The original text is still kindly provided by blueseraphima.
K ~ Mini Episodes
Episode 8: The Two Youngsters
by Raikaku Rei
Prompt: Isana Yashiro and Munakata Reishi after season 2
Ever since the January Superpower Disturbance, as it had come to be called, in the course of which mankind in its entirety temporary acquired supernatural abilities, existence of such powers had become something intimately familiar to people.
It could no longer be written off as an urban legend. The knowledge had become much more than Tokijikuin and Scepter 4, as well as the government and police connected to them, could contain, making the pressing need for sharing information and establishing laws in relation to supernatural powers clear.
"Thank you for the report on superpower-related crimes for this month. As I thought, after the initial chaos in the wake of that incident settled down, the number of such cases started stabilizing, too. Cases related to accidental outbursts of power decreased, but premeditated offenses committed by the enduring power holders spiked in a sporadic fashion instead and have now became the norm, huh."
"Seeing as not all supernatural powers necessarily disappeared along with he destruction of the Slate, this situation falls within the range of general expectations. And it is our duty to find ways to maintain law and order under these circumstances. We shall protect the peace of people who had weathered that storm."
"That's so reliable. As to my duty, it's to help with development of laws that would warrant as little anxiety as possible and information exchange channels, but, uh... it's not going all that smoothly, to be honest." The young man was smiling as he scratched his head.
Watching his expression, Munakata replied, "To the higher-ups in the government, you're an 'enigmatic youngster riding on the coattails of Kokujouji Daikaku who suddenly dropped on them from the skies'. Naturally, they would be distrustful and try to antagonize you."
"Spoken from experience, I take it."
The young man with uneasily knitted brows was a Caucasian in his early twenties - Adolf K. Weissmann, also going by the name Isana Yashiro.
To him, the man who researched the Slate during the WWII together with Kokujouji Daikaku, every last one of the people currently holding important political posts was his far removed junior.
However, very few had accurate knowledge of his personal history. And to the rest he was but a leading expert on supernatural power researched authorized by Tokijikuin.
Munakata Reishi gave the man's frame another careful onceover.
White skin and chiselled carefully arranged features typical of Germans. Silver shoulder-length hair. Gray eyes edged with silver eyelashes.
He was sure the man looked exactly the same as the soulless form of the Silver king that Munakata had previously seen inside a capsule resembling a coffin save for the length of his hair, and yet the impression he projected was entirely different now that facial expressions were added. And all those different expressions he made persistently called to mind 'Isana Yashiro' - a boy whose body he had previously inhabited.
"You may look young, but not only is that youth deceptive, you are also actually a person about as advanced in years as His Excellency himself."
"Ah, well, believe it or not, I'm actually really just a youngster. Unlike Lieutenant, all I did for almost 70 years was just observing, without experiencing anything. ...Just like with my body, my mind's time was sort of frozen, too."
Munataka had to admit the man did have a point. Even with his appearance put aside for a moment, Munakata hardly felt any of that peculiar depth to this man that came with years like it was with Kokujouji Daikaku. What's more, the man still had a faint air of an easily hurt boy about him.
In contract to his amiably striking up a conversation with Munakata, it was, in fact, transparent that he had some misgivings about it. When they had formed an alliance as a countermeasure against the Green clan, Munakata didn't place any real trust in him, letting it show in his attitude. There was some negative history between the two that weighted on the silver-haired man's mind even at the present, so he ended up building something of a wall in his heart when it came to Munakata. He really acted just like your regular youth.
"Your time had stopped when you were 22, I believe? Which means both your mind and your body will now experience growth from that point on, won't they?"
"...I sure hope so." The man, physically younger than Munakata himself, beamed at him.
Munakata showed a tiny smile of his own. "I see," he said pushing up his glasses. "Well then, let us go, shall we? As fellow 'unbearable youngsters riding on the coattails of His Excelency', let us play smartly and outmaneuver those sly oldtimers."
After this, they both had a meeting scheduled with the concerned government ministries and agencies about measures in regards to superpowers. In the first place, they had met before it specifically to get ready for it.
With a lopsided smile, the silver-haired man came up to Munakat, walking side by side with him.
"I'm counting on you, Munakata-san."
"It is I who should have high hopes for your work, Professor Weissmann - or should I call you Isana Yashiro-shi?"
The Silver king stole a glace out of the corner of his eye at the other man, still looking a little uncomfortable around Munakata, but then smiled, brows shifting. "Please call me Shiro."
K ~ Mini Episodes ~ Episode 7: Hospitalization of Kusanagi Izumo
Another one of those mini stories. The original text is kindly provided by blueseraphima.
K ~ Mini Episodes
Episode 7: Hospitalization of Kusanagi Izumo
by Miyazawa Tatsuki
Prompt: Homura and hospitals
The news about Kusanagi Izumo's hospitalization became progressively more confusing as it circulated within Homura. Shouhei heard that Kusanagi was admitted for strain from overwork, Dewa assured he was stabbed by a woman he was dating because she suspected him of two-timing her, while Kamamoto claimed it was a result of his experiments with cocktails he served in his bar (mainly due to unholy amounts of anko), but the real cause was a fractured bone suffered in a traffic accident.
The reason why the news got so distorted was because the very person who normally managed information and gave directions about confirming its validity was missing, with the onslaught of false rumors, in effect, reaffirming Kusanagi Izumo's grave importance to people around.
Furthermore, the broken bone was a result of helping another. A child ran out to the road when her mother took her eyes off the little girl for a second. Having witnessed it, Kusanagi leaped between the child and a car with all his superhuman speed and did something as amazing as pushing back the car with a kick of his right foot. Even if it was light, it was still a vehicle going at 40kmph.
The car's front got smashed in, the driver suffered a light whiplash injury, but a dreadful catastrophe, thus, had been avoided.
What's more, at the time Kusanagi, his form pitched forward slightly with hands still in his pockets, a cigarette in the mouth and right foot sunk into the hood, even had enough composure to smile pleasantly at the child he'd just saved by a hair's breadth. "Are you injured anywhere, little miss?"
The people around were understandably flabbergasted. Yata Misaki, who happened to accompany Kusanagi at the time, was the first to rush over to him, clap him on the shoulder and sing praises.
"That's Kusanagi-san for ya! You're Homura's second-in-command for a damn good reason, duh!"
Needless to say, such a stunt was only possible precisely due to Kusanagi's superhuman durability as a clansman of the Red clan. But the instantaneous decision making and calm yet brave actions he'd taken stemmed from Kusanagi's own natural gifts.
A few seconds after Yata's gushing, the people around caught on and raised their voices with booming praise. The child still only stared at Kusanagi in a daze. Face messy with tears, her mother could only earnestly and profusely bow her head to Kusanagi.
The driver, rubbing his sore neck, did stare at the smashed front of his car with some regret after safely getting out, but he also looked relieved at having avoided an accident involving fatalities.
"Thanks, bro. You saved my hide."
"You're welcome," Kusanagi replied like it was nothing to him, still keeping his right foot in the body of the car. But he didn't keep standing with his right leg raised high just to look cool.
No, at the time, the bone in his heel had already been fractured, and he couldn't put his leg down even if he'd wanted to.
According to Kusanagi himself, it hurt like hell, almost enough to make him cry.
And that was the reason for Kusanagi's admission to hospital. Possessing a decent amount of foresight, he used some of his bank savings to take a more spacious ward. That decision proved correct the next day already. To start with, guys from Homura visited him by turns and stayed long, with whether they came to pay a get-well visit or just to hang out being unclear.
Totsuka flew a drone he'd bought recently in Kusanagi's hospital ward which resulted in him getting yelled at by a nurse. Suoh came all alone, and after lazing absentmindedly in the sickroom in silence for some time, finally said, "Get well," and gave him a pack of cigarettes. Anna took naps on Kusanagi's bed because the spot got plenty of sun.
Anyhow, it was boisterous.
Eventually, having already shown superhuman durability, Kusanagi also exhibited superhuman recovery ability, and was able to leave the hospital in 2 weeks, but it wasn't so much due to him making a full recovery as running out of apologies to make to the hospital.
K ~ Mini Episodes ~ Episode 4: Lopsided Employee Benefits
A series of mini episodes by GoRA in response to requests by fans. The original text is kindly provided by blueseraphima.
K ~ Mini Episodes
Episode 4: Lopsided Employee Benefits
by Miyazawa Tatsuki
Prompt: Physical Checkup in Scepter 4
Various national agencies, including the National Police Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Ministry of Finance, were all intimately familiar with the importance of Scepter 4. After all, no other organization possessed the ability to keep crimes committed via the application of supernatural powers by strains under control.
When it came to dealing with outbreaks of fires, burglary or diseases, there were units comprised of trained civil servants such as firemen, police officers and paramedics stationed throughout Japan.
However, when a strain caused trouble, there was no way around sending Scepter 4, stationed in the capital, on an official trip to settle the matter. Even taking into account that it was difficult to counter supernatural crime for anyone other than those possessing supernatural abilities themselves, such a setup was clearly flawed. The reason why the national government agencies had a firm recognition of Scepter 4's importance was this.
On the other hand, however, the fact also stood that due to Scepter 4 being permitted to use mostly extralegal measures when it came to strain-related cases thanks to the quite open backing by Kakujouji Daikaku, the man whom it was no exaggeration to call the Don of the political and business circles, making it possible, and also due to the youngster who held the executive position arrogantly named office head daring coolly ignore even the directors of the government agencies from time to time the parties concerned were in a permanent foul mood.
That manifested in a budget compilation that looked more like harassment.
"Uhhh," said Hidaka in bafflement, looking at the schedule. "So this physical checkup... comes with a 2 days/1 night stay at an ultra-luxurious hotel?"
Technically, the Scepter 4 members were public servants, who had the right, which at the same time was more like a duty, to undergo a regular physical examination. Only, considering their age, commonly, a set of tests consisting of a chest X-ray, blood test, urine analysis and an interview with a physician taking no more than an hour in all was more than enough. However...
"Wait a second. I may understand the need for endoscopy and colonography if I really try, but a head MRI and PET-CT?" Enomoto, annoyed, spoke up next to Hidaka.
"What kind of tests are even those?" Fuse asked.
"I understand testing for brain tumors and cancer, but those are still not tests normally administered at our age without the patient's prior concerns. Besides, a LOX-index test? I don't even know what on earth that is, but I'm sure as hell that we don't need it!"
"But the worst of all is..." Gotou muttered quietly, "mammography that's somehow compulsory even for male troops."
At that, everyone fell silent. For what it was worth, all the present, in the face of Fuse, Enomoto, Gotou and Hidaka, had reasonable confidence in the health of their breasts.
"To begin with, is it even possible to stick ours between the plates?"
When someone muttered that simple question, the four young men exchanged fearful looks.
Enomoto commented offhandedly, "Well, if you want my opinion, I think the percentage of male breast cancer is probably not zero. But, uh, this just plainly looks like harassment, you know?"
"How much might a set of tests like that cost?" asked Hidaka with a clouded expression.
"It's close to the Premium Executive Golden Rich Course at this hospital for the wealthy. So more than 300,000 at the cheapest," answered Gotou, looking up the subject on his PDA.
Hidaka's eyes boggled. Fuse was about to lose it.
"Hey, hey, hold on just a goddamn second there. A roof leak in our dorm that made itself known last month is still there, the shower switches from cold to warm and back rhythmically entirely on its own all the time, and just the other day we saw a mouse in the room we share with Enomoto! Is that the Premium Executive Golden Rich Course, too?"
"Yeah, for those needs, there's no money in the budget at all..." Enomoto lamented.
With a sour face, unusual for him, Gotou added, "And our other employee benefits are just as worthless."
In the end, the conclusion the four agreed upon concerning the bizarrely lopsided budget compilation was, 'It's all because our Captain is hated by the other Ministries.' Determined to at least stay positive about the checkup, they continued their exchange along the lines of 'Fushimi-san looks unhealthy, but what if he's actually surprisingly healthy?' 'Can X-rays even penetrate Lieutenant Awashima's breasts?' and 'You can't help staring intently at the needle during blood tests, right?' in case of Gotou.
Later, when the results of the checkups had been in, the Scepter 4 troops learned that they were all in extremely good health, to no one's surprise.
I think the anime skipped this part in its entirety because it’s not plot-important (but still provides some character insight that will be helpful later on, particularly to better understand the exchange between Yasaburou and the Nidaime at the end of the novel that didn’t make it into the anime)
The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime’s Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko
Chapter 2 (part 3/4, pages 99-111)
〇
Late at night, with nothing better to do, I explored the tree I was in and found a big cavity in it. A look inside revealed that it was surprisingly clean and filled with small accessory cases and stuff. All pointed to it being my eldest brother's secret closet.
"Let's see if he has anything interesting in there." Putting a hand inside, I rummaged through stuff stored there.
This being my straight-laced brother's hiding spot, it contained not a single interesting thing, much to my disappointment. All it had were items desperately lacking any appeal, like a book in traditional Japanese biding titled 'Furry child' that preached tanuki's history and guidelines, persimmons dried up to hardness he'd apparently forgotten to eat in time and spare parts for the automated rickshaw. "How boring," I muttered, going through them and eventually finding a big box made of empress tree and wrapped in some high quality wrapping cloth.
It was our father's favorite shogi board. A fine bulky board with 4 legs, one on each corner, exuding an air of grandeur that had you almost convinced that you could become good at shogi just by sitting in seiza in front of it. What ruined its splendor was the teeth marks on its surface, left there by my eldest brother.
'How terrible. Aniki sure did such an immature thing,' I thought to myself. 'But then again, back at the time he was still only a kid.'
I, too, had some memories of my own about the day when my brother ruined this shogi board.
On that day, our father, usually very busy, was relaxing in the Tadasu forest, and about the time evening fell, Nanzenji Gyokuran came to visit. Those days, she would drop by every so often, coming all the way to the Tadasu forest specifically to play shogi with my father and brother. She would go as far as shapeshifting into a human and turning up at various shogi associations, freely wandering from one place where she could find a willing partner to play shogi with to another.
Our father took out his favorite shogi board, and my brother and Gyokuran sat down to play.
With our father watching, my brother was fired up more than ever. Trying to bite more than you could chew would never go as planned, and while my brother was focused on advancing his pawn, his overall situation turned clearly unfavorable. However, in the final stage, Gyokuran made a few surprisingly bad moves in succession, and the game was overturned, with my brother gaining a miraculous victory. Only, he wasn't pleased with it. With the game over, the moment he raised his gaze from the board, he ended up shapeshifting into a tiger in a fit of anger and sinking his teeth into the board after losing himself to his fury.
My brother simply couldn't tolerate the fact that he had been shown mercy by Gyokuran in the presence of our father. He was always prideful, and from where he stood, a crushing defeat would have been easier to accept than that, no doubt.
Since that incident, my brother banned himself from ever touching shogi.
No matter how our father encouraged him later on, he never played another game ever again.
〇
On the third day of my life in the tree in protest against my eldest brother's inconsiderate statements, my mother nimbly climbed the tree with an intention to persuade me.
"We got this delicious youkan dessert [*1], so I brought some for you."
Arranging the youkan on a tree brunch, she poured some green tea from a thermos flask around her neck. Then I and my mother sat down on the branch and got to eating the jet black youkan.
The incessant rain played the forest like a musical instrument.
Before long, mother abruptly declared, "I like Gyokuran quite a bit, you know."
"Well, Gyokuran-sensei is one good tanuki, yes," I nodded.
"Let's have her as Yaichirou's wife. Yes, that's it, I've decided."
"...That was so out of left field, mother."
"What do you think of this?" mother whispered. "I personally think I'm onto something."
"The red fur of fate, eh?"
"But bringing them together is going to be tough. Yaichirou is not the type to be any good at romantic strategizing, and Gyokuran seems like a shy maiden..." My mother savored a sip of her tea, then spoke up again as if talking to herself. "Then again, luckily, Yaichirou has a kind little brother who would figure something out to make that happen, I'm sure. No matter what people say, he is a very kind boy, and he regrets causing trouble at the Tanuki Shogi tournament. I have no doubt he's ready to do what it takes to make up for it. Yes, I have no doubt. Of course. A mother always knows these things."
Coming to an agreement with herself, and herself only, mother started stuffing her cheeks with the youkan again, grinning.
"Such delicious youkan. This youkan is high-end indeed."
〇
Now that I had unwittingly partaken of the high-end youkan that mother had brought I couldn't continue pretending to be a furry tengu anymore, so in the afternoon of the same day I said goodbye to my life in the tree and went to Nanzenji temple.
As I walked along the Biwako Canal, heading from Okazaki towards the higher area, I saw the rain-soaked Ferris wheel of Kyoto zoo on the opposite shore and heard the lonely chirping of foreign birds in the distance. The Nanzenji forest, sprawling opposite of the Biwako Canal Memorial Hall, being beaten by drizzle, looked swollen after soaking up so much rain water. Passing by a pretentious traditional Japanese restaurant, I entered the Nanzenji temple grounds.
Upon leaving wet red pines behind, the towering Nanzenji temple triple gate [*2], with its top hazy with the rain, came into view.
Taking cover from the splashes of the incessantly falling rain behind the old black pillars, Nanzenji Shoujirou, dressed in traditional Japanese clothes, was facing a shogi board in solitude. When he saw me, he smiled in delight.
I sat down in front of Shoujirou and crossed my legs. My butt immediately felt chilly.
"How is Gyokuran-sensei doing?"
"Still sitting in her Ama-no-Iwato cave [*3]. Once she's decided to hole up, she won't listen to anything her brother has to say,p at all. I don't know if it'll take a fool's dance or what for her to come down."
"I apologize for all the trouble I've caused."
"Don't worry about it. After a storm comes a calm, they say."
The falling rain rustled against the roof of the gate.
"Sheesh, my big brother is so clumsy and dumb about certain things."
"...But well, we are only tanuki." Shoujirou chuckled and span the shogi board. "I understand Yaichirou's situation rather well; if my father were a tanuki as renown as yours and his, I would feel like I was being under his watch every second of my life, and that would cause me to make mishaps even where normally I wouldn't. If you just kick back and let the flow stir you, you won't make big blunders, but the moment tanuki like us try to put up a front and do something, we only end up complicating things. That's just the nature of creatures known as tanuki."
"You may be right. Being soft and pliant is tanuki's saving grace, after all."
"That said, I still like Yaichirou."
Nanzenji Shoujirou was always nice to the Shimogamo family. Unlike my eldest brother who, despite being so straight-laced, could easily transform into a tiger and go on a rampage, Shoujirou remained a decorous and mild-mannered tanuki under any circumstances. Among the numerous tanuki who only decided in what way they should shake their butts after seeing the way other tanuki shook theirs, Shoujirou always allied himself with my brother. My brother trusted him, and Shoujirou placed faith in our eldest in turn.
Staring at the shogi board, Shoujirou muttered, "When my sister secludes herself like now, I can't help thinking about the God of shogi."
"The God of shogi?"
"You see, Gyokuran used to coop up on the second story of the gate quite often in the past, saying she was doing intensive shogi training. And at those times, she apparently saw the God of shogi."
According to what Gyokuran revealed to Shoujirou, as she sat in front of the shogi board day after day, devoting all of her body and soul to the game and thinking so hard she even stopped breathing, one day, she felt like the 81-squares of the shogi board suddenly stretched out into infinity. The pieces lined up there, as well as all of their moves, linked themselves directly with her mind, and she understood with vivid clarity that the small shogi board was much bigger that she'd ever thought, not just bigger than Kyoto where she lived, but even bigger than Japan and even the whole of the world, and for a moment she felt like she was about to faint from the sheer delight and equal fright, sending chills down her spine, that the realization had brought.
She could swear she saw the furry God of shogi cross the board in that instance.
When he heard her talking about that experience, Shoujirou had a bad feeling about it.
Since having been awakened to shogi by Sakata Sankichi's Nanzenji Showdown, the Nanzanji family had seen several of its members among those who were overly fanatical about shogi end badly. Too engrossed in thinking about shogi all the time, some fell into tanuki hot pot, others were hit by a car, still others left on a shogi pilgrimage and never came back. In the Nanzanji family, it was customarily said about those possessed by shogi who had disappeared from this world that they had been 'taken by the God of shogi'.
"So I started feeling uneasy, worrying that Gyokuran would be taken, too," said Nanzenji Shoujirou to me, his gaze never leaving the shogi board. "And I always wished for someone to prevent it somehow. So you know, Yasaburou-kun, I can't help thinking how great it would be if Yaichirou became that person."
"Are you sure you're okay with someone like him?"
"...It doesn't matter if I'm okay with him or not. He's the one my sister chose."
I bowed to Shoujirou and started climbing the steep stairway illuminated by the murky light of the lamps.
The second story of the triple gate was a spacious chamber with wooden flooring for enshrining a Buddha and it was encircled by a balcony with a balustrade. Said balustrade was completely wet.
From there, you could have an extensive view of the Kyoto cityscape lying beyond the temple grounds, hazy with the rain. On the left, there towered Hotel Miyako on a hill of lush green that looked like it was wrapped in silk floss, and out in front was the beloved cityscape of streets and houses where tanuki, tengu and humans continued to go about their lives, crawling below. Farther away, there loomed Mt.Atagoyama, the turf of one Atagoyama Taroubou, and a row of other mountains that blocked the city off like a dark green folding screen.
I opened a stout wooden door decorated with metal tacks shaped like a breast with a nipple.
"Do not talk to me, Yasaburou-chan," said Gyokuran from the dark. "I'm in the middle of reflecting right now."
〇
Nanzenji Gyokuran sat on the wooden floor of the dark chamber all alone.
"Your butt must be hurting already, no?" I said.
"You shouldn't speak about butts to a lady."
"A freezing butt is the source of all illnesses. So how about coming down already, Gyokuran-sensei?"
"...Don't call me sensei."
As far as I could see, Gyokuran, in a dress, was sitting completely upright with her back straight and gazing at the shogi board in front of her. The wooden room, wet and cold, was filled with a perfume scent and a grand presence unfit for a tanuki. The thick pillars were decorated with skillful pictures, the Buddha at the back next to the altar appeared like he glared at us, and the picture of a peacock on the ceiling seemed to be casting a sharp glance our way, too.
I went and sat down cross-legged opposite of Gyokuran, with the shogi board between us.
A glance at the board revealed that the neatly lined up pieces had yet to make any move. I reached my hand and, picking up the right edge pawn, advanced it forward, while trying to gauge Gyokuran's feelings. Gyokuran kept staring at the board without a word, but before long, she lifted her hand and advanced her own pawn.
And so, we started playing shogi to the beating of the heavy rain echoing through the room. I played in a reckless way driven to extremity, which little by little loosened Gyokuran, who found herself unable to resist much longer, enough to smile.
"You're being completely absurd, Yasaburou-chan. There is no shogi like that."
"Do I suck that bad?"
"I get a feeling that all of your pawns are constantly laughing."
"When the player is an idiot, his pawns turn into idiots, too, I guess."
I imagine I was one hopelessly tough student to handle for Nanzenji Gyokuran back when she served as Akadama-sensei's assistant. Despite that, Gyokuran never failed to be nice to me. She stood up for me whenever possible when Akadama-sensei tried to bring his figurative iron hammer on my head, and when I sprouted a mushroom on my butt, leaving me embarrassed and at a loss, she took me to a proctologist specializing in tanuki. In the first place, the one to imprint the conviction that freezing your butt was the source of all illnesses into me was Nanzenji Gyokuran.
"We'll keep playing idiot shogi until you decide to get down from here, Gyokuran."
"Have mercy. I'll die from laughter sooner."
"In that case, let's get down. Everyone's worried about you."
"...Our positions have switched, haven't they."
Gyokuran raised her face from the shogi board and smiled.
"Do you remember the time when you were left hanging from the big cedar in Kumogahata?"
"When Akadama-sensei tied me up and then just left, forgetting about it, right?"
"You insisted that you would not come down at the time."
"Did I, now?"
"Yes, you did. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Even when the sun had set, you were still nowhere to be seen, so Yaichirou-san got really worried, and we went to Kumogata together to search for you."
That night, my brother and Gyokuran crossed the dark plains looking for me.
To start with, tengu's training ground in Kumogahata was not a place tanuki would be very familiar with, and with darkness falling, it turned even more spooky. Across the plains, as wast as the ocean, tepid stray wind blew, and if you looked up at the sky, it was so full of stars you'd never see in a city that it was scary.
When the two came as far as the center of those plains, Gyokuran had a sudden fear attack that almost rendered her unable to breathe. She knew she would never take a step out of grasslands without a very good reason for the rest of her life then. Even now, when the heaven and earth switched placed, she vividly experienced the sensation of sinking into the limitless starry sky. In those plains, as she stopped in spite of herself, my brother came to her side and held her hand tight. The suffocation from falling into the cosmos itself receded, and Gyokuran came back to the solid ground found beneath her feet. But even after she did, she never let go of my brother's hand.
Some time later, they finally reached the towering lone black cedar.
"Yasaburou, heey!" they called, and "Heey," came a careless reply from above.
Having climbed up the cedar, my brother and Gyokuran found the tied up and forgotten furry little me at the top. Apparently, they were so relieved they were ready to burst into tears, but I, very young as I was, only kept my gloomy silence like your veritable furry Jizou [*4]. And not just that, I even unreasonably declared that I had no intention to come down, flooring the two. "I'm going to train in the tree top and become a tengu. And then I'll kick Akadama-sensei down from Nyoigadake," I announced my determined decision, quite unbecoming of a tanuki. I must have been really angry with sensei at the time.
Gyokuran was reminiscing about that night with a smile as she lined up the shogi pieces.
"We brought you back by force that night. You showed some eye-rolling obstinacy, I'll have you know."
"Well, I was an idiot back then."
"You haven't changed much since though?"
"Me aside, what are YOU going to do, Gyokuran? Still going to be stubborn?"
When I said that, Gyokuran laughed. "No, I've had enough of idiot shogi."
Following the narrow stairway, we went down, finding that the rain had gone into a lull before we knew it. Nanzenji Shoujirou still sat in front of the shogi board. "Nii-sama, I'm back," said Gyokuran and lowered her head, while Shoujirou raised his and gave her a bright smile.
"I'm so glad to see that."
"I'm going to go visit the Tadasu forest now. Is it okay with you?"
"...Of course. Go."
T/N:
[*1] Youkan dessert (羊羹): a Japanese confectionery made with red bean paste (anko) and agar and solidified in a block shape (wiki). One of the most famous high-end youkan shops with long history is Kyoto's Toraya.
[*2] Triple gate or Sanmon (三門) of a temple: usually two-storied, they symbolyze stages of enlightment and their size indicates a temple’s status (wiki)
[*3] Ama-no-Iwato (天の岩戸): a cave from Japanese mythology where the sun goddess Amaterasu secluded herself because of the bad conduct of her brother Susano'o, the god of seas and storms (wiki)
[*4] Jizou (地蔵): a bodhisattva of hell-beings, a savior of souls suffering in hell and protector of children and travellers, he is depicted as a shaved-headed monk with childlike features, and you can often find his statues by roadsides and graveyards (wiki) You should also know him as Enma-daiou's alter ego if you watched Hoozuki no Reitetsu.
The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime’s Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko
Chapter 2 (part 2/4, pages 83-99)
〇
Nanzenji temple was an ancient temple of Soto school of Zen Buddhism located in the heart of the Higashiyama mountains.
The Nanzenji family's territory was the forest stretching from Nanzenji temple up.
About 80 years ago, in the chilly writing alcove of the temple, an Osaka shogi player by the name of Sakata Sankichi [*1] played off against shogi players from Tokyo. That match was known as the Nanzenji Showdown. Even I, as ignorant as I was about shogi, knew how Sakata Sankichi, previously silent for a long time, gave them a shock of a lifetime with an odd move known as 'pushing the right edge pawn'. Their game that had lasted for 7 days was dreadfully vicious, and even the tanuki of Nanzenji who watched it were left overwhelmed by it.
Even if the legend of the three Nanzenji siblings being taught shogi personally by Sakata Sankichi lacked credibility, it appeared that the fact that that 7 day game was what awakened the Nanzenji clan to shogi was true. Ever since, the Nanzenji family became passionate shogi fans who did everything in their power to popularize shogi in the tanuki world. The reason why our father picked up shogi in his youth was because the previous head of the Nanzenji clan taught him the basics.
Following the instructions from the Nanzenji tanuki, the tanuki on the premises started moving, walking with their paper lanters in hand.
Passing the Nanzenji waterway standing out in the darkness, they climbed the stone steps from where the purl of the streaming water in the Biwako canal could be heard. Swallowed by the looming shadow of the Higashiyama mountains, the area was so humid it was difficult to breathe. Overlooking the garden of Nanzenin, the lantern procession went through a grove of dark cedar trees. From the front of the line, Yasaka Heitarou's laughing voice could be heard, and someone tooted a trumpet.
My eldest brother was vigilantly looking all around as he walked.
"I don't see Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
The great turmoil that had shaken the tanuki world last year had ended with the head of the Ebisugawa family, Ebisugawa Souun, who controlled the factory producing Fake Denki Bran [*2] for many years and stuffed his own pockets, losing his standing. The whereabouts of Souun, who had taken away all his fortune with him, to this date remained unknown, but there were rumors that he made himself comfortable at a hot spring.
Thus, the most idiotic brothers in the whole tanuki world, that is, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, took over running the factory, replacing Souun, and when everyone thought that this might be it for the long-standing and honorable moonshine that was Fake Denki Bran, a shrewd operator, namely Souun's youngest daughter Kaisei, appeared out of nowhere like a meteor [*3] and took up the reins of her idiot brothers. Said brothers were frequently seen on the night streets in tears weeping that "Kaizei chewed us out".
"They obviously have no slightest interest in shogi. They're idiots, after all."
"They were mighty sulky after their crushing defeat in the preliminaries, but said they would come to participate in the main tournament anyway. Kaisei provided Fake Denki Bran for refreshments, so it won't do for us to completely exclude the Ebisugawa family from the tournament."
"If they're up to no good, I'm ready to take up the gauntlet."
"Spare me the off-the-shogi-board fighting, will you."
Before long, we came out to a clearing in the woods.
An impressive bonfire burning bright in one corner of the forest cast light onto a gigantic shogi board several dozens of tatami mats in size and built in the center of the clearing. It was to become the stage for tonight's matches. On the three sides of it, there were put tiered audience seats, and before it stood a long table, tightly packed with simmering oden pots, rows of countless onigiri enough to be dizzied by, and alluringly sparkling large bottles of Fake Denki Bran, shamelessly enticing the assembled tanuki.
The head of the Nanzenji family and Gyokuran's older brother Shoujirou stepped forward, dressed in a traditional Japanese attire.
"I would like to heartily thank all of you who came to the Nanzenji Shogi tournament today. After Shimogamo Souichirou's passing, this tournament has been on hold for a long time, unavoidable though it was, but today, thanks to everyone's kind support, we are opening it again. I pray that this time this tournament will remain annual for years to come. Additionally, I would also like to express our special gratitude to Ebisugawa Kaisei-sama for her enormous contribution."
The tanuki who'd already filled their cups gave a loud cheer.
"Hooray for tanuki shogi! Hooray for Fake Denki Bran!"
As if they were purposefully waiting for the precise moment when those shouts of joy would resound, a procession of black-clad English gentlemen with paper lanterns suddenly appeared. The name on the lanterns read 'Ebisugawa'. Kinkaku, in a top silk hat vulgary glittering with gold, seemed to be basking in the 'Hooray for Fake Denki Bran' cheers with an air of smugness and arrogance. Behind him, Ginkaku, in a similarly glittering top silk hat of silver, also looked very pleased with himself.
"Hello, hello, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you've been expecting us. I'm your Kinkaku."
"And I'm Ginkaku you've been waiting for."
"Hell no, we haven't!" I heckled, and the assembled tanuki burst out laughing as one, the forest around buzzing with liveliness. Kinkaku's plump cheeks trembled, and he glared at me. He and Ginkaku then pulled their eyelids down and stuck their tongues at me, and I reciprocated with the same.
Tanuki shogi of Nanzenji temple was something that my father and the previous head of the Nanzenji family invented. That said, the rules themselves were no different from the so-called 'Human shogi' that humans play. What differed was that tanuki put their shapeshifting techniques to use to transform into huge shogi pieces. Players would take the position of the king on each side with a small shogi board at hand while the transformed tanuki would move across the board in accordance with their directions. This was quite a magnificent view if I ever saw one, but at the same time, there was no denying it was also equally stupid.
Nanzenji Shoujirou called out the names of two participants out of those who had won through the preliminary tournament.
"For the Western Army, Nanzenji Gyokuran."
Nanzanji Gyokuran, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, appeared and bowed to the present in greeting.
"For the Eastern Army, Shimogamo Yajirou."
Together with Shoujirou's call of his name, my second elder brother drew himself up in my hands.
"Wow! It's Beauty and the Frog!" someone commented, and the tanuki burst out laughing again.
My mother and Yashirou heaped oden on their plates and went to the spectator seats. Me and my eldest brother placed Yajirou on a zabuton and carried him to the king's position on the shogi board. "Just relax and take it nice and easy," tried I to get him to relax, but our eldest only piled up more pressure, "Protect the honor of the Shimogamo family. Psyche yourself up and give it your all". "You two say totally opposite things, you know," our frog brother smiled wryly.
As we were busy disputing like this, Nanzenji Gyokuran walked up to us from the enemy camp.
"Yaichirou-san, good everning."
Our eldest stood at attention.
"Good evening, Gyokuran."
"I would like to thank you for all your hard work for the sake of this tournament. It is thanks to you, Yaichirou-san, that this day came to pass."
"You are too kind. I'm relieved to see this happen, as well."
Gyokuran then smiled at my frog brother. "I will not go easy on you, Yajirou-kun."
Watching her return to her own camp, my second elder brother said, "Gyokuran seems sad because you chose not to participate, nii-san."
"I'm basically a novice. Even if I did enter, I wouldn't be able to get past the preliminaries. There's no way I'm qualified to be Gyokuran's opponent."
Back when my brother and Gyokuran were both Akadama-sensei's pupils, in addition to chasing about the mischievous boys, they would often face off from the opposite sides of the shogi board. That is, they studied shogi together, but as time went by, the difference in their ability became progressively more obvious.
And so my eldest brother, having his pride crushed by Gyokuran, left those deep teeth marks on our father's shogi board.
〇
When it comes to shogi, there are no useless pieces, and those who underestimate pawns will be made cry at the hands of a pawn.
However, tanuki were such creatures that if they were going to enact a shogi piece, they wanted to play some more important one, and those of them who signed up to be shogi pieces went through alternating bouts of joy and disappointment as the members of the Nanzenji family read out who was assigned to play what piece. I received the role of the Eastern Army knight commanded by my frog brother, while our eldest brother was assigned the role of the rook which made him very proud. Turning and taking a look at the enemy camp revealed that the annoying Kinkaku and Ginkaku were entrusted with the major roles of the gold and silver generals, which only added to their triumphant and smug air.
Soon, the player with the first move was decided to be our brother, and the game of tanuki shogi started.
In the opening, the pieces only made small moves, and to me, ignorant about shogi as I was, it was boring. The tanuki in the audience were the same, paying all of their attention to oden, Fake Denki Bran and chatter rather than to the game. I kept sending my frog brother looks, silently begging him to use his knight piece in a big way, but my brother only watched the surface of the board with a calm and composed face, paying no heed to his unruly knight.
At any rate, to me, what was so fun about shogi was one of the biggest mysteries ever.
In spite of my father passionately teaching me in my childhood, none of those formal procedures such as the standard moves or the obligatory king encircling stuck in my head, going in one ear and out the other. As it was, I would repeatedly launch a reckless attack on the enemy king in hopes of assassinating him, leaving my own king completely unguarded and vulnerable to being surrounded by the enemy in the process, which of course resulted in glorious KIA for him. In the end, when I created nonsensical pieces like 'Idiot Mountain Sage', 'Pink tanuki' and 'American Minister' and started destroying the game known as shogi at the root, even my father had no choice but to give up. So, I distanced myself from shogi. Giving up on winning and losing on the board, I searched for opportunities outside of it.
