Tokyo Ravens - Volume 8 - Chapter 5.1

Chapter 5 - The Tsuchimikado Girl 
Part 1 
Huge changes had happened in Natsume's life since Harutora had entered the academy. They had clashed when he entered, but they had become friendly after they made up and gained many good friends. Worried about Harutora's poor results, she would sometimes be a bit strangely angry and sometimes she would smile brightly at him. It was thanks to spending three years of time together with Harutora disguised as Hokuto that she was able to sincerely express her emotions like this. Harutora described the present in a half-complaining, half-prideful tone as a 'life with no motivation' or 'boring days'. Though it was indeed a bit demotivating and it was indeed a bit boring, it definitely wasn't meaningless. 
The happy and busy days continued. Every day, she got angry, was surprised, and smiled from the bottom of her heart. 
Before she noticed, this had already become Natsume's new 'daily life'. 
Harutora had expanded Natsume's world. 

 

Harutora and the others had already prepared themselves for the huge crowds of the fireworks festival, but the actual situation greatly exceeded their expectations. 
"......Shibuya on a weekend can't even compare. Is everyone from Tokyo gathered here?" 
After all, the train line here had already been packed. There were many yukata-wearing watchers as well. Clamor and heat gathered and slowly formed a huge mix. 
Harutora and the others had set their meeting place to be Asakusa's Sensoji Temple [21] . But Harutora was speechless when he walked out of the train station and saw that it was packed so full of people that there was no place to walk. 
There was still some time until sunset. The heat of the summer evening made it stuffy and hard to breathe. All around them was activity and smiles, filled with a 'festival' atmosphere. 
"Wh-Where's Sensoji Temple?" 
"Over there. We're almost at the Thunder Gate [22] ." 
Of the three of them, only Touji had come to Asakusa before. He had said he would guide them - though they could only move with the flow of people - so Harutora and Natsume followed Touji, slowly advancing. When they looked back, they could see the Tokyo Skytree [23] on the other side of the road. So tall. That was a natural feeling, but it was still very big. It was big enough that they couldn't make sense of how far away it was. 
"Incredible...... After the fireworks end, let's walk over there and look." 
It had already been a year since he came to Tokyo, but Harutora had never seen the Tokyo scenery. Everything he saw felt new, and he inadvertently gawked here and there. Just then, the famous Furaijinmon - the Thunder Gate - entered his vision. There were still people hustling and bustling around them, but there were also groups trying to get memorial photos. 
"Hey, Touji, let's take a picture." 
"More of this? Come to think of it, I wonder if you're really alright." 
Touji, annoyed, looked back at Harutora over his shoulder. 
"You know that your power went out of control a few hours ago, right? Don't only think about having fun." 
"What. I told you it completely stabilized. We took the time to come here, so it would be a waste to not properly enjoy it." 
"I guess I'll have to be responsible for treating your idiocy. Natsume, come persuade him too." 
"......" 
"Natsume?" 
"Eh? Ah, s-sorry. I didn't hear." 
"......You guys......" 
Touji's mouth twitched, unlike his usual attitude. 
There was no helping it that Touji was worried. After all, right now wasn't the time for Harutora and the others to leisurely watch a fireworks festival. 
After Harutora's aura went out of control and he lost consciousness, Natsume and Kon had brought him back to the dorm. Fortunately, he had regained consciousness within ten minutes, but the problem was the trigger for his loss of control and how it had stopped. 
"......It could be that one-armed oni. If Natsume weren't the one saying it, it would have sounded like a joke......" 
Natsume had explained the part of the incident she had seen to Harutora and Touji who had hurried over after learning about the situation. Considering the situation, it had undoubtedly been the one-armed oni Natsume saw that stopped Harutora from going out of control. Kon, who had witnessed it herself, had also provided the same testimony. 
But they were clueless as to why an oni would stop Harutora from going out of control. It was very strange that an oni just happened to be present in the first place. Thinking that, they should believe that the oni had originally been hiding nearby - around the Onmyou Academy dorms. Then, he had appeared after learning about Harutora going out of control. 
"A one-armed oni appearing near Natsume...... There's only one answer if we think about it that way." 
"......We still can't be certain. I'm not completely confident either. It could even be the same as that Mystical Investigator from before......" 
Natsume refuted Touji's opinion, but judging by the gist of her words, she already basically believed it. She was already different from the Natsume who had been kidnapped by the Mystical Investigator Yakou fanatic long ago. The current her had witnessed Ashiya Doman and Shaver's 'true self' at a close distance, not to mention the Phase Three mobile spiritual disasters. More importantly, the oni this time had released demonic aura from his body when Harutora had gone out of control. Natsume wouldn't have 'seen' wrongly. 
