"......Mount Fuji under the moonlight has quite the otherworldly style." In the courtyard of the auditorium, Ohtomo moved his chair to a corner with an excellent view, holding a plastic bowl and disposable chopsticks in his hand and eating his late dinner. He relished in slurping the hot houtou, looking at the moonlit Mount Fuji and Lake Yamanaka in the distance. The tranquil breeze was comfortable and pleasant, his senses which had become increasingly slow in the city being refreshed by the presence of the vast forest behind him. The air was crisp, and Mount Fuji's tremendous aura refreshed his spirit. As a teacher, he hadn't been able to relax for the whole day, but the beautiful scene before him right now was enough to repay his day's labors. He would have nothing more to ask for if he could have a cup of sake or shochu...... "Ohtomo-sensei." Just then, someone called out from behind him. He turned around with a "Hmm?", still slurping houtou. Natsume jogged through the courtyard, stopping respectfully next to Ohtomo. "Sorry to bother you, I'm not feeling too well today, so could I ask whether I could skip the bath today?" Ohtomo almost couldn't help but spit the food out from his mouth upon hearing Natsume's words. He thought that Natsume had been a serious student, but this was almost overly stiff. He swallowed the noodles in his mouth. "......Haha, Natsume-kun, don't be that serious. You don't need to come to report even this kind of thing to your teachers. Since you're not feeling well, don't force yourself and rest properly." After saying this, Natsume replied back, her attitude a bit overly respectful, but Ohtomo could indeed see that she was being introspective. This student really was incredibly serious. Ohtomo smiled secretly. But this was a rare opportunity, and it would be uninteresting to just let him go back. "So, Natsume-kun, do you believe you can get along with Suzuka-kun?" Ohtomo turned his body, resting his arm on the back of the chair and asking Natsume a question. He already knew the answer, and as he expected, Natsume's expression became quite difficult upon hearing this sudden question. "......Yes...... After all, she's a National First-Class Onmyouji...... I have many things to learn from her." She stiffly gave a respectful reply. Ohtomo nodded knowingly. "I said this to Harutora-kun." "Huh?" "Suzuka-kun is actually very similar to you." "......!" Natsume inadvertently frowned. It seemed that she had already heard a similar opinion from someone else. Her change in expression made Ohtomo unable to help but chuckle. This reaction was a bit too easy to see through for the dignified heir of a traditional family. Of course, Ohtomo didn't give away what he thought. "As for Harutora-kun, I asked him to take care of Suzuka-kun. I can relax, seeing him try so hard. I think you also know that girls of Suzuka-kun's age are very sensitive. It's a great help to me to have a tolerant senpai like Harutora-kun looking after her." Ohtomo spoke casually, scooping up houtou with his chopsticks again. "......Yes." He listened carefully to Natsume's vague reply, sending the noodles to his mouth and chewing. "You... Is there anything you're unhappy about?" "Huh? N, No, how could I be...... unhappy......" Natsume denied it, but her face clearly showed unhappy emotions. Ohtomo chewed his houtou noodles. "Hey, Natsume-kun." "Yes." "It would be troublesome if you misunderstood, so I'll say it clearly now...... You actually don't need to worry about Suzuka-kun." "......What?" Natsume couldn't conceal her surprise at this sudden matter. Ohtomo deliberately ignored it, smiling slightly. "Honestly, you're the only one in the Onmyou Academy right now who can be compared to Suzuka-kun in terms of magical knowledge, power, and position. One of you is a Divine General, and the other is the next heir of the Tsuchimikado family. Suzuka-kun - no, actually, you're the same. The two of you can only learn from each other, right?" "S, So that's what you meant by 'worry'......" "Hmm? What, could it be that you have something else to worry about?" "N, No, I, that's not what I meant......!" Natsume hastily shook her head after Ohtomo casually asked that question. He still pretended to not notice anything, taking up an easygoing appearance. "Actually, I'm in no position to say this kind of thing. My head was just filled with thinking about skipping class when I was your age, so I can't give students like you and Suzuka-kun any constructive opinions, sorry." "Don't say that...... Ah, but......" Natsume didn't know what to say, hesitating for a moment, thinking of a rare mischievous idea. "I heard that Sensei was called the 'Three Ravens of the Thirty-Sixth' before." "Pfah." Ohtomo hadn't expected that kind of counterattack, spitting