"Let's go, to school!"
In the quaint manor, Tennyo Ei cheerfully slung her schoolbag over her shoulder.
"I wonder if the incident in Machiya Town has subsided."
Nagisa Kazuha was still a little worried. Even a young lady like her only knew that a 'terrorist attack' had occurred in Arakawa Ward.
After all, she was not the true power holder of the financial conglomerate and could only get some information about the 'inside story' from her elders.
"Don't panic."
"Tokyo has a population of ten million."
"We can't be so unlucky as to encounter an accident."
Akiyoshi Yuu calmly comforted everyone. The truth of the so-called 'terrorist attack' was just him practicing his Earth Release and, incidentally, keeping the police from disturbing Akiyoshi Kaoru.
As for whether an accident would come and in what way, it all depended on his mood.
"In one day, the Metropolitan Police Department should have handled it, right?"
The class president Nao also chimed in. Akiyoshi Kaoru, on the other hand, continued to scroll through her phone while walking. Just as everyone was heading towards the manor's entrance,
two young women in maid outfits were pushing open the closed main gate.
A black sedan drove into the manor and stopped.
?!
Tennyo Ei's pupils, which had been bouncing around, shrank. She subconsciously lowered her head, and her whole body trembled slightly.
Because a middle-aged man got out of that black sedan.
His salt-and-pepper short hair was combed back, and his unsmiling face had deep nasolabial folds, crow's feet... and sunken eye bags. He was wearing dark traditional clothing. At first glance, he looked like an old man in his fifties or sixties.
However, that was not the case, because the other party was:
"Father."
Nagisa Kazuha bowed in greeting, and Akiyoshi Yuu and the others also stopped in their tracks.
That's right, this old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties was actually only in his forties. He was Nagisa Kazuha's father, the head of the Nagisa financial conglomerate, and also Tennyo Ei's father!
As for why he looked like this, on one hand, it was because of his old-fashioned noble attire, which naturally made him look old.
On the other hand... it was not an easy task to sit firmly in the position of family head.
Internally, there were branch families vying for power and profit. Externally, there were rising stars eyeing his position.
The 'nouveau riche' of Minato Ward were constantly challenging the authority of the old-fashioned nobles.
"Kazuha."
"These are your classmates."
The serious middle-aged man's gaze swept over Akiyoshi Yuu and the others. He used a statement, not a question.
"Are you going to school? Be careful."
"Yes, Father..."
Nagisa Kazuha wanted to say more, but her father had already walked towards the main house.
From beginning to end, he hadn't even glanced at Tennyo Ei.
?
"Father!"
The middle-aged man who was walking away with his back to her just slightly raised his hand, indicating that he did not want to hear any sound.
This posture made Nagisa Kazuha very disappointed.
...
"Let's go, Nagisa-san."
"And—Tennyo-san."
He placed his hand on the shoulder of the petite girl who was trembling with her head down.
"There's an old saying, 'thirty years east of the Arakawa River, thirty years west of the Arakawa River'."
Amidst his sister Akiyoshi Kaoru's question of 'does Tokyo have such a proverb?', Akiyoshi Yuu continued to comfort Tennyo Ei.
"In short, although he doesn't value you now, maybe in a short while, you'll become someone he has to look up to?"
"How is that possible? I'm just an... orphan."
Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Tennyo Ei, who had lifted her head, once again showed a carefree smile.
"Hee hee hee~~"
"I was just scared by that gentleman's aura."
"Ei, I'm sorry."
Subconsciously hugging the girl, Nagisa Kazuha's face was full of guilt.
On one side was her father, on the other was her older sister... she was also in a difficult position in the middle.
That's right, although whether it was her height or her steady personality, 'Nagisa Kazuha' seemed more like the older sister, in fact, between the two, the petite Tennyo Ei was the one born first.
"I'm fine."
Tennyo Ei removed her younger sister's hand.
"Kazu-chan, let's go!"
She took the lead and walked towards the main gate. She both longed for and feared this place.
In the end, it's not my 'home'...
"Ei, wait."
A figure quickly came out from the side. Akiyoshi Kaoru, who was always on her phone, put it away and came forward to take Tennyo Ei's hand.
"Let's go together."
"Okay, Kaoru-chan is the best~~"
The young lady who had also wanted to come forward, Nagisa Kazuha, paused her steps slightly.
