109 – 109. Long Time No See.
The sorcerer who had reached the realm of transcendence pondered.
…The celestial energy is in turmoil.
A story separate from the world overflowing with demons.
On the contrary, if only the number of powerful demon entities were considered, it was closer to peace than ever before.
Because all the major demons scattered throughout the entire Japanese archipelago had been exterminated.
It was thanks to Ichimaru Shiki, who had traveled the country for a month performing exorcisms.
However, in the closest place, the capital Tokyo, an ominous aura overflowed.
As days passed, the energy of the imperial palace, the nation’s core, became increasingly sinister.
The sky, in response to that energy, was filled with ominous signs.
Once it seemed absurd to talk about saving his world, but indeed, this small country was filled with evil.
…Until now, only he had known about such threats.
Now, perhaps he was not the only one seeing a similar world.
Sawamura Sento observed the world in silence, recalling the man with real eyes.
It was the voice of the monster that shattered his thoughts and also the source of his hatred.
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“Woman.”
Upon opening his eyes, he saw the grim and fierce face of the goblin king, Shutendoji.
Though his tone was unpleasant, the goblin king, who had somehow reached a mutual agreement and made a contract with the witch, frowned at her and then averted his gaze.
As if telling her to look there.
At the end of that gaze, there was the man with real eyes, acting foolishly and chattering in the training ground.
The goblin king, Shutendoji, frowned in frustration, his expression and tone stern.
“As you know, the man you long for is here at this mansion. After desperately searching, why aren’t you going to see him?”
“Well, because I don’t want to see him right now.”
“…What?”
The goblin king was taken aback by the absurd statement.
Shutendoji, being in a coexistence with Sawamura Sento, understood the feelings she harbored.
Of course, she wanted to see him, to touch him.
That was Sento’s honest feeling, but she endured it with transcendent patience.
Her rationality restrained her desires.
Although she clearly wanted to face him, have a conversation, it was not the right time.
“If you had thought of meeting, you could have come sooner.”
In the process of coexisting with a transcendent being, her sorcery ability itself reached the sky.
Though Ittamaru Shikiragi swiftly traveled across the country, it was an easy task for her to not kill him but to track his whereabouts.
From the start, Ittamaru Shiki himself did not try to hide his actions.
Now, claiming she no longer harbored feelings for him was meaningless.
Claiming she didn’t miss him was a blatant lie.
However, Sawamura Sento had no intention of persistently chasing after the busy man.
“At least not now.”
The sharp-witted woman noticed that Ittamaru Shiki was on the verge of a lifetime confrontation.
A monster lurking somewhere in Japan?
An evil entity hiding within the shrine?
While all of those could be a great disaster for ordinary exorcists, it seemed unlikely that tales of them applied to Ittamaru Shiki.
The only threat he might face would be that demon seen in Kyoto.
Perhaps he didn’t know he might have to face an even greater monster.
Already a man who endured a lot on his own and grumbled inwardly.
Always smiling on the outside, it didn’t seem like he harbored such feelings deep inside.
“I plan to take a short trip.”
Though he seemed not to have told others, including Kenichi, at least Sento had heard before Ittamaru Shiki left.
He hadn’t expected it to be this long, and while it was a bit frustrating, in hindsight, he had given him time.
He had given him time to become stronger than anyone else in the world, time to prove his worth.
Thanks to that, he became this strong.
He could make a decision.
He turned a lifelong unhappiness and anxiety, the monster, into his own.
His sorcery ability reached its peak.
He created his own world and reached a level where it was hard to find an opponent.
“Still, it’s not enough.”
Sawamura Sento muttered quietly.
While expanding his territory against his friends, he realized the points he needed to improve upon later.
Until he filled this imperfection, he couldn’t stand before him.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet, but that he couldn’t.
“…The kids will probably just mate.”
Shutendoji mumbled as if unable to comprehend, but Sawamura Sento quietly closed his eyes and regained his peace.
***
The long-awaited day had arrived.
“Oh, has it begun?”
It was the day of the festival, which only happened once a year.
Before diving into the final exams of the second semester, it was an event that served as the students’ last respite.
Also known as the “Karakura Academy Festival.”
It was a school festival where the entire school united as one.
