"Shopping?"
"Yeah, do you want to go shopping together tomorrow if you're free?"
The nation's premier Onmyouji cultivation facility, the Onmyou Academy.
In the corridor of the Onmyou Academy dorm, Tsuchimikado Harutora was currently chatting with the student who had just passed by. She was Tsuchimikado Natsume, Harutora's childhood friend.
Natsume seemed like she had just finished showering. She wore loose baggy athletic clothing, with a towel wrapped around her head of dripping black hair.
She deliberately wore this rather large athletic clothing to conceal the curves of her body. However, the faintly red-tinged skin that was visible was tender and smooth, and the fine white neck exposed to the outside didn't seem at all like it would appear in this kind of place - the male dorm.
The wrongly-sized athletic clothing seemed to accent her childishness and willfulness. Maybe she wasn't used to this kind of dress, as Harutora saw her step on her own pants legs more than five times. He wondered how her true identity had managed to last this long without being exposed.
"......Harutora?"
"Yeah? ......Oh, Sorry." Harutora noticed he was staring, hastily coughing a few times to conceal it. "Anyway, I've been studying almost the whole time since I came to Tokyo, and I've almost never gone out."
"Of course you can't go out, since you can't keep up with the curriculum."
"Uh, I guess that's true...... But I still haven't been able to buy things like clothes or furniture! Especially clothes, I haven't brought any winter clothes from home, so I'm out of clothes to wear already."
"You can wear the uniform."
"I'm talking about normal clothes! Also, I managed to leave home and come to Tokyo, but every day I'm either going to the academy or back to the dorm! I almost can't take it! I want to relax once in a while too!"
Harutora had only transferred into the Onmyou Academy half a year after Natsume, and he was originally an outsider with regard to Onmyoudou. Hence, he had to put more effort in to be able to keep up with the progress of the curriculum, and he lived a life of scrambling after schoolwork all the time.
Tomorrow was Sunday, so he didn't need to go to class.
"I want to go have fun, I want to go have fun!" He repeated forcefully, clenching his fists. His expression couldn't conceal his suffering.
This was the point of view of a perfectly healthy boy - Harutora believed this, but for some reason Natsume's gaze was a bit impatient, like a big sister staring at a belligerent child.
Then, Natsume sighed. She didn't seem helpless, nor did she show a wry smile.
"Okay, I'll come shopping with you."
"Really? Great! I'll have to sleep early tonight since we decided to go shopping tomorrow. Good night, Natsume. I'll see you in the dorm cafeteria tomorrow morning!"
Harutora's expression instantly became joyful and he walked back to his own room in high spirits.
Natsume watched him leave, a wry smile finally emerging on her face as she quietly said: "......I hope the weather's good tomorrow."
☆
The weather was extremely sunny the next day.
Harutora arrived at the first-floor cafeteria ahead of time to wait. Once he saw Natsume appear, he said out loud: "No way?" and furrowed his brow.
"......Natsume."
"What's wrong? Did you wait long?"
"Well, I didn't wait very long......"
Harutora sized Natsume up from head to toe. Natsume couldn't help but look distracted, glancing at him with a "Huh?". She didn't look to be in a bad mood.
Harutora sighed.
"......Why are you wearing the uniform?"
"Huh? Didn't you want to go shopping?"
"Right, I wanted to go 'shopping'! Not to the academy to take classes! Why do you even wear your uniform when you go out to have fun?"
Natsume who had appeared in the cafeteria still wore the specially designed, black Onmyou Academy uniform that resembled imperial clothing.
Harutora spoke impatiently and Natsume replied huffily.
"Wh, What's the problem, I just wanted to wear the uniform out."
"How can there be no problem, the Onmyou Academy uniform is so conspicuous. Also, how can we have fun like this?"
Harutora wore a T-shirt, jacket, and jeans. Though he hadn't particularly paid attention to his dress, the relaxed style suited him reasonably well.
"But...... I don't have anything else to wear outside." Natsume spoke distressedly.
"What? No way? Why?"
"Wh, Why......" Natsume tossed her head in offense, glaring at Harutora. Then, she suddenly lowered her voice, even changing her tone. "......Do I even need to say? I, I don't have male clothing."
With that, Harutora exclaimed "Oh", finally understanding Natsume's point.
Harutora and Natsume had been born in the Tsuchimikado family, a famous Onmyoudou family. Harutora was from the branch family, but Natsume was the successor of the main family. According to the branch family tradition, Harutora had to serve Natsume and become her shikigami.
On the other hand, Natsume obeyed the main family tradition and concealed her own gender - She dressed as a male to enter the Onmyou Academy to study, not allowing others to learn that she was a girl. Only her childhood friend Harutora and their classmate Ato Touji knew her secret.
Her saying this reminded Harutora that he had only seen Natsume dressed up back at home. She always wore athletic clothing in the dorm.
"B, But what did you do before? Did you wear your uniform every time you went out?"
"I never went out alone...... Even when I did, I was just going to the bookstore or the convenience store......"
"Uwah, what a lonely life."
"Th, That's none of your business! I came to Tokyo to become an Onmyouji. It's enough to wear my uniform, sleeping clothes, and at the most athletic clothes as well!" Natsume spoke agitatedly, clearly forcing herself. However, she didn't admit defeat, inviting solitude and loneliness instead.
"......O, Okay, why don't you come buy clothes with me today. I'll help you pick out some suitable clothes."
"What? Don't look down on me! Listen, I don't want to buy any clothes, and I don't like noisy places--!"
