97 – 97. The Night Before.
The Stormy Night Before.
It is said that on the day before a storm hits, a temporary high-pressure system forms, creating calm weather.
Well, then, isn’t it similar that the weather clears up the day after heavy rain?
Yes, it definitely will.
I looked up at the clear sky without a single cloud in sight.
“Ah, how refreshing.”
It seemed like my good deeds had paid off.
It felt like the god of the field trip had granted my wish for a perfect day.
As I gazed proudly at the blue sky, a fool passing by struck the clock.
“Hey, Shiki.”
“Why are you making a fuss, Kenichi?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t think you’d go to such lengths for a math trip, but all night there were flashes of light at the gym… you didn’t do anything weird, did you?”
“Oh, come on. It was simply the heavens granting my sincere and kind wish!”
“Seems suspicious.”
…How dare he doubt a teacher like the sky.
I wanted to dive into 12 hours of continuous training right away, but the journey was long, so I decided to endure it.
I couldn’t ruin the perfectly planned math trip just for the sake of educating a fool.
“Let’s see when we get there.”
“Yeah, who’s afraid of ‘let’s see’?”
“Really?”
“Well, maybe a little scary.”
“Shiki, Kenichi! If you keep dragging your feet, I’ll start the train without you?”
As Kenichi and I chatted, Houtarou, standing at the entrance of the station, waved and shouted.
Unlike us, who were allowed to temporarily vacate Tokyo Shrine, she had a bright smile on her face.
Although she wasn’t the all-powerful class president Sento, Houtarou, just a regular student, didn’t have the authority to start the Shinkansen, but I had to listen to her.
“Even if it’s the Shinkansen, it takes 2-3 hours to get to Osaka.”
There’s no need for discomfort when spending such a long time together.
The Shinkansen, a first-class high-speed train, had two seats as standard, but it was also possible to sit around as if it were a four-seater by turning the chairs.
The seating arrangement was as usual, with me sitting in the back row, and the only noticeable change was that Kenichi and I were now sitting side by side.
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Facing me was Sawamura Sento, with a fresh expression that one would typically see in school, and in front of Kenichi sat the cheerful Hotaru.
It felt like we were arranged for some kind of meeting—perhaps finally an event resembling a dating simulation.
As my heart raced, Hotaru, who had been leaning to one side in her seat, pulled out a catalog and murmured, “Hmm, when you think of Shinkansen, you think of boxed lunches… What should I eat? There are so many options. There’s gyudon, salmon… Oh, there’s sushi too.”
“Hotaru, you like sushi. I’ll go for gyudon, so let’s share.”
“Sounds good.”
…In no time, what had started as an exciting meeting felt more like a feast.
Well, that’s how you guys are. Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.
While hiding a sense of disappointment, I turned my head forward, only to see Sawamura Sento, my precious partner, flipping through the menu.
“What should we eat?”
“Oh, should we share too?”
“Wasn’t that the plan?”
To an outsider, it might seem like I had entrusted my lunch to someone else.
Despite the confident tone, I chuckled at Sento, who subtly avoided eye contact.
Sento’s forehead furrowed slightly as she realized I was onto her.
“…What.”
“No, of course we should eat together.”
As the seats filled with passengers and the train began to depart, we selected our lunches.
Gazing at the fleeting scenery outside the window and the faces of those seated together, there was still time left before reaching Osaka.
“Wow, Mount Fuji!”
The children hanging by the window exclaimed with pure innocence.
The towering peak was indeed impressive, but it was a sight one could easily see from Tokyo as well.
Remaining rational and composed, I simply smiled at the children hanging by the window.
“The energy is contagious.”
The journey ahead was still long.
***
After a long three-hour ride, the train deposited the first-year students of Karakura High School and their homeroom teachers, who acted as their guardians, at various locations in Osaka.
While we had traveled here by Shinkansen, not all routes were covered by rail, so we had to switch to buses waiting outside the station.
“Yes, the school trip uses a tour bus.”
This aspect resonated with the Korean high school students.
Feeling a sense of belatedness about the trip, I chuckled softly and said to Kenichi in the adjacent seat, “hahahaha, Kenichi. Aren’t you already excited for the training we’ll do soon?”
“…Wait, were you serious about that?”
“Did you think I was joking?”
“…”
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Perhaps sensing that strong resolve, Kenichi’s expression quickly clouded over.
It seemed he was contemplating how long he could endure until the school trip.
“Well, it doesn’t seem like we’re training for a math trip per se, but…”
Even if it wasn’t training, there was a separate schedule.
With the chaos at the end of June, it had been almost four months since then.
It was about time for the main episodes to unfold.
“Chapter 6 is an easy boss, not even dying ten times level of difficulty.”
