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Tokyo Ravens - Volume 7 - Chapter 2.4




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Part 4 
The hospital Ohtomo was staying in - or more accurately, a clinic with beds - was mixed into a residential street that looked like private housing at first glance. 
The rooms were single occupancy, and when they passed through the wood-framed glass doors, they could see the Japanese Red Pine and Baby's Breath [12] that were planted in the courtyard. The rotating electric fan gave off faint whirring noises, and right now they were also using a CRT television. There was folk art mounted on the wall for display. This wasn't for the patients, but rather it was the hospital manager's interest. The meow of a cat occasionally sounded, and short-tailed wild cats leisurely crossed the courtyard under the warm summer sun. 
A normal and uninteresting hospital life. 
But, a rare visitor had appeared in the hospital room today. A hale and hearty old man who wore a sharp Armani suit. 
The first thing he said when he came to the patient was: 
"What. Rather than being hospitalized, you seem more like you've been living here for a while." 
He had no choice but to respond with a smile. To Ohtomo, he was a former boss. He was the Magical Crime Investigation Department Chief, Amami Daizen. 
"Don't say such misleading words. I was hovering on the line between life and death for a while, you know." 
"Sleeping won't heal your white hair." 
"I'm not talking about the white hair. It was the heavy spiritual encumbrance and the even harsher mental pain." 
Ohtomo sat up on the bed, frowning and returning words. Amami, who sat on a stool, laughed "haha", fanning with the fan in his hand. 
The hospitalized Ohtomo was as leisurely as before. But his hair had turned completely white, proof of his magic battle with Ashiya Doman. Of course, that was just an obvious change to his appearance, the easiest to see...... 
"......Hm." 
Amami narrowed his eyes, looking aggressively at the bedridden Ohtomo. 
"The curse has essentially been completely removed...... But you really were hit in an essential place. For the time being, complete recovery is...... But......" 
"......Well, a complete recovery should be impossible. Just like my right leg, what's cut off won't grow back." 
Ohtomo shrugged his shoulders lightly. 
Spiritual encumbrance was spiritual injury. Most was caused from people with little tolerance coming in contact with the miasma from spiritual disasters. The aura carried by the body was disturbed, causing physical and psychological harm. 
But if it were just of the level of disturbed aura, magic treatment could restore it very quickly, and it would even naturally recover after a period of time. However, if spiritual encumbrance became more serious, the spiritual body would receive damage, which was incurable. Depending on the extent, some conditions couldn't even be cured by professional Onmyou doctors. 
Of course, it was very rare for someone to receive spiritual encumbrance that serious. But situations like receiving damage from spiritual disasters or from attacks of other practitioners were another matter. Especially the latter - also known as curses. A magic that was used from the start to cause the opponent to suffer spiritual encumbrance dealt quite some damage. 
In the battle last month, Ohtomo's body had endured Doman's magic several times. Of course, though he had offset them, the opponent's magical energy was greater than his. Moreover, Ohtomo had prioritized attacking over defending himself. The cost of this was the severe spiritual encumbrance Ohtomo received. 
Though Ohtomo was wearing a bathrobe for sleeping in right now, there were dozens of healing charms wrapped in place by bandages beneath his clothing. Moreover, in the end these were just palliative [13] , and most of them were used to hasten the recovery of his spiritual power, which was in a depleted state. It was impossible for him to completely return to his state before. He had learned of that bad news from the mouth of the Onmyou doctor who was this place's hospital manager himself. 
Even so, Ohtomo was still cheerful. 
"When my right leg was injured, it let me resign from the Mystical Investigators, but it seems that this won't let me resign from being a teacher. So at least it should let me happily rest without a care for some time. Well, after this I'll give the annoying business to the students, and all I should need to do is leisurely watch from behind them." 
He bent his body on the bed, light reflecting off the lenses of his glasses as he spoke slovenly. Amami couldn't help but smile wryly, snorting as he said "What nonsense are you saying". 
"Physical and spiritual wounds should be an 'advantage' to a practitioner. You were once a Mystical Investigator, so that should be common knowledge." 
"Uwah. How barbaric. That's the unreasonable view of the last era." 
"Hah. Unfortunately, no matter how you hide it, magic is a thing of the last era, and being a Mystical Investigator is an unreasonable profession. ......Ask yourself. After you lost your right leg, did you become weaker?" 
For example, in an ancient 'soul-calling' ritual from the northeast, a shaman would summon the souls of the dead to communicate with. This ritual had originally been classified as a kind of second-class magic of General Onmyoudou, and it was known that the ones who cast the 'soul-calling magic', called 'itako', possessed strong spiritual power. But - at least it had been so before - 'itako' were mostly all blind or were said to be visually impaired. 
The origin of that example was that because the eyes couldn't see, the ability to 'see' became stronger and spirit-seeing would thus be honed. That saying was deeply ingrained into even the Onmyou Agency. In other words, spiritual power and magical energy were supplemented by defects of the body. 
In addition, other than physical loss like having one eye, one arm, or one leg, spiritual injury could lead to strengthened spiritual power. That way of thinking was spread among the old type of Onmyouji. Needless to say, Onmyou regulation strictly prohibited the actual practice. But very few of the Onmyouji working 'on-site' denied that view. 
"Selection and specialization doesn't just apply to the business world. Maybe it's also accompanied by 'grief'." 
Amami closed the fan in his hand with a snap, smiling playfully with a wicked gaze. 
Even so, in the end this was just one side of the story. Even if they could prove statistically that those who were wounded were stronger, it was more reasonable to think that 'those who experience more severe battles' get wounded and also grow because of it. 
"Well, what's important is that all that information is very far-fetched. I'm injured, you know, so I can't move or listen to your complaints. Let me rest peacefully." 
Ohtomo stuck out his chest, speaking foolishly. Amami smiled wryly again. 
"What I wanted to emphasize was there are a lot of people who receive injuries and still stay on the frontlines. You were originally pretending to be retired, but you'll get bored with it and stick your neck into trouble very quickly anyway." 
Amami raised the fan in front of him, declaring as if he had seen through everything. Ohtomo revealed a resentful expression. 
"......Honestly, this old man and old lady." 
"Old lady? Oh, Miyo-chan. I see, so you heard similar things from Miyo-chan." 
"Oh my? I just said 'old lady', I didn't say who it was. No wonder you're the Chief of the Mystical Investigators, your insight is on a different level. Let me obediently tell these to the principal--" 
"Uwah, no no no no! That's not cool at all!" 
Panicked, Amami stopped Ohtomo's monologue. Ohtomo knew that the Mystical Investigator Chief and the Onmyou Academy Principal were associated, but hence he could see where the real power balance was. 