"Okay, okay, don't worry. I'll tell you what's popular now so that you won't lose face."
"Don't insult me! I'm not going anymore, since I oppose reasons like 'having fun' in the first place." Natsume pouted, her face flushed from anger.
It couldn't be told from her external appearance, but Natsume's personality was actually quite stubborn. Things would be bad if he got on her bad side.
"Alright, alright." Harutora hastily spoke up to appease her anger. "I'm not familiar with this area, and you lived here for half a year, so you should know better than me, right?"
"Why don't you just ask Touji for that kind of thing. He was originally from here."
"It seems like he has business today."
"......Business? He's not going with us today?"
"Yeah, but it's stupid to go shopping alone. Please come with me, Natsume." Harutora laughed to placate her.
Once the originally angry Natsume heard that Touji couldn't come, her face suddenly changed. Since the three of them had almost always moved together recently, she seemed to have believed that today would also be the same.
"......It's only the two of us today?"
"Yes."
"......Only the two of us are going to go shopping?"
"Right."
"......Then th-this is a d--"
"Huh?"
Harutora didn't hear clearly and asked back in confusion. "N-Nothing!" For some reason, Natsume blushed, turning her back to Harutora after saying that.
The small back facing Harutora seemed uneasy and anxious. Harutora's mind was filled with questions. He didn't know whether to speak up or not and could only silently watch Natsume's reaction.
Not long after--
"O, Okay! I'll go with you today, I have no choice!"
Natsume recovered her male tone, speaking up. She turned around, her mouth faintly curving up. Harutora secretly wondered whether he had just been over-thinking things.
Harutora didn't understand the sudden change in his childhood friend's attitude, but he didn't dare ask for a clear reason from the beaming and pleased Natsume. He just replied: "......Okay" and nodded his head obediently.
☆
They didn't know that the dorm manager Fujino happened to be grinning in the corridor outside the dorm cafeteria, excitedly pressing her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
☆
The Onmyou Academy was in the Shibuya district. Even though he had said they would 'go out to have fun', it was actually just a short walk.
After leaving the dorm, Harutora and Natsume first walked to the busiest district of Shibuya, the JR Shibuya Station.
This place was normally hustling and bustling, and it was even more packed on a sunny Sunday. The two were bathed in the autumn sunlight as they leisurely strolled through the crowd of people.
Harutora wore a refreshing smile, looking around the group of people on the road.
"As expected of Yashibu, the weekends are so busy."
"Y, Yashibu...... You sound like a weird foreigner. Don't say that, it's so embarrassing."
"Huh? It's embarrassing? But Touji said that people in Tokyo would say the names backwards......"
"Harutora, he was tricking you."
"Tricking me? So that's why Kyouko laughed? Tenma also looked troubled......"
"At least you should have noticed when no one around you spoke like that."
"But after I came to Tokyo, I actually heard someone else talk like that."
"Really? Who?"
"Ohtomo-sensei."
"............"
Kurahashi Kyouko and Momoe Tenma were classmates of Harutora and Natsume, and Ohtomo Jin was their homeroom teacher.
Harutora, whose mistake had been pointed out, frowned with a displeased face. Natsume sighed - giggling lightly.
"I-It's been a long time since we had fun like this, especially w-with just the two of us!" Then, Natsume spoke with a bit of bashfulness.
"Huh? --Oh, right. Since the incident in the summer, I always felt like it wasn't a time to play around...... How long has it been since we went out? We haven't played together since we grew up, right?"
"Haha, that's too much of an exaggeration. Before Touji came, we went to the fireworks festival--"
"Fireworks? When was that?'
"Two years ago-- Ah, no! I, I think I remembered wrong! Uh...... r, right! It seems like we didn't play together after we grew up. Ahaha, how nostalgic!"
For some reason, Natsume became flustered and suddenly laughed fakely a few times, pretending to be casual. Harutora furrowed his brow, but Natsume hastily changed the topic with a smile.
"R, Right, where do you want to go first! I remember you said you wanted to buy clothes."
"Huh? Let me think, I wanted to buy winter clothes and then help you find a few clothes...... I don't have much money on me, so all we can do afterwards is go to an arcade or a manga store...... What about you? Is there anywhere you want to go?"
"Me? I don't know much about these things, so you can decide."
"Alright then, we'll just stroll around Shibuya. It should be pretty interesting."
"Haha, that's right...... Strolling around leisurely is really like a...... date......"
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Nothing, I didn't say anything~" After saying this, Natsume walked in front of Harutora with light steps, her head of black hair and the pink ribbon tied in her hair prancing along with her steps. She was happy for some reason, her face with a joyous expression that seemed like she might lose control of the smile on her face at any time.
"Let's go find your clothes first."
"Alright, thanks."
"Huh? Thanks for what?"
"Eh? Thanks for leading the way......"
Natsume suddenly jumped in surprise after hearing Harutora say this.
"I'm leading the way? I don't go out very often, how could I lead the way?"
Natsume's eyes widened and she stressed this point that wasn't something to be proud of. Harutora could only shrug his shoulders unconcernedly.
"I don't mean for you to make recommendations. I mostly wear second-hand clothes, so it's fine if you just bring me to a place where lot of those kinds of stores would be gathered."
"I said I don't know! Also, I never go out to buy clothes!"
"What? How is that possible? Never mind male clothing, don't you have several female clothes?"
"Th, Those are all from mail-order......"
"Mail order? Why?"