Although it was a bit rude to say so, compared to her, who was doted on by her parents, Akiyoshi Kaoru, who had lost her parents, might be able to understand her older sister's feelings better?
"Don't think too much, Nagisa-san."
While stepping forward, Akiyoshi Yuu tilted his head forward.
"As long as your feelings for Tennyo-san are sincere, that's enough."
As for her parents?
He believed that their attitude towards Tennyo Ei would soon change.
Of course, whether this change was good or bad, only they would know.
Akiyoshi Yuu was just preparing to give the girl a chance, and also a chance for those two parents.
Bunkyo Ward,
Tokyo Metropolitan Koishikawa Secondary Education School.
Sitting by the window, Kishida Jun frowned slightly.
That target had started moving again.
Yesterday, he had tracked it all the way. After fighting the 'flame skull' released by the other party in Arakawa Ward, although he had obtained a piece of the 'Killing Stone', he was helpless against the black fish that could burrow into the ground and carried a torii on its back.
The other party had a large piece of the Killing Stone on it!
Ever since he accepted 'Shiro Mujou's' mission, Kishida Jun could vaguely sense the existence of 'demonic power'.
According to 'Shiro Mujou', at this point in time, the demonic power appearing in the human world almost all came from fragments of the 'Killing Stone'.
And the 'Killing Stone' had the ability to imprison souls, which could be said to have offended the 'authority' of the underworld, so he needed his help to collect these fragments.
That 'Shiro Mujou' had promised that as long as he retrieved one hundred pieces of the 'Killing Stone', he would make an exception and resurrect Miyashita Ryoko!
Collecting the Killing Stone was equivalent to opposing that legendary 'Demon King'.
But how could the current Kishida Jun care about this?
Even if it was the head of the three great demon kings,
he would never back down!
"Tamamo-no-Mae..."
The boy muttered to himself. In the legends of the island nation, there were countless gods and ghosts, said to be eight million gods. However, there were only three who could be called 'Demon Kings'.
Daitengu, Shuten-doji, and the White-faced Golden-haired Nine-tailed Fox!
Strictly speaking,
Tengu was not a certain yokai, but the name of a clan.
In the records of ghosts and monsters, there were as many as eight yokai in the island nation with the title of 'Daitengu'. The remaining ordinary 'Tengu' were even more numerous.
The characteristics of a Tengu were a red face and a long, large nose, as well as a pair of wings. With these wings, a Tengu could soar freely in the sky. At the same time, they held a round fan, a feather fan, or a treasure hammer, which could stir up a whirlwind that connected heaven and earth.
Although they were famous in the island nation, their strength... if all the Tengu could be gathered, they would be considered powerful, if the legends were true.
Of course, this was impossible.
Because Tengu themselves represented 'arrogance', making them cooperate was simply a fantasy.
As for 'Shuten-doji', he was the demon king who occupied Mount Oe.
He had two appearances, 'handsome young man' and 'ugly demon'. His human form could bewitch thousands of women, while his demon form could spit fire to burn the sky and boil the sea.
However, in the legends, as soon as he appeared, his head was cut off by 'Minamoto no Yorimitsu' of the Genji clan. Although it was said that he was tricked and drunk, this battle record was really not presentable.
Only Tamamo-no-Mae...
Flipping through the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki he had borrowed, Kishida Jun couldn't help but feel that it was a thorny issue.
Unlike Daitengu and Shuten-doji, Tamamo-no-Mae had actually fought head-on with the Onmyoji, Buddhist monks with magical powers, and samurai of the Heian period!
It was said that she lurked in the imperial palace, absorbing Emperor Toba's essence. Although she was eventually suppressed by the great Onmyoji 'Abe no Yasuchika' with the power of the entire nation, her demonic power, ambition, and obsession still remained in Nasuno in the form of the 'Killing Stone', immortal and indestructible, waiting for the opportunity to revive.
Just a year ago, the Killing Stone had cracked!
Recalling the past news, Kishida Jun was thoughtful.
Perhaps from that time on, yokai... or rather, supernatural creatures, had already been secretly lurking among humans?
If it were in the past, Kishida Jun neither believed in nor was close to the 'ghosts and gods'. Now, he was a firm supporter of 'ghosts and gods'.
Ryoko.
His gaze fell on the umbrella next to his desk, and the boy's eyes were exceptionally gentle.
I won't make you wait too long.