"......Come to think of it, Miyo-chan might have put shikigami in this hospital room." 
"What!? P-Please don't say such terrifying things. That's terrible!" 
"To be honest, I think that it was a bit better when you were working under me......" 
"......But just 'a bit', huh...... What a hateful industry." 
Ohtomo whined listlessly, his gaze hovering over the door to the hospital room. Maybe he was truly very worried. Come to think of it, there had been cats in the courtyard just now, he muttered with a look full of suspicion. 
On the other hand, at some point a smile had shown itself on Amami's face as he watched Ohtomo. 
"......But." 
Moving his gaze from Ohtomo's head of white hair, he opened his mouth to speak lamentfully. 
"I didn't think you would be able to drive that Ashiya Doman back." 
The eccentric Amami very rarely expressed sincere and undisguised respect. Even Ohtomo, who replied immediately no matter how troublesome the words were, went speechless for a moment at Amami talking to himself, taking an embarrassed expression. 
"......It wasn't a victory in a magic battle. It was just a 'competition of magic'. The opponent probably just saw it as carefree 'playing with a kid', right? Also, he didn't bring a single retainer with him, because he was using them all to attack the Onmyou Academy building. Most importantly, it was Kogure who beat him at the end......" 
"Haha. Don't be shy, don't be shy. That just shows your power." 
"......Hah. What simple flattery......" 
"Oh oh, right. I bought this but almost forgot. Here, a get-well gift. A luxurious fruit basket." 
"Uwah. You even used such a pretty basket - no, could this be, did you buy this from that Ginza nightclub that you always go to?" 
"Oh, you understand very well. It was very expensive. Thank me properly." 
"I should be thanking the girls in the store, right? Really, what a bad taste...... Even if you tell me to eat it......" 
He received a fruit basket large enough to wrap his arms around, putting it on the table next to his bed. 
Immediately afterwards, Ohtomo adjusted his glasses: 
"...So?" 
He changed the topic. 
"Though I'm very grateful to receive such a beautiful thing, we should be about getting to the main topic, right? What exactly has happened to cause the Chief to take the trouble to come here?" 
"Huh. Did you not hear about it from Miyo-chan?" 
"Just a bit. ......Has the Onmyou legal reform bill passed yet or not?" 
Ohtomo changed his tone and confirmed. 
"...Yeah." Amami lightly nodded and replied. Though his words were very light, it felt like they contained various thoughts and feelings. 
The Onmyou Agency had formulated Onmyou law in the first year after it was established - almost half a century ago now. 
At the time, the Onmyouji had been anxious to deal with spiritual disasters. They had to systematize the organization and had not hesitated to apply large-scale reform to the Onmyou Bureau. In order to let the magic community, which had a tenuous connection with society, embed itself in Japanese society, they had cut some corners. The first step was regulation of magic and practitioners. This way, the magic community, which was burdened by ancient 'darkness' from before the war, shone with the light of the law in front of others and became spotless. 
The Onmyou law that was formulated after this was still regulating and controlling the magic community. 
But the basic tenets of the current law supported 'stable purification of spiritual disasters'. 
Current Onmyou Law was defined extremely haphazardly and restricted difficult-to-classify magic for the most-important goal of purifying spiritual disasters. A large part of the reason was that the Onmyou Bureau, the Onmyou Agency's predecessor, had belonged to the old Imperial Army. Needless to say, Onmyouji and practitioners were all unknown entities in the eyes of most people. In order to obtain a public place for themselves, they had to simplify and clarify the industry, no matter what. 
Even now, the locations of current Onmyouji activity were limited to certain parts of society for this. Though they had succeeded in defining the 'image of an Onmyouji' in the new society, the magic community itself was still isolated from other industries. 
It was the Onmyou Agency's deepest desire to break through that closed-off condition. The main target of the Onmyou legal reform that was expected to pass in Congress was to widen the scope of Onmyoujis' responsibilities. In other words, they planned to allow Onmyouji to enter society. 
"......I don't know what it'll turn into in the end...... Well, I, who elegantly retired from the plan, am not too involved." 
"How ignorant. Youngster, you'll starve sooner or later if you don't have work." 
Amami coldly put reality in front of him. Ohtomo curved his mouth into a '?' shape at his former boss's unhumorous accusation. 
"Well. The real problem is that we won't be able to widen the scope of responsibilities when the Exorcist Bureau is in a crisis of insufficient manpower, even if we wanted to. This amendment is actually just strengthening the authority and expanding the budget of the Exorcist Bureau - and even the Onmyou Agency as a whole." 
"......Dreaming of the so-called Onmyou 'province', huh." 
"We'll think of extending it to that level later. But the large-scale spiritual disaster terrorist actions from two years ago until this spring started to cause chaos for society. Also, attacks on the Onmyou Agency and the Onmyou Academy just happened. The public eye has started to notice Onmyouji now...... More accurately, they feel very threatened. It'll be troublesome if Onmyouji can't be active when we expect them to be. So, the politicians are playing out an active discussion and the bill passed smoothly." 
But, Amami lowered his voice slightly. His gaze also became sharp. 
"......But we have to continue being careful of the Onmyou Agency's desires." 
"Careful?" 
"Yeah. More accurately, never mind the problems of the strengthened authority of the Onmyou Agency or who leads it. The Onmyou Agency obviously wants to lead itself, but the reform this time is so big that other agencies want to come and interfere. In order to keep those guys quiet, we obviously need to keep 'achievement' in the leaders' hands. ......Well, though it seems like it should be other people's business, I also attended the meeting. After all, spiritual disasters won't cooperate with us and appear, and we can't purify anything, so we can only aim at other targets." 
Amami stared intently at Ohtomo's eyes, hinting at something. Ohtomo realized what the meaning in Amami's words was, replying to him with a serious expression. 
"......The Twin-Horned Syndicate?" 
"Right. Thankfully, some academy teacher sealed the enemy's wild card 'D'. How can we pass up this opportunity? We're going to do it thoroughly this time and include the people on the inside. Needless to say, the inside is the important part. An investigation of the darkness inside the agency is already going on. We're going to smoke them out without leaving a single one." 
Amami's voice was very flat, but at the same time it felt very motivated. If expanding the scope of Onmyouji responsibility was the will of the Onmyou Agency, then cleaning up the Twin-Horned Syndicate was the necessary desire of the Mystical Investigators. 
"......I fear this will become my final job." 
"Chief?" 
Ohtomo couldn't conceal his surprise upon hearing that unexpected remark. 
But Amami smiled firmly. 