"I originally thought that the Twin-Horned Syndicate had finally been vanquished and that the Yakou fanatics were cleaned away, but Natsume's old home was burned down, a girl with connections to Yakou appeared, and now Kakugyouki's come out. I wonder what's going on." 
Harutora and Natsume glanced at each other wordlessly upon hearing Touji's complaint. 
Kakugyouki. 
That was the name of one of the servant shikigami guardians of Tsuchimikado Yakou. Of the countless shikigami that served Yakou, he and Hishamaru were famous as Yakou's left and right-hand shikigami. His true form wasn't well known in detail, but according to rumor, he was a 'one-armed oni'. 
Kakugyouki had vanished just like Hishamaru after Yakou's death. Their current whereabouts were still concealed in mystery, but if this was Kakugyouki, then they couldn't ignore his actions no matter what. 
Moreover, 
"What's more, that oni even said the words 'Raven's Wing' and 'Saotome Suzu'." 
Saotome Suzu was a Yakou researcher who had once belonged to the Imperial Household Agency Lingering Spirit Division. She had proposed that the Raven's Wing could determine Yakou's reincarnation, and her current whereabouts were unclear. They had learned recently that she was Ohtomo's acquaintance, but they still didn't know any more detailed information. In other words, they had been told to 'ask her for help', but they had no way of getting in contact. 
"Supposing that oni was the true Kakugyouki, then the fact that he said 'Raven's Wing' and the name Saotome means that he quite believes the saying that the Raven's Wing can be used to determine Yakou's reincarnation. Thinking carefully, the Raven's Wing was in Natsume's father's hands until not long ago......" 
Originally, the Raven's Wing had been kept in the Onmyou Agency, but that was a fake. Principal Kurahashi had secretly hidden the genuine article in the Onmyou Academy and had given it to Yasuzumi before Ashiya Doman attacked, leaving it with him. 
"......Then, Souma Takiko's information becomes a little more believable." 
Takiko had said that the residence fire had been an aggressive action of the Onmyou Agency. 
"Looking at it this way, the Onmyou Agency wanted to take back the Raven's Wing, Natsume's father refused, and it led to that fire......" 
Originally, several strong magical defensive walls were set in the Tsuchimikado family residence, and it was too unreasonable to imagine that a pure fire had burned everything down. Of course, it was also hard to imagine that the residence had been burned because Yasuzumi had refused to return the Raven's Wing. But Takiko had said that Yasuzumi set fire to the residence. In that case, there probably wouldn't be anything left there. If not for the message Harutora's father had sent informing him of their safety, then they probably would have considered the worst situation. 
"Also. Harutora noticed that there were Onmyouji monitoring the dorms - no, they were probably monitoring 'you guys'. Though it might not be related to Kakugyouki, that person's identity is also unclear. Supposing the Tsuchimikado fire was related to the Onmyou Agency, then that person is very likely an Onmyouji belonging to the Onmyou Agency...... Then, why would the Onmyou Agency do such a thing? What exactly is going on? Even I'm not sure." 
Harutora couldn't speak either upon seeing Touji frown and groan. If even Touji was raising his hands in forfeit, Harutora obviously wouldn't be able to understand. 
"Anyway, the only thing we can confirm is that there's a 'dangerous' atmosphere around. But we had everyone gather together to go see a fireworks festival without collecting information or preparing for unexpected situations. It's ridiculous, no matter what you say." 
Touji seemed to be in a bad mood as he led the two of them. He had been like this since before they left the dorms. 
But in some sense, one reason Touji was this unhappy was because a true oni had appeared close by and he was the only one who hadn't realized, even as he had been snooping for information in his own room. Another reason was purely that he had missed the opportunity to see an oni, and he felt angry at his poor senses. Touji was a living spirit who housed an oni within his body, and he had long since gotten used to demonic aura, so there was no helping it that he had reacted slowly. 
The three of them moved slowly as they talked about this, passing through the Thunder Gate and entering the commercial road in front of the Sensoji temple. 
The two roads that headed straight into Sensoji were lined with bustling souvenir shops. In addition, there were also confectionary stores, ningyouyaki stores, bread stores, and even stores specialized in selling kimonos and stores specialized in selling maneki-neko [24] . But to Harutora and the others' eyes, it was just people, people, and more people. The flood of people extended into the distance before them under the flickering illumination of lanterns. 
