Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Jin’s POV
   Watanabe goes to Estyshana’s seat not long after the bell which signifies the end of school hours has rang.

   “Let’s go back, Esty-chan.” she tells the demon.

   “I’m really sorry, Anri. I have a sudden emergency to take care of, so you and Chifuyu have to go back without me.” Estyshana says apologetically.

   “Aww, is it very urgent?”

   “I’m afraid so.”

   Even without turning around, Jin feels Watanabe’s eyes on him.

   “...Fine. You are coming back, right? I dread to be alone with Chifuyu for the whole night.”

   “My parents and my sister are there too, you know.”

   “You know what I mean.”

   “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to be back before dinnertime.” the demon assures.

   “Okay. If you say so.”

   Watanabe goes to his seat next.

   “Somehow, I have a feeling that Esty-chan’s emergency has something to do with you. All I ask of you is this: take good care of her.” she tells him.

   “Don’t you worry, I most definitely will.” he assures her.

   “Good.”

   Satisfied, Watanabe follows Wakaba and exits the classroom. Ayumi has left the classroom early to run away from questions, so Jin and Estyshana leave the classroom together and head to Kameda Shrine.

   As usual, students stop and stare when the two are walking together. Some are also whispering to each other as they stare. Jin thought the rumors about the two of them would have died down about now, but he guess he estimated how much people love to gossip in general. That said, he’s not bothered by it at all, and neither does Estyshana.

   “Don’t humans have anything better to do except stare and talk about others behind their back?” she mutters.

   “They probably do. Even so, gossiping is part of human nature.”

   “Just like breathing?”

   “Probably even more so, since things can get real boring around here.”

   When they got to Kameda Shrine, Ayumi was already back and is wearing her shrine maiden outfit.

   “Please come in. The Graylock sisters are already here.” she tells them.

   “Pardon the intrusion.” Jin says.

   Ayumi brings them to the usual guest room. There, Aldenia and Audrey are waiting along with Meiko.

   “So, what did you want to discuss about, Minase-kun?” Ayumi asks Jin once they settled down.

   “Well, the thing is…”

   Jin tells everyone present about the gruesome scene he witnessed this morning. Aldenia shudders after hearing it.

   “Are you saying that the one who did that might be somewhere near us?” she asks.

   “I definitely won’t exclude that possibility.”

   “And you want to seek out methods to find this creature, correct?” Audrey asks.

   “That’s right. Do you know of any?”

   The elder Graylock furrows her eyebrows.

   “That is a difficult request, at least for us. As you may already know, the searching Spells we learned at Ifezan require us to know the outer appearance or at least the name of the person or object we’re searching for. Tengu is an exception, but we’ll talk about him later.”

   “What about Ichihara and Von Mantus? Do the two of you know of any methods to search for the mysterious assailant?” Jin asks next.

   “I’m afraid the onmyojis can’t really help in this matter as well. We can keep a lookout for any suspicious individual and that’s about it.” Ayumi says apologetically.

   “I remember that there was a demon who has clairvoyance as his Bloodline Magic back at Ifezan.” Estyshana recalls.

   “”Was”? What happened to him?”

   “You killed him.”

   “Oops.”

   Hmm, awkward.

   “What about you, Meiko? Does you or your father know any subordinates or acquaintances that might help us?” Jin asks Meiko.

   “I’m afraid not. We onis are mostly combat-oriented and didn’t care much about surveillance. I don’t think my father knows anyone either.” she replies.

   “I see. That can’t be helped then.”

   Jin couldn’t help but notice that Estyshana was making eye contact with Meiko when he asked the oni that question. The demon looked away when she saw him staring at her, but he had a feeling that the two of them are sharing an unknown secret.

   “I’ll tell my grandfather about this later and ask him to put a net around the city.” Ayumi promises.

   “Thanks. That’ll be real helpful. Now, for our next agenda. The ghosts sent by Tengu.”

   Everyone’s expression got even more serious. Ayumi lowers her head in apology.

   “As a representative of the onmyojis, I would like to apologize deeply for not being able to contain the mass appearance of spirits last night.” she says.

