Volume 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)

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Harutora and Hokuto hadmiddle school

It was in a small park near the trareen leaves shone like eht

The first time he met Hokuto he had been unable to keep his eyes off her She looked like an idol that he liked at the time, and had been about as old as hi tiirl went to

The girl was sitting alone on a park bench, and once she noticed Harutora's gaze, her body suddenly ju Her eyes widened in Harutora's direction and her e reaction After all, he didn't know this girl

Harutora felt it was very strange, and tried approaching the girl Noticing, the girl quickly escaped fro instantly and without a trace, leaving behind the stunned Harutora blankly standing still - that was the firstbetween Harutora and Hokuto

Harutora ended up ' would bein the park

From then on Harutora would always feel like there was a person spying on hi when he was at home, but once he walked out onto the road, he would feel like there was so at him from behind But every time he turned around no one was there

He turned around frequently, wondering whether he was being followed But he didn't expect that he was actually being followed He noticed the other person purely by chance At the ti by a car parked to the side, and he saw the figure of his follower from the side view mirror

It was that girl he had run into in the park

He reflexively turned around, ht by surprise Hokuto escaped on foot, and he chased after her Unfortunately, Hokuto's speed was shocking, and her figure vanished inwould happen every three days, and not long after it became every two days, and in the end, this draest human relationshi+p Harutora had in his life

Harutora chased, Hokuto ran, and these days continued for a period of time

Why does she follow me around? Why does she run? Harutora pondered but couldn't understand and only felt baffled

But instead, that baffling feeling infla spirit

He thought of several plots, but Hokuto saw through therossed in this ga He had never passed a summer vacation where he had racked his brain, run around, and sweated this much

Meaningless, hot, exciting, and mystery-filled days

He absorbed hiht

But in the end, Harutora didn't catch Hokuto a single time

On the last day of sue his methods Early in the day, he came to the park they had first , just stayed in the park and waited idiotically, and in doing so even one crazy He endured the tor until he was al somewhere to cool down never crossed his mind

Hokuto appeared at dusk

The instant the sun fell under the horizon, in the short ht hadn't coo--

Hokuto's deterht up to Harutora, and she opened herto come clean

But Harutora spoke first before she made a sound:

”You don't need to say anything, it's your win”

She closed hertheof those words

”I didn't catch you even at the end, so I think you probably don't want people to know your background, right?”

Hokuto stood silently with an aard face, but Harutora was bea with a smile

”You're really crazy fast for a girl But let me at least tell you my name I'm Harutora”

He stood up fro his hand

Hokuto looked intently at Harutora's hand like a shtly lowered, big eyes - gradually shone with light

She quietly reached out her hand, ti Harutora's hand, and then she shook his hand firo

Afterwards, a blooed on her face - one that Harutora would often see in the future

Harutora barely understood Hokuto at all A irl - Touji had called Hokuto this, but Harutora didn't care, since in the end he liked Hokuto being by his side

That suave way to winter, and a year passed The second year passed, and the two of the the third year, and Harutora's surroundings became even livelier

The secretive girl and the juvenile delinquent - Everyone see very well, and Harutora felt satisfied

So he didn't want to destroy the relationshi+ps between them three

So he wanted to always go on like this

That would be pretty nice, he thought

Harutora ran on the straight road at night

The heavy rain didn't stop, and thunder even began ruht

Unmindful of the horrible weather, Harutora had ran alone froical battlefield

He ran to chase Suzuka

At the same time, he ran to stop Suzuka

His , just rushi+ng forward His breathing was erratic, and his heart felt like it was torn, intense pain wracking his entire body

He had dulled the pain with a healing charue, and every ti his run

It was dark all around, the streetlights on either side gloeakly He almost couldn't see the road under his feet in this torrential downpour The road extended into the darkness, and he could only vaguely see the road in front of hi had passed, nor did he kno far he had ran, and all he heard was the resounding sound of thunder and the sound of his breathless gasps He constantly ran, running through the rain, running through the night, running through flashes of lightning,forward on an unknown road

He didn't stop running

His hand clutched the charm Hokuto had left behind after she disappeared

He made an effort to not think of Hokuto, andto keep his o away

His thoughts inadvertently faded alongside his chaotic breathing, but when he stu onto the road, hishim unable to help but recall the old days

Hokuto's appearance had never changed since the first time they met Her body was thin, but had an unbelievably durable body and arth to match She was fast on her feet, and she could even catch Touji sprinting as hard as he could She didn't like talking about herself - They had never heard her mention her family or friends

Just nohen she had been wounded but hadn't leaked a drop of blood, she had even blocked the spider's steel leg while siic She had disappeared like s behind her words telling Harutora to run away She hadn't becoami charm instead

To think that there could be such a thing

damn

Harutora was out of breath, yelling 'that idiot' in his heart

Why was she a shi+kigami?

