Chapter 2 - Future and Everyday 3 page

The house Tenma lived in was around Gokoku-ji^[4]. It was an old area with narrow, complicated, criss-crossing alleyways. There were transfer routes in Nagata-cho and Ikebukuro to Shibuya where the Onmyou Academy was, but Tenma normally always walked to Zoshigaya Station and took the train all the way to the central lines. Though the distance was longer by foot, he deliberately chose to walk because he liked walking through the alleyways. But he couldn't help but regret his choice in this kind of frigid morning. Of course, since he did this regularly, he wouldn't change his course because of the cold.

In any case, his body would warm up quickly if he was active. Tenma quickly headed to the station at his normal pace.

A disappointingly dim day was above his head. Around him was a winter scenery lacking color. Maybe the scenery had become dim because he had returned to a plain, ordinary feeling after the 'happy' days of Christmas and New Years. Tenma's brief winter break had ended a few days ago.

But he would have to get used to this ordinary feeling very quickly. After Tenma glanced at his wristwatch to check the time, he hastened his pace.

After walking for a while, he ran across the Arakawa Line track. His view expanded, his vision broadened, and he was able to see the buildings of Ikebukuro. He turned along the track and the entrance to the subway was immediately visible. But at the same time, the wind increased in intensity. Tenma drew back and furrowed his brow at the cold, gusting wind.

At that moment.

"E-E-E-E-Excuse me!"

Tenma stopped in surprise at the sudden, loud apology from next to him.

The one apologizing was a girl about middle-school age. A coat covered her sailor-type uniform and her hair was tied into two pigtails. A rather cute girl who wore glasses like Tenma. But she was an unfamiliar face. Moreover, she was red-faced for some reason.

Tenma couldn't help but look left and right, checking that there were no other people nearby. In other words, this girl was apologizing to Tenma. But why? Of course he had no idea. Rather, his mind couldn't keep up with the abruptly changing situation. "Um......" After Tenma let out an insecure voice, he just stood there, dazed.

Then--

"Um, you are M-Momoe Tenma-san, right?"

"...Ah, yes......"

He replied immediately, feeling shocked this time out of something other than reflex.

After all, this was an unfamiliar girl. But why would she know his name? Or had they met once before? But he ought not to have forgotten metting a girl from another school. Or had she been in ordinary clothing when they met? No, but......

Confused, he desperately dug through his memories.

However, while Tenma was unsettled--

"U-Um! T-This! P-Please read this!"

That girl thrust her hands straight forward, not looking properly at Tenma's face either.

She gave him a letter. Even Tenma realized the situation when he saw this. But his confusion worsened even further.

"Eh? E-Ehh?"

He looked left and right for no reason again. After all, it was the first time in his life that he faced this kind of situation. Also, they were close to the station. There were people going to work and class passing by at this time. Actually, although the people passing by didn't stop, they all shot Tenma and the girl a glance without exception. One of them - a woman who looked like an office lady - smiled mischievously with an "Oh my, hoho." His chill from before had vanished like an illusion and his face rapidly heated up.

"P-Please! H-here!"

"O-Okay--!?"

The girl suddenly pushed forward the letter. Tenma couldn't help but take it, swept away by her momentum.

Immediately, the girl turned around and ran off down the asphalt road.

"W-Wait--"

Tenma spoke up in a panic, but lost his words there, his eyes wide. That was also because the girl who had given him the letter had instantly slipped into an alley and vanished. An astonishingly fast sprint. Truthfully, Tenma was dumbstruck.

"......W-What's going on?"

He stood there blankly for a moment. A bolt from the blue. In any case, he was more shocked than happy or embarrassed.

His face red, Tenma moved his gaze to the letter dropped in his hands.

A name was written on the pink letter. But he felt inexplicably tense just by holding it. Tenma decided to put it in his backpack for the time being. Then, without any deep intentions, he flipped it over and saw the other side of the letter.