While I was reminiscing, the game of tanuki shogi approached its mid-stage, and the pieces on the board started crossing swords. My brother finally decided to move his knight forward, and I leapt energetically, coming to about the center of the board.
Gyokuran moved her silver general, and I ended up facing Ginkaku.
The fake gentleman Ginkaku was trying to play violin which resulted in awful screeching.
"You're being obnoxious, Ginkaku."
"I see arts are well and truly beyond your understanding," said Ginkaku with a complacent smile. "We're currently studying the ways of refined English gentlemen. Playing violin is essential to it."
"If you guys can become English gentlemen, then surely so could a shougouin daikon [*4]!"
"Why, such impertinence!"
From the back rows of the enemy camp Kinkaku shouted, "Ignore him! There is honor in isolation!"
"Right, right, honor in isolation. I and my brother decided to stick with this principle like a great English gentleman of old did. And we are above associating with some idiot tanuki."
Except in the tanuki world, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, with their penchant for regularly putting their peerless idiocy on display for the whole world to see, had already been friendless and isolated. I suppose I was lucky to witness that moment when those two's lofty ideals and the tanuki world's common consensus miraculously overlapped.
"I'm pretty sure isolation without honor is just loneliness," I said.
"Hush your mouth!"
"If you keep those games up, Kaisei will chew you out again."
"Hmph. We fear not the likes of Kaisei."
"Liars. You look like you're about to cry, face contorted and all, every time she gives you a scolding."
"No, we don't cry! We most certainly do not!"
Brandishing the violin bow, Ginkaku was indignant.
"Nii-san, how do I reply to that? I'm so offended right now."
"Just wait, Ginkaku. Your brother is coming to your rescue now!" Kinkaku shouted.
〇
Kinkaku readily retracted his previous remark about honor in isolation by pushing through the crowd to stand in front of me with nimbliness unthinkable for someone like him. The shogi pieces he pushed and shoved on his way forward fell one after another.
"You cannot move without my instructions!" Gyokuran cried, but those two weren't the type to listen.
"Hi there, Yasaburou. Honestly, a tanuki like you is always so ungentlemanly."
"Alas, nii-san, he will never evolve."
"But we are different from you. We always advance and grow."
"Yes, we advance, and then we grow. You'd better watch out!"
Kinkaku and Ginkaku, in sync with one another, shapeshifted into bigger shogi pieces, with a writing 'Drunk elephant' and 'Prancing stag' [*5] on them. When I commented that there was no way such weird pieces actually existed, "You never cease to be such an uneducated tanuki, do you," Kinkaku laughed mockingly. "These are actual pieces that used to be in shogi of old. Your ordinary pieces don't suit such extraordinary men as ourselves."
"How do you like my brother's extensive knowledge, hm? He may be bad at shogi, but he's got a really good head on his shoulders!"
"Oh, don't praise me so much, Ginkaku. That would not be very gentlemanly."
“Oh, my bad. Indeed, that would be in poor taste."
As I was staring at the stupidly huge shogi pieces towering before me, the 74 new pieces that I rashly came up with in my childhood much to my father's chagrin crossed my mind. My eldest brother asked me to refrain from the off-the-board fighting, but at the moment we were firmly within the borders of the board, and the ones who started it were clearly Kinkaku and Ginkaku. As such, now was the time for me to change into a cooler piece and make my stand. Thus, I shapeshifted into the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings that I seriously racked my brains to come up with when I was little, namely the 'Idiot Mountain Sage'.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku yelled in a chorus, "There's no such a piece!"
The original purpose of tanki shogi forgotten, the other pieces only watched this unfold in exasperation. Those in the audience, perceiving that all pointed to some off-the-board fighting brewing, leaned forward, "Looks like things are getting interesting!" Meanwhile, Kinkaku and Ginkaku shapeshifted into 'Jizaiten' and 'Gozu Tennou' [*6], I countered with 'American Minister', and by the end, in the center of the board there stood shoulder to shoulder 'Peerless In All Heaven and Earth', 'The Greatest' and 'Supreme Emperor of All Cosmos' iridescent with all the colors of the rainbow.
Losing his patience at that competition in obstinacy that could go on forever, my eldest brother came up to interfere.
"That's enough, Yasaburou."
"I'm being careful for it not to off the board though, you know?"
"Today is a very important day and a very important event for the Nanzenji family. This is no time to be competing with idiots."
"As if I can back down at this point!"
"Are you trying to embarrass Gyokuran?"
Just then, "Ahan," Kinkaku suddenly intoned in a nasty voice. "I knew it. For a long time now I thought Yaichirou was suspicious."
"What do you mean, 'suspicious'?" my brother asked.
"Oh, I just thought how you're always so awfully kind to the Nanzenji family and unkind to us! For someone who aspires to become the Nise-emon you show an awful lot of favoritism to the Nanzenjis, and it's so unfair, don't you think? Even with this tanuki shogi, you've been going out of your way quite a bit to help, no? We Ebisugawas provided so many barrels of Fake Denki Bran as refreshments, yet we heard not a word of gratitude from you, Yaichirou. Is this the kind of treatment you should be giving us? Just how miserable are you making us? How could our pure untainted hearts not get twisted in this situation?!"
"So very true. Of course we become twisted, nii-san!" Ginkaku cried out.
"The way I see it, the reason why Yaichirou favors the Nanzenjis so much is because of Gyokuran. He wanted to look good in front of her by bringing back tanuki shogi, and he wanted to be told 'Yaichirou-san, you're so wonderful' by her. Now, everyone, there is clearly a problem here, you see? Isn't this what they call mixing official business with personal pleasure, hm? I think that's quite the dishonest attitude unfit for someone trying to become the next Nise-emon."
Silence fell both on and off the board, and the spectators held their breath.
Thinking how such false accusations went too far even for that outrageous duo and how my straight-laced brother, of all people, would never have that kind of ulterior motives, I turned, only to find said brother daring his eyes about and stammering, "Th-th-th-th-th," like some chirping little bird. As it stood, apparently, Kinkaku was right on the money. Setting aside whether it was right or wrong to mix business with personal affairs, I couldn't help feeling for my brother whose crush was outed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, of all people, in front of a crowd, no less, and the humiliation he was experiencing.
Getting cocky, Kinkaku and Ginkaku shapeshifted into Gyokuran complete with the traditional clothing she wore, and twisted their bodies suggestively on top of the shogi board.
"I was so busy playing shogi that I missed out on my chance to get marri-ah-ed."
"Yaichirou-san, could you be so kind as to take me as your wi-ah-fe?"
It was then that the furious Nanzenji Gyokuran galloped across the shogi board.
Having shapeshifted into a big tigress, she let out a deafening roar, stripping Kinkaku and Ginkaku of what little courage they had.
Having turned into a rolling furball, Ginkaku then had his butt bitten by her. A piercing tanuki shriek echoed throughout the board. Gyokuran shook her head from side to side, and the furball in her teeth flew towards the groove of dark cedar trees, whining feebly all the while, "Uhaai!"
"No way we're getting ourselves caught in this mess," decided the tanuki on the board, turning back into furballs and trying to get away, pushing and shoving one another as they did. Using the general confusion, Kinkaku tried to make his escape, but, getting kicked by me, he rolled before being stomped on by Gyokuran with all her might.
Letting out pathethic yelping, he started apologizing to Gyokuran - way too late, at that.
"I'm sorry, Gyokuran. I might have said a bit too much."
The board turned into a total mess, with tanuki shogi being hopelessly out of question anymore.
Howls of the rampaging Gyokuran dispelled the intoxication of the merrymaking tanuki in no time. Yasaka Heitarou, who spectated from his seat in the audience, reluctantly got up, about to go and try to bring the situation under control, when heavy rain hit the land, as if the bottom of the sky had been removed.
Letting out shrieks and screams, the tanuki fled in all directions.
And so, the Tanuki Shogi Tournament held by the Nanzenji family closed the curtain amidst great disturbance.
〇
The rain that had started on the night of the Nanzenji Shogi Tournament, continued painting the city of Kyoto gray. The several bridges spanning the Kamogawa, as well as the townscape on both its banks, looked hazy, as if a phantom city in mist.
Tanuki shogi was met with surprisingly favorable reception from the tanuki of Kyoto, and Yasaka Heitarou was apparently heard saying that he wouldn't mind to hold the tournament next year again. The Ebisugawas, the Shimogamos and the Nanzenjis all thrown together and quite literally fighting it out on top of the shogi board became a party entertainment that many tanuki had enjoyed quite a bit. Sulky and disgruntled, Kinkaku and Ginkaku apparently voiced their objection to the Nanzenji family, saying that the butt that Gyokuran bit hurt so much they couldn't concentrate on their work, but since it was obvious they were grossly exaggerating, Ebisugawa Kaisei requested those complaints not be paid attention to, so the Nanzenji family kept non-committally side-stepping the issue.
Padding it with fluffy fur and making everyone feel better was the tanuki style of solving problems.
The ones who flatly went against this trend were my eldest brother and Nanzenji Gyokuran. Shaking free from her family's control, Gyokuran was in the middle of self-imposed confinement on the top of Nanzenji temple's main gate, while my brother grounded himself in the Tadasu forest, looking gloomy all day long. Being lectured with that face, as depressing as the sky during the rainy season, was more than I could take.
"I told you not to fall for provocations. But you did and ended up causing a lot of trouble for the Nanzenjis."
"But it was those two who started it."
"Learn already where it's okay to fight and where it's not, is what I'm saying."
My brother did have a point, which only exacerbated my obstinate streak farther and made me unable to back down even if I wanted to.
"Then what about you, aniki? Why didn't you straight up deny those accusations and put Kinkaku and Ginkaku in their place? If we're talking about causing trouble to the Nanzenjis, you should've responded at that time and nipped the very possibility in the bud. It is your fault that Gyokuran wound up publicly embarrassed like that."
Unable to refute that statement, my brother finally got angry for real.
"...Were you born specifically to make trouble for me?"
Speaking of how hard the head of my brother was, it was as rock-hard as eggs that'd been thoroughly boiled in the cauldron of Hell for 3 days and 3 nights. I understood that that disposition of a hard-boiled egg of his and the concern for his three younger brothers, who happened to be a frog, an idiot and a little boy, was what made him want to vocally encourage and lead us to the right path, and that he was like that precisely because he gave thought to the Shimogamo family's future as the young head of said family. Nevertheless, his statement that made it sound like I was born into this world for the sole purpose of causing him trouble was clearly too much.
I cooped up in an elm tree in protest.
"You hurt my feelings deeply. So I'm not coming down until you get on your knees and apologize."
"Whatever, have it your way. I see that the saying about fools and smoke being fond of high places is quite true."
"Go ahead and try telling that to a tengu."
The next day, I still sat in the tree top, and my brother, fed up with my antics, stopped talking to me.
I climbed the tree out of worthless stubbornness, but now that I thought about it, sitting in a tree during this particular season that made your butt all damp from humidity was a surprisingly comfortable way to spend it.
Away from the ground below, I wandered from a branch to a branch, listening to the rustling of the endless rain hitting the forest's canopy. Leading a life up in the trees, the more I watched my family bustle below and visitors come and go along the road to Shimogamo temple, the more I experienced the magnificent feeling of approaching tengu, remembering how Akadama-sensei used to tie me up to the top of the giant cedar in Kumogahata after giving me a good scolding when I was little.
From time to time, my little brother, having packed a thermos flask and steamed buns in his backpack, would climb up the tree to where I was and ask me with concern, "Nii-chan, you still not coming down? Are you going to live in the trees until you die?"
"No way!" said I, stuffing my cheeks with steamed buns.
"Oh, what a relief. Mother was worried you might become a tengu if you keep this up. You shouldn't make mother worry so much."
T/N:
[*1] Sakata Sankichi (坂田三吉): a legendary shogi master (1870-1946) who was known for his imaginative and novel moves, some of which became conventional later on and even have his name.
[*2] Denki Bran (電氣ブラン) lit. Electric Brandy: a classic Japanese brandy first produced more than 130 years ago (in 1882) in Asakusa, Tokyo, in the period when Japan opened up to the West and its rapid westernization started. You can still find it, if you look, and I hear it's not too expensive. What the Ebisugawas produce is a knock-off of that.
[*3] Kaisei (海星): this name consists of kanji for 'sea' (海) and for 'star' (星), thus the comparison to a meteor.
[*4] Shogouin daikon (聖護院大根): a sort of turnip that's used for both their tops and roots; is considered a traditional Kyoto vegetable, irreplaceable in winter (jp wiki)
[*5] 'Drunk elephant', 'Prancing stag' (酔象 踊鹿): pieces that are used in a few variations of shogi, mostly obsolete, such as shou-shougi (small shogi), chuu-shougi (middle shogi), tenjiku-shougi (indian shogi), tai-shougi (grand shogi), dai-shougi (large shogi), daidai-shougi (huge shogi), taikyoku shougi (ultimate shogi) and makadaidai-shougi (ultra-huge shogi)
[*6] Jizaiten and Gozu Tennou (自在天王 牛頭天王): Jizaiten is a deity guarding the 12 sacred directions, represents the highest state of existence before achieving enlightenment. Gozu Tennou is a protective deity (against illness) and the deity of Yasaka temple in Kyoto (not wiki)
Not a word on the Nidaime or tengu in this whole chapter... but lots of tanuki and shogi.
The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime’s Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko
Chapter 2 (part 1/4, pages 69-83)
Gyokuran of Nanzenji Temple
When a male and a female tanuki fall in love, it's said that they're tied with the red fur of fate.
There was no end to tanuki whose hearts were set aflutter by that fishy myth prompting them to search every nook and cranny of the body in an attempt to pick out the precious single red hair. While they were busy with that, in the shade of trees in Yoshidayama, on the premises of Koujin-sama[*1], and in the greenhouses of the Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Gardens, a discreet furry friendship between tanuki gentlemen and tanuki ladies was steadily deepening. 'There is only one tanuki like you in the whole world,' he says. 'No other tanuki is like you in the whole world,' she says. Lovey-dovey on display!
On that note, there was one particular deep and furry love story.
Once upon a time, in the Tanukidani-Fudou forest, located in the Ichijouji district of Sakyou-ku ward, there lived a certain tanuki girl named Tousen, as juicy and fresh as a peach and as nimble and agile as an enlightened mountain sage [*2]. From morning to night, she played on the stairway that counted 250 steps leading to the shrine. A single shout of 'Drop dead' was enough for her to repel any halfwit that dared make light of her. The little tanuki in the neighborhood called her 'Tousen the Stairs-Wanderer' out of respect and reverence.
One day, a group of unfamiliar tanuki kids appeared in Tanukidani-Fudou. Inspired by the tsuchinoko boom that was taking the tanuki world by the storm at the time, they were the self-proclaimed Tsuchinoko Expedition Team, a bunch of mischievous boys who wrought havoc on many nearby mountains. The brats started climbing the stairs, singing as they did, and met Tousen on the way; unaware of her fame and courage, they took the high-and-mighty attitude with her.
"Hey, you shortie over there."
"What did you say, you jerk?!"
Tousen flew into fury and beat the mischievous invaders to within an inch of their life. "Drop dead!"
That was the start of a battle between the little tanuki of Tanukidani-Fudou and the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team with the long stairs to the temple on the line. Tousen fought bravely and protected their turf.
Time passed, and Tousen descended down the long stairs counting 250 steps that she'd defended in the past in a white kimono. Leaving Tanukidani-Fudou behind after her marriage, she set out to her new home in the Tadasu forest.
What she was remembering with fondness at the time were the mischievous boys of the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team, singing at the top of their lungs as they climbed the stairs, and herself as she stood in their way. The leader of the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team that called her shortie on that day was Shimogamo Souichirou, that is, our father. Needless to say, the tomboy who responded with a 'What did you say, you jerk' was none other than our mother. Were it not for furry love in this world, not a single tuft of fur would have existed of the Shimogamo brothers.
What preceded the birth of the round, little furballs was a furry love story.
〇
In the beginning of June when the rainy season had started, I sat in a cage in Kyoto City Zoo.
Kyoto zoo was located near Heian-jingu shrine in Okazaki, and the premises surrounded by a brick wall were lively with cries of birds and wild animals. Between the cages with such dignified creatures as elephans, lions, giraffes and hippopotami, there was a cage with tanuki, too.
That said, for tanuki being put in a cage was their greatest fear. And that was because our specialty, that is, shapeshifting, had a close connection with the idea of freedom; if thrown into a cage and robbed of their freedom, tanuki wouldn't be able to shapeshift. You won't find a tanuki who would like to be confined and rendered unable to shapeshift.
For that reason, from long ago, it was customary for the role of captive tanuki in the zoo to be played in shifts by the Okazaki tanuki who were professionals at that. When they needed to go out on an incentive trip, there was no choice but for other tanuki to stand in for them, but it went without saying that this job was not popular. The reason why I had accepted it was because the pay was high.
When I signed up for it, first of all, I was given a thorough crash course by the chief of the Okazaki tanuki on the correct way to conduct myself as a proper zoo tanuki. The Okazaki tanuki took pride in the activities of enlightening ladies and gentlemen of Kyoto on the subject of what a proper tanuki was.
"What's most important is charm. However, do not butter up to anyone." The Okazaki tanuki chief narrated their philosophy. "We play tanuki with pride. That's the trick to it. You can't just spring the raw realism on your visitors. If you do that, all our efforts will be for naught. You've got to catch the moment when you become more tanuki-like than a tanuki without exposing the truth. This constitutes one of shapeshifting techniques, too."
Naturally, being locked up in a cage felt very eerie, so I spent my first day in restlessness. To a tanuki not accustomed to having your shapeshifting powers sealed, denied the very possibility to go out and play mindlessly and with someone staring at you around the clock, it was an extremely exhausting ordeal.
Worried about how I was doing in a cage all alone, my mother dropped by in the evening to see how I was faring. As was in her habit, mother assumed the form of a handsome young man, Takarazuka Revue-style, which was already conspicuous, and an emerald frog riding on her shoulder didn't help to alleviate the effect at all. Said frog crawled into my cage through a crack.
"You won't feel lonely if you're with Yajirou," mother said.
And so, from my second day on, I had the company of my second elder brother, which made me feel at lot better. When I paced to and fro in my cage with a frog on my furry head, children that gathered in front of it were flabbergasted, "A frog is driving a tanuki!"
"You sure have your finger in many pies, huh. I'm so impressed," my brother confessed.
"I just have nothing better to do."
"Speaking of which, have you caught tsuchinoko, in the end?"
"Oh, come on, nii-san, as if I'd be idling away in a place like this if I'd caught it. I'd be busy with press conferences and celebration parties and stuff right about now."
Later that night, my brother sat motionlessly in a corner of the cage, apparently thinking about something deep and hard.
"What are you up to?" When I peered closer, I found that he was solving shogi problems.
The Tanuki Shogi tournament, sponsored by Nanzenji temple, was scheduled to take place in the middle of June, and apparently, my brother was going to participate in the preliminaries.
"A bad bush is better than the open field," my brother said. "Not many tanuki like shogi, and I would feel bad for the Nanzenji family if it ended up being an empty tournament."
"What a strange event our father came up with, I gotta say."
Our father, Shimogamo Souichirou, was an ardent shogi fan. As his love for shogi grew in intensity, he collaborated with the previous head of the Nanzenji family to start the Tanuki Shogi tournament, but tanuki were reluctant to even memorize the shogi pieces, and having to sit still before the shogi board made the fur on their butts itch. Our father's wish for shogi to stick in the tanuki worlds was fruitless, and then he fell into a tanuki hot pot, so the tournament had to be discontinued for the time being. It occurred to me that our eldest brother must be very proud of himself since it was him who brought it back to life.
That reminded me of something else, and I asked, "Come to think of it, father had a shogi room, didn't he?"
"Ah, yes, yes, he did. Father's secret base, a fun room, indeed."
"What became of it?"
"It has to be somewhere in the Tadasu forest, but I don't know where."
Hiding away in the shogi room whenever there was a break in his bustling activity as the head of the tanuki world was father's cherished relaxation time. The room in question was a four and a half tatami mat chamber, filled with a collection of old shogi boards and shogi instruction books, and sometimes he taught shogi to us siblings there.
I recalled what that nostalgic room was like.
Surrounded by massive shogi pieces, almost as big as one whole tatami mat, that I had no idea what could be used for and shogi boards of curious shape, father looked happy, sitting there cross-legs on a zabuton. The room had a large skylight. Beyond it, the blue sky, clear and high, stretched, and overhanging branches bearing ripe persimmon fruit were visible. I remembered father's unease when I said I wanted those persimmons.
Oddly enough, father always made us wear blindfolds whenever he brought us to that room.
What I remembered with clarity was the sensation of jumping off to the bottom of a hole where wind whistled.
"Our eldest doesn't know where that room is, either?"
"No, apparently not," my brother replied. "It appears he'd searched the forest high and low but found no hole resembling it. Father hid it really well." And then my brother added in a murmur, "I'd like to go back there some day."
〇
An unusual guest appeared on my last day of zoo life.
On that day, it was somewhat cloudy since the morning and from time to time it rained, so the zoo was mostly deserted. The choo-choo train with a red chimney running with clangity-clang and the small Ferris wheel both looked dreary drenched in the ashen rain. On such days, no matter how great my acting performance of playing a tanuki-like tanuki was, very few people paused in front of my cage. As such, it wasn't worth it to try hard.
I was yawning, bored out of my mind, when a little girl came. Her stature was small, like a kindergartner's, and the red of her umbrella and rubber boots was vibrant. Not showing the slightest bit of interest in the choo-choo train or the Ferris wheel, she headed toward the tanuki cage in a straight line while spinning her red umbrella and stopped in front of it. She must have loved tanuki a lot. Her red umbrella pressed against the cage, she watched me pace exultantly to and fro in my cage with big eyes. Soon, though, she started giggling.
"You give a marvelous tanuki performance, Yasaburou-chan."
Startled, I stopped dead in my tracks.
My brother, sitting on my head, said, "Oh, it's you, Gyokuran. What brings you here?"
"I heard Yasaburou-chan was standing in here, so I thought I'd show my support."
"Hmph. I play the role splendidly, don't I, Gyokuran-sensei?" I said, to which Gyokuran smiled wryly, "Drop the sensei title, would you."
The tanuki known as Nanzenji Gyokuran was the younger sister of the head of the Nanzenji clan, Shoujirou.
In the past, when I was one of the Akadama tanuki pupils, Gyokuran already had both wisdom and good sense and was Akadama-sensei's favorite. A few honor roll tanuki from among those who studied under sensei were tasked with helping sensei. Nanzenji Gyokuran, along with our brother Yaichirou, served as Akadama-sensei's assistant, herding and controlling the furry mischeviuos boys bustling beneath the teacher's platform like a dog at a sheep farm. That's why I called her 'Gyokuran-sensei'.
Standing in front of my cage, Gyokuran gushed about how much she looked forward to the Tanuki Shogi tournament. Apparently, she dropped by on her way back from inspecting the preliminary tournament venue with her brother Shoujirou.
"You're coming to watch, right, Yasaburou-chan?"
"I'm not sure. I have no interest in shogi, you see," yawned I.
"Yaichirou-san worked so hard to bring the tournament back, but you're not coming? You shouldn't say such cold things. If you come, you'll find it fun, I'm sure."
"Well, it's fun for you, Gyokuran."
Gyokuran was a known shogi enthusiast even as a child.
To begin with, the Nanzenji clan were always a family of shogi fans, but Gyokuran's love for the game stood out even among the rest of them, and numerous tales such as her never stopping solving shogi problems even when she fell into the Biwako Canal, or her loving shogi so much that she would even eat shogi pieces, or her sleeping every night with a shogi board, circulated about her as if they were true. According to Gyokuran herself, all of them were nonsense, but I knew for a fact that back when she was one of Akadama-sensei's pupils she did force innocent little tanuki to play shogi, and I was among those who ran around trying to escape from her as she chased us with a shogi board in hand yelling, "It's fun! It's really fun, you'll see!" Because of her excessive love for shogi, Gyokuran was unsuitable for shogi promotion activities. The numerous legends about Gyokuran circulating in the tanuki world were spread by the annoyed tanuki kids she had chased in the past.
Suddenly, Gyokuran said, "Yaichirou-san still won't get back to playing shogi, huh?"
"Our big brother doesn't play shogi," my second elder brother said in a soft voice. "And you know that better than anyone else, don't you, Gyokuran?"
"For how much longer does he plan to let it bother him? Even though he's turned into a fine capable furball already."
"Did you tell him that?"
"I can't. ...I'm not sure why, but I just can't."
In the Tadasu forest, there was a certain shogi board left by our father, and our eldest brother cherished it as much as he did the automated rickshaw. Although that shogi board was carefully stored in a box of empress tree, its surface was marred with deep teeth impressions. Those marks were left on it by our eldest brother who turned into a tiger in a fit of anger and bit into it. When he was little, he had a bad tendency to shapeshift into a tiger whenever he got angry because of finding himself at a disavantage in shogi. The reason why he quit playing shogi was because he started deeply hating losing control of himself like that. Playing against a girl his own age, bursting into tears from frustration and then biting into the shogi board were all memories hurting his honor, no doubt.
Eventually, Gyokuran said, "See you at the shogi tournament" by way of goodbye and went back to the Nanzenji forest, hazy with the rain. As she walked, she was spinning her umbrella like a real child. Seated on my head, my brother murmured, "Were it not for furry love in this world..."
"What is it, nii-san?"
"...No, it's nothing."
"Being a tease, huh."
"Even a frog at the bottom of the well has an obligation to keep a secret."
〇
On a certain evening in the middle of June when it was getting quite late, our whole family went out, heading to Nanzenji.
The sky was concealed behind bulky clouds, and not a single star was visible, with only moist night wind blowing. My little brother Yashirou took the point, his face lighting up in pride and elation as he hoisted a paper lantern with our family crest on it, looking like the leader of a drum and fife band. Passing through the dark town with its endless line of fences surrounding big mansions, we entered Nanzenji-keidai that was crawling with Kyoto's tanuki holding paper lanterns.
The reason was simple: tonight was the day when the Tanuki Shogi tournament organized by the Nanzenji family was to be held.
Mother was impressed as she looked around. "Look at that crowd."
"That's because this tournament was on a hiatus for a long time ever since father's death," our eldest brother sounded boastful. "It was worth every effort I've invested. I'm sure father would be pleased, too."
"If nii-san wins today, father would be even more pleased," I said.
My second elder brother riding on my shoulder stirred. "I don't know. Don't get your hopes up too much."
"Don't say such fainthearted things, Yajirou. Protect the honor of the Shimogamo family," our eldest instructed.
"Hold it, hold it, nii-san, I don't play shogi for the sake of protecting our honor."
"I know you're capable of giving Gyokuran a run for her money."
"I don't know about that," replied our second elder.
"I'm sure you can win," joined in mother. "Though winning and losing are both down to luck."
Majority of the the tanuki assembled on the premises were hopeless at shougi, unable to tell a rook from a bishop, and they only came for the chance to gamble and party. Beneath the black towering gate of Nanzenji temple surrounded by pine trees, the owner of bar 'Akegarasu' on Teramachi-doori street was consulting with his friends on the matter of betting. For betting on all and every kind of competition was their raison d'être.
I walked up and called out to him.
"Hey. I can't believe you bothered to come when you don't know squat about shogi."
"Do your worst for us, Yasaburou, because we're counting on seeing some fighting outside the shogi board, too." That was a scandalous thing of him to say. "Out-of-the-ring action is your forte, yeah?"
When I was about to retort, my kid brother waved the paper lantern with our family crest.
"Yasaka-san is here!"
The Yasaka tanuki sounded their trumpets shortly in a modest fashion and set foot on the Nanzenji temple grounds. Nise-emon Yasaka Heitarou expectedly wore an aloha shirt.
Noticing us, he passed under the temple's triple gate and clapped my eldest brother on the shoulder in good humor.
"Oh, Yaichirou-kun. It makes me so happy to see tanuki shogi revived."
Since spring, Yasaka Heitarou had been steadily advancing his preparations to retire, little by little transferring his Nise-emon work to my eldest brother. Despite my brother grumbling about how he had no time to even sleep, he didn't at all look dissatisfied, swimming energetically all around Kyoto like a furry fish that had found water after making a show of downing a dodgy energy drink procured in the Shinkyougoku shopping district.
Yasaka Heitarou chatted up my second elder brother squatting on my shoulder. "I gotta say, I was surprised that you survived the preliminaries, Yajirou. I had no idea you were so good at shogi."
"Father taught me well. Besides, there is hardly anything else to do at the bottom of the well."
"You, too, learned all the dubious entertainments from Sou-san, eh. I'm the same. When we were little, it was tsuchinoko hunting, and when we grew up, it was shogi, sake and Hawaii. All the good-for-nothing things that earn you no squat but are most fun in the world. That said, Sou-san was always good at everything he did."
Mother snickered at that. "And you, Heitarou-san, was always so clumsy."
"Okay, wait, that's quite the comment to make, you know."
"Oh? Well, even if you're clumsy, being able to always have fun no matter what is an admirable quality and what really counts."
"You just say whatever you want, huh. I'm no match for you," said the Nise-emon in his aloha shirt and laughed.
T/N:
[*1] Koujin-sama 荒神様: a god of fire, the hearth and the kitchen (wiki); in Kyoto, Koujin charms and talismans are often put up in the kitchen. In this particular context, however, 'Koujin-sama' is a pet nickname for Gojoin temple (same as Kiyoshikojin temple jp wiki), used by locals (jp article on it).
[*2] Tousen 桃仙: this name consists of the kanji for peach (桃) and the kanji for what is known as sennin (仙) or xian in Taoism (wiki), that is, a mystical enlightened mountain sage.
This was chapter 1 out of 7 in total. As should be clear, the anime did make some changes; they’re not plot-impacting, but the novel definitely feels ‘fuller‘ and clearer, if you will. And yeah, I’m absolutely loving this novel, the writing style, the characters, everything.
The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime’s Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko
Chapter 1 (part 3/3, pages 52-67)
〇
I set my mind on visiting Akadama-sensei, currently working hard at his training, and delivering him some mamemochi [*1] as a sign of support.
That said, Kumogahata was awfully far away.
I planned to borrow my eldest brother's automated rickshaw for the trip, but my stingy brother just wouldn't give his permission. His reasoning was that Akadama-sensei in his seclusion was bound to be in a rotten mood, and it would be too late to cry if his precious rickshaw was to be accidentally smashed to smithereens in a misdirected explosion of sensei's anger. With no other choice, I went by bicycle, forced to pedal all the way, but the road was so long that soon I got fed up with it almost to death. I had lost count to how many times I had wanted to just wolf down the gift mamemochi and turn back as if nothing had happened.
Still, clenching my teeth and following the winding mountain trail, at long last I had arrived at my destination.
Since there was a tengu secluding himself in the mountains specifically to train, I was prepared for some great rumbling and shaking in the region, but Kumogahata's settlement looked peaceful as ever. Rays of the early summer sun shone through fresh verdure that the mountain hamlet was buried in and illuminated the vicinity, the old building of an elementary school and stone walls included, with the only loud sound coming from the water flowing in the irrigation channels leading to the plots of cultivated land. Time flowed sluggishly, like syrup.
I came as far as the branch office of the Kumogahata ward office and, slumping in the shade of a tree, took some rest.
Suddenly, a voice came from overhead.
"My, my, if it isn't Shimogamo Yasaburou."
I looked up in surprise and found a genteel elderly man in a white shirt coupled with a bolo tie sitting on the small concrete overhang of the branch office and slowly drinking grape-flavored Fanta. He was one of Akadama-sensei's few friends, Iwayasan Kinkoubou, running a used camera shop in the Nipponbashi neighborhood in Osaka after retirement.
"Oh, Kinkoubou-sama." I rose and bowed my head to him.
"Did you come to see how Yakushibou's doing?"
"Yes, sir. Seeing as I've found myself with a lot of free time on my hands."
"Hahaha. Such a kind-hearted pupil, as always. Then let's go visit him together. We can climb to the tengu training ground from here."
In front of me were the steep stone steps leading to Kouunnji temple.
Following Kinkoubou, I started climbing them.
Rather than entering the temple's grounds, Kinkoubou proceeding along a small waterway on the left, setting foot in the mountains. Passing through a grove of trees glistening with new green, the waterway soon dived into the chilly cedar forest. Wherever you looked, all you would see were towering deep black cedar trees tearing into the very sky itself. The more the tranquil atmosphere of the small mountain hamlet receded, the more the solemn tengu presence grew.
A small gourd, dark brown in color, that hang at Iwayasan Kinkoubou's waist produced adorable little splish-splash sounds.
"It contains dragon water."
I knew that the area around Iwayasan-Shimyouin temple was the source of the Kamogawa river, but the fact that a few dragon stones were buried in the surrounding mountains was new to me. The liquid that seeped out of those stones was called dragon water and it was beloved by tengu and habitually used as an energy and vitality booster. What was in the gourd was collected for Akadama-sensei who intended to challenge the Nidaime to battle. It appeared that Kinkoubou had no slightest intention to try and stop this ongoing fight between Yakushibou Sr. and Yakushibou Jr.
"Tengu are creatures who know not how to settle things peacefully."
"Good grief, both the father and the son are so equally difficult and ill-natured that I'm just stumped."
"I'm thankful that you're worried about your mentor, but there is no need for tanuki to go as far as rack their brains on how to settle the fight between those two. Just let them do as they please."
We walked for about 15 minutes along the waterway until numerous fallen cedar trees, quite big at that, blocked our way on both sides. It was clearly a tengu's doing. Kinkoubou drew a seal in the air with his fingers and chanted some incantation, then made a gesture as if to open his linked hands, and the fallen trees rose one by one, clearing the path in front of us.
On the other end of the opened path was the tengu training ground.
On the clearing shaped like a footprint of a giant, in the part where the arch of the foot would be, there towered a lone enormous cedar with its top stabbing the sky. Beneath it was laid out the stale bedding specially brought here from the apartment behind the Demachi shopping arcade. Akadama-sensei, hugging a daruma in his lap, puffed on his tengu tobacco. For someone who had taken pains to seclude himself deep in the mountains, this sight hardly bespoke of any changes for the better.
Accepting the gourd with dragon water from Kinkoubou, sensei glanced at me.
"Yasaburou, what are you doing here?"
"I was searching for tsuchinoko and got lost. This is mamemochi, a small present for you."
"All you ever do is play around without a care in the world, huh."
At this point, sensei must have been aware that I, while knowing perfectly well about the Nidaime's return, had feigned ignorance. But with all the time that'd passed, he didn't throw a fit about it now.
"So... what is he up to?"
"He keeps to himself at a hotel in Kawaramachi-oike."
"Probably devising schemes upon schemes on how to cut off my head while I sleep. Mickle fails that fools think [*2]."
Akadama-sensei uncorked the gourd, gulped down the dragon water and wiped his mouth.
"That accursed fool. I see his bad habit of worrying about trifling things and straying off the path of sorcery is incurable. Nyoigadake Yakushibou neither hides nor runs! Time to do battle has cometh! Hi-hoo!"
"He is not the same anymore, Yakushibou."
When Kinkoubou said that quietly, Akadama-sensei snorted and fell silent.
Back when I was a tiny little furball, Akadama-sensei would announce a so called extracurricular lesson, round up his tanuki pupils, toss them in a handbasket and fly to this tengu training ground. While the tanuki played in the grass-covered clearing, sensei smoked his tengu tobacco on the top of the massive cedar and amused the little tanuki by setting weirdly-shaped cloud afloat in the sky.
Seeing this cedar after such a long time made me feel nostalgic, and I slowly circled it. Because of its massiveness, the top was well out of sight. On its thick branches senjafuda [*3] were pasted here and there, as well as various other things lost or forgotten by tengu, such as sake bottles and onigawara tiles [*4] probably collected as a joke, with a discolored hand towel caught on a branch fluttering in the spring breeze.
When I was little, once, Akadama-sensei lost his temper and tied me to the top of this cedar as punishment. Forgetting all about me, sensei left, and I was left behind to sulk silently at the top of the cedar until my eldest brother came to get me.