Harutora smiled wryly, stunned by the sea of people. 
"Sorry, Touji." 
He apologized from behind. 
"I don't know how it became like this either. To be honest, I'm a bit frightened." 
Touji, who walked ahead, looked at him out of the corner of his eye upon hearing his murmured words. Harutora noticed his good friend's gaze and gave a fearless smile. 
"But, isn't there anything we can do? Even if there's a clear 'enemy' around, that doesn't mean there's a clear 'reason' for him. Then even if we can't be careless, I hope that we can live like always." 
Something was undoubtedly happening right now. Moreover, it seemed that several large-scale incidents were happening at the same time. The fire at the residence, Takiko's confession, and Kakugyouki along with the unknown spies. 
To be honest, it was very frightening. The fact that things were unclear was even more terrifying. It was as if things that he had to be concerned about had snuck into every corner of his daily life. The fact that he had become overly cheerful might be a reaction to that. 
It was because now was the time that he couldn't give up his daily life. If events from the outside encroached on his daily life, then the most important thing was to hold onto the important aspects more tightly. 
For example, Kyouko. 
He didn't know what would happen in the future. Then, right now he should be strengthening his bonds with the people around him. That thinking might be a bit strange, but he hoped to be able to confirm the 'depths of their friendship'. So that he would be able to deal with whatever happened. So that they would be able to stay together, no matter what happened. 
He wasn't seeking to obtain Kyouko's strength. What was more important was that he wanted to get along closely with her. He hoped that they could rebuild their friendship. 
"......So for now, we'll enjoy the fireworks. The six of us, together." 
Touji knitted his brow at Harutora's words. 
But not long afterwards, he helplessly relaxed. 
"Bakatora." 
He scolded. 
Though it wasn't impossible to understand, there were other reasons that Touji had finally agreed to the fireworks festival proposal before they left the dorm in the first place. If the dorm was being monitored, then it would be safer to mix in with a group of people. 
Natsume and Kyouko had already reconciled, and afterwards they could probably clean things up if they had Harutora get on his knees and beg for mercy. If he was able to reconcile with Kyouko, they would immediately be able to ask things of the principal. Touji had even considered keeping Harutora and Natsume from returning to the dorm and going straight to Kyouko's home to discuss things. One or two extra people shouldn't be a problem for the residence of the famous Kurahashi family. 
"Well, alright. I don't really want to keep chattering anyway. But we can't split up, since if we wander off...... Natsume? Are you listening?" 
Touji stopped, looking back to look at Natsume who followed behind Harutora. "Ah, sorry." Natsume hastily looked up. 
"What's wrong, you've been like that since before. Are you worried?" 
"O-Of course I'm not worried. I don't know if something will happen to Harutora. But...... I'm very concerned about what that oni said......" 
"What? What did he say other than the Raven's Wing and Saotome Suzu's business?" 
"W-Well...... Um...... Though I don't really understand......" 
Natsume stopped speaking, her face solemn. It seemed that the reason she had been soft-spoken was because she had been immersed in her thoughts. 
She looked at Harutora's face. 
"......Um, Harutora? Your body's really okay, right? You're not forcing yourself?" 
She looked up to confirm. 
She expressed the worry in her heart, but with astringent words and expression. Also, she couldn't conceal her anxiety. Harutora was a bit embarrassed and felt a pang in his chest. The fact that he was the reason for Natsume's anxiety filled his heart with guilt. 
"Sorry." 
Harutora unconsciously apologized. 
"Sorry for making you worry. But I'm fine for now. I'll be careful. Natsume, I'm counting on you if there's a problem." 
Of course, she was carrying Ohtomo's charms. If he cut back on rapid actions like yesterday's and stayed calm and careful as he acted, there probably wouldn't be any problems. 
Natsume, who had stopped, was pushed from behind and staggered. 
Harutora hastily caught Natsume in his chest as she fell. Her slender body leaned on him and Harutora's heart inadvertently raced. 
"S-Sorry!" 
"No--" 
Natsume apologized, returning to her original voice. The flow of people still hadn't stopped. Touji was annoyed and said "Don't stop, keep walking", urging the two of them on. 
"......" 
A momentary confusion. 
Then, Harutora grabbed Natsume's hand and followed behind Touji. 
 
"Eh, H-Harutora-kun?" 
"......It would be troublesome if we got separated now." 
Harutora averted his gaze but still pulled her hand as he walked forward. Natsume also kept up with his strides as she followed behind. There wasn't much room to move around in the first place, and the distance between the two of them instantly shrank to the point where their shoulders were touching. But the two of them didn't even think of releasing their hands. 
