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Tokyo Ravens - Volume 6 - Chapter 2.4




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Part 4 
The second-year classroom was unusually noisy when Harutora and Touji opened the door. 
Just as Harutora and Touji had entered the academy building, they had already sensed several oddities that were reasons the students in the class were noisy. 
Natsume, Kyouko, and Tenma were gathered together talking in the classroom. The expressions of the three all showed tension. 
Kyouko was the first to notice the two of them, calling out to them. "Harutora, Touji." 
When Natsume realized, her gaze met Harutora's and Harutora unconsciously wavered. That vacillation seemed to affect Natsume...... 
"...Natsume, I was late in the morning, sorry." 
"Eh? Yeah. It's alright." 
He spoke openly, putting aside his individual feelings for now. With that, the tone he let out was unexpectedly smooth and natural. Natsume also showed a bit of a surprised expression and replied honestly. 
But, the conversation suddenly stopped there. The two of them both averted their gazes as if they had trouble dealing with the awkward situation before them. It really was hard to change quickly. 
But, 
...Yeah. The situation just now hadn't been bad, right? 
Right now, his emotions no longer mattered. He couldn't continue making Natsume's mood worsen. Harutora hoped that he could build his actions upon that principle. He spurred himself on again. Even if he couldn't produce instant results, he couldn't keep escaping his responsibility. 
But, there was a more concerning situation right now than interacting with Natsume. 
"Harutora, Touji, you noticed too?" 
Kyouko spoke with a serious expression. Harutora and Touji nodded to reply. 
"Alpha and Omega, right? I feel like they weren't like normal." 
"The atmosphere of the academy is a bit different, especially the teachers." 
The two of them elaborated on their own observations. 
The Alpha and Omega that Harutora mentioned were the two komainu that guarded the entrance of the academy building. Of course, they weren't normal komainu, but rather shikigami that the principal used. They were named mechanical-type shikigami, as their physical forms were controlled by their vessels. They were commonly known as the academy door guards. 
The two komainus' tones were ancient, and they were actually extremely honest. For some reason, their attitudes were a bit proud, but they thought about the students. They always greeted the students when school started and ended, and were quite popular among the students. 
But, Alpha and Omega were different from normal this morning. They didn't have any greeting, nor did they show their proud attitudes like normal. The aura and sonic inspections also took longer than usual. Hence, there had even been a slight congestion around the entrance. 
Moreover, the teachers were also on tenterhooks. Especially the teachers responsible for practical skills coursework, who had been continually patrolling the academy like they were on alert for something. They replied vaguely when asked for a reason. 
"......And that's not all." 
This time Natsume pitched in. 
"The academy building's barrier was also strengthened. ......It wasn't this strong this time yesterday. That means that the barrier was strengthened overnight after we left the academy. To think such a large-scale barrier was upgraded in one go." 
Touji's gaze moved to the side upon hearing Natsume's words. It was hard to tell from inside the building, but Natsume wasn't lying. 
"Hey, Kyouko. Did the principal say anything?" 
"She didn't come home yesterday. Seems like she stayed at the academy." 
Kyouko faced Harutora, shaking her head. 
Principal Kurahashi was Kyouko's grandmother. After hearing Harutora say "Is that usual?" to confirm, she thought for a moment with a fretful expression. 
"Well, it's occasionally like that...... I sent her a message this morning, but she hasn't replied yet. She usually replies instantly." 
"......I see. So that means the principal's very busy right now?" 
Touji muttered as if speaking to himself. Harutora and Natsume inadvertently looked at each other. Tenma, who heard that remark, swallowed. 
"......Are they preparing for something? Like maybe training for a fire evacuation......?" 
"......Even if it were evacuation training, the probability of a 'fire' is very low, right?' 
Touji said with a bold and fearless tone. 
Then, he looked at Natsume: 
"Natsume. Do you have Yukikaze's charm on you right now?" 
