Tokyo Ravens - Volume 2 - Chapter 1.4

Part 4 

"Wasn't it scary~?" 
Once they walked into the corridor, Ohtomo whispered to Harutora and Touji as if he were saying bad things in secret. 
"Uh? What's scary?" 
"Of course the principal...... Did you guys not know? That old lady looks like a corporate boss, but and actually she's a big behind-the-scenes figure in this industry." 
"What? You're talking about the principal?" 
"Right...... On the other hand, aren't you a Tsuchimikado? How do you not even know this little thing?" 
Ohtomo was puzzled, but Harutora was at a loss, not understanding what he meant. 
"Ah." 
Ohtomo's words led to a reaction from Touji from next to Harutora. 
"So it was that Kurahashi......" 
Touji murmured. "Right." Ohtomo chimed in. 
It seemed that only the clueless Harutora was on the outside, and he gave Touji a dissatisfied glance. Touji, however, returned him a look that said: 'I'll explain to you later'. 
"You should be careful, the principal's shikigami are everywhere in this academy, so you'll be caught in an instant if you dare to cut class. But if you guys need to cut class for something, you can come ask me. I said just now that I'm a specialist, so I can give you tips on how to avoid the principal's eyes and ears." 
This kind of teacher who talked openly about cutting class the first time he met his students seemed like he couldn't be relied upon. Harutora made an indifferent 'yeah', and Touji also frowned. But it seemed that he had this kind of reaction because he wasn't sure what kind of person this teacher was. 
"In any case, the principal already told me your situation. If you have some troubles, don't hesitate to talk to me." 
Ohtomo spoke cheerfully, a completely unbothered appearance. As expected of the Onmyou Academy, the principal and the teachers were all definitely unique. 
...As such, could the students here all be oddballs? 
Harutora's gaze sank as if he were contemplating this. 
Suddenly, he opened his mouth to ask: "Ah, right, sensei, can I ask you something?" 
"Yeah? You found troubles that quickly?" 
"No, I can't call it a trouble - The principal said something strange when she first saw us, do you know what 'Hishamaru' and 'Kakugyouki' refer to?" 
When Ohtomo who hobbled in front of them leaning on his cane heard that, he stopped. 
He turned around, his face full of wonder - he glanced at Harutora, showing a prying look. 
Then, he turned his confused gaze to Touji. 
Touji shrugged his shoulders, saying: "Didn't you hear about our situation? This person is actually a Tsuchimikado, but to put it plainly, he's ignorant about Onmyoudou." 
"...Ah? How can you say that Touji, could it be that you know?" 
Harutora asked, but Touji nodded his head naturally to respond. Ohtomo murmured the words "......I see" in revelation after watching the two of them interact. 
Then his face became somewhat serious. 
"Harutora-san, Hishamaru and Kakugyouki refer to the names of shikigami." 
"Shikigami?" 
"Correct, they were the shikigami of Tsuchimikado Yakou." 
"Huh?" 
Harutora gasped lightly, and Ohtomo showed a gloomy smile a bit different from before. 
"It was said that Yakou kept at least a thousand shikigami, but among them were two retainers who were always to their master's left and right...... Hishamaru and Kakugyouki." 
"Yakou's......" 
Harutora finally understood the meaning of the words that the principal had uttered. 
Natsume's Hishamaru and Kakugyouki. 
The principal had not only compared Natsume to Yakou, but she had given Harutora and Touji similar evaluations. 
In other words...... 
...The principal also believed the rumor was true? 
A cold shiver seemed to go up his back. 
"......The two retainers became Onmyou officers in the old Japanese military, and even in wartime, the shikigami possessed rank and exceptional treatment. But, the two retainers' powers were strong, and they are still objects of admiration even now." 
After explaining, Ohtomo started walking on his lame leg again. Harutora hurriedly followed, and Touji also began striding silently. 
After that, the wordy Ohtomo didn't utter any more words. 
They rode the elevator down, walking into the corridor under Ohtomo's direction. 
