Chapter 53: Chaotic Festival I

Part 1

MC's POV

"Hey, how far are you capable of going... if you have to protect something precious?"

Those words were the first thing I heard as soon as he (?) summoned to the nothingness.

Carrying an unusually serious expression on his (?) face, he stood in front of me.

Perplex was one way to describe how I felt, I had managed to pull out that girl from my shadow since she planned to follow me to bed so I was a little tired given how enthusiastic she was to stay there. I am not sure why Yasaka-san made her a maid and pushed her to me, but I can't simply give her back. That damned Sora-san is never there when I go to return her. I know that the girl is not guilty of anything, but I am afraid that if she gets more attached to me she will have a narrowed view of the world.

"Are you going to continue with your internal monologue any longer? I don't understand you, she is cute so who cares about the rest? Instead of that, ns would advise you to think about my words." He (?) said.

"Hey, I have some issues here. Yeah, a cute girl follows happily after me, wow, lucky me, right? Well, it could turn into a horror if I don't teach her the right values. I am troubled over that... Sora-san and I are the only ones she might listen, or at least as long we are involved. I am not expecting her to be exactly a free spirit like Kuroka-chan but she should be more open and interact with others... without mindlessly throwing glares full of killing intent." I sighed. "Thankfully, Yasaka-san used her glib tongue to negotiate with her and it seemed that she understood certain limits that must not be crossed. Not to mention that she shows the minimum level of restraining even if I meet other people... although warning her that I will get angry at her, this not allowing her to enter my shadow again must've been quite the motivation.

She is someone with some issues... but I dare to say that as a maid, I should lead her to become a splendid lady.

"...as long as she is a maid, you will ignore a possible stalker huh." He (?) looked at me with an amazed expression.

Please don't use my face to make those expressions.

"Would you prefer that I used Yasaka as a new face or maybe Kuroka?" He (?) changed faces along with his body and his shape turned buxom at first, then petite, perfectly mimicking my previous people.

"If you are going to use a dispassionate tone to speak, don't use their faces... no, actually, don't use them at all." I felt a headache coming.

"I wonder why that is happening, anyways, I will give you a warning if you don't use everything you can... soon you might lose something l, and it will be on you, none else." He (?) spoke.

Onesidely ending the conversation, he (?) sent me away in one swift motion.

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Opening my eyes, I felt the extra weight resting on my chest and stomach. One head of black hair and one of white hair, twitching on top of their heads, those locale cat ears seemed to call upon these hands of mine. Gently caressing their heads, I smiled wryly at their intrusion into my room. I can recall that I had put them both in Kuroka-chan's room before going back to mine so I could write about a couple of novels from my past life. I am roughly working on ten projects and soon will extend my reach to something other than light novels, mangas, or books. That said, I am replicating memories that seem lacking despite my improved memory. I happened to ask He (?) about such a thing and the explanation I received left me somewhat worried. My memories took a hit and can be said to be lacking in some areas during my time aimlessly wandering in the nothingness, my poor soul was somewhat continuously receiving damage so I lost part of my memories regarding mundane things. Quite the prickle, but I did not mind since I could still clearly recall about my family.

Musings in the silence of early in the morning, I wanted to stand up to train but these two look so peaceful and comfy that I feel like I will sin if I move so... 5 minutes more, I will cuddle them for 5... urgh, 10 minutes, no more.

It was 20 minutes later that I stood up.

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Morning training had been getting easier these days so I asked Yasaka-san (negotiated through sweets) for a piece of special equipment that was heavy and small so I could carry it around, nowadays logs do not cut it anymore, I could run easily for hours with those.

Feeling the sweat on my skin after training, I wanted to take a bath, but I was not so foolish to charge in with the possibility of a girl being there. Artoria and Akiko-san are both early risers so I will not be foolish to walk on them... a third time.

Using my ability will be basically the same as peeping on anyone in the bath so I spread my Ki and there was no life signature there so I entered the bath.

Nonetheless, my luck was not good.

I loved to take my time to soak my body in the open-air bath, however, while I was relaxing so much I could melt, I did not notice that someone had walked up until close enough. The steam-sensei helped me during the times when the younger one raised the bath, saving me from slightly illegal issues, but this time it hid me from the assailants.

"You will even follow me here?" A voice that sounded annoyed spoke, there was a youthful feeling to it but animosity could be detected from the tone, you could easily confuse her with an innocent's girl voice if you did not know her usual way of talking.

I could feel the headache.

"You hit your head along the way, I was clearly here before you." Another voice, a little softer than the first one said. Sometimes, she would sound alluring when speaking to me or when I headpat her too much, but now, the hostility against the other person was impossible to hide.

Lord, why are you against me? No, maybe you are trying to be a good pal by sending me two unaware girls this way.

Either way, they were close enough already, and judging by the gasp I heard, the two were finally aware of my presence. Sighing, I did not particularly try to leer at their bodies, but those towels wrapped around their bodies were making it hard for me to not see something. Currently, Akiko-san had a more supple figure from the two, the towel tightening in some areas that I won't mention. Her eyes blinked in surprise as she takes my appearance. On the other hand, Artoria had a more youthful figure, there were a few curves but less prominent than with Akiko-san. Like always, she had an almost otherworldly beauty like that of a doll... if only she did not spout angry words whenever she met the girl beside her, although she had remarkable growth in some areas thanks to proper nutrition... and mountains of food I prepare for her. Looking at me, there was no surprise on her face, only anger directed at me and a certain level of resignation.

"Your luck is far too good for a black cat..." Artoria commented with the corner of her lips twitching.

"Milord!?" Akiko-san's blush would make anyone believe that she had been the one soaking on the bath a second ago.

Sighing again, I looked up sent a certain message to the good gentleman that put me in this position. Thank you very much, but please send the nine-tailed one. I need to see her bathing again to confirm certain laws about buoyancy... again. It is a difficult research material since there is never an end to my practical observation diary.

"Any last words?" Artoria simply said, and her words would seem like a joke if there was not this sword golden-shaped aura forming on her right hand.

"You dare!?" Akiko-san glared at the person beside her.

Taking a few steps backward she extended her hand to grab her wooden sword. That piece of wood had been tampered with by me (preparing the wood, giving it shape, and painting it black) and Yasaka-san who added many enhancements to make it tough.

Wielding the wooden sword, Akiko-san unhesitantly pointed the tip of her weapon at the blondie glaring at me.

Smiling my body further in the bath, I was glad that Yasaka-san enhanced the bad to make it extra strong... after the 10th time they destroyed.

Jeez, I did not walk in on someone getting changed or bathing but now I was the one who suffered from that. Ah, that's it, I will have my very own bath in my room. One similar to this open-air bath, I should ask the girls if they want one like this in their room.

Ignoring how Artoria almost slipped when Akiko-san suddenly thrust her sword at her, I only had one thought... and that was that I am hungry.

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After surviving the ordeal by simply talking my way out of it, I prepared everyone's breakfast and left to meet Yasaka-san. However, before I could leave the house, I was assaulted... or not, I was simply boarded, like literally, two girls hung on my back with their heads stuck from each of my shoulders.

"Cats stick together-nya." Kuroka-chan muttered in a tone that did not allow refusal.

"Nora, I want to play." Shirone-chan commented.

Putting aside the black-haired one's nonsense, the white-haired one was honest like always. Her rather blunt nature was a huge contrast to her crafty sister, but they meant to express the same thing.

Reaching their heads, I let them do as they pleased.

"Did you enjoy visiting Sora-san yesterday?" I waved at the passer-by.