Tenma's expression tensed up, and a tension different from the one before flashed through the eyes behind his glasses.

A small mark was written on the other side of the flipped letter. It was a simple mark. Not one of the heart-shaped marks that were commonly used in love letters.

A star mark. A five-pointed star drawn in one stroke.

Tenma was extremely familiar with this mark - the pentagram.

"............"

Tenma put the letter into his backpack, then walked down to the subway station entrance as if nothing had happened at all.

Chapter 2 - Future and Everyday

Part 1

"Natsume-kun was resurrected...... That's what Suzu-san said, right? And that Harutora-kun was fine?"

"Yes. ......Though she added the phrase 'for now'......"

Tenma nodded and replied to Kurahashi Miyo's confirmation.

The phone call from Saotome Suzu that had reached Tenma's phone from earlier had been cut off after an extremely short dialogue. He was in a state of knowing almost no details at all.

He would use the Taizan Fukun Ritual to resurrect Natsume. Tenma and the others had sent Harutora off with that kind of determination. They had let him go. Hence, they weren't sure about what had happened to him afterwards. They weren't sure whether Natsume had 'truly' resurrected either. They weren't even sure 'what kind of state' Harutora was currently in.

The time had already flown by to six in the morning.

Currently, Tenma and the others were in a Kurahashi family villa in Mejiro - a small, seaside residence. Other than Principal Kurahashi and Tenma, the people present were Ato Touji, Kurahashi Kyouko, Dairenji Suzuka, and the figure of Amami Daizen lying with his back on the sofa.

The night that had jarred the Onmyou Agency and even the magic community had finally given way to the dawn. However, things weren't over. Or rather, this was only the beginning. The people gathered here right now vaguely anticipated this.

The tumultuous night had ended.

But maybe the magic community would give way to an even longer night now.

"......I understand. In any case, there won't be any results even if we think about Harutora-kun and Natsume-kun's situations like this. Rather, we should consider our own matters right now. Think about the future."

The atmosphere in the room sharply tensed up due to the principal's words.

Tenma had told the principal about what the students had done last night and what they had witnessed. Also, it seemed that she had heard all the details from the once-imprisoned Amami. The situation was deeply pressing. After all, the people present had opposed the leadership of the Onmyou Agency.

They had opposed the Onmyou Agency Chief, Kurahashi Genji.

"Excuse me...... Principal? Is Chief Kurahashi truly, um......"

Tenma stammered a question to the principal.

Kurahashi Genji was an important person at the apex of the modern magic community. Not only was he the Onmyou Agency Chief, the Mystical Investigator Chief, and the Exorcist Bureau Chief, he was also a National First-Class Onmyouji holding 'First-Class Onmyou' certifications. He was the leader of the Twelve Divine Generals and had been named the 'current most influential' Onmyouji.

But that wasn't all. He was the current head of the famous Kurahashi Onmyoudou family...... Also known as the principal's son as well as Kyouko's father. He was the relative of two of the people here right now.

But the principal silently acquiesced to Tenma's question. Though she had prepared her heart, Kyouko's face distorted slightly at her grandmother's grim expression.

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

The principal moved her gaze to Amami on the sofa.

Amami was the former Chief of the Mystical Investigators. But he had mysteriously disappeared after the Twin-Horned Syndicate sweeping operation - or so it was said. But in truth, he had been locked underground in the Onmyou Agency building until he had escaped last night. It seemed that his treatment had been like torture, and he was extremely weak. Though the principal had urgently treated him, he still couldn't move with his own strength, nor could he speak since his throat was burned. His magical energy was in a perfectly cut-off state especially to block him from using first-class magic.

Even so, his sharp, thorough gaze was still vigorous.

Amami maintained his posture of lying on the sofa as he endured the principal's gaze, lightly moving his chin to express agreement.

At the same time, a spider quietly crawled up his shoulder. A pale blue spider about the size of a thumb. It was a 'Trick Spider', Amami's shikigami.

