Tokyo Ravens - Volume 3 - Chapter 1.2

Part 2 
When the sound of the bell announcing the end of the exams sounded, the students sighed one after another, the tense atmosphere in the classroom suddenly collapsing. Murmurs and laughter came after a while, and the teacher responsible for proctoring the exam walked through the classroom, rapidly collecting the exam papers from the students' desks. The proctor collected the exam paper from in front of the straight-backed, properly-sitting Tsuchimikado Natsume, but Tsuchimikado Harutora sprawled on his desk, half-dead. 
The Onmyou Academy - The premier Onmyouji development institution in the nation. This place was one of the classrooms of the academy building. 
Harutora was collapsed on the desk, and the look on his face was indiscernible at the time. Even if the exam had ended, restlessness and tension still lingered on the face of Natsume in the neighboring seat, but she herself wasn't the reason to make her restless and tense. Rather, it was Harutora, as this childhood friend had collapsed on the desk long before the bell had sounded. 
When she was taking the exam, Natsume would often glance anxiously at Harutora, and once the proctor collected the exam papers and left, she couldn't wait to open her mouth to inquire. 
"Harutora? The exam just now--" 
"Don't say it." Harutora interrupted her words without waiting for her to finish, still sprawled weakly on the desk. "Don't say it and don't ask, don't say anything at all, don't ask anything at all, let me have some peace and quiet...... Please, tasukete [2] ......" 
"P, Please isn't the same as 'tasukete', don't you mean 'onegai' [3] ?" 
"......Onegai [4] ......" 
Harutora begged in a whimper, and Natsume looked up at the ceiling with a pained face. Then, she said in a quiet whisper that only the neighboring seat could hear: "......Which parts? What didn't you get?" 
"......Didn't I say not to ask?" 
"......But how many questions did you not get, one? Two!?" 
"......A, A lot of questions......" 
Harutora's tone was agonized, and Natsume's expression instantly turned from bitterness into grief. 
"What do you mean by you didn't get a lot of questions! Almost all of the exam just now was within the sample problems, didn't we review them three times yesterday!" 
"......Uuu." 
"Didn't we actually prepare very well for the essay topic? Didn't we stay up late many nights preparing?" 
"......Uuu." 
Harutora twisted his body as he was sprawled on the desk like he didn't have the energy to reply or rise, and Natsume looked at her childhood friend as if she couldn't bear the sight. 
Harutora's grades had plummeted after entering the Onmyou Academy. As a descendant of the great Onmyouji Abe no Seimei and a member of the Tsuchimikado family that had been a great Onmyoudou family in the past, he was simply worlds apart from the outstanding main family heir Natsume. The grades of Harutora, who had been born in a branch family, were far lower than those of the other classmates, and he would often have to receive after-school tutoring because of this. Despite the importance of the Tsuchimikado family reputation, Natsume had also given up on the thought of rescuing Harutora's grades. 
But, the exam this time was quite important, as their successful advancement into the second year was at stake, so it couldn't be abandoned lightly. 
Harutora raised his head with an 'uuu', his chin against the desk and his jaw clenched. 
"Whatever, I've already done all I can, all I have left is to rely on...... getting back with practicals......" 
Natsume sighed upon hearing her childhood friend's sorrowful lamentation, shaking her head. Though she was anxious, the practicals were truly all that were left to turn things around. 
Natsume turned her head, lightly uttering a warning with her original voice: "......I won't forgive you if you dare to get held back." Saying this, she raised her gaze, looking out of the classroom window. 
The weather was gray, with dark clouds spread about and a thick, cold air could still be felt. The sun was a bit weak, lacking any vivid, bright colors. It seemed that they would still have to wait a long time for the bright spring sun to arrive. 
Next month - early February - they would advance to the second year. 
Half a year had already passed since Harutora entered the Onmyou Academy to study. 

The spear blade moved like a swallow, slashing through the air. 
Of course, the opponent was attacking with the back of the blade, but if he took a hit head-on, he wouldn't just be fine after rolling on the ground a couple times in pain. Harutora used the back end of the shakujou to keenly deal with the attacking blade. 
He rapidly moved side to side, regulating his breathing and focusing his spiritual power. The pentagram under his left eye gradually burned because of his circulating spiritual power, and when he felt this heat, he focused his mind on the shikigami before him. 
