Part 3
"......So in short, that Yakou researcher called Saotome Ryou whom Suzuka spoke of before was actually Ohtomo-sensei's classmate?"
"That's right. That's the only thing we got after spending an entire Sunday. It's a feeling like going into a ramen store and all they have is curry."
Harutora shrugged his shoulders at Kyouko's confirmation.
The sun set at a later time every day.
It was after classes had ended. Harutora and the others were riding the train to Ueno during what was called the evening, though the sun was still bright.
Actually, he had already visited Ohtomo before. When Ohtomo's condition stabilized, he had gone to thank him for his assistance during the attack. But Ohtomo had transferred to a hospital in Ueno after that.
The people who went to visit him this time, outside of Harutora, were Natsume, Touji, Kyouko, Tenma, and Suzuka, six people in total. But visiting was actually just an excuse. Their true goal was to hear about information related to Saotome Ryou. Of course, though they had heard they were classmates, he might not know any detailed information, but they might as well ask and see first.
Also, they planned on questioning Ohtomo about whether he knew anything regarding the Onmyou Academy history they had learned from Takiko. But they didn't expect much in this regard. Ohtomo had originally been a Mystical Investigator, and he didn't have much experience as a teacher. As expected, the key person in the relationship between the Onmyou Academy and the Yakou Academy was Principal Kurahashi.
"......In that case, you should have contacted me yesterday by email or something else. I was with Grandma today morning, you know?"
"Sorry, Kurahashi-san. I thought it would be better to speak with you face-to-face because I thought that it would be hard to meet with the principal immediately and because the topic is also rather complex."
Natsume spoke apologetically. Kyouko hastily waved her hands in alarm. "No, it's no problem, Natsume-kun!"
She had conveyed what Souma Takiko had said to her to Kyouko, Tenma, and Suzuka during lunchtime. But just as she, Harutora, and Touji had anticipated, this was also the first time Kyouko had heard about it.
"Now that you mention it, Grandma kind of evaded the question about the altar on the roof. I'm also interested in how specifically it's related to Tsuchimikado Yakou. I'll have to question Grandma carefully."
"Thanks for the help." After hearing Kyouko's reliable words, Harutora expressed his thanks.
Then, Tenma said "Uh," as if he had thoughts.
"But that girl called Souma is very interesting. Is she really a student?"
"Yeah [11] . If the Onmyou Academy were in its normal condition, we could find some related worker and ask......"
"What about Alpha and Omega? Harutora-kun, have you guys asked whether they know about that girl?"
"Ah." Harutora raised his voice as if he had thought of something in response to Tenma's inadvertently-made proposal.
"That's right! Those two guys should probably know if she's a student. Damn, I should have asked them."
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. But I bet they don't know anything."
"Huh? Why?"
"Intuition."
"Intuition, huh."
"Anyway, I haven't seen her."
Touji stuck his hands in his pockets, replying coldly.
"But considering what I heard about that girl's attitude to the two of you, she would definitely have approached you earlier if she were a student and went to the academy every day. There would always be an opportunity for some kind of reason. Even as a chance encounter, it's too unnatural to happen to meet a classmate for the first time on the academy roof at night as it's being repaired."
"There's also the possibility that she's a new student who just entered this year."
"There's one new student who entered this year who made a declaration in front of all the students on the first day and viciously disrupted your lives. In the end, she's walking with you guys right now."
"Hmph." After hearing the matter that Touji casually pointed out, Suzuka, who walked ahead and to the side of them, narrowed her eyes and looked back, her long ponytails swaying.
Maybe Suzuka had tried to approach Harutora and Natsume with all her might since the start, but had been set back for some unexpected reason. Well, he was probably overthinking it.
Harutora felt that the opportunity was right.
"Suzuka. Are there any new students with red hair among the first-years?"
"How would I know. I have no interest in the other students."
"......I guess."
"Rather than that. I was listening just now, did you mention Saotome? I'm more interested in that."
The six of them had discussed it, but Suzuka was the one who understood Saotome most clearly. More accurately, the others just knew the information that Suzuka had told them. But even Suzuka had only understood Saotome from the research he had left behind.
"Though I knew he was an Onmyou Academy graduate...... That was too vague. There are so many Onmyou Academy graduates in this line of work."
According to the explanation they had heard from Suzuka before, Saotome had once been a member of the now shut-down Imperial Household Agency Lingering Spirit Division. He had been a subordinate of Suzuka's father Dairenji Shidou, who was the culprit of the spiritual disaster attack two years ago. But it was uncertain whether he was a member of the Twin-Horned Syndicate like Dairenji Shidou. He had disappeared without a trace before the Mystical Investigators inspected and dissolved and finally shut down the Lingering Spirit Division. Of course, he hadn't been heard from since.