Walking out of my property, I came across a patient that lived nearby. Feeling a tug from a certain girl, I turned back to face the front of the street. It probably was because she wanted me to listen to her attentively, I assume that it was not because the woman who waved at me was a widow that called me for minor symptoms every time... yeah.

"Sora-nya is an enemy now-nya." Kuroka-chan pouted.

Eh?

"Sora-nee-sama kept asking Kuroka-nee-sama to help her in a plot, but she refused." Shirone-chan commented beside me.

I don't think it helped to clarify anything.

"She wants to eat Nora-nya! I can't accept that! Who is going to cook for us if she does that-nya?" Kuroka-chan raised her voice.

Alrighty, I will have to smack some sense into someone. What is she asking these two? I will have to initiate a crusade, a holy one. That said, I need to be careful, the last time I went there while I was not on duty, I accused her of trying to deceive my girls, and the woman had the nerves to laugh and ask in a sultry tone if I was going to punish her, I answered that I will smack some sense into her... but she blushed and presented me her behind, asking me to smack her. Grayfia-san used a paper fan... I should get one for my personal use.

"Now you are angry and won't go there again?" I inquired.

"Naive-nya." Kuroka-chan snorted.

Oi.

"One can't leave the opportunity to observe their enemies from a close distance-nya." Kuroka-chan said. "I will not be convinced-nya, but I will work undercover-nya."

Oh Lord, I can only imagine the chaos those words will cause.

"Nee-sama... you will trouble Nora." Shirone-chan used a serious tone to reprimand her sister. "You can't, Sora-nee-sama is too sly for us, she isn't someone we can beat, she is not Nor- Ahem."

Using my immense affection for these girls as the source of my strength, I kept my resort to myself.

"Putting aside that... Are you girls having fun?" I asked.

For me, I did not mind much how much chaos they caused, I could deal with most of the stuff around here thanks to the influence I got due to my job... the rest could be solved with a simple bribe- I mean, a serious negotiation with Yasaka-san.

"Nyahaha, of course!" "Yes, I get many treats there... in exchange for certain things." Kuroka-chan and Shirone-chan happily replied.

Something concerning slipped there, but as long as they were happy, everything was ok... I think.

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"I have been resisting this urge to retort for a while, but I apologize, even Nora-kun has to say something here." I stared at the woman in front of me.

A new 'load' was added to me, it naturally happened as soon as I made my way into Yasaka-san's office. The little furball was already standing in front of the door before I even opened it, waiting for me with extended hands. I couldn't just leave that lovely child there so I picked her up hugged her despite the jealous aura that I felt from the catgirls.

At one side of Yasaka-san's office, there was a wide space with tatami mats where we could chat and it was usually used to let the little fox play near the bigger fox. Fidgeting in front of me was Yasaka-san, and while I loved to see her like that, her appearance was the cause.

"No, hmmm, you see? This is.. how to say it..." Yasaka-san wouldn't look me in the eyes.

It was not like there was something wrong with it, but she looked way too different than the usual Yasaka-san.

Instead of her regular risky kimono, she was wearing the second set of clothing that she would usually wear... still showing her cleave. However, she had another Haori covering the first one, like a coat, it was white but if looked at it from the back, there was a large heart with the number nine there. That by itself would only make raise an eyebrow, but the bandana tied around her head that said 'Tamamo 4 life's made me unable to hold my retorts.

Nonetheless, there was a bigger reaction from the one clinging to me.

"Nya! Nya! Traitor-nya! I can't believe it-nya! You cuddled our ears before, but now you changed sides-nya. To think I was beginning to trust you-nya." Kuroka-chan lamented.

No, no, no, the main point is the Tamamo mentioned there. If that name is the one I think, then we are talking about a big shot here, the strongest nine-tailed fox, one feared enough to send armies of humans to subjugate her. Tamamo no Mae, I read somewhere that she was far stronger than my kitsune here so I wondered how much is the difference.

"No, you see? I still think that Nora-kun's ears are the best but..." Yasaka-san said. "I have kind of admired Tamamo no Mae since I was a smol kitsune so..."

"Silence-nya! Traitors can't touch the heavenly ears! Your points in the club will be revoked, the same as your rights to pet his ears-nya, shame on you-nya." Kuroka-chan cruelly (?) spoke.

Wait, what club? What do you mean by points?

"N-no, please, I can explain... this is not really betrayal, I have been a fan of her since I was a small kitsune. We all admire her!" Yasaka-san tried to speak up.

A small Yasaka-san holding small flags like the ones hidden on her sleeves sounds very lovely, that kind of image would good blackmail- I mean, a resource when I want to negotiate a massage or a request.

"Silence-nya! I had great expectations towards you-nya... together we would a great place for Nora-nya to leave so he is not taken away by those devils-nya!" Kuroka-chan left my side and stood near Yasaka-san.

Shaking her head in disappointment, she looked behind Yasaka-san where a wooden statue of a nine-tailed fox was hidden.

That was surprising as well, but that was the first time I heard about that sly plan. Was that why Yasaka-san got me a maid and had been asking me if I wished for more? Even going as far as introducing me to several fox girls, tengu girls, and the like? I thought it was suspicious when I happened to overhear her reminding the girls about the pecking order and how Kunou-chan should be on top.

When my question stare landed on her and she noticed, she sweated slightly and turned her head away.

Yup, I need to have a good talk with her.

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"I have called you for a reason." Yasaka-san spoke.

Sitting on her desk, and with the office looking as clean as possible, she carried herself with an outstanding dignity. You would honestly despair if you tried to find any faults in her current behavior or posture, although none of the people present believed that she was such a regal individual all the time. Nonetheless, she was doing her best to do so and she had suffered from Kuroka-chan's speech (?) on why I am the only thing she should focus on. I considered that it was such nonsense, but I was happy that they were getting close enough to act silly around each other. Shirone-chan did not participate in their silliness, but there was this hard to hide the desire to take part in that... I have the feeling that soon it will possible for her to integrate... wait, should I really encourage her to act silly? Well, as long as she is happy.

"You are saying that it was not because of that comedy sketch just now? The one you refuse to tell me anything about?" I asked.

"Yes, it is like you expected, the festival that will be held soon. It happens regularly for 5 years per festival and there is an obvious reason for that." Yasaka-san spoke with a serious expression.

Ignored huh.

No extra sweets for you.

For some reason, Yasaka-san showed a pained expression for a moment and looked at me pitifully... oi, you don't read minds, do you?

"On account for Nora-kun, I will ask you two to decide if you want to know or not, it is not particularly secret information, but knowing or not knowing can change a lot the way you will see this festival." Yasaka-san looked at the catgirls.

They both looked at me, but I ignored it. They must decide for themselves and can't always be dependent on decisions that can change their worldview.

"Cats stick together-nya." Kuroka-chan muttered after musing for a moment. "I decided to be always with Nora-nya and Shirone-nya."

"I want to know." Shirone-chan straightforwardly said. "Onee-sama and Nora are the only things I have, I can't leave them alone when they are hopeless without me."

She is getting cheeky, but the way she puffed her nonexistent chest looked cute added with her smug expression.

"*Sigh* Very well." Yasaka-san smiled wryly. "As you already know, Tamamo no Mae was an exceedingly strong nine-tailed fox, I dare to say the strongest to have ever existed. Her origins were a mystery and that eventually led to tragedy."

"Tragedy-nya?" Kuroka-chan asked.

Blinking bewildered, Kuroka-chan tilted her head.