"Yeah, because I can't carelessly leave it in the dorm. I always bring it with me." 
"Good. ......Harutora. Go underground and pick up the shakujou right away. It's safer to carry it around with you today." 
"......Got it." 
Harutora nodded his head honestly upon hearing his good friend's suggestion. 
The shakujou Touji mentioned was a tool Ohtomo had created for Harutora - a magical tool, which could mostly make up for the poor skills of the practitioner and help Harutora control his strong magical energy to a certain level. When he was a first-year, he had used it in the fights against the Yakou fanatic and the Type-Chimera. Harutora often used the shakujou when he trained by himself, so he normally left it in the locker room of the magic practice field. 
Also, Yukikaze was a high-level white horse shikigami that served the Tsuchimikado family. As an ancient shikigami, its battle experience was plentiful. It had originally been kept in her family's residence, but had been entrusted to Natsume after the spiritual disaster attack in the spring. 
"......Hey, Touji. Have you noticed something?" 
"Not at all. But, if we don't do this, we won't be able to do anything after something happens, right?" 
Touji smiled as he spoke to the wide-eyed, staring Kyouko. 
"Well, don't worry. After all, this is the Onmyou Academy building. It's well-equipped and there are professionals around. On a magical level, there aren't many places in Tokyo safer than here. Even if something happens, we probably won't have to take the stage." 
"So anyways, we don't need to be this worried--" 
"However, Tenma. It's stupid to not do anything because we don't have the opportunity to take the stage, and we can't make any progress. If it's not evacuation training, then it's a drill in advance of a true enemy attack. We have to treat things like advance drills seriously for them to have any meaning." 
Touji said this, knowingly patting Tenma's shoulder. Everything he said was reasonable, but what made him concerned was his restless air. His trouble-loving blood was boiling again. He had inadvertently become more energetic than usual. 
But, Harutora also agreed with Touji's opinion. 
"Then, I'll go get it." 
He prepared to leave the classroom as he said this, but just then, the teacher pushed open the door and walked in. 
"Class is starting. Sit down, everyone." 
He spoke in a cloudy voice and walked to the podium. But, it wasn't Ohtomo who walked in, but rather a different teacher. 
"Eh? Sensei, wasn't it Ohtomo-sensei's class today?" 
Harutora immediately spoke up to ask. 
The teacher looked at Harutora: 
"...Ohtomo-sensei has urgent business and can't come to class. Alright, please return to your seats." 
His tone was coarse and he replied bluntly. He sounded like he were just arbitrarily dealing with the question, or maybe blocking opportunities for any further questions. 
He felt increasingly uneasy. Harutora quickly glanced around. Natsume, Touji, Kyouko, and Tenma seemed to share his feelings. 
"......Something probably truly happened." 
The words Touji quietly murmured made Harutora shiver. 


 

He couldn't get the bad premonition out of his chest. Harutora didn't wait until the class break period, ordering Kon to go underground to get the shakujou from the changing room during class. 
At the same time, he sent Suzuka a message, warning her to be careful. 
The reply was very brief: 
"I don't need you to tell me that." 
Just those few words. 
He would learn from their interaction afterwards that the students in the first-year classroom also felt the same abnormal atmosphere. The teachers were so nervous that even those who had just entered the academy noticed it. 
On the other hand, Kyouko had already sent several messages to the principal but hadn't received a single response. In the end, she called her directly during the class break period, and after the dialing sound, it immediately went to voice mail. 
"......I'll go see directly." 
Leaving those words, Kyouko rushed out of the classroom. Not long afterwards, she returned in a hurry. It seemed that the principal wasn't in the principal's office. Her panicked actions portrayed the anxiety in her heart. 
"Ohtomo-sensei has business and the principal's not here either. ...Touji, do you know Fujiwara-sensei's mail address?" 
"I don't. But you probably won't be able to find him. I heard from students in his class, and it seems that all the teachers responsible for practical classes are gone." 