"W, Why...... In stores, there are shop attendants who run up to ask you things......" Natsume explained awkwardly.
Come to think of it, Natsume was unusually shy, particularly 'in private' when she wasn't dressed as a male. "No way." Harutora scratched his head, seeming quite troubled.
"So that wasn't a joke, you're really completely unfamiliar with Shibuya?"
"I, I wouldn't say completely unfamiliar, I'm just not very familiar......"
"But you can't think of anywhere we could go, right? That sucks, I don't know if we can find a place by strolling around...... After all, this place is so big."
Harutora's luck was extremely poor, so he couldn't expect to randomly run into a secondhand clothing store suitable for him.
"......I, Is it that annoying not to know where to go?" Natsume looked at him anxiously.
"It should be resolvable, I think."
"Do we ask the police?"
"Police? We don't need to go through that much trouble. Let's just walk around the area first." Harutora smiled, beginning to walk again. Natsume silently followed behind him.
"......I really should have gotten Touji to come with us."
It was also Harutora's first time in a place as big a Shibuya. He mumbled with a wry smile, secretly reflecting on his hasty actions. Rather than shooting for the moon, he should have found someone familiar with this place in order to actually get results.
But, once this unintentional sentence reached the ears of Natsume behind him, her heart suddenly leaped, her steps went awry, and anger instantly flashed across her face, also leading to a haughty arrogance.
"......Th, This is all your fault for failing to plan. Even though you wanted to buy clothes, you didn't investigate which store you wanted beforehand, right?"
"I said, I thought I could ask you--"
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying it's all my fault?"
"Th, That's not what I mean."
"In the first place, it's all your fault for wanting to rely on others from the beginning. That way of thinking is way too irresponsible. That's why things go bad once something slips up."
"Uh, I guess......"
"Don't always think that everything will turn out well."
"............"
Her attitude flipped and her tone suddenly became acrid. Harutora, his face displeased, didn't get what had happened.
"......What are you mad about?"
"I, I'm not mad."
"You're obviously mad. You're acting childish."1
Natsume's lips instantly went stiff after Harutora retorted.
"Y, You were the one who invited me out, shouldn't you be deciding where to go?"
"......Tch, it was my fault, I shouldn't have asked you to come. I didn't think you would be this unfamiliar to this place."
"Y, You really are blaming me! And what's up with your tone? Don't forget, you're my shikigami!"
"......Yes yes, with a master who shuts herself in day and night and who can't get anywhere without me leading the way."
"I, I don't shut myself in! I go to class properly every day--!"
"You only walk to the academy and the dorms, right? You're completely shut inside the Onmyou Academy."
The two of them bickered and the atmosphere grew more and more dangerous.
Natsume's wide, clear eyes glared at Harutora, her lips pursed. Then, she suddenly turned around, silently striding forward.
"Tch...... Wh, What are you doing, are you going back?"
"No! As you expected of me, I'll bring you to buy clothes!"
"What are you talking about? You don't know this place, right?"
"I just need to find some random stores! It's easy!"
Natsume's shoulders trembled in anger as she rapidly strode forward alone. Damn, he had said too much. Harutora regretted, since after all once he annoyed Natsume, it was just a waste of breath to continue convincing her.
"......This is bad." Harutora's face soured and he lamented.
It was Sunday, with the warm autumn sun high in the sky. But above the head of the hastily pursuing Harutora, a vesture of clouds gradually eroded the cloudless sky.
☆
"......Hey, Natsume. I shouldn't have spoken so angrily, please don't be mad."
"Shut up, just follow me quietly."
"But it's almost three, and I'm starving......"
"Didn't you say you wanted to 'buy clothes first'? If you're only going to complain, why don't you hurry up and help look."
Natsume advanced indifferently without stopping along the way or turning back. Harutora followed behind her, exhaustedly looking up at the sky while maintaining a distance of several strides between the two of them.
The clear blue sky in the morning was now already covered with clouds and it seemed like it could start raining at any time.
"Really, I finally got a good Sunday......" He mumbled listlessly. Maybe hearing his complaint, the back of Natsume who walked in front of him twitched and her steps became more impatient. Harutora inadvertently sighed.
In the beginning, Natsume had planned on going into department stores to find secondhand clothing stores. Of course, Harutora stopped her immediately, but he had stopped holding any expectations from that time on. Afterwards, they had looked along the road, but unfortunately their luck was no good - which was within expectations - and they hadn't even seen a single secondhand clothing store.
Harutora said several times that the store didn't matter, but Natsume ignored him. Maybe it was in a small alley, not the main road - he calmly guided her into an alley, and then they finally noticed a secondhand clothing store, but unfortunately it just happened to be a store holiday. "Today! Sunday!" He couldn't help but be stunned, but it seemed that the store manager had suddenly fallen ill, further proving that he was an unlucky person.
"......Natsume, you don't need to look anymore. This is all my fault, I'm sorry, why don't we go eat......"
"Shut up! Talk about it after we finish buying the clothes! Next is this alley!"
Natsume proclaimed, turning into a small alley from the main road as if she had to save face.
"......It's all your fault for saying you wanted to buy secondhand clothes......!"
"That's not the problem...... I mean, you're right, sorry......"
"Also, Harutora, your taste in clothing is bad! What's up with that jacket? To think there's a tiger sewn into it...... Could it be that you wear a tiger because your name has 'tora2' in it?"
"......Yeah, that's right."
"That's stupid, it looks tasteless. No wonder you don't make a good first impression!"