This shikigami was a test product of Tenma's dead mother and possessed two important strengths. One was that it was able to materialize on its own by absorbing the surrounding aura. The other was that it could be controlled without using magical energy as long as its magic settings were completed beforehand.

It was originally a shikigami that had been formulated to be used by ordinary people who couldn't manipulate magic. Hence, Amami could also use it after his magical energy was completely sealed. Last night, Amami had controlled this shikigami and led the captured Harutora and Tenma, who had snuck into the agency building. Though one of the two Trick Spiders had been destroyed, the other one that had followed Tenma had safely escaped with him.

Then, from the Trick Spider on Amami's shoulder--

"Unfortunately, the Chief's guilty."

Came Amami's voice.

Tenma's eyes widened with a "Huh?". Though the Trick Spider could share vision and hearing with the practitioner, it didn't have the function of making sound. In fact, it had been silent for the whole time it led Tenma around.

"It's my magic." Then, the principal explained in place of Amami.

"Because we had to ask about the situation no matter what. Though it's just a temporary overwrite, I managed to add to the shikigami charm's magic--"

"You can leave that for later, Miyo-chan."

Amami's voice sounded from the Trick Spider on his shoulder again. The gazes of the group focused on Amami.

"As for your doubt from before, it's unfortunate, but that's how it is. I heard it directly from the man himself, so it can't be wrong. Kurahashi Genji - that guy is the culprit who manipulated the Twin-Horned Syndicate from the shadows until now and led to two spiritual disasters from behind the curtain. The Souma faction have joined hands with him."

Tenma and the other students groaned at Amami's cutting assertion.

"......What's his goal? Is it Yakou's resurrection?"

It was Touji who asked this.

His expression was calm, but his eyes were as cold as ice. After a pause, Amami replied, "Not necessarily."

"The fact that he stole the Raven's Coat can be explained away as for Yakou's resurrection. But we can't clearly say that's the man's goal yet. Maybe that's just the individual expectation of the Souma girl. Actually, those guys abandoned the Twin-Horned Syndicate of gathered Yakou fanatics after using them as a stepping stone to spread the jurisdiction of the Onmyou Agency."

"But." Amami carefully continued.

"The Tsuchimikado branch family boy - No, it's more accurate to say the main family boy. In any case, judging by what the boy called Harutora said, that man's goal seems to be to 'continue Yakou's legacy'. ......That said, I know nothing about what the crucial 'legacy' includes. I expect that it's taboo. The Chief's true intent is unclear right now."

Then, Amami showed Touji a rebellious smile.

"I told you before, right? I said that every adult in this world is an old fox. But Kurahashi Genji is the worst of them. It's not easy to completely see through him."

Touji wordlessly nodded at Amami's words. Though Touji had firm self-confidence, he definitely wasn't a fool. He objectively recognized that the enemy was far cleverer than himself.

"......Is 'that man' an accomplice?"

This question came from Suzuka.

Suzuka's expression was stiff. It wasn't just the principal and Kyouko who had 'relatives' involved. The 'man' Suzuka spoke of referred to her - once-dead - father, Dairenji Shidou. The Divine General who had been called the 'Professor' was the mastermind behind the 'Great Hinamatsuri Purification' spiritual disaster terrorist attack. He was a person who had been viewed as the leader of the Twin-Horned Syndicate in the past.

Touji replied to her instead of Amami.

"Yeah, that's for sure. Though I haven't said so yet, that guy was there when I broke into the executive office. In the end, that guy awakened as Yashamaru, Souma Takiko's shikigami. Since Souma Takiko is allied with the Chief, he's naturally on the same side."

Suzuka lowered her head and tightly bit her lip after Touji announced that.

Though Suzuka was a National First-Class Onmyouji, she had obtained 'First-Class Onmyou' qualifications at a young age because her father had strengthened her spiritual power through magical experiments. Suzuka held strong animosity towards her father for toying with her and her brother.

