Volume 8 Chapter 5 (1/2)
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Huge changes had happened in Natsume's life since Harutora had entered the academy They had clashed when he entered, but they had becoood friends Worried about Harutora's poor results, she would sory and sohtly at hiether with Harutora disguised as Hokuto that she was able to sincerely express her emotions like this Harutora described the present in a half-co, half-prideful tone as a 'life with no h it was indeed a bit de, it definitely wasn't less
The happy and busy days continued Every day, she got angry, was surprised, and smiled from the bottom of her heart
Before she noticed, this had already become Natsume's new 'daily life'
Harutora had expanded Natsume's world
◎
Harutora and the others had already prepared thee crowds of the fireworks festival, but the actual situation greatly exceeded their expectations
”shi+buya on a weekend can't even coathered here?”
After all, the train line here had already been packed There were athered and slowly fore mix
Harutora and the others had set theirplace to be Asakusa's Sensoji Temple[1] But Harutora was speechless when he walked out of the train station and saw that it was packed so full of people that there was no place to walk
There was still so made it stuffy and hard to breathe All around them was activity and smiles, filled with a 'festival' atmosphere
”Wh-Where's Sensoji Temple?”
”Over there We're almost at the Thunder Gate[2]”
Of the three of them, only Touji had coh they could only move with the flow of people - so Harutora and Natsu When they looked back, they could see the Tokyo Skytree[3] on the other side of the road So tall That was a natural feeling, but it was still very big It was big enough that they couldn't make sense of how far away it was
”Incredible After the fireworks end, let's walk over there and look”
It had already been a year since he came to Tokyo, but Harutora had never seen the Tokyo scenery Everything he saw felt new, and he inadvertently gawked here and there Just then, the famous Furaijinmon - the Thunder Gate - entered his vision There were still people hustling and bustling around theet memorial photos
”Hey, Touji, let's take a picture”
”More of this? Coht”
Touji, annoyed, looked back at Harutora over his shoulder
”You know that your poent out of control a few hours ago, right? Don't only think about having fun”
”What I told you it completely stabilized We took the time to come here, so it would be a waste to not properly enjoy it”
”I guess I'll have to be responsible for treating your idiocy Natsume, come persuade him too”
”Natsume?”
”Eh? Ah, s-sorry I didn't hear”
”You guys”
Touji's mouth twitched, unlike his usual attitude
There was no helping it that Touji orried After all, right noasn't the time for Harutora and the others to leisurely watch a fireworks festival
After Harutora's aura went out of control and he lost consciousness, Natsuht hiained consciousness within ten er for his loss of control and how it had stopped
”It could be that one-ar it, it would have sounded like a joke”
Natsume had explained the part of the incident she had seen to Harutora and Touji who had hurried over after learning about the situation Considering the situation, it had undoubtedly been the one-ar out of control Kon, who had witnessed it herself, had also provided the same testimony
But they were clueless as to why an oni would stop Harutora froe that an oni just happened to be present in the first place Thinking that, they should believe that the oni had originally been hiding nearby - around the On about Harutora going out of control
”A one-ar near Natsume There's only one answer if we think about it that way”
”We still can't be certain I'm not completely confident either It could even be the saator from before”
Natsuist of her words, she already basically believed it She was already different froator Yakou fanatic long ago The current her had witnessed Ashi+ya Doman and Shaver's 'true self' at a close distance, not to mention the Phase Three mobile spiritual disasters More importantly, the oni this tione out of control Natsuly
”I originally thought that the Twin-Horned Syndicate had finally been vanquished and that the Yakou fanatics were cleaned away, but Natsuirl with connections to Yakou appeared, and now Kakugyouki's co on”
Harutora and Natsu Touji's complaint
Kakugyouki
That was the nauardians of Tsuchiami that served Yakou, he and Hishaa to rumor, he was a 'one-armed oni'
Kakugyouki had vanished just like Hishamaru after Yakou's death Their current whereabouts were still concealed in nore his actions no matter what
Moreover,
”What's ' and 'Saotome Suzu'”
Saotoed to the I Spirit Division She had proposed that the Raven's Wing could determine Yakou's reincarnation, and her current whereabouts were unclear They had learned recently that she was Ohtomo's acquaintance, but they still didn't know any more detailed information In other words, they had been told to 'ask her for help', but they had no way of getting in contact
