals with it. If it's the principal, there shouldn't be a huge punishment."
"Tenma-kun......"
It wasn't stiff courtesy, he was still kindly worrying about her. Natsume was deeply relieved after seeing his attitude. "Thanks." Tenma showed an embarrassed smile. "You're overstating it."
But Natsume's actions weren't overstated. Until the incident a few days ago, Tenma hadn't known Natsume's true identity. He might not have treated Natsume any more kindly than the other students, and it would have been natural for him to get mad or hold a grudge. Tenma's character and heart could be seen from the fact that he treated Natsume naturally without revealing such attitudes.
"Uuu~ Tenma! Although I thought so before, you really are a good person!"
"Even Harutora-kun's talking like that. Can you not? This is very ordinary, right? I feel like I'm being taken for an idiot when you always praise me as being a good person......"
"No, no, Tenma. You're a rare good person far above the ordinary. They're already very few now, so be proud."
"Touji-kun too...... Hey, stop, it's so hot!"
Harutora and Touji draped themselves over Tenma's shoulders on either side, nodding their heads exaggeratedly. Tenma, sandwiched by the two of them, wrinkled up his face and frowned. Natsume giggled. At the same time, Suzuka looked at her merry male companions with a look saying she was staying out of this.
"Ah, but, right. Natsume... kun, can you still stay the same as before? How did you live in the academy before? Although you're also dressed as a male today."
"......I want to stay this way while the Onmyou Academy hasn't issued any punishment."
"Because of that 'family tradition'?"
"Yeah."
Natsume nodded.
The reason Natsume dressed as a male and hid her gender from the people around her was because of her main family's 'family tradition' that 'the one who inherits the Tsuchimikado family must show himself as a male to outsiders'. That was why the Tsuchimikado's next head Natsume entered the Onmyou Academy posing as a male. Though this 'family tradition' was not to be made public, she had told Tenma about it after the battle with Shaver.
Suzuka hmphed.
"Now that you mention it, it's such a strange 'family tradition', that even the Kurahashi branch family has no knowledge of it."
"You researched Yakou, so it's not strange that you know."
"Huh? I said so many times, my specialty is just Tsuchimikado Yakou's 'magic'. I have no interest at all in his family's traditions."
Suzuka tapped her shoulder with her paper from just before, replying annoyedly.
Suzuka knew of Natsume's true identity because she had seen Natsume dressed as a miko in the commotion one year ago. Though it had become rarer and rarer recently, she had often used that fact to threaten them when she had just learned Natsume was a female after entering the academy. She couldn't do such a thing anymore now.
Tenma seemed to be a bit concerned.
"But with this, won't Natsume end up breaking the family tradition? Will there be any punishment?"
"......I'm not sure."
"Eh? But your father should know already, right? About Natsume's gender being exposed already."
"Well......"
Natsume didn't reply immediately, meeting Harutora's gaze seemingly awkwardly. Harutora helplessly explained for her.
"Actually, she hasn't told her parents. They haven't said anything yet either."
"Eh? But the Meguro branch incident became big news. Your family didn't contact you?"
"Not at all. Natsume's mom already passed away, and her dad basically doesn't contact her. Right now they only meet about once a year...... Wait. Come to think of it, my family didn't contact me either. Really, there should be a limit to letting me do what I want."
"......I, I see. Could it be the Tsuchimikado family's style?"
Tenma was a bit dazed after hearing Harutora's explanation. Though their family had declined, it was still hard to imagine that the family that was once dominant over Onmyoudou would be like this.
"I think I would have to report to him first."
Natsume, feeling bad, spoke. Harutora didn't continue her words, tactfully chiming in, "She doesn't get along well with her dad." Tenma seemed to be a bit surprised, but he didn't say anything more about the family situation of others.
With a sarcastic tone, Touji said:
"If you don't tell him, you might be able to fool him until you graduate."
Harutora's group walked towards the familiar second-year classroom after entering the academy building and parting with Suzuka.
Looking around, the academy building had been completely restored to normal after the repairs. They had finally managed to return to their nostalgic school, but Harutora recalled the events of the first day after he had transferred into the Onmyou Academy.
The moment when he had walked into the classroom carrying feelings of tension and anxiety, a bit frightened because of the dignified air of the building. Even now, he still vividly remembered the curious looks and probing gazes he got after he was attached with the label of 'transfer student from the Tsuchimikado family'.
Unfamiliar faces had lined up in front of him. It was a new group of people.
In some sense, Natsume was also a new transfer student today. Her feelings right now were probably about the same as Harutora's from back then - no, they should be even more pronounced.
...Come to think of it, Kyouko and I first met on the day I transferred too.
At the start, Kyouko had treated Harutora as an enemy. But after that, they had gotten closer and closer and become friendly mutual companions. Could the same process repeat itself again?
...No.
It couldn't. But they could only try and take the plunge. Had their relationship with Kyouko weakened to the point where even this couldn't patch it up?
