Tokyo Ravens - Volume 6 - Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2 - Letter of Challenge 
Part 1 
Tenma walked out of the magic practice field, immediately seeing the message Harutora had sent. 
It was an invitation to karaoke. Not only Harutora but also Natsume and Touji had waited especially for Tenma to return in the academy. 
Even so, Tenma still used himself not feeling well as an excuse, walking alone on the road back home in the rain. 
Tenma's family was in Gokokuji [2] . He had to change lines from Shibuya to Ikebukuro and Nagata-cho, but Tenma always rode until the center line and got off before Kishibojin, then walked back home. This area was mostly older residents, and the roads were narrow and meandering. Tenma liked walking in this kind of place. 
Pots of petunias were placed in front of the store entrances and the stone walls were already faded. Snails crept slowly on the blooming hydrangea leaves along the roadside. Occasionally, a stray cat would appear that had been wet by the rain, passing warily in front of Tenma. Probably because of the rain, there weren't many pedestrians and the surroundings were calm and tranquil. All that could be heard were the sound of his umbrella and the pattering raindrops. 
The Momoe house was the parent's home of Tenma's mother, a traditional family that had been related to Onmyoudou since the mid-Edo [3] period. Though they weren't very famous, they had worked as Onmyouji for generations and could be counted as a notable family. Tenma's mother was also a professional Onmyouji who had obtained qualifications from the Onmyou Agency. 
But, Tenma's mother hadn't come back after meeting Tenma's father and choosing to run away from home, until she and her husband were killed in an accident. His father's parents were already deceased, so Tenma was taken in by the Momoe family and looked after by his grandparents. 
To Tenma, who had lost his parents at a young age, the Momoe family's grandparents were nice but strict. On one hand, they had the style of a traditional family, and in addition, Tenma's mother who had betrayed the Momoe family and run away from home left complex emotions in the elders' hearts. Tenma knew that his own personality was sincere and he wasn't very self-assertive. He had been raised into this nature, and he was vaguely aware that his grandparents had probably had a large effect. 
But Tenma didn't hate his grandparents. Rather, he loved them whole-heartedly. 
No matter what his grandparents' feelings were, the two of them loved him greatly. Even if they had complex emotions, they didn't put up any pretense. When he had received strict education as a child, he would occasionally feel that they were 'distant' from him, but at his current age, Tenma felt more and more whole-heartedly that his grandparents were undoubtedly good people. They didn't hate Tenma's mother, they had just been deeply hurt and had never healed from it. 
His elderly grandparents had only one wish, which was to raise Tenma into an excellent Onmyouji who could inherit the Momoe family. These two elders who were bad at lying had clearly transmitted that desire to Tenma. That was why Tenma could one-sidedly set becoming an Onmyouji as his target and diligently work hard. 
But, 
"......A professional, huh......" 
The force of the rain hadn't increased, nor did it show any signs of stopping, just continuing indifferently. 
The narrow road was empty, covered in puddles of rainwater. Surrounding him was a boundless, dark world, as if he were walking in a maze with no exit. 
Tenma liked walking. 
But, was it correct to keep walking when he couldn't see where he was going? 
Ohtomo wanted him to have faith in the Onmyou Academy. But, an action like 'faith' actually meant isolating his consciousness. Even if he consciously had faith, he couldn't guarantee that he would be fully convinced. If his heart and his consciousness were contradictory, it would just end up exhausting both of them. 
Anyway, he also understood. 
Exactly how difficult becoming a professional was. 
"......" 
Tenma walked back home with low spirits in the rain. 
The Momoe family's residence was a cottage surrounded by hedges, matching the family's history. It wasn't large, but it had its appeal. 
When he walked near his home, Tenma noticed that there was an unfamiliar person in front of the entrance. 
The young man wearing a black suit was standing there with an umbrella up. He smiled after noticing Tenma, then walked over. 
With a voice like a clear, flowing brook: 
"Could you be Momoe Tenma?" 
"Yeah--" 
"Sorry to bother. I'm Hirata Atsune. A Mystical Investigator." 
Hirata spoke politely to the confused Tenma. 
He maintained a gentle, sincere demeanor even to a student, more like a priest than an Onmyouji. His lock of red-dyed hair was the only thing about him that made a deep impression. 
