Chapter 2 - Future and Everyday 5 page

Perhaps things of that level wouldn't be any assistance at all to her father. But such things didn't matter. Kyouko was undoubtedly being given the environment to study and raise her power.

Kyouko had recognized and been conscious of the fact that she was the Kurahashi family daughter for the eighteen years up till now and had accumulated training and studies every day.

But she had never studied seriously like the past year and a half. Also, the more she seriously studied, the more painfully she felt how much she 'had to study'. There were truly a blindingly large amount of things she had to learn, more than she could fathom.

Magic was profound and vast. Kyouko had finally started to realize that fact. "Could it be--", Kyouko recalled. Back then - maybe Harutora had felt the 'sensation' that Kyouko was currently feeling after watching the magic battle between Ohtomo and Doman. He had felt the sensation of sincerely facing the world of magic for the first time.

An hour later, her maid came to inform her about dinner. Kyouko stopped studying and headed to the dining room. She ate the food that had been prepared alone and then returned to her room to continue studying. She continued studying single-mindedly until ten at night.

At ten, the alarm clock that had been set up rang. Kyouko turned off the alarm clock, cleaned up her desk and then left the room.

The place she went was an annex^[8] of the residence. It was the place her grandmother currently lived.

She first circled around to the back of the courtyard. Though the sun had set, the various stone lanterns placed in the courtyard were lit. Narrow bamboo stepping stones were hung up into a small stone bridge across the pond that connected to the annex.

The annex was a Japanese-style two-story building. It was a clearly gorgeous building and was fully-equipped for a person to live in. But her grandmother was currently forbidden from taking a single step outside this annex. When she thought of that, more quiet anger directed towards her father spilled forth than what came from her own treatment.

But her grandmother had said herself that 'anger' was an unnecessary emotion for their current selves. Nothing would come of it even if they got angry. All they had to do was calmly and indifferently complete what they needed to do.

The interior of the annex behind the sliding door was brightly lit.

Kyouko called out upon entering the annex. "Grandmother?"

A reply came from the second floor. Kyouko walked up the stairs to the second floor. Her grandmother was facing a Japanese desk in a room on the second floor. After Kyouko entered the room, she turned her head and smiled sweetly.

"Welcome, Kyouko-san. How was your day?"

The same basic dialogue as before. A dialogue completely the same as the ones they had shared before the incidents. Kyouko agreeably replied "The same as always."

"There was just the New Year's Ceremony dress rehearsal in the afternoon. Since the New Year's Ceremony is tomorrow. ...Ah, also, I passed by Tenma in the hallway."

"Oh my, is Tenma-san still doing well?"

"Yeah. Just like always, it looks like he's getting along very well with his classmates."

"That child would definitely be like that. Rather, was he uncomfortable when he passed by you?"

"Because he's the only one living peacefully? Haha. It's Tenma after all, so it's very possible. Well, that's certainly the truth, so I won't be too bothered even if it concerns him."

Kyouko spoke happily, sitting on the tatami in front of her grandmother.

But she checked her grandmother's appearance while giving an account of what had happened today - the condition of her body as well as her mental condition. No matter what, her grandmother was already old. She couldn't ignore the effects of living under house arrest. Also, Kyouko was the only one who could worry about her grandmother right now.

But whether she understood her granddaughter's worries or not, Kurahashi Miyo wore a full, composed smile no different from before. "Then." She said, offering the Japanese-style desk to Kyouko.

Two wooden 'boards' were placed on the small Japanese-style desk. A round board representing 'heaven' was placed directly above a square-shaped board representing the 'earth'. They were Liu Ren boards that had been used by Onmyouji for astrology since ancient times.

"Let's begin, Kyouko-san. Your training to 'read' the stars."

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 627