"The essence of sorcery is lies."

"That"s why it is said that when one person is cursed, two graves are dug"

-Ashiya Douman

It was night.

Outside, it was raining lightly. One could also hear the pitter-pattering sound of the rain from the inside of the room.

At the top-most floor inside a high-cla.s.s apartment in the Tokyo capital, several rooms and attics were linked together, forming a labyrinth of open s.p.a.ce. Junk objects were laid all around, giving it a chaotic appearance.

Large segments of the windows were tightly shut. The light from an antique lamp mixed together with the surrounding ambient light to give off a warning-light kind of intensity, throbbing on and off. The irregularity of the flashing light created a sense of illusion, unknowingly affecting the five senses and gradually sending them into disarray. A damp musty odor filled the stale air, however at the same time, slight traces of a delicate fragrance drifted through as well. This weird s.p.a.ce, filled with demonic confusing energies made one forget about the pa.s.sage of time.

A man walked along the room corridor, creating soft footsteps.

Under the flashing lights, his short golden hair and face with many distinct edges and corners could be seen. He wore a casual, neat western suit without a tie. The man"s walking posture was as if he were an ancient king reviewing the labyrinth that would become his own tomb.

A lantern"s flame was flickering at the man"s feet, his shadow moving erratically across the ceiling of the room. A small headed lizard crawled along the wall.

The room was not only simply intricate, but it was also shielded with many heavy magic, thus changing it both physically and magically into a labyrinth. The man stopped walking several times; he showed a troubled expression, however it did not have the feeling of confusion. Up till the last moment, he did not take the wrong route, coming to his target"s side.

This target was in the deepest part of the labyrinth, inside a small study.

The walls and ceiling of the study room were covered in bookshelves; there were numerous tightly-packed piles of old books and files, exotic paintings and incense, and other items of unknown purposes. Opened books and book boxes, discarded j.a.panese paper, and ink dried pens were scattered on the tatami mat. There was even a table lying horizontally on the floor.

That was the entire decadent study.

Suddenly, in front of the altar,

Sat a small old man, his back facing the door.

The room had no illumination; there was only the light which came from the outside corridor. The man obscured the light, leaning his elbow against the door frame, spying into the study. His right arm was leaning against the door frame; the left sleeve of the suit was dangling freely from the upper arm onwards.

The man faced the old man"s back.

"Doman", he spoke with a rough voice.

The old man did not turn his head.

"Is that you?" he replied with a young voice, in contrast with his appearance.

"I heard from your shikigami that you are about to make your move."

Hearing the man"s simple question, the old man clicked his tongue.

"What are you talking about."

"You can no longer wait can you?"

"What? Art thou actually concerned as well?"

"Answer my question", replied the man coldly.

From the man"s st.u.r.dy body, a sound was emitted that bore no emotion; however it gradually transformed from a plain force into a compelling one while losing the wild atmosphere, and at the same time, exuding the suppressed aura of terror of a still lion.

"Ke- ke", laughed the old man.

"My objective lies elsewhere. Well, it doesn"t deserve your worry."

The old man pleasantly changed the subject, with no intention of sending him away, continuing with his work on the table. The man"s line of sight drifted towards the old man"s hands.

The old man used a pen to write something on a paper. They were incantations. The way he carried himself did not give off the feeling of a ceremony; instead, it looked like someone who was elatedly preparing some kind of mischief. The man twisted his lips in distress.

His gaze moved away from the old man"s hand towards the altar - which had items that did not match the surrounding decor.

A large rectangular object.

Then,

"But, which direction is the wind currently blowing[1]? What reason made you have a change of heart?"

"Change of heart? It was the shikigami you mentioned earlier. Because that rascal went to jump the gun. If I"m not careful, the choicest part will be taken by others.

"What do you mean by jump the gun? Hold your horses and explain yourself."

"Wouldn"t that be too boring?"

"Come again?"

The man frowned in annoyance. With his back facing the man, the old man should not have been able to see that expression, but his back shook with laughter.

"Doing these things would be enough to relieve this old man"s boredom. That rascal"s wit has been rather stimulating. d.a.m.n that thrilling fellow. It is the only cure to save me from my eternal boredom."

"Thrill, eh."

The man muttered self-deprecatingly. He clearly knew about the old man"s horrible interests and how troublesome they were, but his counterpart was not the kind to listen to the opinion of another. Furthermore, these two people were not in a relationship where they would mutually advise each other.

"Correct. This is a rare opportunity. I shall give you some stimulation. "Higekiri" has appeared", informed the old man triumphantly.

The man snorted.

"......It doesn"t matter"

"Ah?"

The old man finally halted his work at hand, turning his head, he looked over his shoulder at the man.

"A cold-hearted man as always. This old man has wondered since back then, what dost thou do for fun?"

"Unfortunately, I do not seek such stimulation to live."

After giving his answer, the man left the door frame.

The old man"s face was revealed by the light entering the study. It was full of wrinkles, a mummified face that was rigid like a dead person, revealing no emotions. It was a stark contrast to hearing his young voice, which felt extremely rich.

"Oh? Then why do you continue to live? Will you wander aimlessly in the dark before falling into the demonic path?"

Hearing the old man"s question, the backlit man shrugged his shoulders.

"......For what reason does a person live? I live therefore to find that answer."

After that response, he turned his heel, like he had lost interest.

The man went back into the hallway; his footsteps could be heard once again. The old man watched the silhouette of the man"s back leave, before continuing with his previous work awhile later.

It was night.

The ever present sound of the falling rain continued without end.

Several incandescent lights were connected in a row. As the visitors watched the fireworks, the sound released flickered like a small ripple.

The summer festival.

The burning smell of soy sauce, the cries of stalls greeting their guests, the distant sound of cicadas as well as the suffocating heat of the surroundings; the thick summer atmosphere was spreading through the air.

Everyone was smiling. Children ran by their feet, their voices hoa.r.s.e with laughter.

However, the one with the most gorgeous smile, whose laughter was the most uplifting, was the girl wearing a yukata.

I want to eat this, I want to play that, I still want to go there. Hurry, hurry.

Her smile was as gorgeous as a sunflower.

