Tokyo Ravens - Volume 8 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4 - Revelation 
Part 1 
She had entered this cafe near Shibuya Station to pass the time until their meeting. But now it was already past the time of their meeting, yet Natsume still didn't dare walk out. She had received the messages that Harutora had arrived in Tokyo and Shibuya Station, and it had already been ten minutes since then. The more she checked, the more restless she got, and hence she didn't even dare look at the time. Even so, her heart was about to burst from tension. 
She walked into the bathroom again, which made enough times that she had lost count, and checked her appearance in the mirror. 
She had already gotten completely used to dressing in the Onmyou Academy uniform in half a year's time. The black male uniform. She was probably already quite practiced with male actions. 
But, no matter how familiar her normal life was, this was her first time appearing before Harutora with a male appearance. He had already heard about the 'family tradition' business, but what would he think when he actually saw her do this? Also, what attitude should she take towards him? Though she had already rehearsed it several times in her mind these past few days, she still hadn't found an answer now that the time came. Why was she so weak when it came to the crucial moment? 
But, Natsume wouldn't be this nervous if it were just wearing a male disguise. There was another problem. 
The pink ribbon tied to her black hair. 
"......" 
She stared at the ribbon in the mirror, and her originally throbbing heartbeat seemed to become even more intense. 
When Hokuto's shikigami charm - when the magic she had added to and reinforced with magic to constantly improve had been revealed, why hadn't she confessed Hokuto's true identity on the spot? She didn't need to explain the magic in detail, but why had she casually avoided explaining this important matter? It was no good for her to blame her past self, but she truly felt extreme regret when she faced her weakness and shamefulness from back then. She had indeed spent many sleepless nights troubled by her guilt. 
But...... 
She couldn't continue running away. 
This time, she would definitely make Harutora understand clearly. 
How would Harutora react? How would he see her, who had hidden herself in the shikigami? 
Maybe that would produce discord. It was possible that he would be mad or that she would be hated. How frightening. They had finally managed to mend the relationship between the two of them, and the possibility that it might be destroyed again frightened her so much that she trembled. 
But...... 
She really couldn't keep running away. Moreover, she couldn't escape anyway. 
Natsume slowly exhaled and inhaled, calming her mind with deep breaths. 
It would be fine to keep acting like Hokuto. She would be sincere and straightforward just like those times. 
So, Natsume finally made her decision and left her seat. She paid the bill and exited the cafe. She walked towards the station. She was about to arrive at the designated meeting place. 
It was the fateful moment she had anticipated, but Natsume still fearlessly advanced. 

 

According to the weather forecast, there was zero chance of precipitation that day, and the sunny day would last until the evening. 
It was a good day for a fireworks festival. 
"Wearing a yukata...... will be very embarrassing." 
"I, I guess. Since everyone's going together." 
The cafeteria of the Onmyou Academy male dorm. Because it was a holiday, there were no other students around. Harutora and Natsume passed the time alone, bored. 
The clock hung on the wall would be pointing to noon soon. The sun that shone through the window was almost to its zenith. Looking from the air-conditioned cafeteria out of the window felt as if the world had been painted pure white with light. 
"......But, that was really sudden. I never thought you would run off somewhere after school yesterday...... or that when you came back you would propose that we go to see fireworks the next day. What kind of development is that." 
Harutora sighed from his heart. To be honest, he had expected a tragic outcome. He never thought that it would be a fireworks festival. Perhaps this was what was called a miracle. 
But, though his words were those of complaint, Harutora's voice was extremely cheerful. In any case, Kyouko and Natsume had made up slightly after talking. This was probably the feeling of getting a weight off his mind. 
"I didn't think this would happen before I spoke with Kurahashi-san either." 
"What? Well after all, we didn't really see her for the whole day yesterday. I wonder what you talked about to make things become like this." 
"If you ask that...... it's probably a heart to heart." 
"A heart to heart?" 
"We talked honestly." 
He had asked her yesterday once, but Natsume hadn't told him anything concrete at all. Well, if the positions were reversed, Harutora would probably also have trouble explaining, so he didn't push the question. 
Though Ohtomo had driven them on at the time, she had faced Kyouko, the two of them had spoken honestly, and then they had finally worked hard to reach an understanding. That was quite incredible. If he were asked whether he could do the same thing, he wouldn't have that confidence at all. The impression of a heroic sacrifice would be the only thing to emerge in his mind. 