Not long after - "We're here." Ohtomo stopped in front of a door. 
A feeling of unrest came from behind the door, clearly a congregation of similarly aged youths, giving off the peculiar atmosphere of a 'school classroom'. 
...It was here. 
Harutora was very familiar with this feeling, as opposed to the other areas of the Onmyou Academy, but this agitated his tension even more. It was kind of 'transfer student tension'. Harutora had lived in the same place since he had been small, so he had never experienced transferring schools since elementary school. 
He glanced secretly at Touji, noticing that he still had the same indifferent appearance. He also tried putting on a calm front, but he couldn't suppress the rapidly accelerating throbbing of his chest. 
Ohtomo put his hand on the doorknob, turning around and saying with a smile: "Are you two prepared!" 
Upon opening the door, a burst of noise instantly spilled out of the classroom - and then it fell silent. 
"Alright~ Sorry about the wait, I brought the eagerly awaited transfer students~" 
Ohtomo entered the classroom without a care, and Harutora followed behind his back uneasily. 
The classroom was quite spacious and wide, and the ceiling was quite high, with the configuration of the classroom completely different from his public high school. The floor was tilted so that it was raised in the back, and the fixed desks and chairs were fanned out, giving Harutora the impression that the classroom was a small concert hall. 
Then-- 
Several similarly aged boys and girls wore the Onmyou Academy uniform, sitting in the raised rows of seats and gazing at them. 
The male uniform was jet-black, and the female uniform was pure white. Maybe because of this unique design style, it gave off the strange impression of a group of black and white crows. 
...Uwah! 
Gazes shot towards him from everywhere in the classroom. 
Even though they were just gazes, the many that were gathered together even gave him a feeling of weight. He, who normally used a shield of indifference to protect his slothful self, now felt as if he had been forced to remove his weapons and pushed unarmed before the eyes of many. 
"Okay, everyone look here~ These two are the students who will be joining this class starting today, Tsuchimikado Harutora-san and Ato Touji-san. Okay, please greet everyone." 
"......I, I'm Tsuchimikado Harutora." 
"I'm Ato Touji." 
"Yeah - Hey, your introductions are too short. The first impression is very important, you have to express a little more." 
Ohtomo shook his head, seeming like he felt bored. Maybe Touji didn't have a problem with it, but Harutora felt helpless, and he was really concerned about those gazes staring at him and the numerous academy students behind them. 
...'Be careful that you don't get 'eaten'.' 
Touji's warning flashed through his mind. Harutora was never able to judge what kind of gazes were watching him - were they filled with malice or curiosity, or perhaps just checking out new faces. But Touji's warning stuck in his mind, and these gazes seemed like they also held some malice. 
More importantly, could an outsider like him compare to a classroom like this that was full of students from around the nation who had set their targets on becoming Onmyouji? 
His knees shook nervously. 
His throat was incredibly dry. 
Just then...... 
Bakatora! 
...Huh? 
He seemed to have heard someone speak, but of course that hadn't happened. Actually, he had just heard the whispering of students and Ohtomo's leisurely voice. 
But at the same time, he also noticed that gaze. 
Those two eyes looking at him, and that sincere and warm gaze. 
He looked up, seeing - Natsume. 
Natsume was in front of his eyes. 
Her back was straight as she sat on a chair in the corner of the room, looking straight towards him. She was just quietly sitting there, but she was so striking that he was surprised he hadn't noticed her sooner. 
Her silky black hair was tied with a pink ribbon, and her beauty was like fresh flowers placed in the sunlight, shaded with a dreamlike pale shadow. 
On the other hand, he could see immediately the spirit, pride, and noble qualities hidden deep within her. Natsume also gave off a unique feeling from the other students in the room, as if her existence was different from the others. 
...Right, here...... 
He had originally thought that this was a place with enemies on all sides, with not a single person who wasn't a stranger he had never met. 
But, that wasn't the case. 
Natsume was in the Onmyou Academy. 
