Part 3
The roof of a certain building. Hirata watched the academy building in the distance with one hand propped on a railing.
After he sent out the explosion code, he put his phone away back in his suit pocket. He pressed his right hand to the eyelid of his right eye, releasing his vision-strengthening magic.
"......The outcome was unexpected."
He spoke to himself quietly.
To him, Yakou's 'Raven's Wing' was worth taking some risks. Moreover, he could also stimulate the Onmyou Academy on the side - and the reincarnated Yakou - so it was meaningful in that aspect. Hence, he had decided to help Doman formulate the plans for this operation.
But to think that Doman had lost. That was truly outside of his expectations. The bomb he had installed in the sedan was one of the insurance measures he had prepared for eventualities. But beforehand, he had never thought he would use it to deal with this kind of situation.
"I didn't think 'Shadow' could bring that much into play. How fearsome, senpai. It was a huge mistake to let you leave the Mystical Investigators - but to me, it was great luck."
In the end, he had finally sealed Doman's mouth, so the outcome wasn't that bad.
He had experience of battling together with Doman several times in the past, but it was always because they shared an interest. He definitely wasn't 'comrades' with Doman. Needless to say, both Hirata and Doman became dangerous existences to each other whose intentions couldn't be grasped. Hirata and the others constantly toiled to strengthen their powers, and now an abnormal being like Ashiya Doman had been becoming a bigger threat day by day.
"The curse is a double-edged sword...... Could it be that you, who broke the barrier together, don't feel any resentment, Priest?"
Hirata looked in the direction of the Onmyou Academy, speaking to himself in an indifferent voice. There was no sympathy in his cold look, nor was there excitement. It was as empty as a vacuum.
But,
"...Did you kill him?"
A voice came from behind him.
Hirata instantly turned around and simultaneously threw a charm. But before he threw the charm and chanted an incantation, he was attacked by a dense miasma and his magic crumbled.
The high-density miasma could interfere with a magic charm just by touching it.
No, it was demonic aura.
This giant man leaned his back against the wall next to the rooftop entrance. He was close to two meters tall, and had a strong, well-built body.
His bright golden hair, seemingly foreign-blooded face, and unruly movements hid a fearless charm that emitted danger, making those who saw him feel an extreme, abnormal nervousness and interest towards him.
But Hirata's gaze stared at the man's left arm. The man wore a suit without a tie, and of his upper body that was wrapped in a jacket, only his left sleeve swayed lightly with the wind, with nothing in it.
Hirata breathed deeply.
'He' had been appearing around Doman - he had already received such reports.
Also, he had a strong demonic aura of the sort that would make one uneasy just from facing it. No doubt. Hirata realized the true identity of this man.
On the other hand, the man had no interest in Hirata's reaction.
"I've known that old man for a long time. ......What do I do now?"
He looked indifferently in the direction of the Onmyou academy, muttering quietly. He spoke a bit strangely, perhaps deliberately questioning Hirata, or possibly just 'complaining' a bit to Hirata who had killed his old acquaintance.
But even so, this man's words were still a bit inexplicable.
"......What do you mean?"
"......Exactly what I said."
After the man replied like this, he turned his back to Hirata, grasping the handle of the door to the exit. He seemed to want to leave.
In the current situation, it would obviously be great luck for Hirata if this man just left. If he were a cat, it would probably count as one of his nine lives. Hirata wasn't stupid enough to fail to distinguish the level of the situation in front of him.
But Hirata still couldn't accept that 'he' was leaving like this.
He bit his lip, forcefully suppressing his momentary hesitation.
"Kakug--!" [23]
He suddenly halted after saying half of it.
The demonic aura that emanated from the man whose back faced him violently assaulted Hirata. Hirata's heart stopped beating for a while.
The man looked back over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed into slits. The cold gaze that shot from within pierced through Hirata. They clearly weren't the eyes of a human.
"Don't call out my name however you like."
After the man said this, he opened the door and left.
He closed the door. The demonic aura on the roof gradually thinned.
But Hirata still couldn't move for some time after this.
Cold sweat ran down his back, but a fearless smile still appeared on his pale face.
"......It is, but it also isn't......"
After a while, Hirata finally sighed. He took out the phone that he had just returned to his pockets, beginning to report to someone.