   “Don’t blame yourself too much for it. I’m sure that all of you were surprised by the attack just as any of us were.” Jin tells her.

   “Still, we were the ones who’re supposed to stop attacks like those from happening in the first place.”

   “As someone who also failed to stop countless attacks in the past, all I could say is this: learn from your mistake and move on.”

   “I’m pretty sure that you don’t feel even slightly guilty over that.” Esty mutters.

   “Thank you, Von Mantus, for giving two cents on almost everything I said.” Jin tells her drily.

   “My bad for interrupting. Please continue.”

   He clears his throat.

   “I’ve been meaning to ask you this. Does spirit have their own worlds like youkais, or do they wander around aimlessly in ours?” Jin asks Ayumi.

   “It’s the latter. At least, that applies to those that refuse or couldn’t pass on.” she explains.

   “So, Heaven and Hell actually exists?”

   “That we don’t know. We have no ways of communicating with those that went to those places, if they even exist.”

   “A shame. So, if the ghosts are living in the same world as us, does that mean that we can’t force them to pass on?”

   “Not all at once, no. Furthermore, some spirits are evil in nature, thus more difficult to handle.”

   “Great. As if we don’t have enough headaches.”

   “There’s also the youkai led by the evil version of Fox Lady.” Aldenia reminds.

   “Right. Again, as if we don’t have enough headaches.”

   “Why do you suppose they didn’t join in on the attack last night?”

   “Perhaps they had a falling out.” Audrey suggests.

   “Or maybe they’re still trying to find out about our true strength, and wasting ghosts are better than wasting youkais.” Jin suggests instead.

   “Then would you be so kind to provide an explanation as to why the two armies joined forces during the first attack?”

   Jin can offer none.

   “Whatever the reason, we can’t let our guards down. Those stray youkais that escaped to our world through the portals should be hunted down as soon as possible too.”

   “Worry not. We’re already working on that. Onmyojis around Japan are doing their best to exterminate the youkais as we speak.” Ayumi says.

   “Well, at least that’s something.”

   “Speaking of them, how are those that are still stuck at your world?” Estyshana asks Meiko.

   “My father’s subordinates have reported that there aren’t any movement from them so far.” she replies.

   “Please have them report to us should they start to move.” Jin tells her.

   “Understood.”

   Estyshana, on the other hand, is being bothered by something.

   “Your father’s subordinates? Don’t you mean yours?” she asks Meiko.

   “No, I meant my father’s.”

   “It’s the same thing. You’ll take his place one day, right?”

   Meiko starts shaking her head vigorously.

   “Oh no no no! I wouldn’t even dream of it! I’m nothing compared to my great father!”

   “Yet. Don’t worry. You can definitely do it.”

   “But, I can’t. I just know it!”

   “Meiko, looks like I have to teach you on the path of leadership. The thing is-”

   “Stop right there, Von Mantus. This really isn’t the time for this.” Jin says to the demon.

   “What are you talking about? Of course it is. Meiko is suffering from lack of confidence, for crying out loud. Don’t you care?”

   Suddenly, Jin realizes her true purpose.

   “...You’re just trying to stall for time so that you don’t have to study that much, aren’t you?”

   Estyshana flinches and averts her eyes. She also tries to whistle, only to fail miserably.

   “That reminds me. How goes your study so far, Al?” Audrey asks her younger sister.

   Aldenia flinches even more than Estyshana.

   “D-D-D-D-D-Don’t worry, nee-san. I got everything under control.”

   Audrey narrows her eyes.

   “You sure don’t sound it. Perhaps we should have a revision session of our own when we get back.”

   “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!”

   “I feel you, Aldenia. I really do.”

   “Let’s work hard in order to survive this, Esty.”

   “Yes, let’s do our best.”

   And the two of them hug each other with tears in their eyes. How heart-warming.

   Audrey takes out her phone from her shirt pocket and stares at the screen.

   “It is almost time for the sky to go dark. If it’s anything like last night, those spirits will most likely appear again.” she warns while putting the phone away.

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   “Great. We’re not even done with our discussion.” Jin mutters.