out all the soup from his mouth. Natsume saw that her surprise attack had worked, proudly laughing to herself. Ohtomo wiped his mouth, his face disheveled. "......That Zenjirou was definitely speaking nonsense everywhere......" "You get along really well, Kogure-san also called Sensei directly by your name." "It was terrible fate. Natsume-kun, please choose your friends well, or you'll regret for a long time." "So you really are 'friends'." "............" Ohtomo made a face, closing his mouth because it was a rare moment when he had nothing to say. Natsume truly laughed out loud this time. "So Sensei, can you give me some tips on how to deal with a Divine General?" "I can't do that, that person was an idiot when he was studying in the Onmyou Academy...... Uh, I'm actually unqualified to talk about others. The several of us were always gathering together to make trouble. We were really lax, now that I think about it." Ohtomo shrugged his shoulders as if giving up continuing to act dumb, talking leisurely about his past school days. His attitude wasn't like a teacher, but intimate enough to make one unable to help but want to call him a senpai. "Right, since you were the 'Three Ravens', that means that there was another friend that you had a good relationship with, right? What happened to that person?" Natsume suddenly asked. At the start, when Kogure had chatted about this matter, Kyouko had also happened to bring up this question. At the time, Kogure had replied in a stammer, but Ohtomo's reaction was completely different. "Right, there was another strange person. He went back to the countryside because of his family, I don't know how he's doing now...... Haha, how nostalgic." Ohtomo replied casually without showing a bit of hesitation. If she hadn't seen Kogure's attitude with her own eyes, Natsume probably would have carelessly replied and left things at that. "......I, I see." She was a bit suspicious, but she didn't continue to pursue the question. She didn't know whether he had noticed her change in heart, but Ohtomo didn't say anything, calmly drinking his soup. He tasted the hot, delicious houtou, and then said: "......Right, I thought of something while talking about the past."
"Wh, What is it?" "Hmm...... Actually, it's nothing major. I just thought that if I could give my past self some tips...... I would probably advise myself: 'Don't force yourself too much'." "Force yourself, huh?" "That's right." Sitting on the chair, Ohtomo raised his head slightly and looked at the standing Natsume. Then, he said: "The more people value their friends, the more they should open their hearts. Even if it would bring the other party a burden, they should be honest." "............" "I told you not to be 'concerned' just now. In short, that's what I meant...... But it's not just limited to Suzuka-kun." Ohtomo looked at Natsume who silently gazed at him, speaking in a roundabout way and sincerely conveying the emotion in his words with his tone and expression instead. Because he had talked openly about his time as a student before and was now giving advice, it sounded quite convincing indeed. Natsume felt surprised and a bit shocked, her eyes widening slightly as she stared straight at her homeroom teacher. "......Yes." Her eyes never left Ohtomo as she humbly nodded her head. A breeze blew from the lake, blowing through the hill where the auditorium was. Natsume's black hair, tied up by a ribbon, danced in the wind. Ohtomo said: "......Yeah." and sat back down on the chair. "Anyway, don't force yourself too much. You have to remember to relax, even when you're working hard. The third-years will be participating in the camp as well tomorrow, so make sure not to stay up too late." "Yes...... Ah, sorry to bother your meal." Natsume lowered her head in apology, always keeping her respectful attitude. Ohtomo casually waved his chopsticks, eating his houtou again and watching the back of his student as she returned to the auditorium. "......Though it's difficult, work hard, Natsume-kun." For a long while, Ohtomo's surroundings had only the gusts of the night wind and the leisurely sound of enjoying houtou. But when he finished eating half of his noodles, his face suddenly sank and he frowned. He lifted his bowl, glancing to the side. There was a small cat passing through the auditorium courtyard. It was a small calico cat with supple fur, and it looked quite clever. Ohtomo chewed his noodles, looking resentfully at the cat walking towards him. That cat walked straight to Ohtomo, walking up in front of him and sitting down with light movements, raising its head to look at the eating Ohtomo. Ohtomo swallowed the already chewed noodles, annoyedly and helplessly speaking up. "......So it really was the principal. I