When I narrated these memories, Akadama-sensei said, "Oh, I forgot that, I completely forgot that."
"How awful of you to forget, sir."
"Well, I used to tie up your father and before him his father, too, so how can I remember every one of you little critters?"
After a few moments, Akadama-sensei got up from his stale futon, gave the gourd a shake and approached the base of the cedar. Turning the gourd upside down, he let the dragon water flow until the gourd was empty.
"Are you sure?" asked Kinkoubou.
"I've known this cedar for many years, so why not give it what's still left," sensei replied.
Sensei's profile as he poured the dragon water onto the roots of the cedar was full of dignity befitting a tengu by the name of Nyoigadake Yakushibou. It vividly reminded me of what sensei looked like in the past when he still reigned over Nyoigadake and spat on the world below in its entirety.
Pushing the now empty gourd back to Kinkoubou, Akadama-sensei took out a letter from his breast pocket. At first I mistook it for a love letter, but only until I saw the words 'letter of challenge' on it.
"Take this to him. Know that this is a honorable task."
I accepted the sealed envelop and prostrated myself.
"I, Shimogamo Yasaburou, am honored."
〇
I handed over Akadama-sensei's letter of challenge to the Nidaime in the lobby of the hotel in Kawaramachi-oike. Even as he accepted such a disturbing thing as the letter of challenge to an all-out duel from his own father, the Nidaime didn't so much as bat an eye, his face calm and indifferent as if what he'd just received was a routine mail order.
"I might go. I might not," the Nidaime said. " I would prefer for you not to assume I will."
In contrast to the Nidaime's apparent lack of motivation, the tanuki world met the news of a tengu duel with wild enthusiasm. Would Akadama-sensei win, like those hundred years ago, and kick the Nidaime out of Kyoto? Or would the Nidaime emerge victorious, carving a path to a new era open for tengu? Tanuki waited for the day of the duel with batted breath.
To begin with, tengu had always been creatures that peered down at the whole of creation from the pinnacle of haughtiness.
They were great because they were tengu, and tengu because they were great. According to the logic of tengu who carried all before them, the likes of tanuki were but furballs, the likes of humans but naked monkeys, and even all the other tengu but oneself were but paper tigers.
The only being of any importance between Heaven and Earth was oneself - that was what tengu were.
Consequently, a father was greater than his son, and a son greater than his father.
There was just no way this conflict could ever be settled peacefully.
〇
On the night of the duel, Akadama-sensei crawled with wobbling steps up and onto the main roof of the Minamiza theater.
From his wearing a hachimaki headband and a tasuki sash, it was evident that he was brimming with fighting spirit, but his swaying form crawling up the roof on all fours had not a drop of anything that made tengu tengu. To put it mildly, choosing the main roof of the Minamiza theater from which he had kicked down his son a hundred years prior as the location for the duel was a rush decision on his part. Still, sensei kept crawling on with indomitable drive, finally making it to the rooftop somehow.
"Freely flying through the sky is what defines a tengu, but... good grief."
Akadama-sensei sat down cross-legged and wiped the sweat, then lit up his tengu tobacco.
The night wind, cool and pleasant, dissipated the tendrils of the thick smoke.
From that spot, if you looked to the east, you would see the lights of Gion-Shijou stretching in a line like some sort of a night festival, and if you looked to the west, the radiance of Shijouoohashi and the downtown high-rise area would come into view.
From the rooftop of 'Restaurant Kikumi', located on the other side across Shijou-doori street, the night wind brought the delicious smell of cheerfully sizzling roasted meat. Its beer garden, illuminated with paper lanterns, was reserved exclusively for the Kurama tengu tonight, and it looked like the conference they were holding there, themed 'How to thoroughly mock and make fun of Yakushibou', had already opened and was well underway. They obviously planned to enjoy the show that was the duel between Akadama-sensei and the Nidaime from their box seats with a beer mug in hand. For to tengu, strife and duels were the best snack to go with their beer.
The Kurama tengu, bending over the railing of the beer garden and leaning far out into the space over Shijou-doori street, brandished folding fans and even a megaphone. "Yakushibou, fight without reserve!" "Leave it to us, we'll pick up your bones for you!" "Yeah, pick them up and throw them into the Kamogawa river after!" As they shouted these cheers no one asked for, the Kurama tengu clanged their beer mugs together, scattering beer foam and jeering loudly.
"You stupid little mountains acorns... Just you wait, one of these days, I'll drown you in Lake Biwa," sensei cursed through clenched teeth.
As a matter of fact, the Kurama tengu weren't the only ones burning with curiosity.
The area around Shijouoohashi bridge was teeming with innumerable tanuki who, shapeshifting into regular drunkards, gathered to watch how the duel would unfold. Even the Nise-emon Yasaka Heitarou accompanied by my brother Yaichirou were standing by somewhere in the vicinity of the bridge. Worth of mention was also the roof of 'Touka Saikan' on the opposite shore of Kamogawa shining bright with hanging lanterns, where Iwayasan Kinkoubou waited for his old friend's duel to end while drinking some aged Lao Jiu wine [*5] all by himself.
In due time, black from head to toe, the Nidaime descended down from the dark night sky, as if a drop of ink from a fountain pen. Putting a hand to the brim of his silk hat, he gave a shameless little bow to Akadama-sensei in greeting. And then spoke up in a manner of a total stranger just passing by.
"Good evening, elderly gentleman. What might you be doing in a place like this?"
"I'm expecting some company."
"What a coincidence. I am also expecting some company here."
"...Who might you be waiting for?"
"Someone quite worthless. I'd rather not speak of him."
"Oh? Isn't that quite the coincidence. I'm waiting for someone equally worthless myself."
Akadama-sensei put out his tengu tobacco and stood up, wobbling precariously. Back still bent, he glowered at his son, laying eyes on him for the first time in a hundred years.
"That fool was my son and my student, but now he is neither. Barely halfway through his training, he did something as stupid as wasting time on a love affair and even defying me. How utterly deplorable for the man who was to eventually succeed someone as grand as myself and hold the world in his grasp, to be played by some little lass and stray from the path of sorcery. Since then he had disappeared without a word from him for all those years, and now, after all this time, he's suddenly back. Figuring he won't even have enough courage to show his face at my place, I took the initiative and sent him a letter of challenge. Thinking I might kick him down from here again," Akadama-sensei provoked, but the Nidaime said nothing, remaining unfazed.
The tengu father and son didn't move, only kept glaring at one another.
Soon, however, the Kurama tengu in the beer garden got tired of waiting. "Come on, come on!" "Hey, get to it already!" "Don't tell me you've made up!" "What friendly father and son!" they jeered and mocked.
The Nidaime raised a hand in a leather glove and took off his glamorously glittering silk hat.
Holding it to his chest, he made a quick motion that took only a moment, like praying to Heaven; without skipping a beat, he turned with a cold expression, facing the beer garden where the Kurama tengu were partying, and hurled his silk hat with ferocity. Apparently, that silk hat of his, intended for self-defense, was fashioned out of a shell for a cannon used in World War I. The silk hat smashed into the tables with deafening rumbling in its wake, silencing the Kurama tengu in one blow.
The Nidaime turned back around, tilting his head a little and fixing his hair with a theatrical gesture.
"If you think you can kick me down, by all means, try."
"Rest assured, I shall. Prepare yourself."
What Akadama-sensei took out from his breast pocket then was the Fuujin-Raijin folding fan [*6].
〇
The Fuujin-Raijin folding fan was such a peerless fan that if you waved with one side of it, you could summon a gale, and if you waved with the other, you could produce a thunderstorm. Formerly, it was one of the seven tools of Nyoigadake Yakushibou, but in defiance of its value, sensei treated it roughly. When he presented it to Benten as what he called a 'commemoration of love' gift, he seriously pissed off both the tengu and the tanuki worlds, but last year, after much ado, the fan had returned to his possession.
As Akadama-sensei was at the present, he had no power to summon tengu winds. Even if he tried, pouring all of his might in it at that, it would be something like a spring breeze streaming across a field of blooming lotus flowers, capable of only gently fluttering the Nidaime's bangs at best. However, as long as he had the Fuujin-Raijin fan with him, even sensei could blow off the Minamiza without much trouble despite his old age.
"Say your prayers!" Akadama-sensei let out a thunderous shout and raised the fan overhead.
Only, the fan suddenly slipped out of sensei's fingers and flapped through the space toward the Kamogawa river. No matter how powerful a fan it was, it was completely useless unless you waved it. Akadama-sensei, panicking and trying to catch the fan that was being swept away, grabbed only at the empty air, losing his balance, falling with a thud and slipping off head first. The fan kept rolling down nimbly.
At this rate, the Fuujin-Raijin fan and our former mentor's life both would be in danger.
Appearing out of the dark, I dashed along the roof and, catching the fan, shoved it in a pocket, then took a firm hold of sensei and checked his slide.
Akadama-sensei got up silently and sat down next to me, crossing his legs.
There were tears in his eyes as he held his nose that he'd hit hard, but he didn't seem to have suffered any other injuries.
From above us the Nidaime's stern voice rained down.
"Is that you there, Yasaburou-kun?"
I immediately prostrated myself on the edge of the roof. "Shimogamo Yasaburou, at your service."
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
"...Following the call of my idiot blood, I'm afraid."
"So you came rushing to the rescue, huh," the Nidaime sighed. "Good grief, how truly foolish creatures tanuki are. I will admit that they are charming, but the fact that they are fools still stands irrefutably."
"That is a rather tengu-like thing of you to say, Nidaime, sir."
"I am not a tengu. What is a tengu? It's that senile old fool right there." The Nidaime pointed to Akadama-sensei with his chin. "After all his big talk, throwing his weight around and bragging about his magical powers, in the end, unable to even defend his own territory, he had been run out by the Kurama lot and forced to seclude himself in a filthy apartment for the likes of humans to live in. I'm sure even now he thinks of himself as great, when in reality he's but a laughable naked emperor. Incapable of making a single tengu whirlwind do his bidding, he can't even fly through the sky properly. What is he even capable of anymore? What truly meaningless and risible last days. This, however, is what a tengu is. What a tengu's ruin is. ....Aah, still, even knowing that, what a positively pathetic sight this is. To think you would still choose to live reliant on the pity of creatures such as tanuki." The Nidaime knitted his beautiful brows, gazing down at Akadama-sensei with cold eyes. "You should be ashamed. For shame!"
Probably unable to stomach the Nidaime's words, Akadama-sensei wobbled to his feet, pushed me aside and tried to crawl up the roof. Although slipping and sliding, after a few tries he managed to hold on feebly, then made another attempt to climb to the high place where the Nidaime stood.
Out of breath and with his white hair disheveled, he groaned out, "Don't you run away, just wait right there. I'll kick you down once again."
What the Nidaime haughtily peered down at in those moments from his high vantage point was not only his father frantically crawling up the roof, but also myself watching with batted breath, the city below and the masses wriggling and squirming in it - overlooking all of that at once. The only being of any importance between Heaven and Earth is I alone, his cold eyes were eloquently expressing. And I was enchanted with those glimpses of a dazzlingly blazing tengu beneath the veneer in the Nidaime who insisted he was 'not a tengu'.
Letting his white cheeks stretch in a derisive smile, the Nidaime said, "Oh, are you still not dead, father?"
Akadama-sensei replied through grinding teeth, "...If you want me dead, then try and kill me."
The Nidaime snorted with laughter at that. "You're not even worth killing. You can die in some ditch on your own somewhere, for all I care."
Not waiting for sensei to finish crawling up, the Nidaime jumped off the roof.
Easily leaping over the Kamogawa, he gave a slight bow to Iwayasan Kinkoubou sipping wine on the roof of 'Touka Saikan', then flew off into the sparkling night city.
Akadama-sensei could only watch him go with a gaping mouth.
And that was how the curtain fell on the tengu duel.
〇
"Good grief, he ran away again. What a pathetic fellow."
Akadama-sensei sat cross-legged in the middle of the roof and smoked his tengu tobacco, pleased expression on his face as if he'd just successfully finished a difficult task. I sank down to sit beside sensei, gazing absentmindedly at the brilliant radiance of the night city where the Nidaime flew off to and playing with the Fuujin-Raijin fan.
In due time, Akadama-sensei opened his mouth to say in an exasperated manner, "My goodness, what a tanuki you are, you seem to be positively everywhere."
"I take the duty of being elusive and unpredictable close to heart."
Out of the blue, sensei asked, "Well?" and nudged my flank. "It's my victory, isn't it?"
"...E-Erm, how did you come to the conclusion that you won, sir?"
"If you can't understand, then there's no point talking to you."
Sensei watched the Kamogawa river beneath as it carried its waters from south to north, while puffing on his tobacco with satisfaction.
By the river, the noryouyuka cool-floor [*7] opened for operation, its night illumination casting phantasmagorical lights on the black surface of the water. It was a scene of a nighttime amusement that would suit Benten's taste perfectly.
My and sensei's thoughts seemed to coincide at that moment.
Looking toward the Kamogawa, sensei murmured suddenly, "I wonder where Benten is and what she's doing."
"When she gets back - things will turn fun, for sure."
"... Now, of all times, is really the time when that beauty should be here more than ever."
Sensei stared at the moon glittering in the night sky and said on a sigh, "How I want to see Benten. Oh how I long to see Benten."
T/N:
[*1] Mamemochi (豆餅): a rice cake with beans. Why did Yasaburou choose to bring mamemochi? Apparently, there is an old and popular wagashi shop (that is, specializing in traditional Japanese sweets), Demachi Futuba, located in the Demachi neighborhood which, in turn, is not far away from Shimogamo shrine.
[*2] Mickle fails that fools think (下手な考え休むに似たり): this translation is not a widely used one, so just to elaborate a little if this is your first time seeing this proverb: basically, the sense here is along the lines of 'They to whom only bad ideas come might as well be asleep' and 'Inadequate ideas are worse than none at all'.
[*3] Senjafuda (千社札) lit. thousand shrine tag: a name tag originally posted on shrine pillars by pilgrims (wiki)
[*4] Onigawara tile (鬼瓦) lit. demon tile: ornamental roof tiles with oni/demons (wiki)
[*5] Lao Jiu 老酒: a variety of rice-fermented traditional Chinese wines, a subtype of Shaoxing wine (wiki)
[*6] Fuujin-Raijin (風神雷神): fuujin is lit. wind god and raijin is lit. thunder god
[*7] Noryouyuka (納涼床): a wooden platform, a type of restaurant balcony overlooking the river for enjoying cool breezes, mainly in the evenings, laid out in summer (jp wiki)
This part has more info on the Nidaime than the anime mentioned (which is basically my reason for taking up this novel lol)
The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime's Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko
Chapter 1 (part 2/3, pages 29-52)
〇
"Oh? It's rare to see an elephant in Nyoigadake."
The English gentleman descended to stand on the slope of Daimonji, putting a hand to his silk hat as he looked up at me.
When I shortened my body, returning to the form of a good-for-nothing college student, "As I thought, it was a tanuki's shapeshifting, huh. Quite splendid," he murmured and clapped soundlessly in a pretentious manner.
This Western-styled tengu was a chalk-white handsome man with an air of a foreigner, an old-fashioned returnee just back to Japan, conspicuous in the most extravagant way possible. A glossy silk hat, a black three-piece suit fitting his body to a nicety, a dress shirt so white it looked like plaster, a black bow tie and a cane held in slender leather-gloved hands were all parts of that. Tengu were creatures whose age was unidentifiable to begin with, but in human years he looked to be around his late thirties. One tremendously good-looking tengu, in short.
Picking up the travel suitcase, he called out to the Kurama tengu, who until then were only grunting inarticulately.
"Hello, my good sirs. What might you be playing at in these parts?"
The Kurama tengu got up and were now staring at the gentleman with dumb expressions.
Suddenly, Reizanbou tore off his sunglasses and exclaimed in astonishment, "If it isn't Yakushibou the Nidaime [*1]! Why have you come back now?"
"Because I've seen everything that I needed to see. Is chief Kurama doing well? Once I've settled in, I plan to go greet him. By the way..." the Nidaime said smoothly, looking around in puzzlement, "I'm sure I had sent my other luggage here, as well, but..."
"Aah, that," Reizanbou intoned coldly. "They were in the way, so we tossed them out."
"...And why would you do such a thing? It's not like this mountain belongs to you."
Reizanbou winked to his companions, and the Kurama tengu spread out, encircling the Nidaime. The air of arrogance filled the space.
"You fell behind the times, Nidaime. We've taken over Nyoigadake."
For all intents and purposes, the situation seemed to have finally come down to a tengu fight, and I felt positively thrilled, my hair vibrating. For you see, these days tengu fights happened exceedingly rarely, and clashes like the battle between Akadama-sensei and the Kurama tengu in Mt.Atagoyama, the great tug of war between the tengu of Shiga and the tengu of Kyoto at the island of Chikubushima and the Ibukiyama Flyer Shootdown operation were stuff of legends anymore you only heard about in anecdotes. For tanuki, if you were lucky enough to witness a historic tengu battle, you would have enough bragging material for drinking parties for the rest of your life.
The Nidaime, however, remained utterly indifferent, as if the Kurama tengu's provocation fell on completely deaf ears.
"Oh, that's what's happened. Duly noted."
"Don't you have anything else to say?" Reizanbou asked in a tone of complete let-down. "What a disgustingly heartless fellow. We kicked your father off this mountain, you know."
"If that's the case, Nyoigadake rightfully belongs to you good sirs," the Nidaime said, making a disinterested face. "Or what, are you ashamed of your actions?"
"Why would we be ashamed?!"
"Then show more pride. After all, you gentlemen are almighty tengu, and if you get too caught up in the heat of a turf war, no one can complain... Speaking of which, where is my father?"
"Behind the Demachi shopping arcade. Dependent on tanuki in a crummy little apartment."
"Then I'll finish him myself. Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me."
The Nidaime gave a slight polite bow to the Kurama tengu and smoothly took off into the sky with grace and elegance, as if riding an invisible elevator.
The Kurama, dumbstruck, watched him depart.
Only when his form was no longer visible did they open their mouths to start a heated discussion and exchange commentary. Stamping their feet noisily on the scattered hanafuda cards of steel, they were saying in a chorus, "He's just as smartass as ever." "Who would've thought he'd come back now?" "Should we let the head family know?" "Does Atagoyama know?" They no longer spared any thought to the impertinent little tanuki who called them small timers, it seemed.
Taking advantage of the fact, I changed back into my tanuki form and broke into a run, heading toward the foot of the mountain.
As I dashed through the forest, my little brother who'd been hiding, jumped out of some bush at me. "Nii-chan, you're alive!" he exclaimed in delight. After a while spent rejoicing over the fact that we both were unharmed, I shapeshifted into my worthless college student form, while my brother into a little boy, and the two of us went down the slop in front of the gate to Ginkakuji temple that was crowded with tourists, then proceeded farther, running along a drainage canal under sakura trees that were already bloomless.
There was no time to worry about tsuchinoko or the tengu stone anymore. What had to take precedence was Akadama-sensei's safety.
I heard loud and clear with my own ears that the Nidaime said he would finish sensei himself, and when you took into account this tengu strife between the father and the son that had survived more than a hundred years, it was quite probable that he would visit sensei's place to settle the score in a violent and gory way. Still, Akadama-sensei was our honored mentor who provided guidance to us for generations, us four brothers, our father, his father and countless other furballs had studied under him. Even if as a tengu, sensei was no different from not being one at all anymore, I couldn't simply sit and watch as someone put an end to his tengu life without mounting some resistance.
As we were running along Imadegawa-doori street, I ordered my little brother to go back to the Tadasu forest.
"Go tell our big brother that the Nidaime's returned. We also need to let Yasaka-san know."
"What are you going to do, nii-chan?"
"I'm going to Demachiyanagi. The Nidaime resents sensei, so he's sure to come there to exact revenge. Before he does, I'll get sensei to escape somewhere."
And so, my little brother sped toward the Tadasu forest with the urgent message, while my destination was the apartment building Masugata just behind the Demachi shopping district.
〇
A certain retired tengu by the name of Iwayasan Kinkoubou-san ran a used camera store in the Nihonbashi neighborhood, and I'd been to his place frequently. Kinkoubou was one of Akadama-sensei's few friends, and it was he who told me some details regarding the Nidaime.
The Nidaime's birthplace was the city of Kiyou, that is, presently the city of Nagasaki.
When the Nidaime set foot on the Kyoto soil after being kidnapped from Nagasaki by Akadama-sensei, the time was the Meiji era, in the period of it where the multiple riots associated with the Meiji Restoration had already turned into a thing of the past.
"My son," was how Akadama-sensei introduced the Nidaime to Kinkoubou.
Kinkoubou remembered vividly what the Nidaime looked like when he first stepped in Kyoto. Although a beautiful boy with plump cheeks showing leftover childishness, he had a razor-sharp gaze and it was transparent to see that he was hiding some seriously hot temper. From just one look, it was clear that Akadama-sensei's blood flowed in his veins.
Japan’s booming development of the Meiji era had seemingly nothing to do with the boy receiving tengu education from Akadama-sensei. During Japan's westernization when the Biwako canal was finished, the municipal tram system developed and new buildings constructed, the boy spent all his time in the recesses of Nyoigadake undergoing tough training. But by no means did it mean the young Nidaime was satisfied with his circumstances. Evidently, the reason why he'd accepted his situation and worked hard at his tengu training was because in his heart he had decided to distinguish himself as quickly as possible and overthrow his detested father.
Time flowed by, marking the coming of a new century and a new Taishou era.
The Nidaime turned into a dazzling young man, and there was no keeping him secluded in Nyoigadake anymore. Together with the chief of Kurama, Kuramayama Soujoubou, with whom the Nidaime had become friends, he would sneak into high schools, pose as a student and go to party in the night town, taking tanuki along. Akadama-sensei frowned at the Nidaime's conduct; the Nidaime, for his part, kept steadily gaining strength as a tengu, competing with Akadama-sensei head-on. It was a precarious situation where both, the father and the son alike, eagerly searched for a chance to let loose and allow their tempers explode.
And that was where a certain woman came into play.
A western-style hotel with a clock tower appeared at Karasuma-doori street rather suddenly. She was the sheltered daughter of the owner of that '20th century hotel', a nouveau riche who built his fortune on war.
The Nidaime fell in ardent love at first sight, but Akadama-sensei meddled, saying that he needed to punish his negligent pupil who had lost his way. At the time, Akadama-sensei was still overflowing with vitality as a tengu, and the wicked deed of making passes at his son's first love was no big deal to him, it seemed.
That struggle over love, unfolding on the stage that was the brilliantly shining hotel, got more and more complicated until the Nidaime's patience that was being stretched thin ever since his being a young boy was finally overtaxed, his temper exploding in flames.
The father and the son clashed in what was a huge fight shaking all the 36 peaks of the Higashiyama mountains and lasting 3 days and 3 nights.
As the two battled without sleep or rest, riddled with wounds and reduced to savages, they ended up crawling up the main roof of the Minamiza theater [*2] that was still under reconstruction at the time. As bluish-white lightning tore through the dark skies and a downpour shrouded the city, they mustered the last of their strength and clashed. Seeing them stick their fingers in the opponent's nostrils, pull each other's hair and unintelligibly grunt was like watching a children's squabble instead of tengu's death struggle. Still, as per the saying, experience proved the best teacher in the end, and Akadama-sensei, going wild like a lion, kicked the Nidaime down from Minamiza's roof and to Shijou-doori street below, letting loose a triumphant roar. Under the beating rain, the defeated Nidaime escaped through the dark city and disappeared.
Since then, a hundred years had passed.
Nyoigadake Yakushibou the Nidaime, having set foot on his native land after returning from the British Empire, entered a luxury lodging, Kyoto Hotel Okura in Kawaramachi-oike, with appropriate grandeur and dignity.
While the Nidaime, having deposited his luggage in a comfortable guest room of the hotel, was carefully dressing, intending to visit his father and settle the score, Akadama-sensei, holed up in his cheap apartment behind the Demachi shopping arcade, hugged a daruma doll with one eye filled in [*3] close and prayed for Benten's return to Japan, chanting "BentenBentenBenten" all the while.
Why were these father and son as different as night and day?
It was a cruel story, just the tengu way.
〇
Luckily, when I burst into Akadama-sensei's apartment, the Nidaime wasn't there yet.
Through the openings in the curtain that more resembled an old rag, the spring sun streamed, illuminating the four and a half tatami mat room buried in junk. Akadama-sensei in yellowish underwear snored loudly on his permanently laid-out futon; in contrast to the overall pitiful sight that he presented, sensei's sleeping face was the height of happiness. He was probably dreaming of Benten's bottom. "Please wake up!" Even when I shook him, sensei just turned over, greedily clinging to his backside dream and even looking like he was diving ever deeper into its sweetness.
"Oh, for Heaven's sake. He just won't wake up."
Around the futon, all kinds of personal belongings were scattered such as tengu tobacco, the Fuujin-Raijin folding fan, a concise picture postcard from Benten and sensei's favorite towel, among others. I gathered them, wrapped them in a cloth, lifted sensei's body and deposited it on my own back. He probably wouldn't be happy to have been carried to the tanuki forest while asleep, but I had no time to wait for him to wake up comfortably on his own.
When I opened the door to the apartment and was about to leave, I saw the silhouette of an English gentleman behind the fence surrounding the building who was clearly out of place in the Demachiyanagi neighborhood.
"Uhyaa! It’s the Nidaime! He sure wastes no time."
With no other choice, I went back into the room.
The image of Akadama-sensei the Nidaime had in his head was that from a century ago, and there was no way he could've accurately predicted what sensei looked like in the present after his downfall. In which case, if I shapeshifted into sensei, I just might be able to deceive the Nidaime's eyes somehow. You never knew if maybe greeting the Nidaime warmly and giving him a hug as the fake Akadama-sensei would actually be enough to start thawing the ice of his hundred year old grudge. Oh, right, almost forgot.
I threw the junk out of the closet and shoved Akadama-sensei, who was still hugging the daruma doll, into it together with his futon. Just as I shut the sliding screen closed, the Nidaime knocked on the door.
"Is Nyoigadake Yakushibou in?"
I shapeshifted into Akadama-sensei and sat down in the center of the small room cross-legged.
"Come in," I said loudly.
After a few moments, the Nidaime opened the door and stepped inside, peering into the four and a half tatami mat room from where the small kitchen was. He was pressing a snow white handkerchief over his nose and mouth. It was no wonder: smoke from the tengu tobacco, the stench of Akadama port wine left on the bottom of several bottles mixed with that of food in bento boxes that had gone bad, yellow-smeared cotton swabs thrown carelessly after their duty of cleaning ears had been done, underwear stripped and left to lie around, Akadama-sensei's own old man body odor and the leftover smell and hair from the tanuki who visited quite often... This room, that was the height of disorder along with its stink, apparently completely overwhelmed the Nidaime as he stood at the threshold in mute amazement.
Using my best shapeshifting techniques, I managed to recreate the dignity typical of tengu.
"So good of you to come back, son! What happened in the past was all my fault. Will you forgive me?"
From the mouth of Nyoigadake Yakushibou, a tengu who carried his wicked ways to the extremes and spat on all creation, one after another fell accommodationist lines, and it was so blatantly contrived that I felt ashamed for myself.
When I opened my arms wide, the Nidaime approached cautiously, got down to one knee after carefully wiping the filth from the spot on the tatami where his knee would go and gingerly returned the embrace while paying scrupulous attention as not to get his jacket dirty in the process. With this, the books on the strife of a hundred years between the father and the son could be closed, it seemed.
Except, all of a sudden, the Nidaime whispered into my ear, "I see you've acquired quite the tanuki reek to you, father."
"That'd be because the tanuki come here all the time. I'm rather sick of them myself."
"You say that, but it is rather apparent that you're quite fond of tanuki."
"Fool! What are you talking about?"
"Why else would you grow a tail like a tanuki?"
The Nidaime then gave my lower back a slap, seizing the tail that popped out from that impact in a tight grip.
In the blink of an eye my transformation was unraveled, and I found myself hanging upside down, bitterly regretting my shallow and ill-conceived idea to fool a tengu by shapeshifting into a tengu. What could be a more humiliating and painful experience? Tanuki don't do upside down. And now, dangling precariously in the air with up and down switched, I mumbled barely coherently, begging the Nidaime for forgiveness, "I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!"
"Could it be that you're the tanuki who was in Nyoigadake earlier?" The Nidaime brought the bridge of his flawless nose closer to me, still holding me upside down. "If that's the case, then you must have inferred the circumstances and beat me to the punch, huh."
Having subdued his anger, the Nidaime put me back down on the tatami flooring.
Rubbing my aching butt, I looked up at him.
"Please forgive my foolish prank. I am the third son of Shimogamo Souichirou, Yasaburou. I would like to congratulate you on your safe return from abroad from the bottom of my heart, sir."
"No need for such ceremonious greetings. Incidentally, where is my real father?"
"Well, sir, that I know not myself. I wonder where could he possibly have gone?"
"Hm-hmph," the Nidaime snorted under his breath and took a look around the small room, eyes taking notice of the sliding door to the closet that I had slid shut in a hurry just minutes earlier. Behind it, he was sure to find a drooling Akadama-sensei, hugging the daruma doll and dreaming of Benten's backside. I was on pins and needles, fearing that the Nidaime would see right through it any moment now, but he made no attempt to investigate the closet, just muttered, "Tanuki are such admirable little creatures," in an indescribable tone that could be one of admiration or one of exasperation.
"Tanuki are indeed admirable," I said. "If there is anything you need, simply say the word. I'm sure there must be some inconveniences after being gone for so long. And there is still the need to find your furniture and household belongings."
"Yes, indeed. It appears those Kurama fools tossed them from Nyoigadake."
"If you would, sir, may I suggest leaving this matter in the hands of this Yasaburou?"
Those household possessions flung from Daimonji by the Kurama tengu must have been picked up and hoarded by the tanuki dwelling in Kyoto. But if the Nidaime claimed ownership over them even at this late a date, it was not impossible to get his collection, that had been sucked into the tanuki's lairs, back.
When I informed him of that, "I would be very grateful," he replied, produced a gold coin from his pocket and tried to get me to take it. "I cannot allow you to work for free."
"But tengu are made to drive tanuki to work hard. Tengu are greater than tanuki, after all."
"I do not like being indebted to others, Yasaburou-kun," the Nidaime then said. "Besides, I'm not a tengu."
〇
The Nidaime's return to the country sent significant ripples through the tanuki world.
To the furballs with short lifespans, witnessing the arrival of a brand new tengu was a rarity that may or may not happen only once in a lifetime. So the ever curious tanuki, wanting to get a look at that new tengu, stalked Hotel Okura in Kawaramachi-oike. Among the stalkers were even elderly furballs with not much longer left to live who were supposed to stay in the seclusion of Tanukidani-Fudou temple. Before long, an irresponsible rumor went into circulation that stealing a look at the new tengu was sure to extend one's lifespan.
With the tanuki world clamoring on and on, I got summoned by the head of tanuki society, Yasaka Heitarou, and went to pay him a visit in Gion together with my eldest brother.
As we walked from the east end of Shijouoohashi bridge, heading to Yasaka temple, I kept grumbling under my breath how annoying all this was.
From my experience, nothing good was in store for you when you were summoned by the Nise-emon: it was either to lecture you to the accompaniment of a Hawaiian melody or to task you with some troublesome job.
As far as my brother explained it to me, at a meeting held the day before with him and Yasaka Heitarou presiding, the discussion on how to better deal with the Nidaime produced no real conclusion, except for a half-backed one along the lines of 'Let's ask Yasaburou's opinion, for starters' to evade the issue.
"You're the only who had any opportunity to hold a real conversation with the Nidaime," my brother stated. "Besides, you also excel at handling Akadama-sensei. That is, your name and tengu basically go hand in hand, you see."
"I'm no tengu expert."
"Stop complaining and make yourself useful to the tanuki world once in a while."
A big tanuki named Yasaka Heitarou was not only the head of the Yasaka clan that held the territory stretching from Maruyama Park to Gion, but also the Nise-emon governing all the tanuki of Kyoto. His office was located in a back alley of Gion-Nawate that was lined with tiny snack pubs and bars, in the building of a closed down proctology clinic. That clinic took care of Kyoto tanuki's behinds for many years, and I, too, was a patient there at one time when a mushroom grew out on my butt back when I was little.
The waiting room of the defunct clinic was crowded with tanuki who came to appeal to the Nise-emon, and me and my brother patiently waited for our turn, seated on an old leather-covered couch. At long last, we were escorted to the Hawaiian-styled examining room where Yasaka Heitarou, sprawling in a rattan chair and plucking at the strings of an ukulele, greeted us.
"Hi there, sorry for the trouble. Welcome to Fake Hawaii."
On the walls of the examining room a very Hawaiian blue sea and indigo sky were painted, in the corners there were planted a few fake palm trees, and the space on the walls was crammed with an assortment of Hawaii-related articles such as hula girl dolls, wreaths and aloha shirts. Hawaii had become Yasaka Heitarou's yearned-for paradise ever since he had gone on a recreation trip there in his youth, and he wanted nothing more than to push the position of the Nise-emon on my brother as soon as possible and escape to his southern land of dreams. It was his dearest wish to spend his time playing with coconuts on the Hawaiian beach after retiring.
"Nothing like thriving business, isn't it," said I.
"It's not profitable, but this flood of customers never stops. It's so aggravating, really."
Since as the head of the tanuki world, the Nise-emon was expected to bring the tanuki of Kyoto together, whenever there was a quarrel, he had to step in and arbitrate; during any big tanuki assembly he was to take charge, and it was also his duty to show the way to little tanuki who searched for the correct way to live as a tanuki. Sometimes, he even had to give advice on love affairs. That said, tanuki were creatures liable to easily overlook the bigger issue and lose themselves in pointless arguments over some minor stuff. Thus, the problems that visitors wanted Yasaka Heitarou to settle for them rarely required quick wit and mental gymnastics bordering on acrobatics, Oooka-style [*4], to solve. For that reason, when a complicated problem related to tengu fell in his lap, Yasaka Heitarou found himself at a loss.
Offering me and my brother chairs, Yasaka Heitarou produced a Mango Frappuccino from the fridge. The ukulele sang in staccato. The atmosphere of a southern island steadily filled the room.
"Well then, Yasaburou. I'm going to ask this because I regard you as an authority on the tengu world..."
Hearing such flattering words did make me feel better.
"The Nidaime... is he the real deal?"
If Yasaka Heitarou was asking whether or not the Nidaime was a genuine tengu or a legitimate heir of Akadama-sensei's, then it was probably for the sake of observing what was considered manners such as sending formal greetings from the tanuki world and holding an official welcome ceremony. After all, the Nidaime had set foot on his native land for the first time in a hundred years, that had to be celebrated with lavish. However, considering the big fight that, as everyone knew, had occurred that same century ago, there was tremendous strife between Akadama-sensei and the Nidaime. Not only had sensei not acknowledged the Nidaime in any shape or form, there were even suspicions that he thought of making Benten his successor. While there was nothing technically wrong with extending courtesy to the Nidaime on behalf of the tanuki world, it was out of question to incur Akadama-sensei and Benten's anger and irrational crackdown on tanuki right after, which was where the problem lay.
I was asked to relay the full particulars of my encounter with the Nidaime.
"As far as I can tell, he is a tengu through and through, no question about it. It is strange that the person in question insists he's not one though... Maybe it's because he somewhat lacks self-awareness as a tengu."
"That spells trouble in dealing with him."
"Things between the father and the son look as bad as ever, too, and when Benten-sama eventually returns, there will be a world of trouble, no doubt. If we recklessly get involved in this, fur on our butts is sure to catch fire."
"Stop enjoying this, Yasaburou," my brother chided.
"Well, it's fine," Heitarou remarked. "...So, what do you think, Yaichirou-kun?"
My brother folded his arms and frowned.
"I think my brother is an idiot. That said, I believe his judgement is correct."
Yasaka Heitarou seemed to be in thought as he plucked at his ukulele.