"......Natsume, you're pretty amazing." 
"Eh? What... are you talking about?" 
"Yeah, in a lot of areas." 
It wasn't just Natsume. Kyouko was also very magnanimous. She had probably suffered a larger shock than Harutora could imagine when she had learned of Natsume's true identity. But in the end, Kyouko still hadn't run away, but had spoken face-to-face with Natsume who came to her. 'Be honest' was very simple to say, but in that kind of situation it truly required an enormous amount of courage to share one's true feelings. 
Though he didn't know whether this word was suitable, 
...The two of them were both 'outstanding'. 
But speaking of making up, it seemed that they still hadn't returned to before, and there was still a bit of a distance left between the two of them. He could understand that just by looking at Natsume's appearance. Natsume's behaviour had been stiff ever since she returned yesterday after speaking with Kyouko. Though she had expressed happiness about the talks being successful and about their promise to see the fireworks together, that seemed to be all. Harutora became even more curious about what exactly the two of them had talked about. 
But even if there were still some problems left, Natsume's mood had clearly improved since yesterday. So, this was enough. It would be enough if from now on, the true Natsume - not her male persona - slowly advanced her relationship with Kyouko. 
...Then, I'm up next. 
Natsume had finished talking with Kyouko and had made up. But Harutora still hadn't. The incident from his childhood had been brought before him, but he hadn't taken a single step to address it. Outside of the relationship between Natsume and Kyouko, the relationship between Harutora and Kyouko still had other problems. 
...But, Kyouko will come to watch the fireworks today too. 
That meant that Kyouko would see Harutora. When Harutora was stalled and indecisive, the other party had taken a step towards him - no, just half a step. Then he had to respond. 
...How nerve-wracking. 
"......Hey, Natsume. The fireworks festival here should be packed, right? Maybe there will be even more people than in Shibuya on a weekend." 
"But the scale definitely can't compare to the countryside, right? This is my first time watching them at the Sumida River too. The farthest I've traveled is Akihabara." 
"I, Is that so. I've never gone either......" 
Harutora wanted to use the light chatter to distract himself, but he wasn't able to have a proper conversation with Natsume. Actually, he had felt this ever since yesterday. Natsume's actions were awkward, and she seemed to be distracted. What exactly had she talked about with Kyouko yesterday? 
Incidentally, it had been Suzuka's proposal to see the fireworks festival, not Kyouko's. Though the person in question had strongly denied it, messages about the meeting place is here and absolutely don't be late had been arriving nonstop since the morning. 
Come to think of it, the first time he met Suzuka had also been at a summer fireworks festival. 
"......But, we didn't have time to watch the fireworks during last year's festival......" 
Suzuka had suddenly shown up and fought a magic battle against the Mystical Investigators. An unexpected first kiss. A tearful, shocking confession. That night's events instantly returned into focus as if Harutora were daydreaming. 
That night was undoubtedly an important turning point in Harutora’s life. A dangerous night that had changed his life. 
"......How nostalgic." 
Harutora sighed emotionally, looking back on the year. 
Then, he suddenly turned to Natsume who sat next to him. 
Natsume - for some reason - was staring at Harutora with a blush on her face. 
It wasn't at the level of a slight red tinge, but rather she was red down to her neck. The eyes staring at Harutora were very moist and warm. Harutora couldn't help but stop breathing when he saw Natsume like that, his face reddening as well. 
"......Wh, What is it, Natsume?" 
"What are you asking about?" 
"Uh, because." 
"What? I didn't do anything." 
"......I ......Is that so?" 
Harutora stopped talking after seeing Natsume inexplicably tense up. 
As for the Sumida River fireworks festival planned for today, Touji was researching the area online. Also, it seemed that Tenma, who was going with them, had gone before, so they probably didn't need to worry. 
But, 
"......Ah, right. Sorry, Natsume. Please don't forget to bring the magical charms Ohtomo-sensei made for me." 
Natsume finally came to her senses when Harutora warned her about this as a precaution. 
"Of course. I have them on me right now." 
As she said this, Natsume took out a hand-crafted charm from her pocket. It was a charm that Ohtomo had prepared for Harutora yesterday after the mock battle after school had ended. 