The flow of people slowly moved forward. Harutora and Natsume continued walking forward step by step with small strides. 

"...Hey." 
Harutora spoke, still walking forward. 
"...Yeah." 
Natsume replied, still walking forward. 
"There definitely won't be any problem." 
Harutora spoke with a normal tone, half to cheer himself up. He hoped that he would be able to dispel some of Natsume's anxiety. He formed words with all his power in order to cheer up his important childhood friend. 
"A lot of things have happened up through now. ......We made it through successfully." 
"......Yeah." 
"The two of us aren't alone." 
"......Yeah." 
"There will always be a way." 
"Yeah. ......Right. That's right." 
Natsume tightly gripped Harutora's hand. Harutora also firmly clasped Natsume's hand in return. 
"......Thank you, Harutora-kun." 
Harutora's face reddened. But it was truly great that he had been able to say it. 
He glanced at Natsume out of the corner of his eye. He met the gaze of Natsume, who had looked over at the same time, and they both turned away in surprise like an elastic collision. But unlike that reaction, their linked hands gripped each other firmly. 
"......" 
"......" 
"......" 
"......" 
Noisy laughter passed through the surroundings. The nighttime heat penetrated their skin. A festival chant sounded from somewhere. The air was mixed with the scent of sweat and burning soy sauce. 
Natsume's black hair, tied with a pink ribbon, fluttered soundlessly in the air. Intertwined fingers. Heavy steps. His ears could hear his loud, agitated heartbeat. His brain was hot, but wasn't at all unhappy. 
"Hey, we're here, we're here. We found it pretty easily." 
Touji, who had walked ahead, waved his hand vigorously at them from the front. Harutora and Natsume's hands separated as if they had touched hot iron. 
Sensoji's courtyard was still packed with people. The five-story pagoda and the main hall towered towards the night sky. Stalls were lined up like a maze. Touji waved near the Treasure House Gate [25] , where there were even more mingling people. 
He saw familiar faces dressed in plainclothes next to a thick pillar that was painted red. Tenma was dressed in clothes for warm weather, and Suzuka wore a nostalgic goth loli outfit. There was also another person, dressed in a beautiful yukata-- 
"...Kyouko." 
Harutora muttered unconsciously. 
Kyouko also noticed Harutora and Natsume behind Touji and showed a tense and partially embarrassed expression. 
Guided by the flow of people, Harutora and the others slowly moved in the direction of Kyouko's group. The Kyouko reflected in Harutora's eyes became larger and larger. 
"You're so slow! Where did you guys go!" 
The first time Suzuka opened her mouth was for an angry roar. Her hands were full with heavy bags of cotton candy, takoyaki, and other things in quantities that one person couldn't possibly finish. This scene felt familiar. She had definitely come quite early, to have been able to buy so many various things in this sea of people. 
Tenma smiled wryly. 
"There are so many people that it's hard to get here on time. She scolded me harshly even though I was just a little bit late, and......" 
He looked at Kyouko next to him. 
"Kurahashi-san just got here too." 
As he said this, he casually escaped to the back. 
Then, Harutora's group of three merged with Kyouko's group of three. 
Suzuka closed her mouth after getting angry. She kept secretly glancing at Kyouko, seeming to be a bit concerned. Tenma looked very sincerely at his friends, and Touji didn't say anything unnecessary. Natsume and Kyouko looked at each other and then nodded quietly, making room for Harutora. 
"......Ah." 
Harutora dropped his jaw and sputtered. 
Kyouko figure in the yukata was more beautiful than he would have anticipated. Her delicate atmosphere didn’t contrast against her gorgeous maturity, but rather merged to become greater than the whole. The young men around them often glanced over, and she herself seemed to be a bit embarrassed. 
Harutora walked in front of Kyouko, his mind blank as the other four watched them. What should he say and how should he say it? His mind was in chaos. He had no idea where his determination and motivation during the day had gone. 
"Uh, Kyouko......" 
He spoke with a weak, timid voice. Moreover, there was no follow-up. Awkwardness and tension were still restricting Harutora's actions. 
But, 
...Okay? Don't forget, alright? Since this is a promise. 
"......Sorry. Kyouko. I was wrong." 
He cleared his throat and apologized. Kyouko's expression went slightly stiff. 
"I really hate myself for this too. I don't know how to apologize...... Even if I apologize now, it definitely can't change anything......" 
Even if he apologized, he couldn't make amends. They couldn’t go back in time. 