"......Come to think of it now, the Chief and Dairenji were coworkers in the agency. Maybe their relationship started before Dairenji was reborn. Maybe much...... earlier......"

Suddenly, the Trick Spiders' words became unsettled and suddenly cut off. "Amami-kun!?" The principal's face paled and hastily ran forward with Kyouko by her side.

Amami closed his eyes in extreme exhaustion on the sofa. But after Kyouko supported his body, he slowly opened his eyelids.

A weak, bitter smile emerged on his mouth, and he said:

"......Sorry, my consciousness left me for a moment......"

"P-Please don't be so reckless. You have to settle down as much as possible right now--"

Though using the Trick Spider didn't require the use of magical energy, in the end the wounds and fatigue accumulated on the old man's body were extraordinary. Even if he had received the principal's magic treatment, that didn't change the fact that Amami's condition was extremely bad.

But Amami smiled and spoke to the worried Kyouko:

"......Don't be reckless? That's wrong, Kyouko-chan."

In contrast to his frail image, he showed a powerful smile.

"Let me take the opportunity to say that you can't give voice to such 'naive judgments' in the future. Those kinds of worries are the things an 'adult' says to shelter a 'child'. ......All you others listen carefully too, not just Kyouko."

Amami's gaze caught Touji, Suzuka, and Tenma. The feeble and barely-conscious old man's gaze scorched and solidified the children like flowing magma.

"Listen up. You all have to allow me to be as reckless as possible for as long as I'm still living. That's a necessary situational judgment stipulated by a 'standalone Onmyouji'. ......Of course......"

Amami's expression suddenly eased.

But the children shook even more instead after hearing his next words.

"That's if...... you truly plan on opposing the Onmyou Agency."

Touji, Suzuka, Tenma, and Kyouko all went speechless. The blood drained out of the faces of one, and one flushed red in a flash. One clenched his fists tightly, and one gritted his teeth.

But none of them averted their gazes. No matter what choice they made, there was no choice of fleeing.

"They'll be getting into this villa soon too. There's not much time. Just like Miyo-chan said at the start, let's think about the future."

Part 2

The Onmyou Academy, one of the few Onmyouji training institutions in the nation.

To people who held goals of becoming professional Onmyouji, this was a trial to explore the future difficulties along the road. Its curriculum was practically famous, and the difficulty of its practical curriculum was even more special. The power of one who reached the highest, third year could be called practically professional with regard to first-class magic. It was more famous than famous among the knowledgeable in the magic community.

The building of this academy was built in Shibuya, Tokyo. The current academy was a new building constructed four years ago, and had been heavily ruined in June last year. But it had been completely repaired now, and the vestiges from that time had vanished without a trace.

Not only was it a building furbished with the newest equipment, it also had a solemn feel to conform to its half-century of history. To the large number of Onmyouji who had come from this academy, it was a school building that was difficult to forget.

But--

If the past graduates visited the current Onmyou Academy, they might feel a small sense of wrongness within their nostalgia. Of course, the building had a new look, but it wasn't that kind of outer change, but rather a change on the inside - a change in the atmosphere.

At least Tenma thought so.

Maybe he was the only one who felt this. Maybe he was only concerned by such a subtle change because of his experiences. Maybe that was it. Tenma harbored complicated emotions as he looked at the familiar academy building towering before him.

"Ah, Momoe, morning."

"Good morning. It's so cold today~"

A pair of male and female students greeted Tenma before he entered the academy building. Both were in the same grade. "Good morning. It is very cold." He smiled and replied, then the three of them walked into the academy building together.

The academy building's main entrance had two pairs of heavy automatic doors. When the first of those automatic doors opened, Tenma inadvertently looked to the side.

"............"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Momoe-kun?"

"Nothing...... I felt like I've unconsciously gotten used to this scene."

"Eh? Ahh. You're talking about Alpha and Omega?"