"Harutora-kun, is your aura still unstable like before?" 
"Well, yeah. I should be able to get through it. This is actually decent training for aura usage." 
"You sound very optimistic when you say that...... But, the current situation isn't good at all. Please don't force yourself. ......And Kon, tell me immediately as soon as you feel that Harutora-kun's condition is slightly off." 
Natsume warned Kon as well as Harutora. Kon wouldn't respond to an order from someone other than her master, but this time Harutora felt the presence of her nodding in agreement. 
"But like Ohtomo-sensei says, we can't resolve the fundamental problem by using Sensei's charms. We definitely have to think of some way to get in touch with Uncle and ask him to perform a detailed examination......" 
What Natsume said was right. Harutora's current condition had to be diagnosed as soon as possible. 
But, an entire day had passed since the news of the fire, and they still had no way of contacting Natsume's father or Harutora's parents. No new information had come from the police or the Onmyou Agency either. The peculiarities of the current situation even misled some people to believe that it had been a simple natural fire. 
"......Hey, Natsume. What do you think of Takiko’s explanation yesterday?" 
"The information that the Onmyou Agency was behind of the fire? ......To be honest, I don’t understand it." 
The Onmyou Agency had attacked the Tsuchimikado family - though those words had come from Touji, not Takiko, it sounded like that was what she had meant. What exactly was going on? Why did the Onmyou Agency want to attack the Tsuchimikado family? 
Though the Tsuchimikado family had already declined, it had once been a prominent Onmyoudou family. In addition, the current leader of the Onmyou Agency was the head of the Kurahashi family. And the Tsuchimikado family had once been the masters of the Kurahashi family. If they hadn't heard the news of the fire first-hand, they would have treated the information Takiko revealed as insane ravings. 
"......Could it be that they have some connection with Yakou that they hid from us......" 
"How could that be...... I don't believe it. After all, well. Even if they did have some connection to Yakou, don't you think it's a bit strange that they ignored you and acted directly against our families?" 
In the end, they couldn't completely accept the information Takiko had given without knowing anything about Takiko's background. If they heedlessly trusted her, it might bring them unnecessary trouble. In the case, they could only find solace in the message 'we're safe' that his father had sent. In the end, they could only trust that message for now and continue waiting for contact. 
But it was truly strange that there still wasn't any information after an entire day. ‘Something’ had definitely happened to his father. 
...What the hell happened? 
Takiko had appeared before Harutora and the others, which itself seemed to be an omen. Could it be that there was something going on right now? Quietly but steadily, with Harutora and the others being the only ones unaware, and now...... 
"......I wonder what's going to happen." 
Natsume's true feelings leaked out. Harutora inadvertently looked at her. 
Her lonely face looked like she was worrying over vague anxieties. She was pretending not to care on the surface, but she gave off quite a pitiful impression. Like someone lost in the fog, or lost alone a crowd...... Harutora felt his chest tighten. 
"......Hey, Natsume." 
"Hmm?" 
Natsume looked at Harutora sincerely, as affectionate and naive as a child trusting his parents. Heat rose in Harutora's body when he felt that casual, familiar gaze. 

If he wanted to clear away Natsume's anxiety, then perhaps there was only one way. 
Harutora pondered over those thoughts and was momentarily about to open his mouth. 
But, 
...Huh? 
He focused his mind. Just then, Harutora suddenly felt a mysterious 'wrongness'. 
It was a very subtle wrongness - no, it was a 'gaze'. The feeling that 'someone's staring at me'. A 'consciousness' subtle enough that he normally wouldn't notice. But the current Harutora couldn't ignore this kind of feeling. 
His attention unconsciously turned towards that feeling. 
A gaze. Someone was conscious of him. Watching him right now. No-- 
Was he observing? 
...Outside. 
Before he realized it, he had suddenly stood up from the seat. "Harutora-kun?" Natsume spoke, surprised. But Harutora didn't respond to Natsume, looking out of the window with a bewitched gaze. 
But his gaze focused on the distance outside. 
"......Someone's there." 
"Eh?" 
Natsume asked, dazed, and followed Harutora's gaze in her confusion. Just then, Harutora's body moved by itself. 
He kicked back the chair and ran out. He sprinted from the cafeteria into the corridor, leaving Natsume behind with her confusion. Then, he left the dorm through the entrance. 