But he wouldn't be able to go anywhere if he didn't apologize. He could only constantly look back, regret, and sincerely apologize. Harutora could only think of those insufficient methods to express his apology. 
Then...... 
Kyouko stared motionlessly at Harutora and finally sighed after staring solemnly for a while. 
She approached Harutora, and, 
Slap. 
Slapped Harutora with her palm. 
Natsume, Tenma, and Suzuka were taken aback, and even the people around them looked over in surprise. A number of them whistled dirtily, but backed off instantly after noticing Touji's stern look. But the one who had showed the most self-restraint there was probably Kon, who decided not to materialize. Though that time should have been time for her to perform her duty as a defensive shikigami, she held herself back from intervening for her master. 
"K-Kyouko......" 
Harutora felt his cheek, his eyes wide. On the other hand, Kyouko inexplicably became relieved, looking at Harutora whom she had slapped forcefully. 
She smiled softly, and said: 
"......Bakatora." 
He had no room to retort at all. 
Though Kyouko smiled, Harutora quickly saw she was behaving incredibly nervously. Guilt flooded his heart again. 
"......Sorry." 
There should be many more suitable words, but all he said were unpresentable words of apology. "Sorry." Harutora deeply bowed his head to Kyouko. 
The observers watched the two of them with very curious gazes. Touji continued glaring; this time, even Suzuka, Tenma, and Natsume secretly blocked the gazes around them or glared over with intimidating attitudes. 
Harutora and Kyouko weren't in the mood to pay attention to that as their minds were focused on each other. 
"Really...... You were much cooler when we were little......" 
Kyouko shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, forcefully pretending to be calm. 
"It's so disappointing." 
"......Sorry." 
Harutora could only awkwardly apologize for his hopeless stupidity. 
Kyouko slowly took a breath, and then revealed a firm yet also slightly hurt smile. 
"Bakatora." 
Compared to her words from before, her voice had already gotten much more cheerful. It was a voice that expressed that she could smile without regret even if not everything had been completely resolved. 
"......Then, let's go." 
She walked out, ending their topic just now on that note. She was unable to clearly forgive him, those were Kyouko's true feelings. Her feelings were complex and couldn't be defined in terms of forgiving or not forgiving. But Kyouko began walking forward, holding those thoughts in her heart. 
"Kurahashi-san." Natsume took a step forward. Kyouko smiled. 
"...Are you going to make good on that promise?" 
"Y-Yes." 
"Okay." 
She looked at Natsume again as she said this. 
"But, you don't have to wear your uniform when you come to see fireworks. And it's even the male one." 
"S-Sorry. This is the only proper clothing I have right now......" 
Touji, Tenma, and Suzuka all more or less showed surprised, astonished expressions when they heard the conversation between the two. Though they knew that the two of them had already reconciled, they hadn't seen it first-hand. Moreover, it was their first time seeing Natsume speak with Kyouko using a 'feminine manner of speech'. 
Kyouko's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Natsume's reply. 
"Really? Uh, well, that's fine. But don't act like the normal Natsume-kun when it's just us today, be the other 'Natsume-chan', okay? I want to properly understand 'Natsume-chan'." 
"I, I understand. If Kurahashi-san says so--" 
"Honestly, just call me Kyouko. Even Bakatora calls me that." 
Kyouko smiled wryly, teasing her. "You don't like it?" The nervous Natsume frantically shook her head. 
"Kyouko...... san." 
"Yeah." 
Kyouko nodded in satisfaction. 
"Kyouko......" Harutora seemed to be dazzled by the two of them. Touji and Tenma looked at each other while smiling, and Suzuka harrumphed - very happily. 
"Ah, come to think of it, Tenma, you still call me 'Kurahashi-san', right? That's too formal, why don't you take this opportunity to call me by my name directly too." 
"That makes sense. It's true that I've been a bit too formal until now. Got it. Then let's call each other by our first names...... That's not bad, right, Suzuka-chan?" 
"Why are you turning to me! Don't look down on me, Glasses!" 
"Hey, hey, we finally managed to chat smoothly, so don't get too concerned about the details, Suzuka-chan." 
"You always called me by my name directly in the first place, headband! And you guys, don't think I'm going to play along at easing up the atmosphere! How rude! I'm a Divine General!" 
As the red-faced 'Child Prodigy' Suzuka roared angrily in opposition, smiles broke out on the others' faces. In that moment, Kyouko returned to being a 'companion' of Harutora's group. 
"Well, the fireworks are about to start." 
Kyouko looked at all of them and finally looked at Harutora. 
"Let's go."