Just as Touji said, the practical skills class that Harutora's class anticipated afterwards had been completely changed into a lecture. It seemed that they no longer paid any heed to the students' questions and suspicions. The tense feeling that floated around in the silence seemed to be waiting attentively for something. 
As Harutora and the others wondered, the curriculum went on systematically. 
Ohtomo wasn't here, and the students still didn't get any messages back. But, the other teachers' attitudes were like always, and the time passed uneventfully. 
At some point, the bell for lunchtime had already sounded. At that point, the students' upsurge of tension had slowly begun to ease up. 
"What exactly is going on? Could it be that they're planning a surprise for the entire Onmyou Academy?" 
"Well...... It's possible, if it's my grandma." 
Kyouko replied wryly upon hearing Harutora's sarcasm. 
They had passed a high-strung morning, but in the end nothing had happened at all, so it had just been a waste of effort. Harutora had even sent Kon to look around the academy in the morning because he was so concerned. Tenma's tension seemed to have affected his body, as he held his stomach with a pale face. 
Only Natsume and Touji were still tense. Even so, compared to before, the latter didn't seem tense at all on the outside. He was someone who enjoyed this kind of situation, so it was natural. 
"......Touji. Does it really have nothing to do with me? Dairenji-san mentioned Yakou fanatics before......" 
"The Twin-Horned Syndicate? No, I think this has nothing to do with them." 
Touji immediately replied to Natsume's question. 
"Why?" Towards Natsume, who asked this: 
"Think about it. If it were action related to Yakou fanatics, the principal would no longer be able to hide you at this point. Actually, it should be the opposite, she would call for you immediately and warn you to be careful." 
"Y, Yeah. I agree with Touji-kun's point. The principal called Natsume-kun over during the Nue incident." 
"However, Tenma. At the time, it was because the Onmyou Agency requested for her assistance, right? They wanted to use Natsume's dragon in their operation." 
"That was a special situation. If there really was danger approaching Natsume-kun, even if the principal herself was silent, the teachers would focus their defense around Natsume-kun. Today - it's hard to say, probably dealing with a spiritual disaster attack? The fact that they increased the academy building's barrier particularly matches that." 
"I think the same as Kyouko. Supposing the opponent was Yakou fanatics - or the Twin-Horned Syndicate that Dairenji mentioned - their target would be limited to Natsume." 
Touji repeated his conclusion again, but Natsume still didn't let it go. 
"If people attack the Onmyou Academy, their target must be me--" 
Natsume didn't want to see the safety of other students impacted because of herself. Even if Touji and Kyouko denied such a possibility, she still had trouble relaxing. 
But, 
"Natsume." 

After hearing Harutora call her name, Natsume didn't continue speaking, silently returning his gaze. 
"I understand your feelings. Involving other people in your matters because of yourself would definitely feel bad. But, you're not the only one thinking that way. The teachers are definitely worried about everyone's safety the most." 
"Well......" 
Natsume couldn't rebuke her childhood friend's advice. 
Harutora's gazed directly into Natsume's eyes. 
"You indeed might be a target, since after all so much happened before. But, the teachers are acting while considering those factors. You can't have too much confidence in others, but the teachers are trustworthy." 
"Harutora." 
Natsume looked back at Harutora, seeming to want to say something, but in the end she just lightly nodded her head. She honestly abandoned her position. 
Touji shrugged his shoulders. 
"Well, they're holding class like always while being on guard. From that, the principal isn't sure what exactly is going on either." 
"......Yeah. Some sort of dangerous 'omen' has probably appeared, so she's being a bit careful." 
"But the principal's a first-class diviner, right? If a dangerous 'omen' appeared and she's staying on alert, then something really is going to happen......" 
The principal was an extremely famous diviner - and astrologer. Her vague predictions had reached a bad future, so the Onmyou Academy had been put on a state of alert. That was a reasonable inference. But, if it were like that, it was very likely that something would happen in the end. 