"......Yes."
Harutora lowered his head, crestfallen and full of complaints, behind Natsume whose expression was dismal. His prized jacket had been shot down several times in succession, but he was no longer angry, just amazed that Natsume's anger could continue for this long. He believed that she was probably hungry as well.
"......Could it be that you're angry because you're hungry......"
"Harutora! What did you say?"
"No, I didn't say anything."
After Harutora replied, the cry of a stomach immediately sounded, and it wasn't a noise that had come from Harutora's stomach.
Natsume who walked ahead inadvertently stopped moving, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. An awkward silence filled the area, but because Harutora was exhausted, he couldn't think of anything that could appease her emotions.
Not long after, Natsume strode forth in a huff like she would knock over everything on the road that was in her way, walking deep into the alley.
Harutora was helpless, inadvertently glancing at the signboard next to him--
'Paradise Hotel - Rest: Four thousand yen'
"Uwah!"
His listless exhaustion instantly evaporated into smoke and Harutora frantically looked around him in shock, confirming exactly what kind of place he had walked into.
Complex narrow alleys, with the dark sky mapping out a gloomy scene in midday. There were few people, and the only people they occasionally ran into were all pairs of lovers, and strangely, every pair of lovers had their heads lowered.
Suspicious hotels stood everywhere in great numbers, and occasionally even more suspicious restaurants or stores would show up......
"H, Hold on, Natsume! Stop!"
He rushed forward, grabbing Natsume's arm from behind. Natsume shook him off angrily, freeing the arm that had been grabbed.
"Don't touch me, Harutora! I'm not hungry at all and I haven't given up!"
"Calm down, Natsume. I understand your mood, but this place really looks bad!"
"What's bad about it? Didn't you say we should look in small alleys!"
"It's true that I said that, but, this alley is a little... Uh...!"
Even Harutora's face reddened as he said this. Natsume stared at Harutora, a confused expression flashing over her face.
"L, Look around." Flustered, Harutora hastily spoke in a whisper.
"......Isn't it very normal? What's strange?"
"Wh, What's strange...... You can't see it? The places around here are all 'that kind' of hotel!"
"What exactly are you panicking about? What's strange about hotels?"
Natsume knit her brows in vexation, looking at Harutora. Harutora coughed lightly, leaning towards Natsume's ears and quietly saying a simple, clear explanation. After hearing that, Natsume's eyes widened and her cheeks were momentarily dyed red.
"What? These are l-l-l......!3"
"......Great, I don't have to explain what a love hotel is."
"Don't misunderstand, I-I didn't mean to......!"
"Calm down. I know you didn't mean that, but if others see even a small quarrel in this kind of place--"
Before he had even finished speaking, an unfamiliar male-female pair walked out of a love hotel.
Harutora and Natsume rapidly retreated to hide by the road, pretending to look at the advertisement leaflets stuck to the wall while they waited with bated breath for the couple to leave.
Natsume was trembling in shock.
"I, In broad daylight......!"
"It's a Sunday......"
"Th-They, They have no sense of shame......!"
"Natsume, isn't the leaflet you're staring at also very embarrassing?"
Upon hearing Harutora say this, Natsume hastily paid attention to what kind of leaflet was stuck on the wall she was staring at. It was an advertisement for 'Adult sex toys' on which was written 'Fifty percent discount!'. Harutora seemed to hear Natsume's mind snap. Natsume made a soundless scream, swinging her head of hair as she hastily turned her body.
"Anyway, we'll be in trouble if we let someone we know see us in this kind of place. Let's go, Natsume." Harutora said. However, it seemed that Natsume hadn't recovered from the shock.
"......Why...... are things going so...... badly......"
"Huh, Natsume?"
"......I was looking forward to this date...... It's all ruined......" She mumbled, seeming at a loss.
Unfortunately, rain just happened to fall at this time, and moreover it was a torrential downpour.
It was an afternoon thunderstorm. Rain had started to fall after all.
"Ahh, what bad luck......" Harutora said in dismay.
Natsume followed Harutora's gaze and looked up at rainy sky as well.
The huge raindrops continuously assaulted the pair who stood still in the suspicious alley. Natsume looked at the sky, stunned, and soon after--
"......Uu."
"Ugh! N, Natsume, don't cry."
"I'm not crying!!" Natsume yelled tearfully.
Actually, Harutora wanted to cry as well. Most people would believe that suddenly encountering a downpour while standing in front of a love hotel with a girl would be a fortunate sudden occurrence, but he felt nothing of the sort. He was dying from hunger and was also tired from walking, and the rain drenching his body was cold. What a terrible Sunday.
"Damn! Nothing good will come out of continuing to stand here. Let's go, Natsume. Let's just find some cafe and escape the rain for now."
"......Yeah......"
Harutora made the proposal and Natsume finally nodded, no longer being stubborn. Just as the two of them had reached a common consensus--
"Ako, have you found Natsume-kun and Harutora-kun?"
"I haven't, Mako! We lost them!"
Harutora and Natsume knew that they couldn't possibly have misheard. Those were the voices of the male dorm manager Fujino Mako and the female dorm manager Kifu Ako. The two of them enjoyed gossip and loved BL4, not exactly qualified to serve as dorm managers. Harutora and Natsume became dumbfounded and looked at each other.
"You didn't hear it wrong, right? Were they really walking this way just now?"
"Definitely! Maybe the two of them finally broke through the final line...... Aaaah! That won't do, I have to stop that sort of action as the dorm manager, but I'm so excited!"
