Tokyo Ravens EX - Volume 2 - Chapter Ep

Natsume’s Journal

Anyway, Harutora had always been very abrupt. 
“Eh, a ribbon? You’re looking for a ribbon?” 
“Right. Natsume-chan, you come help too.” 
“Harutora-kun’s ribbon?” 
“That’s impossible, aren’t I a boy?” 
“Then whose?” 
“I don’t know.” 
“Eh?” 
“It was lost in the courtyard.” 
“Harutora-kun did?” 
“I said it wasn’t me.” 
“Then who?” 
“I don’t know.” 
“Eh?” 
For now, she would calm down and try thinking, Natsume thought. Then, after she calmly organized Harutora’s words, a grave situation emerged in her heart. 
Actually, there had been a gathering of adult relatives in Natsume’s home last week. 
Natsume and Harutora usually played together in the courtyard while the adults were together. Hence Natsume always looked forward to these kinds of gatherings. However, during the last gathering, Natsume had caught a cold and fever and had been bedridden. Natsume had felt down since she had been unable to play with Harutora due to the cold. 
But it seemed that Harutora had left the fevered Natsume to the side and played together with an unfamiliar girl in the courtyard. Wasn’t that totally a grave situation!? 
“.…..I was even sick and in bed.…..” 
“Yeah, so I thought it would be better not to call you.” 
“.…..I was even looking forward to playing with Harutora-kun.…..” 
“Eh? But you were sick, Natsume-chan.” 
Harutora didn’t even notice Natsume’s resentful gaze. But Harutora was basically unable to realize what she didn’t say out loud. Natsume signed at the stunned Harutora. 
She gradually understood what Harutora meant after questioning him in more detail. 
First, the ribbon that Harutora proposed they search for was the item that girl had lost in the courtyard. 
Second, although the girl had stated her name, Harutora seemed to have forgotten it — ‘Because she said it super fast’. 
Finally, that girl seemed to have been extremely cute — .…..Hmph .…..Heh. — but her personality seemed like a boy’s. 
Also, Harutora had searched the courtyard together with that girl and ended up not finding the ribbon. In the end, he had promised that he would definitely find it for her and they had parted.….. 
“Why did you only say that now.” 
“Eh? Because I didn’t go to Natsume-chan’s place after that.” 
“But it’s already been two weeks, right? The ribbon’s already flown somewhere else.” 
Regardless, the two of them hadn’t found it back then even after thoroughly searching the garden. At this point, they couldn’t find it even if the third party Natsume searched with Harutora. Moreover, even Harutora seemed not to have properly asked what kind of ribbon it was. 
“I don’t think it’ll work.” 
She said frankly. 
Harutora basically couldn’t understand things that she didn’t say out loud. 
Moreover, “What’s wrong with it, let’s look together.” Even if she spoke out loud, it definitely wouldn’t reach him. 
No, right now she was half in the wrong. She felt it wouldn’t work so she didn’t want to go search. Let’s find other things to play with. If she clearly said that, even Harutora would think about it seriously. 
She felt upset deep in her heart. Natsume had greatly looked forward to today and making up the share of playing she had missed before. 
They should just forget about things like promises with unfamiliar girls. 
That’s right, she thought. But she didn’t say it out loud. 
In the end, Natsume forced out an “.…..Okay” and nodded at Harutora. 
Then, the two of them began searching. 
Natsume’s house was an old residence, and it was surrounded by courtyards of various sizes. The center had quite a vast area like a forest, but it was the familiar place they always played at to them. They searched it quite carefully, but they had mostly finished looking through it before lunchtime. 
“Ugh–, it’s not here.” 
“Didn’t I say.” 
“That’s bad. That girl will definitely get mad if I don’t keep the promise.” 
“.…..You understand her quite well, even though you only played for a day.…..” 
“Yeah, she feels pretty stuck-up.” 
“.…..Why do you have to listen to what that kind of girl says?” 