The thought 'A fake Hokuto appeared just now, and the real Hokuto is soed once, but he couldn't fool himself like that 'I lied to you, I' you' Hokuto had said that

Could it be that everything had been fake? Her existence had been fake, and her memories had also been fake?

All the ti had been a lie - Could he had been lied to?

If I've been lied to

If Hokuto's existence had been a lie fro, if she had never once existed

Might she not be dead?

'Harutora, I love you'

Lightning struck, and thunder roared

He wanted to yell as loud as he could, but breathless as he was, he couldn't even shout the words in his heart So, he strode forward, i desperately, thinking of running until the ends of the earth

Rain Night Lightning Thunder

His vision became blurry, his consciousness faded, and he couldn't even feel thesince expended its energy and was depending on the assistance of his soul to continue running

Depending on his soul

A flash of lightning split the atmosphere, followed by a clap of thunder, and the air shook intensely

Right, where had Hokuto's soul gone? She also had a soul, right? If she did - If the shi+kigaain even if she was fake Everything will be fine if I see her, I want to ask her clearly and understand If her soul is wandering around soht now--

Then

Harutora stopped

He didn't kno long he had run for When he cahts by the sides of the road for a long ti in the world that seeht had disappeared

At the end of the darkness, on the other side, there was a fuzzy, weak point of light that glowed faintly

It seemed like a soul

”Hokuto?”

A hoarse voice came from his mouth

But, it wasn't a soul

It was the light from a lantern Harutora knew that he had reached his destination

There was a ently sloped ra the hill behind hi up the slope next to the road, and there was the roof of an ancient-looking wooden shrine next to the stone steps, with a lantern hanging froht

Thunder flashed, illu the lantern under the roof

The pentagram family crest was printed on the lantern--

Along with the word 'Tsuchimikado'

Harutora stood in the night, catching his breath and looking at the light Then, he walked closer as if to drive away the darkness

He stood next to the lantern, looking at the stone steps The precipitous steps gave off the i into the dense, dark trees on either side Two points of light shone like a ht of lanterns

Harutora climbed the stone steps

The force of the rain weakened, the sound of the shaking tree leaves growing noisier instead

He stepped up the stone stairs one after another, cliht sky with every step upwards

Foreboding dark clouds and blinding lightning

He reached the hilltop

There was an outer door at the end of the stone steps, with starred lanterns similar to the one below on either side of it

He opened the door wide from the outside

On the other side of the door was the Tsuchiht

He hadn't cohts inside, and it didn't see presence as if the

Had Natsuht anxiety rose in Harutora's heart

”Close the door, I'm in the Bellflower Room”

For aBut, he hadn't been mistaken A butterfly flew onto the nose of Harutora as staring around the h the creepy atmosphere

The butterfly before hiami, and it had been Natsume's voice just now She really had made it home

Harutora held tightly to the shi+kiga butterfly into the mansion

He walked into the entrance, h the corridor

He was a bit concerned about entering the s were dark, and it would be hard for hiht, much less find a towel to dry hiht in the darkness He followed the butterfly, relying on his memory as he walked into the mansion

After walking for a while, he saw a faint light shi+ning through the gap of a sliding door in the corridor

It was a wood-floored room, called the 'Bellflower Room' by the Tsuchimikado fa door, and the sliding door opened as Harutora approached

The light spilling out of the rooht from candles

The room was about twelve tatami mats[1], and there was an altar set up inside with a yorishi+ro[2], sakaki[3] and gohei for worshi+p There were also various instru scrolls with incantations written on the flames that dimly lit the room

The interior of the rooave off a mildewy odor mixed with the smell of the heat and rain, but at the sa incense

Natsume sat in the center of the room

Harutora was a bit surprised Natsu into the pure white and red japanese haka a talisman that had been placed on the floor The butterfly flew before Natsuami charm

”Natsume”

Natsu Harutora call out Her black hair slid down soundlessly in the flickering orange candlelight

The butterfly shi+kigaami manipulated by Natsume, or in other words

”Your spiritual power recovered?”

”Yes There should be no probleh it hasn't recovered completely”

”So you uard the altar?”

Natsume had no reply That answer showed even o

It was silent inside the rooh the sound of the rain outside was faintly audible The room was permeated with an atmosphere of seclusion from the outside world

The area seemed as if it was covered by a layer of tranquility, and inside this barrier, the passing of tiht and the sound of the burning incense

”Harutora-kun, were you hurt? You look like you were injured”

”Ah, I'ht, I'm just like this because I ran over here”

Natsume looked surprised when she heard those words She showed her shock, shaking her head and taking a towel placed by the side to give to Harutora Harutora took the towel, infinitely grateful

”Sorry for having you return home alone in that kind of condition”

Harutora rubbed his head with the towel, apologizing to Natsume

Natsu him: ”I know”

”The driver told me about the situation back then When I woke up in the car, I was really scared I couldn't cal the driver's explanation I spoke to you in the cafe, so why did you have to come here?”