She was Harutora's childhood friend, the master that he served as a shikigami. 
Entering the Onmyou Academy was equivalent to coming to Natsume's side. His tense body and mind suddenly and magically relaxed as he thought this. 
On the other hand, what kind of expression was that? 
She hadn't made any other noticeable actions, and she just sat in her seat, looking at Harutora and Touji who were at the podium. 
However, her round eyes were flashing - a clear, lively light. Her white face was slightly red, and he could see that her breathing was definitely fast. 
It was like when she had been a child - She was like a child who couldn't hide her joy at being reunited with her companion at long last. Harutora forgot about his position for a moment, smiling wryly. 
This half-year, Natsume had by herself been enduring the gazes shot towards her, all to welcome this moment - to greet her 'companion'. 
Because of this, the normally calm Natsume was so joyful and palpably excited. 
...I've kept you waiting. 
Harutora looked back at Natsume with those kinds of feelings. Maybe he was oversensitive, but he seemed to notice the light in Natsume's eyes become even more gorgeous and her nostrils flare gently. Of course, if he asked her later, she would definitely deny him with a red face: 'That didn't happen!' 
But-- 

He really wasn't used to seeing that manner of dress. 
The childhood friend in front of him, his master, Natsume. 
It was just that her appearance was a bit different from the Natsume that Harutora was familiar with. 
The main family girl was now wearing a black uniform - the male uniform, her hair tied up into a ponytail. It was his second time seeing this manner of dress with his own eyes. 
...So there really was this kind of tradition...... 
The Tsuchimikado heir had to act as a male to outsiders. 
Just like the tradition that 'branch family members had to become main family shikigami' that Harutora had, this seemed to be a main family tradition. Natsume was bound by the tradition, entering the Onmyou Academy as a male while hiding her own gender. Harutora had learned this the very first day he arrived at Tokyo - just yesterday. 
...How had she not let anything out of the bag, and she even left her hair that long...... 
He wouldn't tell Natsume the truth even under threat of death, but fortunately her current slender body wasn't one that most would consider 'feminine'. However, her face was thinner than a male's, and if she spoke with her original voice, it would definitely give rise to suspicion. And she even used a pink ribbon to tie up her hair, so he really didn't understand how her disguise somehow hadn't been seen through. 
Actually, Natsume's appearance looked like a 'girl posing as a boy' no matter how Harutora's knowing eyes looked at her, giving her the look of a high school girl desperately trying to mix into a boy's school, with her clothing seeming somewhat unnatural. 
...It was probably because Natsume didn't have any good friends here. 
The Natsume that Harutora was familiar with was extremely shy and lacked sociability, and adding to that the rumor that she was Yakou's reincarnation, she probably didn't have a single good friend at all, so her true gender hadn't been brought to light. 
How long could she keep hiding it? 
Natsume was indeed an androgynous girl, but she was only sixteen now and would definitely become more and more feminine in the future, both on the inside and outside. Could she really keep her secret concealed like that? A perturbed feeling different from the one before suddenly arose in Harutora's heart. 
"They entered half a year later than everyone else and they might not be able to keep up with the pace of the class at the start, so everyone please look out for them." 
Ohtomo spoke with a relaxed grin. In any case, the self-introductions ended here for now. 
But, just as Ohtomo's voice dropped off, a snow-white arm was raised up high. 
A hand rose from the center of the classroom. 
Harutora's gaze was led away, moving from Natsume. 
...Oh, how cute. 
A white-clothed female student was quietly raising her hand. 
Her slightly curled brown hair was tied up, with locks hanging down gently on either side of her face. Her gaze was clear and sharp, her eyelashes curled and thin, and her face was made up with a touch of brilliant lipstick, pairing well with her healthy skin and giving off a cute but definitely not showy feeling. 
Her face was small, not even losing to Natsume's, and her body looked even more graceful from it. Compared to Natsume's androgynous frame, she was a completely feminine beautiful girl, and it wouldn't be too much to compare her to a member of an idol group - or even the leader. 
