Tokyo Ravens - Volume 2 - Chapter 3.3

Part 3
"What were you thinking!"
Harutora had taken off his kendo protector after the fight had ended and was sitting on a bench in the locker room. Natsume charged in from the spectator seats with a momentum that almost sent him flying. Harutora and Kon were the only ones in the locker room. Touji also came to visit Harutora in the locker room, but came later than Natsume.
"What was I thinking...... What do you mean?"
"Of course I meant the fight just now! To think you would take the field and fight against shikigami yourself, are you crazy? What would you do if you got hurt?"
"That's why I dressed up like this."
"That's just pointless! Especially since your opponents are Yaksha, you could have lost your life if you were careless!"
Natsume was so angry her face was flushed as she scolded him in a torrent. Harutora knitted his brow and shut his mouth as he sat on the bench, since after all he had been beaten black and blue just now and was in no position to refute.
The result of the fight wasn't out of anyone's expectations, and Harutora had failed spectacularly.
Kyouko's defensive shikigami Hakuou and Kokfuu weren't opponents Harutora could contend with in either movement or combat skills. The 'G-model shikigami' sold by the Onmyou Agency had extraordinary combat skill and techniques even unarmed, and Hakuou and Kokfuu had mastered the sword and the spear respectively.
Of course, they relied on their practitioner's control to be able to use those abilities. Kyouko's skill at controlling the Yaksha was quite good even if she was using two shikigami at once. Kyouko was obviously somewhat hesitant at the start due to having a human as her opponent, but either she changed her thoughts soon or got annoyed at Harutora's games, as she stopped being merciful and Harutora and Kon were completely unable to parry the violent attacks. Of course, Kyouko had been hitting with the back of the blade since the beginning. She had her shikigami deftly use the spear tip as it attacked Harutora, throwing him around, pressuring him, and knocking him over however she pleased.
The spectators in the stands who had watched with bated breath at the beginning ended up constantly laughing and joking ironically; among them, Touji was the one who exploded into laughter the most unscrupulously......
"Why don't you fight back a bit seriously! I don't agree with what Kurahashi Kyouko says, but swinging that wooden sword and standing on the battlefield together with your shikigami are laughable actions!"
"I, I was very serious."
"Did you truly think that battle just now was very 'serious'!? You were mocked and the people watching laughed at you...... Could it be that you don't feel bad inside?"
Natsume roared with a red face, seeming quite mad. But, Harutora felt a bit confused rather than introspective or disagreeing. He didn't really understand what Natsume was mad for.
Moreover, though Natsume had asked him 'could it be that you don't feel bad inside', Harutora actually didn't feel one bit discontent at all, even if he had lost this fight. At the least, the powerless and empty feeling from after class yesterday hadn't overflowed his heart.
He wasn't dissatisfied with losing, nor was he showing off, but rather he had an enriched feeling as if he had grasped his own pace for the first time. Harutora's attitude of altogether accepting his loss had completely enraged Natsume, but the immature shikigami wasn't perceptive enough and was unable to notice the subtle changes in his master's heart.
"......H, H-Harutora-sama......"
Kon lightly tugged on the hem of Harutora's uniform from behind his back.
"......I-I-I, Is it alright to allow her to wantonly abuse you like this?"
"Whew, idiot...... Didn't I say it very clearly yesterday? She's the next heir of the main family, and I'm currently her shikigami."
"......B-B-But......"
A look even more discontent than Harutora's emerged on the shikigami's innocent face, not only for losing the fight, but also for being unable to rebut Natsume's angry words.
Natsume wordlessly stared daggers at Kon as the two of them whispered. Even Kon couldn't help but silence herself when that curse-like, vicious gaze stared at her.
Harutora had told Kon about the circumstances relating to Natsume yesterday, and Kon was definitely able to clearly distinguish Natsume as being from the main family, even if her attitude towards people other than Harutora didn't change.
Even so, she still tried to defend her master.
"......J-Just now Harutora-sama lost all because of th-th-that wooden sword prepared by that smiley fake Onmyouji...... It's definitely not because of H-Harutora-sama's skill......!"
"Wooden sword?"