"She was said to be someone with immense wisdom and at that time, she had hidden her appearance for the sake of interacting with humans. For several years, she had succeeded, but her actions that brought a huge boost to certain villages she visited, and that picked the interest of certain people." Yasaka muttered. "Against the wishes of many, that certain important person suggested her to marry him. Tamamo no Mae had no choice but to follow that request given that the man had used some 'threats' to coax her. Tamamo no Mae had become attached to those villages and it became her weakness. That said, the marriage was never formalized or consummated, before that even happened, those against the marriage hired someone who revealed her true form. That enraged the important man who proposed the marriage, he flew into a rage and tried to kill her... the rest, I think Nora-kun would rather you do learn from me. Geez, don't glare at me like that, I can't do anything about it, the story does not have a happy ending."

I lowered my eyes, I had been sending some signal using my eyes for her to stop.

"Sorry, I am being foolish." I downheartedly said.

I can't protect them forever.

"It's ok, Nora." Shirone-chan patted my back. "You can rely on us more."

It brought a smile to my face.

"Nora-nya, we are not some hopeless kitties-nya." Kuroka-chan muttered as she held my hand. "We want to know the same things as you-nya because we want to be with you-nya"

That's...

"Ara~? is that a blush on your face what I am seeing." Yasaka-san giggled.

I did feel a kind of heat on my face so it might be true.

The grin on Kuroka-chan's face when she heard that was hard to hide.

"Nyahaha." Kuroka-chan laughed.

Shirone-chan's lips also curled up but she chose to not say a thing.

"Continue with the story..." I sulkily said.

Everyone is being cheeky, I will have to take revenge somehow. Nonetheless, to think that Kuroka-chan would make me act like that. I thought I would have problems with the older version but the younger version is powerful too. Don't you dare to laugh, Yasaka-san, my love is as tall as Mount Tai, but this girl ain't easy to deal with.

"Anyways, armies after armies were sent after her and she tried to talk this over at first but she resisted and took action when she heard that the villages she helped were suffering because of her. A lot of blood was shed and she end up at death doors, however, she was not someone who would easily, and manage to escape... only to be caught the next day, she resisted and that was more than the exorcist sent to deal with her expected from someone that wounded, thus he could only seal her. However, Tamamo no Mae could not accept her end, because she had learned that those villages were massacred because they were deeply involved with her. She cursed her fate, she cursed the humans who put her through that, she cursed everything. That is why, despite being sealed, her grudge is still present now. The festival was made as a countermeasure for that..." Yasaka-san paused for a second and noticed that the girls were still paying attention. "Currently, it is held every few years to calm down her spirit through several rituals, or rather, the festival is used as a cover for the humans. No matter what, we can't very well erase their memories every time it happens and expect that it goes unnoticed. It is a ritual that has been taking place for hundreds of years already. Despite our unstable relationship with the exorcist families, we still perform the ritual with their assistance because we are well aware of the dangers that a released Tamamo no Mae filled with rage and thirst for revenge would bring upon this land."

Sounds troublesome but I can understand their point. If Yasaka-san who is at Ultimate class, considers her to be far above her despite being capable of drawing power from the Ley Lines, I can only take off my hat to her strength. Nonetheless, I found that story to be extremely sad and unfair for that nine-tailed fox. It could that my love for the nine-tailed foxes present here is part of the reason but I felt my heart twist in pain. Being deprived of all you have then being sealed while rage dulled your judgment and having to carry those feelings for so long sounds terrible. Just by imagining any of these lovely people around me being forced to suffer that, I feel anger rising and indignation.

It seemed that I was not the only one who felt the same way because the catgirls carried complex expressions on their faces.

"Is it ok-nya? The humans did something so bad toward our kind-nya. Why are we working together with them to keep that poor kitsune trapped-nya?" Kuroka-chan spoke full of indignation.

"We should help her... she must be in pain." Shirone-chan added with a sad face.

With a wry smile on her face, probably mimicking mine, Yasaka-san looked at the two.

"It is not like Youkais are free of guilt, for years, we have allowed that our differences caused friction among us and that brought unnecessary conflicts, which in turn sparked hatred. It is a never-ending cycle..." Yasaka-san looked away and her eyes seemed to be focused on something that was not in this room. "Tamamo no Mae, she is indeed pitiful, but we can't deny that she caused the death of a hundred thousand men and those acts warrant punishment even among our kind. It is pitiful, but as the ruler of Urakyoto, I can't allow myself to release her and bring a possible calamity upon this land. That said, releasing the seal is almost impossible to do."

Her words made the catgirls lower their heads. I could understand that they were conflicted so I patted their heads to comfort them.

"Nora."

A childlike voice full of energy called for me and I scratched Shirone-chan's ear.

"It is ok, Shirone-chan is a good child, I know you want to help her but sometimes-" I was trying to talk but I was interrupted.

"I did not say anything..." Shirone-chan looked up to me with a confused expression but she nonetheless let herself be caressed.

Widening my eyes in confusion, I tried to recall what voice was that. The way of calling me was like Shirone-chan does but now that she mentioned it, that was not her voice, I simply thought it was hers... that said, it was not Yasaka-san's, it was a young voice and there was not this sultry air in it which sometimes is present of the kitsune's one. However, Kuroka-chan is out as well... no Nya so the catgirl is immediately ruled out. I blinked again in confusion, they are all ruled out so I lowered my eyes, just like the rest of the people in the room, towards the small kitsune in my hands.

"Nora." Kunou-chan muttered my name and gave me a sunny smile.

Oh my... is it true?

"She spoke-nya..." Kuroka-chan covered her mouth with both hands in surprise.

"Heh, she called you as I do..." Shirone-chan smugly said.

"...no way, why not me!?" Yasaka-san looked the most surprised.

There was only one reason why everyone was this surprised... because those were her first words.

"Nora-kun!" Yasaka-san glared at me.

Oi! Why are you angry!? I have not coaxed her to do it.

"Hehe, Nora!" Kunou-chan called out.

Please, furball, don't make this more complicated than it already is.

"She can speak-nya." Kuroka-chan smiled and walked near the furball. "Call me Onee-chan... nya!"

Please stop with the nonsense!

"Nonsense, don't call her that, she will get cocky..." Shirone-chan ruthless spoke on the other side of the furball.

That is pretty cruel, you are supposed to love your Onee-chan, aren't you!?

"Nora!" Kunou-chan ignored everyone else and looked up to me. Her gaze on me seemed to be expecting something and her eagerness could be easily read.

"Well said, I am happy your first words are my name." I said and patted her head.

Her reaction was simply to rub her head in my chest and hand. The grin that crept up in my face must've been impossible to hide no matter how much I made my brain send signals for my body to hide it because the other people in the room looked at me with slight anger.

"Nora is getting cocky..." Shirone looked at me with unfriendly eyes.

"Nora-nya... bad kitty-nya." Kuroka-chan's eyes did not contain her usual friendliness.

"...why him? I am her mother, I feed her a lot using my... ah, could it be because I stole her sweets? She was asleep, how did she learn about it? It is all Nora-kun's fault because those sweets were too tasty, I could not contain myself, yes, it is all his fault... I am a good mother!" Yasaka-san broke.

Oh dear, this spells disaster, I should leave before-

"Hehe, Nora, Nora, Nora, love!" Kunou-chan happily said.

What in the world!? Not only her first world but also a second one.

"Hehe... hehehe, again..." Yasaka-san laughed and looked at me with a strange glint in her eyes.

I felt a chill run down my back, not only because of the bigger kitsune, but the smol cat girls looked ready to deliver some punishment to me.