The two classmates stopped because of Tenma's words, turning their gazes to the same direction. The space between the pairs of automatic doors. There had been mechanical shikigami to the left and right with the form of komainu before. Alpha and Omega who had once been the door guards of the Onmyou Academy. The shikigami of Principal Kurahashi.

But now, there were no komainu there. As replacements, there were just several shikigami charms framed on the two walls. In an emergency, the teachers would materialize these to defend the academy building. In that sense, it was 'rational' given their function, but Alpha and Omega hadn't purely been guards. They had kind personalities contrasting with their haughty language, and had been well-liked by the students as the face of the Onmyou Academy.

Most of the students had been sad when the two of them had been taken away. Of course, Tenma was the same.

But before he noticed it, the scene without the komainu had become ordinary for Tenma.

"Come to think of it...... it feels lonesome from time to time."

"The current first-years don't even know Alpha and Omega. Now that I think of that, it feels estranging."

"......That's true."

Other students came in through the automatic doors opening behind his back as he replied briefly. He couldn't just stand there without moving forever. Tenma also passed through the second set of automatic doors, entering the first floor.

Unlike usual, the vast floor had been adorned with ornate decorations. They were red and white-toned, Japanese-styled ceremonial decorations with gold and silver trim. A banner hanging from the ceiling read 'Onmyou Academy New Year's Ceremony' in black letters.

His classmates looked up above their head and said:

"Come to think of it, it's tomorrow."

"That's not it, there's a dress rehearsal this afternoon."

"Really? I can't feel any motivation."

"There's no helping it, there's gonna be a lot of media coming in this year."

The girl shrugged her shoulders at the frowning boy. Tenma also silently looked above.

The New Year's ceremony was an activity where the Onmyou Academy celebrated the new year, just like its name. That said, it had only started being held last January. Its main purpose was more to raise the Onmyou Academy's image in the media than to ceremoniously celebrate the new year. In short, it was propaganda that the Onmyou Academy aimed outside.

The New Year's Ceremony was an activity that had been started last year by the thinking of the previous Onmyou Academy Principal.

Last autumn, Kurahashi Miyo who had been the principal since the academy opened had resigned from her post as Onmyou Academy principal citing health reasons. Her shikigami Alpha and Omega had also left the Onmyou Academy during that time.

The new principal after that was a former Onmyou Agency official who had retired. The Onmyou Academy had 'changed' bit by bit since then. This New Year's Ceremony - or rather, the fact that this kind of activity was being held in the first place could be called proof of that change.

"......But."

Tenma muttered.

"Actually, there were even more students who entered last year. The number of students withdrawing decreased a lot too."

"Hmm? Well, there were indeed a lot of new students last year. But of course the number of students withdrawing decreased. After all, when we were second-years, there were so many unprecedented incidents--"

As the boy spoke with a bitter smile, the girl next to him quietly said "idiot" as is to reproach him. "Ah......" After the boy noticed, his face became awkward.

There were particular students at the center of the 'unprecedented incidents' during the second year of Tenma and the others.

Tsuchimikado Natsume.

Also, Tsuchimikado Harutora.

Tenma's relationship with the two of them had been particularly good. Other than that, he had also always been with Ato Touji and Kurahashi Kyouko before.

The biggest reason the new principal was holding this New Year's Ceremony was to eliminate the bad image lingering in the Onmyou Academy. The New Year's Ceremony could be called a cleanup after Tenma and the others.

"...Let's go."

Tenma smiled and spoke to the two of them, passing through the floor towards the elevator. His classmates glanced at each other and then chased after Tenma.

The boy spoke in a tone meant to change the topic:

"......Come to think of it, it seems like there are more teachers after the vacation. The first-years are saying that."

"Ah, I heard that too. It seems like they're also former Onmyou Agency people too."

"After the principal changed, the number of former Onmyou Agency teachers increased. Well, there were a lot in the first place."

"Even former public servants who started working again?"