”Supposing that oni was the true Kakugyouki, then the fact that he said 'Raven's Wing' and the na that the Raven's Wing can be used to deter carefully, the Raven's Wing was in Natsuo”
Originally, the Raven's Wing had been kept in the Onency, but that was a fake Principal Kurahashi+ had secretly hidden the genuine article in the Oniven it to Yasuzu it with him
”Then, Souma Takiko's information becomes a little more believable”
Takiko had said that the residence fire had been an aggressive action of the Onency
”Looking at it this way, the On, Natsume's father refused, and it led to that fire”
Originally, several strong ical defensive walls were set in the Tsuchiine that a pure fire had burned everything down Of course, it was also hard to iine that the residence had been burned because Yasuzu But Takiko had said that Yasuzumi set fire to the residence In that case, there probably wouldn't be anything left there If not for thehim of their safety, then they probably would have considered the worst situation
”Also Harutora noticed that there were On the dorh it youki, that person's identity is also unclear Supposing the Tsuchiency, then that person is very likely an Onency Then, ould the On on? Even I'm not sure”
Harutora couldn't speak either upon seeing Touji frown and groan If even Touji was raising his hands in forfeit, Harutora obviously wouldn't be able to understand
”Anyway, the only thing we can confirerous' ato see a fireworks festival without collecting infor for unexpected situations It's ridiculous, no matter what you say”
Touji seemed to be in a bad mood as he led the two of them He had been like this since before they left the dorms
But in some sense, one reason Touji was this unhappy was because a true oni had appeared close by and he was the only one who hadn't realized, even as he had been snooping for information in his own room Another reason was purely that he had ry at his poor senses Touji was a living spirit who housed an oni within his body, and he had long since gotten used to de it that he had reacted slowly
The three of theh the Thunder Gate and entering the commercial road in front of the Sensoji temple
The two roads that headed straight into Sensoji were lined with bustling souvenir shops In addition, there were also confectionary stores, ningyouyaki stores, bread stores, and even stores specialized in selling ki maneki-neko[4] But to Harutora and the others' eyes, it was just people, people, and more people The flood of people extended into the distance before the illumination of lanterns
Harutora smiled wryly, stunned by the sea of people
”Sorry, Touji”
He apologized from behind
”I don't kno it becahtened”
Touji, alked ahead, looked at hi his ave a fearless smile
”But, isn't there anything we can do? Even if there's a clear 'enemy' around, that doesn't mean there's a clear 'reason' for him Then even if we can't be careless, I hope that we can live like always”
Soht now Moreover, it see at the same tiyouki along with the unknown spies
To be honest, it was very frightening The fact that things were unclear was even s that he had to be concerned about had snuck into every corner of his daily life The fact that he had becoht be a reaction to that
It was because noas the tiive up his daily life If events from the outside encroached on his daily life, then thewas to hold onto the ihtly
For example, Kyouko
He didn't knoould happen in the future Then, right now he should be strengthening his bonds with the people around hie, but he hoped to be able to confirm the 'depths of their friendshi+p' So that he would be able to deal hatever happened So that they would be able to stay together, no matter what happened
He wasn't seeking to obtain Kyouko's strength What wasclosely with her He hoped that they could rebuild their friendshi+p
”So for noe'll enjoy the fireworks The six of us, together”
Touji knitted his brow at Harutora's words
But not long afterwards, he helplessly relaxed
”Bakatora”
He scolded
Though it wasn't impossible to understand, there were other reasons that Touji had finally agreed to the fireworks festival proposal before they left the dor roup of people
Natsume and Kyouko had already reconciled, and afterwards they could probably clean things up if they had Harutora get on his knees and beg for mercy If he was able to reconcile with Kyouko, they would is of the principal Touji had even considered keeping Harutora and Natsuht to Kyouko's hos One or two extra people shouldn't be a problem for the residence of the famous Kurahashi+ family
”Well, alright I don't really want to keep chattering anyway But we can't split up, since if ander off Natsu?”
Touji stopped, looking back to look at Natsume who followed behind Harutora ”Ah, sorry” Natsume hastily looked up
”What's wrong, you've been like that since before Are you worried?”
”O-Of course I' will happen to Harutora But I'm very concerned about what that oni said”
”What? What did he say other than the Raven's Wing and Saotome Suzu's business?”
”W-Well Uh I don't really understand”
Natsu, her face solemn It seemed that the reason she had been soft-spoken was because she had been ihts
She looked at Harutora's face
”Uht? You're not forcing yourself?”