The reason why Yasaka Heitarou succeeded our father, the previous Nise-emon, after he had fallen into the Friday Fellows Club's pot, was because they were childhood friends. While tanuki society ran about in confusion, playing a desperate push-and-shove game of Oshikura Manju [*5] after losing their head, Heitarou, upset and dillydallying, was mercilessly pushed out of the circle as the fall guy. At the time, Ebisugawa Souun still lacked dignity to seize the Nise-emon position, and many tanuki were of the opinion that they'd be better off leaving it to almost anyone, even Heitarou, than Ebisugawa. Ever since, while not having produced achievements worthy of special mention to his name, neither had Yasaka Heitarou made many big blunders, the fact of his continuous service, decent if lacking passion, to the tanuki world in such an uncharacteristic role was quite admirable in and of itself.
"In the end, we're just tanuki. Haste makes waste." Before long, Yasaka Heitarou ended his musical performance and slapped his knees. "As a sly old tanuki that I'm supposed to be, I say we wait and see. We'll decide which side to wag our tails once the stance of the tengu world on the matter has been made clear. For the time being, look out for any movements in the tengu world."
〇
What I requested of Yasaka Heitarou was to spread the word as far as possible that the tengu stones that the tanuki had picked up and deep-pocketed belonged to the Nidaime, and appeal for their return.
I asked Kiyomizu Chiijitarou from the antique store on Teramachi-doori street to provide a corner for the tengu stone collection retrieval and inspected the articles that the tanuki had been bringing there. It was as heart-breaking as taking the knife to the flesh for the tanuki to have to part with the tengu stones they had painstakingly collected, and many of them made a dramatic scene in front of the secondhand store. Among them even were those who loathed and cursed me for going and sticking my nose where it didn't belong.
The assortment of articles that the Nidaime had brought back from England was astoundingly diverse.
A writing desk, western canes numbering ten-something, a few dozens of men's leather shoes, a wooden wardrobe, plenty of suitcases, a collection of distance glasses, devices for experiments such as magnifying glasses and microscopes, lots of indoor slippers, silverware and candlestands, a violin, a chessboard, a mysterious bundle of keys, 3 overcoats, lamps, a bathtub, Persian carpets, tweet caps, hundreds of Western books, scraps of newspaper articles... And that was only part of it. The chaise that my little brother and I had found at the foot of Nyoigadake was turned in, as well.
Thus, for about a week, I was being kept so busy that there was no time to even think about tsuchinoko.
Tsuchinoko represented the dream, but tengu were reality. During that period, the Nidaime lived at the hotel in Kawaramachi-oike. Those good looks of his and natural majestic air typical of tengu held the hotel staff captivated, and they treated him like a regular patron of many years. His appearance and mannerisms of an old-fashioned English gentleman fit nicely into the hotel's big solemn lobby and tea room, his honor and dignity as a tengu just returned home displayed amply. A walk about an hour long that he would take at 5 in the afternoon was his everyday routine, his path always the same, and it mattered not if it rained. In the crowd of Shinkyougako street the Nidaime's form was extremely conspicuous, unfailingly turning heads of every passerby. Upon returning to the hotel, he would always check the time at the front door, and his motions, from opening his pocket watch to the angle he tilted his chin at to confirm the dial was so unchanging it was like a picture on a stamp. The Napoléon gold coins that seemed to appear from the pockets of his coat one after another in an endless stream hinted at the Nidaime's outrageous financial assets, but unlike some, he didn't squander that wealth on extravagant night amusements, seemingly having a truly calm and peaceful lifestyle.
Everyday in the evening, I went to deliver the items that had been collected from the tanuki that day at about the time when, by my estimations, the Nidaime would be back after his walk.
"Hello, Yasaburou-kun. Much obliged to you today again."
With each my repeated visit, the hotel room was steadily being reworked into an orderly pseudo-Europe. The tengu in an impecably spotless white dress shirt recently back from abroad who welcomed me in looked quite comfortable surrounded by his favorite furniture. He repeatedly tried to push gold coins into my pocket, but having my pride as a tanuki, I turned him down every time one way or another.
"I don't like being indebted to people," the Nidaime would say.
"Well, sir, I'm a tanuki."
"Allow me to rephrase then. I don't like being indebted to tanuki."
"To be honest, I'm planning on asking for a much bigger favor eventually, such that gold coins will not measure up adequately enough. I'm being kept so busy I cannot even go out to search for tsuchinoko."
"And there you have it. I have a feeling I'll be tricked if I'm not careful."
"Having enough leeway to allow yourself to be tricked is a wonderful thing."
"Well said. Is that a pearl of tanuki wisdom?"
The Nidaime showed a wry smile, and I was off the hook for the time being while still staying true to my adamant refusal to accept gold coins.
Incidentally, there was something about his recovered collection that weighted on the Nidaime's mind, a thing called an air gun, of German make. Crafted by a German engineer in the 19th century, it was a mechanism equipped with a powerful pump that compressed the air to launch a lead bullet. Having passed though several hands on its way from the continent to the British Empire, the gun remained a prized possession of a certain aristocrat for many years before being auctioned off which was when the Nidaime bought it; from the photo of it, it looked as beautiful as any brass instrument. When I heard the words 'air gun', I imagined a toy that launched soft and fuzzy shells like hairballs, but "It's nothing that adorable," the Nidaime chuckled. With that gun rumored to have been used to assassinate a minister of a certain country, if they happened to be shot from it, a creature like tanuki would be Heaven-bound in no time, apparently.
"I assume you, my furball friends, don't like guns, do you?"
"No, we most certainly don't. That said, I've never had a chance to see one upclose myself."
"If you could find it with all due haste, I would be grateful. There is sure to be trouble if it were to be misused."
As a matter of fact, while I was frequenting the Nidaime in this fashion, Akadama-sensei still lived knowing nothing about the Nidaime's return to the country. Finding a tanuki who would want to be on the receiving end of a rage explosion over making such a report was impossible, and seeing as sensei stayed holed up in his apartment the whole time, he simply had no chances to hear the news in the first place.
When I dropped by at one time with a multi-compartment bento box in hand, I found sensei in the middle of his four and a half tatami mat room, seated at a low tea table as if clinging to it and writing another love letter to Benten he kept on sending.
Sensei is always the last to know, how pitiful, how lamentable.
Just when my thoughts trailed hazily along those lines, sensei suddenly sent a glare my way.
"Yasaburou."
"What is it, sir?"
"Are you hiding something from me?"
"Bringing that up this late in the game, sir?" panicking, I spoke up jovially. "I do have a lot of secrets, I’ll have you know."
Sensei snorted, putting finishing touches to his love letter. "...Oh well, no matter. Your secrets must be silly trifling things either way."
〇
Akadama-sensei, left out of the loop about the Nidaime's homecoming, learned about everything when May had already reached its second half and it had been 2 weeks since the Nidaime's return.
The only ones who could tell sensei, nigh-permanently cooped up in his apartment, the truth were his few old tengu friends. When I heard the rumor that Iwayasan Kinkoubou was seen passing though the Demachi shopping district with a 1 sho bottle decorated with a mizuhiki cord [*6], I thought, 'The time has finally come'.
Apprehensively, I decided to drop by sensei's apartment, but by the time I did it had already been vacated.
Following that, Akadama-sensei had disappeared from Kyoto, and hasty tanuki made a fuss, jumping to a conclusion that he went into hiding fearing retaliation from the Nidaime. However, those of us who had actually studied under sensei, starting with me, objected, insistent that with him, of all people, such a thing was just impossible.
It was true that our former mentor had lost the ability to fly through the sky freely years too early, and for someone who became a good-for-nothing old geezer who was like a thorough collection of all the nasty and wicked traits tengu possessed despite his total inability to do anything tengu-like, he shamelessly remained a selfish leecher and an overbearing tanuki-bullying braggart, yet there was also no denying that his tengu pride was the only thing he had in such abundance that it could start dripping from his nose at any moment. That is, he was the kind of person who would rather die a ridiculous death by crashing into freeze-dried tofu than give the likes of tanuki a cause to point fingers and run their mouths about him running away in fear of the Nidaime.
'Mark our words, sensei will be back, without fail,' asserted the Akadama tanuki pupils.
And not even a few days later a tanuki came out and claimed that he saw sensei moving about the Kumogahata region.
The parts of Kumogahata, located to the north of Kyoto, that slipped deep into the Kitayamasugi cedar forest after you went north and upstream the Kamogawa river and left the urban area, were the turf of Iwayasan Kinkoubou since very long ago. To us, removing himself from the world below full of earthly affairs and tanuki hair and going into seclusion in a lofty place like that looked like proof of just how serious Akadama-sensei was being. There could be no doubt that our great teacher went to train his body and discipline his mind that had grown rusty and dull from his many years of reclusive life, fully intending to confront the Nidaime now that he had been back.
"That's Akadama-sensei for you. Even corrupt, he's still Nyoigadake Yakushibou."
After this news, in the tanuki world sensei's stocks seemed to have gone up somewhat.
T/N:
[*1] Nidaime (ニ代目) lit. the Second: make no mistake it's not a name, just a counter that serves as a convenient way to identify him, so everyone calls him that (similarly to the use of words like sensei, danna, kaichou, etc). His full tengu name would be Nyoigadake Yakushibou the Second.
[*2] Minamiza theater (南座): one of the most famous and earliest kabuki theaters (wiki); its current building was built in 1929 which we could take as the year when the conflict between Akadama and the Nidaime took place.
[*3] Daruma (達磨): I'm sure every anime or manga fan knows what a daruma is (wiki just in case), so here I'll just mention that when new, both its eyes are unfilled, and you fill in the left eye when you found a wish or an ambition you want to make reality and the right one after you've achieved it.
[*4] Oooka judgement (大岡裁き): originates from the decisions made by a legendary judge of the 17th century Oooka Tadasuke who is famous for making his decisions with exceptional wisdom, fair-mindedness and kindness (wiki)
[*5] Oshikura Manju (押し競饅頭): a children's game where participants stand back-to back in a circle and try to push one of them out of it (wiki)
[*6] 1 sho bottle ( 一升瓶 ): sho is a traditional Japanese unit for measuring volume equal to 1.8 liters; Mizuhiki (水引) is a decorative cord out of twisted rice paper (wiki)
Hm, sorry for asking this way out of the blue, but I may be sleeping a little on all the Gangsta. uptades. What was the Kohske appeal for the fans? Im so lost, like damnnnn
It was this. Though at the moment it just appears that the manga is on a lengthy hiatus after chapter 56 (the recent issue of Monthly Comic Bunch out on 9/21 didn’t seem to list it, as was the case with a few previous issues as well).
And this is the more interesting thing I mentioned.
The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime's Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko
Chapter 1 (part 1/3, pages 7-29)
The Nidaime's Homecoming
There is nothing to do except to live an amusing life.
First, how about setting to do just that.
I'm what you would call a tanuki living in modern Kyoto, but too proud to be a mere tanuki, I admire tengu from afar and love imitating humans. There is no doubt this trouble-inviting disposition is something that has been passed down from our distant ancestors through generations, and my late father referred to it as our 'idiot blood'.
My father, Shimogamo Souichirou, was known far and wide in the city of Kyoto and its surroundings as the Nise-emon [*1], that is, the head of Kyoto's tanuki society, and even tengu respected him. If Souichirou had been a tanuki possessing just a little more good sense, he wouldn't have ended up in humans' tanuki hot pot as a result of picking a fight with the Kurama tengu. However, he was able to leave numerous legends behind precisely because he was a phenomenal idiot who danced on the brink of a pot.
"My idiot blood's doing," he used to say.
I came into this world as the third son of said Nise-emon, Shimogamo Souichorou, in the Tadasu forest.
A genius shows from childhood, they say, and I showed myself as a perfectly healthy and furry problem child of the tanuki world even before being able to stand steadily on my four paws. Starting with my attempt to smoke out Hesoishi-sama[*2] of Rokkakudou with pine needles, I bizarrely changed into anything and everything, from a bottle opener to mounted peacekeepers[*3], and meddled in tengu and humans' affairs alike, having bought a lot of displeasure as Yasaburou the reckless lad. However, as a tanuki in whose veins the idiot blood inherited from my father flows, how else could I live? There is no path for me other than that of a fool.
In other words, an amusing thing is a good thing.
And thus, I begin this furry tale that started on a certain day in May when spring was in full bloom in Kyoto, spreading fresh smiling greenery to all the 36 peaks of the Higashiyama mountains where I, a tanuki, lived an amusing life, as always.
〇
Ever since being a baby tanuki, I'd always loved May that never failed to get my idiot blood bubbling with excitement.
The forest puffing out with vibrant new leaves resembles a tanuki, don't you think?
On that day, I exited the Tadasu forest, humming to myself as I walked along the riverside of the Kamogawa river with the spring breeze streaming around me. Having shapeshifted into a gorgeous woman with blond hair and blue eyes, I took no small pride in my skin-deep beauty, parading myself along the Kamogawa river and bewitching the living daylights out of some idiot students passing by.
My destination was a certain apartment in the apartment building Masugata just behind the Demachi shopping district.
Despite the refreshing spring breeze sweeping through every back alley and street of Kyoto, that shabby apartment stayed gloomy like a stale permanently laid-out bedding never left out to air.
In that apartment lived a life of alternating lulls and explosions of rage Akadama-sensei, an elderly semi-retired tengu. Having an imposing name of Nyoigadake Yakushibou[*4], he used to be a great tengu ruling over the whole Mt.Nyoigadake in the past. However, having suffered defeat in the turf war against the Kurama tengu, he was exiled to behind the Demachi shopping arcade, becoming a shadow of his former self, his dignity as a tengu vanishing like mist.
"Hello, hello, sensei, it is I, Yasaburou, and I humbly came to call on you."
When I called out to the back of the four and a half tatami mat room, "Oh, it's you, Yasaburou," came an answer in a displeased voice.
"Oh, sensei, are you in ill humor today, again?"
"I never once have been in good humor since taking my first bath as a baby."
"Here you go again saying such things... better take a look here: a beautiful girl is here for you. Please behold this hair, golden like the finest Miwa soumen[*5]."
"Don't flaunt your cheap shapeshifting tricks before me, they make me sick!!
Leaving the foodstuff in the kitchen, I entered the four-and-a-half-tatami mat room and found sensei sitting cross-legged on the laid-out futon in stains from Akadama port wine and scowling at a stone on a zabuton of gold brocade. It was a pebble about as big as a human’s clenched fist, gray and completely ordinary.
"Ohh, if it isn’t the keystone of the tengu hot pot!" I said.
"As long as they have this, even a complete fool like you can make a hot pot."
"...What a mean thing to say."
To make a tengu hot pot you fill a pot with water, add tofu, kujo green onions, Chinese cabbage and some chicken meat, then throw in that stone that sensei had and let it all boil. It's delicious if you eat it with seasoned ponzu, but without the keystone, you won't get the flavor of the authentic tengu hot pot even if you use the same ingredients. That keystone was truly a priced possession and a seasoned veteran that had been wandering from one hot pot to another in Japanese cuisine restaurants of Kyoto for a long time, and each time it was thrown into a hot pot, it would ooze the umami of countless hot pots. Another stone was entrusted to a traditional Japanese restaurant near Koudaiji temple and was currently in the process of ripening.
Although, in Akadama-sensei's opinion, since the tengu hot pot was a recipe that implied cooking in deep mountain valleys, making the authentic tengu hot pot without letting the clear air of mountains dissolve in it was impossible in the first place. Making it in this apartment where the only things that could dissolve in it were dust and tanuki hair would only result in a poor imitation no matter what you did. Though if served said result, sensei would still eat it with appetite - tengu were really troublesome creatures like that.
"I humbly thank you," I said, accepting the keystone with appropriate reverence and heading to the kitchen to start preparations for a hot pot.
"Yasaburou, tell me, are you still into hunting the likes of tsuchinoko?"
"Would you like to come along, too, sensei? I plan to head to Nyoigadake tomorrow."
When I suggested that, sensei only snorted from his small four-and-a-half-tatami mat room, "What foolishness. You take after Souichirou in all the silly ways."
〇
By the time we'd almost finished eating the hot pot, the sun outside had already set.
I patted my full tummy, while Akadama-sensei puffed on his tengu tobacco, looking quite satisfied. The ascending trail of purple smoke drifted around the conical shade of the lamp like a tiny dragon.
"Days sure have gotten longer, wouldn't you say, sir?"
"Another tedious day I've lived through."
"By the way, sir, have you received any letters from Benten-sama?" I asked, and sensei threw a suspicious sidelong glance my way.
"And why would you want to know that?"
"Why won't you tell me, sir?"
"What a persistent little scrub. How is my correspondence with Benten any business of yours?"
Benten was Akadama-sensei's beloved disciple whom he had educated in the ways of tengu with utmost care.
With her tengu-like raw power Benten overwhelmed authentic tengu, with her beautiful face she bewitched humans, and with her repulsive habit of eating tanuki hot pots she made Kyoto's tanuki shudder in fear of her. Who could have imagined back when Akadama-sensei had abducted her as she trotted along the bank of Lake Biwa that she would come to the fore so rapidly?
The one who incited me to help her trap Akadama-sensei and subsequently made him fall, ultimately causing his ruin, was also Benten. And not only that: she also made my father into a tanuki hot pot and ate him, and she never left attempts to do the same to me at every opportunity. Despite all of that, she was my first love, so it was complicated. "Is it that bad that I'm a tanuki?" I asked her. "Of course. I am a human, after all," she replied. Every time I recalled that conversation, the fur on my butt felt itchy.
It was dazzling April when Benten declared that she would cross the ocean.
I heard of that on one early morning when I was taking a stroll along the Kamogawa riverside together with Benten who leaped from one sakura tree in full bloom on the bank to another, indulging in a cruel game of shaking off all the petals from them without leaving a single one. "Why? What brought this on so suddenly?" I asked as I chased her in the storm of sakura petals. Seated on the top branch of a sakura tree that was left completely naked, she gazed with amusement at the petals dancing in the air and falling to the bank. "Well, I'm bored," was all she said.
"Yasaburou, make sure you take care of sensei for me. I might write a letter if I feel like it."
After spectacularly scattering sakura petals in Kyoto, she proceeded to use her charm on a tycoon in the port of Kobe to board a luxury liner, embarking on a round-the-world cruise. Akadama-sensei was only informed of Benten's departure after the ship had already set sail and when it was already too late to chase after her even if he tried.
Since having departed on her voyage impressively without any money she had yet to come back.
Occasional letters from Benten were the only consolation to sensei's heart. The fact that Benten, of all people, took troubles to write letters already being a reason enough for deep gratitude notwithstanding, those letters clearly lacked in effort so much that it was plain to see coldheartedness oozing from between their lines: even if she wrote something, it was but a couple of lines at best and simply the symbols of 〇 or X at worst. Despite that, Akadama-sensei, always sincerely looking forward to such letters, would read the few lines with meticulous attention, as if licking each of them, then carefully store the letter in a Chinese jewel-box and cherish it as if it were an imperial treasure from the Shousouin treasure house[*6]. One of the reasons why I made a habit of duly visiting sensei's apartment on a regular basis was because I hoped to snatch an opportunity when sensei would be drunk off his gourd to read Benten's letters.
Staring into the now empty pot, Akadama-sensei groaned, "Benten, plague take her, appears to be in England at the moment. Curse her for going to such a remote place."
Sensei fished out the Earth's globe out of a pile of junk, spun it and found England. "What, it's this tiny little thing?" he commented. "To hell with this world pleasure tour, she's just wasting her talent, much to my chagrin! Even though what she should be doing is devoting all her energy to walking the path of sorcery and someday succeeding her mighty master, that is I."
"I wonder what she is doing there right about now."
"Hmph. Probably eating some English tanuki, I would bet. Wouldn't you?"
When asked that, I recalled the words of my lovely natural enemy, 'Because I love you so much that I would eat you.' My idiot blood that made me look forward to the return of my natural enemy who betrayed her teacher, devoured my father and tried to eat me was frankly too much of a nuisance even to myself.
"You look lonely, Yasaburou." Sensei stared intensely at me. "All because Benten's not around. Bull's eye, right?"
"Ahaha. I have no idea what you are talking about, sir."
"You never learn your place, do you. Don't think she'd show any mercy to the likes of tanuki," sensei said, plucking his nose hair. "...But if you want to jump into a pot of your own volition, I won't stop you."
〇
That spring, I was obsessed with hunting tsuchinoko.
In the world of humans, there is a saying 'An idle brain of a small man is the devil's workshop'. It means that if a fool has more time on his hands than he knows what to do with, nothing good will come out of it. In the world of tanuki, there is a similar proverb, 'An idle brain of a small tanuki is the devil's workshop'. So let's just say that according to worldly wisdom, even the world itself would be better off if I searched for tsuchinoko rather than cooked up the devil's work for him. Initially, I started my tsuchinoko hunt because of my late father's influence, but there is no doubt that said father of mine was so in frenzy to search for tsuchinoko in his youth because he had trouble finding outlets for his buzzing idiot blood.
The term 'tsuchinoko' refers to a strange very short but wide type of serpent, a UMA with an ancient origin that was featured in the Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia[*7] under the name of 'Nozuchi snake'. Even long before I was born, the fever of trying to find this cryptid had invaded the tanuki world. The rumor has it that in the times of my father's Sturm und Drang youth, 80% of his ventures was spent on tsuchinoko-related adventuring. The root of that passion for the romanticized dream was, without a doubt, the idiot blood flowing in our veins, and there were even tanuki in our family who ruined themselves over tsuchinoko.
However, my mother couldn't be farther from understanding the appeal of the nigh unattainable dream that tsuchinoko represented.
"That tsuchinoko of yours, is it anything like takenoko[*8]?" she asked.
"Not in the least, mother."
"But it's edible, at least?"
When I showed her a drawing of how tsuchinoko was supposed to look, "Oh, so it's just a weird little snake. I bet its meat is all tough," she declared. My mother was insistent on seeing tsuchinoko only as food. "Not tasty. Not tasty at all!"
"I keep telling you I'm not going to eat it."
"If you're not going to eat it, then why search for it?"
"I guess the romance of hunting for a dream goes beyond your understanding, mother."
"Come to think of it, I seem to remember that Sou-san also searched for that thing when he was young. It's so exasperating, really. Weird little tanuki do get fixated on weird little things!"
With that, my mother shapeshifted into a handsome young man and headed off to the Takarazuka Revue[*9].
As to me, I tried inviting my second elder brother dwelling on the bottom of a water well in Rokudo-chinouji temple to join my tsuchinoko hunt. But my brother said, "Even supposing we did find tsuchinoko, I'd wind up getting swallowed whole. Because, you know, it's a snake, and I'm a frog." I couldn't argue with that.
At the time, my eldest brother was very busy, often going to Nanzenji temple. All because he was moving behind the scene to revive the Nanzenji Temple Tanuki Shogi Tournament that the previous head of the temple and our father had collaborated to hold in the past. Shogi was our father's hobby, but then again, so was tsuchinoko. My eldest brother, however, had a tendency to place more cultural importance on shogi than on tsuchinoko hunting. "Stop chasing around something as dubious as tsuchinoko," he started lecturing, which made inviting him out of question.
In the end, I organized the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team with my not exactly eager younger brother Yashirou as its other member. The founding leader was our father, I was the second generation leader, and team member number 1 became my younger brother. We were on the lookout for a team member number 2 in and around the city of Kyoto.
〇
The next day after my paying a visit to Akadama-sensei, our Tsuchinoko Expedition Team set out, infiltrating the forest from the Shishigatani valley and proceeding to wander around the foot of Mt.Nyoigadake. The forest wearing fresh green swelled like a sponge that absorbed clear water, with the wind, nice and cool at its core, rustling between the numerous pillars of light shining through new leaves.
"Nii-chan, it smells like spring, right?"
"Hey, keep your eyes peeled. We have no idea where it might be hiding."
"But, nii-chan, I have to wonder if tsuchinoko really exists."
"It's precisely because we don't know for sure if it exists or not that it makes this dream-hunting worthwhile."
Since tsuchinoko is a UMA steeped in mysteries, for its capture one must employ equally mysterious techniques, or so my pet theory went. Going about it the normal way wouldn't work, as there could be no doubt that all the obvious methods had already been tried by someone. The approach that looked to me like it could be useful was summed up by 'If you do this, what would happen?' So we set a trap of a gourd filled with cheap sake and a hard-boiled egg sprinkled with some Ajinomoto salt[*10] in the shade of a tree. We also documented in a field notebook any suspicious traces we had found in the forest.
Although I hatched a plan to teach my younger brother the beauty of tsuchinoko hunting and eventually raise him into a proper member of my team, all he did was going on and on on the bothersome subject of electromagnetism, not showing the least bit of interest in the dream adventure that tsuchinoko represented and that was happening right at the moment. As the last straw, he finally took out a reference book from his clasp-adorned pouch-shaped backpack and started reading it while walking, like a veritable Ninomiya Sontoku[*11] for all the world. If only he spared just one percent of that enthusiasm and directed it toward tsuchinoko hunting... Seemingly completely oblivious to that earnest wish of mine, my kid brother, "Nii-chan, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration," had the gull to throw Edison's famous quote at me.
"That's wrong, Yashirou. Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% foolishness."
"Then when do you work hard?"
"...You just wait for your destiny."
"But, nii-chan, I don't think that's the way to live."
"You cheeky little Edison!" I started teasing, when the forest's trees suddenly stirred, as if jolted by an invisible giant.
And then, the whooshing sound as if the very air was being rent asunder started getting closer.
"Something's flying our way, it's dangerous!"
The moment I hugged my brother's head and bent over, covering him, something came flying in from the sky, tearing through the canopy of fresh leaves and crossing over above us. Sunlight filtering through the trees swayed furiously, and torn off leaves rained all around us. Then, with a sharp thud reverberating in the pit of my stomach, everything went quiet.
We cautiously lifted our heads.
Right above us, in the top branches of a large tree covered with new green, there was stuck a velvet-covered chaise. Its red velvet sparked most bewitchingly in the light streaming through the leaves.
"Nii-chan, could it be a tengu stone?" my little brother murmured.
〇
Tanuki called the phenomenon of unlikely things falling from the sky 'tengu throwing stones'.
Be it tengu's prank or simply them accidentally dropping their possessions, among all kinds of things that rained from the sky in the past were, for example, fuda talismans, small gold koban coins, wine casks and colored carps. My mother said that when she was still little, cotton candy fell from the sky near Sajoukobashi bridge, and near Mt.Funaokayama there resided a tanuki collector of tengu stones who even eventually opened a private museum for exhibiting them. Back when Akadama-sensei was still active and flying through the sky, there was a time when he rounded up all of his tanuki apprentices and sent them on a search for something he had dropped.
Since a few days ago, the topic of some modern-looking tengu stones falling from the sky became a hotly discussed subject, and I was aware of it.
Said stones were all diverse and truly gorgeous articles, like silver tableware polished to a shine, a seasoned violin fit for a maestro musician, a bathtub with metal legs and Persian carpets that looked ready to fly through the sky, among others. A custom tracing back to the Edo period stated that so long as tengu didn't come out and claim ownership, a tengu stone would come in possession of the one who picked it up, so you could see why Kyoto's tanuki were so excited about the recent fallings.
In accordance with tanuki's finders keepers rule, this velvet chaise was to become the Shimogamo family's possession.
My brother and I went through quite a bit of trouble getting said chaise off the tree.
When I experimentally sat down on its red velvet, my behind experienced such fluffiness that I had this majestic feeling as if I was a guest of honor in an ancient and honorable Western-style house. Even the faint moldy waft in the air smelled classy to me. That was enough to make even us sons of a distinguished family ourselves let loose a sigh of admiration.
"The level of comfort is too high, so high, in fact, that it feels like my butt's disappeared on me," opined my little brother with seriousness.
"This is amazing. It's probably what antique is."
"Mother will be pleased if we bring this home."
"Very well. Starting now, the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team will proceed to carry this chaise home. Team member number 1, take the chaise by the rear end at once."
"Roger!"
We lined on the both sides of the chaise with it held between us and, with a great deal of effort, proceeded along the foot of Nyoigadake. The grand chaise clearly boasting historical weight was just as grandly weighty physically, proving to be a heavy load for the slender arms of modern tanuki kids lacking in strength. "Nii-chan, my arms are all tingling," voiced a feeble complaint my kid brother. "They're tingling because this is a tingling mountain," said I. "That's lies, this is Mt.Nyoigadake," he rebuked, and I laughed.
After a while, my brother murmured uneasily, "Nii-chan, won't we get yelled at for coming all the way here to search for tsuchinoko?"
"And who's gonna yell at us?"
"Isn't this the Kurama tengu-samas's turf?"
"As if we could search for tsuchinoko if we were worried about some guys like the Kurama tengu! Besides, the whole area around Mt.Nyoigadake is our Akadama-sensei's turf to begin with. Although he was ousted from here in a tengu turf war, sensei's still greater than the Kurama lot. Those Kurama tengu are just small timers compared to Akadama-sensei."
"'Small timers', huh?"
All of a sudden, the chaise got heavier, unbearably so. It didn't so much as budge when I pulled. "Yashirou, are you holding it up properly on your end?" I asked and when I tried to take a look over my shoulder, a voice resembling an owl's hooting at night said near my ear, "Hoou hou". The moment a cold breath trickling against the side of my head sent a chill down my spine, I got seized by the neck.
"You've got quite the mouth on you, little punk. What parts are you tanuki from?"
A man in a blackish business suit swooped down on the chaise's armrest and grabbed me by the neck.
I ducked my head before saying, "Oh my, oh my, if it isn't a Kurama tengu-sama. How are you doing this fine day?"
〇
I and my little brother were escorted by that Kurama tengu to the site of bonfire lighting taking place during the Daimonji festival[*12]. The transformation of my brother whose balls shrunk up literally and figuratively came undone, and he reverted back to his tanuki form, then got seized by the scruff like a cat.
Back when Akadama-sensei ruled over Nyoigadake and its surroundings like he owned them, he used to parade his tanuki apprentices around calling it 'practical drills'. Sometimes he took us as far as Mt.Iwayasan or Lake Takaragaike, but generally we would wander around Nyoigadake that was sensei's own backyard. On this site of Daimonju bonfire lighting, the tanuki would shapeshift into the Genji and Heike clans and wage an imitation Genpei war [*13], so it brought back memories.
"This way, follow me."
Like the Kurama tengu arrogantly ordered, I began climbing the slop dotted with fire pits for lighting the bonfires that formed the 大 'dai' character.
Looking back as I trod on the young green grass, I saw the brightly-colored townscape of the Kyoto city expanding below against the backdrop of the mist-covered sky. This canvas was truly a sight worthy of a tengu to behold.
On the slope halfway up the mountain, there stood a red and white stripped parasol like what you'd find at an ice-cream stand by the poolside, and under it 4 Kurama tengu, encircling a round table, were engrossed in playing hanafuda [*14]. Among them were those who wore a business suit complete with a tie in a proper and neat fashion, as well as those who popped a vein in their temples and rolled up their sleeves. Every time they threw the cards on the table, a jingling sound could be heard as if small coins were being scattered. After all, tengu were hot-tempered creatures, and when they got into a game too much, they would end up tearing or biting hanafuda more often than not. For that reason, the tengu hanafuda cards were made of steel.
The tengu that brought us called out to one of his companions, "Hoou hou, Reizanbou."
The one to answer him was a tengu in a white dress shirt and sunglasses.
"Hoou hou, Tamonbou. Why did you bring the likes of tanuki here?"
"They were saying insulting things about us, and I thought it can't be allowed to pass."
"I see. Indeed, it's our job to educate tanuki, after all. So, what kind of insults were they throwing?"
"'The Kurama tengu are just small timers', according to them."
The Kurama tengu, seated at the round table, burst out laughing, still clutching the hanafuda in hand. That tengu laughter massed together like an ominous dark cloud and took flight, riding the wind blowing across the slope.
These Kurama tengu were the same ones who once upon a time ousted Akadama-sensei and occupied Nyoigadake, that is, five out of the ten retainers under direct command of Kuramayama Soujoubou. They were Reizanbou, Tamonbou, Teikinbou, Getsurinbou and Nichirinbou [*15], but they all were so alike like acorns from the same tree that it was impossible to tell which was which by looking. It was no wonder that during the meetings on Mt.Atagoyama, Akadama-sensei never passed up an opportunity to ridicule them by saying 'Look at 'em mountain acorns putting on airs'.
Groveling on the firebed as the spring breeze swept over me, I said, "I humbly stand before you sirs as the third son of Shimogamo Souichirou, Yasaburou. And this is my little brother Yashirou."
"Famous! Famous!" the Kurama tengu cheered, their hanafuda jingling.
"So you're Yasaburou, of the Shimogamos, huh!" "He's Benten-san's favorite, apparently," "Wait, wait, wasn't there a fool of a tanuki by the name Souichirou who fell into a pot?" "Oh, I remember that tanuki!" "He was a tanuki who never knew his place. All because Yakushibou spoiled him rotten," "That senile old fool was always like that. All pleased and self-satisfied with being worshiped by the likes of tanuki," the Kurama tengu were saying audaciously one over another.
The sunglasses guy, Reizanbou, bit on his paper-roll cigarette and sneered, "Yakushibou sure is a lucky fool. No matter how low he falls, tanuki still keep taking care of him. We'll look after Nyoigadake and the area around it, so tell him to bite the dust with an easy heart for me."
"With all due respect, please allow me to humbly explain."
With this, I got up and started spouting sophistry in a rapid fire torrent.
"I will not deny that I called the Kurama tengu-samas 'small timers'. But it seems the Kurama tengu-samas, living the lofty life of rightful kings of the skies, are not aware of the finer nuances of lowly tanuki's speech. The thing is, our tanuki language tends to adapt to keep up with the times and words change their meanings accordingly. So the term 'small timer', formerly one of slight used to refer to someone unimportant or petty and small like an acorn, nowadays means pretty much the opposite, that is, 'great', 'mature in style' and 'gentlemanly', thus having turned into a wonderful compliment. So as you see by no means tanuki mock you sirs esteemed Kurama tengu-samas."
The Kurama tengu kept their silence, too dumbfounded for words, only their hanafuda jiggled quietly. When Reizanbou pulled down his sunglasses, his upturned eyes were laughing.
"I see, that's one curious tanuki all right."
"A too damn talkative tanuki, for sure, never knowing when to shut up, and I don't like that," said Tamonbou, grabbed my furry little brother by the neck and hoisted him up high in the air. "Well then, well then, I wonder just how far will this one fly if we throw him?"
Suddenly, the Kurama tengu looked energetic and pumped up, the hanafuda plinking and chinking.
"Let's make bets on whether he'll make it over the Kamogawa river or not!"
"This is much more fun than playing hanafuda!"
"What should we bet? A mountain? A valley?"
In the past, my father, Nise-emon Shimogamo Shoichirou, shapeshifted into Mt.Nyoigadake itself and gave the Kurama tengu, who were picking on our master, the scare of their lives. It became known as the scandal of fake Nyoigadake - a glorious example of recklessness deserving place not only in the chronicles of the Shimogamo family but also in history of the whole tanuki world. However, what was a historic triumph for our household, to the Kurama tengu was none other than a historic stain on their name, and it was partly for defying Kurama that my father ended up falling into the Friday Fellows Club's pot.
A wise tanuki would learn from this anecdotal story and get through their skull that defying tengu would bring nothing but harm upon them. After all, tengu were made to bully tanuki. And bullying was what made them tengu.
"What's the matter, Yasaburou?" asked Reizanbou. "Got anything to say?"
"With all due respect, sir, when my kid brother is bullied, my seizures start acting up..."
"Seizures? What are seizures?"
"Uuugh, it's no use. Kurama tengu-sama, please watch out!"
I got on all fours, groaning all the while, and inflated my body. Tightening your butthole and psyching yourself up was the secret to shapeshifting into something big. In the blink of an eye, my four feet became massive like the columns of the Parthenon, and my swelling back turned white as if smeared with mortar coating. My nose grew in length, rapidly extending toward the blue sky above. I had shapeshifted into a white elephant.