Originally, it would have been my task to handle, but Kenichi at this point could handle it.
I smiled and, facing my uneasy disciple, I whispered, “Hmm, Kenichi. Will you train last night or will you come out with me?”
“…I don’t really want to do either.”
“Oh, if a man draws his sword, he should be ready to use it, shouldn’t he!”
“Well, I’ve never drawn a sword.”
The foolish Kenichi looked somewhat unjustly indignant, but there was no need for him to feel that way.
Regardless of my presence, this was something that needed to be done.
“Kenichi, do you remember where the three major exorcist clans were located?”
“…Uh, in Tokyo, there’s Shihei and Kenju, and in Kyoto, there’s Hashimoto, right?”
“Oh, you surprisingly remember.”
For Kenichi, who was likely to mess up the mid-term exams coming soon, he had an impressive memory.
With no need to explain again, I was pleased.
Japan’s three major exorcist clans.
Tokyo’s Shihei, gaining recent fame for summoning and comprehensive magic.
Kenju of Tokyo, known for steel-like body and powerful movements.
And the Hashimoto family of Kyoto, representative of curse and elemental magic.
“Just like the two clans manage the Kanto region, the Hashimoto family in Kyoto also oversees the local region. It’s quite impressive to rule over such vast land alone, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah, that’s true. So, is Hashimoto stronger than others?”
“Well, in terms of destructive power, they excel. As you can see from Eris, even a simple attack with high firepower can be quite intimidating, right? Ah, of course, I’m not scared.”
Amidst our conversation, perhaps hearing our voices, Eris’s sharp gaze could be felt from a distance, but I simply ignored it and continued with my explanation.
“Anyway, high firepower is quite a useful option, but the land that Hashimoto has to manage is vast, and there’s also the concept of ‘compatibility’. Sometimes, they have to request assistance from outsiders for subjugation.”
By this point, even the foolish Kenichi understood what I was trying to convey.
He seemed ready to retort with wide eyes, but as a mentor as vast as the sky, I had no intention of giving him the chance to speak first.
“A message from the Hashimoto family. If Ichimaru Shiki, the chef of Shihei in Tokyo, has the leisure, they hope he can assist us. The opponent is a peculiar entity that our usual tactics don’t work on.”
No matter how strong Hashimoto’s firepower was, if their tactics didn’t work, it was a dead end.
That’s why it was a request for support through Shihei, and I was more than willing to accept it.
After all, it was something that had to be done by someone.
It’s just that the someone I had in mind wasn’t me.
“Kenichi, show us what you’ve got this time.”
The potential for the future.
***
On the first day of the math trip, we stayed at a hotel in Osaka.
Perhaps because it was the first day, there wasn’t much free time, so there was no time to make contact with the Hashimoto family in Kyoto.
So, postponing the mission to the next day, we spent the first day of the math trip leisurely.
I briefly toured downtown Osaka, took a look at the Glico sign in Dotonbori (a running athlete, a kind of landmark), and left a few photos.
“Ichimaru-kun, hurry up, hurry!”
“If you’re late, I’ll take the picture without you!”
The friendly Hotaru and the silly Kenichi, the sky-like pair, along with the inseparable Sawamura Sento, gathered on the Dotonbori Bridge to take a group photo.
Click.
We captured our memories.
“Oh, Ichimaru-kun’s face got cut off.”
“Oh, I’m fine-“
“It’s not fine, come back quickly!”
It took quite a while to escape from Hotaru’s insistence to take another photo.
Next, Eris joined the photo, and then subtly, Sawako sneaked in.
As the crowd grew, Hotaru had to stretch his arm further to hold the camera.
The photos didn’t turn out as good as the first one.
So eventually, Hotaru gave up and handed the camera to passing teacher Yamamoto Baki.
The muscles holding the teacher’s cellphone trembled destructively, but the touch was surprisingly delicate.
Surprisingly, the picture taken today came out the best.
The picture of us standing side by side, each with a bright and charming smile, was quite precious.
Looking down at the photo, Sento bluntly asked, “Why are you staring like that?”
Perhaps she thought I was staring so intently because I saw myself pierced through in the photo.
Well, it wasn’t a completely wrong guess, but it was regrettable to say it directly.
So, as usual, I chuckled and whispered to her.
“No, just because it’s beautiful.”
The scenery of all these moments meant beauty, but it seemed different to the precious partner.
Sento’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit, then she fixed her gaze on me with a wavering look.
Perhaps due to the night lights, her face, redder than usual, hesitated and mumbled briefly.
“…Mischievous.”
Just then, a cool breeze blew over us, embracing us briefly as it passed by.
The corners of the woman’s lips gently rose, and I looked up at the moon in the sky.
Before we knew it, it was autumn.