Natsume couldn't help but ask upon hearing Kon's defense, and Touji who had originally been crossing his arms silently on the side spoke as if he had thought of something surprising:
"So the problem was there? That trick truly was a bit unfortunate. Harutora, you originally planned on using that opportunity, right?"
"W, Wait up, what are you saying?"
"You didn't notice? Before the fight ended, that black shikigami's attack rhythm became quite monotonous, perhaps because of habit or carelessness. At that time, this guy was busying himself with defense while secretly gauging the distance, planning on avoiding the spear attack and taking advantage of that opportunity to get close to the enemy."
Kon nodded her head vigorously from behind Harutora as she heard Touji's explanation, but Harutora turned his head embarrassedly.

Actually, Harutora had used the difference in range of the two weapons, shortened the distance between the two of them, had even succeeded in drawing and avoiding Kokfuu's attack, and charged over in a flash.
But, just as he was going to pull out all the stops and strike with all his power, the wooden sword he was swinging suddenly fractured in midair from the blade to the center - and moreover, it had fragmented from the inside out.
"......Didn't it fracture because he attacked the opponent's armor?"
"Nn...... I was focusing on attacking at the time, and actually I'm not really sure what happened. But sensei truly said that he had 'cast magic' on it, and it's probably a result of the gradual accumulation of the shocks that it had endured before. That just goes to show that the opponent's attacks were just too powerful, so I can't make any dispute."
"Th-That is not the case, it's the fault of that f-f-fake Onmyouji!"
"Fake Onmyouji...... When the wooden sword fractured, I also got angry at that rotten teacher. But anyway, it's just more of that misfortune."
Harutora smiled wryly, trying to calm the raging anger of his shikigami.
However, he unconsciously glanced at Natsume and noticed that his childhood friend's face had become paler than before.
"......This is way too ridiculous." Natsume trembled as she spoke.
"Huh? W, Why?"
"I don't know what magic Ohtomo-sensei cast on the wooden sword, but he should have strengthened the wooden sword to endure the Yaksha’s attacks, right?"
"Ah, if I remember, he said something like that...... So what?"
"Are you stupid! To think you would enter a fight where even a magically strengthened wooden sword would split in half! You should have some self-awareness, right!"
Natsume's roars sounded even more angry now than when she had charged into the locker room just recently. Harutora flinched in surprise, looking at Natsume, but she didn't seem willing to even look at Harutora.
Her symmetric face was twisted from anxiety and other emotions.
"You're too full of yourself, can you even consider yourself a Tsuchimikado like that? Magic is extremely dangerous! Since you're stupid, use that stupid brain of yours to think a bit before acting!"
Her tone shook near the end and her tone became more and more furious.
Harutora finally couldn't stand it upon hearing this scolding.
"......Is that an 'order', master?"
"What!?"
"......I'm very sorry I humiliated you again, but unfortunately, these are my methods, and if you aren't satisfied, then you'd better hurry up and fire a shikigami like me."
Harutora pouted and turned his head after saying that. Natsume's eyes widened and she stood still, stunned and almost unblinking, unable to stop her shoulders from twitching.
Tears started filling those eyes that stared at Harutora from her hysterical emotions.
Then, she repressed her emotions with all of her remaining willpower.
"......If you think those methods work, then why don't you just go......"
Saying this, Natsume turned her back towards Harutora and the others - She ran out of the locker room without looking back, her tied hair flying around.
"......H-Harutora-sama......"
Kon looked at Harutora, not knowing what to do. Even Kon who had been dissatisfied with Natsume's tough attitude was helpless upon encountering this anger. Harutora's face sank, and he decided to ignore his flustered shikigami.
Touji sighed lightly.
"......She said that because she was worried about you."
His agitated emotions cooled off momentarily because of those words.
"I know."
Harutora replied, his tone having long since lost the enriching feeling of having grasped his own pace that had been audible in it just recently.
The second day since he had entered the academy ended just like that. Harutora sighed deeply in front of his good friend and the shikigami who worried about him.
Actually, the situation had already started changing by this time.
Things happened in a form that Harutora and the others had never expected and in a place that they were not aware of.