Before they began chasing after me, I tried to lower Kunou-chan but the little one refused to let go, what absurd strength for a girl this small, is it because I have been circulating my Ki while holding her hands? She seemed to have grown stronger than what small child should be. That said, I could release myself but I might hurt her.

A tad too late for me to run, Yasaka-san stood up and my fate was sealed.

Part 2

MC's POV

An unspoken event happened that will not be told... or not. Things got rowdy, I had to jump here and there, gift a few bonks in the head, head pats to comfort them, and promises for sweets. Somehow, I think I could've saved a lot of time if I had bribed them since the beginning.

Having finished that, Yasaka-san told us that tomorrow we would depart to that place. The location of the killing stone, where Tamamo no Mae was sealed.

I left Yasaka-san's office to get away from the chaos just in case it started again.

Step by step, I walked without a destination in mind and before I knew it, I was standing in front of Kasen-san's place, or rather, the Torii that leads me there. With nothing better to do, I went to see Kasen-san. I was still feeling awkward about the bandage but avoiding the issue was not going to cut it.

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"You can't hide, I know you are in there." I said.

Kasen-san's house looked tidy as always, and I made myself at home. I was quite familiar with this place already because of the time I trained that technique thus I could easily walk around and soon found Kasen-san's room amount several others. When I did not hear a response or saw her waiting for me like she always does, I tried using my ability to confirm if she was away but I caught a glimpse of her figure hastily walking towards her room.

"Kasen is not here, please come back later." Kasen-san's voice was heard from the room.

Rolling my eyes at her silly attempt to make me leave, I waited.

"I know you are embarrassed, but I understand. There is no need to feel ashamed, you are a young woman so you probably have desires." I heard the hastened steps of Kasen-san coming for the door. "So I think it is healthy if you regularly get horny and masturbate- Hmmmmm."

Before I could continue my speech full of understanding and acceptance, Kasen-san left the room at an absurd speed, she ended up ramming me in her charge, once again putting me in quite the position where I was held against the wall, my feet did not touch the ground and her right knee was located between my thighs, along with left-arm that held me locked against the wall, she used her right hand, the one made of bandages to cover my mouth. Even I could not help to react a little to what I saw. Her ample bosom was pushed so hard against me that it changed shape, but I doubt it was her intention because on her face there was an impossible to hide blush along with an expression full of shame and embarrassment.

It was a ruthless strike that would've put me into a similar red cheek state if I had the opportunity to attack, but I knew my current limitations as a child. Nevertheless, I was a Yasaka-san's supremacist and I had over thousands of mental images saved in my mind from several slightly risky situations so I overpowered any shame and smiled despite having my mouth covered. Although the confidence I had built to tease Kasen-san did not last for too long when I took a deep breath and smelled a certain fragrance that was impregnated on the bandage, making me freeze with that smile.

"I-It is not what you think, I-I, w-well, I am not a pervert!" Kasen-san spoke in a stutter.

Sweetie, I would love to believe you but-

Seeing how I could not answer or perhaps she noticed that pining an underage child on the wall under such a risky position, she was about to release me until she noticed that I kept breathing through her bandages.

It was quite an amusing reaction I must say, first she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as her eyes landed on her own bandaged hand, her eyes gained a sudden shine while hearing my breath or seeing the way my chest was moving gave away my actions, either way, she blinked and her mouth opened and closed, words failing to leave her. Kasen-san's hand slowly left my mouth, but there was this strange hesitation on her movements and I mentally cataloged her as the thing she denied, a pervert, when she unconsciously brought her hand near my face again. However, she later seemed to get what kind of actions she had taken so she jumped back, like a startled rabbit, she cowered him positions, shaking, she covered her mouth with one hand and pointed me with the other. Somehow, I watched all that in slow motion and I captured every detail perfectly, I was curious about what happened and found myself with the feeling of my ability triggering by itself. Nonetheless, it was the first time something like that happened.

"N-No, I d-did not m-mean to... Ah! I-I forgot to do the laundry." Kasen-san dashed away.

I wouldn't doubt that if I did not come here often and was aware that she took off in a completely different direction.

"*Sigh* There is only one tactful and obvious course of action." I nodded to myself. "Chase after her and tease the heck out of her. It is not often she gets that flustered so I better bully- I mean, tease her while I can."

Finished saying that, I ran off in my pink-haired friend's direction.

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It took me quite some time to catch up to her, or rather, I could not do so. She was way too fast, but she was close enough to hear me calling her so I threatened- ahem, I advised her to come back and get teased or I would personally confirm using her belongings if she was actually a pervert. I might've mentioned going through her belongings while making emphasis on the things located in her room. While I did not plan to do so because it would be disrespectful, I think she thought otherwise because it did not take long for her to appear before me, and when she landed in front of me after jumping from air footholds, she left a deep impression on the ground along with a gust of wind that accompanied her movements.

It was quite something to see that but I went straight to business and teased her a lot.

...

...

...

Sometime later, we were calmly drinking tea over her garden. I had pulled out the sword she lend me and it was currently being held by her.

"Was it useful to you?" Kasen-san asked me.

"It saved my life and assisted me greatly, I am thankful for lending it to me." I replied.

Shaking her head, Kasen-san caressed the sword and pushed it to me.

I simply tilted my head in response, what is she doing?

"I wanted to give it back to you, it is yours, isn't it?" I inquired. "It is a great sword but I don't think I will be capable of using it better than you, I can't leave you unarmed either."

It would be a lie if I said that I don't feel any attachment to it. It is a great smacking sword. I am sure that if I used my family's secret technique, I could even beat Trihexa, no, it might be impossible... Trihexa did not have a gender.

"Ufufu, I am not going to be disarmed, I have a certain something here." Kasen-san muttered.

Using a ridiculous speed that I was unable to follow with my eyes, she stood up after lowering the sword on the ground and disappeared. I briefly wondered if that was some kind of movement technique or simply sheer base speed. Either way, I wish I could do the same. Nonetheless, I could not let my thoughts wander too far when a thunderous sound made me turn around.

Along with the loud sound of impact and the raising of a cloud of dust, an object was lodged in the garden. Despite being stuck quite deep from what I believe is its weight and the strength it was thrown with, that 'thing' was humongous. Easily over two meters in length, going past Kasen-san who landed beside it and tapped it with a nostalgic look. Wider than the pink-haired young-looking woman and dark-colored, I am sure that Akiko-san would be able to say what kind of material was used to make it but I wouldn't be able to tell if it was metal or simply a stone slab that was sharpened roughly. Either way, it was an unnecessary big sword that you can't help but imagine that was made to kill dinosaurs.

"Both swords belonged to me after being passed down to me, but I am now giving you that one. You don't have to worry since I still have this one so feel free to take that. It would make me immensely happy if you do so." Kasen-san muttered. "I know it might sound strange but keep this in mind, whenever you wield that weapon, remember me, and while I don't mind that you think of me fondly, I would rather if you think deeply about what I am going to say."

Kasen-san walked up to me and held my face with both hands, she lifted my face gently and stared deep into my eyes.

"This sword was a gift, one given to me to change. I can't tell you much, but be aware that Onis used to be violent creatures that rampaged on this land since they first appeared. I am not necessarily a good person but someone extended a hand towards me back then, I left my path full of bloodshed and took upon this sword. Even though you can kill people with this, you won't be able to make them bleed like with a regular sword since this one does not have an edge." Kasen-san said. "There is more to this sword than you think, so I don't want you to think that the lack of edge is a limitation, but rather a blessing. Dying the ground with blood every time you fight is not pleasant so someone came up with this design. I handed it to you because I don't want you to shed blood... if possible, I want you to not get used to that sight."