The constant cries of her heartfelt feelings could be heard.

She turned her head around as I did my best to catch up.

A smile emerged on her mouth naturally.

The girl in front was running, looking behind several times, urging me on.

Smiled wryly and chasing the girl, feeling forced yet feeling a sense of attraction to her. It was as though every action was being compelled by her.

The back of the girl running in front. The ribbon in her hair floated back and forth. A pink-colored ribbon. Every time the ribbon swayed, her hair swayed lightly in the air.

Beautiful, waist-length black hair.

"Ah?" stopping my footsteps.

Then, the girl noticed and stopped as well.

She turned her head around, the ribbon in her black hair swaying in the wind like a gentle floating pendulum.

The girl blinked ,her big eyes filled with hope.

"What"s wrong, Harutora?"

"Natsu -"

Unconsciously making a sound, Tsuchimikado Harutora sat up in his quilt.

He was in his own room in the Onmyou Academy boarding dorm. After lights out, the room was pitch dark. In the silence, only his own breathing could be heard.

"......Hu - ", he breathed out a long sigh to calm his breathing. The ever-present sound of raindrops could be heard from outside the window.

"H-H-Harutora-sama? Is there something wrong?"

Suddenly, Kon appeared out of nowhere and asked out of concern for her master.

"......Nothing"s wrong" replied Harutora ambiguously, taking a deep breath again.

......Was it a dream?

He opened his cell phone to check the time. It had just reached 3 AM. Harutora did not move a muscle, reflecting, but his brain was blank.

The rain outside continued.

Time seemed to have stopped, as though it was eternally acc.u.mulating in the room.

The rhythm of the raindrops could be heard.

Blue hydrangeas bloomed brilliantly along the side of the road, absorbing the rainwater. The streets of Shibuya were foggy due to the warm rain. It was the fifth day of the raining season in the Kanto region, and this overcast and rainy weather had been continuing for the past few days.

The Omnyouji training inst.i.tution, the Omnyou Academy. One of the Academy"s cla.s.srooms.

The air-conditioned cla.s.sroom was so comfortable that it felt like it had no relation with the wet conditions outside. However, the artificial cold air seemed so impersonal. The sound of the air-conditioner droned on through the rooms without a care.

Harutora, cheek in his hand, rested his elbow on the desk, listening to the teacher teaching from the podium.

The lecturer"s voice sounded faint in the silent cla.s.sroom. In front of Harutora laid his notebook. He occasionally spun his mechanical pencil about his right hand, lost in his own thoughts.

He glanced at the seat beside him.

Sitting next to Harutora was his childhood friend, Tsuchimikado Natsume. Unlike the mentally slack Harutora, she was attentively watching the podium.

Due to the head family "family tradition", Natsume had to wear male clothing. Her face also did not have any signs of makeup. However, her profile was beautiful enough such that no makeup was needed. She did not just have good looks; the intelligence that showed from her eyes matched her excellence.

Even her straight back as she recorded the notes was elegant.

The opposite of that guy.

During the return bus trip from the practical skills training camp, an uncertainty formed within Harutora"s mind. Harutora had been secretly looking at Natsume from the side. However, you would not need to pay that much attention to notice this. His eyes moved to her long black hair - tied with a pink ribbon that rested along the side of her neck.

On the bus back from the resort, a sense of suspicion had entered his heart. From that moment on, Harutora kept peeking at Natsume"s ribbon.

At that time, Harutora accidentally took the ribbon and repeatedly looked at it a number of times. Even so, he ultimately was unable to remove the doubt in his heart. Even now, as he continued to secretly peek, it was still difficult to find an answer.

But,

..."Very cute isn"t it?"

..."I will take good care of it."

Harutora unknowingly narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he stared at Natsume"s ribbon. Entangled deep in his thoughts, Harutora repeatedly asked the same question a hundred times yet could not find the answer.

Could it be.

Could it be - No it can"t be, but then.

Suddenly, Natsume moved - aware of that movement, Harutora quickly looked away, turning his head as far back as he could. From the edge of his vision, he saw that Natsume noticed him looking the other direction. But of course, Harutora did not give her any response. He tried to act as though nothing happened, despite his stiff neck and his rapid heart rate.

On the other hand -

Natsume, who felt someone"s eyes on her, turned her head around and saw Harutora suddenly turn his head the other direction. Her beautiful face became overcast, her long eyelashes drooped down with a sense of loneliness, and her shoulders, wrapped in the school"s uniform, lost its strength.

She still did not give up hope, turning her eyes to glance at Harutora again. But her childhood friend held his unnatural and rigid att.i.tude, and kept looking in the other direction. Natsume sighed and reluctantly faced the podium again.

The faint voice of the lecturer echoed throughout the cla.s.sroom. The Academy student who could hear him took their notes, the sound of their pen tips scratching against the paper.

It was still raining outside.

For some unknown reason, a depressed atmosphere filled the air within the cla.s.sroom equipped with the latest air-conditioning,

Nowadays, Harutora still adhered to training independently after school. Recently Ohtomo-sensei and former exorcist Fujiwara-sensei were with him during practice.

In some sense this can be seen as special treatment. However, in light of the plight that Natsume was facing, his training was still inadequate compared to what the others in the same course were going through. Therefore, instead of "receiving special treatment from the Omnyou Academy" it was more like Ohtomo and Fujiwara were affectionately offering him a helping hand. Obviously, this was with approval from the Academy"s director.

Until now, training had focused on the fundamental skills. But ever since the training camp, practice gradually shifted to combat training.

For example, today was invisibility magic training.

This stealth technique was called the art of "Concealing one"s presence". It was a magic used by Vajrayana monks, Shungedō pract.i.tioners, foreign enemies, magical beings and demons to protect themselves. It also formed the basis of ninjutsu used by ninjas that everyone knows.

"General style" invisibility is very much the same, using magic to hide one"s physical presence and aura. The main aim is to deceive the opponent"s eyes - specifically the "spirit seeing". The technique is simple and yet very practical. After mastering this technique, one can erase their presence as easily as breathing. In the General style of Omnyou magic, it is considered a major spell.