"Sorry. Elegantly retiring goes in order of age. Enjoy your rare vacation. There will still be burdens left for the new system, so you can't sit back and relax without a care. ...But, what I came here for today is closely related to hunting the Twin-Horned Syndicate. We're going to go on that attack this time, and of course we've considered their resistance. The probability that they do everything possible to do something to you or your students at the time isn't zero. But. This time, we're sending guards from the Onmyou Agency. So, you can sleep and rest properly. I just came here to tell you about this." 
"......" 
The stunned Ohtomo floundered, unable to speak. Amami chuckled, opening his fan again. 
"......Who's the guard? Is it a Mystical Investigator you can 'trust'?" 
"Don't joke around. I'm still choosing. Honestly, I really want it to be someone like Kogure...... But we need the Exorcist Bureau to act for the job this time too. We have to paralyze the organization temporarily, and that youngster who can purify spiritual disasters alone can't easily leave the scene. ......That guy's confinement was just lifted in the first place." 
"Confinement? What did he do?" 
"Oho. When we were dealing with the attack on the Onmyou Agency, he abandoned his original duty and left for the frontlines. Moreover, he even took his squad. If he hadn't defeated Ashiya Doman, it definitely wouldn't have been simple confinement. I wonder who exactly tricked him." 
Amami laughed happily, and Ohtomo hastily whistled and feigned ignorance. 
In any case, the Twin-Horned Syndicate wouldn't calmly wait to be hunted. Though they couldn't make any fearless movements with just the members they had left, it was possible that they would get entangled with Tsuchimikado Natsume - rumored to be the reincarnation of Tsuchimikado Yakou, the object of their fanaticism - if they were backed into a corner. This aspect required adequate consideration. 
In comparison, the current Onmyou Academy was by no means safe. Ohtomo couldn't relax if they didn't have any highly-skilled and trustworthy guards. 
Just then, Ohtomo and Amami tilted their heads in unison. 
The two of them had keenly noticed a presence. Not long after Amami muttered "......Guests?", the noise of many footsteps approaching the hospital room from the corridor sounded. 
Noisy voices rang out. 
Amami realized who the visitors were. He closed his fan, saying "how interesting". 
Immediately after, 
"Ah, is it here? Sensei, sorry to bother--" 
The door was slowly opened, and the faces of six academy students appeared. 


 

At the start, they hadn't been able to find this hospital and had wandered around the complex alleys for a long time. 
"I didn't think the outside would be such an ordinary residence......" 
"Is the principal too stingy?" 
"Hey, quiet, Grandma wouldn't be cheap for such a thing." 
"This kind of place isn't bad, the aura is extremely stable." 
"Alright, let's go in." 
"E, Everyone, this place is a hospital, so please be a bit quiet." 
Harutora walked in front of them, bringing a noisy group of people into the corridor. 
Though all of the entrances of the clinic had information desks, the more they went inside the more it looked like a house. Actually, it had probably been made like a residence. Harutora and the others walked through the narrow corridors in rows. 
"Ah, is it here? Sensei, sorry to bother--" 
Harutora greeted the person inside while slowly opening the door. 
Ohtomo, who sat on the bed, replied "Oh" after seeing Harutora. Harutora saw the rare sight of Ohtomo in a bathrobe. His head of white hair still felt unnatural. 
But what surprised Harutora was that there was another guest who had already arrived in the room. 
The guest wore a suit, so he probably wasn't a doctor here. He was an old man as skinny as a crane, but his spine was very straight as he sat, as if there were a ruler attached to his back. After seeing his face, Harutora greeted him with "Ah, hello" somewhat warily. The old man showed a unique smile to Harutora and the others. 
"It's been a long time, Kyouko-chan and Dairenji. It's probably my first time meeting the rest of you." 
Harutora uttered "huh" after hearing the old man's words, turning around to look at Kyouko and Suzuka. He saw Kyouko, who had walked in after him, with her eyes widened in surprise, but Suzuka showed a displeased look as if she were a wild cat that had spotted a guard dog. 
"Amami-san! What's wrong, why are you here?" 
"Kyouko, someone you know?" 
"Yeah, kind of. Amami-san is the Mystical Investigators' chief." 
After hearing Kyouko's introduction, Harutora, Natsume, Touji, and Tenma all hastily turned around to look at the old man. Amami smiled at them and said "You don't need to be too formal". His attitude and manner of speech were straightforward, even graceful. 
"I've heard of you guys. I'm Amami of the Mystical Investigators, pleasure to meet you." 
"I-It's our pleasure... to meet you...... B-But, why is the chief of the Mystical Investigators here?" 
The Mystical Investigator Chief was a higher-up of the Onmyou Agency. Upon seeing Harutora's flustered appearance, Suzuka next to him couldn't help but interject: "......I~diot". 
"It's nothing to be surprised about. Your homeroom teacher was a Mystical Investigator in the past, and this old man's on good terms with the principal." 
"Hoho. Your tongue is still merciless as ever, Dairenji. But you seem lively, so that's the best. I heard you're playing the part of an idol in the academy? How praiseworthy. Let me watch one of your classes." 
"......Keep dreaming. Don't waste your time, hurry up and go work." 
Amami teased her with a smile and Suzuka counterattacked in displeasure. Probably even Suzuka was a bit reserved when facing the chief of the Mystical Investigators, as the voice she talked back in didn't have the same force as before. No, it was more surprising that she could even be this eloquent with the chief of the Mystical Investigators in her position. 
Kyouko said teasingly: 
"You came to see Sensei because he was your old subordinate? How hard on you, to take time out of your busy schedule to come here." 
"Hey hey, Kyouko-kun, that's my line, you shouldn't be saying it. Though I wouldn't say it." 
"What, I just happened to have business outside and this place is on the way to the Onmyou Agency. It's just on the way." 
Amami's shameless tone made it hard to think that he was actually a VIP of the Onmyou Agency, but Amami's informal attitude made Harutora feel very relaxed. When Amami and Ohtomo talked, the two sides' tones and styles were clearly different, but they made others inadvertently comprehend that they were a former boss and subordinate. 
However. 
"Hah. You're full of crap. You wouldn't come to visit just for a 'former subordinate'. ...But, this makes me confident in my own thoughts." 
Suzuka spoke haughtily. Harutora and the others cast questioning gazes at Suzuka, but Suzuka ignored them. After looking at Amami for a while, she stared coldly at Ohtomo. 
"Never mind these guys for now, but I'm not an idiot. I did some investigation afterwards as to who exactly this 'Onmyouji' was who could easily disrupt the seal cast on me, who could use magic more ancient than Imperial Onmyoudou, who could fight on even terms with Ashiya Doman, and finally who could use an Independent Exorcist to achieve victory." 