Noisy sounds came from the side and they were drawing closer step by step, obviously searching for traces of the two of them.
At the time, there was only one place that could grant them emergency shelter.
☆
They chose the cheapest room, but it was still an unexpected expense. But honestly, Harutora didn't care about the money problem right now.
This was the first time he had entered a love hotel in his life, and he had even entered with a girl dressed as a male - the girl he had played with since he was small.
"......L-L-Lets stay here for now, since the situation's urgent......"
"......Th-Th-That's true, after all it is an emergency......"
Since he couldn't let the two of them run into him standing in front of a love hotel, Harutora and Natsume had walked embarrassedly into the room, avoiding looking at each other.
The interior of the room was decorated shabbily, and the bathroom was right next to the entrance. There was a small table and a sofa in the room, and there was a LCD television placed next to the wall. There was also a small refrigerator underneath, and in addition, there was a giant bed taking up thirty percent of the entire room......
"......Uh, it's more normal than I imagined......"
Though the lighting in the room was dark, it was set up the same as a normal hotel at first glance. Moreover, though the size of the bed was large, it was just a normal bed. Harutora had though that these kinds of hotels all had rotating beds, and only then did he notice that there were no mirrors on the wall and he couldn't see into the bathroom from inside the room.
"......R, Right, this is more normal than I imagined. The bed isn't peculiar, there are no mirrors on the walls, and you can't see inside the bathroom from outside......"
Natsume's understanding of love hotels seemed about the same as Harutora's, and because the two of them were alone, she also went back to her normal tone of voice.
She wanted Harutora to sit on the sofa, but he chose to sit on the corner of the bed.
"............"
"............"
"............"
"............"
The two of them opened their mouths, both believing that they should say something to relieve the awkwardness yet unable to find the opportunity. They snuck glances at each other, hastily averting their gazes when they crossed, pretending that they weren't looking at the other person's expression.
"Th, That was really frightening just now, I didn't think we would run into them!" Harutora managed to gather his courage.
"Th, That's right."
"Could those two have been tailing us? I didn't notice at all!"
"M, Me neither."
"They really have nothing better to do. Since we came here, we might as well wait for the rain to stop!"
"Okay......"
Harutora showed a consistent cheerfulness, but conversely it resulted in things seeming even more helpless. On the other hand, Natsume had also relieved herself of her anger from before and she seemed extremely cute, stiffly sitting on the sofa.
The silence extended.
"Wh-Why don't we watch TV." Harutora took the remote control and turned on the television.
Once the television turned on, the screen showed the color of skin and the sound of voices came from the speakers. He frantically turned off the television. Natsume seemed to have glanced at the image on the screen. Her face was red and her body was rigid.
"......S-Sorry......"
"......It's okay......"
"............"
"............"
The atmosphere of the small room became even more awkward amidst the silence, and the two of them sat uncomfortably.
After a while passed, "......Sorry." Natsume broke the silence, apologizing quietly. Harutora made a "Huh?" sound, looking at Natsume. Natsume's head was still lowered, and she mumbled: "......Sorry. You invited me out today...... I shouldn't have gotten mad......"
"Wh, What, so that's what you meant. It's alright, I'm not concerned about it anymore."
"But......"
"You don't need to be concerned, at least I learned a bit more about Shibuya because of it. Also, I can go buy clothes whenever I want."
"But, the two of us finally had a chance to...... have fun together......" After saying this, Natsume's slumped her shoulders.
"Actually, we'll still have a lot of time later, Sunday hasn't ended yet."
"......Harutora-kun."
"And if you really want to talk about it, it was my misfortune that tired you out."
"Th, That's not true!"
"Anyways, this counts as some sort of lesson - that Sundays can occasionally be this bad." Harutora spoke leisurely, and only then did Natsume raise her head. She looked at Harutora, showing a shy smile. "......Yeah."
Her rain-soaked black hair sparkled in the illumination of the room's light, her wet bangs stuck to her cheeks and making her look particularly charming. Harutora's gaze was unconsciously drawn in.
Just then, Natsume sneezed, and only then did Harutora realize that the two of them had been drenched by the rain.
"Oh no, a towel--"
"I-It's alright, I can get it myself--"
The two of them rose simultaneously. Since the space in the room was so narrow, they almost bumped into each other midway and they hastily stopped moving. In the end, it was Harutora who entered the bathroom and took the towel inside to give to Natsume.
"Th, Thanks......"
Natsume received the towel from Harutora's hands, spreading it over her head. She covered her face, drying her wet hair.
The two of them didn't sit back in their original seats, facing each other blankly while standing in front of the bathroom. Then, Natsume sneezed lightly again and Harutora uttered an "Ah", unconsciously murmuring: "Natsume, do you want to take a shower?"
Natsume's movements stopped instantly.
Only after he spoke did Harutora realize that he had misspoke. "I-I don't have any other intentions! I'm just afraid you'll catch a cold! It'll be bad if you catch a cold! If you do--!" He spoke in a stammer, desperately defending himself. Natsume didn't respond, with her face covered by the towel.
"I-I don't mean to force you to shower! Of course, I didn't have any ulterior motives! I was just worried about you catching a cold......"
Harutora regretted deeply, not understanding how he could have casually said those kinds of words. Natsume's body moved and her lips pressed tightly together. She slowly took the towel off her head. Her face was still rosy, but her expression was a bit different from before. She moved her gaze slightly, unwilling to look at Harutora.