Sighing, Kasen-san gave me one last look and turned around, easily lifting her sword and putting it on her shoulder.

"However, I know that it is an impossible request so do never hesitate, if the situation requires it, I want you to act... even if that means that you will go against my wish. I would never be able to forgive myself if you suffered in some way because of my words." Kasen-san muttered with a wry smile.

She did not allow me to see what kind of expression she put on when she turned around but I had the feeling that she did not randomly say those things. Perhaps she had a reason to do so and I could only watch as she vanished using that absurd speed.

Gripping the handle of the sword she handed me, I kept thinking about Kasen-san's words.

3rd Person POV

Two figures were facing each other in a certain garden, a pink-haired young woman crossed her arms while questioning the sudden appearance of the being in front of her. With a creepy white mask hiding a pair of shining blue eyes, it stayed silent for a long time before finally talking." Forest Wraith, the being who was in charge of the Youkai trials faced Kasen, the 'hermit'.

"Is it alright?" Forest Wraith asked. "That you let him go?"

Crossing her arms and lowering her gaze, Kasen sighed.

"...what did you want me to do? He is free to leave this place if he wants." Kasen mumbled.

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Pointing at the young woman, Forest Wraith waited until the hermit looked at it again.

"You could've locked him in here, if he stays here, nothing bad will happen to him and in extension, none of his acquaintances will get involved too deeply in 'that'."

"Are you suggesting I chain him down? You want me to deprive him of his freedom?" Kasen glared at the other figure. "You think that it will solve all the problems? And you should be aware that not all of his acquaintances will be out of danger... she will suffer a fate far worse than what she is suffering now. Becoming their weapon is a dead-end for any creature."

"*Sigh* You think I am not aware of that?" Forest Wraith's voice sounded bitter. "Moving as we please will cause my master troubles, and that is not something I would like to do."

Checking his garments, Forest Wraith pulled a small scroll and handed it to Kasen.

"Despite not knowing the details, you plan to head out and lend him a hand, don't you?" Forest Wraith spoke.

The hermit's eyes were glued to the scroll since the moment it was pulled, and she appeared to recognize its origins and uses.

"...Am I that easy to read?" Kasen mumbled. "Even if you hand me that, I won't open the seal."

Using her healthy arm, Kasen grabbed her bandaged one.

"Hmph, you think I don't know something so simple? I have been a Shikigami for hundred of years, and have accompanied my master for longer than you think, I have observed you since the first time you met my master until now... Other than my master, I am the being more knowledgeable about your thought process." Forest Wraith commented. "That seal was something you placed after learning some knowledge about barriers from my master, however, you feared that you would go back to how you were before you met my master, to the 'you' before keeping all that evil there if suddenly changed your mind or chickened out thus you created this scroll to work as a key to open the seal."

"Enough, I-I cannot completely atone for what I, and even 'he' can forgive me, I must not do so. I must continue to repent for my crimes." Kasen mumbled. "Nonetheless... If I were to release the seal, I will certainly turn into that wicked being again."

Not lowering his hand, Forest Wraith still held out the scroll.

"He asked us to stay out the way and we don't even know what kind of danger might befall him, despite hearing about the Kudans' future predictions, it was a blurry vision. We only know that something big will occur and despite our intentions to change it, we do not know what kind of event it is." Forest Wraith said. "Kasen, you should know that currently, my master would not be able to help you, if you leave this place and make your appearance public, you will be hunted down like a criminal, and perhaps you won't be able to come here again. Take the scroll and make ample preparations, I don't know if you can even be of help if you do a half-hearted effort."

Biting her lips, Kasen hesitated before taking the scroll.

"By the way, please keep this dry." Forest Wraith's tone suddenly changed.

Tilting her head in confusion, Kasen was unsure what he meant.

"*Sigh* I have ears everywhere, I have been linked to these grounds so I am aware how frequently you grant your essence to your bandages, the scroll is not waterproof-" Forest Wraith had to stop his words mid-way before being sent flying from one punch.

With her left arm in a punching position, Kasen shook in anger and embarrassment.

"That bastard..." Kasen muttered.

3rd Person POV

Watching from a distant build how the preparations of festivals were ongoing, three men dressed in a three-piece suit were simply keeping an eye on how everything was going.

"Hanezu-sama, is it alright? It is true that thanks to the witches, our current allies, we got in contact through one of their business partners and made some business to acquire that special clothing that will mask our aura and appearance that would even deceive the most perceptive member of the Five Clans, but I can't help but feel like we are being used as bait while the witches and those cultists wait in a safe place."

One of the suit-wearing men suddenly said.

"Doumon, I am well aware of that. That trade went way too well so I suspected their hidden motives. However, we don't have many choices. We are being hunted down even as we speak, that Himejima's brat, Suzaku, is more capable than what the rumors initially stated. Our insiders made a wrong judgment and were apprehended so we no longer have the ability to hear beforehand when they might attack us or if they have found out another of our hideouts."

Sighing, Hanezu Himejima, thought back at how things ended up like this. Their collaborator in the fallen angels' camp had finally provided with information regarding their targets, but it was for naught, they could not even plan their kidnapping because they were already being protected. Not only fallen angels but youkais as well. Their collaborator shook his head when they asked to aid them. It seemed that the person who was keeping watch over the four fiends was someone who was wary against him.

That left them with the only choice to rely on the witches entirely to help them manufacture the Utsusemi, their own version of an independent sacred gear. Nonetheless, they lacked enough test subjects, and the information provided by the witches regarding their study on the subject required that they made many experiments. They were able to acquire humans to use in the test, but they lacked something.

"We need that Youkai so we can create the strongest Utsusemi. The Five Clans will loath until they die how they were taken down by one of the things they hate the most... YOUKAIS! Their humiliation as they are being annihilated will be our revenge."

However, he was aware that they were not the only ones after that nine-tailed fox. The group formed by the cultist and the witches are also after the sealed creature. He was not sure why the cultist sought it, but the witches had a scheme similar to their own. It was a substitute, but the legendary nine tails from the legends should be enough to get their revenge.

"Then, should we do like they asked? Planting those objects around as soon as the festival starts..."

The last figure spoke and it made the mood of the other two turn solemn.

"I am not completely certain of the full extent that those will cause, but after studying one of the strange straw dolls, I could see ancient and foreign spells in large quantities, however, I could only uncover that it would release some cursed waves of energy and by placing it as they have asked us, those people plan to make Tamamo no Mae go berserk. At this point, I can't tell if they plan to make her go wild and release herself from inside the seal, or maybe they could be aiming to use on one of the youkais with a few modifications and cause mayhem so they could unseal that nine-tailed Youkai."

Hanezu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You are the new guy, right? Inform everyone to not carry those dolls or stay near them. We only had to put them in place, with that finished, we have no more business with those ominous objects. You should also inform everyone to throw away the 'gifts' they 'kindly' gave us."

Not sparing the guy one look, Hanezu left the scene musing over certain things he did not wish to share.

Doumon was left alone with the bitter-looking expression but he hid it hastily, nonetheless, Doumon noticed it.

"It is nothing personal, our leader is usually more welcoming with comrades who join our cause. Nevertheless, we are in a tough situation as of late. He is doing the best he can but we are being cornered by our enemies... we had a few deserters already so he is a little distrustful and distant."

Doumon tried to console the remaining guy.

"It is ok, I understand."

Giving a timid smile, the guy simply outwardly laughed it off, while inwardly trying to not show his anger. From the corner of his eye, the guy noticed something strange. A group of people was entering the festival area, and if his memory was not failing him, judging from the way they dressed, they were-

"The Extra Clans huh."