The Onmyou Agency defensive shikigami 'G2 Yaksha' named 'Kokfuu'. 
Not only did this shikigami possess basic unarmed combat techniques, it was proficient in using a spear. It was not an opponent comparable to an outsider like Harutora. 
But, the shakujou in Harutora's hands was a magical tool specially created by his homeroom teacher Ohtomo, and though he needed to expend a large amount of spiritual power, he could turn his spiritual power into a blade of magical power or a shield to clash with an enemy. Harutora was clumsy with magic, but his spiritual power was strong, and this weapon suited to both attack and defense could be said to match up with him. With this shakujou in his hand, at the least he could stand on the same level as his opponent, even if the chance of victory was not high. 
Kokfuu's spear clashed with Harutora's shakujou, and with his spirit-seeing eyes, Harutora 'saw' the surrounding aura swirl, along with Kokfuu's magical energy, the aura his own body gave off, and the meandering magical energy flowing along the haft of the shakujou. 
Magical power collided with magical power, and a spiritual wind whose temperature was ambiguous roared, his body - his spiritual body - burning as if it had been scorched. On the other hand, the shikigami Kokfuu was almost unconcerned by the surrounding spiritual pressure, its exterior giving off the exact same impression as before and continuing to attack Harutora like a robot. 
But - a chance! The thought flashed through Harutora's mind, and a small figure instantly ran up behind Kokfuu's back as if seeing through his thoughts. 
It was a small child, and moreover a little girl who didn't even look ten years old. She wore a suikan and a hakama [5] , her appearance proper like a Japanese doll, with two round, blue eyes, a pair of pointed, triangular ears on her head, and a leaf-shaped tail growing out of her lower body. 
She wasn't a human, but rather a shikigami. She was Harutora's defensive shikigami - Kon. 
"Haaaaah!" 
Kon attacked Kokfuu from behind at the same time as she released her stealth and materialized. She slashed the beloved blade Kachiwari in her hand, cutting Kokfuu in its lower leg. That move was outside Kokfuu's expectations - outside the expectations of its master, Harutora's classmate Kurahashi Kyouko, who controlled it - and Kon's surprise attack made them flounder for a moment. 'Lag' reactions appeared in Kokfuu who had suffered an attack, and interference coursed through its body as it stopped moving for a moment. 
Just then-- 
"I win!" 
Harutora's shakujou struck Kokfuu, and Kyouko who had been controlling the shikigami hissed: "Hmph", looking displeased. 
"Haha! How's that! I undoubtedly won this, right?" 
"A-A-A, Amazing, Harutora-sama! Your skill is incredible--!" 
"Your timing was perfect too, Kon, we're cooperating more and more seamlessly!" 
"I-I-I-I am extremely grateful for your praise!" 
Harutora laughed joyously and Kon's face reddened in embarrassment from receiving her master's praise. Not only did her face flush, her tail also wagged constantly like a puppy. The defeated Kyouko hmphed in displeasure, dismissing Kokfuu's materialized form. 
"......I said before that Kokfuu was originally adjusted to act together with Hakuou. Don't get it wrong, it can't wield its full power in a solo battle." 
Kyouko warned Harutora with an imposing manner. 
Her brown hair was tied up and hung down, her eyelashes were long, her eyes were sharp, and though she seemed quite competitive, she was extremely cute. Even if she wore a new uniform on her, it couldn't conceal her pretty figure or her pair of beautiful legs. 
Kyouko's strength was inferior only to Natsume's among the first-year students. Maybe it was because of this that losing to Harutora made her dissatisfied even in a mock battle where she couldn't use her full strength. When they had started, Harutora and Kon hadn't even had a twenty percent chance of winning, but his winning rate this year was greater than fifty percent, showing the pair's notable growth. 
Kyouko frowned and Harutora couldn't help but smile wryly upon seeing her reaction. 
"I know that very well, I'm not getting carried away." 
"......It's fine as long as you know." 
"D-D, Don't heed her, Harutora-sama. Treat the complaints of the loser as the sound of the wind." 
"I can hear everything, Kon-chan." 
Kyouko narrowed her eyes, but Kon kept a straight face, her ears standing up, pretending she hadn't heard it. This shikigami was loyal to her master Harutora, but she was quite high and mighty towards people other than Harutora. 