“Eh? I don’t really know.” 
Natsume frowned and pouted at the puzzled Harutora. 
“Was playing with that girl that fun?” 
“We weren’t playing, we were looking for a ribbon.” 
“.…..But it was very fun?” 
“Uh– I dunno.…..” 
“.…..A cute girl, huh.” 
“I guess, but she got angry really easily.” 
“I-I won’t get angry with Harutora-kun, you know?“[1] 
“Eh?” 
“Eh?” 
The two of them questioned each other back with serious expressions. In the end, their two young minds were thrown into discord and nothing came of it. 
After eating, Natsume and Harutora returned to their search of the courtyard again. But because they had looked everywhere, they had no motivation for the second search. Harutora seemed to be wandering around the courtyard, bored.….. 
“Right, Harutora-kun, why don’t we go look in the house?” 
“Eh? Why?” 
“When did that girl notice she lost her ribbon? Maybe it was before she went to the courtyard, right? Also, we might find it even after two weeks if she dropped it in the house.” 
They had searched the courtyard the day the ribbon was lost as well as today, but hadn’t found it. Maybe the thinking that it had actually been dropped indoors was surprisingly on the mark. 
Harutora’s eyes widened due to Natsume’s words. But Natsume grew grumpy upon seeing Harutora’s expression. 
“You’re right! Natsume-chan, you’re so smart. Hurry, let’s go look!” 
After Harutora said that, he spun around triumphantly. In contrast with him, Natsume’s expression was bitter. She didn’t particularly want to search. 
Unpleasant emotions spilled over deep in her heart again. Natsume inadvertently called out “H-Harutora-kun” towards Harutora’s back. 
“H-Hey, Harutora-kun. Why are you so desperate to look?” 

“Eh? Well, it was a promise.” 
“But.….. That girl was the one who lost it, right? Harutora-kun, even if you don’t look.…..” 
That wasn’t right. She didn’t want to say such things. Though she hadn’t wanted to say such things, she hadn’t been able to successfully find substitute words. 
Harutora looked back at the hesitant, stammering Natsume and blinked. Then, he smiled unconcernedly and said “Well, it doesn’t matter.” 
“It feels like we might be able to become friends.” 
The moment she heard that, Natsume understood the true face of the unsettled feelings in her chest. 
On the other hand, Harutora rapidly ran towards the residence ahead of them. He took off his sneakers in the stone shoe changing area, entering the hallway. Natsume followed behind Harutora with an unhappy expression. 
She approached the hallway from the courtyard, neatening Harutora’s messily-dropped sneakers. 
Then, in the front of the hallway. 
She found an unfamiliar ribbon in a cranny of the shoe changing area. 
Several hours later. 
“It’s not here.….. It’s not in the house either.” 
“.….….…” 
Natsume quietly lowered her head next to Harutora who mumbled in regret. 
The residence had more places to search than the courtyard. But he didn’t believe that a girl here as a guest would enter deep inside the residence. 
“It really must have flown somewhere else. I’ll have to apologize to that girl and ask her to forgive me.” 
“Ahh, but it doesn’t look I’ll be forgiven.” Harutora gloomily held his head in worry. Natsume glanced at him, her hands clenched tightly on her skirt, and quietly moved her gaze from Harutora’s face. 
“.…..It’s alright.” 
“Eh?’ 
“.…..E-Even if you didn’t find it, it’s alright if you don’t get forgiven. Who knows if she’ll come again either.….. Even if you don’t force yourself to be friends with that stuck-up, easily-angered girl.…..” 
Natsume softly whispered in a voice that was difficult to hear clearly. 
“.…..Also.….. If Harutora-kun becomes close with that girl.…..” 
I.….. She lowered her head as she spoke. Seemingly surprised, Harutora called out, “Natsume-chan.” 
Miserable, pathetic feelings filled her chest. But she was powerless. 
A stuck-up, easily-angered girl. 
A cute, talkative girl as energetic as a boy. 