The Kurama tengu had to have some bitter memories about white elephants after being chased about by one in the past when my father tempted them into coming to Nyoigadake. While their attention was distracted by the resurfacing humiliating memories, my kid brother took advantage of their momentary confusion and, by twisting and turning, slipped out of Tamonbou's hold, then proceeded to make his escape by rolling down the slope like a true tsuchinoko.
"Stop it, stop it, Yasaburou. What foolishness." Reizanbou grimaced in displeasure. "We're not fond of elephants. Return to your former form at once. Or else..."
It was at that moment that a travel suitcase that came flying in at a terrifying speed from the direction of the far away western sky crashed right into Reizanbou's face. Truly a blow from Heaven. As if dragged along by Reizanbou who got knocked over without another word, the rest of the Kurama tengu fell to the ground one after another, their parasol blown away, hanafuda jingling uselessly.
"Baon baon, what happened?"
Raising my long trunk, I gazed toward the western sky.
The one who came flying down as if smoothly gliding from the spring sky was an English gentleman.
T/N:
[*1] Nise-emon (偽右衛門): the 2nd season subs translated the title as the Trick Magister. 'Nise' means imitation, fake, phony, in other words has to do with tricking people which is what tanuki are good at.
[*2] Hesoishi of Rokkakudou (六角堂のへそ石): the 2st season subs translated Hesoishi (lit. Bellybutton Stone) as the Center Stone because that hexagonal stone is supposed to represent the very center of Kyoto and the temple where it's located is called the Chouhouji or Rokkakudou (lit. Hexagonal temple)
[*3] Mounted peacekeepers (平安騎馬隊): a mounted unit of Kyoto Prefectural Police that was established in 1994 to commemorate 1200 years since the relocation of the capital (jp wiki)
[*4] Nyoigadake Yakushibou (如意ヶ嶽薬師坊): Nyoigadake (alternative reading is Nyoigatake, but the novel specifically gives the reading 'Nyoigadake') is a mountain that's part of the Higashiyama mountain range. Mt.Daimonji (that's part of the Gozan no Okuribi festival shown in the anime) is part of Nyoigadake. Yakushibou is a given name ('yakushi' is archaic 'doctor' and -bou you'd be seeing again as it's a suffix for male tengu names)
[*5] Miwa soumen (三輪素麺): fine white noodles, a local specialty produced in the Miwa region, said to be the birthplace of soumen noodles, of Nara prefecture with the center in the Sakurai city. (jp wiki)
[*6] Imperial treasures of the Shousouin (正倉院御物): wiki
[*7] Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia aka Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会): is the first Japanese illustrated encyclopedia published in 1712 in Edo (wiki)
[*8] Tsuchiko and takenoko (bamboo shot) share the same word-building pattern, namely take-no-ko (lit.a child of bamboo) and tsuchi-no-ko (lit.a child of soil)
[*9] Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団): a theater troupe based near Kyoto and famous for women playing all roles, including male ones, and flamboyant costumes and such (wiki) We saw Tousen imitate them as the 'Prince in Black' in the 1st season.
[*10] Ajinomoto (味の素): a food corporation most famous for its so-called Chinese salt (wiki)
[*11] Ninomiya Sontoku (二宮尊徳): a 19th century reformer and economic thinker who is typically depicted as a boy walking with a bundle of firewood on his back while reading a book. You can frequently find his statues at Japanese elementary schools as an exemplar of diligence and studiousness.
[*12] Daimonji festival (大文字) or Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火): depicted twice in the anime (wiki)
[*13] Genpei War (源平合戦): a 12th century national civil war (wiki)
[*14] Hanafuda (花札): lit. 'flower cards' (wiki)
[*15] Reizanbou, Tamonbou, Teikinbou, Getsurinbou, Nichirinbou (霊山坊、多聞坊、帝金坊、月輪坊、日輪坊): -bou is a tengu male name suffix and the rest of their names mean literally 'spiritual or sacred mountain', 'all hearing', 'imperial gold', 'round moon' and 'round sun' respectively.
The Morpheus Classroom, chapter 1 (part 2 out of ?)
This is currently on hold because I’ve found a more interesting thing to translate, so regard this as something of a preview for now.
The Morpheus Classroom by Mikami En
Chapter 1 (part 1/?) (volume 1, pages 19-68)
Yomiji (The Road to Hell)
1
Kishimori Naoto always forgot what happened in that world.
It was a white world, as if drowning in thick fog.
He was in the middle of a long straight road.
As he walked briskly, eyes cast downward, he felt someone's shadow hanging heavily on his back.
Rows of teeth clacked together noisily. Naoto's legs were heavy, like they were sinking into mud, so it wasn't possible to move any faster. He could feel the tingling from a gaze on the scruff of his neck. Desperately, he was trying to escape from someone. Someone who'd catch up to him from behind momentarily.
'...Who might it be?' he wondered, face cloudy with dread. And what was this place?
Clack, clack, clack.
***
Countless teeth that definitely weren't his clanged together in unison, and countless arms grabbed him. That 'someone' wasn't just one being.
Getting knocked down by something heavy, he tumbled to the ground to sprawl on his his back. The moment he did, something pointed, both big and small in size, pierced into him on the whole length of his body. He shivered at the foreign chilly sensation.
"This is a dream," he tried to persuade himself, tightly shutting his eyes. With how this lacked any context or coherence but had plenty of vagueness to spare, it had to be a dream.
Strength was gradually surging into the jaws locked around him. His skin broke, and he writhed in agonizing pain. Sticky blood soaked his entire body.
"...It's just a dream."
There was no way it could be happening in reality. Except, the pain just kept on growing more and more unbearable. Was it even possible to feel pain so acutely in a dream?
"It's a dream, a dream, a dream, a dream, only a dream..."
A foul-smelling breath hit the lips that chanted the same word over and over. Someone was staring down at him from just above his head.
"...Remember," his captor whispered in a hoarse voice.
But Naoto had no presence of mind left to comprehend what was being demanded of him. Fresh blood welled up from deep within his throat. Swallowed by the vortex of intense pain, his five senses were fading rapidly.
***
Before he knew it, Kishimoto Naoto bolted upright in his bed, shoulders heaving with his heavy breathing. By reflex, the first thing he did was check his body for injuries. He found that he was completely drenched in sweat, but otherwise uninjured. He breathed an uncontrolled sigh of relief.
The moment he awoke, the memories of his dream started to fade away, as if slipping between his fingers. Where he was and what was done to him was all becoming vague suddenly.
What was left to him in the end was only a faint sensation of being chased and then attacked. And also the feeling of vivid dread that seemed to have engraved itself into his entire body.
Outside his closed curtains, it started to get light. When he listened carefully, he heard footsteps in the kitchen. His younger sister Mizuho must have been preparing breakfast.
With much effort, Naoto dragged his body that felt positively like lead out of the bed. There was a throbbing behind his eyelids - a clear indication of sleep deprivation. The thing was, whenever he tried to sleep, he saw a nightmare and ended up jerked awake almost instantly.
Sometimes, he went entire nights sleepless when a nightmare would leave him too distressed to fall asleep, like tonight. As far as he could tell, the dream he kept seeing was always the same.
Naoto drew the curtains open in one motion. Dazzling light filled the room. It was a refreshing beginning of a brand new day - to those who could get sleep at night, that is.
"...So tired."
No energy to draw on was forthcoming. He wished he could try and get some more sleep, but it was already time to go to school. Besides, even if he did fall asleep, who was to say he wouldn't just see that dream again?
He dressed in his school uniform and left the room. The room next to his was his father's, Takaomi, and that door remained closed. Naoto passed the short hallway and headed to the kitchen.
In front of the Japanese-style living room, he abruptly halted. Mizuho in her navy blue uniform sat on her knees in front of the family altar with the palms of her hands pressed together. Her hair braided in two lay on her shoulders, and her black-rimmed glasses didn't part an inch away from the middle school dress code regulations.
"Yo," Naoto called out.
"...Good morning, brother," a feeble-sounding voice called back after a pause.
"We're having some nice weather again today, yeah?"
"..." Mizuho kept silent. His baby sister was always taciturn, but after Takaomi's death she barely spoke at all.
Naoto entered the living room, sat down next to Mizuho and put his hands together, too. The two no longer had parents. Their mother passed away about the time Naoto had started grade school. It was then that the family had bought this altar, but a year ago the mortuary tablet for his father, Takaomi, was also added to it.
Their father got in an incident and, after undergoing a surgery in the hospital, suddenly died. The police looked into it, but they'd found nothing to indicate it was due to a medical error by the hospital. His condition just took a sudden turn for the worse that was impossible to predict, apparently.
Naoto wasn't there to witness his father's death. But even now, he still couldn't forget the way Mizuho looked after she had. "I'm sorry," she kept apologizing to Naoto on and on and on. Even after he'd said it was okay, she just kept saying nothing but "I'm so sorry". And what she kept repeating after simply made no sense.
Maybe she blamed herself for leaving their father's bedside to make a call. The doctor told them that nothing would have changed even she'd been in the hospital room at the time, but it was unclear if Naoto's little sister agreed with that.
After their father's death, they continued to live in this apartment, just the two of them. The siblings didn't have close relatives - a fact that Naoto had realized for the first time during the funeral. After some disputes, a young distant relative of theirs came forward and became the siblings' legal guardian on paper, which was why the guardianship issue was settled without them having to leave this familiar neighborhood.
Luckily, there was no need for them to depend on anyone for money. The bank account in their father's name held a surprisingly large amount of savings. Although it wasn't quite enough to hold the two of them for the rest of their lives, the sum was still more than adequate for them to live together until coming of age. Apparently, their father had some sort of side job, as he was frequently out on weekends. Maybe that was the source of his savings.
"...Breakfast is ready."
Having said that, Mizuho got up. Naoto didn't have much appetite, but he still followed his little sister into the kitchen. Just as she said, breakfast consisting of toasts, plan omelet and salad was already on the table.
The siblings sat down at the table opposite of one another and started eating.
"Yummy," Naoto praised. Probably due to the lack of sleep, he couldn't really tell the flavor, but he had trust in Mizuho's cooking ability. "You should've woken me up to help you with it though. I always tell you this, you know."
"Brother, you... would't really be of much help," Mizuho muttered, stabbing her omelet with a fork.
Her matter-of-fact reply backfired. Now Naoto was staring at his sister's face intently. But it looked like her statement wasn't meant as a complaint - she was simply being honest.
"I-Is that a fact...?"
Naoto had to admit the truth of her words. Housework wasn't his forte - actually, nothing worth mentioning was. He'd never really been good with his hands, neither was he particualrly smart or athletic. The reason why their life on their own even worked so far was because this little sister of his 3 years his junior handled everything in a quick and competent way.
"But, still, I find it wrong to leave everything about the house to you, you know?"
"...It's fine."
"No, don't give me that. What I want you to tell me is if there's anything at all I can help with? Something you'd want me to do?"
"Then shopping, maybe..."
"I'm already in charge of that."
Since Mizuho always gave him a detailed list of what to buy, technically this task would usually turn into something uncomfortably similar to a kindergartner's first errand.
"What I'm talking about is something besides that."
Mizuho's fork stopped moving, and she turned her eyes upward and thought for a moment. "There's nothing... I think."
Naoto's shoulders surreptitiously dropped in disappointment when he heard that. The asparagus from his salad that he was carrying to his mouth moved especially slowly. It looked like his breakfast would take longer than usual today. Mizuho, on the other hand, almost finished her meal.
"Brother."
"Hm?"
"Last night... you couldn't sleep again?"
For a second, Naoto didn't know what to say. Earlier, when he took a look in the mirror, he didn't find anything particularly unusual about his appearance, and he made sure not yawn in front of his sister. But apparently, fooling the eyes of someone you'd lived with for a long time was impossible.
"...Sort of."
Mizuho's expression clouded momentarily, and Naoto instantly regretted he'd said that.
"Are you in any shape to go to school today?"
"I am."
"Really...?"
"I'm fine, I'm telling you," Naoto asserted as cheerfully as he could. "It's just a little sleep deprivation. Common as common gets, never killed no one."
He never told Mizuho that the reason for his sleepless nights was nightmares. He'd pass it off as simple lack of sleep, he decided, because he really didn't want to give Mizuho even more causes for worries.
"You should try... going to counseling, I think."
"...It's no use."
Those nightmares had started torturing him about 3 months ago. He'd already tried going to hospital and even attending counseling, to no effect whatsoever.
The couselor persistently bombarded him with questions about his parents and his thoughts on them. For some reason, that good sir became convinced that Naoto had been subjected to something at the hands of his father that had turned into a psychological trauma, and said medical specialist started to draw a treatment plan to that end. Apparently, saying that his father was taciturn and aloof was not a good idea. Takaomi wasn't exactly the type to start a heart-to-heart talk with his kids, but treating each instance of something that trivial as a cause for a trauma was just too much. Naoto got sick of it and stopped attending.
"But that just means... only counseling didn't work, right?"
"Well... maybe..."
"What about talking to someone who... isn't a counselor?"
"...I'll think about it." 'But I'm not likely to go through with it,' he added in his heart of hearts. "Either way, I'm still going to school today."
Mizuho kept eyeing his face with intensity and unease.
"...It's better to go to school when you can't sleep, you see."
"Eh?" Head tilting to one side in puzzlement, Mizuho made a questioning noise.
To dodge having to elaborate, Naoto sent the remains of his breakfast into his mouth all at once.
"In any case, don't worry too much about me. I'm fine." As he was saying that, Naoto rose from the table.
2
To get to the Iimi town that the Kishimori siblings lived in, one would need to board a train at the central terminal station and ride it for about half an hour. Actually, to be precise, one would also have to transfer trains at a station just before the town and board an ordinary train, so the trip would probably take a little longer than that. For what it was worth, the town's residential address was considered to be within the borders of the Tokyo metropolis, but the eyes of a first timer at the Iimi station would surely open wide in surprise. Since this town wasn't too far from the heart of the metropolis, one couldn't help but wonder how such a desolate neighborhood could exist so close to it.
For one, there were very few tall buildings around the station. The tallest construct was an old 5-storey department store, and the chimney of a public bathhouse was also plainly visible from the station's platform. The shopping district was reasonably large, but, save for the main shopping arcade, it was mostly made up of small privately-run stores tackled between the complicated net of alleyways. It was all too likely that the townscape here didn't change at all since as far back as the Shouwa era.
Further away from the station, one would find a rather typical residential district, except here and there it was peppered with wooded areas and cultivated fields.
There was a number of reasons why this town had been spared large-scale development until now. First, no big transfer stations were to be found near the Iimi town, and it was oddly removed from big roads, too, so compared to the peripheral areas, the main dooming drawback had to be the inconvenience of access and transportation. It also lacked amusement facilities and big shopping centers. The town was like a blank spot on the map of the great metropolis.
That said, it was quite loved by those who lived there. You could buy most of the daily living necessities in front of the station, and it was such a quiet neighborhood that it was hard to believe it was part of Tokyo. Due to the town being situated right on the border between the mountainous region and plains, the landscape was quite hilly, but even having made allowance for that, it was still really easy to live in.
The apartment building Naoto and his sisters lived in was in a relatively new residential district close the station. In the past they lived in a stand-alone house near a mountain, but 10 years prior they'd moved here. Needless to say, it was when the Kishimori family still consisted of 4 people.
Naoto left through his apartment building's main entrance, and started walking slowly, headed for the bus stop. Usually he commuted to school by bicycle, but this time he was going to take a bus. Because of the lack of deep sleep, both his head and body felt positively leaden. It wouldn't be strange if he got in some kind of incident in a state like this.
When he raised his eyes skyward, the weather was perfectly clear and the sky completely cloudless. The Golden Week was over, and the sunshine gradually started getting warmer. Before long, it would be warm enough to make school children want to take off their blazers.
Creaking of a gate reached Naoto's ears and instinctively made him halt.
"Whoa?!"
All of a sudden, the front wheel of a bicycle appeared before him. If he hadn't stopped a moment earlier, he'd've crashed into it.
"Oh, careful there," said a girl's voice he knew. Naoto fixed his gaze on the owner of the voice.
There stood a girl in the uniform of the same high school as Naoto. She was a little taller than average, standing close to Naoto's eye level, and wore her long brownish hair straight. Her moist-looking eyes were adorned with long eyelashes. A smallish face and long slender limbs completed the image of your typical pretty girl.
She had a hold on the handlebar of a brightly orange crossroad bicycle. It seemed they almost bumped into each other as she came out of the house, pulling her bike along. Behind her was a gate with a nameplate attached that read 'Kuze', and beyond the gate there stood a small old house. The originally white mortar of the walls faded, and cracks ran across it here and there.
That house stood there unchanged in the least since the time Naoto and his family had moved into their current apartment. To see it when it was a new building one probably had to go back 50 years or so into the past. In this neighborhood, this house was the oldest.
"...A little more, and we would've crashed."
The girl's name was Kuze Ayano. Naoto and her knew each other for a long time and almost too sickeningly well. Their parents were friends since they were young, and even before the two's families started living close to one another, they sometimes visited each other.
Technically, they would be childhood friends living closeby, but Naoto couldn't help feeling resistant to define them as such. They weren't on nearly good enough terms to validate using such an endearing word.
"...Look, you," Naoto said with a sigh. "Don't you have anything to say to me after almost flattening me?"
"Eh...? Oh yeah, right. Look where you're going, will ya! What would you do if you broke my bike?!"
"I would be the broken one! Why the hell are you worried about a bike in this situation?!"
"Well, aren't you being cranky first thing in the morning. If you're so worried about yourself, you could always just dodge before the collision. That's what the reflexes are for, you know?" Ayano asserted bluntly.
It was utterly unreasonable, but her frame with her chest thrown out overflowed with such uselessly wasted persuasiveness that Naoto couldn't say anything back. His conflict-averse disposition was partly to blame, but with Ayano he felt like he was especially outclassed. Rather than his reason, it was his instincts that alerted him that he should never try to oppose Ayano.
'Can't take much more of this.'
Naoto turned his back on the girl and started walking. He felt his dizziness getting progressively worse.
"What's with you? If there's something you want to say, come out and say it to my face!"
Naoto heard her click her tongue at the lack of a reply. Just as he thought how she'd stooped to tongue-clicking, of all things, there came another attack launched at her fleeing enemy.
"...Damn wuss."
The abusive tint of the two's relationship was clearly Ayano's fault, no matter how you sliced it. Since being little she was always strong-willed, wilful and never one to give a damn about antagonizing others, but with Naoto she was especially brutal. Ayano's moody verbal abuse and Naoto's half-hearted retorts comprised more than a half of the pair's exchanges.
Naoto also had a feeling that in the last few years the wickedness of Ayano's tongue had reached new heights. The only time she'd pulled her punches was when his father died. When it happened, even she acted subdued, Naoto mused.
When he rounded a corner of the road, the sign of the bus stop came into view. At the moment, there was no one waiting for a bus there. Naoto just finished taking the bag off his shoulder and putting it on the bench when Ayano's bicycle halted in front of him.
"Have you seen a weather forecast that promised rain today or something?"
"...No, I haven't."
"In that case, why aren't you going to school by bike?"
"What does that matter anyway?" Naoto replied, pretending to be checking the bus schedule. He couldn't exactly come out and say that he thought it a little dangerous going by bike when he was this sleep deprived.
"Hmm. So it's something you can't tell me." Ayano's voice dropped an octave.
Taking a ginger look at Ayano's expression, Naoto found her brows rising in displeasure. In Naoto's brain, an alarm went off. If that suspicion of hers was left unattended, no one knew what might happen as a result.
Just as he was about to cave, promptly deciding that if he had to say something anyway, it'd be better to just tell the truth, suddenly Ayano's lips stretched in a dazzling smile. It was such a flawless smile that for a moment, even Naoto couldn't help but stare admiringly.
"Ah, I know. When you woke up early in the morning today, you found your bike so messed up it was unrecognizable, right? And then, on the ground there was a message written in the blood of some mysterious animal, 'This is a warning', and when you looked closer---"
"Don't spout your disturbing fantasies with a smile! Why the hell would I receive a creepy warning like that, anyway?!"
"Oops, was I off the mark?"
"Of course you were! Just because I'm taking bus today doesn't mean you can go and jump to totally outrageous conclusions like---" Suddenly, Naoto fell silent. Before he knew it, his heartbeat sped up. Apparently, his body was reacting to the image of bloodshed. He had a feeling he was subjected to something similar in that nightmare. 'Someone' had attacked him, and then his whole body...
"Seriously, what's wrong? You keep spacing out."
The sound of Ayano's voice jerked Naoto back to reality. The girl eyed him intently, still mounted in her bike's saddle.
"...It's nothing."
The memories of his bad dream that'd just started gaining clarity blurred back again. If he was honest, Naoto was a little relieved at that. He didn't really want to remember the details of that nightmare.
"Nothing, you say, but for 'nothing' you sure look awfully drowsy. You're suffering from the lack of sleep, yeah?"
Naoto's hand rubbed his face before he could check the motion. His features supposedly were such that they prevented his physical condition from easily showing on his face, but the people he had talked to since getting up this morning both had seen right through him.
"Does it show?"
"It's written all over your mug. Along the lines 'I'm terribly sleepy! Somebody, punch me!'"
Naoto wanted to snap back that his wishes weren't that drastic, but couldn't find the energy to anymore. The conversation petered to a stop, and the two just kept staring at one another in silence. The uncomfortable silence stretched for a while until Ayano suddenly remembered to check the watch in her phone.
"Uh-oh. I've wasted way too much of my precious lifetime on talking to some wuss like you."
Her white knee rose as she stepped on the pedal with all her might. That caused her short skirt to ride up, and Naoto hurriedly looked away - really, it wouldn't kill her to be more cautious about these things.
"Well then, do take your time and see ya when that rocking and crowded bus from Hell delivers you to your destination."
With that snappy signoff line, the girl started riding her crossroad bike in the earnest. Suddenly, Naoto remembered that he had a question to ask her.
"Ayano!"
When he called out to her in a loud voice, she stepped on the brakes so hard she almost pitched forward and whirled around.
"Oh shut up, what is it now?"
"You gonna show up for classes today?"
Ayano mostly came to school on time, but that didn't mean she attended all her classes properly. Her pet theory sounded as follows: 'So long as your attendance meets the baseline, you can do whatever you want'. As such, she could just vanish from the classroom whenever she wasn't in the mood to study. The reason why she hardly ever got warnings from teachers was because she always placed near the top of their year on tests - wholly unlike Naoto who only got average scores despite attending all of his classes.
"I haven't decided yet. And come to think of it, it's none of your business. You're not a teacher."
She sped off. Naoto didn't mean to reproach her, although her speedy exit left him no time to explain that. The real question he had for her was far more important than her attendance.
3
The bus Naoto boarded was full of students in the same uniform as his. It was headed to the high school situated some distance away from the center of the Iimi city.
Naoto stood near the rear door, gripping a handrail and vacantly gazing outside the window. Walls of gray concrete blocks and guardrails floated by and disappeared from view. The scenery sparkled dazzlingly, lacking the sense of perspective. To Naoto's eyes, it looked like a projection on the window instead of real landscape.
It was probably due to his sleep deprivation though.
The bus came to a sudden halt, jerking Naoto back to reality. Several students came in through the opened rear door. When Naoto tried to relocate a bit further into the back, someone unexpectedly tapped him on the shoulder.
"Good morning, Kishimori-kun."
The voice came from below and a little to the side. Naoto found a petite school girl there standing next to him, and he had no idea when she got there. She was only tall enough to reach his shoulder at best. Her pale pink cheeks loosed in a smile, she was looking up at him with big and round eyes reminiscent of a small animal.
"...Ah, it's you, Kurano."
The girl was Kurano Natsume, a classmate of his.
Naoto's face was starting to burn a little. Maybe he was overthinking it, but he seemed to have forgotten to say good morning to her in turn, his voice sounded bumbling and the reply itself was curt. Was at least greeting a person properly beyond his ability now? As he stood there in silence, diligently wallowing in self-blaming, the girl took it upon herself to speak up.
"It's unusual for you to take a bus, Kishimori-kun. You always commute by bicycle, right?"
"...I just thought I'd be better off not riding it today," Naoto mumbled by way of a reply.
She looked down, casting a quick glance at his legs. The neatly cut black hair swayed once by his shoulder, and the scent of flowers the name of which he didn't know tickled his nose.
"Huh...? What's wrong?"
"Ah, sorry. I just wondered if maybe you're injured somewhere."
"It's not because of an injury... there's no deep reason."
"Really? Good, then, You had me worried here."
The image of Ayano's whole face smile as she shouted "This is a warning!" suddenly crossed Naoto's mind. Although both girls noticed the same thing, the conclusions their imagination took them to make were completely different. Needless to say, it was due to the difference in the two's personalities: assuming Ayano was the watchdog of Hell with the veritable tongue of flames, then Natsume was a divine messenger sporting white wings.
Natsume was kind to anyone and, by her nature, just couldn't turn her back on someone troubled. In short, she was the class representative, a honor student and an all-rounder in sports. Her diminutive form scampering about was cute, and everyone in their class adored her. Especially boys who always sent passionate gazes her way.
Naoto wasn't an exception. The two were in the same class since their first year, and he was always conscious of her presence. Despite that, he still couldn't talk without reserve to her. Partly it was due to Naoto's own sheepishness, but there was a more important reason at play, too.
Even this nearly impeccable angel had but one mystery about her. And that was...
"Oh, it's Ayano." Natsume waved her hand suddenly, seemingly overjoyed.
Giving a start, Naoto followed the girl's line of sight and found Ayano's crossroad bike running parallel to their bus by the side. The rider wore a prominent pout.
'Geez, what kind of face is she riding a bike with?'
The razor sharp glint in Ayano's eye wasn't quite the same as when she talked to Naoto earlier. With the edge it had now, she might not even raise a single brow even if she ran someone over. Just as Naoto thought that, Ayano suddenly raised her head and turned it towards the bus, as if hearing his thoughts.
'Whoa.'
She glared at Naoto with the eyes of a hunter looking at her prey. But it only lasted an instance, as the girl on the bike immediately took notice of Natsume next to Naoto. Her lips slackened in a smile, as she gave a big wave with her hand - addressed only to Natsume.
"Ah! Amazing! She actually noticed us... Good morning!"
It's not like the rider would hear her, but Natsume still energetically greeted the other girl. 'See you', mouthed Ayano and, cutting the handlebar to the side, drove across a narrow bridge along the irrigation canal. That was a shortcut that a bus couldn't take.
Natsume kept waving at Ayano's dwindling back.
The only mystery regarding her was exactly that - namely, her being friends with Kuze Ayano. Their personalities were nothing alike, but the two were famous throughout the school as the ultimate beauties pair.
Still, even if both were considered beauties, with one of them being a messenger of Heaven and the other a watchdog of Hell, their popularity among guys was literally worlds apart, like heaven and hell. The emotion directed at Ayano was mainly not affection but awed fear, and there were even those among guys who hurried to get out of her way if they happened to cross paths at school.
She had nothing but abrasiveness for guys in general, and with those who came on too strong, she was merciless, hurling unhinged abuse or derision at them. She even caused an uproar soon after entering high school by actually brawling with a third year guy who'd snapped from too much trash-talking she'd thrown his way. For the record, just until taking the high school exam, Ayano practiced martial arts, and she was much stronger than your typical guy. In the aforementioned scuffle, too, if they'd stopped her just a second later, her upper right kick would've landed squarely on the bridge of the senpai's nose.
Ayano could always be found by Natsume's side. Trying to get close to Natsume automatically meant drawing nearer the watchdog of Hell. While Ayano wasn't the type to actively meddle in others' personal relationships, the braves who could overcome the invisible pressure she lavishly exuded were few and far between.
***
Just like its name suggested, the Metropolitan Iimigawa High school that Naoto and the others attended was located on the bank of a river. Once upon a time it was hailed as one of the top schools focused on preparing its students for college, but that position had been taken away long ago by a newly established private school that combined middle and high school divisions. It wasn't like this public school was sports-oriented either. In other words, presently it was considered just another run-of-the-mill school that was neither good nor bad.
At one time, abolition of the school uniform was considered, but in the end, they just redesigned it and stopped at that. Due to the redesigned uniform being popular, the proposal to allow students to attend school in plain clothes was shelved, leading to the present.
The bus that came to a halt at a bus stop a short distance off the school gate kept spitting one student after another who were then swallowed by the uniformed wave flowing towards the gate.
Natsume got off the bus before Naoto. Someone called out to her, and the voices exchanging greetings reached all the way to the top of the bus's steps. When Naoto took a look outside, a ponytailed girl with a big quiver in hand was facing Natsume. She was another classmate of his, by the name of Makino Yayoi. Naoto personally barely ever spoke to her, but she seemed to be on fairly good terms with Natsume.
As such, naturally assuming that from here on out Natsume was going to proceed to the school building in Yayoi's company, he started walking alone. Now that the string of tension slackened, his drowsiness made a comeback.
Stiffling a yawn as he walked, suddenly he felt the sleeve of his blazer being pulled. Turning, he found Natsume looking up at him. Naoto languidly wondered why she was here. Maybe she forgot something?
"Let's walk to the school building together."
It looked like she actually waited for him. Naoto felt like his heart was ready to leap out of his chest.
"Ah... sure," he barely managed to squeeze out by way of reply, and the two passed though the school gate together. It went without saying that Naoto wasn't nearly foolish enough to assume that Natsume might like him just from that. All he probably thought was that it was inconsiderate of him to take off on her without giving some sort of notice.
The first school building in front of them was getting closer. Iimigawa High had 2 school buildings that were connected by an overpass. The first building mainly housed special classrooms and 2nd year classrooms, while the second was allocated to 1st and 3rd year classrooms.
The buildings were utterly ordinary except for the mesh fences protruding from below windows of each floor like roofs. Those had been installed on short notice only last year, after an incident saw a student fall from the third floor.
The two passed by a roofed parking for bicycles. Natsume looked all around, inspecting the cluster of bicycles.
"I wonder if Ayano's already arrived..."
"Probably."
The conversation broke off. The self in Naoto's head scolded him, demanding he speak up and talk more. That said, it wasn't exactly easy to come up with a tasteful conversation topic. Desperately forcing his heavy head to work, Naoto finally opened his mouth.
"Come to think of it, Kurano, why do you take the bus to school?"
Most of the students who rode the bus lived so far they usually first had to take a train before they could even reach the bus. But Natsume's house was even closer to the school than Naoto's or Ayano's, so in theory, it should've been much easier for her to commute to school by bike without having to be tied to the bus schedule.
"...W-Well, it's just, I don't have my own bicycle, you see."
"Ohh?" Naoto elongated, tilting his head to the side a little. Perhaps due to his drowsiness, he didn't quite get her reply. "...Then you can just buy one?"
"B-But, you know, it's... it's pretty expensive."
"The housewife type bikes are cheap. I think it'd be cheaper than buying a commutation pass every month."
Naoto hardly understood why he was suddenly encouraging Natsume to buy a bike, but since the conversation seemed to flow smoothly, he decided it was all good either way.
"Yeah... That's true, but..."
Her answer was strangely evasive. When he tossed a quick glance down at her profile, he found her flushed to the tips of her ears.
"Kurano?" he called, but she kept her head down, making it impossible to see her face.
'Did I make her mad...? Don't tell I made her... cry?'
Panic-struck in the earnest, Naoto examined the short conversation they'd had until now. Did he make some kind of big screwup that couldn't be undone? However, he absolutely couldn't see how asking about someone's choice between a bus and a bike as their means of transportation to school could bring someone to tears.
"Kishimori-kun," the girl muttered. Her voice was colored by neither tears nor anger.
"Y-Yes?" Naoto replied, jumping to attention.
"I try to keep it a secret, you see..."
Naoto swallowed hard. The two stood facing each other in a corner of the bike parking area. Students who happened to pass by were giving them suspicious looks. If Naoto were to stoop, it would look like the two of them stood face-to-face. Suddenly, Natsume drew herself up to stand on her tiptoes and put her mouth close to Naoto's ear. When he felt her breathing on his cheek, it was like a stroke of lightning hit him, rendering him unable to move.
"You see, I... can't ride a bicycle," she said in a quiet voice barely above what was audible to human ear.
It took sometime for the meaning of her words to sink in Naoto's brain.
".........Huh?"
"It's embarrassing, I know, but no matter how I practiced, it was just no use."
"And it still holds true even now?"
Natsume nodded a few times. "I even asked Ayano to teach me, but in the end even though we both ended up all battered and bruised, it was to no avail at all. When the training wheels come off, no matter how I try, I just..."
The face of the girl before him was dead-serious. Kurano Natsume, who was perfect at anything and everything she did, including studies and sports, to the point where she had been nicknamed the Perfect Little Superhuman, couldn't ride a bicycle without training wheels, of all things...!
"Pfft." Naoto let a snicker he tried to choke back escape in spite of himself.
Natsume's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "Please don't tell anyone about it."
"I won't... And sorry I laughed."
Somehow succeeding in getting his snickering under control, Naoto took the lead and resumed walking. Even Natsume, the invincible honor student, had a weakness she couldn't tell anyone about, just like the rest of them mortals. If anything, that knowledge seemed to make him feel closer to her.
'Hm?' Suddenly, Naoto turned to her.
"Is it really okay with you to have shared that kind of secret with someone like me?"
Natsume broke into a smile. "Yes, it is. Because you're my precious friend, Kishimori-kun."
From this point on, for a while two thoughts kept colliding in Naoto's head. What she said could mean she thought of him as someone as close to her as Ayano - or her words could also be interpreted as her considering him to be the same to her as any of her same sex friends and nothing more than that. Naoto kept asking himself which one it was, but for all of his racking his brain, he couldn't reach a decisive conclusion.
When he returned to his senses, he was already inside the school building, starting up the stairs side by side with Natsume. And then he tripped on the very first step, falling over lamely and propping himself on both elbows around the fourth step or so.
"A-Are you okay, Kishimori-kun?"
Grasping Naoto's arm, Natsume tried to pull him to help him get up. When something soft and supple pressed against Naoto's upper arm, he jumped back in panic, recalling once again the talk stating while Kurano Natsume's frame was petite, her breast was by no means the same.
'...Oh, right. My sleep deprivation didn't go anywhere.'
He almost went straight to the classroom, just like he always did. Except if he did it in his present state, he'd be sleeping like a log the moment homeroom started. And he'd be lucky if that's all there would be to it, because the chances of his seeing that nightmare again were no small.
"I'm going to the infirmary."
"Eh? Are you injured somewhere?"
"That's not it, I'm just sleep deprived. I hardly slept yesterday."
"Is that so...?" Natsume blinked wonderingly. Unlike Ayano or Mizuho, she didn't seem to have noticed Naoto's sleep deprived state until now at all.
"See ya later."
"I'm going with you."
Just then, the first warning bell sounded, coming from the speakers mounted close to the ceiling. When they passed through the gate, there still was a comfortable cushion of time, but it appeared they spent more time talking in the bike parking area than Naoto had thought. If a student failed to make it to their classroom by the time the next bell rang, it would count as being late.
"No need. It's not like I'm sick or anything."
Naoto tried to make his exit as fast as he could. Stopping by the infirmary first meant the bell would ring before it was possible to reach the classroom. Naoto refused to cause Natsume trouble on his account.
"I'll explain your absense to Komae-sensei," he heard Natsume's voice from behind.
Komae was the name of the homeroom teacher for Natsume and Naoto's class. Maybe the teacher wouldn't think of Naoto's absence as his cutting class if Natsume was the one to inform him.
"...Sorry. And thank you."
Naoto started walking, headed towards the infirmary. When he turned to look back once more before rounding the corner, he saw Natsume standing at the bottom of the stairs and watching him go.
4
In front of the infirmary, found on the first floor of the first school building, Naoto halted.
No sounds could be heard from inside, but the lights were on as they were supposed to.
'She must be in, I guess.'
He opened the door quietly. There was no one on either of the two beds set in the room. Few students would want to spend their time there even before morning homeroom. But of course, every rule has an exception.
"What are you doing here?" came a displeased voice from the back of the room. In a chair by the window, there sat Ayano.
'She really is here, huh.'
