Tokyo Ravens - Volume 11 - Chapter 4.2

Part 2 
After Touji and Amami left the apartment, they rode a van to relocate. 
The one driving was Touji's shikigami, Suisen. But though she was Touji's shikigami in name, Touji was just the provisional master who just gave her magical energy. Amami was the one who actually controlled her. A shikigami that Miyo had prepared to be responsible for taking care of Amami's physical disabilities, who had originally been a high-class shikigami serving the Kurahashi family. 
She was a shikigami with the form of a beautiful girl, with a young appearance but a mature air. Hence, her age looked to be both twenty and thirty. Her clothing was out of Amami's interests, and although Touji had called it glaring and spoken against it, that was negated since Suisen could use stealth magic. Other than taking care of Amami, Suisen was also responsible for all the household chores like cooking, cleaning, and washing chores, maintaining and creating magical tools, and driving. Also, she performed various duties in place of Touji and Amami, who hoped to stay away from other as much as possible. By now, she had become an indispensable entity to Touji and Amami's fugitive life. 
The car left Roppongi and headed to Shibuya. The destination was the ruins of the old Onmyou Academy. More accurately, it was the first-class magic training location near the derelict academy building. 
The academy building currently in use was a new structure that had been built three years prior. The old building that had been used before that was also in Shibuya. That old academy building had long since been torn down and a different structure had been built, but the nearby practice field had been sealed and left there. Touji and the others were heading to that practice field. 
"......Are you coming too this time?" 
"Hah. Isn't it inconvenient if I'm with you?" 
"Our supervisor friend makes me uncomfortable." 
"Ha. That's because of your current power. If you're dissatisfied, why don't you hurry up and improve." 
Amami, who sat in the backseat along with his wheelchair, smiled wickedly. His assistant Touji cursed 'tch', Amami's expression emerging in his mind even without needing to turn his head. 
...Well, no helping it. 
This was also customary proceedings. Touji's eyes housed a powerful light, and he sincerely accepted Amami's words. 
He had already lived a fugitive life with Amami for a year and a half. Though Amami had the intense personality of a rotten old man, he was a rotten old man with backbone, a rotten old man who could be trusted. Also, he was surprisingly gentle to the immature youngster Touji. But personally, Touji was very unhappy. 
For example, Amami had been Ohtomo's boss in the past. But the relationship between the two during their time in the Mystical Investigators was probably completely different from the current relationship between Amami and Touji. 
The situation of Amami and Touji's current relationship was actually no different from boss and subordinate. But Amami and Ohtomo had both been in the 'Twelve Divine Generals'. Powers who recognized each other. There had undoubtedly been no politeness and apprehension between them. But there ought to have been trust towards each other - whether personally or in terms of ability. 
After that incident, Amami had escaped the eyes and ears of the Onmyou Agency while making a request of an Onmyou doctor that he called an old friend, doing his best to recover his wounded body. Amami, whose burned throat hadn't been able to make a sound for some time, had now recovered to the point where he could be a constantly-jabbering rotten old man. And he had even thought of a way to connect the cut tendons of his hands, making his fingers movable. 
But even if he relied on magic to recover his 'wounds', he couldn't deny that his strength had weakened. 
Amami was already old. Recovering would naturally take time - rather, it was quite debatable whether he would even be able to recover to a state similar to before. Though he could move his fingers, in the end he couldn't expect to rapidly form seals like he could in the past. Even walking with his own strength - though it wasn't that he couldn't walk at all - was difficult in his current state. 
Of course, with their spirit-sensing abilities sealed, even Onmyouji were no different from ordinary people. Amami and Touji were moving together now not because leaving Touji alone was worrisome, but rather because Amami would be unable to successfully escape at all without Suisen in case something happened. 
Even in that kind of situation, he was indifferent - or rather, he was even bold. Though that was admirable, Amami's burden would undoubtedly be substantially less if Ohtomo were the one with him instead of Touji. 