"Ohtomo-sensei, I have a question." 
The girl asked with a pretty voice and bright tone. Ohtomo happily responded: "Kyouko-kun?" It seemed like her name was Kyouko. 
"Go ahead and ask, like about their three sizes...... actually, never mind a guy's three sizes, go for something like interests or whether they have girlfriends......" 
Wasn't he replying a bit carelessly? Harutora looked askance at Ohtomo. 
But-- 
"Isn't it very strange for them to suddenly transfer at this time? That's violating the Onmyou Academy regulations. Wouldn't they normally wait until the next year to be admitted?" 
The girl - Kyouko - worded it as strictly as a severe lashing. 
There was clear malice showing in her tone - No, it wasn't that kind of dark malice, but a fretful feeling of unhappiness. 
...Ah, this person. 
One had shown up, Harutora thought. Touji had long since expected that there would be students who reacted like this. Harutora trembled, but a cold smile emerged on Touji's face. 
On the other hand, Ohtomo's attitude was still carefree, without any embarrassment in his expression. 
"Right, actually the situation is a bit complicated, forcing them to enter at this unusual time." 
"Can I ask what kind of situation it is?" 
"You know, it's that kind of situation." 
"Is it a situation that can't be made public?" 
"That's right." 
Ohtomo smiled from below, and Kyouko's cheeks instantly flushed red. 
"We managed to enter the Onmyou Academy by working desperately for the exam that is only held once a year! How can those people so easily enter because of some reason that can't be made public?" 
"They also took the exam." 
"Even so, then wasn't the exam specially arranged for the two of them? That's not fair at all!" 
"In the end, luck is also a form of strength." 
"Please don't ignore me with a joke!" 
Kyouko berated him resentfully. Then, she breathed deeply as if noticing that Ohtomo was leading her by the nose, regaining her calmness. 
Though it had only been a moment, the gaze she stared at Ohtomo with had suddenly turned to Harutora. Their gazes crossed, and she immediately turned away, an undisguised expression of disregard on her face, to stare back at Ohtomo. 
Then, she asked with a calm and loud voice: "......Is it because he's a Tsuchimikado?" 
The air in the classroom instantly tightened because of those words. 
"Tsuchimikado family members can get special treatment? Isn't that unfair?" 
...As expected...... 
Things had developed as Touji had predicted. Harutora had instantly become the center of discussion, and couldn't help but want to cry. 
He glanced at the look on Touji's face, and the two of them just happened to look at each other. He knew without asking that he clearly had a mocking look, seeming to say 'you're quite welcome'. Thinking carefully, even if Touji wasn't a Tsuchimikado himself, he should still be deeply troubled by this discussion, but that look was like excitement at stirring up trouble right after arriving. How carefree. 
...But...... 
It wasn't like Harutora didn't understand Kyouko's declaration. The special treatment Harutora and Touji had received really was unpleasant to the eyes of the students who had worked so hard to prepare for the Onmyou Academy entrance exam. 
But, even if he knew she was dissatisfied enough to deliberately challenge it before the entire class, he really didn't know how to respond, and it probably would have been preferable for her to bring it up with him in private. 
...What should he do? 
As soon as the name Tsuchimikado came out, the buzz in the classroom ceased. Ohtomo murmured quietly, troubled over how to respond. In any case, he should first deny that it was unfair! Harutora thought this, but maybe that man felt inside that things were interesting. 
It seemed that it was up to him to justify himself. Just as Harutora was thinking this...... 
"Don't go too far." A righteous voice broke through the noise in the room. 
The voice came from Natsume. 
She stood up, her hands placed on the table. Harutora wasn't the only one surprised, as Kyouko and the other students were the same. Everyone in the classroom - including Ohtomo - all turned towards the corner of the classroom in surprise. 
But, Natsume paid no heed to the reactions around her. 