The summer heat suddenly assaulted him and sunlight filled his vision. The sound of cicadas came from afar. Harutora's consciousness focused on the 'gaze' he had noticed just now. 
...It's not just one person. There's someone else! 
Then, after he ran out of the dorm, Harutora noticed something other than a gaze. 
Magical energy. Magic had been set up. That magic was being used to - monitor the dorm. 
"Kon!" 
Kon materialized according to her master's wishes. Her small face bore a sharp look, as she rushed out before Harutora. Then, Harutora noticed the trace gradually thinning, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Stealth magic. He realized that Harutora had noticed him. Harutora inadvertently clicked his tongue. 
"Kon! Don't let him escape!" 
He ran in the other direction at the same time he issued an order to his shikigami. They split up, each chasing one of the movements that he had noticed before. But the opponents had already hidden their trail with stealth. They had probably moved as they chased after them. 
What should he do? 
His hands moved by reflex, pulling out a wood-element charm from the charm box tied to his waist. 
"Scatter! Order!" 
He used the charm, whose magic had been modified. The charm was immersed in Harutora's magical energy and released a blinding light. Then, before the light had dispersed, it became a gust of wind. The brilliant wind blew across the road in a flash, instantly sweeping over the area that Harutora indicated. 
Then, 
"Ah!" 
The stealth magic had been slightly disrupted. As expected, he was still there. A man dressed in a suit and pants, with a coat he had taken off under his arm. This man had been using magic to monitor the dorm just now. 
"Hey you, what are you doing!" 
He took out the next charm as he roared. It was also a wood-element charm. He would capture him for now. But the opponent was also a practitioner, so he couldn't be careless. Harutora immediately planned his tactics, unleashing the magic that emerged in his mind. 
"Order!" 
He shouted and released the charm. 
But in that moment. The magical energy he infused into the charm unintentionally overloaded. 
His output surged uncontrollably. The giant aura in his body swelled up in a flash, as if it were trying to lift his body itself. 
...This was bad! 
His magical energy was going out of control. The intense magical energy flowed into the magic, and the charm suddenly burned when it left his fingers. Vines extended everywhere with the force of an explosion. Harutora, who was right next to it, was quickly engulfed. 
"Damn!" 
He frantically tried to control it, but he couldn't. The magical energy output caused a huge pressure that was difficult for him to intervene with. The man, who had released the stealth magic, turned to look over, stunned. Then, coming to his senses, he ran away. Harutora didn't even have the leisure to shout at the opponent. 
The vines wound around Harutora, pressing him against the ground. How disastrous, to be attacked by his own magic. His output of magical energy still didn't stop in that period of time, and his aura continued to increase. 
"H-Harutora-sama!" 
Kon had observed her master's abnormal condition and had abandoned her chase to return to Harutora's side. 
She swung Kachiwari's blade to cut the vines covering Harutora. Though the out-of-control magical energy also flowed to his shikigami Kon, if she used foxfire right now, she would risk harming Harutora due to using too much power. But even though Kon did her best to swing her wakizashi, the speed at which she cut couldn’t match the rate of the vines' growth. The surrounding road had already been covered in creeping vines, like a spiritual disaster. 
Because of the huge magical energy he had suddenly released, Harutora's mind began to lose focus, as if his brain were deprived of oxygen. "Harutora-sama!" Kon shouted. But never mind replying, it was becoming harder and harder for him to even hear her clearly. 
...Damn......Natsume! 
Harutora cried amidst his slowly fading consciousness. 
Just then. The click of a tongue sounded from somewhere. 
"......No choice. I'll help you this time." 
A very reliable male voice. 
Finally, Harutora lost consciousness. 

 

Natsume left the cafeteria in a daze, chasing after Harutora who had suddenly run away. But she finally realized when she reached the entrance. 
Harutora's magical energy had exploded. 
It was extremely abnormal. The unrestrained release of magical energy could only be described as an explosion. Her face instantly paled because of his runaway aura. 
"Harutora-kun!" 
She frantically rushed over. She wasn't far, so she would be able to get there soon. Over there, around the corner. Natsume reached for Ohtomo's charm that she had just taken out to show Harutora. 
But right before Natsume turned the corner, a strong aura appeared on the other side. 
It was different from Harutora's aura. No - it was more like miasma. 
Demonic aura. 