She looked up to confirm
She expressed the worry in her heart, but with astringent words and expression Also, she couldn't conceal her anxiety Harutora was a bit e in his chest The fact that he was the reason for Natsuuilt
”Sorry”
Harutora unconsciously apologized
”Sorry foryou worry But I' on you if there's a problem”
Of course, she was carrying Ohtomo's charms If he cut back on rapid actions like yesterday's and stayed calm and careful as he acted, there probably wouldn't be any problems
Natsuered
Harutora hastily caught Natsume in his chest as she fell Her slender body leaned on him and Harutora's heart inadvertently raced
”S-Sorry!”
”No--”
Natsuinal voice The flow of people still hadn't stopped Touji was annoyed and said ”Don't stop, keep walking”, urging the two of them on
A momentary confusion
Then, Harutora grabbed Natsume's hand and followed behind Touji
”Eh, H-Harutora-kun?”
”It would be troublesoot separated now”
Harutora averted his gaze but still pulled her hand as he walked forward Natsume also kept up with his strides as she followed behind There wasn't much room to move around in the first place, and the distance between the two of them instantly shrank to the point where their shoulders were touching But the two of the their hands
The flow of people slowlyforward step by step with small strides
”Hey”
Harutora spoke, still walking forward
”Yeah”
Natsu forward
”There definitely won't be any problem”
Harutora spoke with a normal tone, half to cheer himself up He hoped that he would be able to dispel some of Natsume's anxiety He formed words with all his power in order to cheer up his important childhood friend
”A lot of things have happened up through now We h successfully”
”Yeah”
”The two of us aren't alone”
”Yeah”
”There will always be a way”
”Yeah Right That's right”
Natsuripped Harutora's hand Harutora also firmly clasped Natsume's hand in return
”Thank you, Harutora-kun”
Harutora's face reddened But it was truly great that he had been able to say it
He glanced at Natsuaze of Natsume, who had looked over at the same time, and they both turned away in surprise like an elastic collision But unlike that reaction, their linked hands gripped each other firmly
Noisy laughter passed through the surroundings The nighttime heat penetrated their skin A festival chant sounded from so soy sauce
Natsume's black hair, tied with a pink ribbon, fluttered soundlessly in the air Intertwined fingers Heavy steps His ears could hear his loud, agitated heartbeat His brain was hot, but wasn't at all unhappy
”Hey, we're here, we're here We found it pretty easily”
Touji, who had walked ahead, waved his hand vigorously at them from the front Harutora and Natsume's hands separated as if they had touched hot iron
Sensoji's courtyard was still packed with people The five-story paGoda and the ht sky Stalls were lined up like a maze Touji waved near the Treasure House Gate[5], where there were evenpeople
He saw familiar faces dressed in plainclothes next to a thick pillar that was painted red Tenma was dressed in clothes for eather, and Suzuka wore a nostalgic goth loli outfit There was also another person, dressed in a beautiful yukata--
”Kyouko”
Harutora muttered unconsciously
Kyouko also noticed Harutora and Natsume behind Touji and showed a tense and partially embarrassed expression
Guided by the flow of people, Harutora and the others slowly roup The Kyouko reflected in Harutora's eyes becaer
”You're so slow! Where did you guys go!”