"......Okay."
"Huh?'
"If you say so, I'll go shower......"
Her tone showed her fluster and her eyes were no longer evasive, staring straight at Harutora. Her clear eyes looked upwards, looking into Harutora's as if she were confirming.
"......Natsume--" Harutora's mind went white.
"......Ahem."
The two childhood friends suddenly leapt backwards as if they had been shocked, putting distance between each other.
"Wh-What......?" The panicked Harutora looked back, seeing a small girl kneeling on the large bed.
She wore a suikan like a Japanese doll of a young girl, with what seemed to be fox ears poking out of her beautiful, neat short hair. A fluffy leaf-shaped tail could even be seen behind her back.
She was Harutora's defensive shikigami, Kon.
Normally, she was hiding her body, always waiting upon Harutora by his side and protecting his safety. She hadn't come out to stir up trouble for the whole day today, leading Harutora to completely forget that she was with him.
"Kon?"
"......Yes, it is I, Harutora-sama's loyal retainer, Kon." Kon kneeled on the bed, her eyes closed as she replied solemnly.
"Well, don't come out so suddenly, you almost scared me to death!"
"......I know I should not have, but there was a pressing matter...... Also......" She opened her closed eyes, narrowing her eyes, which shot out a sharp gaze. "Harutora-sama, do you believe I shouldn't have spoken up?"
"Huh? Uh, no, well......!"
"Would you have preferred to remember I am always by your side later on?"
"N, Not really...... But...... Kon? Your speech seems a bit different from normal, you're not stuttering at all when you talk......?"
The shikigami's momentum was frightening. Harutora's face went rigid and he didn't dare to say something casually. Natsume next to him covered her head with the towel again, rubbing her hair as if to emphasize that she hadn't heard anything at all.
Kon's tail swished back and forth angrily. The small shikigami stared coldly at the two and coughed again.
"I came to report - Harutora-sama, the enemy's shikigami are approaching, so p-please be on alert."
☆
"......Is that the truth? I don't really believe it......"
"I also think a love hotel's a bit......"
"We'll know if it's true or not when we find them!"
"Right, we'll definitely get conclusive evidence this time - I mean, as the dorm manager, I can't sit and watch young people make irreversible mistakes!"
Four umbrellas were held up in a narrow alleyway. Two of them were Fujino Mako and Kifu Ako's, and the other two were Kurahashi Kyouko and Momoe Tenma's.
Kyouko was dressed fashionably, her appearance cute and sweet, with a beauty that could very well be recruited into an agency if she were walking on Shibuya Street. Tenma wore glasses and he looked plain and unreliable, but he was a kind-hearted boy at first glance.
Kyouko and Tenma were currently following Fujino's orders, sending out simple shikigami whose vessels had been provisionally cut into bird shapes.
"......Really, our weekend was already half-ruined, and we still have to do this kind of thing......"
"......We're pretty unlucky today."
Kyouko muttered a complaint and Tenma spoke quietly with a bitter smile.
The two of them were Harutora's classmates, and though today was a weekend, they had first been called to the Onmyou Academy by their homeroom teacher Ohtomo to help out, and after that, they had been brought to this kind of place by Fujino and Kifu, who had charged into the academy building.
Fujino and Kifu had half-forcefully pulled the pair who had been at the Onmyou Academy into a taxi, taking it to this love hotel-filled place. They seemed to be planning to rely on the power of shikigami in order to find Harutora and Natsume, who had disappeared somewhere.
They looked for a sound reason and said it was for their 'responsibility as dorm managers', but actually they were just nosy. And now that they made students help them indiscriminately dig into personal privacy, this problem was no longer just one of abuse of power.
"......Since it's your 'responsibility as dorm managers', is it okay to make underage students do this kind of thing?"
"It's alright, you don't live in the dorm."
"Hey, that's too harsh."
"Also, aren't you also very interested? Those two really disappeared somewhere. It's 'those' two, you know!"
"That......" Kyouko and Tenma couldn't help but glance at each other.
These few days, there had been rumors that were much more than simple ones flying around regarding the relationship between Harutora and Natsume, and they had spread like wildfire through the academy. Several students, along with Fujino and Kifu, had seen Harutora trying to forcefully hug a half-naked Natsume with their own eyes - and this had even been in the academy. Kyouko and Tenma, who were familiar with the two, couldn't believe that this was true, but...... If the truth were as the dorm managers said, and the two had vanished into a love hotel......
"B, But Harutora-kun and Natsume-kun are both guys--"
"Idiot!"
"I-Idiot?"
"Your thoughts are too outdated in this world unrestricted by gender! Also, Natsume-kun is beautiful enough to match those idols on TV! It's easier for forbidden relationship to develop the more beautiful you are!"
Fujino gave off a frightening aura. Tenma was cowardly for a while, not daring to say anything else out of fright.
"N, Natsume-kun definitely wouldn't do that kind of thing! Never mind that idiot Harutora, Natsume-kun's a well-behaved student!"
"Alright, alright, Kyouko-chan, we'll know those things after we investigate." Kifu spoke happily.
Kyouko stared at the two dorm managers unhappily.
"......Fine, since you're so stubborn, I'll just look through every hotel around here and prove Natsume-kun's innocence!"
Just like that, Kyouko and Tenma increased the number of simple shikigami, carefully searching each and every love hotel along this road.
☆
"......Th, That is what's happening."
"How did things become like that! That's way too strange! What exactly is inside the heads of those two dorm managers!" Harutora cursed angrily.