In the end, even if Amami was being pursued by this level of adversity, he could still overcome it and stride forward. The one who had recovered his body was an Onmyou doctor, but he was the one who had the connections with that Onmyou doctor, and more importantly, he had the reliable charisma to make the doctor happy to treat him even when he was a fugitive from the Onmyou Agency. In other words, that was Amami's 'strength'. Amami was the one who had raised funds for their escape, and Amami was the one who had made various preparations. Amami was also the only one who gathered new information, established plans, and gave orders. There was no opportunity for Touji to take the stage - rather, there wasn't a single thing that Touji was more useful than Amami at right now. Honestly, all he had was maintaining Suisen's level of magical energy. 
Of course, maintaining Suisen was also an important job. Most importantly, if he considered the gap in experience between himself and Amami or Ohtomo, then the comparison itself was extremely foolish. 
But even though he wasn't a professional, Touji was no longer a 'student'. No matter whether he had credentials, he was already standing in the same territory as Amami and Ohtomo. That meant he was relying on himself. He made his own choices. 
Then naturally, being inferior was no good. Though Amami was generous, Touji couldn't allow that. 
...Hurry up and improve...... Huh. 
That's right. As Touji thought that: 
"... The leap of a horse does not surpass ten strides. [20] " 
"......What. Confucius or Laozi [21] ?" 
"Xunzi [22] , actually. Aren't I an intellectual? Right, Suisen?" 
"Yes. Daizen-sama is quite knowledgeable." 
Holding the steering wheel, Suisen laughed pleasantly with a bell-like sound and replied. Amami proudly waved his fan with a 'right, right?'. Touji gazed at the windshield, cursing. 
Touji didn't know the meaning of Amami's words. 
But he understood the intent of that statement. He was so good at seeing through other peoples' hearts, that rotten old man. 
"Incidentally, Xunzi also had the saying 'drive a slow horse ten times' [23] . It means 'work ten times harder if you're falling behind'." 
"A soul-cleansing idiom." 
"It's an educated plaything. Right, Suisen?" 
"Yes. Daizen-sama is extremely educated." 
The proud Amami, the pleasantly-smiling Suisen, and the frowning Touji. What was educated about that old man who was fanning himself in the middle of winter. Though he felt that way...... Joking around at this kind of time really was Amami's gentleness, and could even be called indulgence in some sense. 
Work ten times harder, as he said. But if he continued to lag behind, it was futile no matter what he did. It wasn't one step at a time, it was two steps at a time, three steps at a time, or else he wouldn't be able to fill the hopeless 'gap' that existed right now. 

'Wait until all of the people in front of you are dead' [24] - Touji hadn't been granted that kind of time. 
"............" 
Then, Amami's frivolous words still continued and Suisen carefully responded, an elegant smile emerging on her. Touji put his elbow on the car door, wordlessly continuing to stare forward. 
Not long afterwards, the car reached the destination. 
Though he had often taken note of the surroundings while moving, he had 'watched' the surroundings particularly carefully since they reached the vicinity of the destination. 
The closed training area had an appearance similar to a countryside cultural center or athletic stadium. Because they visited this place often, it was easy to detect any abnormalities. There were no abnormalities tonight, just like it had been up to now. 
But he couldn't feel the presence of the person who should have been here first at all. He couldn't detect aura either. It wasn't that he hadn't arrived, it was stealth magic. 
It was a high-level stealth magic that he still wouldn't be able to see even if he were inside. Touji suppressed his faint anxiety. 
The current Touji could easily use that level of stealth magic. But even for the same stealth magic, the gap between them was abundantly clear. 
That was probably the biggest difference between a student and a professional. The Onmyou Academy students were required to 'use' magic. However, professionals were required to 'proficiently use' magic. Only the latter cleared the passing line on speed, power, finesse, and the skill of use to perform competently from the start. For example, no matter how a Mystical Investigator used a stealth magic that a magic criminal could see through, it had zero value. Or, even someone who could use the Fire Realm magic couldn't be recognized as an exorcist if he couldn't use it to purify a spiritual disaster. 