Harutora and the others before him were currently in the magic practice field underneath the academy building. The magic practice field was set up like an athletic stadium and had a barrier encircling the arena on all sides. 
Since he had entered the academy - more accurately, since he had fought with a Yakou fanatic as soon as he had entered the academy - Harutora had been regularly having mock battles with Kyouko's shikigami. The reason was obviously so he could deal with Yakou fanatics, and in particular, it was to accumulate a form of actual battle experience and get used to methods of using magical energy as well as magical battles. 
Natsume had been troubled by a 'rumor' every since she was small, and it had been rumored that she was the reincarnation of Tsuchimikado Yakou, the ancestor of modern Onmyoudou and the culprit of a spiritual disaster in Tokyo that had led to unprecedented calamity. Because of this, Natsume was often harassed by blindly faithful Yakou fanatics. Also, Harutora was only training his fighting ability as much as possible because he had obeyed the branch family traditions and had become the main family's shikigami in order to protect his master Natsume. 
"How is it, Natsume? I should be able to get some decent grades in the practical exam, right?" Harutora looked up at the spectator seats from the arena, chatting with Natsume who had been watching the competition from the side. 
Natsume deliberately hmphed upon hearing him say that. 
"Bakatora, do you really think the exam will ask the practitioner to fight directly with a shikigami?" 
"That's true...... But I'm already adept at using magical energy." 
"You still rely on that shakujou to convert your spiritual power to magical energy, and you can't bring magical tools into the exam!" Natsume's face went taut as she strictly criticized the triumphant Harutora. 
That serious action complemented her fine-lined, beautiful appearance. Her glossy black hair grew to her waist, tied behind her back with a pink ribbon. Her body was small, and her exterior seemed incomparably delicate at first glance, but she gave off a perseverant will from inside. 
"You still aren't proficient at using simple shikigami yet, and though I don't believe this mock battle is a waste of time, in all honestly, it really isn't the time to do these things right now." 
"What, weren't you fine before about having a mock battle today?" 
"That was because we don't know what kind of topic this year's practical will have, so the only preparation you can take now is to smoothly circulate your spiritual power as a warm-up for tomorrow's practical exam." She couldn't stand it - Natsume shrugged her shoulders like a home tutor teaching a stupid student. 
The Onmyou Academy first-year curriculum was based around lectures, and practical training was rare, so it was the practitioner's own qualifications rather than techniques that were important for the advancement exam. The content of the exam would also change every year. 
"But you completely rely on the shakujou's help, and you won't get any effective warm-up at all, so why don't you face the shikigami bare-handed this time?" 
"......That's suicide." 
"Oh my, I'm happy to cooperate since Natsume-kun says so." 
"Tch! Kyouko, don't call for Kokfuu so happily!" 
Natsume helplessly shook her head, looking down at Harutora's panicked appearance. 
Her attitude was still quite severe even if her shikigami had won. Shikigami had to be by their Master's side all the time in order to protect their master's safety, or in other words, Harutora would no longer be of any use as a shikigami as soon as he was unable to smoothly pass the exam and had to be held back or leave the academy. 
But-- 
"......Pff." Momoe Tenma who sat next to Natsume couldn't help but laugh. His body type was about the same as Natsume's, a glasses-wearing, innocent-looking boy who was a classmate of Natsume and Harutora. 
"W, What is it, Tenma-kun, what's so funny?" Natsume turned around in surprise upon hearing Tenma secretly laugh from the side. 
"Because--" A gentle smile emerged on Tenma's face. "Natsume-kun, you say that, but when Harutora-kun won just now, you jumped up with your fists clenched in excitement and called out 'He won!' with a red face." 
"What? What are you talking about! I, I didn't do that...... P, Please don't speak nonsense!" 
Natsume was flustered for a moment, refuting him in a stammer. As her words became more and more confused, an abnormally shrill and clear voice was even audible. 
"Hey, Natsume!" 
Harutora hurriedly called out a warning from the arena, and only then did Natsume come to her senses, coughing lightly a couple times with a red face. Tenma and Kyouko looked at the interaction between the two with expressions of incomprehension. 
Unlike the pure white uniform that Kyouko wore, Natsume wore a slightly bluish, black uniform - the color of a raven's plumage - the male uniform, the same as Harutora and Tenma. 