had a feeling......" That cat lightly waved its long tail upon hearing that. "Just a 'feeling' won't do. There's no meaning in asking you to be a teacher if you're unable to instantly notice a sneaking shikigami." The elegant female voice came from Ohtomo's boss - the Onmyou Academy Principal, Kurahashi Miyo. This calico cat was her shikigami. She hadn't told Ohtomo earlier that she would secretly come to the camp. "It must be quite the trouble to use a shikigami all the way from Tokyo." "That's right, an 'old woman' like me knows very clearly that her physical condition is 'nothing like before'. But this much won't tire me out if it's for my cute students." "......Ha, haha...... How reliable, your ears are quite good......" Ohtomo turned his head and smiled dryly. Incidentally, Ohtomo had met Kogure a few days ago, and he had used words like 'old' and 'nothing like before' to describe her. It seemed that the principal had clearly heard their entire conversation at the time. "......I really can't drop my guard. It sounds like you also eavesdropped on those kids' 'strategy meeting'?" "Don't use a bad-sounding word like 'eavesdrop'. I was just silently protecting them from the side. You definitely noticed that I was there, right? After all, you were also there at the time." "I have the responsibility of overseeing them, don't lump me in together with an eavesdropper--" "Oh my, since you say that, never mind those children, I also have the responsibility of supervising you." Ohtomo who held a bowl and sat on a chair chatted under the moonlight with the calico cat gazing up at him, bickering about boring trivia. If the 'children' who had been eavesdropped on just now heard this verbal joust, they probably would have been so stunned that they would forget to be angry. "Come to think of it, those students are advancing beyond expectations right now. It's something to be thankful for." "You can't say that, children of this age are very difficult." "Oh my, it's you who says that? My seniority as a teacher is far higher than yours, you know." "I'm just a small pawn, how can I compare to you who's been the principal for many decades...... But, it's about time for us to intervene and actively help those children, now that things have developed this far. If they believe they can deal with it themselves, it will become dangerous...... Also, it would decrease my burden quite a lot if they were able to 'escape by themselves'." Ohtomo pretended to be humble, smiling flatteringly. The most irritating thing was that that kind of smile suited his face very well - or perhaps, it should be said that it showed his gentleness. The cat waved its tail like a flea-ridden wild dog expressing goodwill, staring with half-narrowed eyes at the teacher subordinate to it. "......That makes sense." Then, she quietly expressed: "Maybe we should properly consider whether it's about time......" Even though he had made the proposal, the principal's response still made a surprised expression momentarily flash across Ohtomo's face. He had originally expected the principal to instantly reject his proposal, believing that it was currently too early for that matter. "......Do you mean we can?" "I'm not saying to act right now, but please 'make the preparations', Ohtomo-sensei." Saying this, the cat stood up with nimble movements. It turned its back to Ohtomo, walking towards the auditorium without as much as a farewell. Ohtomo actually didn't have much to say, so he silently watched the cat leave, but...... "......Do you know about the 'Raven's Wing'?" The cat immediately stopped moving, going silent for a second, and uttering: "I don't know." Ohtomo indifferently continued to speak towards the cat whose head wasn't even turned back. "I heard that it was a fake that was sealed in the Onmyou Agency." "......Is that so?" "Yes, some people believe that the real thing is in the Onmyou Academy." "......Who did you hear that from?" "That person." The cat turned to look at Ohtomo. Ohtomo sat in the chair, still holding the bowl and chopsticks in his hands and his expression no different from usual as he stared intently at the principal's shikigami. The gazes of the two met. They were aimless gazes, and they inadvertently fell silent, but anyone watching would instantly know that in this seemingly meaningless space was developing an extremely intense magical battle of high-difficulty second-class magic techniques. Not long afterwards, the cat tossed its head, waving its tail and soundlessly passing through the courtyard to leave. Ohtomo's face remained unchanging, calling out: "...Principal?" Meow, the cat called. Ohtomo smiled wryly, scooping up some now-cold houtou and sending the noodles to his mouth.
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