"......Hey, Suzuka." 
Harutora next to her hastily urged her to stop after hearing his kouhai's impolite tone. But no one could turn a deaf ear to Suzuka's words. Harutora and the others had discussed Ohtomo's true identity themselves a few days ago. 
Suzuka's eyes became sharp as she was immersed in the gazes of Harutora and the others. 
"He's the right-hand man of the Mystical Investigator Chief, the 'Divine Fan' Amami. An anonymous Divine General Mystical Investigator during acting duty. ......Come to think of it, I heard a rumor once. I seem to remember your nickname was 'Shadow'? Though I stopped hearing the rumors of 'Shadow' a few years ago, I never would have thought you became a teacher at the Onmyou Academy." 
Suzuka's mouth curved into a cold smile as she slowly declared. 
Harutora and the others were all speechless. 
Ohtomo showed a confused expression at this. 
"Hah? What's all this about--" 
"No, she's got it right." 
"...Chief?!" 
Ohtomo had planned on fooling them without missing a beat, but who knew that Amami next to him would have indifferently admitted it while tapping his knee with his folded fan. Ohtomo couldn't help but panic after Amami ruined his act. Amami laughed at him as if saying that there was no problem in being honest. 
"These kids all witnessed your fight against Ashiya Doman, right? In that case, even if you want to fool them for now, it'll be no use in the end. Ah, incidentally, there's no reason to use a pretentious title like 'Shadow'. You might as well use the nickname 'Kuroko' [14] ." [15] 
"......The name 'Divine Fan' is what's actually pretentious. Isn't it much more shameful? ......Please give me a break, this is enough......" 
Ohtomo put his right hand on his face exhaustedly. The students were silent and speechless. 
"Ahh, but, listen up. You can't tell this to anyone else. The requirements of strict secrecy are still in force. You'll be turned over to the Mystical Investigators if you expose it." 
Amami said joyfully. It was indistinguishable which parts of his words were a joke, if any. Though Harutora and the others nodded repeatedly, their expressions were still of shock. 
"......Ohtomo-sensei is...... A former Divine General!?" 
Harutora's eyes widened as he slowly repeated. 
That truth was too much of a shock. But Harutora could accept that truth now. In fact, it would be even harder to understand if that weren't the truth. In any case, Ohtomo could fight equally with Ashiya Doman. He couldn't possibly be an ordinary Onmyouji, nor could he be an ordinary former Mystical Investigator. It was more convincing that he was a National First-Class Onmyouji. 
"There are all kinds of National First-Class Onmyouji too. There are annoyingly slow ones, old men who like to pretend they're young, and youthful pubescent girls with twisted personalities and only a skilled tongue." 
"What does that mean? Liking to pretend they're young?" 
"Hah!? Who's a pubescent girl!?" 
Ohtomo's seemingly resentful remark led to intense reactions from Amami and Suzuka. Now that Ohtomo mentioned it, Amami was also a member of the Twelve Divine Generals. Harutora inadvertently contrasted the three of them. An uninformed person truly wouldn't be able to see that they were Divine Generals. 
Natsume, who had been silent before, suddenly shivered, shaking her head and fidgeting. 
"Ohtomo-sensei is a National First-Class Onmyouji...... B-But, in that case, I can understand the incident last month. The high-level magic battle too! But, why would Sensei come to the Onmyou Academy to be a teacher? It's also very strange to resign from the job of Mystical Investigator. With your skills, you should be completely competent, right?" 
Ohtomo didn't react after hearing Natsume's question. Amami took the initiative to nod his head and say: 
"It's true. He doesn't have any other skills, and if he stayed on this side, at least he would be able to make some contributions to the people and help everyone out." 
"None of your business. The law guarantees me the right to freely choose my profession." 
Ohtomo, who sat on the bed, glared at the also-sitting Amami, saying unpleasant words. The two of them were just an inch from being shameful. To be honest, the two of them didn't seem like adults at all. 
"......Never mind your reason for resigning for now. The reason Ohtomo-sensei came to the Onmyou Academy was probably you, Natsume." 
After Touji said this to the surprised Natsume, he continued speaking to Harutora. 
"Because Ohtomo-sensei only started at the Onmyou Academy last year, which was after Natsume entered. The principal knows divination, and she anticipated the various troubles that would happen after you arrived in Tokyo. In order to coordinate with your entrance, the principal invited Ohtomo-sensei via Chief Amami. That speculation seems appropriate. Actually, the principal's arrangements were completely useful this time." 
Natsume stared at Ohtomo's face in surprise after hearing Touji's speculation. 
Silent without a word, Ohtomo showed an indifferent expression like always. Then, Amami happily harrumphed, speaking in place of his ignorance-feigning subordinate. 
"......Not bad. When you encounter important things, you first think for yourself before asking others. Not bad at all." 
"In other words, he guessed right?" 
"That's also for you to think about yourself, kid. But, there's just one thing I want to tell you. Every adult in 'this world' is a trickster. If you trust each and every one of their words, you'll be unable to stand on your own anymore." 
After Amami finished speaking, he laughed with a "hehe". Then, he tapped his fan and stood up. 
He looked at his refined wristwatch. 
"I've been here for a long time. ...Ohtomo, you tell them about what I said just now. I won't be able to contact you for a while, but be prepared for it." 
"......Be careful." 
"Hah, don't say that. Being encouraged by your makes me feel sick." 
Ohtomo momentarily showed a serious expression, and Amami returned a fearless smile to him. Then, he smiled at Harutora and the others, said "Say hello to Miyo-chan for me" to Kyouko, and then left the hospital room. 
Harutora and the others silently watched Amami slowly grow distant in the corridor. 
Though this old man didn't put on airs, he still felt like an 'adult' to Harutora and the others. He carried a dignity that made one feel 'Oh, so this is a higher-up of the Onmyou Agency." 
Harutora and the others' gazes only fell on the bedridden Ohtomo after Amami's figure vanished. 
Harutora and the others had come to see Ohtomo today. But, probably because they had heard that Ohtomo was a former Divine General, the familiar, relaxed atmosphere they had while entering the hospital room suddenly no longer existed. Putting aside the fellow Divine General Suzuka and Touji who didn't know fear for now, the other four felt inexplicably uneasy when they faced Ohtomo. 
The students' reactions made the homeroom teacher let out a sigh mixed with a smile. 
"Why don't you sit down first. I just happened to have something to tell you guys." 
"......Is it what Chief Amami mentioned just now?" 
Natsume asked and Ohtomo answered "Yes". 