"Kurahashi Kyouko, can I ask the reasons you bring up the Tsuchimikado? As a fellow Tsuchimikado, I need to clarify that the Tsuchimikado family does not require any special accommodations from the Onmyou Academy. If you're just saying it carelessly, then it's a great insult to both Harutora and I. Please take that back and apologize to him." 
Her tone was forceful but not clearly rude, like the slash of a sharp sword. The classroom fell silent, every student holding his or her breath. 
With Natsume's remarks, Kyouko's face lost its color like she had received an attack. 
But, she didn't back down from this. 
"I, In any case, please explain the situation clearly." 
She went on the offensive instead, staring at Natsume. 
"There's no convincing explanation! If you can't explain it, wouldn't most people guess that the power of the Tsuchimikado family must be working from behind the scenes? Also--" 
Kyouko suddenly stood up, staring at Natsume while pointing at Harutora behind the podium. 
Harutora was about to speak, but she took the initiative and continued speaking. 
"Natsume-kun, isn't he your shikigami? You especially allowed for him to enter the Onmyou Academy to let your shikigami be with you - wouldn't anyone guess that?" 
Kyouko's way of speaking led the classroom to begin buzzing again, and Harutora was also surprised. He had always thought that only Natsume, Touji, and he himself knew about him being Natsume's shikigami. 
"It's way too outdated to make humans into shikigami, but it's a lot like something the Tsuchimikado would do." 
Kyouko spoke, deliberately putting on a cold smile. That appearance was extremely imposing, not to be taken lightly by any means. 
But Natsume didn't lose in terms of imposing. 
"Total nonsense. Harutora is my shikigami, but that is no proof that he used unfair means to enter the Onmyou Academy. Isn't that natural? After all, why would the Onmyou Academy make a special exemption for a mere ordinary student? He is my shikigami, that is indeed a reason why he entered, but it has nothing to do with why he entered right now. Enough is enough of your nonsense." 
Natsume sounded coherent and emotionless. Kyouko rose up again, her look not letting Natsume go. 
"A mere ordinary student? You're the heir to the Tsuchimikado family--" 
"Then let me correct myself according to your words. For the 'mere heir to the Tsuchimikado family', right? Do you believe the most prominent Onmyouji training facility in the nation would especially help a student who didn't deserve it and destroy its own reputation? You should also know that the current Tsuchimikado family has declined. If you really doubt, then your own family should be the biggest suspect, right?' 
Natsume spoke coldly, and Kyouko's face went ashen. 
"S, So I said, what kind of secret does he have to enter at such a strange time?" 
"Didn't you hear sensei's words? Sensei already said that he couldn’t inform us." 
"I can't accept that!" 
"It's not your choice. What's more, whether you accept it or not doesn't concern us or the Onmyou Academy. This matter has no connection to you at all, and you have no right to know." 
"Wha......!" 
"If you hinder our class with such groundless speculation again, please leave the classroom. The Onmyou Academy is a place to learn Onmyoudou, so don't use it to satisfy your own desires." 
From the ears of a third-party observer like Harutora, this was quite an intense denouncement. Even if he felt happy that she was standing up for him like this, he still couldn't help but be stunned and think: 'no wonder this person can't make friends.' 
...And moreover that idiot also felt like she had 'won', showing a self-satisfied look...... 
Though Natsume was pretending to be calm, Harutora could see at a glance that she was abnormally excited. In particular, this tongue-lashing she had given in order to stand up for Harutora looked like it would have the opposite effect from afar, equivalent to making him into a collective enemy right after entering. 
Harutora turned to look at Ohtomo as if he had remembered something. 
"......You're not going to stop them?" 
"Huh? ......Oh my! I forgot!" 
This teacher wasn't just unreliable, he didn't even pay attention to anything. Harutora could take a furtive glance at his only remaining companion, Touji. Though Touji was deliberately showing an indifferent attitude, he was actually showing a look of concealed excitement as he stood on the sidelines. 
The future would be tough. 
Harutora looked at the two girls who were arguing enough to scatter sparks - one of them also a girl wearing male clothing - and felt a bleak outlook for the future.