Doman's exit was also an opportunity. Many thoughts began spinning. Only those who created chaos could enjoy the most delicious fruits.
After the support teams from the Onmyou Agency and the Exorcist Bureau arrived, the crisis in the Onmyou Academy was finally relieved.
Since the building was wrecked, there were still a huge number of policemen in the academy as well as the news media that had come to report. The Onmyou Agency was probably in a similar situation. It was impossible to imagine exactly how much time they would need to calm the commotion completely.
But they had made it through the crisis before them, and they didn't want to think about any extra things. Harutora and the others were taken to shelter in the principal's office. They sat on the sofa or chairs, their minds blank.
The teachers were currently inside the Onmyou Academy checking the building's safety and getting the students who were taking shelter underground, preparing to let them go back home. Some people had been injured, but fortunately the injuries weren't severe. But there were quite a few first and second-year students who suffered spiritual encumbrance, and in particular psychological problems had shown up in many first-year students. The teachers managed to console these students, but there would probably be many students who submitted an academy withdrawal application after three months because of this incident.
The other teachers didn't have time to rest either. They needed to answer the questions of the Onmyou Agency and the police, deal with the media, and clean up the wrecked academy building. Simply put, everyone was busy with the clean-up work afterwards.
But Harutora, Natsume, Touji, Tenma, Kyouko, and Suzuka were located outside of this racket, focusing on calming their state of mind. After a long-duration magical battle, the excitement still lingered inside them.
"H-Harutora-sama. The tea is ready."
"Oh...... Thanks."
Harutora sat on the sofa used to receive guests, gratefully accepting the tea that Kon had made. The most moving part was that she had even prepared portions for the other five. Everyone took Kon's green tea, either giving their thanks or reaching out impolitely. Harutora sipped slowly while looking at the shikigami busily running about.
The final moment as he had been looking down at Doman from the roof was still branded in his mind. Harutora was still clueless as to what exactly had happened, but he vaguely felt that something was rapidly creeping behind his back. It wasn't just something simple like the background Doman had been hiding, but more like the general darkness of the magical world.
Doman had probably just showed a corner of this giant darkness. From the position where Harutora and the other stood, they still couldn't see that vast darkness. Harutora hadn't felt it, but his intuition said so.
But the splendid magic that the black-clothed Onmyouji, Ohtomo, and Kogure had shown moved Harutora's heart more than Doman's death. Even if he recalled it now while sitting on the sofa, it still made his chest throb. Strong power, and the masterful technique to control that power. Bringing aura, experience, training, the soul, and one's own body all together to bring forth the essence of magic. Onmyoudou.
It felt a bit surprising, but Harutora still believed that this feeling was extremely 'beautiful'. It was a pure 'beauty', surpassing any causes and reasons.
"......"
After finishing the tea in his hands, he stared blankly. His mind had originally been empty, but thinking that he couldn't stop constantly spilled forth. This was probably post-traumatic stress that had been released after extreme tension. Harutora didn't forcefully suppress his thoughts, letting his thinking expand and rupture like foam.
Harutora wasn't the only one without many words.
Natsume was the same as him, blankly staring at the green tea's hue. Touji, who had put on the bandanna again, had his eyes closed and was thinking seriously about something. Kyouko, who had trouble calming down, was pacing inside the room, looking at the spines of the books placed on the shelves.
Tenma stared at the shikigami charms they had picked up from the roof. These were the Swallow Whip charms that Ohtomo had used at the end. They had originally been cheap mass-produced products, but he stared at them intently, as if they were books of prophecy that suggested his future.
Suzuka was in an impatient mood. She had been playing with her phone since a while ago, seeming to be gathering information on the internet. But she didn't mention any related information. Hence, gathering information probably wasn't her goal, it was probably simply to pass the time and avert her attention. The seal that Ohtomo had 'hacked' before had now returned to normal.
It was a strange time where they wanted to calm down but couldn't calm down. After dividing the tea, Kon was silent for a while, but then said "Th-Then--" and dematerialized after a while.
Ten minutes passed. The sound of a door knock finally resounded in the principal's office.
After opening the door, Principal Kurahashi walked into the room.
As soon as she opened her mouth:
"News has come from the hospital. Ohtomo-sensei has regained consciousness."
Harutora and the others stood up simultaneously.
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