Onmyoudou - at least 'General Onmyoudou' - was a 'practical field of study'. There was no meaning in anything that wasn't useful. 
But. 
...'On the other hand, Touji. Even low-skill stealth magic or second-class magic that's mere lip service can become outstanding 'magic' if it's 'useful'. The sound of this waving fan can set back and disrupt the chanting of the enemy in certain situations. Also, that area of 'magic' can't be learned no matter how you read or train your magical energy.' 
Words that he had heard from Amami before flashed through his mind. 
...'Depending on how you use your brain, you can get as much as you want out of your training methods. There's a saying that 'the stupid can succeed through persisted study' [25] , but that's not the whole truth." 
Amami was very hands-off about this 'exchange'. No, he had clearly opposed it at the start. To be honest, it was Touji's egoism that had forced it through. Hence, Touji was uncharacteristically ashamed of forcing Amami to take the risk of accompanying him every time. 
...Power, huh...... 
The amateur who had dropped out of the Onmyou Academy halfway through had no words to refute his power being called insufficient by the Divine General who was the former Chief of the Mystical Investigators. He could only improve with all his might. 
Touji walked off the car. Suisen quickly got off and circled around to the back, preparing to let Amami off. Suisen definitely wasn't powerful for a shikigami, but she possessed a physical strength superior to a grown man, unlike her gentle appearance. After waiting for Suisen to deftly put Amami down, Touji walked towards the practice field. 
The other party ought to have noticed them already. But Touji still couldn't catch his aura. That was natural considering the difference in strength between the two, but the blame for that being natural was on him for being unable to improve. That difference was his weakness, as well as a disgrace. He couldn't gloss over that fact or avert his eyes. 
The training area had been locked after being closed, but since he had started secretly using this place, he had broken the original lock and replaced it with a new one. The magical barrier was also the same. Touji, Suisen, and Amami on the wheelchair that Suisen pushed, entered the training area in the dead of night. 
The interior was quite dim, since the lights were out. Touji lit a portable flashlight that he carried for Amami. They entered and passed through the hallway, heading towards the stadium in the depths. 
Of course, there weren't any sounds inside the training area. The footsteps of the two of them and the noise of the wheelchair resounded loudly in the dark corridor. The fact that he was extremely concerned about that noise proved Touji's nervousness. At the end of the hallway was the entrance connected to the stadium. Touji opened the double doors and peeked inside. Then, his expression stiffened slightly. No one was inside. 
The stadium was vast, with the area of about three basketball fields. Because light outside shone in through windows placed high up, it was quite bright compared to the hallway. But immediately getting a grasp of its entirety was very difficult. 
After Touji beckoned to Suisen for her to wait, he turned off the light from his portable flashlight and entered the stadium alone. 
He carefully surveyed the vast, dark stadium. 
Then-- 
"...Idiot." 
A scornful voice came from behind him. Right next to the double doors. Touji ground his teeth and rapidly looked behind his back. 
"You're slow no matter how much time goes by, Touji. Are you really a living spirit? Also, don't make people wait, trash." 
A man stood with his arms crossed and his back against the stadium wall next to the door that Touji entered. A young man who was slightly older than Touji. 
Cropped-short silver hair and sunglasses with tinted lenses. Earrings, chains, and other crude jewelry. He currently wore a furred down jacket, with black jeans and work boots below. 
Also, an 'X' mark similar to Amami's was carved on the man's forehead. 
Touji suppressed his emotions, snorting lightly. 
"......It looks like you already heard about the business between Ohtomo-sensei and Kogure-san. So anxious you started getting frantic, huh." 
"A brat who won't shut his mouth, just like always. Ah, though it's actually praiseworthy to still talk shit even after being kicked over so many times. ......If not, there would be no value in it." 
The man wore a smile similar to a ferocious hound's, slowly leaving the wall behind his back. 
"So? Did you come after checking it out?" 
"......Yeah." 
"Alright. Then, let's 'exchange'." 
Kagami Reiji casually announced to Touji who nodded in response.