Doumon spoke with hostility in his voice.

"...are enemies of our cause? I thought that they..."

In an uncertain tone, the guy mumbled. He used to be under the Himejima's protection and he had dealt with the Extra Clans, and because he knew how troublesome they were for the Five Clans, he thought they would look at in good light by the group that desired to destroy those great families.

"They are a treacherous bunch. If you hate the way the Himejima's has treated us, then you should take a look at the way they treat those that do not fit their requirements or go against the decisions taken. I recall that about a decade or so, one of the families that form the Extra Clans, found one of their descendants incompatible with their ideals and left the little girl to fend off for herself. Not to mention the fact that they are full of arrogance and look down on us as well."

Shaking his head, Doumon left those words before leaving as well.

All alone, the last person continued to stare in the direction of the Extra Clan members, his thoughts were on those people. Before joining the Utsusemi, he had sought help from a few 'friends' in the Extra Clans, but he was sent back. Nonetheless, at that time, he could've sworn that he saw one of those black-cloaked people staring at him from inside the property. With their abilities, hiding from someone like him should've been a piece of cake, yet they let themselves be seen.

Wondering if they expected him to use that information for his benefit, or they planned to test his ability to keep secrets made him hesitate whether to speak or not and in the end, he never spoke to anyone about it out of fear of being hunted down. Perhaps that was the reason why they handed him over a different kind of 'gift' at that time.

Part 3

3rd Person POV

Furrowing her eyebrows, Lavinia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She had left Urakyoto to check on her friends living in their apartment because it was her daily routine. Along with the fact that Vali had run away after seeing her, she was left without much to do. She initially aided the group when asked to assist them during training, but something kept bothering her.

Beside her, taking a moment to rest from their strenuous training, Natsume, the most outgoing member of the group, struck a conversation with her, seeing how troubled she looked.

"Something wrong? Are you troubled because Vali-kun ran away again? If you lure him saying that Shiki-kun will make some ramen today or he wants to have a mock match again, I think you can make him reappear." Natsume muttered.

Opening a bottle of water quench her thirst, Natsume kept one eye on Lavinia who furrowed her eyebrows even more.

"That is troubling... I can't ask him to cook right now." Lavinia sighed.

Tilting her head in confusion, Natsume wondered why Lavinia was unable to do so. If that boy was free, he would surely cook something if you ask him. He also had absurd speed and efficiency when cooking so he could easily prepare ten people's worth of food in a jiffy. It was the first time she saw the use of supernatural abilities to cook and it was mindblowing, although the taste was what lingered in her mind more.

"Did you step on his tail again? He sulked the last time Kouki accidentally did it and we almost starved to death because Ikuse-kun and his dear one were away." Natsume rubbed her stomach that felt somewhat empty.

Mimicking her friend, Lavinia rubbed her stomach and checked the time on the large clock hanging on the entry to the underground training ground. It was way past the time to have lunch so they were warned by their stomachs to take action soon.

"Haha, I guess we will have to ask the two lovebirds for some food." Natsume wryly smiled.

The duo directed their gaze to the love birds in question, Tobio was engaging in a fight with Kouki, while Sae and Shigune were absorbed in some kind of magic experiment, in this case, Saw was trying to teach Shigune some Buddhist techniques she happened to learn in the past from Tobio's grandmother, a technique to control paper dolls.

"...hmmm." Lavinia mumbled. "I wonder if it is the right time to use this..."

Saying so, Lavinia pulled out from a magic circle a small wooden token. Engraved on the back, the words 'visitor' was carved with exquisite calligraphy in kanji.

"...eh? Didn't Shiki-kun specifically tell us to only use it if things went wry or it was absolutely necessary?" Natsume asked.

"Hmmm..." Lavinia innocently tilted her head. "Did he?"

Sighing, Natsume felt a bit of pity for the boy who despite having repeated that to Lavinia more than three times, the girl in question seemed to have forgotten.

"...He did. He also said that while he did not forbid us to go there, we should abstain from leaving the perimeters until we have taken care of the Utsusemi." Natsume explained. "Why do I have to play the straight man? Is this another of the hardships that Shiki-kun has to go through? Perhaps I should offer him a shoulder massage as repayment for all his hard work... after asking for pizza."

Unaware that her true thoughts leaked for a little, Natsume failed to notice that the sparing pair and the studying pair had stopped doing their stuff and were walking their way.

"Yo! Bird brain! Lazing around now that you have the chance? That's why you will always be a glass canon!" Kouki grinned.

Despite not having any ill will, his appearance coupled with his loud voice made him look like a bad guy making fun of someone. No one here thought that he was doing it with bad intentions, but that did not mean that someone was not bothered by his remarks.

"Who are you calling bird brain!? You muscle-headed idiot!" Natsume retorted.

Laughing at their exchange, the rest of the group turned their attention to Lavinia who stared thoughtfully at the token on her hand.

"Isn't that what he told us not to use unless necessary?" Shigune timidly pointed out.

"He made us memorize the locations of the entry to that place too." Tobio mumbled.

"Why are you holding that, Lavinia-san?" Sae asked.

Nodding to herself, Lavinia looked at everyone with eyes full of determination.

"I can go there without it, but you guys can't..." Lavinia said. "I thought we could use this chance to have an outing..."

Sharing a look, the non-arguing trio tilted their heads in confusion.

Noticing their actions, Lavinia added.

"Hmmm..." Lavinia looked down. "He is too busy... from all the time I have been living with him, he hardly rests, always taking care of some business. Even when you see him fooling around, he is still training."

"Ah, you are right! I saw him doing that." Natsume stopped arguing and spoke. "There was this one time I saw him oddly standing quietly with crossed arms and hiding his arms between his sleeves. I snuck up on him and we both fell to the ground. I did not even use that much strength but I did lean my body on him for a little. However, after awkwardly standing up he apologized and told me that he was distracted... he was also not standing using his leg but his weight was on his tails and he was not used to keeping balance."

"Eh? He is even training that way?" Tobio inquired.

Nodding furiously, Natsume gestured everyone to stop and pay attention.

"That is not all, you know? I saw him pick up a pair of phones that had fallen as well and when I asked him about it... He said he was writing a story, and while he did not enter into details, I caught from the corner of my eyes that he was doing the same thing with both phones! With both of them, you know? Not to mention that he was not even seeing what he wrote." Natsume sighed.

"Now that you mention it... he never allows anyone else into the kitchen when he is cooking, and he makes tons of food for us, and the little ones as well. He takes into consideration our tastes and our favorite dishes." Sae commented. "It is hard to do different dishes in such a short amount of time and he makes it seem that it is so easy..."

A collective groan was heard and everyone carried complicated expressions.

"We have become spoiled huh." Kouki said.

"S-Sorry, it is because I eat too much that he has to cook so much..." Shigune apologized.

"It's ok! Don't worry! He has never shown a reluctant expression when he is making stuff for us so you don't need to feel bad! He must surely enjoy cooking!" Natsume cheerfully said.

"That said, I wonder if we can do something for him... he is always taking care of us..." Tobio furrowed his eyebrows.

"Heeeh, you sure you don't want to thank him for the little date you two had the other day?" Kouki grinned widely.

At those words, Tobio looked away with a blush on his face. He happed to turn his head in the direction of Sae, who had a similar expression on her face. Their stares met and they turned even redder, their shame expressed itself in form of reddened ears and neck. They could not stand the fact that not only Kouki had a smile that asked for a beating, but even Natsume had a similar look so they looked away.