   “Say, isn’t there an easier method to find that Tengu ghost?” Estyshana asks. “He’s a ghost, so he should always wander around certain spots that he loved to go when he was alive.”

   “That’s usually the case with earthbound spirit.” Ayumi agrees. “However, Tengu is no such spirit. To make things worse, he seems to be very good at hiding himself.”

   “Drat, and here I thought that we can ambush him.”

   What Estyshana said gives Jin an idea. Just as he was about to share it with the others, he remembered Tengu’s warning.

   “I can be everywhere, even the place where you least expect me…”

   For all he knows, that unhygienic ghost is listening to their conversation right now without them even noticing him.

   “...Ichihara. Do the talismans you use include ones that prevent eavesdropping?”

   “Yes, there is.”

   “Great. Can you go get as many of them possible and stick them around this room?”

   “Of course.”

   Ayumi gets up from her seat obediently and leaves the room in order to get the required talismans.

   “As for us, we’ll be casting Silent Bubble and use them to surround this room.” he tells Estyshana, Audrey and Aldenia.

   “I’m sorry. My mana is too little to be able to use Silent Bubble.” Aldenia informs apologetically.

   “Don’t worry about it.”

   And so, the remaining three cast a triple layer of Silent Bubble around the room.

   “Is there a need for all these precautions?” Audrey asks curiously.

   “There is. Finding Tengu depends o nwhat I’m about to tell you. It might not work in the end, but I don’t want to chance it.”

   Ayumi soon came back with the talismans. Everyone helped out in sticking them around the room.

   “It’s done. Now, no one can sneak in and listen to our conversations, alive or no.” Ayumi informs.

   “Good.” Jin nods in satisfaction.

   “Seriously, what are you thinking of doing that requires this much precautions against being overheard?” Estyshana asks.

   He shrugs.

   “It’s nothing much, to be honest. I just hoped that we can search for his grave.”

   “His grave? What for?”

   “We were focused so much on searching for the ghost himself that we’ve forgotten a much easier way to search for him: if we can’t find him, we’ll make him come to us. In this case, if we manage to find where his body was buried, he’ll come running over right away.”

   “I’ll start searching at once.” Audrey says.

   “We’re counting on you.”

   Audrey nods and reaches out her right palm. A crystal ball that’s the same size as her palm appears on it immediately. She mutters some words, and the crystal ball starts to become cloudy. It remains the same for a few minutes until it shows the image of a skeleton.

   “Is that it?” Jin asks.

   Audrey nods in confirmation.

   The image zooms out, and it shows some kind of factory.

   “Oh, I know that place. It’s a factory that produces flour which is located at Otsu.” Ayumi says.

   “...Where?” Jin asks.

   “It’s a city near Kyoto.”

   “Shouldn’t you know that?” Estyshana asks Jin.

   “Hey, I may be a Japanese, but that doesn’t make me knowledgeable in about every single city in the country. You don’t know the name of all the towns at Ifezan, do you?”

   “Point taken.”

   “More importantly, now that we know how to find him, should we go right now and fight him at his strongest, or wait until daytime so that he’s not at his full strength?” Jin asks the opinion of everyone who’re present.

   “We should wait for another day as we don’t yet know the full capability of our enemy. As such, we should avoid fighting him when he’s at his strongest.” Audrey voices out hers.

   “That’s a good reasoning and all, nee-san. However, waiting one more day means another night there there will be more casualties. We should end this as soon as possible.” Aldenia disagrees.

   “Yup, what Aldenia said.” Estyshana agrees.

   “You just want to skip out on studying, aren’t you?” Jin asks her.

   “Yup!”

   “I agree on attacking right now. Who knows what other diabolical plan Tengu will hatch if we wait for too long.” Ayumi says.

   “What about you, Meiko? What do you think?” Jin asks.

   “I think we should attack right now. As my father always say, strike the iron while it’s hot.” she says rather hesitantly.

   “Majority win against minority. I guess we’re attacking straight away.”

   “Indeed. I gladly agree to follow the decision of the majority.” Audrey concedes.

   “All right! Let’s go!” Estyshana says excitedly.