However, invisibility magic is not an elementary magic. After all, to use this magic one must be aware of how to deceive his opponent. Having a pedestrian as an opponent as compared to having a professional Onmyouji as an opponent would require two completely different spell formulas.

On top of this, a major prerequisite for invisibility magic is the perfect mastery over one"s own aura. Also, when using this magic, the magical energy used to maintain the invisibility magic must also be concealed. If one cannot adequately control their own magical energy, it would be impossible to achieve this spell.

Because one must be able to utilize these basic techniques, the mastery of one"s aura and proper control of their magical energy, without hindrances, there is a phrase in the working world, "How well one uses invisibility magic is what separates the professionals from the layman."

Obviously for an ordinary academy student like Harutora, It is impossible to learn this spell in an instant.

This thought could not help but come to mind.

"Leaving aside shikigami like Kon, I am just a flesh and blood human! Obviously I cannot become transparent, so how can I simply just disappear?"

"Natsume was able to do it, so did Kyouko."

"How can I compete against them!"

"Don"t say it that way. Should we find ourselves in the situation where we need to use the invisibility spell, we would be lucky if our "opponent" is just an "ordinary" professional."

After hearing to Harutora"s complaints, his evil friend teasingly stated the facts. He was Ato Touji, who also took part in the self-training. After finishing their self-training at the magic practice field, the two of them left the changing room.

"Well it"s convenient for you. All you need to do is strengthen my father"s seal and you"ll be able to conceal your aura."

"At the same time my own aura would be stopped by the seal. In the end, that move can only be used in emergency situations."

"Anyway, as long as it can be used in critical moments it is good enough. As for me, I don"t have the mood to restart training all over from scratch."

Harutora"s aura was much stronger compared to ordinary people. Despite being from a branch family, he still was of the Tsuchimikado bloodline and thus he would naturally have a powerful magical force.

However, the only significance of having a purely powerful aura was that it was very conspicuous to spiritual senses. Using invisibility magic to conceal your own aura still required the appropriate level of skill.

Furthermore, Harutora who has a strong aura cultivated a habit of converting his spiritual energy into magic in his daily life. Controlling his spiritual energy for invisibility magic however was his weakness.

On the other hand, Touji had an Oni dwelling inside him, mixing the Oni"s aura with his own. His spirit aura was glaring, for a different reason compared to Harutora.

But Touji"s seal was meant to control his Oni. When he decides to use the Oni"s strength, the seal"s restriction is lifted. Currently he is learning how to control the Oni"s aura. All he needed to do was to reverse the strength of seal and his own aura would be hidden and sealed away.

"Well, didn"t the teachers already say? All you need to do is grasp the initial trick for invisibility and then you would be able to do it. It"s a lot of trial and error."

Touji tried to comfort Harutora,

"Right Natsume?"

As he turned to Natsume by his side, seeking her advice.

Harutora stiffened slightly.

Since the start Natsume was standing by his side, just that he was not talking to her - it was more like he could not talk with her. Harutora was doing his best to avoid acknowledging Natsume"s presence. Although the current situation just made him more aware of it……

Harutora stole a peek at Natsume who was beside him.

If it was the old Natsume, she would have immediately started nagging him. Whenever Harutora complains, he would immediately be submerged in a long sermon about "how you should to prepare yourself mentally before you even talk about the technique".

However,

"……ah, yes. As long as you grasp the essentials, I think it"s good enough."

, was Natsume"s short and honest reply.

Because she inadvertently glanced at Harutora"s expression, Natsume shyly dipped her head. She was pretending to be calm on the outside, but from an outsider"s perspective one can easily see the tension within her heart. Or could it be that it was Harutora"s misconception? It was probably because Harutora was harboring an inner turmoil that caused the misconception.

"Re, really? If Natsume says so then it"s most likely true."

, replied Harutora, trying his best to keep his tone as natural as possible.

"Apparently magic control is really important?"

"Yes. Eventually Harutora, you would be able firmly control your own aura ……."

"What? I think that"s still too difficult. For now let"s just focus on overcoming the current problem."

"Ah……"

While this was a normal conversation between them with nothing out of the ordinary. It probably was not a conversation "between himself and Natsume". The atmosphere between the two of them felt very stiff, and the root cause of it was without question because of the doubt in Harutora"s heart.

-The doubt that had arose during the return bus trip from the training camp.

His dear friend, Hokuto, who was actually a shikigami- could the person controlling her be Natsume? - It was this question.-How could it be…… As he used that statement to laugh off at the question.

Thinking about it normally, it was just impossible -Harutora thought to himself. In fact, during the end of the training camp when his cla.s.smate Kurahashi Kyoko raised this possibility, the idea wracked Harutora with laughter. In Harutora"s heart, that possibility was just too unrealistic.

That was before he noticed that Natsume and Hokuto used the same ribbon.

-No. As long as I see what is before me how do I stop these thoughts?

Their height is about the same. No, Hokuto is probably slightly shorter. There is a big difference between their voices. Hokuto"s voice was huskier. As for the other aspects, there"s still speaking habits, small subconscious actions, rich facial expressions, and that child-like smile. Natsume"s aspects and Hokuto"s aspects endlessly intertwined back and forth in Harutora"s head.

While Harutora was pondering in silence, the trouble making Touji had no intention of interrupting his thoughts. Generally, this evil friend has always been very good at reading the atmosphere of the moment; however at this time he had a confused look on his face, scratching the headband on the top of his head. After all, since the training camp, Harutora and Natsume have become uncoordinated and uncongenial.

At least look at Natsume"s face while talking to her…..

- "Tell me that I"m cute"

He still could not do it. He was not able to look at Natsume and talk to her in any way. He clearly wanted to say something, however whenever their eyes met he would break eye contact again to conceal how he was feeling.

He was too vexed, as the dream from earlier in the morning was still fresh in his mind, amplifying his stiff att.i.tude even more.

Then,

"- Ah, there you are. I finally found you darling~"

From the corridor extending from the magic practice field"s main hall, came a grinning young girl.

Walking at a brisk pace, her golden dyed twin ponytails swayed back and forth. As she faced Harutora and the rest, a presumptuous expression emerged over her cute face.