Ohtomo had Harutora's group of six sit anywhere. He concisely explained the plan for the operation against the Twin-Horned Syndicate that he had just heard of from Amami. 
The Twin-Horned Syndicate, a mysterious organization founded by Yakou fanatics, had extended its claws towards Natsume several times before. After hearing Ohtomo's words, Natsume and Harutora's expressions immediately became solemn, and the other four also listened seriously to Ohtomo's explanation. To Harutora and the others, this was business related to their own safety. They couldn't be careless. 
"......In other words, they're finally wiping out the Twin-Horned Syndicate?" 
"At least Chief Amami plans to. Though we haven't clearly seen the complete picture of the Twin-Horned Syndicate, and it's hard to say whether we can eradicate them." 
Ohtomo lightly replied to Harutora's question. Actually, the Mystical Investigator Chief had always been hunting members of the Twin-Horned Syndicate. Though they had captured a few members, they had still been unable to completely stop the Twin-Horned Syndicate's movements. Moreover, the Twin-Horned Syndicate also had quite a few members planted inside the Onmyou Agency. 
"In any case, you need to be on your guard. Though the Onmyou Agency will send guards, you yourselves have to pay attention to your surrounding situation." 

Even Ohtomo couldn't make any decent proposal in their current situation. Even so, Harutora and the others took their homeroom teacher's advice to heart. 
"Does that mean that the Twin-Horned Syndicate and Ashiya Doman were secretly working together?" 
This time Tenma asked Ohtomo a question. 
"Sensei, I heard you say after the incident last month that 'Though Ashiya Doman's already dead, we don't know whether he's already gone', right? What does that mean?" 
"Yeah. You said 'we're fine for now'...... Didn't that guy explode together with the car at the end? Could it be that he could still be alive like that?" 
Tenma's expression showed an unconcealable anxiety. Harutora continued his words, loudly questioning Ohtomo. 
Ohtomo rubbed his neck. 
"I told you when you came to visit me before, right? That Domahoshi [16] is an ara-mitama." 
"We didn't ask you to explain properly before because we didn't have much time, right? At the time, Sensei's condition didn't look too good either...... We didn't ask for details because you said there wouldn't be any problems for now!" 
But, if the Twin-Horned Syndicate were becoming active again, that was a different matter. Harutora and the others couldn't ignore the movements of Doman, who was mysteriously related to the Twin-Horned Syndicate...... But, even people who were completely on alert couldn't predict what those movements would be. Ohtomo had once said to Harutora: "Although there are no problems for now, you can't become loose". Harutora hadn't understood the meaning in those words at all and had always taken it as a 'bad joke'. 
Of course, Harutora was also very concerned, so he had once had Natsume explain what and 'ara-mitama' was to him. 
In short, ara-mitama were 'gods of havoc', and it seemed that they could also be called 'troublemaking gods'. Evil, rude, and abnormal gods would bring about various calamities. But on the other hand, they could be made into powerful guardians of if they were adequately worshipped. The representative ara-mitama was Gozu Tenno, which became an object of faith in Gion. Moreover, there were many souls of people who had been killed that were worshipped as ara-mitama. This was the so-called Goryo Shinko. 
But, in the end, this explanation was just the explanation of the Shinto belief. 
The standard of modern magic, General Onmyoudou, had been established by splitting magic from faith. Hence, ara-mitama were often defined as special spiritual disasters with discrepant spiritual power. For example, modern magic believed that ara-mitama were spiritual disasters formed with a core of the spiritual body that a person with strong spiritual power left behind after death under certain conditions. 
Even so, research of human souls was banned in General Onmyoudou. All of this was but a hypothesis. Hence, even if Natsume explained as Harutora requested, it didn't rise above a conceptual level. 
"Honestly, I don't understand ara-mitama and mitama. What exactly is going on? That Ashiya Doman was a spiritual disaster? Like the Nue? He was just a Phase three who happened to form a human shape? That kind of absurd thing--" 
"Yes." 
"...Huh?" 
"Aren't you quite knowledgeable, Harutora-kun. Isn't it like you said? That Domahoshi can be classified into the same category as the Type-Chimera you defeated according to the General Onmyoudou system of magic." 
Harutora stared at Ohtomo who had calmly affirmed him, his face incredulous. 
"......You're joking, right?" 
"I'm not joking. More accurately, it wasn't a Type-Chimera, but a Type-Ogre." 
Ohtomo spoke pretentiously as if it were deliberate. 
The phrase 'Type-Ogre' made Touji, who listened from the side, shiver. Type-Ogres were the so-called 'oni'. Touji had become a living spirit because there was a Type-Ogre residing in his body. 
"Also, Harutora-kun. How are things like spiritual disasters produced? Can you try explaining?" 
"Eh? S, Spiritual disaster? Let me think...... 'Everything is filled with aura, and though it constantly moves, it is overall very stable. However, abnormalities are occasionally produced in aura......" Anyway, aura occasionally swings to the extreme, and hence the balance of the five elements deviates very strongly, right? In normal circumstances, it returns to normal by itself, but sometimes the abnormality that occurs causes a chain reaction of a certain level and the situation develops for the worse...... That kind of aura will become miasma and form a spiritual disaster......" 
Harutora abandoned his reciting of the textbook halfway, grabbing onto the important points to form an explanation of his understanding of spiritual disasters. Ohtomo stared at the student he had taught, his expression gloomy as if it were a barely passing answer. 
"That's it. That phase is Phase One. When it becomes a Phase One - a disaster that can cause spiritual harm, spiritual disasters often are unable to recover by themselves. If we leave them be, they worsen. ......Then, what happens after they worsen?" 
"Th, They're Phase Two when they can cause physical damage to the surroundings, right? After that, they're Phase Three if they materialize. Phase Four is large-scale......" 
"Phase Four refers to the origin spiritual disaster when the miasma given off instantly materializes in the area, leading to a situation like a chain reaction. ......Let's return to the topic a bit. From the development from Phase Two to Phase Three - in other words, when the spirit is 'materializing', the spiritual disaster will engulf material that can become its core in order to materialize more easily. That's its method of 'possessing' objects." 
"Ah. A v-vessel?" 
"Right. It creates a vessel as its core, the same as a materialized shikigami. Although the spiritual disaster's growth is slow in that situation, on the other hand, its stability increases. But if it stays in a period of increased stability for a long time, then even if it loses the vessel acting as its core, the spiritual disaster will still continue existing stably." 
Just then, Ohtomo glanced at Touji. 