Thinking about these things, Harutora and the others walked into the classroom.
Class hadn't started yet. The classroom was noisy, and the clamor on the first day after class restarted even reached the corridor outside the room. Harutora unconsciously swallowed.
He held the door handle, looking back at Natsume. Natsume watched Harutora and nodded.
He opened the door.
Right when Harutora and the others walked into the room, the clamor quieted down like a receding tide.
They were all familiar faces. They faced classmates that they recognized, who held gazes so complex that they were hard to express in words.
The reactions of their classmates adequately expressed that they already knew Natsume's true gender. Moreover...... was it his imagination? None of the gazes cast towards Natsume seemed to hold such intentions.
Liar.
...Argh!
He couldn't keep enduring. Even if he made excuses, he had to say something. Harutora impulsively thought of stepping forward.
But his shoulder was grabbed by the person behind him.
It was Natsume. "Natsume?" She didn't respond to the stunned Harutora, nervously walking forward in place of Harutora instead.
She walked to the podium alone, her back straight. Needless to say, the students in the classroom all silently stared at Natsume. In that tense atmosphere, Natsume walked to the lectern, her black hair fluttering, and sternly faced her classmates.
Then, she stood tall.
She deeply bowed her head.
"......Natsume."
Faint gasps sounded throughout the classrooms, and the area went stiff.
This was the first time most of the students had seen the bowed head of Natsume, the Onmyou Academy's genius and the next head of the Tsuchimikado family.
Natsume didn't say anything at all. Since she couldn't break the 'tradition', she couldn't respond to her classmates' questions. So she didn't say a word and just bowed her head to admit her wrongdoing. She at least wanted to convey her apologies.
The silence still continued, but Natsume still didn't move at all, silently bowing her head. Harutora watched for a moment and finally couldn't take it anymore, walking towards the podium where Natsume was.
Just then.
"Tsuchimikado!"
A male student stood up from his seat and shouted. Harutora turned around, and Natsume unconsciously raised her head.
The male student who had rose continued speaking with a red face and a rough tone.
"Th-Thanks a lot for before! At the time - I was also in the Meguro branch training room. I probably would have died if you hadn't come. Really, thank you so much!"
"......Ah."
Natsume's eyes slightly widened. Harutora also recalled it. At the time, they had been pursued by Shaver and escaped into the training room. He was one of the students who had been taking refuge there.
Right afterwards,
"M-Me too!"
Several female students stood up.
"Me too, I was saved thanks to Natsume-kun and you guys. You're my saviors."
"W-Well...... But. It was because we escaped in there that you guys got involved......"
Natsume responded with a dazed tone.
The male student who had spoken up at the start smiled.
"We might not have been saved even if we stayed hidden. No matter how you look at it, it was all because of you guys that we ended up being rescued."
"Y-Yeah. Natsume-kun isn't at fault for anything. I'm very thankful!"
"......"
Natsume stood in place, dazed. Harutora gritted his teeth, seeming to have trouble holding back his tears.
The tense atmosphere was alleviated and the classroom became noisy again. Of course, there were some people who gave them cold or distasteful gazes. But at this moment, Harutora felt incomparably joyful that he had properly heard his classmates' thanks in front of everyone.
After all, it wasn't just companions around him. The time they spent together would influence both sides, even if it was a slow, gradual process. That was true for both their classmates as well as Natsume. Her first-year self would probably have a hard time doing such a thing towards her classmates even if her identity were exposed.
Heat welled up in the corner of Natsume's eyes.
"......Thank you."
She quietly said those words, her body trembling slightly.
But just then, the classroom door was opened again and a student walked in.
Natsume and Harutora instantly went completely stiff.
It was Kyouko.
"Kurahashi-san."
Tenma, who was the farthest back, greeted her, hastily allowing her through the space in front of the door.
Kyouko stopped upon seeing the situation inside the classroom, standing still as if petrified. Her eyes widened in her pale expression and she quivered slightly. It was understandable that her classmates shot her suspicious looks. Most people knew of the close relationship between her, Natsume, and the others, and they had fought together in that incident. But however, they had trouble understanding Natsume, Kyouko, and Harutora's current reactions.
"......Kurahashi-san."
Natsume greeted her as if struggling to, but also as if she were searching for support. A chill also ran through Kyouko as if she had come in contact with something cold.
"......"
Kyouko still averted her gaze with a stiff face. Natsume couldn't open her mouth anymore.
Harutora walked towards Kyouko.
"Kyouko, let me explain--"
But the stubborn Kyouko didn't pay Harutora any heed. She walked straight to her own seat.
Her classmates also lost their enthusiasm from before, starting to become noisy. Tenma looked back and forth uneasily, and Touji sighed.
He walked next to Harutora and clapped him on the shoulder.
"......Well, we'll talk about it later."
"......Ah."
Harutora nodded gloomily upon hearing his good friend's calm words.
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