Kon, who was good at stealth, had headed out to observe the situation and then come back to report. It seemed like the 'enemy' shikigami Kon had noticed before were the shikigami of Kyouko and Tenma.
"......This is bad, we're in trouble!"
People had begun to suspect whether Harutora and Natsume were having a 'private affair' due to Natsume's out-of-control, 'male' body double shikigami several days ago in the academy. If the two of them were noticed walking out of a love hotel together, it would truly be impossible to clear up. Especially when the witnesses were Fujino and Kifu.
"No! If this goes on, this misunderstanding will never be resolved! Damn......!"
Because of the regulations of family traditions, Natsume had to maintain that she was a 'male' in the Onmyou Academy. In other words, there was no way to resolve the misunderstanding. But, even if he took the initiative to expose Natsume's identity as actually a girl, the problem would become even dicier if others learned that a male and female had shared a room.
However, "You don't need to worry, Harutora." Natsume wasn't panicked like Harutora. Her attitude was deeply calm, and her eyes regained the original self-confidence that she had lost before. "Kurahashi-san's strength isn't something to look down on and Tenma-kun is good at manipulating simple shikigami, but unfortunately their strengths are far from mine. Let me deal with these shikigami." She changed back into her male tone to speak.
"Ohh, h-how reliable......!"
Harutora looked excitedly at Natsume who had calmly said those remarks. Honestly, Natsume was an excellent student who was called a 'genius' in the Onmyou Academy. Her power was outstanding among the first-year students.
But, Kon adopted a difficult expression and continued to speak: "......I, I, I am extremely sorry, but there is more......"
☆
"Kurahashi, Momoe, what are you underage students doing here? That's no good! As long as I'm still in this world, I definitely won't permit the students in my class to engage in reckless relationships!!"
"Oh god."
"Ohtomo-sensei?"
A young but seemingly old man appeared behind Kyouko and Tenma. He wore aged-looking glasses, with a cordial smile on his face as he walked into the small alley dragging his right foot. Something that looked like the wooden fake leg from a manga was fixed in his right leg, and his right hand held a cane. He was the homeroom teacher of Harutora, Kyouko, and the others - Ohtomo Jin.
"Oh my, Ohtomo-sensei, it's been a while."
"Huh, Kifu-san? And Fujino-san too. What's going on? The two of them don't live in the dorm, right?" Ohtomo was perplexed facing this strange combination. Fujino immediately put herself forward once she heard this, saying "Ohtomo-san, actually--", explaining the previous situation in a rush.
Ohtomo was first pushed back by Fujino's shocking vigor, but his expression became more and more serious as he listened.
"...I see, I understand. But simple shikigami are also a type of General Onmyoudou, and though they are students, they're still outsiders, so I can't permit them to use shikigami for this kind of purpose."
"N-No?"
"......Makes sense."
Kyouko and Tenma shrugged their shoulders next to the stunned Fujino and Kifu.
General Onmyoudou could be described as a synonym for modern magic, and only professional Onmyouji could use it. Onmyou Academy students weren't limited by provisions, but they shouldn't abuse it.
Ohtomo spoke seriously, and Fujino and Kifu couldn't help but be crestfallen.
"But, I truly understand your feelings! Alright, let me help you out!"
"Sensei?"
"Are you for real?"
Kyouko and Tenma stared at their own homeroom teacher in disbelief, but radiance instantly bloomed in the eyes of Fujino and Kifu, as they simultaneously cried out: "Sensei!" and clasped their hands, moving towards Ohtomo.
Ohtomo showed a self-confident smile.
"A man doesn't go back on his word. Such an interesting - I mean, I'll definitely stop this kind of deviant activity and expose them to the public eye!"
"N-No! How can you publicize that kind of thing?"
"Sensei, calm down!"
Kyouko and Tenma hastily tried to stop the teacher, but Ohtomo didn't heed their obstruction, releasing charms into the rain with a "Hah!" - charms used as vessels.
The many charms immediately transformed into a flock of crows and simultaneously grew wings, hovering above the various love hotels.
☆
"......That is what happened."
"What's that damn instructor doing!" Harutora claws his head and roared angrily. This adult was a bit too childish. Of course, he had entered a love hotel, but happily trying to expose the truth was quite an evil interest.
"That troublemaker should go die! Natsume? It's no problem, right? You should be able to deal with that weird Kansai5 bastard, right?"
He turned around to plead, but Natsume didn't have any extra energy to spend on him. He saw her running around the room with the blood drained out of her face. Charms were stuck all over the walls, and Natsume was hurrying to infuse these charms with magic, her expression extremely grave.
"......N, Natsume? What are you doing?"
"Setting up a barrier, of course! That stupid Kon, why didn't she say that earlier!"
"Wh, What's going on? Could this be big trouble?"
"Stupid! Ohtomo-sensei is a professional Onmyouji! Also, we're not sure about his true power, so we can't do anything about it!"
Natsume tossed her hair breathlessly and finally finished the barrier.
"N, Natsume? We, uh......?" Harutora asked gingerly upon seeing his childhood friend so pale.
"......!"
Natsume didn't immediately respond to Harutora's anxious question。But she suddenly looked far away, calling out: "......Harutora."
"Wh, What is it?"
"There's still a long future ahead of us, I hope we can always be good friends......"
"Natsume! Please don't! Don't give up your pride so easily!"
He grabbed Natsume's shoulder, shaking her forcefully, but Natsume's eyes were still dim. A tear fell from her empty eyes.