"Ah~ Ah~ Isn't it hot in here?" Natsume fanned her face.

Despite the lack of the so-called heat, Natsume continuously famed her face and that made the pair of blushing individuals want to bury their heads somewhere.

"Let's make a party for him!" Lavinia suddenly said.

Completely ignoring the topic and the teasing, Lavinia nodded to herself.

Getting used to her way of randomly muttering strange things, the group was not that confused.

"...you mean we should make a party for Shiki-kun?" Natsume asked for confirmation.

Lavinia nodded once again and was about to leave when she noticed a hand on her shoulder.

Natsume had a helpless expression.

"...I am going to buy snacks." Lavinia seriously said.

Sighing, Natsume glanced at the rest of the group who also had wry smiles.

"We could help you." Natsume mumbled.

"I know a lot about snacks! Bring me with you and I will help you get some tasty ones." Shigune energetically raised her hand.

"We might not be as skilled as him, but we can bake some pastries for the party..." Tobio rubbed the back of his neck as he shared a look with Sae who nodded in response.

"Hmmm, I can get you some pretty good drinks... of course, non-alcoholic drinks only." Kouki said.

Liking the idea, Lavinia was about to leave once again only to be stopped by Natsume... again.

"...the thing is that we can't seem to leave this place." Natsume spoke. "Barakiel-san did not leave us with a free way to exit because he thought we should not leave today for some reason, some sort of festivity that would be troublesome if we got involved with."

Nodding in understanding, Lavinia patted her not-so-subtle chest and muttered with a smile.

"At a time like this, you can trust in a Magical Girl." Lavinia uttered in a happy tone.

...

...

...

Thanks to the convenient teleportation magic, the group had a free card to leave the apartments to get the things they needed, and it was when the sun was setting that they had already changed and were ready to leave. The avatars were waiting along with them.

Gathered in one place, Lavinia was about to teleport them to Urakyoto only to furrow her eyebrows. The magic circle was ready and she channeled the correct amount of magic power but they were still there.

"E-Etto? Is something wrong?" Shigune immediately asked.

Ignoring her friend, Lavinia continues to teleport them but her attempts only met with failure.

"Something is wrong..." Lavinia commented and immediately made changes to the magic formula.

Before anyone else made any inquiry, they were teleported away.

...

...

...

"...where are we?" Tobio asked.

The group's location was in some abandoned fabric outside the city, or so he could infer after they left the building.

"Kyoto, outskirts of the city." Lavinia muttered before walking away.

Not waiting for everyone else to come to terms with the sudden teleportation.

"Urgh, I feel dizzy..." Natsume held her head.

"...what's up with her? Why the hurry?" Kouki shook his head to get rid of his dizziness.

"...We should follow her, she looked strange." Sae mumbled.

Shigune picks up her avatar, Poh.

"There is something dangerous nearby, Poh is uneasy." Shigune said.

Everyone noticed the strange state that the other avatars had and decided to hastily catch up with Lavinia.

...

...

...

Arriving at the small temple that had a huge Torii, they found Lavinia surrounded by a group of Youkais, or rather, two groups. They were arguing about her.

"She is a witch, she must be with the bastards that attacked just now!"

One of the youkais, an older Tengu wearing a mask angrily pointed at Lavinia. In response, a pair of tengus stood in front of her, shielding her.

"She is not a bad girl, she is a guest of Shiki-sama! Yasaka-sama has approved of her presence as well, even allowing her to sleep in his house."

One of the pair of tengus spoke up, she had a lean figure under her hakama and haori, a mask covered her face but you could see her orange hair peeking from her mask, her voice sounded upbeat.

"Agreement. Yuzuru also supports Kaguya's claims. While she likes to joke often and is usually full of nonsense, she is telling the truth."

Another voice belonging to the other figure shielding Lavinia exclaimed. She had a similar dressing as the first one but her figure was more curvaceous while her voice sounded a bit monotonous.

"Isn't that a little mean!? Saying that I speak nonsense! When have I done that? I am only speaking the truth revealed to me through visions! My mouth only speaks- mmmgh!?"

"Silence. Yuzuru can usually take her time listening to you, but right now there are many things to be done. Please do not complicate everything more."

Going by the way they called each other, they seemed to be Kaguya and Yuzuru, and Tobio and company could label them as friendly enough, probably. There was the concern that it might be different from how they think since the one with a curvaceous figure covered the mouth of a lean one.

"Tsk, leave that for later! More humans!"

The older Tengu pointed at Tobio and company and made several people turn their way. Immediately, Tobio began thinking about what to do to avoid a confrontation before hastily pulling the token that Nora gave them.

"We are not bad or suspicious people! We are coming to visit a friend!" Tobio exclaimed.

To prove his point, he extended his hand and showed off the token, and his actions were mimicked by the rest of the group.

After being glared at for a few seconds by the older Tengu, he signaled one of the girls shielding Lavinia their way. She moved and took the tokens before giving them to the older Tengu. Using some sort of technique unique to youkais, or that what was what Tobio and company thought, he confirmed their authenticity.

"Please, let them inside. I am not sure about the rest of the group, but Yasaka-sama once let us know that she is a powerful human. If such a person aids us..."

The lean Tengu implored after the older one lowered his guard slightly.

"...I owe that child and his mother a debt that can't be repaid, if they are truly his allies, I couldn't be more reassured. However, if they turn out to be enemies. I will tear them apart along with you girls, I won't care the fact that you are the children of one the great Tengu."

Finally convinced, the older Tengu began doing a series of hand signs and soon enough, the Torii reacted, the inside of the Torii showed a different view than what it originally did.

"Ahem, please. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the descendant of one the great Tengu, known as the child of storms, bring of calamities- hmmmgh!?"

"Interruption. She is called Kaguya, while she might blabber unnecessarily, please watch over her warmly. My name is Yuzuru, while we work for the Tengu patrol team, we aim to work under Shiki-sama, best regards."

Carrying a deadpan expression noticeable after she removed her mask, Yuzuru covered the lean tengu's mouth and introduced them both.

"...you never let me introduce myself." Kaguya, the lean tengu, sulkily spoke after freeing herself.

"Shame. It is embarrassing and it would take too much time." Yuzuru muttered.

Not daring to interrupt, the group joined with Lavinia who looked uneasy and fidgety. Before they could ask her the reason for her status, they were called.

"Warning. I advise you to behave, despite carrying his tokens, such a thing will not be seen easily from the distance. Currently, the situation is a little delicate and you might receive unnecessary attention and hostile reactions. As such, I recommend you to cover yourself with these. In particular, you, Miss Witch." Yuzuru spoke in a deadpan tone.

In one swift motion, she made appear from what seemed a magic circle, several black cloaks.

"Ah! My jet-black mantles of darkness! Holding the hatred of generations from our kin, they are cursed items that will attract animosity from those who walk under the sun! Only creatures of the night can understand its true value and use it correctly, unleashing its true potential- ouch!" Kaguya covered her forehead. "I am against violence!"

Sighing, Yuzuru lowered her hand that just flipped Kaguya's forehead and extended the cloaks to the group who did not reach to take it.

"Apologies. These are simply black cloaks, my sister, is just muttering some nonsense. About the curse, that is a lie. She wore them in daylight so she was questioned by the police in the city because she looked suspicious." Yuzuru spoke in her usual deadpan tone but she looked visibly tired.

The universally (just by the group) chosen retorter from the party connected the dots.

"Ah! So she is like Vali-kun." Natsume nodded in understanding.

At those words, the group sighed in relief and took the mantles without hesitation. Giving one understanding look filled with pity at Yuzuru, Natsume started to inquire.