   “Not you. You can’t join us in the operation tonight.” Jin tells her.

   She tries to open her mouth to protest, but Jin interrupts her.

   “It’s not that I enjoy imagining you suffer from doing revisions, or I don’t trust you. Rather, I need you to be there to protect the Wakaba family and Watanabe.”

   She immediately forgets her rage.

   “...All right. Point taken. Again. I’ll listen to you for once.”

   She gets up and opens a portal.

   “Make sure to defeat him.” she tells everyone else before she heads inside.

   “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure that he won’t stay here with the livings after tonight.” Aldenia assures.

   Estyshana looks at Jin.

   “Make sure to leave some action for me when we’re hunting down the evil version of Fox Lady.”

   “No need to worry about that. We’ll definitely defeat her together.”

   “I’ll hold you to your word.”

   With that, she’s gone.

   “Should I call my father so that he could help us out?” Meiko asks.

   Jin considers it for a while. He then shakes his head.

   “No. We need him to be at the youkai’s world, just in case evil Fox Lady is planning an attack while he’s absent. However, tell him that we’re about to find Tengu anyway, just in case things go wrong.” he decides.

   “Understood.”

   “How exactly are you going to talk to your father?” Aldenia asks Meiko curiously.

   “We’ve trained crows to send messages for us.”

   “Blimey, and here I thought us using eagles at Ifezan are old-fashioned.”

   “No methods are ever considered old. It’s just that inefficient ones will cease to exist and be replaced. Such is the way of the world.” Audrey says to her.

   “I’m going to get my katana and talismans. Please wait until I come back.” Ayumi says.

   Once all of them are ready, they brought out their mask and put them on. Well, everyone except Jin, since he already has his helmet and armor.

   “Is everyone ready?” Audrey asks.

   Everyone else nods.

   “Very well, then. I shall open the portal now.”

   Once again, it didn’t take Audrey very long for her to open up a portal. Once done, they pass through it in order to reach the factory.

   As expected, everything is pitch black inside the factory. Even so, it didn’t take Jin’s eyes long for them to get adjusted in the dark. Since this is a flour factory, there are lots and lots of flour contained in sacks.

   “Those are a lot of flours.” Aldenia mutters.

   “What did you expect? It’s a flour factory. I just hope that they bought insurance.” Jin says. “Now then, Audrey?”

   She stares at the crystal ball.

   “This way.” she instructs while pointing right in front of them.

   Thankfully, the spot isn’t buried under all those sacks. By contrast, there’s nothing on top but wooden tile.

   “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that he actually allows this factory to be built on top of where his body was buried.” Jin says.

   “Perhaps he was trying to be discreet. If he caused a ruckus, everyone would know his burial place, and he would know no peace.” Audrey gives her opinion in the matter.

   “Makes sense.”

   “So, how exactly are we going to make him appear?” Aldenia asks.

   “Simple. We desecrate his burial ground.” Jin suggests.

   Ayumi looks at him like he just suggested to murder a group of innocent children or something.

   “You’re not going to do that for real are you, Minase-kun?” she asks with clear dread in her voice. “That’s too much, even for you!”

   Even Meiko is freaking out.

   “Please consider, Minase-san! Disrespecting the dead is going too far!” she wails.

   “Calm down, you two. I’m not actually going to do it.” Jin quickly assures them.

   “Then, what’s this about desecrating his burial ground?”

   “It’s just a pretend, okay? I’m only going to do this.”

   He brings out Felfarthen and acts like he’s going to stab the burial spot with it.

   “Man, I wonder what’s under here? Let’s dig and find out!” he says loudly on purpose.

   Two seconds later, the roof of the factory got blown off by a strong gust of wind. They then sees a long haired and nailed man floating in midair. He spews some gibberish at the top of his lung, making some phantasmal blood fly everywhere.

   “Wow, that actually worked.” Jin mutters. “Anyone understands a word he just said?”

   “Maybe something along the line of “Who dares to disturb my resting ground?”.” Aldenia suggests. “Villains in mangas and animes say those kind of lines all the time.”

   “How corny. Well, let’s just get this started.”

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