"What!?" 
She froze and goosebumps rose over her body. 
She had already gotten used to demonic aura ever since Touji had been able to control his living spirit power. But the demonic aura she felt this time definitely wasn't something Touji could compare to. It was Natsume's first time experiencing such a strong intensity and presence. An overwhelming 'strength'. Her instincts howled in terror. 
But - the demonic aura, which appeared to be swelling, vanished in the next moment as if it had been crushed. Natsume held her breath, quickly moving the legs that had stopped for a moment and turning the corner. 
The first thing she saw was Harutora lying on the road and Kon next to him. 
Harutora had lost consciousness. There were still traces of turbulent, chaotic aura in the surroundings. But the output of magical energy seemed to have stopped already. His spiritual power was depleted because of his sudden release of magical energy. Though the situation wasn't good, he was safe for now. 
On the other hand, Kon crouched next to Harutora, and upon closer inspection, she seemed to be shielding her master rather than supporting him. Her right hand gripped her wakizashi and the hair on her tail was erect. She stared at a man in the distance who stood on the other side of the road. 
The instant she glanced at this man, Natsume shrank back in fright again. 
A giant man. He was tall enough to rival Shaver, maybe even taller. But compared to Shaver's thin body, this man's was tempered and burly. His rough Western suit outfit was also very striking, and couldn't hide the wild nature inside. His short golden hair was like a crown in the sunlight. 
The demonic aura from just now had come from this man. Natsume had that kind of doubtless instinct. 
An oni. 
He wasn't a manmade shikigami, but rather a true oni. 
Why was he here? 
"...Hey." 
The man abruptly spoke. With just that, Natsume almost fell down from her tension. 
"What's up with that curse?" 
"......Eh?" 
Natsume didn't understand the man's words for a while and didn't even know who the man was talking to. Was he talking to the unconscious Harutora, the embattled Kon, or her, who had rushed over? 
"He became like this because it wasn't completely removed." 
"......" 
The man spoke coldly again. Natsume was overwhelmed by him and couldn't reply. Kon's fighting spirit was blazing, and her expression seemed to say that this wasn't the time to talk about such things. She was determined to protect her master to the death without looking after her own safety, fitting of her identity as a defensive shikigami. 
In any case, Natsume was in a stance, prepared to summon Hokuto at any time and simultaneously racking her brain. The highest priority was to escape this place with Harutora. But even if she fled, it would probably be hard to escape. She couldn't act recklessly before she understood the reason this oni had appeared here. 
Harutora's going out of control could very likely caused by this oni here. But Natsume had felt the demonic aura after Harutora's aura went out of control. Moreover, he had appeared the moment Harutora's condition reached the most dangerous level - then, Harutora had stopped going out of control. Could it be that this oni had stopped Harutora? But why, exactly? 
The surroundings were filled with a simmering silence, and even breathing felt difficult. 
Not long afterwards, 
"The 'Raven's Wing' has activated." 
"......Eh?" 
"It can't be worn right now. It's risky." 
What was he saying? Natsume was confused and didn't understand. But Natsume finally noticed that the man had no animosity. Though Kon hadn't lowered her guard, Natsume felt that he wasn't an 'enemy'. 
"......What's going on?" 
She asked cautiously. 
But the man didn't reply. As if he had already finished his business, he quietly spun around and indifferently turned his back to Natsume. 
Then, Natsume couldn't help but gasp as she finally realized. The man's jacket. The sleeve of his left arm didn't have any thickness and the cloth just slowly swayed along with the man's movements. 
One arm. In other words - a one-armed oni. 
Could it be? Natsume's eyes widened and her breath caught. 
The man suddenly stopped. 
"......Ask Saotome Suzu for help if there's an emergency. Though I don't really recommend it." 
After looking over his shoulder and leaving those words, the man truly left. 
Natsume's entire body was paralyzed for a while and she remained frozen. Then, she waited for the man leave. Only after the demonic aura faded completely did she bolt to Harutora's side. 
She checked his condition. As expected, although his aura was very weak, it had already stabilized. With this, there wouldn't be a problem even if she didn't use Ohtomo's charm. 
The words the man said and the swaying left sleeve churned into an ominous swirl in her mind. 
But for now, Natsume pushed them out of her mind, and together with Kon, brought Harutora back into the dorm.