"Well, we don't know if they had any contact after graduating, even if they were classmates. I don't think Ohtomo could possibly know what Saotome's doing now. I was just a researcher, and had a pure interest in my fellow researcher Saotome. What kind of person is he...... But I kind of feel like the only answer I could get is 'who knows'."
Suzuka put her hands behind her head, speaking listlessly. She was probably anticipating what kind of result there would be.
Actually, he probably wouldn't be able to answer with much if someone asked him about the situation of anyone from middle or elementary school. Other than several people he had been close with, all he had known about others were their names.
Moreover,
"......It seems like Ohtomo-sensei wouldn't have many friends......"
Harutora also inadvertently expressed his approval after hearing Kyouko mutter quietly. Kogure, who was in the same class, had a very wide friend group.
Harutora secretly peeked at the expression of Natsume next to him.
Natsume probably wanted to know more about information regarding Saotome than Suzuka did. To Natsume, who might be Yakou's reincarnation, Saotome, who was more knowledgeable about Yakou's personal information, had to be someone she wanted to meet. In particular, Saotome had proposed that using the 'Raven's Wing' could judge whether someone was Yakou's reincarnation. She wanted to at least confirm its authenticity.
The Onmyou Academy kept the genuine Raven's Wing, but it had been taken away by Natsume's father before Ashiya Doman had attacked. Natsume's father was an outstanding diviner, and he had predicted Doman's attack - or at least the danger of exposing the Raven's Wing - and had moved it to a different place beforehand.
Actually, Natsume hadn't asked her father about anything related to the Raven's Wing.
If she could, Natsume didn't want to contact her father, whom she didn't have a very good relationship with. 'Use the Raven's Wing to ascertain the truth' - Saotome's idea was too ambiguous and lacking in evidence.
But if she could find information related to Saotome - especially if she could get a hold on the clues in front of her...
In that case, maybe she could meet with Saotome herself.
"......"
Natsume walked on the road. Not much could be seen from her face. Harutora gave up, unconsciously looking towards the sky.
Just then, the horn of a car suddenly sounded towards the walking Harutora.
Their group stopped and turned towards the road. The car driving on the other side of the road deliberately made a U-turn to approach the sidewalk where Harutora and the others were.
The car stopped next to them. It was a small car, an old model Mini Cooper. It was painted black from end to end, and the windows were shaded. A black Mini.
The passenger-side car window rolled down--
"...What are you doing here?"
"Huh? Senpai?"
A neat, doll-like face, expressionless like a mask, looked at Harutora from the car window. No interest of the speaker could be felt from the voice that spoke to Harutora and the gaze that looked at Harutora.
She was the third-year Onmyou Academy senpai that Harutora knew. Though he ran into her very infrequently, every time he did, she left behind unforgettable impacts.
"How rare, you're riding a car. Senpai, what are you in Ueno for?"
"Inviting Kon-chan to go for a spin."
"......Could you answer questions seriously, even just occasionally?"
"Don't worry, I'll return her in the evening."
"That's not the problem!"
"If the price isn't too high--"
"That's even less of a problem!"
Though this was a bicker completely the same as before, the people around them were inadvertently dazed. Come to think of it, of the people here, only Touji had met the senpai.
Harutora hastily turned back around.
"Ah, I'll introduce her. Natsume, I talked with you before, right? 'That' senpai. ......Ahh, her name's Suzu."
The senpai Harutora introduced stuck her head out of the window, succinctly saying "nice to meet you". Of course, she was still expressionless as if she were sleepy. Harutora's group, starting with Natsume, nodded as if they didn't know how to respond to this senpai who greeted them. But - not unexpectedly - the senpai seemed completely unaffected by her kouhais' strange reactions.
"Should I introduce these guys too? You met Touji before, right? Next is--"
"I know. Tsuchimikado Natsume, Kurahashi Kyouko, Dairenji Suzuka, Glasses."
"Ah, so you knew them. Well, they're pretty famous in the academy."
"......H, Hey, Harutora-kun? What about me?"
Tenma, who had been called 'Glasses', protested silently. Harutora hastily introduced Tenma, though he didn't know whether the senpai was seriously listening.
She looked at everyone with a blank gaze that they couldn't figure out the target of. When her gaze focused on Suzuka, she stopped for a moment.
What was she doing? Suzuka, feeling a bit suspicious, furrowed her brows. "What?" The senpai stared at her.
"......How unfortunate."
"......Uwah, I completely know what senpai means. It looks like you've fallen pretty far."
"How rude. Call it enlightenment."
"It's a completely depraved direction."
Come to think of it, she might be the only person he could bicker so impolitely with. To think this kind of person was his senpai. What a sad fact.
As if losing her temper at the rude attitude of her kouhai, the senpai - no expression on her face, like always - seemed to get mad with a "hmph".
She frowned slightly.
"What a declaration of a winner. I hate that kind of gaze that looks down on others."
"Hah? How am I the winner?"
"Because you're the owner......"
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