She was Dairenji Suzuka, who entered the Omnyou Academy due to special circ.u.mstances. She did not partic.i.p.ate in the self-training as she was on the sidelines overseeing their training exercises.

"You are still really useless, stupidly simple and c.r.a.ppy~"

Suzuka quickly uttered her usual string of malicious words, as she walked along side Harutora and the rest. "Naggy hag", replied Harutora with a bitter face.

"Either way, I certainly can"t do it. After all, I"m just an ordinary student."

"Even so, isn"t there a limit to your stupidity? At this moment you are still a Omnyou Academy student."

"If you put it that way, I"ve only just been promoted into the second year. Compared to my current ability, today"s practice was just way too difficult."

"Pfft -. Invisibility magic is way too difficult? Cheer up a bit, senpai ~"

, snickered Suzuka, as she looked up at Harutora with a bored yet unexpectedly happy expression.

She was currently a first year student of the Omnyou Academy as punishment for her past transgressions. She was far from being an ordinary student, and infact, she is the youngest person to have pa.s.sed the "First-Cla.s.s Onmyou Exam", becoming a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji. Currently her qualifications have been suspended and her magic power has been significantly sealed. However despite this, she still had no trouble with using invisibility magic.

"In fact, I"ve never seen you use any shikigami or talisman magic eh."

"Are you kidding? Shikigami and talismans aside, I still can"t do anything."

"Ah, you"re lying right. Is this true?"

"Yeah, you don"t have to reply so seriously. Well it can"t be helped, and I"ve already tried working harder."

Even though the other party was a first cla.s.s magical pract.i.tioner, seeing her dumbfounded expression still made him feel devastated about himself. Moreover, Suzuka did not know that Harutora fared much better with practical skill applications. When it came to knowledge of magic theory, ever since he came to the academy, Harutora"s results had always been poor - not only that, recently his results on magic theory became even worse.

The fact that he was trying hard was real and even Harutora himself felt anxious. It is said that the Onymou Academy curriculum for the second years would begin on difficult topics. Before their promotion to third year, many students would face setbacks and choose to drop out from the academy. For Harutora this was not something of irrelevance.

"Hey, Dairenji. I still can"t grasp the invisibility spell; do you have any personal tips that could help?"Touji, who had been silent the entire time, inquired after Suzuka. Suzuka instantly gave a bothered look, then shrugged her shoulders and gave her suggestion.

" Tips…… Didn"t your cla.s.s teacher mention it earlier? Eliminate your self-consciousness. The key is to keep your mind blank. You guys shouldn"t have a problem with that right?"

"Oh, wait a moment Suzuka. Wouldn"t this mean that you won"t be able to chant mantras?"

Harutora said hurriedly, to which Suzuka casually spat out a short reply. "You lack practice"

"To use any mantra, your body would need to memorize it first. If not, just practice it during your sleep and eventually it would work. Well, when I want to be invisible I don"t have to chant out the mantra one word at a time."

Suzuka did not reveal any epiphanies, but spoke as though it was common sense. Harutora wrinkled his brow in shock, and Touji bore a long face. It should have been expected since there was a great difference in skill between Harutora and the rest compared to Suzuka. There was no point in even considering that difference.

- Well, but…

Putting the content of the discussion aside, Harutora was still grateful. Not for Suzuka"s knowledge, but because of her sincere answer to Touji"s question on his behalf.

It was during the late night secret meeting at the training camp last month that Suzuka revealed her true nature to Harutora and the rest and spoke without a false persona. Ever since then she slowly began to mingle and become part of the group, or at least that was how Harutora saw it.

-She"s matured…… Or rather it is in her nature to be straightforward, and a bit unforgiving.

Suzuka harsh remarks were still the same, and it was hard to predict if she would actually offer her help.However, she kept Natsume"s cross-dressing a secret and even lessened up on using that as leverage on Harutora and the rest. The latter was probably because she simply just got tired of doing it; however to not attack and make use of their weakness was enough for Harutora to be truly grateful.

"Why don"t you join us for practice? Even Spartan style training is fine with us."

"Ha? Are you stupid? What would I gain from that?"

"You can gain our grat.i.tude and respect."

"That"s not a gain but a punishment game!"

"Che. That didn"t work. Then how about if I treat you to a burger."

"No way! Are you trying to bribe one of the Twelve Heavenly General with a hamburger!"

"Don"t worry, I"ll unwrap it for you first -"

"Go and die!"

Suzuka"s cheeks flushed red as her eyes narrowed and shouted in anger. Harutora just casually smiled as though nothing had happened. To be able to smile so nonchalantly, this action in itself was evidence of how the distance in their relationship had lessened.

Recently, Harutora had been having fewer conversations with Natsume and more with Suzuka. The earlier situation was the same; because of the doubt that Harutora had, he found it difficult to have a casual conversation with Natsume. Therefore he would chose to chat with Suzuka more.

When talking with Suzuka he did not need to think about anything, and to Harutora this was a time of pure bliss.But Harutora knew that this could not go on forever.

"So Suzuka, what do you think about Natsume"s invisibility spell? Is it up to your standard?"

Harutora deliberately diverted the topic to Natsume. If Touji or someone else was around, it made it easier to talk to Natsume.

However, this was wishful thinking on Harutora"s part, as casual conversation between Natsume and Suzuka is difficult.

Suzuka threw Natsume a glance and Natsume suddenly trembled.

"…… Nothing much, pretty good I guess? I would need to judge based on her opponent."

"…… Ah, thank you."

Natsume replied softly to Suzuka"s casual evaluation.

It was clearly written all over Natsume"s face that she was not able to deal with Suzuka. While Suzuka was not able to ignore her, she did not take Natsume seriously. Harutora had a bitter face and kept quiet.

While Suzuka gradually warmed up to Harutora and Touji, she had no sign of ever warming up to Natsume. Moreover, it probably was not just due to Suzuka as Natsume distanced herself in some sense.

Harutora originally wanted to help Suzuka understand Natsume. But currently he was unable to help himself and did not have the confidence in himself to help others.