"......Haha, what a short student life, haha......"
"Y-Your eyes! Damn...... Kon! Can you think of anything?"
"Yes, I-I am also powerless......"
"Tch......!"
Harutora was caught between a rock and a hard place. His heart was fretful. Just as the dejected Harutora, the ashen Natsume, and the helpless Kon were about to give up hope, Harutora's phone rang like the bell of a savior.
☆
"Huh? Why's everyone gathered here, did something happen?" A tart, sarcastic voice sounded from the road.
The rain had stopped, and Ohtomo, Kyouko, Tenma, Fujino, and Ako had put away their umbrellas one by one. Upon hearing the sudden voice from behind, all of them were startled and hurriedly turned to look back.
"What, it's Touji-kun - Huh? Natsume-kun!"
Ohtomo's eyes widened in shock and the other four were also stunned speechless for a while.
Students from Ohtomo's class had walked into the alley from the road - Kyouko and Tenma's classmates Ato Touji, along with Natsume, who walked up behind Touji even though they had been continuously searching for him.
Touji was easygoing but Natsume seemed a bit tense, but her expression looked somewhat pleased.
"N, Natsume-kun? Weren't you with Harutora-kun?" Fujino spoke with an incredulous face.
Natsume smiled lightly upon hearing this.
"Huh? You're very knowledgeable, we were together before noon."
"B, Before noon?"
"Yes, I left after then because I had business with Touji." She explained with a casual demeanor. Kyouko, Tenma, and Ohtomo looked at the stunned Fujino and Kifu with cold gazes.
Natsume and Touji glanced at each other, secretly winking.
It had been Touji's phone call that sounded in the love hotel a while ago. Because he had finished his business, he wanted to ask them to find somewhere to meet up if they were still outside. After picking up the call, Harutora and Natsume had frantically explained the whole story to Touji, begging him to help. They had asked Touji to bring three pairs of clothing, enter the love hotel alone, and then Touji and Natsume would leave the love hotel posing as a couple, and Harutora would also leave after changing into the other set of clothes.
If Ohtomo had released simple shikigami that could lock on to an individual's aura, this plan definitely couldn't succeed. They took the plunge, and it seemed that no matter how powerful Ohtomo was, he couldn't make simple shikigami using such a sophisticated technique on the spot.
"...So?" Touji smiled unconcernedly. "What are you all doing here? I'm very curious about this kind of group being in this love hotel-filled place."
"Ah, uh, well......" Fujino stammered and Kifu's face was dejected. Ohtomo grumbled in dissatisfaction, collecting his simple shikigami, and Kyouko and Tenma shrugged their shoulders.
Just then, "Ohh, Natsume! Touji! Huh? That's weird? Isn't that Fujino-san and Kifu-san~ Kyouko and Tenma, and Ohtomo-sensei too! Why's everyone here~" Harutora appeared, sounding fake.
Fujino and Ako were deeply stunned. The other three collapsed listlessly, but Harutora smiled brilliantly.
"Are you guys looking for something? Or looking for someone? You guys are really busy even on a Sunday! Ahaha!"
Harutora laughed deliberately. It was so unnatural that even Touji and Natsume were dumbfounded.
"I, Impossible......"
"That's strange, I definitely saw him with my own eyes......"
Fujino and Kifu lowered their heads in dejection, and Harutora laughed loudly as if he were telling them to give up completely.
However, "H-H, Harutora-sama! You forgot something!" Kon appeared in midair in the alley in front of a love hotel. Her small hands were held up high while holding a phone as she hurriedly flew towards them.
"Ah, oops." Harutora exclaimed, hastily accepting the phone from the shikigami's hands.
"That was close, I accidentally forgot it - Kon, where did you pick up my phone?"
"I-It was place on the b-bed of the love hotel...... Under the t-towel."
Upon hearing the shikigami's explanation, Harutora smiled wryly and said: "Thanks for finding it."
But--
"'Love hotel', 'bed', 'towel'?"
Fujino, Kifu, Ohtomo, Kyouko, and Tenma spoke in unison.
Natsume's face paled and Touji looked up at the sky helplessly. Kon also made an "Ah" sound, her face going stiff. Harutora was half a beat slower than the others, and his body suddenly froze when he realized his gaffe.
"H, Harutora-kun? You couldn't have......"
"To y-y-your own shikigami......"
"That won't do...... That...... really isn't......"
"Harutora-kun, what did you do to such a small child......"
"......T-Terrible...…"
Five cold - even approaching grim - gazes simultaneously shot towards Harutora. "I didn't!" A chill shot through Harutora starting from the bottom of his feet, his face going white in fright.
"Wait, this is a misunderstanding!"
He denied as much as he could, stepping forward, but the five of them hastily retreated to an even farther place upon seeing this. The eyes staring at Harutora looked as if they were staring at a heinous criminal.
"They're misunderstanding! Things aren't like you're thinking! Natsume, explain to them--!"
"......I, I was with Touji......"
"You're not going to save me? Touji!"
"............"
"You're not even going to look at me!?"
Kon's face went completely red and she hid her body as if escaping. Only Harutora was left, desperately trying to clear up the misunderstanding - tragically, the more he desperately he explained, the firmer the attitudes of the five became.
Tsuchimikado Harutora wasn't a homosexual, he was actually a lolicon.
A new cloud of suspicion gathered. A mere seventy-five days might be too short, it seemed that this would take a very long time.