The first tiry roar Her hands were full with heavy bags of cotton candy, takoyaki, and other things in quantities that one person couldn't possibly finish This scene felt familiar She had definitely cos in this sea of people
Tenma smiled wryly
”There are so et here on tih I was just a little bit late, and”
He looked at Kyouko next to him
”Kurahashi+-san just got here too”
As he said this, he casually escaped to the back
Then, Harutora's group of three roup of three
Suzuka closed herat Kyouko, see to be a bit concerned Tenma looked very sincerely at his friends, and Touji didn't say anything unnecessary Natsume and Kyouko looked at each other and then nodded quietly,room for Harutora
”Ah”
Harutora dropped his jaw and sputtered
Kyouko figure in the yukata was more beautiful than he would have anticipated Her delicate ateous reater than the whole The young lanced over, and she herself seemed to be a bit embarrassed
Harutora walked in front of Kyouko, his mind blank as the other four watched them What should he say and how should he say it? His mind was in chaos He had no idea where his deterone
”Uh, Kyouko”
He spoke with a weak, timid voice Moreover, there was no follow-up Aardness and tension were still restricting Harutora's actions
But,
Okay? Don't forget, alright? Since this is a promise
”Sorry Kyouko I rong”
He cleared his throat and apologized Kyouko's expression went slightly stiff
”I really hate ize Even if I apologize now, it definitely can't change anything”
Even if he apologized, he couldn't o back in time
But he wouldn't be able to go anywhere if he didn't apologize He could only constantly look back, regret, and sincerely apologize Harutora could only think of those insufficient y
Then
Kyouko staredsolemnly for a while
She approached Harutora, and,
Slap
Slapped Harutora with her palm
Natsume, Tenma, and Suzuka were taken aback, and even the people around them looked over in surprise A number of the Touji's stern look But the one who had showed the most self-restraint there was probably Kon, who decided not to h that time should have been tia for her master
”K-Kyouko”
Harutora felt his cheek, his eyes wide On the other hand, Kyouko inexplicably beca at Harutora whom she had slapped forcefully
She smiled softly, and said:
”Bakatora”
He had no room to retort at all
Though Kyouko s incredibly nervously Guilt flooded his heart again
”Sorry”
There should be many more suitable words, but all he said were unpresentable words of apology ”Sorry” Harutora deeply bowed his head to Kyouko
The observers watched the two of the; this tiazes around the attitudes
Harutora and Kyouko weren't in the mood to pay attention to that as their minds were focused on each other
”Really You were much cooler ere little”
Kyouko shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, forcefully pretending to be calm
”It's so disappointing”
”Sorry”
Harutora could only aardly apologize for his hopeless stupidity
Kyouko slowly took a breath, and then revealed a firhtly hurt smile
”Bakatora”
Cootten much more cheerful It was a voice that expressed that she could s had been completely resolved
”Then, let's go”
She walked out, ending their topic just now on that note She was unable to clearly forgive his were co or not forgiving But Kyouko began walking forward, holding those thoughts in her heart
”Kurahashi+-san” Natsume took a step forward Kyouko smiled
”Are you going to ood on that promise?”
”Y-Yes”
”Okay”
She looked at Natsuain as she said this
”But, you don't have to wear your uniform when you come to see fireworks And it's even the male one”
”S-Sorry This is the only proper clothing I have right now”
Touji, Tenma, and Suzuka all more or less showed surprised, astonished expressions when they heard the conversation between the two Though they knew that the two of them had already reconciled, they hadn't seen it first-hand Moreover, it was their first ti a 'feminine manner of speech'
Kyouko's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Natsume's reply
”Really? Uh, well, that's fine But don't act like the normal Natsume-kun when it's just us today, be the other 'Natsume-chan', okay? I want to properly understand 'Natsume-chan'”
”I, I understand If Kurahashi+-san says so--”
”Honestly, just call me Kyouko Even Bakatora calls me that”
Kyouko s her ”You don't like it?” The nervous Natsume frantically shook her head
”Kyouko san”
”Yeah”
Kyouko nodded in satisfaction
”Kyouko” Harutora seemed to be dazzled by the two of the, and Suzuka harrumphed - very happily
”Ah, come to think of it, Tenht? That's too formal, why don't you take this opportunity to call me by my name directly too”
”That makes sense It's true that I've been a bit too formal until now Got it Then let's call each other by our first naht, Suzuka-chan?”
”Why are you turning to me! Don't look down on me, Glasses!”
”Hey, hey, we finally et too concerned about the details, Suzuka-chan”
”You always called uys, don't think I' up the atmosphere! How rude! I'm a Divine General!”
As the red-faced 'Child Prodigy' Suzuka roared angrily in opposition, smiles broke out on the others' faces In that roup
”Well, the fireworks are about to start”
Kyouko looked at all of them and finally looked at Harutora
”Let's go”
The rumor that Natsume was Yakou's reincarnation had become more and more frequently heard when she came to Tokyo and entered the Onmyou Academy Natsume's life had been immersed in Onmyoudou since her childhood, but she hadn't coic Community' since she had always been secluded in the countryside She originally had so of her role in the world, but what she saw after actually co into that role exceeded her expectations
The absurdities of the Yakou fanatics and the plans of adults
But now, Harutora stood beside Natsume In addition, it wasn't just Harutora There was also Touji, Kyouko, Tenma, and their former enemy Suzuka
Of course, friends weren't always good Sometimes someone would annoy another, and sometimes someone would hurt another
But sometimes someone would help another, and sometimes sorow Natsume had learned from Harutora and her other companions that she didn't have to only rely on herself
Of course, it was still hard to do aith her anxiety Because she was ru with them may at some point impact their future
The future was always shrouded in darkness, impossible to see clearly
But there was one thing she could be certain of
The days she spent with Harutora and the others were a clear-cut 'present' that illuminated her life in the darkness
◎
The Sumida River Fireworks Festival It see areas set up along the river They didn't have to walk to the riverside to be able to see it, but the towering buildings would block their vision, and there were very liood observation points had many people around, so there were also quite a few people who had taken seats and prepared to watch the fireworks while eating Due to traffic control, vehicles couldn't coh, so many people occupied positions directly on the road
”In the end, everywhere is full of people Should we just walk around while watching?”