Wait,

-But…… That"s it. If it was her…… If it was Hokuto, she should be able to get along with Suzuka rather quickly. If this person really was not Hokuto…..

Harutora subconsciously began comparing Natsume and Hokuto. He clearly knew that it was not the right time or place to be doing so, but he could not help it.

-Ah, yeah, wait a minute. Think about it clearly, was Hokuto that shy of strangers? How was she like when she first met Touji? The three of us were very close in the end…..

After snapping out of his deep thoughts, Harutora realized that the discussion had stopped again and the atmosphere had become increasingly heavy. Whenever this happened, he hoped that Touji would come in and lighten the mood, but this evil friend kept silent the whole time. He stayed out of the situation as long as he deemed that it did not require his intervention. Currently he was just turning his head, observing Harutora"s conversation.

After the relationship between Harutora and Natsume had become uneasy, there was only one person that Harutora knew who could ease the mood.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting! -Ah, isn"t this Suzuka-chan? What do you think about my invisibility spell?"Harutora and company were gathered along the corridor in front of the boy"s locker room. The girl"s locker room door swung open and an academy student ran out.

She had chestnut-colored hair tied up in a "Half-up" style, an outstanding figure, and a feisty att.i.tude. Born into a Tsuchimikado branch family - this was the Kurahashi family eldest daughter, Kurahashi Kyouko.

When Kyouko saw Suzuka, her face immediately lit up with a bright smile. On the other hand, when Suzuka saw Kyouko, she just twitched her face.

The heavy atmosphere slowly receded.

"Noisy!"

A whisper - but it was loud enough that the other party heard it being spat out.

But this degree of malice would not cause Kyouko to waver.

"Eh, eh, how so? Although it wouldn"t be up to Natsume"s standards, I should be able to achieve a "good" rating right?"

"G.o.d knows! How about you first make your b.r.e.a.s.t.s disappear, you big breasted woman!"

"Yeah --, to be honest, I"m not that good at invisibility spells. However, since our goal is to become professionals, we shouldn"t be using such wayward words."

"Yeah, with that said …..!"

"However, Ohtomo-sensei is really powerful~ He really gave me a surprise. That kind of man used to be a Mystical Investigator. Invisibility magic should probably be his specialty."

"…… You totally didn"t hear a word I just said."

Suzuka grimaced as Kyouko continued talking regardless of her input. It seems that Suzuka inability to handle with Kyouko was greater than Natsume"s own inability to handle with her. Kyouko and Natsume were different, as Kyouko is well prepared on how to deal with Suzuka.

After the training camp, each member of Harutora"s group proactively tried to strike up conversations with Suzuka. This was so that they could build a relationship of trust with her. One reason was to obtain Suzuka"s a.s.sistance as one of the "Twelve Heavenly Generals", the other was out of sympathy for her loneliness.

However, from Kyouko"s point of view, there was a moment of confusion where it felt as though the method and the result had been flipped around. After all, Suzuka, who was normally offensively aggressive, was now in a tired and evasive state. In that sense it felt very wrong.

"Shall we see Suzuka"s invisibility spell first hand? Actually I have confidence that I can see through it."

"Ha? Don"t joke around. If I seriously went invisible, I could kick your a.s.s and you wouldn"t even be aware of it -"

"Okay, so if I can see through your invisibility spell you have to tell us your three sizes."

"I want to use a curse to end your life!"

"Really? Then let"s do something more interesting to break that curse--"

"This already has nothing to do with magic whatsoever!"

"B cup?"

"Don"t be ridiculous! Are you really a daughter of the Kurahashi family?!"

To be honest, Harutora was a bit confused about whether the relationship between the two of them was good or bad.

...How did their relationship become like this......

The male Harutora had trouble thinking about female relationships. But Suzuka"s melancholy had already vanished because of Kyouko"s actions. Harutora couldn"t help but feel that things were moving in a pretty good direction. Well, although Suzuka herself was a bit troublesome.

After Kyouko teased Suzuka for a while, she turned to look at Natsume. "Ah, right, Natsume."

"You worked hard today too. Natsume-kun"s stealth magic is really high-level, even Fujiwara-sensei praised you before."

"Y-Yeah, thanks."

"Suzuka-chan, you saw too, right? Natsume"s stealth magic definitely isn"t worse than any professional"s, right?"

It wasn"t as forced a question as Harutora"s earlier one, but the reactions of the two were even more awkward than before.

"......Well. That"s already the second time I"ve been asked the same question. I have no interest. I don"t" care."

Suzuka suddenly lost interest and replied that. Kyouko looked at Harutora, mostly understanding the reasons after noticing the unsettled expression was on his face.

Kyouko, who had an abnormally powerful ability to deal with Suzuka, also had trouble with Suzuka and Natsume"s relationship. No matter who provided a.s.sistance, the two of them wouldn"t be able to interact smoothly with each other, in the end, the smiling expressions turned into bitter smiles.

Touji recognized the occasion, sweeping his gaze over everyone and changing the topic.

"Kyouko"s here too, we should get going soon."

"EH? Wait, Touji. Tenma"s still not here, right?"

"That guy seems to have business, so he left earlier."

Kyouko harrumphed upon hearing Touji"s explanation and replied.

"Tenma"s been like that a lot recently. I wanted to give him some encouragement after seeing him fail in the training before."

"I was also failing the whole time. It would be nice if you encouraged me too."

"You and Touji have strong spirits, so it"s fine. Tenma seems to be really depressed."

"To think you"re putting me and Harutora on the same level. What a surprise."

"Ah, sorry."

"Wait, Touji. Also, Kyouko, why are you apologizing!?"

Harutora glared at Touji and Kyouko, then continued speaking worried.

"But...... Tenma certainly is pretty down recently."

Outside of Harutora, Natsume, Touji, and Kyouko, their cla.s.smate Momoe Tenma had also partic.i.p.ated in Harutora and the others" independent training. He had often come to watch like Suzuka, but after hearing Harutora and the others" stories since the training camp, he had spontaneously partic.i.p.ated in the practical skills exercise.