In her lap, there lay a book with a hard cover left open. Seeing as it had a vinyl coating, she must have borrowed it from the library. When she wanted to skip class, Ayano would often sit here reading. Her reading material of choice was mostly old books that majority of general populace hadn't even heard about.
"Um, where is Sahara-sensei?"
No answer was forthcoming. Ayano already went back to reading.
"Did sensei step out somewhere?" Naoto pressed the issue.
Technically, to sleep here one needed permission from the school nurse by the name Sahara. And Naoto was sure he would find her here without fail at this time.
"Look, you..." Seemingly unable to bear it any longer, Ayano slammed her book shut with a resounding bang. "Answer my question before asking one of your own, will you? Not answering a question with a question is basic common sense! Didn't your parents tea..."
She shut her mouth, apparently remembering that Naoto's parents could no longer teach him anything anymore. Shaken, unusually for her, she averted her eyes.
She would bitch and grumble at every opportunity whenever they saw each other, but she never said anything bad about Naoto's family - especially about his father Takaomi. Ayano lived with her mother, just the two of them; Naoto heard her father died a long time ago. Takaomi used to drop by sometimes Kuze's house on his was back from work and talk to Ayano in private. Ayano stated it was mostly to lecture her, but for all that, Naoto was under the impression that she listened to him relatively closely.
Once, Naoto did ask his father why he was so concerned about Ayano. Takaomi took a while to think before curtly replying, "We've known her for ages." Maybe he saw her as another daughter or something. He often asked Naoto and Mizho to be as friendly with her as possible. "What she says is mostly correct," he would even say.
But since being little, his blood-related daughter Mizuho and Ayano were never on good terms. Needless to say, their personalities that didn't mesh well were partly to blame, but Mizuho's loathing for what she probably perceived as father-stealing played a role, too. Come to think of it, if Naoto's memory served, Mizuho said something about Takaomi calling Ayano's name just before passing away. Naoto had thought Mizuho'd simply heard wrong, but at the same time, it was a solid fact that their father hadn't called the names of neither of his two children. Naoto did think that their father was somewhat distant and reserved even with his children.
"I'm here to get some sleep. If the nurse's here, not getting her permission first can't end well," Naoto said. What Ayano said about not answering a question with a question was true, he deemed.
For a while, Ayano just sat there with her face turned to the window, but then finally offered in a low voice, "...Sahara-sensei's out for now. Some first year felt sick, and she went to escort him to the hospital."
That was sure to take time. Naoto came up to one of the beds and put his school bag on the floor next to it. When they couldn't get permission due to circumstances, it was allowed for students to use the bed within the bounds of common sense.
"Which reminds me, what were you talking about with Natsume in the bike parking area?" Ayano spoke up out of the blue.
"How come you know about it?"
Ayano tapped her fingers on the window pane. Indeed, from this window, the edge of the bike parking area was visible - the very same spot when Naoto and Natsume stood earlier.
"I saw you from here. Looked like it was a pretty serious talk. Did you do something?"
"Well..." Then he noticed there was no need to falter. Ayano was Natsume's best friend, and from what Natsume said, she helped with her training to learn to ride a bicycle. "Kurano was telling me she couldn't ride a bike."
Ayano's eyes flew wide open. The book in her lap was on the verge of falling. It was highly unusual for her to be that disturbed.
"...Did you threaten Natsume?"
"Huh?"
"How did you manage to pry that secret out of Natsume? There's no way she just told you out of her own volition, now is there?"
Faced with the naked menace in her gaze, Naoto got agitated. He sifted through his memories frantically, but no matter how he looked, nothing he said or did classified as 'prying'.
"Sh-she told me of her own volition. Is it that unbelievable?"
"Yes, it is. Only Natsume's family and me are privy to that secret."
Naoto was lost for words. He'd never imagined it was that big of a secret. "...Are you for real?"
"Oh, I am. None of the kids who've been with Natsume since middle school know. Natsume told me she was too embarrassed to tell anyone, except for me, and she could only tell me because I was her precious best friend..."
"B-But she went and told me herself in the natural progress of the conversation... because I, too, was her precious friend, she said..."
Silence followed. It was only broken by the ringing of the bell signalling the official start of the school day. It was time for morning homeroom. Only after the chime had completely died out did Ayano finally open her mouth.
"Uh, what I want to hear here is not your wild delusions..."
"It happened in reality! Kurano really said that!"
"How come you've become her precious friend all of a sudden?"
"Well, that's..." Naoto wanted to explain, but no words came. "...Actually, I don't really get it myself... As anyone can see, it's not like me and Kurano are particularly close, yeah...?"
Naoto's voice was becoming quieter and quieter as he spoke. He didn't understand at all why Natsume would consider him a precious friend of hers. He had a feeling it might be some kind of mistake.
"Do you have any idea what could make her think so?" It felt weird having to ask Ayano that, but since Naoto had no clue himself, it couldn't be helped.
Eyes closed and index fingers pressed to her temples, Ayano appeared to be thoroughly searching her memory.
"Last year, when your scores on the end-of-term tests were on the failing side considerably more than usual, Natsume was helping you with remedial classes, right? At the time, you two looked pretty close."
"And the same Kurano was also helping Nagata from the kendo club and Sawamura from the girls' basketball club when they failed their tests."
All the students in their class whose grades were not good had help from Natsume in one way or another. It didn't make it anything special. To begin with, Naoto just got helped one-sidedly, which was not quite the same as being close.
"Oh, well, she called you her precious friend, good for you. There's nothing in it for Natsume, but for you it's a great honor."
Contrary to what she was saying, she didn't sound good-humored, what with having to hear that Naoto who barely even talked to Natsume was considered to be a precious friend on the same level as her. Mixed feelings were par for the course, and Naoto understood that, somehow or other.
"Only, you're a just 'friend', and nothing more. I trust you know what's in store for you if you get too full of yourself and try putting weird moves on Natsume, yeah?" Ayano declared in a threatening tone.
Naoto felt a weird draft around his stomach at that. "..."
"I'll put you through what you've just imagined, only multiplied by 20. To describe in detail what exactly---"
"No... don't bother. I'll go sleep now."
Naoto drew the curtain over his chosen bed shut. If that talk continued, napping would become the farthest thing from his mind. Taking off his indoor school shoes, he was about to climb into the bed when a voice came from beyond the curtain.
"Lately, you've been sleeping in the infirmary a lot."
"...Have I?" Pushing the blanket down towards the foot of the bed, Naoto lied down on his back.
"You're not targeting the times I'm here on purpose, are you?"
Naoto's shoulders jumped. To loosen the tension, he took a deep long breath.
"Why would I do that? There's no point at all."
"...I guess."
The questioning stopped surprisingly easily, and Naoto silently closed his eyes. He supposed it was true that sometimes what Ayano said was correct. He came here because this was where Ayano was. The question that he'd asked before boarding bus about whether she planned to attend her classes today was for that end.
When he slept with Ayano by his side, curiously enough he didn't see any dreams. No matter how much he mulled over why it was so, in the end, he had no slightest idea.
His nightmares first started during the test period at the end of his first year of high school. Unable to get fitful sleep at day and at night, he was in no shape to prepare for his tests, which is why he ended up flanking and having to take remedial tests to begin with.
Miraculously, he'd gotten through them all till the end, and then, having used up all of his energy, went to the infirmary. Nightmares or not, at that point he just wanted to rest at least a little. Just like today, at the time he'd found Ayano sitting by the window. Believing he'd wake up right away anyway, in the end he wound up sleeping like a log till dusk.
With the start of the new school term, every time nightmares assaulted him, he tried doing the same over and over again. It went without saying that no one, including, of course, Ayano, knew what he was doing.
'I have to tell her soon...'
That's what he'd always intended to do, but first, he'd have to explain about how he was tortured by nightmares. And he didn't want to be fussed over too much. Above all, his story was too crazy to easily believe it. He didn't even know if it really was thanks to Ayano that he didn't see nightmares.
'I'll... watch things for a while longer, and after that...'
Naoto was sinking into a comfortable sleep. From somewhere very far away Ayano started talking, but he no longer could hear what she was saying.
Before long, his consciousness shut down completely.
5
Naoto was in the classroom taking a class, the fact making him cock his head to the side in puzzlement.
On his desk, there was a textbook and an opened notebook as he was duly taking notes on the lesson taught.
'Huh?'
He couldn't read the characters he himself had supposedly written. They simply looked like black lines twisting and crossing randomly. Naoto must've been half-asleep when he scribbled them.
Wanting to check when his notes lost intelligibility, he turned to the previous page. But that page too turned out to be fully filled with strange lines. As he leafed through the notebook, he started feeling creeped out. Not a single page contained characters he could read. Some of them had weird drawings with arrows and patterns, but none of them made any sense.
'What the hell.'
He didn't remember writing anything like that. But at the same time it was impossible to deny his own writing idiosyncrasies showed through here and there in how the lines were drawn.Jeez, what was he even doing during XXXX class? If someone saw him, what would they think of him...?
'...Wait, what class, again?'
He picked up the textbook found next to the notebook. Upon a closer look, it turned out there was written characters on or in it. Just a few squares of several varieties lined up vertically, almost like when one wrote vertically. Like with his notebook, he couldn't read those at all.
The voice of the teacher who continued to drone today's lesson sounded muffled like it was coming through water. It was impossible to hear what he was saying.
Naoto raised his head and took a look around.
'...Huh?'
He occupied the front seat of the row by the window. This seat was his usual.
The classroom was dim, as if in the evening, and there were no other students. The voice of the teacher he was sure he could hear just moments ago had petered out.
Naoto was the only one in the classroom anymore.
On the blackboard, strings of densely packed characters were written. But like with Naoto's notebook and textbook, they were rubbish impossible to read.
'So this is a dream, huh.'
Naoto had calmed down at last. This didn't seem like a continuation of his nightmare from the night before, anyhow. The real him probably still slept in the school's infirmary.
This place resembled the real classroom a great deal, but when you looked closer, there were discrepancies in the details. For example, there was no door connecting the classroom to the hallway, only white wall stretched opposite the window.
Thick fog enveloped the world outside, making it impossible to see anything. Only, the windowpane right next to Naoto was open partway, and it bothered him.
Inside the classroom it was so quiet that it was probably possible to hear your own breathing if you tried.
Suddenly, Naoto felt a human presence moving, and he turned to look at the opposite corner of the classroom.
In the backmost seat by the wall, out of the blue a girl was seated. Her ponytail swishing to and fro, she was looking around wildly.
'...Makino?'
She was Makino Yayoi, a classmate of Naoto's. He saw her up close at the bus stop only this morning.
A grating scratching noise came, and Naoto shifted his eyes to the floor. Something was drawing closer from down below. Instinctively, Naoto tried to stand up, but his body was unexpectedly heavy as if he was moving through mud.
'..Oh right, this is a dream.'
It wasn't so strange for one's body not to move in a dream world the way one wanted.
Just then, a sound like a flapping of a wet rag came from the window. A grayish semi-transparent lump was clinging to the other side of the glass-pane. At a first glance, it looked like a giant slug of sorts.
However, when it slipped through the crack left open in the window and plopped on the floor of the classroom, Naoto realized that the monster's shape could just barely classify as humanoid.
"Whoa..." Naoto abhorred aloud quietly.
The gray blob that seemed to be sitting kneeling on the floor, turned its face to him, though strictly speaking, it was hard to call that a face. A big void yawning in the middle of that countenance was apparently a mouth. Above it there was nothing save for 2 points of red light. The grotesque creature resembled a child's very first attempt at making a clay figure.
'Red... eyes...'
And then, the gray monster got on all fours and with a speed that was hard to believe proceeded to the back of the classroom. Switching direction to head to the farthest back row of the seats, it disappeared from Naoto's field of vision briefly.
'Where did it go?'
His question was answered almost immediately. Behind Yayoi seated in the backmost seat by the wall a swaying gray shape not unlike a shadow slowly rose. Chin still on her hand, the girl stared at the blackboard, not noticing the monster's presence at all.
"Ah..."
Two flabby arms sandwiched Yayoi's face between them. She started twisting and struggling violently. The monster's upper half dipped forward sharply as it pressed its countenance to the crown of Yayoi's head.
In the next instant, Yayoi's limbs started kicking even more wildly.
The desks and chairs around her crashed with resounding bangs as they got flung and flipped. Before long, she'd spent all her energy and it became quiet.
The monster raised its grotesque head and busily looked around as if sensing a presence. Its semi-transparent body was now tinged red, like an artist's paint with another color mixed in. The head of the girl squeezed between two gray hands was now shaped oddly, calling to mind a bowl. Her hair drawn back into a ponytail was nowhere to be found.
That's when Naoto finally understood what had just happened.
Yayoi's head was robbed of its top half.
'...It was eaten.'
All her limbs did anymore was only twitch every now and then. The monster went back to looming over the girl, starting to vigorously move its head again. Naoto could hear the slurping sounds clearly.
Every time the monster took a bite, the red within its body grew thicker.
'It's blood!'
The moment he thought that, it was like a spell binding Naoto got undone and a scream issued from his mouth.
***
Naoto leaped up in his bed in the infirmary.
Curling up on himself, he waited for the trembling from his dream to stop.
This was his first time seeing a dream like that in the infirmary.
'It wasn't the usual dream though.'
Unlike with the recurring nightmare from the night before, he remembered the contents with clarity. Besides, he was certain a gray monster like that didn't appear in his previous nightmares. When Naoto turned over the watch he'd left by his pillow, he saw it was about time for the second period to be over.
"What even was it...? Really..."
That was Makino Yayoi, he was sure. No, actually, he couldn't be sure. Perhaps due to how scarring what had occurred was, he couldn't really remember much of anything else.
Even when he tried to convince himself it was only a dream, the gnawing creepiness of it didn't vanish. The feeling that he'd really witnessed a person being devoured alive still persisted.
"No, seriously, what the hell was that?"
"Huh?" a voice came from somewhere very close.
He didn't know when, but at some point the curtain around the bed got open, and now there sat Ayano with her arms folded across her chest staring down at Naoto.
"You were making so much noise I couldn't read my book in peace."
"I was being loud?"
"Yes, you were. You kept groaning loudly in your sleep and even scared me. Like you were on the verge of giving birth to some new life or something..."
"I'm not a woman on her last month pregnancy!"
Suddenly, he noticed a blue hand-towel lying in his lap. It didn't belong to Naoto. Picking it up, he realized it was cool and damp. Until now, it probably rested on his head.
"What's this?"
Ayano's hand instantly moved and snatched the towel away.
"Th-that's mine," she said, sounding somewhat peeved.
"Eh?"
"It's just, the nurse's not here... and you groaned like you were in pain, so I got this towel wet with water and..."
Naoto was taken by honest-to-god surprise. Not even in his wildest dreams could he imagine this abuse-spitting childhood friend of his looking after him. That was just...
"...thought about plugging your nose and mouth with it, but it proved a surprisingly difficult task."
...too good to be true, as expected.
"Were you trying to kill me...?"
Completely ignoring his murmured words, Ayano continued. "So, what kind of dream did you see?"
"What kind, huh... I was in the classroom in the middle of a lesson, then a creature that crawled up the wall of the school building slipped in through the window... it was a weird monster with red eyes, and then it..." When he recalled witnessing a human being eaten from the head down, Naoto broke into shivers. He couldn't bring himself to relive it again by describing. "Well, let's say I knew it was a dream, but it felt so gory and so real.s.."
"You said "red eyes"? A monster with red eyes appeared in it?" Ayano interrupted him.
"Yeah... It did. What about it?"
Quite a while had passed before he got any answer to that. The towel Ayano had just taken back fell off her knees, but she didn't appear to take notice.
"...No, it's nothing," the girl finally muttered without looking at Naoto. Contrary to what she'd just said, she was clearly shaken.
Just then, from the speaker on the ceiling a chime rang out. The second period was over.
"Are you planning to go to the next class?"
Naoto's head was much clearer than before. Although he did have an unpleasant dream, his lack of sleep was elevated somewhat. "Yeah, I think I will."
"I see."
Ayano stood up from the bed and returned to her chair by the window, though she didn't try to get back to reading. Lacing the fingers of the hands resting on her knees together, she stared at the ceiling vacantly.
Normally, she would never ask something like what Naoto was going to do next. She probably didn't realize it herself, but sudden trivial statements like that were her giveaway habit before a serious talk of grave importance. However, there was no way she would easily divulge the information even if Naoto asked her what was wrong. If she just could be more upfront like that, it would so much easier for Naoto.
'So what do I do...?'
Skipping the next class to stay here and wait for her to speak was probably the only way.
As far as Naoto was concerned, he wasn't fond of the idea of skipping classes and school events. Even if others didn't think much of it, for him doing things he shouldn't was never easy.
That said, just taking his leave here didn't sit right with him either. After all, this matter seemed to do with him, so he should probably hear out what Ayano had to say.
"I think I'll stay here a little lo---"
Suddenly, the door opened, and a tall man ducked as he entered.
"Excuse me, Sahara-sensei, but... wait, what are you people doing here?" The man in glasses knit his brows. He was in his mid-thirties, wearing a dress shirt, though without a tie, and suit pants. It was Naoto and Ayano's homeroom teacher Komae. "If you're here because you're feeling sick, then I don't mind, but if you're fine, then go study, will you! We've gone through the questions today that will be on the test, so make sure you ask someone to show you the notes."
Come to think of it, the second period was classic literature that Komae was in charge of.
"Erm... Sorry," Naoto apologized without thinking, but Ayano by his side was still lost in pensiveness.
"No, I wasn't really talking about you, Kishimori... Kuze, you're the one skipping class without reason, aren't you!"
Ayano finally raised her head, looking like she only just now noticed the new arrival.
"Oh, sensei. Good morning."
"It's not morning anymore. Goodness, it won't kill you to listen to what people to you once in a while... I understand that high school is not compulsory education and that it might seem like too much trouble to attend every one of your classes, but you have to learn some social etiquette, or in the future..."
Once Komae-sensei got started, he wouldn't stop for some time. While it was true that he was more serious than necessarily and with a propensity to nag, he was also empathetic, feeling warmly about his students. By no means students harbored him any ill will.
Ayano who skipped a lot of her classes warranted his special concern. It was not rare for him to stop her as she wandered about the school and sternly reprimand her. This year after a long while he finally decided to take charge of a class, so it was no wonder that he was so enthusiastic about his job as a homeroom teacher.
"I'm not asking you to prioritize my class for attendance, but for your own health, do attend PE at least..."
"Excuse me, sensei," Naoto finally interrupted. He had to, as there was something he'd been quite worried about. "Is the person on your back okay?"
Komae-sensei came to the infirmary carrying the small frame of a female student on his back. Her face was hidden from view, limply pressed into his shirt-clad shoulder.
"Oh, right." It appeared he really had forgotten about her, too caught up in lecturing Ayano.
Komae laid the student down on the bed Naoto had slept in. The hair from her undone ponytail fanned across the sheets.
"...Makino?"
Naoto was very surprised to see Makino Yayoi laid out on the bed. "Is she not feeling well?"
"Well, I'm not sure... She just fell asleep during my class and now doesn't wake up no matter how I try to shake her awake. I decided to carry her to the infirmary just in case... Hey, Kuze, where do you think you're going?"
"Huh?"
Ayano who was previously seated in the chair by the window was gone. Apparently, she took off when Komae was busy laying Yayoi on the bed.
"That girl is hopeless." Komae-sensei clicked his tongue. For Ayano to escape without listening to his scolding till the end was, too, business like usual. "...Oh well, for now Makino takes priority. Do you know where Sahara-sensei is?"
"Ummm, I heard she was out escorting someone to the hospital... Ah, but I don't know where she's at the moment though."
After all, it'd been about 2 hours since Sahara had left for the hospital. Maybe she came back while Naoto was sleeping.
"I see. Then I'll drop by the staff room quickly to check while you watch Makino here, okay?"
"Ah, sure."
With that, Komae-sensei exited, breaking into a jog.
With nothing better to do, Naoto, left behind in the infirmary, shifted his eyes to watch over Yayoi. Her complexion wasn't pale or anything. She simply breathed quietly in her sleep.
As he looked at her, Naoto remembered the tragedy that'd taken place in his dream. It was after that dream that Yayoi's condition had taken this weird turn. Almost as if the dream foreshadowed something...
'No, that's just impossible.'
Naoto shook his head to refute that train of thought.
It was just a dream. He really needed to stop overthinking these trifle things.
Kishimori Mizuho's phone chimed just as she opened the door to her family's apartment.
She put down the shopping bag she had with her on the mat in the entranceway and rummaged in the pocket of her school uniform. The caller was displayed as her father, Takaomi. Except at this time he still was supposed to be at work. Tilting her head a little in puzzlement, she answered, and the voice that she heard on the other end was that of a man she didn't know.
"Your father has been in a traffic accident," informed her dispassionately the man who introduced himself as a policeman.
It took her a while to finally grasp what the man was saying. Her father, working in sales, was on his was back to his company when he apparently took a dive from a bridge. At the moment, he was undergoing a surgery, and the policeman said he wanted her to come to the hospital as soon as possible.
Mizuho left the apartment and took a taxi. She tried calling her older brother, Naoto, but his cell seemed to be turned off. Now that she thought about it, he did say something about going to see a movie with his friends after school.
She sent him a text asking him to come to the hospital as soon as he read it instead.
It surprised her how calm she remained under the circumstances. Today, just like always, she saw her brother off together with her father, then went to her own school, took classes like a middle school student such as herself was supposed to, then shopped at a supermarket and came home. Nothing was out of ordinary.
And she couldn't have possibly imagined that something like this was waiting to happen. The reality of this had yet to sink in for her. She had this feeling that someone would pop up any minute now and announce it was all just a joke.
***
When she arrived at the hospital, her father was sleeping in a hospital room, his surgery safely over. It seemed he didn't suffer any life-threatening injuries, but a few of his bones were fractured and he hit his head a little.
"It's going to be okay. He's stable at the moment," the doctor said to her, taking the trouble to lower his line of sight in order to talk to a child like her. He probably intended to tell the particulars to her big brother instead of her. Seeing as the Kishimori household didn't have a mother.
The police detective who was the one to call her and inform of what had happened subjected her to a brief questioning. Apparently, the car her father was driving abruptly changed lanes when on the bridge, then, without decelerating, broke through the railings and took a fall. There were no other cars on the bridge at that moment, and the driver had an unobstructed view.
Didn't she notice anything out of ordinary about her father lately, the detective asked her several times. It seemed he thought what had caused the accident was either some mechanical failure in the car or Takaomi cutting the steering wheel to the side sharply.
"...My dad's been staying up late into the night recently," Mizuho recalled. She had a feeling that lately, whenever she woke up at night, she heard sounds coming from her father's room more often than not.
The detective who was taking notes raised his face. "What was your father doing?"
That she didn't know, she said as she shook her head. There was nothing more worthy of telling him, and having asked her to contact him if she remembered anything else, the detective took his leave.
Mizuho was left to wait for her brother in a dim sickroom with tightly shut curtains. Takaomi was breathing evenly as he slept on his bed. If you disregarded the cast and the bandages, he was the same composed father as always, with nothing out of ordinary about him.
She didn't remember how much time had passed.
Before she knew it, the hospital room was stained with the orange of the evening. Mizuho gave a little yawn, shielding her mouth with her hand. It appeared she'd spent quite a while sitting by the bed.
Her father still lay on the bed, not even stirring. It was so quiet in the room that it made her feel uneasy.
Just then, the phone in the pocket of her uniform chimed.
'...Oh, no.'
A reflex made her to hurriedly turn it off. The sound didn't seem to have disturbed her father's sleep, and Mizuho gave a sigh of relief.
This hospital ward only allowed using phones in the lobby in front of the elevator. Mizuho stood up, trying not to make a sound, opened the door and exited the room.
"Eh...?"
In the dimly lit corridor, there was not a soul.
She passed closed doors one after another as she headed for the lobby. But even in the lobby she found no one, only empty benches illuminated by the light of the setting sun streaming from the windows. The wall at the far end had two elevator doors, the numerical displays over both indicating that the elevator cages stopped at the lowest floor.
Somewhere what was probably the air conditioning system had started working, as the girl's ears picked up distant mechanical whirring. With the exception of it, there was no other sound whatsoever.
When she stood there all alone, it felt as though this place became wholly unfamiliar to her.
Suddenly, a certain thought crossed Mizuho's mind. Was she really in the hospital? To begin with, her father getting in an accident was already something out of ordinary that broke up the familiar routine of her everyday life. Sure, she knew that trusting your eyes is everything, but...
"...It's like I'm in a dream." The words spilled out of her mouth unchecked.
A shiver ran down her spine.
It's not like she was scared. It's just that somehow all of this lacked the sense of reality.
***
Abruptly, she'd come to her senses. She remembered what she came here to do. Turning her phone on, she pulled up the call history log and called back the last number. The person on the other end answered almost immediately.
'Is it true our old man got into an accident?' her brother Naoto asked without preamble. She could hear voices and footsteps around him. He probably was at some station.
"Yeah... He broke a few bones... but it seems he's going to be okay."
She accurately repeated what the doctor told her. But when she spoke the work 'okay', for some reason she suddenly felt a chill on the nape of her neck.
"Brother, where are you right now?"
"The Iimi station... That aside, sorry I took so long to notice your text. I'll be there in 15 minutes, okay?"
Mizuho was surprised as how relieved that made her feel. It looked like she was more stressed out that she'd thought.
"Uhmmm... Should I buy something on my way there? Maybe something old man wants...?" Naoto then asked.
"Not now... Dad's sleeping anyway."
"Oh, I see. Then, maybe you need something, Mizuho?"
"No... I don't need anything."
Mizuho almost burst out laughing. Really, what was he doing asking about her wishes in this situation? Of course, she knew he wasn't trying to mess with her or anything. Naoto was something of a scatterbrain, and he always said weird things when he was flustered. But still, even at a time like that, he did his best to pay attention to the needs of others, and she liked that about him.
"Gotcha. Anyway, I'm on my way." He hung up.
Feeling more relieved than before, Mizuho put away her phone. She had a hunch that if her older brother got here, abnormalities in her everyday life would be done and over with, limited to just this one out-of-ordinary day. And some time in the future, when she turned back to examine this day in hindsight, the odd sensation she was experiencing at the moment, wouldn't matter any, she was sure.
For a while, Mizuho simply stood in the hall. Her inaction was because she hesitated about what she should do - wait her brother here or go back to the hospital room. She wanted to be back by her father's side, but at the same time, she wanted to see her brother's face as soon as was humanly possible. Gazing at the elevator's floor indicator, Mizuho was deep in thought.
***
At first, she couldn't place her finger on what exactly it was that felt out of place to her. As previously, there was no one in the lobby. No matter how much she strained her ears, the only sound she could hear was the whirring of the air conditioner that she'd been hearing since the beginning. That strange low noise seemed to a little louder now...
"Ah!"
It wasn't a mechanical sound. It was a human voice. Somewhere in this ward someone was letting out muffled screams. In a hurry, she ran back along the corridor. When she halted in front of Takaomi's hospital room, she knew her worst premonition had come true. The voice was coming from behind the door. It was her father who was screaming.
'Dad!'
The moment she threw the door open, she got bathed in an intense red radiance which made her freeze regardless of her will.
"...Red."
Hearing that hoarse voice coming from the direction of the window, she cracked her eyes open.
A man with a cast and wrapped in bandages stood there with both his hands set on the window pane. The gauze affixed on the back of his head had slipped, revealing the wound with its rims stitched together with a black thread.
"Dad...?"
Mizuho was suddenly aware that the curtain covering the window was now gone. The red light that filled the room was being emitted by a red sun floating outside. At Takaomi's feet, there lay a discarded white cloth, not unlike shed skin. It appeared he had torn off the curtain that hang over the window when he got out of the bed.
"What's... wrong?" Mizuho's voice was trembling. Unknown terror was welling up from the depths of her being. "Y-you need to lie down..."
For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to set foot into the sickroom. She needed to call a doctor or a nurse. If she went in the opposite direction from the lobby she'd been at earlier, she should find the nurse station, she was positive.
Just as her focus shifted to the lobby, she heard her father's voice, "Red... eye."
"Eh?"
"Red eye."
That delirious-sounding voice carved itself sharply into Mizuho's eardrums. Without realizing it, she took a step back.
"Red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye, red eye..."
Suddenly, she understood what Takaomi was seeing. Beyond the window there sprawled a dusk-tinted residential district. Her father's eyes were trained on the sun sinking behind the roofs of the numerous houses there.
Dragging the cast along, Takaomi slowly changed the way he was facing. His empty and tired gaze pierced right through Mizuho to fix on something far away. Having witnessed her father turn into a different person so unlike himself, the girl couldn't quite bring herself to call out to him.
After a short silence, her father's quivering lips opened.
"Ayano..."
Mizuho's heart almost froze. It was the name of a girl living in their neighborhood since way back. Mizuho had no slightest idea why her father had felt the need to call that name now though. Why did it have to be not the name of a relative but that of a complete stranger? Maybe Mizuho'd just heard it wrong?
Just when she thought that, her father spoke again, "They... please... her..."
He started coughing, and the words stopped. Then, as if losing the support that propped him up, Takaomi collapsed, falling face first. The dull thud echoed through the sickroom, and after that, utter silence descended.
Mizuho's legs started shaking with minute tremors. She couldn't feel the floor beneath her feet. With a stiff gait, she approached her father and went down to her knees by his side as if collapsing. Takaomi's eyes were left wide-open, and she couldn't hear his breathing.
'...It can't be.'
Her big brother would be here soon. And when he would get here, what she had said about their father being 'okay', would have turned into a lie. She made a grab for the switch with the nurse call button on it dangling from the bed, pulling it closer and pushing the button with both hands.
Sensing some sort of presence, she looked over at the dead body of her father.
The red light of the setting sun shining into the hospital room had become unbelievably bright - as if daubed in fresh blood.
Without thinking, the girl shifted her eyes towards the view outside the window.
"Red... eye...?"
The sun casting the sinister light looked like a crimson eyeball.
Epilogue (volume 2, pages 247- 251)
The Devoted Cooperator of the King
In the end, everything regarding the turbulent case that had started with a greeting card suspiciously resembling a love letter and found its conclusion amidst a raging storm was buried in the dark.
For a record-setting rainstorm, human damage turned out to be relatively minor thanks to the coordinated effort by various related government agencies, and the proceedings regarding damaged buildings and other property were also dealt with with haste.
Needless to say, the fact that on that night the Fire Defense and Police Agencies were helped greatly by a group in blue uniforms was never made public, and said group in blue uniforms, also known as Scepter 4, went back to their normal operation the very next day as if nothing had ever transpired.
Apparently their head stated that, to quote, "We shall stay in the background. It is not like there is a need to spread good publicity at this late a date either way."
Furthermore, the perpetrators behind the mayhem that Scepter 4 had found themselves thrown into, that is, the Kounomura faction, returned to their normal everyday life, just like Scepter 4 themselves.
Although Kounomura and his allies did pull off a few stunts beyond accepted good sense in their pursuit of king's throne, for most of what they did establishing a case with proper structural elements of an offense, supporting it with evidence and prosecuting under the modern Japanese criminal law was extremely difficult, if not outright impossible, which, in effect, was the same as acquitting all of them.
However, each of them made a certain promise to Munakata - strictly personal, of course. The promise was to never disrupt Scepter 4's operations again. And also to be better behaved and contribute to society. It was on these conditions that they were returned to society.
Marumoto, who got knocked out by Fushimi, returned to the shared house he lived in before the incident and resumed attending his photography school. Regarding Munakata's condition about contributing to society, he replied he was going to join some kind of volunteer activities. Also, he eagerly tried to procure Fushimi Saruhiko's contact information, claiming that he and Fushimi came to understand each other's hearts in the heat of their battle, but all of his attempts were vehemently denied.
The man who, in a sense, caused Scepter 4 the most grief, that is, the former policeman, pondered Munakata's words very seriously for a while, before asking to give him some time and disappearing.
"He's a guy with a strong sense of justice to begin with, so he'll do something noteworthy, you can bet on it," Nakamura Gouki commented on his disappearance, laughing.
After his wild clash with Awashima Seri, said Nakamura Gouki, too, returned to his everyday life. That is, in his case, to the path of contributing to the world as a Buddhist monk. He would often talk about the wish he had voiced back in that hotel under construction to have a drink with Munakata and Awashima once, but seeing as the two parties concerned were always very busy, making his wish reality was proving immensely difficult.
Meanwhile, the ringleader, Kounomura Zen'ichi, embarked on a trip together with his wife on a luxury liner.
"Thanks to you, amidst that storm I've found who I want to become next. But before that, I've got to show some appreciation for my lovely wife." Those were his parting words. "Besides, I believe it will also serve as a way to fulfil my promise to you, Munakata-kun"
Kounomura Zen'ichi looked awfully happy.
It couldn't be said for sure whether it had anything to do with who Kounomura planned to become next, but it was certain that Scepter 4's working procedures saw some improvement since. Also, the arrival of new computers and other high performance equipment in the form of a 'donation' for re-furnishing the HQ was a solid fact, as well.
But the biggest and most important chance in Scepter 4 was the installation a certain surveillance system completion of which kept being postponed until then due to technical difficulties. It was an ultimate monitoring tool capable of surveillance on a most detailed of levels which could easily invade a person's privacy and violate fundamental human rights, the fact leading to several levels of restrictions put on its use.
The system was named... "Yuishiki"[*].
Some time later that very same system would be put to use in connection to the murder case of Totsuka Tatara which became the beginning of a series of tragic events and losses.
T/N: [*]Yuishiki is the Japanese name for the Buddhist concept of "vijnapti-matrata", which is, apparently, a theory that all existence is subjective and nothing exists outside of the mind.
K Case Files of Blue 2, chapter 4 (part 2 out of 2)
Case Files of Blue 2 by Miyazawa Tatsuki
Chapter 4 (part 2/2) (volume 2, pages 224-246)
†
The one to make contact with her target first was Awashima Seri. When she opened the door to a big hall meant for wedding ceremonies and such, on the other side of the door she found Nakamura Gouki sitting cross-legged in the middle of it, drinking sake from a bottle and making no attempt to be shy about it.
Recognizing her, the giant man said, "Oh, so it's you who came for me, eh? How about a drink?"
He turned and held his bottle up in Awashima's direction. Awashima let out a small sigh.
"I'm on the clock. But even if I weren't, I'd only drink with people I have rapport with."
"So with me you don't?" Nakamura Gouki asked after barking out a short laugh.
"You," Awashima replied icily, "are somewhat lacking in delicacy."
"Hmm," Gouki intoned, stroking his chin. "I personally like you quite a bit though. Like your strong will so atyical for a woman. Your brute strength, too. You shattered that cage all by yourself, without any help, right? For what it's worth, it was made in such a way that even a gorilla wouldn't be able to break it. Which makes you stronger than a gorilla, ain't it ri---"
"I suppose I am," Awashima interrupted in a powerful tone, making Gouki bite his tongue. Her expression tightened and she drew her saber. "Against you, I have no slightest intention to pull my punches. I'm sorry to say but there is no room for that. For that reason, if you make a bad move, you might wind up getting severely hurt. Thus, I sincerely urge you to surrender."
Awashima took her signature battle stance with one leg bent in front, the other extended behind her and the tip of her raised sword pointing downward. Gouki narrowed his eyes at her.
"Good gracious. In the end, we both can only settle this by brute force, eh." Still relaxed, he kept sipping his sake. "But before that, mind telling me just one thing?"
"What is it?" Awashima kept staring down her opponent, not letting her guard down.
"What kind of man is Munakata Reishi? What is he to you?" Gouki's face when he asked that was earnest and serious, and one that Awashima had never seen him make before. "C'mon."
Awashima flushed a little.
Gouki went on. "At first, I only thought of him as nothing more than a man Zen'ichi is weirdly obsessed with. But you know, as this whole story unfolded, I started finding myself taking interest in him, too. Just like with you, I sure want to share a drink and a talk with him. So..." he repeated his question again in the same very serious tone. "What kind of man is Munakata Reishi?"
"..."
Technically speaking, Awashima was under no obligation to answer that. But, being a honest and serious person that she was, she couidn't help giving the question some careful deliberation.