She would become friends with Harutora very quickly. Maybe they had already become friends. But she definitely couldn’t have done that. Even Natsume understood that she was extremely shy. Then if Harutora became close with that girl, Natsume couldn’t do something like getting between them. She could only watch silently from the side. 
She didn’t need friends. It was enough to have Harutora by her side. Of course, that wasn’t to say Harutora couldn’t make friends.….. But she hoped that he could at least stay together with her when they were together, when he was playing at her home. Just him and her. 
Was that desire such a bad thing? 
Natsume sniffled, her head still lowered. The two of them fell silent. 
But, 
“.…..Okay.” 
“.…..Eh?” 
“If Natsume-chan doesn’t want it, then I won’t go look. Should we go find something else to play?” 
“Harutora-kun.…..” 
Harutora smiled slightly at the surprised Natsume, pulling Natsume’s hand as he prepared to return to the courtyard again. 
An extremely natural action. Natsume, on the other hand, became flustered. 
“B-But, Harutora-kun, what about the promise? You’ll be scolded if you don’t have the ribbon, right?” 
“Yeah. Well, I guess.” 
“I-It seemed like.….. you became friends with that girl though, right?” 
“Yeah, but.…..” 
Harutora turned his head, speaking as if it were nothing at all. 
“.…..It’s alright. I’ll play with Natsume-chan.” 
Harutora’s eyes stared at Natsume, but Natsume lowered her head with red cheeks. Natsume gripped the hand that Harutora held hers with. The warmth of Harutora’s hand reached her. 
Harutora basically couldn’t realize things that she didn’t say out loud. 
But.….. 
“.…..Hey, Harutora-kun.” 
Harutora will properly play with me and stay by my side. 
Then, if Harutora would stay together with her… 
“Do you want to look around the hallway a bit to finish up?” 
Maybe Natsume could become close with that girl. 
? 
“And then — hey, Natsume-kun? Isn’t Harutora-kun terrible?” 
Kyouko complained to Natsume, her expression more of a resigned half-smile than of anger. Natsume also smiled while supplementing “I guess.” The wryly-smiling Touji and Tenma were also gathered nearby along with the disappointed-looking Suzuka. These were her usual friends in the Onmyou Academy. 
“Well, although it’s completely like that guy’s style.” 
“Ahaha, it’s certainly very much like Harutora-kun.” 
“What an idiot, how weird.” 
Kyouko nodded in heartfelt assent at Touji, Tenma, and Suzuka’s words. Then, all of them started recounting Harutora’s faults to Natsume even more grandly. But there was no malice at all. Rather, they all seemed very lively. 
“Everyone’s saying that because you like Harutora even in spite of what he does, right?” 
After Natsume helplessly pointed that out, Touji and Tenma looked at each other with wry smiles of ‘indeed’, while Suzuka agitatedly rebutted “Hah? No way, no way!” 
“Oh? But if you say that, aren’t you the same, Natsume-kun? And you’re often together with Harutora.” 
Natsume inadvertently went speechless when Kyouko teased her. “Now that you mention it, that’s true.” Tenma continued, amused. 
“Though Natsume-kun’s not like it anymore, you were always alone until before Harutora-kun came.” 
“T-That.…..” 
Isn’t true — she was unable to finish that because of her own weakness. Even Natsume understood that her original self had been extremely shy and hadn’t even been able to make friends with other loners. 
But, 
“.…..Who cares about that, aren’t we all friends now?” 
Though her cheeks reddened a bit in embarrassment, Natsume clearly said that. 
Everyone who was included was first stunned, but Kyouko immediately became happy, Tenma accepted it naturally, Touji smiled wryly with a “well, well” to express agreement with Natsume, and Suzuka hmphed and turned her face away. 
Then, at the same time, the door to the classroom was opened. 
“Sorry for the wait, Natsume! Let’s go–” 

Translator’s Notes and References 
1 Irony at its finest.