Tenma"s feelings made them very happy, but unfortunately, his hard work seemed mostly in vain. He hadn"t been very good at practical skills in the first place, and he often slipped up in his training with Harutora and the others. Never mind Natsume and Kyouko, even Harutora and Touji had their strengths in a real battle. It seemed that among their group, he was the only one who felt fretful about his powerlessness.

"That guy"s worrying over how to increase his practical skills ability. It seems that he has a lot of pressure from his family too."

"His family?"

"Ah, well, I heard that Tenma"s succeeding a traditional Onmyoudou family. Also...... His family environment is a bit complicated."

Kyouko and Tenma had known each other for the longest among this group, and it seemed that she understood Tenma"s familial situation very well. But based off how she smiled bitterly and minced her words, she wasn"t going to delve any deeper.

"I see. ......Well, I don"t think there"s anything to worry about."

Actually, Tenma had been the most reliable when they had made curry during the training camp. Though Tenma wasn"t good at practical skills, he might well just be oversensitive about his inadequacy. At the least, his grades in practical skills were slightly better than Harutora"s.

...Well, there"s a problem with feeling satisfied just by being stronger than me.

Harutora crossed his arms, nodding seriously.

"In that case, Kyouko, let"s all go to karaoke later."

"Hah? Why did it turn into that? In the first place, Tenma"s not here."

"When you"re feeling down, the most effective thing to do is shout loudly, right? Send Tenma a message and tell him to meet up with us after finishing his business. How about that, Touji?"

"It"s not bad once in a while."

Touji shrugged his shoulders after speaking in a light tone. Though Kyouko furrowed her brow, she didn"t speak in opposition.

But,

"K-Karaoke!"

Instead, Suzuka"s cheeks twitched. After Harutora noticed with a keen gaze, he let out a malicious laugh.

"What"s wrong, Suzuka. Could it be that you"ve never gone to karaoke?"

"Ugh! S-So what! Anyway, I can"t sing songs! I never even heard those things in the first place!"

"Ah. I"m really - hehe - looking forward to it."

"What"s the deal with that strange laugh just now! I"m not going! I don"t want to go at all!"

"I see. I wouldn"t want to make you look bad with your tone deafness--"

"What the h.e.l.l, Bandanna! In that case, I"ll definitely make you worship my beautiful singing!"

Even Harutora would have trouble denying that he had doubts about whether the current situation could be called "getting along". In any case, it seemed that Touji was better at finding Suzuka"s weak points than Harutora and Kyouko.

"Alright, it"s decided." Harutora readily put his hand on Suzuka"s head. Suzuka yelled out with a red face. It seemed a bit too red to be due to pure anger - at least to Kyouko and Touji.

Then,

"H-Harutora. I...... I"ll wait for Tenma here and then go over with him."

Natsume said hesitantly.

Everyone went speechless momentarily. But this time, Touji didn"t have any skillful interjection.

"Then I"ll stay behind too. ...Harutora, Kyouko, you two go first with Dairenji. You"d better heat up the atmosphere."

Touji secretly glanced at Harutora. Considering the current relationship between the Tsuchimikados, Kyouko ought to take care of Suzuka and he ought to look after Natsume. Harutora was secretly grateful for this, and Kyouko immediately comprehended Touji"s intent, saying goodbye in a cheerful tone.

"Better win, Suzuka-chan."

"I know already. I"m definitely going to kill you!"

Suzuka, who sharply proclaimed this, left driven by Kyouko"s urging. Harutora also followed behind.

He looked over his shoulder, pretending to be normal:

"See you later...... Natsume, we"ll be waiting for you."

"Yeah......"

In the end, they didn"t meet each other"s gaze. Harutora still felt a bit reluctant and still wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat.

...Honestly.

Why were things so difficult. Harutora felt embarra.s.sed, turning his head and putting his back to Natsume and Touji.

He had probably turned his back because he was conscious of Natsume"s gaze that turned towards him.

Natsume kept staring at the backs of Harutora and the others until the three of them vanished around the corner of the hallway.

Not long afterwards, she sighed upsettedly. Touji cleared his throat next to her, feeling troubled.

"......Indeed, Harutora"s been a bit strange recently, no doubt about it."

"...Eh?"

"Even so, you should look at yourself. If you have something to say, say it clearly. Why are you still being so cautious of Harutora?"

"Touji......"

Touji started at Natsume with a sharp gaze. Natsume also forgot that she was wearing her male disguise, murmuring with her "original" voice.

"......I don"t understand either. And Harutora"s att.i.tude right now...... What should I do...... I can"t figure out my own thoughts......"

Natsume lowered her head, her tone clearly extremely downcast.

"......I might be hated......"

"If that"s what you truly think, then you"re certainly a genuine idiot."

"But."

"But?"

Natsume unconscious looked up to search for support, weakly biting her lip after meeting Touji"s gaze again. Touji played with the bandanna on his forehead to compose his own feelings.

"......Natsume. During the training camp last month, Harutora confessed that Hokuto was driving him. I don"t know what you think of that, but you were undoubtedly that Hokuto that he"s fascinated with, right?"

So please have some confidence in yourself - that was Touji"s implied meaning. But Natsume still chewed her lip with no intention of replying.

Touji looked up at the ceiling, then revealed a powerless smile.

"......Well, it still won"t be easy."

He had once said similar things to Harutora, and Harutora" reaction at the time had also been abnormally slow. It seemed that in his own way, Harutora was harboring complex troubles that Touji couldn"t imagine. It would probably be counterproductive for an outsider to come out and help at this time.

As he complained, Touji still firmly believed in the bond between the two of them. Nothing could break the relationship between Harutora and Natsume, regardless of what discord ensued. Things would probably much easier if Touji"s trust could at least be conveyed to one of the two.

"Let"s go, Natsume. Even if we"re going to wait for Tenma, we don"t have to stand around here."

"......Yeah."

After seeing Natsume nod, Touji slowly walked out.

He wanted things to develop naturally, but it would be better for things to be resolved as early as possible. After that emotion, different from open-mindedness, surfaced in Touji"s heart, he left the place with Natsume.

"...Om marici sowaka... Om marici sowaka..."