"Let's see," she finally spoke up. "To me, he is my king."
"What I want to hear is not a shallow general description like that..."
"No," Awashima cut him off flatly. Relaxing her stance, she elaborated, "To me, that person really is my king. And to me, that's everything. This is the only way I can find to describe it." She looked Gouki straight in the eye.
Hearing the weight and gravity in her tone, Gouki refrained from saying anything. Awashima suddenly smiled.
"Captain and I met before he had his awakening as a king. The plane we both happened to be on was hijacked by terrorists, and I helped Captain suppress them. It was like something straight out of movies. But some explosives we didn't know about blew, opening a big hope in the plane's airframe and sending it plummeting down. It was at that moment that he had become a king. All to save the passengers who were on that plane with him. And I witnessed it with my own eyes." Her every word was permeated with strong conviction. "For a long time, Captain searched for an answer to the question of who he was, and in that instance he'd had a realization that becoming a king was his destiny. If that's how it was, then I thought that my destiny must have been to support and help him. So I became his first clansman."
"..."
"Nakamura Gouki. Now, it's my turn to ask you something. Why do you support Kounomura Zen'ichi?"
"Hmm." The giant scratched his bald head. "Sadly, unlike you, I don't have any special reason. It's just..." He flashed his pearly whites. "To me, Zen'ichi is a friend I have rapport with. If I must name one reason, that itself is the reason," Gouki asserted.
"...I can't believe you..." Awashima breathed out a sigh. "I had my suspicions, but you really are one strange person, just like Kounomura."
"My oh my, what an honor!" Gouki's shoulders vibrated as he laughed. And then he added, "It's never boring around him." He looked like he was having fun. "...Thanks to that, I even awakened this amusing power."
Getting up slowly, he took the front double biceps pose that bodybuilders do, flexing said muscles. Following the swell of both sets of his well-developed biceps, Gouki's power spiked. In the air between the two tension hung.
"Something's been bothering me for a while. Initially, you were simply Kounmura's friend who became a strain only after Kounomura had started scheming to usurp Captain's throne, isn't that right?"
"Ain't you well informed?" Gouki took a side chest pose next, putting his perctorals on display. "That's right. While participating in that grand plan of Zen'ichi's, at some point I had an awakening as a strain. And that fact itself backed up Zen'ichi's theory."
"...What theory?"
"That the Slate has a uniform response to a person's will. If you want power, you will get power. That is..." Gouki finished his performance with the abdominal and thigh pose. "If you want to become a king, you just might steal that seat and become one if you wish for it strong enough."
For a while, Awashima contemplated his words. Then she let out another long sigh. "You're beyond help." Quietly, she moved to take her battle stance properly again. "That's nothing more than a conceited and self-serving wild delusion. I shall correct it for you."
"Oh well," Gouki grinned, "I guess that fits me just fine. Now, c'mon!" he rushed towards her. "Time to talk with our fists!"
Awashima met his dash with a battle cry.
†
About the time the fierce clash between Awashima and Gouki unfolded, Fushimi encountered Marumoto. This run-in, however, didn't escalate into anything as passionate as Awashima and Gouki's.
If anything, it was more of a game of tag where Marumoto, throwing lines like "Why do you resist opening up your heart so much?! Just become my friend! I know you're lonely!", "Eh? You don't have any social network accounts? Then how do you call out to your friends when you have a barbeque party?" and "I'm gonna chillax at a hole-in-the-wall bar with a group of good friends who chase their dreams together, wanna come too?", specially designed to get on Fushimi's nerves as much as possible, tried to run away and hide, while Fushimi did the chasing, clicking his tongue tirelessly.
Marumoto may not have possessed a sliver of fighting prowess in a direct physical confrontation, but he didn't specialize in reading minds for nothing either, excelling in seeing right through Fushimi's thought processes and hiding in his blind spots with exceptional dexterity. Changing hiding places from behind a fire fighting panel to inside a ventilation fan to beneath a sofa, he ran screaming out throwaway lines in the same vein as those mentioned above.
And each time the shutter of his camera clicked, taking yet another photo, it grated on Fushimi's nerves immensely. Fushimi swung his saber, chasing after him.
"Tch!" Tongue-clicking was only a natural response.
Fushimi had a sickening feeling that all he did lately was being dragged into these stupid games of tag. Except, both he and Marumoto knew that it was coming to an end. Through ingenious positioning, the Scepter 4 operative managed to block Marumoto's escape routes and drive him into a dead end. Of course, Marumoto knew what his opponent was trying to do, but through Fushimi's strategic maneuvering that looked random at a glance, he was running out of places to escape.
Marumoto's voice sounded strained with panic. Trying to find a way distract Fushimi, he'd resorted to alluding to Fushimi's family and the clan he was affiliated with previously, but ultimately it proved useless as, despite Fushimi's face turning bitter, his steps never faltered.
'I already was going to punch him once, guess I'll make it 2 or 3 times now,' those were about all Fushimi's thoughts on the matter. That is, for all intents and purposes, he was not rising to Marumoto's bait.
Until one particular statement from Marumoto.
"Why don't you respect your boss more? You should be more of a team player, you know!"
When he heard that screamed out at him, for the first time Fushimi paused in his steps.
"Say," surprisingly enough, Fushimi sounded thoughtful, "why do you follow someone like Kounomura?"
Silence fell.
After a short while, an answer came from a shadowy corner of the hallway.
"Well, because I respect him a lot. Kounomura-san is a great man!"
"..." Fushimi sensed something in his tone.
Marumoto continued, as if enraptured, "You see, until a little while ago, I was a volunteer at an orphanage that Kounomura-san operates. Kounomura-san is a very busy man, yet he finds time to remember the names of each kid and is always very kind to them. I look up to him and dream to be a person like him some day."
"Then you're being tricked," Fushimi cut off bluntly.
"Eh?"
"Mooooron." Fushimi smirked mockingly. "Do you really believe a guy like him who's only interested in achieving his own dream would give a damn about some kids?"
"Wh-what?"
Reading his opponent's state of mind like an open book, Fushimi cut to the quick, "You're just being used as a handy tool. As if he'd so much as glance at you if you weren't a strain."
"T-Take that back."
"I'll say it as many times as it takes. You're being duped by him, dude. Poor schmuck."
"Take that back, this instance! Kounomura-san is not that kind of man!"
Suddenly, Marumoto's form emerged from a shadowy nook of the hallway. In his indignation, he left his hiding place without thinking. By the time the realization of what he'd done hit him, plastering the expletive of "Crap!" all over his face, it was already too late.
Kicking off the floor, Fushimi covered the distance between them in one mighty leap and tapped the handle of his saber against the back of Marumoto's neck lightly once. The blow that could be described as gentle and almost soft didn't fail to hit the vital spot with precision.
"D-Damn it!"
Tears in his eyes, Marumoto collapsed on the spot, out cold. Fushimi sneered.
"Is it really that much fun to dream up an idol, put him on a pedestal and worship him blindly?" Then, in a dry mutter, he added, "...That's probably why I disliked you from the start."
With that, Fushimi slouched, taking his leave.
†
Awashima and Gouki clashed violently. These clashes of absurd power and speed repeated again and again. As far as raw power went, Gouki was winning by a small margin, but in speed Awashima held an overwhelming advantage. Both dispensed of tricks and tactics, fighting fair and square and only relying on their skills. Gouki wasn't holding back despite his opponent being a woman, and Awashima, in turn, put all her might into the slashes she unleashed at him.
"Nhaa!"
Lariat that Gouki launched at Awashima along with a throaty shout was blown away.
"Ha!"
After gaining splendid acceleration in midair, a backspin roundhouse kick landed on Gouki's cheek, sending his kicked-in molars in the air. He lost his clothes, Awashima lost her saber, and the battle came down to hand-to-hand combat.
"And theeeere!"
Easily gathering Awashima into his arms, Gouki threw her violently against the floor.
"Ugh!"
Twisting her body like a cat to absorb the force of the impact, she swept her leg, catching Gouki just below the knee.
"Gha!"
He hit the back of his head on the floor.
"And there!"
Still, he reached his thick arms to try and catch her, but Awashima managed to leap from the spot and avoid his hold by a hair's breadth. Then both put some distance between them, watching each other fixedly.
"Fufu."
"Haha."
For some reason, they both chuckled.
Their faces were sweaty, they both were breathing hard and bruises and minor hemorrhages blossomed here and there on their bodies as a sort of decorations. Despite that, the two's fighting spirit wasn't dampened in the least. An unspoken understanding that the time to settle this once and for all was upon them was shared between them.
"If I may be so bold."
With a gesture betraying deep respect, Gouki stepped forward. Awashima came a step closer as well.
"Haaaaa!"
Gouki threw a right straight punch with all his might. Awashima's movements were free of hesitation. Resolved to the possibility of getting hard-punched in the face, she dodged to the side only at the last possible moment. Only, it was a feint.
"Gotcha!"
Gouki grinned and elbowed the crown of Awashima's head now that it was perfectly within his range, hard. The downward jab was like a blow of a giant hammer and packing enough power to be instantly lethal for a normal person.
Except in the end it was Awashima who emerged victorious in the contest of predicting the opponent's moves. The elbow attack was well within her expectations. She had confidence she could weather it and made her calculations based on that. Crossing her arms, she took that bone-shattering killing blow head-on. Unable to absorb the whole force of it, her legs trembled and a grimace of anguish crossed her features.
And yet, despite the pain, that was where her ultimate chance lay.
Gouki's expression changed, reflecting a "Oh, crap!" reaction. Awashima didn't pause. Taking one more step forward that brought her infinitely close to her opponent, she tensed bodily, gathering all her spirit and strength and putting it into a piercing blow to Gouki's solar plexus. If Gouki's attack was like a falling hammer, then Awashima's like a sharp stab of a saber.
"Ugh!"
It managed to pierce even through her opponent's thick abdominals.
"Bah!"
Gouki's eyes rolled back, and his body folded down. Awashima didn't let that momentary opening go to waste. Setting Gouki's head that, until now was too high for her to reach, on her shoulder, "And with this..." she said and lifted the body of her opponent up. His massive giant body.
"Orryaa!"
The throw she executed was so-called Brainbuster from professional wrestling. It was a power technique that you normally wouldn't see outside the ring where you lift your opponent upside down high overhead and then throw them right down.
"Ghaaaaa!"
Landing on the floor on the crown of of his head, Gouki screamed. He tried to get up but it was beyond his ability.
"Fu, fufufufu." His shoulders shook. "You really are strong," he said to Awashima who was breathing hard but stood over him as the winner, looking down at him. "It's such a pity that you're a woman."
Awashima snorted coldly. "You were pretty strong yourself. For a man, that is."
The snapback made Gouki chuckle again.
"Listen," he said when he was done, "I've got a request. You and Munakata Reishi. And me and Zen'ichi. Can we share a drink together some day?"
"Well," Awashima replied as she was searching for her saber and then returning it to its place on her hip. "I don't mind giving your request some thought. But asking Captain about his wishes comes first."
"I see."
Once he'd heard her reply, Gouki closed his eyes, seemingly content. "Can't wait then... Really."
And with that, he was out cold.
Awashima took a deep breath, wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and turned away from Gouki, intending to head to the hall.
Her dashing profile was a testament to the strength of her resolve.
†
Kounomura Zen'ichi was in the wedding chapel on the top floor. Seated on the altar for taking the oath, he was swinging his legs as he talked to his wife.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh," he was saying into the PDA. "That's right. That's how it is. Yeah, I'm serious. No, I'm telling you," he persuaded in a soft voice, "I can't come back for a while longer. Yes, right. Yes. Yeeees."
Carefree as ever, he hung up the phone. Spinning around, the short man faced the other side.
"You were gracious enough to wait for me to finish, eh, Munakata-kun?" he called, grinning all the while.
"You seemed to be busy with a call."
Munakata Reishi who smoothly appeared in the spot of light, too, had a smile on his lips. His frame, clad in a blue uniform complimented with a sword, was set off quite nicely by the special atmosphere of sacrality reigning this particular space. On the other hand, Kounomura Zen'ichi, not blessed with height or dignified stature and looking quite dull in an oversized jacket and tawny slacks, was out of place there.
The two's appearances couldn't have been farther apart: Munakata with his clean-cut features, well-formed and perfectly-proportioned frame and the undeniable air of refinement and elegance, and Kounomura, with a bulky body of a penguin and plain though not without a certain charm features, who couldn't be called attractive by any standard.
Nevertheless, the two men had something about them that made them similar.
In was in their gaze that observed all phenomena of the world with utmost attention, more carefully than anybody else yet for some reason remained distant and detached as if they weren't watching at all, and in their free way of life that transformed sadness far removed from the realm of normal into amusement. But what made them seem alike more than anything else was a calm smile always playing on their lips. That was what the two men so different had in common.
"I have to say it is quite strange. This is my first time meeting you face-to-face, but it does not feel like it," Munakata spoke up unhurriedly. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he continued, "The reason may be the fact that I've gone through massive amounts of information related to you in the course of this affair."
"This is my first time meeting you in the flesh, too, I guess?" Kounomura spread out his hands. "But y'know, I made a poster out of one of the photos of you that I'd taken secretly and pinned it up in my room." He closed his eyes. "So if I just shut my eyes like this, I can see your image in all its minute details in my head right away. All your data are etched into my brain, y'see."
Munakata answered with a wry smile. Kounomura opened his eyes.
"I did it because I wanted to become you so bad, Munakata-kun. Because..." he was not shy about his word choices, "Blue King, I thought you were beautiful."
"Please tell me just one thing," Munakata asked. "Why did you choose this particular method to dethrone such a king?"
"Hm?"
"Why did you choose to trick and trap my subordinates instead of going after me directly?"
"Hmmm," Kounomura took some time to think this question over. "Why, to tell you the truth, I didn't put much thought into it. It's just when I wondered what it was that made one king, I thought maybe the answer was one's retainers." His face suddenly turned serious. "No matter how much one claims to be king, so long as no one recognizes and acknowledges that claim, one remains but a naked emperor, y'know. So I thought maybe the Dresden Slate would revise your status if you were to be cut off your followers. Then again, it was just one out of currently 12 strategies that I'd come up with, and from now on I'm planning on testing out the other 11. And rest assured, among them there are some that involve cornering you specifically."
Munakata chuckled. "So you're set on trying again, I take it?"
"Yup." Kounomura's reply was flat as a child's. "I totally am."
Munakata heaved a sigh, still smiling. Kounomura made a serious face again.
"Munakata-kun, I think you've already realized this without me telling, but..." His voice sounded low. "The Dresden Slate. It's very dangerous."
"..." Munakata said nothing to that. Pushing up his glasses with a finger, he changed the subject. "You cannot escape any more, and I trust you are aware of the fact, yes?"
"..." This time it was Kounomura who kept his silence. And then he said peevishly, "I've prepared a few means of escape. But the decisive factor that got in my way and prevented me from making use of them is this awful weather."
"Your friend," Munakata spoke calmly, "said one interesting thing to me. According to him, apparently, when you get down to it, all coincidences are but inevitable. So wouldn't you say your running out of moves is some sort of fate at work?"
"Munakata-kun, you..."
"You do realize already, don't you?" The way Munakata said it reeked of eerieness. He was slowly drawing closer.
That was the first time when a shadow of fear slid across Kounomura's face.
All of a sudden, he did an about-face, dashed to hide behind the altar where he took a detonator out of his pocket and pushed the button.
With a thunderous roar, the chapel blew up.
†
When Kounomura made it to the roof, the sky was covered with dark clouds twisting like dragons as far as the eye could see. From time to time, flashes of lightning pierced them.
The torrential downpour, cutting and violent, beat his body mercilessly, and the accompanying gale made him stagger. His face was a sticky mess of sweat and dirt. His hair, thin even under the best circumstances, stuck to his forehead, and his clothes showed tears. Having crawled into the emergency exit made beneath the altar, it took him quite some time to get out.
Kounomura turned to take a look at the rubble that only a few minutes ago was the chapel, and the expression that crossed his face then could be interpreted as despair, fear or maybe even delight.
"...I knew it, Munakata-kun, you're simply..."
There stood no other than Munakata Reishi. Around him the blue globe of a barrier was projected, and despite being in the immediate vicinity of an explosion, not even a hair was out of place on him, to say nothing of injury. Munakata was getting closer, step by step, smiling with grace and refinement all the while.
Kounomura felt fear seizing him. And as Munakata was drawing closer, indivertible in his approach, the reason for this fear dawned on the short man.
For the first time in his life, Kounomura Zen'ichi and his carefully made plans were about to fail. Here, at this very moment.
There were things forever out of his reach, and he was made to realize he could never become someone like the person in front of him no matter how he tried. Between the two men there existed a wall that could never be scaled. In that instance, both Kounomura and Munakata sensed it.
'So this is what destiny is, huh? In the end, I never even stood a chance.'
The moment he thought that, a wave of exhaustion swept over him so bone-deep that he could barely stay upright. His long past its prime body had hit its limit long time ago, and the spirit that kept it going just barely after it had broke that instance.
Kounomura was ready to collapse then and there. But just then...
"That wouldn't do, Kounomura-san."
A quick and strong yet gentle arm suddenly caught him. The wind and rain stopped. Kounomura realized he was drawn inside the barrier projected around Munakata. When he looked up, he found Munakata smiling at him from above.
"He who aspires to be king must never take a knee."
That determination was overwhelming.
Kounomura's first ever failure triggered another strong reaction, and another feeling, new to him, was born on the heels of it. On instinct alone, Kounomura groaned. And then...
"It's okay."
Freeing himself from Munakata's supporting arm, he took a knee before the other man, of his own will this time, and said reverently, "I admit my defeat. You are the true king, Munakata Reishi."
In that instance, he found a new goal for himself, a new someone who he wanted to become.
Munakata, though almost imperceptibly perplexed, kept on smiling, and Kounomura, as he looked at him, couldn't help thinking of him as 'beautiful' once again.
K Case Files of Blue 2, chapter 4 (part 1 out of 2)
Continuing with this, and the end is in sight! (one more part + epilogue is all that’s left)
Case Files of Blue 2 by Miyazawa Tatsuki
Chapter 4 (part 1/2) (volume 2, pages 197- 224)
The Blues Rally
Dark clouds hang in the sky. The wind whistled. The door rattled noisily.
It was early morning, and Kamo Ryuuhou stood in the entryway to "Chuubairo". To make up at least a little for his stay, he decided to do a thorough cleanup of the kitchen. He'd finished sharpening knives and polished pots, then buying more of the condiments that were about to run out, doing grocery shopping and cleaning everything from drainage to ventilation fans - it was no exaggeration to say that the kitchen was licked squeaky clean.
His handpicked successor was scheduled to start tomorrow. It was a lady chef who Kamo had complete trust in to take good care of this eatery's future. She had studied under Kamo's father, which made her Kamo's fellow disciple. Having a frank and spirited personality, she was very kind and also a skilled chef at the same time. Kamo had specifically pulled 2 all-nighters to write down the recipes for her. If she had those, she could get to work without any delay tomorrow.
Kamo still stood in the doorway when a voice came.
"You're leaving?"
He turned to the source of the voice. In the darkness of the corridor there stood the young proprietress of this eatery. She wore a thin sleepwear that left her neck and both arms exposed, and their whiteness was starkly visible even without turning the lights on, as if the darkness was erased in those spots. Moist eyes and disheveled hair were strangely captivating. Kamo averted his eyes as if assaulted by the feelings of guilt.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Having gotten no reply from Kamo, the proprietress repeated her inquiry.
But she had already understood. Kamo's white apron, his trademark as a chef, was gone, replaced by the blue uniform of the protector of order. Which could only mean that he'd been already done steeling his resolve.
Kamo's expression warped, as if in pain.
"To be honest, a part of me wished I could stay. But there are people out there who need me."
"But so do I!" the woman suddenly cried out forcefully. Tears in her eyes, she implored, "I, too, need you!" She ran towards him with small steps and clang to his back. Pressing her cheek to his shoulder, she squeezed out in a whisper, "Can't it be me?"
Kamo shut his eyes, overcome with sadness.
"Sorry, but the cause..." He squeezed his fists tight. "I have a greater cause that I must protect."
He then bodily pulled away from the woman.
"A big storm is coming, so make sure to lock up the door. So long." He smiled. "Take care."
The woman broke down crying. Kamo purposefully pretended not to notice the hand she was reaching out towards him.
He opened the door, stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him, letting that banging sound sever all the lingering attachments for him. The last sight his eyes caught was that of the woman crumbled down on the floor, weeping.
Kamo started running through the incessant rain.
†
As he changed trains, heading towards the Scepter 4 HQ, all kinds of musings ran through Kamo's head - thoughts on what happiness was, and what it was that he must do.
But it was undeniable that the sense of duty made his hear tremble with exaltation. He'd heard that several members of the special ops squad were put out of commission, including Awashima. Scepter 4 would be hard pressed to function without him, no doubt.
Getting off at the nearest station and not bothering about opening an umbrella, Kamo broke into a run. It would be faster this way. And he wanted to be back at Scepter 4 as fast as possible and to do everything in his power.
According to Hidaka, even the electrical system of the HQ had started acting up.
Resolved to see the building sinking in the dark, Kamo couldn't help doubting his eyes when he finally arrived to stand in front of the entrance gates.
Every window was lit up with light. What's more, lively talk filled the front yard. Three special ops vehicles were parked there with engines running.
"Hurry up with the trucks' check! Once the Captain gives the order, all the vehicles will be deployed!"
The one to motivate the mechanics with those words in a taunt tone was none other than Awashima Seri wearing a blue raincoat.
'Eh, huh?' Kamo then thought. 'Wasn't she supposed to be MIA?'
As he stood there dumbstruck, the person in question noticed him and called out to him with a smile.
"Oh, Kamo. You're back."
Although she wore no makeup and was getting beaten by the rain, it took nothing away from her beautiful looks. If anything, she looked even more elegant, standing there coldly amidst the raging bad weather.
"Hurry up and go check in with the Captain. He's inside."
"Ah, yeah," Kamo managed listlessly as he passed through the entrance after being prompted. Once he did, he ran into Gotou on the other side.
"Oh, Kamo-san. Welcome back~" Gotou passed him with those carefree words and an accompanying smile.
Without registering it, Kamo followed him with his eyes.
"Oh, Kamo-san. Welcome back. Sorry, but please make way for the dolly!" Hidaka was pushing a dolly with a floodlight mounted on it. The way he said those words couldn't be anymore routine.
Kamo proceeded forward giddily.
On the way, he passed Doumyouji who energetically raced somewhere - Kamo wasn't sure where.
"Oh, good to have ya back! And see ya later!"
As Doumyouji raised a hand in greeting, Kamo found himself doing the same. Although the return gesture on his part lacked energy.
Walking along the hallway, Kamo found the door to the data processing room opened, and through it the form of Enomoto animatedly working his computer could be glimpsed. Kamo wanted to call out to him, but then thought better of it. Somehow, he got a feeling that it wasn't the right time to bother the bespectacled man.
There was also Fuse who was talking to someone through the transmitter.
When Kamo had finally reached the Captain's office, he encountered the duo of Akiyama and Benzai there.
"Oh."
"Glad to have you back with us."
Akiyama was the same as always, while Benzai gave him a slight bow and a smile. But that was all there was to it. The two then walked away at a quick pace as they were exchanging opinions on some subject or other on the way. By no means was this reunion especially moving or emotional.
For a while, Kamo just stared at their retreating backs.
Indistinct feelings started bothering him. Somehow... he couldn't accept what was happening.
And then, at last, Kamo managed to define them with a description which sounded suspiciously like 'What the heck, everyone's going around their business like usual!'
No, it didn't mean it was a bad thing per se, but...
Knocking on the door to the Captain's office that was left open, he entered.
"Ohh, welcome back, Kamo-kun." Munakata raised his face from the tablet he was reading reports on and smiled at the new arrival. "How was your time off?"
Kamo clamped down on the words welling up inside him, then straightened his back properly and saluted to his superior.
"Kamo Ryuuhou, returning to the assigned unit!"
His expression was a bit like laughter through tears.
Munakata smiled gently and nodded.
†
About the time Kamo was knocking on the door of the Captain's office, Fushimi had finally made a short while in his busy work schedule to take a break. Although it was called a break, it didn't really amount to much more than sipping canned coffee in the shadow of a pillar in a corridor that didn't see much traffic and fiddling with his PDA.
As he was doing precisely that, a new message dropped to his work address' inbox.
With a sigh, Fushimi opened it. And then...
"Huh?"
Without his intention, his expression turned grim.
It was from someone Fushimi had least expected to be getting mail from.
'Hello, Fushimi. How are you? It's Totsuka.'
Totsuka Tatara, one of the leaders of the Red clan Homura. That was who the message was from.
Fushimi clicked his tongue and muttered in a tone that was in equal parts fed up and impressed, "...How the hell does that guy know my work address?"
It went without saying that Fushimi would sooner die than tell it to anyone from the place he was affiliated with in the past. But he had to admit it was just like Totsuka having a grasp on things like this despite being an absent-minded oddball about everything else.
When Fushimi looked through the message, he found it was a letter of thanks for letting Totsuka peruse Scepter 4's documents the other day.
'Please give my thanks to Munakata Reishi-san and Zenjou-san who treated me extremely kindly.'
"I respectfully refuse. I'm not your messenger boy," Fushimi muttered his thoughts aloud.
Clicking his tongue once again, he was about to delete the message altogether when he found a postscript at the end of it.
'By the way, I have a message from Yata.'
Since that was what it said, he looked through the rest of it just in case.
'"The guy we met was the bad sort. He tried to kill Mikoto-san, and it turned into a full scale battle. So a warning for you. A huge storm is coming to Japan. Be careful," is what he says.'
"A huge storm is coming, eh?" Fushimi raised his head and snorted. "Well, duh, I can see that, moron."
The windowpanes rattled, shaken by the heavy rain and gales outside. The sky peeking through looked completely covered with leaden clouds.
Still, along with Yata's words, it was Totsuka's last remark that got Fushimi bothered. It read as follows: 'That storm Yata mentioned might be related to your case.'
For a while, Fushimi was deep in thought.
Seriously, what the hell had happened in Las Vegas?
†
In the Captain's office that Kamo had already left, Munakata was reading through a multitude of reports at an astounding pace. He would read anything written at a speed unthinkable for ordinary human on a regular basis, but today he increased that already amazing reading speed even more. It took him literally only a second to look through a report, memorize it, parse it, make a connection with other reports and reach a conclusion.
In other words...
'Looks like everything is going just the way I predicted, eh?'
Even to Munakata it was amusing, and his lips curved up a little in a tiny smile.
The reports covered quite a few areas. There was a message from Scepter 4 operatives about the seizure of a vehicle that Kounomura Zen'ichi had allegedly used, Japan Coast Guard's data on comings and goings to and from the harbor, information on the production of a certain construction that Munakata had ordered, and also news from Japanese Meteorological Agency.
Among them, there was a message from the young and capable attorney that had assisted Scepter 4 in the matters of Akiyama's defense, lawsuits against them and the mass media countermeasures.
The gist of his message was basically this: 'The moment Akiyama-san was found not guilty was when the tides had completely changed.'
It looked like by leaving that matter entirely to him and his trusted team of lawyers everything would be settled with no further trouble.
The message also contained the following bit: 'A few words about Doumyouji-san that you had put in charge of these matters. At first I wasn't sure it was a good choice, but surprisingly, it appears he really is equipped with the aptitude required to handle these kinds of matters. His grasp on what is vital is excellent. Truth be told, there is no pressing need for us specialists to keep an eye on the practical side of things when we handle the details of the judicial process. So in these types of cases, it is necessary for the client to understand what is important and what is not. And that is where Doumyouji-san left nothing to be desired. I daresay that is not something many youths can do. Moreover, his ever sincere attitude of an innocent child when dealing with the media apparently made a very favorable impression on them and won him a lot of sympathy.'
In a sense, it was high praise.
Munakata let out a tiny sigh. Actually, among all the personnel assignments this time, this was the one appointment he felt a little insecure about.
"Oh well, looking at the results, everything ended well, I suppose. If possible, I'd like for Doumyouji-kun to broaden his knowledge in this field from now on." But then Munakata reconsidered. "Although he's sure to go off the rails before he can apply it." He snickered.
In that sense, Doumyouji, perhaps, wasn't so well-suited to that kind of job. In Scepter 4, there were people with all kinds of personalities and all kinds of abilities. And bringing them together and giving them a direction to move in was Munakata's job.
It was at that time that his PDA emitted a beep to signal the arrival of a message. Munakata had already guessed what it was. A glance at the display confirmed his guess.
'Analysis complete. The location of Kounomura Zen'ichi identified with 92.978% probability,' the message from Tokijikuin read.
Although he half-forced them into allowing him to use their super computer, they didn't let it impact their job, doing it perfectly.
Munakata smiled.
"It's time at last, Kounomura-san." It was a truly refined smile without a speck of fighting mood. "I'm looking forward to seeing your face."
And so, he started towards the door out of his office to give the entire Scepter 4 move-out orders.
†
About the time Munakata received the message from Tokijikuin, Kounomura was on the top floor of a high class hotel that was still under construction.
He had a wearable PDA on him in the shape of a visor, reading thoroughly every piece of intelligence that was being sent him.
His reading speed was every bit as astounding as Munakata Reishi's. Piece after piece, he memorized and analyzed all the information the volume of which would be way too much for a regular person to process, which allowed him to grasp the situation accurately. That had become something of a daily routine to him since he'd initiated the confrontation with Scepter 4.
Reports from the observers dedicatedly watching Scepter 4's HQ, transmissions from the local police radio he'd wiretapped, communication records of the port facilities, the trains service information - all that and more formed innumerable informational fragments of the bigger picture. When he pieced all of them together in his head, Kounomura felt a sense of unity with the world.
Once Munakata got hold of required information, from there on out his thinking processes would unfold in a comparatively logical fashion, but in Kounomura's case, his perception was more ambiguous and more intuitive. As such, he let himself steep in the informational flood absentmindedly until the complete picture showed through it.
And then he burst into laughter. "Munakata-kun really is something. I should've known." His voice was slightly higher pitched than usual.
"Did you figure something out, Zen'ichi?"
Nakamura Gouki and Marumoto Keiji who had joined them at some point watched Kounomura seated in an armchair. Gouki looked composed, as usual, but Marumoto was somewhat nervous.
"Yeah. They've laid almost my every trick bare. I assume all the members of the special ops squad are back by now, too. Oh, and Kamo-kun seems to have returned as well. That's impressive, really, because in his case, pure coincidence was responsible for the turn of events so convenient to us, so all I did was simply watch it unfold without doing much, and yet he's still back at the most crucial time for them, just like that. Ah, and Munakata-kun sure acts quickly, so very quickly. He's making his moves one after another as we speak!"
Kounomura positively looked to be overjoyed. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who only recently represented gloom and doom.
Gouki smiled lopsidedly. "Zen'ichi, taking delight in your opponents' powerups is a bad habit, you know."
Meanwhile, Marumoto's expression turned openly anxious. "So what does that mean for us?"
It was Gouki who answered his question in place of Kounomura who was being wrapped tighter and tighter in the net of information galore.
"Well, I guess it's just a matter of time now before this hideout is found out."
"Eh?"
"Don't worry. You know how fast Zen'ichi is when he runs away, and you think he didn't take any measures? He's got dozens of countermoves at the tips of his fingers at any time."
"Ah, I see. Great, then."
Marumoto Keiji had barely had any time to feel relieved when Kounomura spoke up in a stiff voice. "No."
Kounomura was shaken - a state that even his long time friend Gouki had seen only rarely, while Marumoto saw it for the first time.
"Huh? Eh? Wait a second." Kounomura rose, reading through the information changing on his wearable PDA with an incredible speed. "That's weird, what the hell?"
"What's wrong, Kounomura-san?"
Marumoto tried to press for an answer, but Gouki's hand stopped him, demanding he let Kounomura concentrate.
When Kounomura spoke up, his lips were pressed together tight. "It can't be. Ah, I see. That's how it is. I can't believe it." He gave a laugh. "Out of 12 shelters here in Japan, 11 have already been cordoned off by the police and Scepter 4."
"Eh?"
"What?"
Marumoto and Gouki were reasonably shocked.
"Ah, and they've found my remaining shelter just now. Also, out of 24 routes out of the country that I had prepared, 22 are no longer usable. Oh, I get it." A shiver ran through his body. "Munakata-kun went and used the Coin Toss theory on me. Plans I'm likely to devise, actions I'm likely to take - he's analyzed it all and is now shutting them out one by one."
Gouki was speechless, Marumoto was dumbfounded.
Kounomura was getting covered with cold sweat as he went on, "What a pickle. There's still a move left up my sleeve that hasn't been predicted yet and another one that's probably impossible to even predict, but this bad weather renders them both effectively unusable."
"How is it possible?" After a long sigh, Gouki rolled his shoulders and giggled. "Oh well. Zen'ichi. I can't believe there was someone else who could use moves even craftier than you."
"You said it. Ah," Kounomura opened his mouth. "This is not good. I'd say everything points to them having already figured out our location by now. They're massing the troops in front of their HQ. The dispatch orders are about to be given."
"Eh? Eh?" Marumoto flapped about in confusion unable to keep up with the sudden turn of events. "What will become of us?"
Gouki gave him a wry smile. "We'll be arrested, I guess. After all, they mean business."
"Ehhh?"
"It's a given," Gouki added maliciously, "after how we've messed with them. Better prepare yourself while you can. If you're lucky, they'll only sock you a couple of times."
Hearing that, Marumoto's face fell, on the verge of weeping.
Just then...
"Agh!" Kounomura suddenly tore off his wearable PDA. He stood there in dazed amazement - something that even Gouki saw for the first time.
Looking at Gouki and Marumoto with an expression that was hard to describe but that could, perhaps, be that of rapture or of shivers-inducing fear, he muttered just one word, "Unbelievable."
"What happened, Zen'ichi?" That was enough to make even the ever composed Gouki worry.
"Munakata-kun has completely ignored us in favor of deploying the troops he'd gathered for arresting us to assist in relief and rescue instead."
"Eh?" voiced Gouki.
"Huh?" uttered Marumoto.
Both of them had their eyes opened wide in disbelief.
Kounomura shook his head with nakedly heartfelt delight, "What a man! What a man with a cause Munakata Reishi is!"
And then he burst into a loud laughter seemingly coming from the very bottom of his heart.
Gouki and Marumoto could only watch him, speechless.
†
Munakata, wearing a cobalt blue raincoat under the incessant rain, stood on the roof of a truck with a voice amplifier in hand.
Before him, there lined up in neat rows the members of the special operations squad in the raincoats of the same color worn over the head.
Akiyama Himori, Benzai Yuujirou, Kamo Ryuuhou, Doumyouji Andy, Enomoto Tatsuya, Fuse Daiki, Gotou Ren, Hidaka Akira - with the exception of Fushimi who was on a separate mission they all had assembled there, none of them missing anymore.
Awashima Seri also stood there, by Munakata's side, facing them.
Even beaten by large droplets of the rain and harassed by the blasts of the ceaseless wind, they all were showing elation on their faces. Fighting spirit and determination burned in their eyes. They finally knew the whereabout of Kounomura Zen'ichi - the man who dared make sport of them. Once they had the orders from their superior, they were willing and ready to hunt him down like hounds and aprehend him. Doumyouji and Fuse were especially eager, for all intents and purposes looking like they'd take off running any moment now.
"Ehem. Gentlemen," Munakata began speaking so calmly that his manner might be more fittingly described as carefree. Waiting when the static noise died out, he continued, "We have finally pinned down the location of Kounomura-shi. As such, I intended to go catch him, but..." His tone was completely devoid of any urgency. "Let's put that on hold for now."
That declaration threw several members of the special ops squad quite literally off balance. They all were single-mindedly prepared to hunt, and being denied it robbed them of their bearings or left them struck dumb.
Munakata went on indifferently. "I saw the Meteorological Agency's data, you see. A big tempest that might even be called unprecedented is on the way to this city. A rainstorm with wind speeds of 40 meters is expected to rampage throughout the area, with thunderbolts and heavy rain paralyzing most urban functions. Needless to say," suddenly he looked very serious, "that will put quite a few people in danger."