"Can I ask you what happened?" Natsume muttered as she wore the cloak. "We came here to make a party for Shiki-kun, but..."

"I am afraid that will be currently impossible, many things happened but his house was burned to cinders." Yuzuru spoke with unhidden anger in her usually deadpan tone. "We were attacked about an hour ago... by witches."

Giving one last side glance to Lavinia, who did not even try to retort back or deny being a witch but a magical girl, Yuzuru started to walk into the Torii. Leaving everyone speechless, they failed to offer any words before springing into action and hastily following after Yuzuru.

Staying in place, Lavinia slowly took off she had and covered her witch outfit with the cloak. Kaguya who stayed behind waiting for her hesitated briefly before speaking.

"I have seen the way you usually act around him, you call yourself his Onee-chan, right? Then I would advise you to hold back doing so if you find him, at least for a while." Kaguya seriously said. "One of his precious ones is missing so he won't be in the mood. I have observed many people thanks to my work, and there were many cases where the so-called family couldn't handle seeing the truth behind their family members and they grew apart. It is nothing rare, and in what of strangers, it could happen with more ease so... if you are treating him kindly just to make yourself feel better, I recommend you to leave right now. I will certainly make sure that regardless of your status as a Longinus user... that you perish. However, if you truly can still act kindly towards him, understanding and accepting, I will offer you my deepest apologies for acting like this when it is not my place, as well as my gratitude. He is truly a good guy and my little sister has taken a liking to him, well, I have done it too so I am just being a busy body. It is because of him and his mother that we could have ours for a couple of years more so I am a little sensitive to his well-being."

After her long speech, Kaguya sighed.

"Argh! This is so not like me!" Kaguya shook her head.

"...I won't abandon him." Lavinia suddenly said.

This picked up Kaguya's interest.

"Heh... I see." Kaguya shrugged her shoulders.

Noticing that Kaguya looked unconvinced made Lavinia furrow her eyebrows.

"...you don't believe me." Lavinia spoke.

"Sorry, but while I am not that smart, I at least know that words said on the spur of the moment are usually a lie. Only foolish people follow those crazy words." Kaguya commented.

"...I will prove it to you. Magical Girls do not lie." Lavinia said.

Smiling at that Kaguya inwardly praised herself for her actions. The depressed young woman has a better face right now. Different from the pale look she had when she was denied entry and accused of being on the enemy camp.

"I will be waiting for it." Kaguya muttered.

...

...

...

Ruins would be the best way to describe what Tobio and company were seeing. They had heard constantly from Lavinia that Nora's place was a magnificent Japanese-style property. However, there was hardly anything of the splendor they had heard of left. The other walls had been broken, the wooden structures burned down. No sign of anyone inside.

"Question. I have brought you to his property like you asked, but are you done seeing? There is not much to see. Shiki-sama has been locked down in another location if you wish to see him." Yuzuru muttered in a sad tone.

No one spoke but it was not for their lack of reactions, rather, they were overwhelmed. On their minds, the face of Nora cheekily teasing Tobio and Sae came up. How he bragged about his amazing kitchen with a happy smile, or he brought them some vegetables he had planted on his garden with a smug expression. His stern face when he trained them or when he hid his concern for their well-being when they pushed themselves too hard. All of their moment passed through their head and their emotions exploded... and some let them out in the open.

"What the hell is this!?" Kouki angrily shouted.

"Don't yell." Natsume admonished.

"Huh!? Can't you see this? Do you think I can calmly accept what I am seeing? Stray-sensei must be..." Kouki angrily retorted only to shut up when he noticed it.

The faces of his friends and comrades. Natsume the always boisterous and cheerful looked grim and anger was hard to hide on her expression. The always shy Shigune had tears running down her face and was quietly sobbing. Sae at her side was the most calm and while she tried to keep her tears in check, she consoled Shigune. Tobio had a pained face and tightened his fists strongly.

"You said Shiki-kun is locked? Why?" Natsume asked.

Lowering her eyes Yuzuru hesitated to speak for a moment but the stares of the group made her speak up, but someone beat her to the punch.

"Shirone-sama has been kidnapped, and Shiki-sama's magatama has been stolen as well. He planned to head out in anger so Yasaka-sama stopped him. He continued to resist so he was locked and sealed in a room to prevent him from recklessly chasing after the attackers. After all, he would not be able to kill that woman to take back Shirone-sama." Kaguya commented.

Along with Lavinia, Kaguya appeared.

Widening their eyes, their anger rose even more. Their avatars started to grow agitated but soon calmed down. Their changing emotions were causing them to morph without them noticing, but their ability to maintain their cool helped them to not go on a rampage.

"It is impossible for him to do so." Lavinia commented in a downhearted tone. "Even I doubt I could defeat her."

"Oi! You know who that is!?" Kouki inquired.

While his tone was rude, no one seemed bothered and simply let it go. Natsume who would usually admonish him was silent and directing a questioning look at Lavinia.

"They are the reason I was sent here. An organization formed by spell users who have gone rogue and did not fit any existing organization. That woman, judging from the state of his house, must be none other than..." Lavinia mumbled.

Her words were interrupted by another voice that cut in, someone familiar that they just managed to notice when he talked.

"Augusta of the Purple Flames, right?" Nora spoke in a cold tone of voice.

Coming out the ruins of the house, or rather, a magic circle engraved not far from him, he walked their way with cold eyes in his usual garments, with the difference that he carried a bag on his back along with a bow and a quiver of arrows. Even as he noticed several pairs of eyes looking at him, he showed no reaction.

"Hailing from the organization, Wizards of Oz, she is the current possessor of the Longinus, Incinerate Anthem. I don't blame the kitsune for stopping me when I told her I would go a murder that bitch." Nora smiled self-deprecatingly.

Lavinia had the strongest reaction to his words, although it was for a different reason than concern.

"You know that much about her? How...?" Lavinia inquired.

"It does not matter, nothing does. She was not alone, I can tell you that, those bastards... the Satanael class, or I should call them Abyss team, were with her. It seems like they coveted the magatama more than I thought. No, no one expected it." Nora said.

Once again, Lavinia was surprised that he had knowledge that he should not have, the abyss team was a group belonging to the institute Nephilim under the fallen angels' control and in the future, Tobio and company would enter there after they deal with the Utsusemi. However to claim such a thing, if he was speaking nonsense and it caused some hostile reactions from the Youkai, that would bring a small-scale war between the two factions.

"Surprise. Shiki-sama... how?" Yuzuru asked.

Knowing that he should be here, she questioned his presence.

"Yasaka-san is a softie. Her seal was not particularly strong and she was also in a hurry. The 'me' before meeting Shishou wouldn't be able to escape but... she drilled some time knowledge into me when we trained." Nora commented.

"Nora-kun... What you just said, if it is not true it could cause some troubles-" Lavinia was about to inquire more about his words when he glared at her.

"Cursed Statue of Radiance Lost, if I say that the user of that Sacred Gear was among the attackers was there... you should be able to understand that my claims are not nonsense." Nora narrowed his eyes before turning away.

Not bothering in speaking any longer, he prepared to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Natsume spoke.

"Hey, Stray-sensei, you ok?" Kouki asked.

The others also planned to express their concerns but stopped themselves when he turned around and glared at them with cold eyes.

"It is obvious, I am going to bring the cat home... and kill that bitch who took her. The abyss team will also get their punishment, especially the one with sacred gear who takes away the eyesight." Nora said and turned around.

Despite having many questions, the group stayed frozen in place. They could only watch as his back disappeared in the distance.

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