He was on one knee, the fingers of his hands crossing in a complex pattern. They formed the Vajrapani mudra. He chanted the incantation, blessing his heart, forehead, left shoulder, right shoulder, and the top of his head, checking that the spell had formed while repeating the seven-syllable incantation.

"... Om marici sowaka... Om marici sowaka..."

A continuous stealth seal. He single-mindedly refined aura, gradually weaving the magic using magical energy.

This was stealth magic used in actual battles that they had learned today. Tenma had returned to the magic practice field, wanting to practice again alone.

"... Om marici sowaka... Om marici sowaka..."

Eliminate the self-consciousness, the two teachers had explained.

They wanted him to solve that difficult problem, but he couldn"t form the magic. Maybe "solving that difficult problem" entailed getting over distractions.

He didn"t think about anything at all. His mind was blank, but it was hard to stop thinking about "not thinking about anything at all" itself. Then, he would notice that he was still "thinking about not thinking about anything at all", which would repeat ad infinitum.

He released himself from the chain reaction of thought, heading to a territory of no distractions.

But stealth magic was also a magic, a magic that concealed even the magic concealing his aura itself. Delicate adjustment was required - it had to be controlled. Could he simply eliminate his self-consciousness while maintaining that kind of control?

He didn"t understand.

But he could only do it.

Stealth magic seemed to have its subtleties. No, it wasn"t just stealth magic, all first-cla.s.s magic had their own key tricks. In the end, the strengths of magic were greatly defined by the perception of the pract.i.tioner. Other field were mostly the same, but magic relied the most on the subject"s talent. The closure of the world of magic symbolized that, and it was an indisputable truth that most pract.i.tioners through the ages had been born in families related to magic.

Nature and talent, bloodlines and genes. Hard work was naturally a pre-condition, but the people who were able to reach the "top" were limited very early on. In the end, true pract.i.tioners were only those people who could reach the "top".

He could only do it.

But he was clueless.

What should he do? What was the key? Could he even do it?"

"... Om marici sowaka......"

As if suddenly becoming discouraged, Tenma released the hand seal.

He stopped chanting the incantation and then let out a heavy sigh. Propping his hands on his knees, Tenma slowly rose.

His body was incredibly heavy. Had he used too much aura, or was it because of his mood? Tenma had lost the will to continue training. He stood still, dejected.

Just then,

"......Yeah, what a pity."

Tenma rapidly turned his head in surprise upon hearing the chatting voice coming from behind his back. His homeroom teacher Ohtomo Jin leaned next to the entrance of the field, smiling as he watched Tenma.

"Sensei......"

"What"s wrong, you don"t need to be that shocked. I didn"t use any stealth, I"ve been here the whole time. That proves how concentrated you were in your magic before."

Ohtomo said this, walking next to Tenma while holding a short cane.

He was a young yet haggard-faced man wearing a rumpled suit and old-fashioned gla.s.ses. A wooden fake leg could be glimpsed coming from his right pants leg. "You worked very hard." Ohtomo smiled at Tenma.

"You"re really a hard-working person. But you worked a little too hard, you know? Haste makes waste."

Ohtomo advised him nonchalantly with a relaxed smile on his face like always. But the current Tenma was extremely moved by Ohtomo"s gentleness.

"......Am I really too hasty?"

"Well. As far as I can see, I can"t help but think that way - I guess."

"I see...... You saw through me really easily. My grandfather always scolds me when I show an expression unbecoming of a pract.i.tioner."

"Haha. He"s very strict because he holds great expectations of you."

Ohtomo seemed as if he were encouraging him, but his smile vanished when he saw Tenma"s expression afterwards. He carefully observed the boy"s reaction.

Actually, the moment he said "great expectations", Tenma"s expression became rather gloomy.

"......Sensei. Is first-cla.s.s magic...... Is Onmyoudou really an ability of geniuses? Is it really true that it"s a quality that can"t be made up for with any amount of hard work?"

Tenma looked up at Ohtomo, asking pleadingly. His cornered expression didn"t fit Tenma"s style.

Ohtomo looked at his student, nodding.

"Of course."

He a.s.serted. At the same time as his homeroom teacher said that, Tenma"s body suddenly went stiff.

"You ought to have thoroughly understood that kind of natural thing from cla.s.s. After all, there definitely aren"t many people in the world able to see spirits. Needless to say, only a small portion of those people are able to become professional pract.i.tioners. The world of magic is probably the only profession that"s "decided" from the very beginning."

Ohtomo"s light tone was as if he were having a nice chat. But his tone, as unconcerned as usual, made Tenma feel battered by a storm.

"Sensei." After he came to his senses, Tenma interrupted Ohtomo"s words as if unburdening himself of his grievances.

"I"ve already studied under Sensei for a very long time. I"m continuously studying first-cla.s.s magic with Harutora and the others right now."

"......Yeah."

"Can I become a professional Onmyouji?"

Tenma watched Ohtomo motionlessly, his eyes showing a powerful will.

Ohtomo readily accepted his student"s pressing question.

Then, he smiled softly.

"I don"t know."

"Please explain!"

"Well, I really don"t know. I know of your current power, but I can"t predict your future. I"m not that kind of clairvoyant."

"But isn"t an individual"s ability already decided at birth?"

"Ability, yes. But, pract.i.tioners don"t only need ability."

This was Tenma"s first time strongly retorting to a teacher since he had entered the academy. But Ohtomo seemed not to mind, slowly explaining for him without mincing his words.

The cane in his hands made a soft noise.

"Well, Tenma-kun. Magic is unexpectedly deep. You could even say that it"s an entire distinct world. Moreover, it"s probably in a completely different direction from what you currently vaguely imagine."

"What does that mean?"

"Yeah. Anyway, there are many differences in the abilities required in Onmyoudou. To put it differently, any kind of ability that you possess can be used as a weapon. For example, like your parents."

Tenma"s face suddenly twitched. Complex emotions flashed by the eyes of Ohtomo as he watched him.

But Ohtomo feigned ignorance and continued speaking.