The faces of the special ops squad members tightened in response.
Munakata continued in an intense tone. "I dispatched Fushimi-kun earlier, and he's already finished making necessary arrangements. So gentlemen, during the time this storm rages, I want each and every of you to cooperate with the Fire Defense and Police Agencies and local autonomous units and do what you must do as members of Scepter 4!" His features then softened. "That said, this sort of matter is outside of our area of expertise. That's why we must always keep in mind to be humble when requesting to let us help and to respect and listen to the opinion of the professionals in those areas. If we do that," he asserted in no uncertain terms, "our super power will become the shield that defends the innocent citizens, no doubt." With that, he smiled. "Compared to this duty, the matter of Kounomura-shi is but trifle. We can easily postpone it and work something out later, at any time."
Those words were bound to send a shiver running down the spines of those listening. Their king had just called the possessor of talents that could only be described as abnormal who gunned for his throne nothing more than 'trifle'. Each of the Scepter 4 troops felt a surge of strong emotion, moving their hearts and making them straighten up with pride.
What was the greater cause?
To this king, it wasn't simply a figure of speech, he held to it steadfastly as one would to a belief or conviction.
Nevertheless, Akiyama still found it necessary to ask something.
"It is a reasonable to fear that Kounomura would flee his hideout in the meantime. Is it okay with you, sir?"
He just wanted to confirm it for himself.
"Let me think. If some of us find themselves free after fulfilling their duty by assisting the government agencies in relief and rescue, let's arrest him while we're at it."
The instructions Munakata had issued concerning that matter were quite vague. But the special ops squad members answered him with a 'Yes, sir!' regardless.
Munakata smiled.
"Well then, gentlemen, let us move out. Only, this time there is no need for us to draw our swords." Raising his voice, he declared, "For our cause is pure!"
His catchword was suddenly answered by Akiyama. "Akiyama, dispatching!" Making motions as if he was drawing his sword, he took his leave.
Benzai followed suit with a chuckle. "Benzai, dispatching!"
Kamo smiled. "Kamo, dispatching!"
"Doumyouji, dispatching! Here I go!" Doumyouji shouted gleefully as he raced off.
Enomoto and Fuse exchanged a glance.
"Enomoto, dispatching!"
"Fuse, dispatching!"
With that, Enomoto headed towards the command vehicle to devote himself to performing the operator job, while Fuse, as a field agent, sped off in the opposite direction to be on the scene of the disaster.
Gotou and Hidaka repeated the same stately motion of drawing their sword in turn.
"Gotou, dispatching!"
"Hidaka, dispatching!"
They, too, then went off.
Awashima was the last one to fluidly unsheathe her invisible sword.
"Awashima, dispatching... Captain," she smiled charmingly, "off I go then, sir."
Munakata's lips curved up in an answering smile as he watched her go.
"Our cause may be pure, but the same could not be said about the sky," he pointed out. Luckily there was no one around anymore to hear him make that silly remark.
†
Majority of the general public closed their doors tightly, took cover under their futons and then dozed off while listening to the updates on weather and disaster reports on the TV news or the internet. With modern disaster prevention technology, impossible a few dozens years back, one's safety was more or less guaranteed unless one decided to venture outside. However, the residents of old wooden houses and those who had to go outside due to the nature of their work still had a very good reason to worry.
Also, in some areas power cables got severed, which caused blackouts, and even fires resulting from ensuing short-circuiting. So the fire and police stations were pressed to operate at full capacity even at times such as this. And in the thick of it, a group in blue uniforms could be found cooperating with the public agencies.
They helped local crews repair embankments in places where they were likely to burst, freed ambulances with emergency patients from mud traps and did everything they could to protect the city against the disaster, like silent shadows. The police, the fire deparment and other pertinent agencies were greatly helped by those wielders of supernatural powers beyond common sense.
As were ordinary people living in the city such as the lady owner of a small eatery who had a little son.
In all honesty, she didn't think any harm would come to them because of this storm. But misfortune had paid them a sudden visit. An election advertisement board got launched by a blast of the gale, smashing the windows of the second floor and letting in heavy rain and wind. The child had started to cry, and the woman, holding him in her arms, found herself at a loss. She couldn't think of anything one woman entirely on her own could do.
As she was puzzling, a dashing young man she knew very well clad in a blue uniform appeared. He and a few of his colleagues rushed to the house and quickly completed stop-gap repairs. It appeared the gales so mighty they could send even an adult flying if one was not careful and the torrential downpour that beat down anything in its path with violence had no effect on them.
"Are you okay?" The man she once idolized as 'onii-chan' worried about her. He wore a dignified face resolute in a way different from when he stood in the kitchen.
"Thank you," she said. "I'm okay now."
"I'm sorry," said the man apologetically. "But there are still other places I have to go to."
"Then, go," she replied in a flash.
She hugged the baby closer to her chest. Protecting this child was her job, while this man had a different job he needed to do, she realized.
After a while of silence, the man said, "Thank you. See you again sometime."
"Yeah. Take care," she replied with a smile.
And so, he threw himself into the raging storm once again in order to help more people.
Having watched him go, she shed a single tear and decided to get stronger.
Her face was that of a mother who had overcome a difficulty.
†
In the dead of night, in the lobby of a certain hotel still under construction, there stood Fushimi Saruhiko. The result of the analysis stated that this was where Kounomura Zen'ichi and several of his followers hid themselves. Fushimi had completed his duty for the time being and, thus, was free to go after Kounomura's group faster than anyone else in Scepter 4. To be precise, he had provided necessary relief and rescue assistance in the area he had been assigned to and urgently contacted the relevant authorities, and somehow or other he'd been done with that in about 30 minutes. He had a plan worked out.
'I alone will be more than enough.'
Now that Munakata Reishi had seen through his opponent's every possible trick and stratagem, the Kounomura Zen'ichi faction had become nothing more than a paper tiger. There were presumably three of them hiding in here: Kounomura Zen'ichi himself, Nakamura Gouki and Marumoto Keiji. Among them, only Nakamura Gouki, a strain with a power that gave him herculean strength, could be considered formidable, but by Fushimi's estimations, even he couldn't be much more than Fushimi's own abilities allowed him to handle.
Fushimi was advancing further into the lobby of the first floor.
The opening ceremony for this hotel had been pushed back a month, but the interior of the building was pretty much already complete. The lights on the ceiling were on, and movables like sofas and tables had already been brought in.
Sweeping his wet bangs that clung to his forehead back, Fushimi muttered, "I see, it makes sense."
This hotel was perfectly ready for living even at this stage. Despite the fact, its name had yet to be added to digital maps. Kounomura had probably been moving from one such place to another all this time. It was also safe to assume that he was involved with the construction company or the hotel's management in some way.
Just as Fushimi thought that...
"Oh, Fushimi-kun, that was quite fast," his superior appeared from a shadow of the hallway and addressed him.
Fushimi very nearly clicked his tongue at him but managed to suppress the urge just barely.
"You're here, too, Captain," he muttered vacantly.
It was probably just Munakata being Munakata. Having finished everything that his duty demanded him to do with that ever nonchalant air, he'd arrived here even faster than Fushimi himself. Those ridiculously high capabilities were what made him Fushimi's boss alright, but sometimes it was just so very annoying.
"Fushimi-kun," Munakata inquired, "how much time do you think you can spare for this?"
"From half an hour to an hour, I estimate. Then I'll go back to my assigned area."
"I see. It's about the same for me, too. The storm has yet to show any signs of passing, after all." Munakata then smiled. "Well then, let's go, shall we?"
"..." Fushimi only nodded wordlessly.
"Captain! Please wait!"
It was then that the automatic doors to the lobby opened, letting in a sprinting Awashima. She was soaked to the bone and dripping water, and she also was breathing hard, but still she lifted her head almost immediately.
"I'm going, too. Please let me accompany you!"
She, too, made some time for this somehow or other.
For a while, Munakata gazed at her gently before finally saying, "Alright. Since there is not much time to spare, let's split the workload. Each of us will take care of one of the opponents. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, sir!" Awashima's reply was loud and clear.
"...Roger." Fushimi quietly nodded his agreement as well.
And then, the trio split up, each heading to the elevator, the staircase or the emergency stairs respectively.
K Case Files of Blue 2, chapter 3 (part 3 out of 3)
I’ve finally remembered about this one, hooray!
Case Files of Blue 2 by Miyazawa Tatsuki
Chapter 3 (part 3/3) (volume 2, pages 168-196)
†
The headquarters brimmed with activity. When Akiyama and Benzai were walking along the hallway, briskly marching ordinary troops passed them by. They had been sent off to different regions on Benzai's orders, and now, as the respective situations in them were finding their resolution, the operatives, too, had started to come back one by one.
"...The Coin Toss theory, huh. Its power certainly is fearsome," murmured Akiyama, and Benzai nodded.
"Not only was it used to scatter all those strains across different regions, but the false charges against you were apprently fabricated via its application, as well."
Akiyama's face turned miserable. "But why did they have to choose to falsely accuse me of molesting, of all things? I'm sure there were plenty of other methods if they wanted to put me out of commission."
If he absolutely had to be entrapped by the enemy, he would have much preferred to be abandoned on an uninhabited island like Fuse, or sent on a trip through various regions unable to return like Benzai - those kinds of pretexts, in any case. Sure, his innocence had been proven and he was able to come back, but there was no small chance that he would've been finished socially had something gone slightly wrong. That's what he'd become firmly convinced of after hearing about everyone else's respective situations from Benzai.
"Captain said Kounomura was going to make the truth come to light eventually in any case though, but..."
Akiyama nodded to Benzai's words. Strangely enough, he could believe it. Kounomura had no wish to make anyone miserable through his actions, Akiyama was sure. And their adversary had definitely made sure to prepare more than a few safety nets to that end.
"Well," said Benzai calmly, "it's just probably that he thought that against a guy who is too serious for his own good like you, this kind of ploy would be the most effective, you know?"
Akiyama's expression turned bitter. Indeed, even if it was no more than a ploy, he had to admit that Kounomura had succeeded with flying colors. His approach had really proven exceptionally effective.
"And there's another thing." Benzai gazed at Akiyama's profile. "As a result of catching the real culprit, the girl who handed you over to the police has come forward saying she wants to apologize to you for mistaking you for a groper. What will you do?"
"..." Akiyama was in thought for a while, before replying: "There is no need. That girl is just another victim. And since I doubted the authenticity of her claim about groping to begin with, I still have a lot to learn, myself. The reason for what had happened was my ineptitude, and that girl is not to blame for anything."
That attitude, manifesting in him being able to declare such a thing without batting an eye, could be seen as truly manly, but at the same time it could also be called bigoted. Either way, it was just like Akiyama. Benzai found himself smiling at that.
Akiyama continued. "Besides, no matter what people said, I knew no one at Scepter 4 doubted my innocence. And that's more than enough, I'd say, no, Benzai?"
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Benzai looked away. For some reason, he felt sorry for Akiyama that it was hard to look him in the eye.
"Hm? What's wrong, Benzai?"
But before Akiyama could press him about it, there came a welcome interruption in the form of the bright voice of an office clerk Yoshino Yayoi who stood in front of the Captain's office.
"Oh, Akiyama-san! It's so great that the false charges against you have been dropped! Congratulations!"
"Yes, thank you." Akiyama smiled.
With that, Akiyama and Benzai accompanied by Yoshino all pushed through the open door to Munakata's office.
Inside, there already were the members of the special ops squad, including Fushimi, Fuse, Doumyouji, Enomoto and Hidaka, along with some ordinary troops, people from accounting, general affairs, and even Zenjou Gouki from the archive room, which was a rare sight.
The Captain's normally fairly spacious office was now packed with people in blue uniforms. And in the center of that mass, Munakata Reishi himself was seated. Chin on his joined hands, he was smiling with a composed smile.
When Akiyama and his companions who'd just made it through the door caught his attention, he announced, "...With this, we have more or less everyone essential present. I apologize for my recent absence." He rose. "Also," looking at Akiyama, he smiled, "Welcome back, Akiyama-kun."
Akiyama gave his king a sincere bow. "I apologize for causing you trouble, sir."
Munakata dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "No need. You are not to blame. The blame is mostly on me, for letting myself be led astray with Kounomura-shi's illusions."
He strode forward to stand in front of his table and cast an eye around to take in all the present.
"That, however, is no longer an issue. Ladies and gentlemen," joining his hands behind his back, Munakata declared, "from this moment onward, Scepter 4 will work towards arresting Kounomura-shi. We're going to teach that good sir who has been amusing himself with games entirely unbecoming of his age and status a lesson. No objection, I trust?"
Noises of approval filled the room. Among the agreeing faces, there was one that didn't look enthusiastic in the slightest, and that was Fushimi's, who then raised his hand.
"...So, Captain, I take it you've figured out where Kounomura is hiding right now?"
"No, I have not yet," Munakata confessed flatly. "But," he continued, "in another 24 hours I will because I have extracted enough source information from the routes you had brought me."
'Oh, that,' Fushimi nodded, seemingly satisfied, but the rest could only feel perplexion at that reply.
Munakata beamed. "First, let me explain certain things. To trap us, Kounomura-shi used a strain who could read people's minds and through him, thoroughly analyzed our psychology. Isn't that right, Fushimi-kun?"
"Yes." In contrast to his usual fed-up face, Fushimi's report that followed was exhaustively accurate. "Marumoto Keiji, 21, an aspiring photographer and a strain with the ability to read minds through the lens of his camera. Although my efforts to that end are temporarily suspended at the moment, I'm pursuing him - that sickening shit-eating asswipe!" he must have recalled something unpleasant because he slammed the fist of one hand on the palm of his other with a resounding bang.
Munakata, utterly unperturbed by Fushimi's outburst, thanked him for the information. "Thank you, Fushimi-kun. A strain capable of reading minds. Although lacking an immediate offensive ability, he proves quite a hassle when antagonized."
Fushimi clicked his tongue especially loudly at that and turned away.
"Fushimi-san looks royally pissed off, no?"
"Did something happen between him and that strain, I wonder?" Enomoto and Fuse whispered between themselves, but when Fushimi glared daggers at them, they held their tongues.
Meanwhile, Munakata continued. "That Marumoto character is not the only such opponent. Kounomura-shi had employed even more astonishing means to accumulate the psychological data on us and cause malfunctions in our headquarters' systems. I assume you have already heard about it. He had dispatched a strain with a perception manipulation ability to infiltrate us and had him masquerade as Gotou-kun."
A turmoil rose among the present. Someone who they thought was their collegue was, in fact, a brazen impostor. They couldn't hide how shocking it still felt.
"Captain." Fuse raised his hand. "If that's the case, then where was the real Gotou all this time? Is he okay?" The last sentence sounded tinged with worry.
Munakata slowly shifted his gaze from Fuse to Hidaka. "Hidaka-kun. As I recall, you are currently in change of that man's interrogation, are you not? Does he know anything about Gotou-kun?"
"Uh, well..." Being the focus of everyone's attention made Hidaka feel a little uncomfortable, but he braved on, "Yes, he speculates that Gotou might be held prisoner in the same facility as Lieutenant Awashima. He also stated that measures had been taken to ensure Gotou's safety."
Fuse nodded. "Well, yeah, considering how they've been going about it until now, it must be true. It was the same when I was stranded on that deserted island, too... But still... That freak was among us for quite a long time now, yes? Yet we all were none the wiser... Damn!" His voice dripped with self-condemnation and frustration.
Munakata's next utterance was put in no uncertain terms. "That is exactly what is so terrifying about strains with perception manipulation abilities. They influence and confuse the brain directly. If you know about the existence of such a strain around you, you might have a chance to break the illusion, but when you don't, you lack any means to resist from the start."
"Umm, may I add something, sir?" Hidaka spoke up after raising his hand. "It's something else that guy said. Apparently, he'd avoided running into you as best as he could because there was a high chance you'd discover his identity. Supposing he still had to see you, it was only allowed after the situation was under Kounomura's tight control, as per his plan."
"I see." Munakata stroked his chin. "How prudent of him."
"Also, as to why Gotou was chosen as the target for the switch on Kounomura's orders. According to Kounomura's comprehensive analysis of the special ops squad, among all the members Gotou was the one most likely to notice tiny changes, that's why it was him that guy'd switched with."
"Hmph, reasonable judgement." Hidaka's words made Munakata smile.
Many of the troops gathered there nodded in agreement.
Indeed, it rang true. Gotou Ren was a strange guy, to be sure, but he also had a certain keenness and discerning sensitivity about him. A sort of intuitive something that went beyond Akiyama's dependability or Fushimi's brilliant brains.
"Still, we've got to give credit where it's due for the job well done. To think that someone would actually succeed in impersonating a member of the special ops squad right in the middle of Scepter 4... Naturally, it was only possible due to the extensive research on us done beforehand, but the person who managed to pull off something as nigh impossible as this must be quite capable in his own right regardless."
"That's true. It seems he's a former police officer himself. That said, there are a few things he turned out to be surprisingly careless about."
Having said all that, Hidaka suddenly remembered himself and fell silent. He had noticed he had touched upon a mildly offensive topic, but was left no route to backpedal and just pretend nothing had happened. All the gazes were focused on him now, and what's more, Munakata himself looked highly interested, even leaning forward a little.
"Erm, well, to explain... you see, we manage something called "Archive E" jointly..."
Enomoto squeezed his head between the hands he put on his cheeks, his face silently but eloquently begging Hidaka to stop, though it really couldn't be helped. After all, it had to do with the case in question. They had a duty to provide all the information they could.
"He apparently misunderstood, thinking "Archive E" is some sort of treasure-chest of classified documents, so he raided the storage site to steal it."
In the end, having learned that that abbreviation stood for something as trivial as "erotic", he flew into rage and disposed of it right in the back yard. That was the cause behind the mysterious disappearance of the erotic book archive that everyone pitched in to collect.
Now that the truth was out in the open, it really was quite silly. For that reason, half of those who happened to be present to hear it wore fed-up expressions on their faces, while the other half snickered despite themselves. In particular, Yoshino Yayoi's half-lidded coldly-looking eyes bore into Hidaka. Who, in turn, was so ashamed he wished for a hole to crawl into. The other members with a connection to "Archive E" were no better, all looking quite uncomfortable, too.
"Hidaka-kun." Munakata suddenly called out to his subordinate with a serious face.
"Y-yes, sir?" Hidaka was stiff as a board.
"Show me that archive of yours some time." Raising his thumb up, Munakata showed his pearly whites in a grin.
"Certainly, sir! Any time!" responded Hidaka eagerly. What a blessing it was to have an understanding superior.
It took Zenjou casually clearing his throat to put the discussion that went off on a tangent, back on track.
Munakata resumed his explanation. "In short, thanks to the spy in question and the aspiring photographer in the person of Marumoto-kun, intelligence on us was gathered and our activities disrupted, while Kounomura-shi analyzed our actions, set traps and nearly paralyzed our work. It's said the world is big, but I suspect this personage might be the only one on the whole globe who could manage a feat of this magnitude." He nodded to himself. "However, like I said a minute ago, now it's our turn. The day after tomorrow we're going to raid the place where this good sir is hiding and apprehend him. And then lecture him with all sternness not to do anything like this ever again."
Under the bombardment of everyone's gazes, Munakata added: "Well, in truth, finding the legal basis for punishing Kounomura-shi presents a slight problem. However, judging from that good sir's personality, I believe defeating him at his own game should prove enough to dissuade him from interfering with us ever again. With that in mind, I would like you to get ready, ladies and gentlemen."
"Captain, sir, may I ask a question?" It was Enomoto who timidly raised his hand. "We've been searching high and low all this time, trying to locate Kounomura. Despite that, we couldn't find a single clue to his whereabouts. So my question is, how are you going to pin it down, sir?"
"Oh, it's easy." Munakata declared nonchalantly. "We shall simply do what he did and apply the Coin Toss theory, too."
That caused a buzz of agitation to run through the crowd. Fushimi folded his arms and shut his eyes.
"I pulled a few strings and borrowed a super computer that's currently in the process of analyzing Kounomura-shi's activity. We are lucky that he is a celebrity. There is a veritable mountain of data on him in newspapers and magazines that could serve as clues, and there is also an archive of our contacts with him to date. With all of that as the base, we will have an answer in 24 hours."
Most of the present stood there in blank amazement.
"Excuse me, sir," said Benzai. "This is something I've asked before, but it still bothers me. Captain, when exactly did you have an opportunity to familiarize yourself with that theory in detail? I would think the particulars are top secret business information for the Coin Toss company..."
Munakata shook his head slightly. "As a matter of fact, that theory is so complex that even experts in life science mathematics and chaos theory find it difficult to comprehend, so it is out of question for a layman like myself to achieve an understanding of it. Only..." he paused, "I have commissioned an experimental program that applies it solely in the field of pinning down a person's whereabouts."
"Commissioned? Whom, sir?" Akiyama tilted his head to the side a little.
"America. At present, the FBI is researching and developing an analytical program applying the Coin Toss theory that's limited strictly to criminal investigation. For that reason, technically it's not the same "Coin Toss" as Kounomura-shi used."
"Oh!" Akiyama exclaimed before he could check himself and whirled to Fushimi.
Fushimi stood there with an unruffled air and firmly shut eyes.
"That's right," Munakata said. "It was one of the gifts that Fushimi-kun brought back from his business trip, short though it was."
Fushimi opened his eyes and let out a sigh. "You gotta take into account that I had to supply them with all sorts of intelligence in return, so it's not really a gift. Besides, the case in point aside, this theory ain't really ready for practical application yet."
"What do you mean by that, Fushimi-san?"
It was Munakata who answered Akiyama's question in Fushimi's place. "To start off, terrible cost-effectiveness is the most glaring issue. Obviously, there exist very few supercomputers that could perform such an analysis, nevermind that running it takes a whole day and costs 10 million yen. What's more, trouble pertaining to collecting enough data for such an analysis to even become possible is nothing to make light of. With the above in mind, the tried and tested approach of simply assembling enough man power to handle the task is a better and faster alternative. This time it's a viable option only because we're dealing with a personage as unique as Kounomura-shi, and because the expenses allotted to us in order to catch him are almost unrestricted."
"I see," Akiyama nodded deeply.
But Benzai posed yet another question. "But you did manage to catch Tamada, didn't you, sir?"
"As the officer who was in pursuit of him, I assume you already know it, but by nature, he's an anarchist and an aspiring artist. You may not tell it at a glance, but he has revealed quite a bit of information about himself through his blog, publications in fanzines, poetry anthologies and such. Furthermore, he had received psychological counseling several times during the reign of the previous Blue King. There are not many criminals with a track record like that though, wouldn't you say?"
"No, I suppose not," Benzai replied thoughtfully.
Speaking of, said Tamada, perhaps having embraced Munakata's mysterious aura, swore to turn over a new leaf after serving his prison time. Apparently, once he got out, in order to get employment at Scepter 4, he was intent on sitting for their exam.
"So in short, we're finally gonna do battle with them, right?" Doumyouji chimed in loudly. The reason why he'd kept silent until then was due the lack of sleep he'd been suffering from lately. "Alright! Can't wait!"
For some time now, he'd been forced to do work that contributed greatly toward building his frustrations. And now, at last, his moment to shine was coming.
"But is it really okay?" Akiyama wondered worriedly. "The opponents have a task force consisting of a fair number of strains, no doubt. And one of them in particular, that man named Nakamura Gouki, is apparently skilled enough to give even the Lieutenant a hard time in a fight. Naturally, if you make your appearance, Captain, we're not likely to have much unforeseen trouble to worry about, but in case it does come down to, say, street fighting, some collateral damage might be unavoidable."
"Oh, that shouldn't be an issue," Munakata denied resolutely. "I'm quite positive Kounomura-shi only surrounded himself with strains that could be deemed combat-ready troops, like Nakamura Gouki."
"Huh?" came the collective noise of puzzlement. Even Fushimi frowned his brows, dubious.
"What do you mean, Captain?" asked Akiyama playing the crowd's representative.
"Well," Munakata started, "allow me to ask you a question in return. Akiyama-kun. What makes you think Kounomura-shi has a strain task force at his disposal?"
"Uh, well..." Akiyama momentarily stopped to think. "Seeing as they took over our duties, even if it was only temporary, they must have a number of people to---"
"That was only deception." Not waiting for Akiyama to finish, Munakata interrupted him. "We fell under a certain preconception. Since we are well aware that the job we do on a regular basis is by no means easy, we tend to think that in order for someone else to accomplish it, they'd have to have about the same number of equally skilled people. But as it turns out, that is not necessarily true."
In a sense, it was a statement that utterly denied the very essence of Scepter 4's work. And it was no wonder that those who'd heard it couldn't help being doubtful in its wake. Even Zenjou stared at Munakata in astonishment, like he was seeing him for the first time.
Munakata waved his hand cheerfully. "Oh no, please don't get the wrong idea. I did not mean to disparage our work, I assure you. What I'm saying is the issue to consider is the underhandedness of some of those on the side of justice."
For the majority of the present, those words didn't hit home, but the expressions of Fushimi and Zenjou changed to reflect their understanding, the same as if they'd have said "Oh" or "I see".
Munakata went on. "What in our job is of the utmost importance, in your opinion? Let's see..." Without warning, he pointed at Doumyouji. "What do you think, Doumyouji-kun?"
"Erm, the most important part of our job, huh?" Doumyouji looked troubled. "Aw, shucks. Hmm, what might it be? Maybe upholding justice?"
"And what is necessary for that end? On what do we spend the bigger part of our time and effort?"
"We, uh, maintain public order, catch bad guys... and ummm, sow the good, I guess?"
At that vague answer, those around couldn't help wry smiles raising on their lips along with a warm feeling in their chests, while Munakata shook his head in no uncertain way. "No, that's not it. Unfortunately, you are wrong." In reply to the baffled looks on his subordinates' faces, Munakata elaborated. "The hardest part of our work, requiring the most effort, is to deal with each and every thing in a law-abiding way. This is what unfailingly presents a challenge to us."
Akiyama's mouth formed an "Ah" when he heard that. "...I see. That's what it's about," he was heard muttering under his breath.
Munakata continued his explanation. "In other words, if we were to set out to catch wrongdoers, foregoing the formalities and simply doing what it takes to get the job done, like Superman or Batman, there wouldn't a need for a large scale organization like ours to start with. Coordinating with the police, finding a working balance with the court, negotiating with local residents - it is on those tasks that we spend most of our time, wouldn't you say?"
Doumyouji was still making a face that said he didn't get it.
"When Superman or Batman handle a case, they don't bother going to the courthouse to complete the official procedure, neither do they work on a loan to the police. They don't have to obtain a formal approval from anyone or calculate their exact expenses and fulfill corresponding paperwork. You never see them drawing up reports that have to be submitted to the superior or filing documents pertaining to an investigation, do you?"
With Munakata's elaboration, Doumyouji's face brightened. Seeing as he always endured hellish suffering when it came to his paperwork, to him, that explained everything.
"If I were to put it as bluntly as I can," Munakata added, "simply catching criminals by using illegal means like Kounomura-shi did, such as hacking security cameras or obtaining intelligence through spies, is not really a job especially difficult to do. And that is why I said what I did earlier: from our perspective, the heroes of justice are quite underhanded."
"But, in that case," Fuse sounded very frustrated, "wouldn't guys like them always have an edge on us when it comes to accomplishing something? Making us who earnestly jump through the hoops look like fools?"
Munakata didn't wait for him to finish, talking over him. "We have the greater cause to defend. They don't. That's the difference, Fuse-kun." His tone was soft, but at the heart of it was steel-like strength. "And that is precisely why I always say whenever the occasions arises that "our cause is pure". Isn't that right, Fuse-kun?"
Fuse was in thought for some time. "Indeed. That's right. We and them have different goals. Now I see," he murmured soon after as if letting the thought sink in deeply into his being.
Munakata gazed at Fuse warmly for a while, then stated, "Everything was but an illusion cast by the schemer extraordinaire Kounomura-shi. Having only a small number of allies makes it easy for him to transfer hideouts, while also minimizing the risk of an information leak. As an added bonus, it certainly helped confuse us and lead us astray. Meanwhile, the actual work was done by Nakamura Gouki and but a few of our adevrsary's most trusted confidants, I assume."
"But Captain," Hidaka voiced, "the strains that've been captured all attest it was multiple people that did it?"
Munakata's answer was immediate. "And what is the ability of the person you are presently in charge of questioning?"
After a moment of vacant silence, Hidaka's eyes went wide. "I see!"
Munakata nodded. "That's right. He made the number of captors appear more than it actually was - every time when a crime committing strain was seized, at that. As a result it looked like there was a whole multi-person force moving at the scene. Let me reiterate: what they were doing looked the same as our work only on the surface, and that is the sole reason why it was even possible. Everything was no more than an illusion created with figurative smoke and mirrors."
For a while, everyone present seemed to be absorbed in his or her own pensive thoughts on the issue.
Watching them with a smile, Munakata commented. "Eventually, we will pin down where our adversaries are hiding. And every false image they have shown us will also come to light." When he continued it was with glee that almost gave one the creeps. "It's finally time to put our opponents in checkmate. Kounomura-shi is already as good as stark-naked before us."
It was then that Zenjou, who kept his silence until now, raised his only hand. "There is one thing that bothers me though."
"What might it be, Zenjou-san?" Munakata inquired, unperturbed as ever even at something as uncommon as Zenjou speaking up.
"At present, we still have several missing people, starting with Awashima Seri, who have yet to come back. And I think we can't disregard the possibility of them being used as hostages come the worst case scenario."
His words made Munakata fall silent for a while - for the first time today. But then, the Blue King declared: "...I believe Awashima-kun and the others will be back with us soon enough, each having overcome their respective obstacles."
Zenjou's eyes narrowed sharply. "All according to your plan, that included, then?"
Munakata shook his head slowly. "No, it is not," he said pensively. "If I had to find a word for it," he smiled, "it would probably be 'faith'."
†
About 2 days before Scepter 4's meeting took place, Gotou Ren, whose place the impostor had taken to infiltrate Scepter 4, was on the sea more than 600km away from Japan. Next to him, a bullet ricocheted with a metallic ching.
"!@#$%^&*(!"
Next, yells in a language he couldn't quite determine could be heard. Which, in turn, was followed by demands to surrender in some broken Japanese with English mixed in.
"Anata no, okasan, naitemasu." //T/N: equivalent to something like "Ur mama cry"
Gotou sighted, muttering in a light tone, "My, my, what a pickle."
English wasn't his forte. Due to the fact, he bet on body language as his chosen means to make his resistance apparent.
He stuck his head out a little from the catwalk. "Hey. Me, go back, Japan. Don't jama shinaide!" //T/N: "Don't stand in my way"
With that, he hoisted one middle finger up high in the air. A moment later, he got a response.
"FU*K!" It was accompanied by the sweeping fire from a machine gun.
Gotou panicked, getting on all fours and crawling to hide behind an iron pole. There, he grumbled again in a voice, still lacking any urgency, seemingly oblivious to what unmistakably was a provocation on his part, "My, my, that's why quick tempered foreigners are such a pain."
Presently, he was aboard an enormous ship, the Nefertiti. The overall length of it was 175 meters, with the width being 25 meters. The total displacement tonnage measured at 8900 tons. The highest speed it could achieve clocked at 23 knots, with its crew counting 130 members. It was an imposing military transport vessel capable of transporting 2 helicopters, 30 large trucks and 25 tanks.
Its owner was a private military company called 'SPT' - a multinational enterprise that, among other fields, also engaged in paramilitary activities regulated by a treaty signed in Toronto by 24 countries. A so called Mars-Mercury agreement was enacted between the USA and the EU and designed to keep Japan's economic growth in check. To counter that, in the last 20 years or so, international laws had been developed allowing active operation for a number of private paramilitary companies, with Japan playing a central role.
And this was what Kounomura Zen'ichi resorted to when booking the vessel in question and its crew for the period of 1 month as a private individual. The mission he gave the crew was to reliably keep Gotou Ren away from Japan. He'd certainly gone out of his way to arrange for a military ship just to keep Gotou under house arrest and strict supervision, and then, to be doubly sure, even make said ship put a considerable amount of distance between itself and the mainland Japan. All of which exhaustively proved the utter importance Kounomura attached to Gotou Ren's custody as one of the keys for the success of his plan.
Incidentally, said Gotou Ren was currently on the run from the armed guard units after having broken out of the prison designed exclusively for him by escaping through a door 1 meter thick and locked with an electromagnetic lock that required multiple passwords and a fingerprint of the supervisor to open.
At first, his jailers were quite amicable, but after Gotou punched their platoon leader's lights out, blew up sewer pipes, made three or so of them take a plunge into a septic tank, and two more wallow in wheat flour, their rage had reached the boiling point. Calmly carrying out such acts with a disinterested air about him was what it meant to be Gotou Ren.
The way he went about his breakout was also unusual. For about 2 weeks, he did nothing at all. He seemed perfectly content to just sleep, play smart phone games on the phone supplied to him as a present or paint pictures in isolation, making even his jailers question with concern if he'd even understood his current situation. Still, they had directions from Kounomura to let him spend his time as pleasantly as possible under the circumstances.
Only, Gotou wasn't doing all of the above without a reason. Those drowsy eyes of his kept meticulously watching and observing. And, having found a blind spot, a momentary opening in his guards' defenses, he attacked it and freed himself. And just now, he wasn't just randomly angering his guards. He used their reactions to deduce where on this ship were the most crucial areas.
In the process of running around from his pursuers, he'd arrived at the ship's vast hold.
"Huh?" With his pursuers closing in on him from behind, Gotou leisurely inclined his head. "This is strange. I thought this should be the engine room or something equally important." He ran while compiling a map of the ship in his head, but it seemed he went wrong somewhere. "Mn, I still have a lot to improve on, I guess."
Not sounding especially regretful, Gotou approached a strange cube placed isolatedly in the middle of the hold. He found himself oddly curious about it.
"...I wonder what is this?"
It was then...
"Haaaah!"
...that a tremendously loud scream had issued from inside the construct, making Gotou instinctively take a step back. He had a feeling he might have heard that voice somewhere before.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
This time the war cry managed to pack even more fierceness; cracks, one after another, started running across the surface of the cube as a result, and then...
"Phew, finally it breaks."
...Awashima slipped out of it, twisting her body to fit in through a slender crack. For some reason, she was dressed in a scarlet dress.
"..."
"..."
For a while, Awashima and Gotou simply stared at one another.
"Why are you here, Gotou?!" Awashima broke the silence first.
"...I could ask you the same, ma'am. No, actually, I'm more interested in asking you why you're decked out like that. Lieutenant, are you getting ready for a wedding or what?"
"D-Don't be absurd! It's just this was the only piece of clothing provided to me."
Both of them looked mightily confused, but the moment their ears caught the sound of Gotou's pursuers' footsteps from the passage he'd taken to get here, the two donned composed faces.
Gotou briefly outlined his circumstances to Awashima. In short, having taken him prisoner, the chances were the ship was now a long ways off from Japan. Awashima was quick to get a grasp on the situation, and even quicker to make a decision.
"Understood," she said as if it was the most trivial thing in the world. "Let's commandeer this ship."
That took even Gotou by slight surprise. "...We'd be up against more than 50 armed soldiers though?"
"Oh?" Awashima smiled charmingly, working on rolling up the sleeves and shortening the hem of her dress to make it easy to move in. "Does that really count as 'many'? You and I are both the Blue King's clansmen, don't forget."
"I see." Gotou had found his resolve. Smiling without a trace of tension, he added, "Seems like an appropriate number in that case."
"True." Awashima fixed her gaze on the entrance from which the soldiers were likely to appear. "We've got to go back to the Captain's side as quickly as possible, and to that end, every second counts. I have no doubt he's waiting for our return even as we speak."
Gotou nodded in agreement, cracking his fingers.
It was 4 hours later that the ship made a sharp U-turn and started heading back to the far away Japan it had previously departed from.
A scanlation of chapter 55 of Gangsta. I guess I’ll keep doing them after all, but there will be some sort of delay (for this chapter it was 2 months) and they will be untagged.
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