Volume 5 Chapter 14 Intermission Proof Of His Absence
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In a quiet corner of a city that never sleeps, a small bar kept its lights on long after midnight. Inside, a young man in a kimono sat at the counter. He had a soft smile and easy air.
He introduced himself as “T-san” and naturally took a seat beside a woman already drinking there.
”I’m really sorry I made you wait,” he said with a small bow.
The woman looked at him once but then turned her eyes back to her glass. She didn’t seem angry, just not interested.
She looked about twenty. Her black hair was cut in a neat hime style. She wore a simple blouse and a long skirt, looking like she came from a rich or proper home. Her face was cold and beautiful. She stood out in the bar, like someone from a different world.
Even though she gave off a feeling that kept people away, the young man spoke to her without fear.
”I went the wrong way at the station,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I meant to come back fast, but I ended up farther and farther away. It was a real pain.”
”I see. That sounds hard,” the woman answered, but her voice was flat and tired.
”Are you mad at me, Princess? I know what you’re thinking—’What kind of bodyguard just disappears like that?’”
”I’m not mad,” she said. “I don’t care. I didn’t ask you to follow me.”
”Still,” he said, “the usual two couldn’t come. The family must be worried.”
She stirred her drink with a straw. The brown liquid was almost clear, and small bubbles floated up.
”What could happen if those two aren’t here?”
She said. Her voice was dry, but it almost felt real because of that.
The young man took a sip from his own drink, smiling.
”I don’t know. I’m not good at fortune-telling. I could try, if you want.”
”I’ll take that offer,” she said. Then she pointed to his glass. “But is it okay for you to drink that?”
”Ah, don’t worry,” he replied with a grin. “It’s just oolong tea with ice”
When he raised his glass, she looked at him with more emotion than before. She whispered, “I see.”
The music played softly in the background. Jazz, smooth and slow. They stayed quiet for a while.
Then he spoke again. “Oh, by the way. While I was lost, I ran into Kazuramichi’s oldest son.”
”──”
The ice in her glass clinked as if it knew something important had been said.
”He’s more serious than I expected,” T-san went on. “Now I get why people talk about him.”
”Him? What about him?” she asked.
”Nothing much. It was the first time we met. Just a short talk.”
”I see.”
Her voice was a little lower now.
”Oh, and about the show invitation. I gave it to him. That’s alright, right?”
The stirring stopped. The woman turned her head and looked straight at him for the first time.
”Why would you do that?”
Her face, always blank, now showed a little doubt and sharpness.
He laughed.
”The Onmyoren told me to pick someone fitting. He seemed like he wanted in and would make things more fun.”
She stayed quiet. He went on calmly.
”I thought it might help pass the time. For a princess like you.”
”──No,” she said. “It’s not something I should get involved with.”
”Need a refill?”
He asked with a smile.
She brought the straw to her lips. The glass had been mostly ice for a while now.
”You have a good personality,” she said.
”Yeah,” he replied. “I hear that a lot.”
Their smiles didn’t match. Hers was bitter. His was truly happy.
* * *
Far away, in the Rokko Mountains of Hyogo, something very different was happening.
Kanbe Yuzura, the strongest exorcist of the Kanbe clan, was out with the Fifth Division. They were fighting two medium-level oni.
It was a new moon. On this kind of night, exorcists from all over Kansai were spread through the hills. No one said it out loud, but people felt nervous. The region’s top fighter wasn’t there.
Luckily, no high-level youkai had shown up in the last six months. Things were calm.
”Yuzura-sama, are you okay?”
After the fight, Yuzura leaned on a big paper crane for support. A woman with short blond hair stood nearby—Ignaceva Isurugi Anya. She was helping lead the group that night. The usual captain, Isurugi Iwao, was handling another squad.
”I’ll be fine… after a little rest,” Yuzura answered.
”Things are calm now. You shouldn’t push too hard.”
”I have to,” Yuzura said, her eyes tired. “I have pride. Same as Nao.”
The Kanbe family was still healing. They had lost many people recently—including the First Division captain, a close friend of Kaichirou, the heir.
As their strongest fighter, Yuzura carried a heavy weight. Her pale face was red now, and she coughed often.
(I’m so useless.)
She was used to having a weak body. But tonight, she hated it more than ever.
Tonight, her friend wasn’t there. And she couldn’t carry the burden he had left behind.
”I’ll stay nearby in case anything happens,” Anya said. “The team from Shiga has finished their part. The group from Kono Mountain was handled by Yoshiya Kazuramichi and Lord Naoshi’s shiki. The others are calm.”
”Good,” Yuzura said. “Let me rest a little. Get things ready to move, and wake me up if anything changes.”
”Yes. It’s still cold, so—”
”Alright, alright,” Yuzura said with a small smile.
She pulled the blanket around herself and closed her eyes.
”Ugh…”
Pain hit her stomach like fire. Her body felt weak and heavy.
Every time she used her power, this strange sickness came.
Other exorcists didn’t suffer like this. Some believed her body just couldn’t handle the spiritual energy well.
Doctors said she was fine. Strong, even. Some blamed her low body fat. But this time, it felt different.
”────”
A high sound rang in her ears. Somewhere inside it, a voice called to her.
She didn’t tell anyone. But deep down, she felt it.
It had been six months since Rokkō.
Back then, she worked with the Touin family to seal a powerful youkai: a female fox spirit with white-blonde hair.
She had seen that woman for just a moment—standing between two worlds, smiling kindly.
And she had heard her speak:
”Found you.”
That voice, soft and kind, stayed in her mind.
”I will make your wish come true.”
Yuzura could not forget that smile.
Because that woman made her realize something:
She still had a wish that wasn’t fulfilled.
Notes:
• T-san – Tall, slim build, slender face, narrow eyes, and black hair with neatly trimmed bangs. Dressed in a dark brown kimono with tabi and Yuki footwear. Resembles Naoshi but with darker hair. A mysterious figure from Kyoto, likely associated with the Onmyō Clan. Introduced as ‘T born in a temple.’ Skilled in martial arts and spirit energy manipulation.
• Rokko Mountains – Located in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. A site where exorcists, including Kanbe Yuzura and the Eji Fifth Division, engage in battles against Youkai.
• Rokko Mountain – Located in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. A site where exorcists, including Kanbe Yuzura and the Eji Fifth Division, engage in battles against Youkai.
• Kanbe Yuzura – The beautiful man. Kazuramichi Naoshi’s childhood friend, and one of the few who knows the true nature of the Kazuramichi family. The nephew of Kanbe Taro, the head of the Kanbe family.
• Yuzura – The beautiful man. Kazuramichi Naoshi’s childhood friend, and one of the few who knows the true nature of the Kazuramichi family. The nephew of Kanbe Taro, the head of the Kanbe family.
• Ignaceva Isurugi Anya – The youngest daughter of Yuzura’s sister. Her name has a Slavic origin, reflecting her Russian heritage from her father’s side. She is part of the Kanbe family’s combat unit, the Eji squad, and is being considered for a leadership role, which is why Yuzura wants Naoshi to assess her and the squad’s capabilities.
• Ignaceva – The youngest daughter of Yuzura’s sister. Her name has a Slavic origin, reflecting her Russian heritage from her father’s side. She is part of the Kanbe family’s combat unit, the Eji squad, and is being considered for a leadership role, which is why Yuzura wants Naoshi to assess her and the squad’s capabilities.
• Touin family – one of the prominent families mentioned in the text as part of the Kansai 8 families, a group of powerful exorcist clans in the Kansai region of Japan. The head of the Touin family is Touin Soji.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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