After hearing Tenma's words, everyone inadvertently closed their mouth. 
Just then, a message ringtone suddenly sounded. It was Harutora's phone, from Suzuka. 
"What is it?" 
"Ah. 'What are you all dawdling about!' It seems that she's already in the cafeteria." 
Since the camp, Suzuka would always eat lunch with Harutora and the others regardless of any reasons and excuses. She pretended that she didn't care, but she would specifically send an urging message if she didn't see Harutora and the others. Her true feelings were evident from this. 
After hearing about the contents of the message, Kyouko completely forgot about the serious talk just now, breaking out into a smile. 
"It seems like Suzuka-chan's hungry. Let's hurry up and go eat." 
Kyouko's cheerful tone made Harutora and the others inadvertently lose their strength. Carrying the shakujou for now, they left the classroom together and walked towards the cafeteria. 
The cafeteria was at the top of the academy building, and hence the broad horizon could be seen outside the window, but the day still hadn't cleared up. 
They had probably gotten here a bit late. The cafeteria was already filled with people. 
But, the instant Harutora and the others entered: 
"Ah, Darling! Honestly, you're so late~" 
Suzuka deliberately put on an intimate attitude, rushing over immediately. 
"You're so annoying! What were you doing, you're too slow!" 
Then she suddenly changed her tone, mercilessly scolding him in a tone that no one around could hear. 
But, he was completely used to her suddenly changing like this. 
"......Hey, exactly how long are you going to act this out for?" 
"Hah? How many times do I have to say for you to understand! You and I are different, I have the position of the 'Child Prodigy'. Can you please not speak to me with that kind of know-it-all tone!" 
"Yeah, Harutora. Most importantly, she's also very cute that way. Right?" 
"Shut up! You shut up!" 
Kyouko's teasing made Suzuka's gaze suddenly sharpen. A quarrel just like always. Harutora and the others chose their lunches for now, taking their trays and looking for seats. 
Fortunately, since they were late, their timing hadn't been bad. There were some unoccupied window seats. 
Harutora and the other five people sat in the same group of seats. 
"How are the first-years?" 
Touji immediately questioned Suzuka. 
"Nothing much. Probably about the same as the second-years." 
"In other words, you have no practical classes, and it's all lectures. ...The first-years don't have many practical classes in the first place." 
"One boring day after another. It's like hell." 
"You can't help that, Suzuka-chan. It's Suzuka-chan's punishment." 
Yeah, Suzuka, you have to endure it." 
"Shut up! I don't want to be told that by you guys! Especially Darling! In the end, it was all your fault!" 
"You still want to mention that incident? Give it a break." 
At some point, cursing of this level had no longer been able to affect Harutora. Their table of six began their noisy lunch time with Harutora, Suzuka, and Kyouko ad the center. 
But, as they ate, Touji casually listened to the conversations of the students around them. The noisiness of Harutora's table was already a custom, but the tables around them were just as bad today. Needless to say, the topic was naturally the suspicious actions of the teachers. The atmosphere during class had been tense, so people didn't really dare to flagrantly whisper. Lunchtime was as if they had obtained their freedom, and most of the students unleashed their deductive abilities and powers of imagination as much as possible. 
But, none of the students reached a conclusion. Since the teachers had kept mum, there was little information. 
Among them, there were students who secretly peeked towards Harutora and the others - especially Natsume. Leaving aside the newly-entered first-years for now, Natsume's 'rumor' was now widespread within the academy. Everyone was probably thinking the same thing. 
The person in question, Natsume, seemed to notice the gazes shot from around her. She alone didn't join the conversation at the table, silently eating her lunch. 
Harutora, who sat next to her, said: 
"......Don't concern yourself." 
At the same time he spoke quietly, he stopped moving his chopsticks. 
Neither of them looked at the other, but not long after, 
"......Yeah." 
She lightly replied. 