"Eh? Who knows......"

Tenma and the others rode the elevator and changed floors to head to their classroom. "Now that you mention it." The girl asked Tenma.

"Momoe-kun, are you not going to enter the Onmyou Agency in the end?"

"Ah, I don't know."

"You still haven't decided? You're as leisurely as always."

"Momoe's home was a shrine or a temple, right? Are you going to continue it after you graduate?"

"No, my family's not......"

Tenma spoke vaguely and uneasily. As expected, the matters that got the most attention among the third years were each other's future plans. But because Tenma still hadn't decided, he couldn't join in the topic.

Tenma's parents had died in an accident when he was still a child. Since then Tenma had been taken in by the Momoe family on his mother's side and had been raised by his grandparents.

Though the Momoe family wasn't that famous, it had been an Onmyouji family for generations. His grandfather and his mother had been professional Onmyouji. In particular, his mother's manmade shikigami inventions had left behind huge achievements. She was a famous person among those related to the professional magic community.

But his bold and daring mother had brought discord to his relationship with his conservative grandparents. After she essentially ran away from home in secret, they had never ended up making up even until her death. The feelings of Tenma's grandparents who had been left behind and Tenma himself who lived with them after he was also left behind were incredibly complicated.

His grandparents didn't speak of Tenma's future path too much. Or, maybe they still held recollections - or perhaps bitter memories - about their disputes with his mother in the past.

But to the left-alone Tenma, his grandparents undoubtedly expected him to become a professional Onmyouji able to succeed the Momoe family. Tenma himself was also grateful to his grandparents and had entered the academy with the goal of becoming a professional.

To become a professional, standalone Onmyouji. That was Tenma's future goal.

It was just that...... what exactly was a so-called 'standalone Onmyouji'?

"Hm~ But, you know? If you don't have the goal of entering the Onmyou Agency, are you thinking about joining some kind of organization? Or working alone?"

"I~diot, no one can do it alone. ......Ah, come to think of it, Nakata was accepted into a magic tool company last year, right? Although there was a condition that he obtained qualifications."

"Eh, what kind? Where? Witchcraft Corporation?"

"It's not a famous place like that. A place that was established just last year. Allegedly, it seems like it was opened by a household of Onmyouji. So it's more like a workshop than a company."

"Hey, that's a bit surprising. For someone of Nakata-kun's power, I'd think entering the Onmyou Agency would be certain."

"He said that it was good because he would be able to work feely there. He even bragged that 'I'll grow the business'."

Though Tenma didn't interrupt his classmates' conversation, he turned an ear out of immense interest.

If it had been established last year, then it was probably a business formed conforming to the Onmyou legal reform from last year.

The magic community had often been accused of being secluded from both inside and out. However, the current Onmyou Agency was continuously pushing for Onmyouji to participate in new areas of society in order to improve that outlook. The Onmyou legal reform was a very important part of that. It greatly alleviated the limitations on magic - along with the limitations related to the Onmyouji who controlled magic.

New magic-related careers would definitely further increase in the future. The demand for Onmyouji in society would gradually increase alongside that trend. It wasn't just the Onmyou Academy. The magic community itself would change in the wake of the Onmyou Agency.

"...In any case, future plans are very important, but I'm just thinking about obtaining professional qualifications for now. I'm still learning and practicing every day until then."

After Tenma said this, it was the turn of the other two to show discontent.

They just happened to arrive at the classroom when Tenma rebutted. But after Tenma called out, "Sorry, I'm going to the restroom," he walked through the hallway alone without entering the entrance to the classroom.

Then--

The moment he turned the corner and entered a blind angle for the rest of the students, he started to stealth himself as naturally as breathing.

Of course, a 'vanishing aura' for a sudden, perfect stealth magic would attract the attention of a keen spirit seer even more easily. He did it bit by bit, in no hurry. He maintained a constant pace, gradually deepening the stealth magic as if he were melding his body in with the air.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 724