After Tenma listened to Hirata's greeting, his eyes widened in surprise. 

"Mystical Investigator? Then, what do you need with me?' 
"Ah, no. I haven't come to visit for an investigation. Actually, I wanted to deal with some business regarding old shikigami that the Mystical Investigators use - Well, it's just some formalities with documents." 
Hirata's explanation was brief and serious. Upon hearing the phrase 'old shikigami', Tenma finally understood. 
"Could it be, it's my mother's......?' 
"Ah, yes." 
"In that case, I think it would be better to find the factory. Our family......" 
"It seems so. Your grandfather said the same things just now." 
Hirata showed a steady smile as he explained. 
It seemed that he hadn't just come to visit, but he had come out after already talking about his business. 
But, his posture as he stood in the rain looked as if he were waiting for something...... That was probably a mistaken feeling. 
"......If you chose to come to our family to ask, that old shikigami wasn't mass-produced, but rather an original creation of my mother, right?" 
"Uh, it seems to be an experimental product. I analyzed it a little bit - it's simple, but it really has its own style." 
Hirata's remark might just be polite rhetoric, but it touched upon Tenma's wounds again. 
Just like what Ohtomo had said in the magic practice field, everyone knowledgeable in this world had heard of the famous name of Tenma's parents. The two of them were the founding members of the 'Witchcraft Corporation', a factory that made unique magical tools. His mother was the chief designer and his father was the primary engineer. 
The Witchcraft Corporation didn't have a long history, but it was the first private enterprise that had broken the Onmyou Agency's status as a monopoly and divided up the magic market. Its largest figures were undoubtedly Tenma's deceased parents. In particular, his mother had invented many manmade shikigami which were still the primary product of the business and which had obtained the support of many Onmyouji. Among them, the most famous was the binding shikigami 'WA1 Swallow Whip' that the Mystical Investigators used when they captured criminals. This manmade shikigami had already become a synonym for binding shikigami, and actually, the current commonly-used types of binding shikigami and transport shikigami were shikigami created with the namesake methods of Tenma's mother. 
Before the Witchcraft Corporation had been founded, shikigami strengths were directly connected to the strength of the practitioner. But after the 'enhanced usability' shikigami that were created 'enhanced for specific purposes' took the stage, shikigami strengths became standardized. This type of shikigami 'whose strength was unrelated to the person and that could wield a specific power' became mainstream for manmade shikigami in the future. The manmade shikigami that the Onmyou Agency created now - both general-use shikigami and defensive shikigami - also followed such guidelines. In that sense, Tenma's mother could be said to have changed the shikigami usage methods of modern Onmyoudou. 
But on the other hand, the action of 'selling magic' produced a completely different emotion in the grandparents of the Momoe family, which had passed down Onmyoudou since ancient times. They had always complained that manmade shikigami that were 'easy to use' and 'for the masses' would lead to the overall level of Onmyouji shikigami usage to decline. To the Momoe family, which had passed down Onmyoudou for many years, this was a shame to their ancestors. 
The Witchcraft Corporation was the most important reason his mother and grandparents had never gotten along. 
"...Tenma-san, did you just come back from the Onmyou Academy?' 
"Nn, yeah......" 
"I see. How tiring, to come back this late." 
"Ah, it's not much." 
Tenma's expression became gloomy again. Hirata smiled slightly, looking at Tenma. 
"......I'll stop talking and take my leave. I'm extremely sorry for calling you out in the rain." 
"Ah, I should be the one to apologize. I was unable to help." 
Tenma also lowered his head in a fluster upon seeing Hirata bow to him again. 
In the moment Tenma moved his gaze, Hirata's left hand that didn't hold the umbrella moved sharply yet smoothly. 
An instantaneous motion. 
The two of them raised their heads and their gazes met. Hirata walked away with a smile as if nothing had happened. Tenma inadvertently watched the direction Hirata left in. 
"......Huh?" 
He just noticed. 
"Why did that person know my name?" 
It was hard to imagine that his grandparents had especially told him. Tenma racked his brains but couldn't figure it out, walking through his house's entrance. 
The force of the rain hadn't increased, nor did it show any signs of stopping, just continuing indifferently. 
After returning home, Tenma hung his rain-soaked uniform in his own room, but he didn't notice the small slip of paper in the pocket.