"Take Touji's situation for example. Type-Ogre spiritual disasters are actually mobile spiritual disasters that use humans as cores for materialization - in other words, 'stable spiritual disasters with human cores'. This type of spiritual disaster is a bit different from spiritual disasters with inorganic cores. This kind of spiritual disaster probably uses the human's aura - the human's spiritual body - as a core. That's because the aura can merge with the spiritual disaster's miasma. Hence, a spiritual disaster formed this way can maintain the consciousness of the human core for a long time. In addition, even if the vital activity of the host human stops, its body decays, or disappears completely, the human's consciousness still remains. No, we usually believe that's not all. Of course, no one knows to what degree that consciousness or the human's original identity remains, and it's impossible to test." 
"......Human consciousness......" 
"Yes. That's an 'oni'." 
Ohtomo said. 
Harutora's face was a bit pale. He swallowed. 
If you excluded Touji, Harutora and the others had never seen a 'true oni'. Last year, the 'Kakugyouki' that the Yakou fanatic Mystical Investigator had controlled had been proven at the end to be just a counterfeit simple shikigami. Though the Type-Chimera they had witnessed during the spring had seemed like a giant monster from the outside, it had actually just felt more or less like a giant beast, nothing 'humanlike'. 
"That means--" 
Touji leaned forward happily. 
"Even if I become an oni directly, my consciousness will still remain? Just like Doman?" 
"I-Idiot! Don't say such an unlucky thing!" 
"I just want to know." 
His good friend indifferently answered Harutora's panicked angry shout with a satirical smile. Ohtomo blankly returned the words "I said it couldn't be verified." 
"......Hold on, Sensei said that Ashiya Doman was an ara-mitama, and not an oni. Or are oni the same as ara-mitama?" 
Kyouko asked him. It seemed that even she was unable to understand and was in a strange sense of partial understanding. Even Ohtomo probably had trouble coming up with an explanation immediately. "Uh." He pondered, scratching his head in confusion. 
"Honestly, it depends what you base your judgment on. There are oni that are taken to be ara-mitama. On the other hand, there are ara-mitama or objects of the Goryo Shinko that are classified as Type-Ogre spiritual disasters under General Onmyoudou. What's more, the way they're divided is up to everyone's own way of thinking." 
Ohtomo didn't make it clear, avoiding answering directly. 
Just as Touji had pointed out in front of Amami, Ohtomo was just a new teacher, and he hadn't even been teaching for a year yet. Moreover, never mind explaining according to the textbooks, the current problem was controversial and didn't have a common conclusion. It was tough on Ohtomo to concisely explain it such that the students could understand. 
"......But, on the premise that 'the way they're divided is up to everyone's own way of thinking', you're definitely going to have me talk about my thoughts or how I see them, right? I think that ara-mitama and mitama are a kind of evolved spiritual disaster." 
Ohtomo crossed his arms, muttering lightly. He mentioned his premise as a opener. 
He said to the students who had quieted down again to listen: 
"There's this way of putting it. When spiritual disasters that develop to Phase Three or Phase Four continue to develop...... After the spiritual disaster chain reaction reaches its limits, the deviation in aura, which is the spiritual disaster's roots, is no longer just a 'deviation'. In a local region, balance returns back to its 'normal state', enough in the end for the world to accept. It's said that this existence becomes one state of the many forms of aura, a universalization." 
"......S-Sensei, excuse me, but what does that explanation mean......" 
Even Natsume admitted defeat after Kyouko. She raised a question, her forehead sweating. Honestly, at this point the talk was no longer in the realm of magic. 
But it was hard to tell whether Ohtomo acknowledged the students' reactions. He nodded with a steady gaze, continuing to speak. 
"The important point is, the meaning is that when spiritual disasters develop to their limits, they become gods - that's what it means." 
"......Ah?" 
"Gods?" 
Harutora and Tenma murmured blankly. The two of them revealed stunned smiles, as if they didn't know how to react other than this. Natsume and Kyouko were also about the same, and Touji had already given up on understanding, just uttering "eh" out of interest. 
"Yes. In that view, you could say that ancient spiritual existences believed to be gods are also a kind of spiritual disaster. If you categorize them roughly, the spiritual disasters with human cores - the Type-Ogres - are human gods, and the other kinds of spiritual disasters are the yaoyorozu no kami [17] ...... Or probably something like that. Though it's a bit rough and forced, that's probably the reasoning behind it." 
After Ohtomo said this, he looked at Suzuka again. 
"Suzuka, you should know, right? Researchers often mention it, Phase Five...... Commonly known as the Final Phase." 
Harutora and the others reflexively looked towards Suzuka upon hearing Ohtomo's words. 
Though even Natsume and Kyouko couldn't understand Ohtomo's words, no matter what, Suzuka was after all a magic researcher, a specialist. She clearly understood what Ohtomo was saying. 
And more. 
"......Of course I know. Also, it was my father who advocated that theory." 
Harutora and the others couldn't help but become restless. Even Ohtomo exclaimed "What?" in surprise. 
In the framework of General Onmyoudou, many things that had once been viewed as gods were all explained as spiritual disasters. On the other hand, things like mitama and research relating to human spirits were banned in the first place and sealed in the darkness. The current magic community focused on the effects of magic in real society, so they no longer performed research on gods of faith or souls that were hard to test from an ethical standpoint, throwing them aside. 
However, the only agency that had tread into those regions in modern times was that one. 
The Imperial Household Agency Lingering Spirit Division that had once become the breeding ground for the Twin-Horned Syndicate. Dairenji Shidou, the Twin-Horned Syndicate's mastermind and Suzuka's father, had been the person in charge of that division. 
"......I see. So that was the view of the one called the 'Professor', Dairenji Shidou." 
"That's right. Still, I don't know the details about it. My research specialty was Imperial Onmyoudou, and I didn't progress any further. Personally, I don't have any interest in it anyway." 
Suzuka spoke almost rudely, and her tone indeed sounded uninterested. Ohtomo scratched his head a bit awkwardly again. 
"Phase Five, the next stage after Phase Four, is just something that should exist 'in theory'. We haven't observed an actual example before. Now that that's out of the way, we return to the previous topic...... Oni and ara-mitama are both Type-Ogres, but the former is a Phase Three or Phase Four. In contrast, the latter is a Phase Five." 
Ohtomo concluded his previous remarks. Harutora stared confusedly at his homeroom teacher. 
"Though I studied this for some time, even I don't understand it. Well, it's quite obscure, or just conceptually daunting. ......Incidentally, in the oni - or Phase Three - stage, the lingering consciousness of the people who become cores is often very strong. Because there are examples of those circumstances, so we can affirm it. But, after becoming Phase Four, most of their self-consciousness crumbles and scatters...... They become a universal collective consciousness after reaching Phase Five...... This probably belongs to a kind of archetype that Jung [18] mentioned...... Honestly, I don't really understand this aspect." 