She seemed truly mad, her words barbed as usual

Right now, Harutora was grateful from the bottom of his heart for Natsume's lecture He had just listened to her in the cafe, but it felt abnoro

A bitter, self-deprecating feeling passed through his chest

If he hadn't come here, Hokuto wouldn't have died, and the days that were now forever lost could have continued

”I'm really useless”

Harutora ry Natsu that

Then, her countenance relaxed slightly

”Didn't you stay behind to learn on between the 'Child Prodigy' and the Mystical Investigators? Judging by your appearance, it seeood outcome”

”Yeah”

Harutora replied dully, sitting heavily on the floor

He wasn't in thethe towel on his head cover his face, and retelling the ic battle he had just witnessed

The Mystical Investigators' loss Suzuka suernaut' The contents of his and Suzuka's conversation, and the full story of how he had tried to persuade Suzuka

Though he was hesitant, he still spoke of the event with Hokuto

To avoid a long story, he spoke of everything he had witnessed truthfully

As well as what had happened to one of his most important friends

Natsu Harutora's words

The candle burned behind her back, and shadows fell across her face because she was backlit Hazy shadoayed on her pretty face, and her eyes shone with a mysterious radiance

Natsue fro only when Harutora had finished speaking

”I see, she brought out an 'Arernaut'”

”Do you know about that thing?”

”I only know of the naainally wasn't a shi+kigale person could y'”

Natsuentle, perhaps concerned about Harutora's feelings

”Is there a way to defeat it?'

”I don't know, all I know is that it would be extremely difficult”

”Even so, you're going to perform your 'responsibility' as fully as possible?”

”Right”

Natsume replied with a clear, brief tone, without a trace of hesitation

The sied Natsume annoyed him because of this Why would Natsume be so different from him? When they were small, Harutora had always taken the lead, but now she was already this strong

Her responsibility as a member of the Tsuchimikado family Her duty as the heir

But, was that it?

Why Natsu, and why she firmly upheld her 'responsibility'

Could it be because she was Yakou's

Tch

Harutora closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head, flinging away his confusion

He had never been so off the towel draped over his head and looking at Natsume Natsume blinked in surprise at Harutora's sudden motions

”W, What is it? Let me first say that whatever you say, you won't stopmy duty as the heir This is my responsibility, since I'm a member of the Tsuchimikado family”

”Is that it?”

”Huh? O, Of course, because the Taizan fukun Ritual is a dangerous ceremony, and I can't allow”

Natsume's voice becaaze

”Natsume, you're this firm about your 'responsibility' because you're Yakou's reincarnation, right?”

Harutora asked, both eyes staring intently at Natsume

”Ha”

Natsume's reaction was intense

Her wide, almond-shaped eyes blinked, and hera firm but not unaffected presence

She straightened her back, a sincere look e since known that she would be asked this question

She looked straight back into Harutora's eyes, giving him an answer

”Harutora-kun, I don't know if I'm Yakou's reincarnation either”

Harutora nodded his head upon hearing Natsume's response

Harutora was serious Since his childhood friend had chosen to sincerely answer this presumptuous question, he had to show the same sincerity

”You have noto Yakou?”

”Right What's ic can't prove whether Yakou was truly reincarnated or not, nor can it find out whether I am the reincarnation You already heard those rumors about me?”

Natsu a 'nn' sound

”Actually, I only learned about that rumor today, so I'm not very clear on it”

”I'm not too clear on how many people know about it or how many people actually believe it either I asked my father, but he refused to tell me But, that rumor was already around by the time I was born”

”Around by the time you were born? Not spread after people learned about your a talent?”

”Right, my talent isn't much Don't be mistaken, I consider my efforts extraordinary, and I'm a minor celebrity Honestly, the rumor spread into an uproar because of this At least, fro Yakou's reincarnation”

”I see So that's how it is”

Harutora uously

He had only learned of his childhood friend's secret now Natsume wasn't simply a successor of the main family, the burden 'Yakou's reincarnation' had accompanied her from the day she was born

He remembered the words he had just spoken to Suzuka 'All of society will raise its voice to condeency, and he will have to live on pitifully like that' What pained him was, couldn't those words he had dissuaded Suzuka with be applied to Natsume as well?

”Born in the Tsuchimikado main family, elected the family heir, 'maybe' Yakou's reincarnation - that is o, as if I let her have what she desires, it would basically be denying my own existence and my position”

Natsu down the burden from her shoulders, candidly and sincerely

But, it was a self- smile on her face

”You could call me a person without a 'self' My position is complicated, and I have no will or desires of ami”

”Natsume”