It was a frank voice that didn't sound contrived. Harutora hadn't heard it for a while. Strangely, heat flowed forth in his chest just by hearing that voice. 
At the same time, he was taken aback. Her voice was completely different, yet felt extremely familiar. 
To Hokuto's voice. 
"......" 
Harutora accelerated his eating speed. After Suzuka noticed, she furrowed her brows uneasily. 
Just then, a male student suddenly kicked a chair and stood up from a table in the center of the cafeteria. 
With an excited face: 
"Hey! Big news! Not long ago, the Onmyou Agency was attacked by a mysterious Onmyouji!" 
All the gazes in the cafeteria gathered on that male student. Of course, Harutora and the others were the same. They watched the yelling boy. 
"Hey! What's going on? Don't be ridiculous!" 
"It's true! My brother works in the Onmyou Agency offices! He told me in a message just now. The Exorcist Bureau forces have already started fighting!" 
The boy returned a bit angrily. 
Then, 
"Wait! It's not a lie! I got a message too. A big battle is happening in the Onmyou Agency building right now. Several of the Twelve Divine Generals are there, and they're quickly counterattacking right now!" 
A girl at another table stared at her phone screen and shouted. The cafeteria suddenly sent into an uproar. 
Harutora and the other five stared blankly at each other. 
"Could it be......" 
"That was it." 
Something like attacking the Onmyou Agency in broad daylight was unheard of. That was probably the matter that the Onmyou Academy had been on guard for today. 
"I, I see...... That's good." 
Tenma inadvertently voiced his inner feelings, but immediately noticed that he had gaffed, hastily apologizing. But to be honest, Harutora and the others felt the same way. Natsume was still stunned, but Touji seemed a bit disappointed. 
"Well...... It's hard to imagine these kinds of circumstances. It really was just an ordinary advance drill." 
"Hey, Touji. It's really not that relaxed right now. Won't it be very serious?" 
"It's possible - the Onmyou Agency building is near Akihabara. There might be some real collateral damage." 
Touji spun his chopsticks, bored. 
Next to him, 
"......Why does it matter? Though we don't know what idiot did it. There are several Divine Generals there, so it looks like the Onmyou Agency did enough work beforehand. It's very possible that there will be no damage." 
Suzuka said this. She had been taken aback just now, but unlike Harutora and the others, she knew the power of the Onmyou Agency, so she didn't seem panicked. 
Honestly, The Onmyou Agency building had one of the strongest magical defenses among magic-related facilities. More importantly, there were several National First-Class Onmyouji who had made battle preparations beforehand, so there shouldn't be any practitioner or magic organization able to destroy that. It was probably impossible to avoid all injuries, but they could undoubtedly keep them to the minimum level. 
After hearing Suzuka's calm remark, the tension of Harutora and the others rapidly alleviated. 
"......I see." 
Harutora said this, suddenly leaning back into his chair. 
"......Haha. Well, just like Touji said, it's not a bad practice drill." 
The cafeteria was still generally noisy with students. Only that spectacle could show how serious an incident this was, as Kyouko had said. But, at least the possibility that Harutora and the others would get dragged into things was extremely small. The six people here mostly felt safe from concern about the incident. 
Harutora's relaxed his face, looking out the window. 
He hadn't gone to the Onmyou Agency offices before, and of course, he couldn't see them from here, nor did he even know what direction they were. There was currently a large-scale magic battle happening there, which was really hard to believe. 
The Shibuya that he saw outside the window was covered by low-altitude gray clouds. The gloomy weather was exactly the same as when he had left the dorm. 
Suddenly, 
Harutora's gaze dropped from the sky to the ground. 
Harutora looked at the front of the academy building, in front of the window. The entrance Alpha and Omega guarded was over there. 
Down below, 
A black, high-class car that he recognized was stopped in front of the academy building. 
Harutora's thinking stopped there. 
Then, his hair stood on end. 
 



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