"......Sensei." 
"Hmm? What is it, Harutora-kun." 
"My apologies, I'm really sorry, but my brain's really bad, so I'm not too sure what your conclusion is......" 
Ashamed, Harutora lowered his head, speaking abnormally honestly. 
"Anyway, there's just one thing I hope you can tell me. Sensei, you said after the incident that 'Though Ashiya Doman's dead, we don't know whether he's already gone', right? What, specifically, did that mean?" 
It was probably also very important to understand the theoretical nature and bold assumptions of what he had heard just now. But Harutora still couldn't relax without hearing about the most important issue. 
Ohtomo said "I see" after hearing Harutora's request and sat upright on the bed. 
He pushed up his glasses with his finger. 
"Indeed, though we say that Domahoshi is an ara-mitama, I feel that he belongs to quite a special category." 
"Special?" 
"Yeah. Though he's basically a spiritual disaster with a lingering human consciousness, even though he's called an ara-mitama, he's different from the ones who only had a bit of human consciousness left. His personality is clearly extremely strong. For example, when I destroyed the body that was that Domahoshi's core, his aura didn't weaken or scatter, right? In other words, he's already stabilized and no longer needs a core. But he still insists on using a human body as his core. Perhaps using a human body as a core isn't to stabilize himself as a 'spiritual disaster' but to safeguard his self-consciousness as 'Ashiya Doman'. Through the bindings of his vessel, he can deliberately attempt to stop his consciousness at around the state of Phase Three or Phase Four and remain in this world through those means. It's probably...... out of his obsession with magic." 
"What an injustice", Ohtomo muttered deeply. 
"Obsession......" 
Come to think of it, Doman had been constantly dedicated to a 'competition of magic' in the battle last month. Maybe Ohtomo had incited his obsession, making Doman, who had proposed the fight and whose level was higher than his own, face him one-on-one. He had protected Harutora and the others by going along with the 'game' Doman had carried out, thus fulfilling his duty. 
Ohtomo spoke emotionally. 
"If that Domahoshi - the spiritual disaster known as 'D' - truly arose from Ashiya Doman...... Then that ara-mitama truly existed with a human body vessel since the Heian period until now." 
"The Heian period!? H, How many years ago was that......?" 
"Probably a thousand years ago." 
Harutora's body shivered in surprise. 
It wasn't just Harutora, Natsume and the others all couldn't speak as if they had been dazed. How should he put it - he couldn't even imagine that sort of thing. 
"Of course, human flesh can't maintain human shape for that long of a time. So, it's reasonable to speculate that he probably constantly changed bodies. Though this is just my conjecture, it's probably true. The reason I said 'though Ashiya Doman's dead, we don't know whether he's already gone' to you was because I meant that his vessel was definitely 'dead', but it's unclear whether the spiritual disaster is destroyed. Moreover, even if he's still alive as a spiritual disaster, he's still lost his vessel, then we can probably believe that we're safe and sound until he possesses the next host body. ......How's that? Though I said a lot, it should be easy to understand this time, right?" 
Ohtomo asked casually. Harutora's face tensed and he forced himself to nod. 
What an inexplicable world. He couldn't at all imagine that the real world he lived in was the same world as the world of magic. 
The world of magic was very vast. Not only was it vast, it was also supported by the accumulation of a long, long time. But actually, this situation wasn't limited to the magic world. Harutora didn't think of it, but the 'world' was incomparably vast, and this vastness all came from the accumulation of a long time - the 'past'. 
Harutora's 'own world' probably seemed tiny in comparison. 
At the same time, Natsume's face also tightened again after Ohtomo finished saying his main point. 
"Sensei, how long do you think it will take for Ashiya Doman to find the next vessel and recover?" 
"That's hard to say. Also, I don't know whether he has to go find a vessel." 
"Huh? What's that mean?" 
Natsume immediately asked back. Ohtomo hesitated for a while over whether to say it, but finally continued speaking. 
"It wouldn't be strange for him to have prepared the 'next vessel' beforehand. For example, the 'old man' that I fought with. As I saw it, that vessel was already half-dead from the start. Simply put, it felt like a corpse to me. Never mind living humans for now, it's not even that troublesome to preserve a corpse with magic." 
"A, A corpse...... huh? But, he uses humans as vessels, so why would he use a corpse......" 
"No, isn't that more suitable? I said just now, but spiritual disasters that use humans as corpses merge with that person's aura. If Domahoshi was devoted to the individual consciousness of Ashiya Doman, then it would be more suitable for the vessel not to have a consciousness, since he wouldn't mix with any unnecessary consciousness. If it just has to be a 'humanlike' carrier, an unconscious corpse is the more fitting option. Domahoshi also said that he was 'unorthodox', so that's probably it." 
"......That means..." 
"Ashiya Doman's recovery could be unexpectedly fast...... right?" 
Touji continued Natsume's words of confirmation. Touji had started paying attention to listening in after things became simplified. Ohtomo spread his hands, repeating: "I said, I can't tell." 
"Though he could recover as long as he switches vessels, switching might require years or decades of preparation...... Even if he possesses a new vessel, he might need time to 'adapt'. I'm not too clear on magic of 'unorthodoxy', so I can't imagine. ......But." 
"But?" 
"I feel it will be very fast." 
Touji showed a fearless smile, and Suzuka just looked at the ceiling. Harutora, Natsume, Kyouko, and Tenma couldn't help but moan. 
Thanks to Ohtomo, they had just barely escaped by the skin of their teeth last time. But right now, Ohtomo was hospitalized and they couldn't imagine how another fight with Doman would turn out. 
"......I hope that at least you all can safely get through the Twin-Horned Syndicate operation this time. I'm serious." 
Harutora groaned in displeasure. The others probably had the same feelings. 
"I'm not sure to what degree Domahoshi cooperates with the Twin-Horned Syndicate. Though the sedan exploded at the end, we haven't figure out the reason for now, so it's reasonable for you all to not get careless." 
Ohtomo had once been responsible for investigating the Twin-Horned Syndicate when he had been a Mystical Investigator. He had been the first person to notice contact between the Twin-Horned Syndicate and Ashiya Doman - 'D'. 
But he had left the Mystical Investigators before Dairenji Shidou brought about the spiritual disaster terrorist attack. So, he wasn't too clear on what kind of organization the Twin-Horned Syndicate had now become, nor was he knowledgeable on what the relationship between Doman and the Twin-Horned Syndicate had turned into. 