"There"s no denying it, your parents didn"t have outstanding abilities as pract.i.tioners. Even so, those two left behind incalculable achievements. I always used the "WA1" since I started Mystical Investigator work, and a friend of mine still treasures the motorcycle he rides that your parents made especially for him. They made huge contributions that surpa.s.sed their abilities, but does that meant they"re not outstanding Onmyouji?"

Tenma lowered his head and fell silent. Ohtomo smiled wryly upon seeing his appearance.

"Come to think of it, it might have been a bit dirty to use your parents as examples. It might to be hard to retort when you"re lectured with those examples."

"......That"s not the case. Thank you."

Tenma replied, his head still lowered. Ohtomo watched Tenma with a sincere expression, walking next to him a short while later and putting his hand on his shoulder.

"......The Onmyou Academy only accepted you because we had faith in your talent. I hope that you could trust my judgment a little."

Tenma still didn"t raise his head after hearing his homeroom teacher"s encouragement.

But after a long silence, he finally nodded lightly.

"......What"s happened?"

The foggy windows were opened in the princ.i.p.al"s office as they so rarely were. The cloud-filled sky could be seen outside from the opened windows. A wet-winged eagle was stopped by the windowsill.

The Onmyou Academy princ.i.p.al Kurahashi Miyo sat on the chair next to her desk, looking at the eagle by the window. She had taken off her reading gla.s.ses, and her expression was showing a look of rare shock.

"Truthfully?"

"It"s probably easy to take as a joke. But at least I didn"t want to be startled by the "Kurahashi Diviner"."

The eagle said this as it faced the princ.i.p.al. Moreover, its expression and its small movements were mysteriously like a human"s.

The eagle showed the age of its master through its lecturing tone. It was the voice of the Onmyou Agency Mystical Crime Investigation Department"s Chief, Amami Daizen. This eagle was his shikigami.

Amami"s shikigami seemed to be nonchalant, but the message it had conveyed was extremely serious. Actually, the information he had conveyed made one wonder whether to take it seriously.

"......An announcement of Ashiya Doman?"

"Yeah. Specifically, it"s a "letter of challenge". Thanks to him, the Onmyou Agency"s currently in an uproar."

As Amami said, a shikigami had appeared before the Onmyou Agency building two hours ago. The giant owl-shaped simple shikigami had stayed in front of the building, loudly proclaiming its message, and then the contents of the message had become a letter that dropped to the entrance of the building. After the Onmyou Agency inspected the message to see whether it had magic, they had immediately taken it in.

The contents were--

""Ashiya Doman will come to take the "Raven"s Wing" tomorrow." ...Honestly, there"s been no news for the long time we"ve been investigating him, and suddenly there"s this big movement. Thanks to him, the Mystical Investigators are thoroughly discredited."

Amami rattled off a complaint, but his voice sounded more excited instead. Since a long time ago, he had been the type to become more invigorated the stronger the opponent was. But this time, she couldn"t just smile and observe Amami"s bad taste.

"Is it really him?"

"It"s a bit too much to be the prank of a fake. The "Raven"s Wing"... It"s extremely realistic indeed for him to mention that tool in such an unlucky time. Even if it isn"t "D" himself, we can"t just ignore this."

"......But why this, so suddenly."

"To be honest, I have no clue. It"s really a shame as the Chief of the Mystical Investigators. But the Twin-Horned Syndicate hasn"t made any visible motions since the Nue incident. This is just my instinct, but judging by their strategies before, those people won"t take direct action on their own. But if this is just a single criminal, then I can"t understand his reasoning."

"......How unreliable."

"You"re too harsh. But I can"t deny it."

Amami readily laughed back up hearing the princ.i.p.al"s ice-cold a.s.sertion. The princ.i.p.al sighed unconsciously.

In the next moment, the joking att.i.tude vanished from the eagle.

"...Ah, from now on this is just me talking to myself...... Tsuchimikado Yakou"s relic, the "Raven"s Wing", is currently tightly sealed in an Onmyou Agency warehouse. Miyo-chan, you know that, right?"

"......Yes."

"Nnn. Of course you ought to know. After all, the Onmyou Agency once publicly announced that. "D" ought to know this too, and "according to normal logic", that guy"s shikigami appearing in front of the Onmyou Agency building can be taken as evidence that he knows this. Most of the Onmyou Agency should believe that he"s announcing that he wants to steal the Raven"s Wing that"s sealed in the building."

"But. There"s some strange news circulating among a group of people regarding the "Raven"s Wing". An extremely absurd rumor. It says that the "Raven"s Wing" kept at the Onmyou Agency isn"t the original, but a fake. Miyo-chan, do you know about that news too?"

"......Well."

The princ.i.p.al"s tone didn"t change a bit as she replied carefully. But the expression she watched the eagle with suddenly sharpened like a drawn blade.

Amami"s malicious laughter came from the eagle"s beak again.

"Probably no one"s sure whether that guy knows the news or not. But - as I mentioned before, his current objective is hard to pinpoint. In my position, I want to make complete preparations so that we won"t get into trouble anywhere...... Well, that"s hard to actually do. Miyo-chan, at the least you should get a firm grip on the situation."

"......Understood."

The princ.i.p.al said indifferently.

Then, her voice immediately became softer.

"......Amami-kun."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

The eagle didn"t respond for a while.

The princ.i.p.al"s figure was reflected in its avian eyes. After the silence, it spoke in a voice completely different from before,

"......Sorry. I"ll do everything I can too."

After leaving those final words, Amami"s presence vanished from the eagle.

The eagle"s body shook, spreading its giant wings and flying into the overcast sky while paying attention to not splash any water around. The princ.i.p.al watched the eagle vanish in the shadow of one of Shibuya"s buildings and rose to close the fogged-up window.

She sat back in her chair, closed her eyes, and regulated her breathing. What currently surfaced in her mind was the scene that had happened last month when she had sent her shikigami to the training camp like Amami had.

... "I heard the original was in the Onmyou Academy."

The princ.i.p.al opened her closed eyelids.

She picked up the phone on the table and rapidly dialed an internal phone call.

Then,

"......h.e.l.lo, thanks for your work. It"s Kurahashi. I"m very sorry, but please call Ohtomo-sensei and Fujiwara-sensei over. ......Yeah, that"s right, it"s an emergency."