Boom─bang─!
Cliché as it may sound, small firecrackers filled the air, signaling the start of the festival.
Even before the adorable firecrackers burst, various stalls and people had already crowded the school grounds, yet the excitement was palpable.
It was also a signal.
─Business is open.
From the maid cafe to the haunted house and more, attractions essential to a Japanese school festival began their business in earnest.
It was 9 o’clock in the morning, still early.
In a way, it was indeed early morning.
However, on the day of the festival, Japanese high school students were more diligent than anyone else.
While it might take a bit longer for outsiders to join the fun, the school grounds were already filled with students.
Most students enthusiastically participated in the events prepared by their classes, but there were certainly those who were simply there to have fun.
“…Hmm, where should I go first?”
On the day of the festival, Kitagawa Kenichi, who had just been freed from the “props team,” pondered.
With the background preparation and stage setup all completed, there was no need for him to be called in for a while.
Kenichi, who had recently felt a renewed urge to train, briefly entertained the idea of going somewhere discreet and wielding a sword or something.
However, since it was the first day of the festival, he decided he should at least take a quick look around – wandering the halls to see what was there.
“Hmm, nothing special.”
Classrooms filled with maid cafes, haunted houses, and mini-games like goldfish scooping and darts.
They were all things one might see in a romantic comedy or school-themed manga.
To Kenichi, who prided himself as an A-class otaku, it was all quite mundane.
Ultimately, the earnest hero Kenichi decided to head towards a narrow warehouse suitable for wielding a sword.
***
Just as there were wanderers like Kenichi, there were undoubtedly busy individuals as well.
“Hotaru, are you ready?”
Ichinose Hotaru, who was waiting behind the stage dressed as a princess, responded with a bright smile to her classmate who took on the role of a staff member.
“I’m all set!”
She was admittedly a bit nervous, but it wasn’t too overwhelming.
With the stage performance approaching, her heart fluttered slightly, but it was manageable.
…Well, there was another reason.
“If you see any signs, come running to the shrine immediately.”
That was what the priest had said the day before yesterday.
No matter how many times she asked what those signs were, the priest would just tilt his head as if he didn’t know.
It was unsettling to leave people in uncertainty by talking about something that wasn’t even certain…
She just hoped nothing would happen during the theater performance.
“…Phew.”
Hotaru took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure as much as possible.
Though she was also a shrine maiden, for now, she had to enjoy the festival as a regular student.
Furthermore, it was time for her to take the stage as a princess.
Wearing a beautiful dress, Ichinose Hotaru raised her head and looked forward.
[ …Long ago, there were the bandit Alibaba and the aristocrats of Teppo Castle. ]
Before long, the curtain on the stage rose.
***
“One ice chocolate for Sawako’s corner!”
“Sure, okay!”
As the play started in the auditorium, a simple concession stand was operating in Classroom A.
While the main event was the play, just like other classes setting up concession stands in their classrooms, they too had prepared a simple café.
They didn’t dress as maids, but since there were about two or three people who could read tarot cards, they decided to operate with limited seating.
Selling expensive drinks as a festival specialty was a bonus.
In Classroom A, where a tarot café was run by a select few, Sawako Tachibana’s role was to read fortunes with tarot cards.
Being famous for her high psychic abilities as a nine-tailed fox – even though she only had seven tails – reading fortunes was quite a rare task, regardless of her form.
Of course, only a handful of people knew this, but since Sawako, who was known as the most beautiful girl in school, was personally reading love fortunes, wealthy male students with ample cash willingly volunteered to be her prey.
How many customers came and went to the tent set up like a professional fortune-telling house?
“…Sigh.”
As Sawako began to tire, a voice called out, “Sawako! You’re the last one!”
Lost in tarot readings, it seemed like it was already time for the shift change…lunchtime.
Sawako, who had become relatively flustered compared to the beginning, closed her eyes tightly and lightly tapped her cheeks.
She neatly organized the tarot cards and prepared to receive the last customer.
“…Huh?”
Until she faced the familiar, almost lovely face of a man who had entered the tent, that was how it was.
Breaking through the tent, Ichimaru Shiki shook hands with a smiling face as before and said, “Sawako, long time no see.”