...What to do?
Kogure ground his teeth in distress.
The escaping Nue and Mutobe Chihiro. Kogure, who normally made prompt decisions, was rather lost upon encountering this kind of dilemma.
Mutobe was the right-hand man of the Divine General Dairenji Shidou, and the second-in-command of the former Imperial Household Agency Lingering Spirit Division, with quite a powerful strength. Though he wouldn't be defeated, it would take some work to win against him. But, if he were delayed he would only be able to watch the Nue escape. If he didn't take the opportunity to deal with the Nue, it was bound to bring about more severe damage.
Maybe he should contact Hirata. No, maybe he should first have the helicopters track the Nue's whereabouts. But the people on the field were currently completely occupied purifying a phase four spiritual disaster, and he feared that they couldn't fulfill his request quickly.
Kogure had no way of deciding.
Just then--
"Natsume!"
The boy who ran from Aoyama Street shouted towards them.
In the next moment, Natsume briskly jumped off the motorcycle.
"I'll go chase it!"
"Wha- Hey!"
Natsume had already charged towards the boy before he even had time to say something to stop her. Chase? What did they plan on chasing? That didn't need to be said; of course it was the Nue. They planned on chasing the Nue relying only on the strength of two people. Since someone was blocking his own path, then certainly only Natsume was left to continue pursuing the Nue.
About Mutobe...... He didn't need to worry, the attack he had used just now had only targeted him. In addition, in order to keep from harming Natsume in the backseat, there were even a few range-reducing charms deliberately mixed in with the thrown charms. Mutobe was a member of the Twin-Horned Syndicate, and he definitely wouldn't touch Natsume who was rumored to be Yakou's reincarnation.
Kogure gritted his teeth and simultaneously made his decision.
"Alright, damn! Reisen! Hou'oubiden! You chase the Nue, Dasai and Kokuryuu return for now!"
From the perspective of an exorcist, this was a mistaken judgment. Knowing this Kogure still jumped off the motorcycle.
☆
Natsume looked up with bated breath at the Nue escaping the hunting ground.
Just then--
"Natsume!"
Harutora noticed Natsume and the others being attacked and frantically shouted, believing that something bad had happened. She looked at him, noticing that Harutora was charging at her.
Once she heard the voice of her childhood friend and saw his face, Natsume instantly regained her courage and her judgment ability, thinking of the goal for which she was here.
She took action almost reflexively, jumping off the motorcycle, leaving the words "I'll go chase it!", and immediately running towards Harutora. "Wha- Hey!" Kogure hastily called out to stop her, but she still charged forward without even turning back.
She didn't worry about the man called Mutobe Chihiro. She couldn't possibly get attacked if the man and Kogure confronted each other. She believed that Kogure wouldn't permit such a thing to happen.
When Natsume was running, she shot a glance at Mutobe, and Mutobe also looked at Natsume.
The gazes of the two crossed.
Perhaps this man was the Yakou fanatic who headed this series of events. Natsume originally should have hid out of fear, but strangely, Natsume didn't feel the same loathing as with the Mystical Investigator who had attacked her the previous year.
When the two's gazes crossed, Mutobe showed a smile. That smile was gentle and tender. Not only did it have no intent of attacking, it didn't even have a bit of animosity. Natsume ran past Mutobe, not understanding.
"Hah... Hah...!"
She charged at full speed towards Harutora on the Ginkgo Tunnel - she ran towards the side of her childhood friend shikigami, Harutora.
Just then-- "Wow! Can't tell from the exterior, but you have some pretty good spirit!" A sudden voice sounded, and it was even Kogure's voice. She jumped in surprise, hurriedly turning around to look, but she only saw a crow tengu that had been flying next to her since an unknown time.
The crow tengu spoke using Kogure's voice: "I'm using the shikigami to go with you. Wait for me to deal with this person and then I'll immediately catch up, got it? Absolutely do not overexert yourselves - that's what he says! My name's Dasai, are we going? Let's go!" Right after Kogure's connection ended, the shikigami instantly called out with a high-pitched voice, and the noise of a motorcycle simultaneously sounded from behind them. She looked back, noticing that a motorcycle with no one on it was approaching her. It seemed that one of the crow tengu was inside the motorcycle, moving the engine.
"Hurry! Jump on."
"Hey, what?"
"JUMP!"1
Natsume jumped up without a word and Dasai immediately circled behind her back, lifting her entire self up. "Iyaa!" Natsume couldn't help but cry out, and the motorcycle slid forward just in time - Dasai let go and Natsume fell down, sitting right on the motorcycle. She was riding the motorcycle before she even noticed.
"Ga! You scream like a girl! Calm down, grip tightly!"
"O......Okay......!"
Natsume hastily gripped the motorcycle handlebars - more accurately, she held them and wouldn't let go as the motorcycle's speed accelerated in a flash--
☆
"H-H-H, Harutora-sama!"
"Uwah!"
Pale-faced, Natsume rode the motorcycle that sped closer. Harutora hurriedly stepped back, taken aback.
But, the crow tengu that rapidly approached a step before the motorcycle called out: "Boy! Get on!"
"G, Get on?"
That was rather reckless, wasn't it...... Harutora thought. Kon quickly held Harutora up from behind once she noticed the crow tengu's intentions, holding him in midair - then tossed him into the backseat of the motorcycle. Harutora unconsciously grabbed on to Natsume.