But - really, that person was usually calm, but she would become flustered as soon as she encountered something sudden. Her true identity would be revealed sooner or later...... Harutora muttered snappily in his heart. 
The heir to the Tsuchimikado family had to show himself as a male, and Tsuchimikado Natsume had entered the Onmyou Academy as a male student in compliance with this Tsuchimikado family tradition. Harutora wondered how long Natsume would be able to conceal this for...... Honestly, Natsume was a girl to the letter but dressed as a male. For now, the only ones who knew this were Harutora, Harutora's shikigami Kon, and Harutora's and Natsume's good friend, Ato Touji. 
...These students are really slow...... Even after half a year, her appearance looked very strange to me. 
During this half-year at the Onmyou Academy, he had noticed that the biggest reason Natsume was able hide it from others was that she socialized very little. 
Other than with Harutora and Touji who knew her identity, she was only close to Kyouko and Tenma who were here. That was a result of Natsume's original shy personality, but more so because other people kept her at arm's length because of the rumor concerning Yakou. 
If one actually interacted with Natsume, one would notice that she was actually quite imperfect. She was a typical gifted student in the eyes of others because no one had noticed her deliberately-hidden other side. Though her hair wasn't like a boy's, most people explained it to themselves as 'customs of a traditional family'. Fortunately, since it was magic community, there were thoughts that 'his hair ornament has spiritual power', whether it was true or not. Even so, a pink ribbon was too obvious, and Harutora couldn't help but secretly complain...... 
"Preconceptions really have strong effects...... Huh? That's weird, where did Touji go?" 
Harutora who was looking up from the arena glanced everywhere, but he couldn't find Touji who had originally been watching the battle together with Natsume and Tenma. 
"The principal called Touji-kun to the principal's office." Tenma replied on behalf of Natsume because her mood still hadn't calmed down. 
"The principal?" 
"Right - You know about the principal's cat shikigami too, right? That cat ran over and said that she needed Touji-san for something." 
Harutora turned towards Kyouko upon hearing Tenma's reply. 
"Kyouko, do you have any idea why the principal would look for a student?" 
"Grandma didn't mention anything, so I'm not sure. But since it was grandma who called Touji over, maybe she had a strange 'vision'." 
"Vision?" 
"Right, actually it's just divination...... Didn't you know? My grandma is a first-class astrologist." 
"Astrologist?" 
"......It seems like you should just repeat the first year." 
The bad student of the class asked a question for every sentence Kyoko said, making her arch her eyebrows in impatience. 
The principal of the Onmyou Academy was named Kurahashi Miyo, an old woman with an elegant temperament and the head of the famous Kurahashi family that simultaneously had a huge influence on the modern magic community. She was quite a famous astrologist - a diviner, and even though she had long since retired, it was said that there still wasn't anyone in the nation on par with her. Kyouko was the granddaughter of this principal. 
"Hmph...... Whatever, the principal won't be messing around anyway. It would be worrisome if Ohtomo-sensei were looking for him." 
"Touji's grades aren't bad. In contrast, a student close to failing like you should be more worrisome." 
Kyouko pointed that out frankly and calmly, and Harutora 'tch'ed, his face sinking. 
"Touji and I both transferred in from an ordinary high school...... When did such a big gap open up?" 
"You were never at his level since the beginning." 
"That's true! I know, damn it! That guy just has a good brain, he knew a lot about magic before transferring!" 
"When I said 'since the beginning', I didn't mean since you transferred in. Rather, it's been that way since birth." 
"Since birth!? And isn't it miserable that it's hard to even deny!?" 
Harutora cursed angrily, his eyes teary. "H-H, Harutora-sama, becoming concerned equates to admitting your birth was inferior!" Kon consoled him tactlessly. Tenma in the spectator seats couldn't help bursting out laughing as he listened, but Natsume's face was solemn. But she quickly cheered up, straightened her spine, and spoke another proposal. 
"Harutora! The exam is tomorrow, so you should practice magical energy conversion methods. Your spiritual power is strong, and if you can smoothly convert it to magical energy, you should be able to deal with the exam easily!" 
The practical advancement [6] exam was tomorrow. 
Harutora's fate would also be decided tomorrow.