The experienced Tenma proposed this and no one opposed hied them preposterous prices for it because of the matter of her name from before, but Harutora and the others obediently lowered their heads and paid,since been empty while they walked on the road Incidentally, what Harutora bought was a pound cake that Suzuka had eaten half of It was so large that it was understandable that Suzuka didn't want to eat the whole thing, and though it was a bit cold, it was still extremely delicious
”Ah, I haven't eaten any of what Natsume has Let me have a bite”
”Eh? Ah, okay, go ahead”
”Hey, Suzuka-chan, you're eating too messily”
”Touji! That's a can of beer--”
”You're wrong It's a carbonated e”
”If you wanted to get aith it, you should have at least said it was non-alcoholic beer”
Harutora and the others walked along noisily Right as they reached a crossroads:
In the distance--
Bang!
A noise resounded and the surrounding visitors started cheering
Harutora and the others quickly looked up Then, the first firework blooht sky still colored in twilight Then the second The third Fourth The air shook as if froht sky The blue-tinted sky was painted in gorgeous rainbow colors The six of the and silently immersed themselves in the same scenery
Enormous fireworks blossomed in the sky and scattered in the air
The constant, uninterrupted reverberations and brilliance repeatedly nificent scene, everyone's hearts were slowly filled with siot about the erief
”It's so pretty”
Natsume quietly hts
Suzuka's body shi+vered, her eyes sparkling
”Hey, hey! Let's get closer!”
”You don't need to be in such a hurry There are still a lot of fireworks, it's going to continue for a whole hour”
”Tenroup of people, you'll disappear because you're short--”
”Don't force on the 'chan'! And I don't need you worrying about me!”
”Okay, okay, Suzuka For now, let's all walk together while watching”
”Yeah If it's really no good, we just need to fly a siami into the air to watch”
”No, Natsu It's prettier when you watch with your own eyes”
The group chatted with each other, and the voices of even the members other than Suzuka became more and more excited In that time, fireworks continuously exploded in the distant sky, shooting faint light into the surroundings As the curtain of night finally fell, the gorgeous fireworks led the visitors into an excited mood
Harutora and the others all broke out into sazes were directed at the sky, and their strides were slow and natural
Kyouko glanced at her phone
”So slow Is she really co?”
She quietly muttered to herself Harutora noticed and asked ”What is it?”, but Kyouko just smiled and shook her head without explanation
Harutora and the others passed through one gap between buildings after another following Tenh it was hard to focus on watching the fireworks with this method, it wouldn't feel crowded Suzuka seemed to be in a hurry, but this wasn't bad
Then,
”Oh, that overpass seeood, doesn't it?”
At their second crossroads, Touji looked up and mentioned indifferently As they looked over, the lovers who had just been watching froe places and had walked down It happened to be eht now
Suzuka's expression changed and she pointed a finger
”Bakatora, sprint!”
”Me again, huh”
Harutora helplessly charged up to the overpass, occupying a position in the corner
”Ah, we can see very clearly”
He only realized when he reached the corner of the overpass that they could see the location of the shooting froh they were a bit far, this was enough In addition, this place had a light breeze and it was cooler than walking Suzuka chased after Harutora, grasping the railing and leaning forward She stared at the brightly-bloo out childish cheers
The other four also walked into the overpass
”Ah, nice We can see very clearly fro on”
Everyone followed Ten in the same direction
Their sht of the fireworks as they all watched They wordlessly stared at the colorfully-blooers in pleasant surprise like characters in an aniht sky gold They all held their breath in anticipation until the glittering sparkles of light vanished completely
Then, the continuous fireworks roused their laughter again Every fa
”Also, the wind's pretty nice”
Touji sighed They noticed that Touji had taken off his bandanna at so the air brush his forehead
”It's really cool here, what a catch”
”Yeah Walking here was really sweaty Kurahashi+ - no, Kyouko-chana yukata”