"In any case, the conclusion's the same. 'There are no problems for now'. But, you can't become careless. Though I lost consciousness and was sent to the hospital just recently, you should listen to what I say." 
Their homeroom teacher's face went proud with joy, but unfortunately, he couldn't obtain respect and approval from his students. 
Harutora smiled dryly. 
"......Hey, Natsume? If Ashiya Doman really is an ara-mitama, we should worship him. In that case, maybe he'll become your guardian." 
"Bakatora...... Though I want to say that, I actually also thought of that." 
Natsume replied seriously to Harutora's joke. Maybe those words were unexpectedly truthful. Actually, it had been so during Ohtomo and Doman's battle too. Even though the degree of intensity of their magic battle had reached a peak, Ohtomo had always given Doman as much 'respect' as possible. Nor had he used a weapon to resist the monster with superhuman knowledge. Perhaps there were such methods of battle too. 
Of course, they didn't feel that they would be able to hold on to proper manners in case they faced Doman. 
In any case, the topic regarding Doman ended here. Everyone in the hospital room felt a bit exhausted, even though they had only had a conversation. But since the contents were very serious, no one wanted to say anything more. They probably all had their own thoughts, things that they had been inspired to think about, and things that they had to think about. 
But. 
"...Hey." 
Suzuka murmured, breaking the silence. 
"It seems like everyone's forgotten, but we didn't come here today to ask about Ashiya Doman, right?" 
Suzuka seemed to be a bit impatient and her tone was a bit prickly. Harutora, who had completely forgotten their main topic, went "ah" and finally remembered. 
"Damn, I forgot. Sensei, I actually have something to ask you." 
"What is it, is that serious?" 
"Well, though I don't know whether this is something serious, has Sensei heard of the Yakou Academy?" 
"Yakou Academy?" 
Ohtomo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow upon hearing Harutora's question. 
"That name is quite strange. Are you talking about Yakou's private school?" 
"You know!?" 
"No, I'm not very familiar. But it seems like Yakou had many students during the war. The Onmyou Bureau and the military at the time both contained his students. What about that private school?" 
"Well actually, recently we heard that that Yakou Academy was the predecessor of the current Onmyou Academy......" 
This time, both of Ohtomo's eyebrows rose. 
He silently stared at Harutora for a while. 
"......That's my first time hearing so. Did the principal say this?" 
"No, she didn't - ahh, right. Sensei, do you know a student named Souma Takiko? A girl with red hair." 
"What, one question after another...... Souma Takiko? I haven't heard of her. Also, are there any red-haired students in the Onmyou Academy?" 
"She called herself a student." 
"Called herself...... Where did you guys see her?" 
"On the roof of the academy building. It wasn't too long ago, and she wore the uniform." 
Harutora reported extremely briefly on his encounter with Takiko. Ohtomo's brows were furrowed for the whole time. After hearing Harutora's words, he went: 
"......Uh~......" 
He pondered heavily. 
"......Souma......Souma, huh...... Maybe there are students with that name, but there aren't any with red hair. Unless she normally has black hair and just happened to dye it red, there shouldn't be such a person." 
Harutora murmured "I see" slightly regretfully upon hearing Ohtomo's answer. 
He had partially anticipated that outcome regarding the Yakou Academy and Takiko. Ohtomo didn't have a very long history as a teacher and his understanding of the Onmyou Academy wasn't very special in the first place. 
However. 
If Harutora had asked that question before Amami had left, Amami might have thought of it when he heard of the name 'Souma'. 
No, even if he didn't think of it for a while, Suzuka would have made the association as she watched. The probability would have been very high. 
But-- 
Amami had left, and Suzuka didn't know the name herself. 
Harutora was a bit disheartened after asking those questions, but he wasn't very concerned about those questions anyway. 
"I see. Then, can I ask another question? It's about something completely different." 
"Hey hey, there's more?" 
"It's the last question. Also, you probably know this person, right? ...Saotome Ryou." 
"...!" 
This time, Ohtomo's reaction was very slightly troubled. 
But this slightly troubled reaction was clearly different from when he had heard about the Yakou Academy or Takiko's name before. 
When he had been identified as 'Shadow' before, Ohtomo hadn't panicked at all until Amami exposed it. But, although this was a bit unexpectedly sudden now, it was still visible that he had momentarily wavered. Hence, in some sense, Harutora's actions could probably be called a great feat. 
He had managed to make Ohtomo slip up. 
"......Ah." 
Ohtomo immediately understood that Harutora and the others had seen him momentarily waver. He knocked himself on the forehead with his hand. 
"......Ah, that's bad. I really need to recuperate......" 
He muttered that sentence as if talking to himself, his expression bitter. 
After seeing the reaction of his homeroom teacher, 
"Ohtomo-sensei--!" 
Natsume leaned forward. 
"Do you know? About Saotome Ryou?" 
"......She was classmates with me. But, who told you this?" 
"No one told us, we happened to notice it. We found it in the graduation name registers in the academy library." 
"Name registers? So that's how you found it." 
This was the first time Harutora and the others saw Ohtomo this troubled. They were probably poking at his wounds. Suzuka stood up to succeed Natsume upon seeing Ohtomo's reaction. 
"...Well, it seems like coming here was worth it. Judging from your reaction, you also know that Saotome Ryou was a pioneer of Yakou research. Can you tell us? Can you say everything you know?" 
Suzuka gazed at the bedridden Ohtomo and asked coldly and firmly. 
Ohtomo twisted his mouth. 
The eyes behind his glasses surveyed Natsume's reaction with a clear, transparent gaze. 
"......Is this about the 'Raven's Wing'?" 
Natsume couldn't help but tense up, and Harutora was the same. The fact that he thought of the Raven's Wing right after hearing Saotome Ryou's name proved that Ohtomo knew about Saotome's research in great detail. 
Harutora's group of six stared holes in Ohtomo. 
Ohtomo gave up resistance, his shoulders slumping powerlessly. 
Then, he said: 
"You guys are wrong." 
"Hah!? You still want to play dumb now!?" 
Suzuka couldn't help but retort. Ohtomo replied gently: "It's not that." 
"It's Suzu." 
"Hmm?" 
"It's written Saotome Ryou, but it's actually Saotome Suzu. I remember that she would deliberately write 'Saotome Suzu' in hiragana when she wrote her name." [19] 
Ohtomo wrote the name on the bedsheets with his finger for the stunned Harutora to see. 
Harutora spoke with a slightly agitated tone for some reason. 
"Saotome...... Suzu?" 
Ohtomo smiled slightly. 
"Though it's a bit unfitting for me to say this...... but be careful. That woman can't be dealt with by normal means."



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