Volume 7 Chapter 9 Kazuramichi Naoshi’s Woman Troubles (As Usual) ②
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Suwa family, descendants of the Dragon God.
Within the Bureau of Onmyō’s Chubu District—an organization that oversees ten whole prefectures—they are one of the most prestigious names, as well as a militant clan of exorcists with deep roots in their local Nagano.
The eldest daughter of the main branch, Suwa Ryūju, was a First-Class Exorcist who possessed power so great she was often called a “living deity.”
To put it less charitably, she was essentially a natural disaster in human form.
”Ugh.”
It was no wonder Naoshi groaned instinctively upon hearing of her visit.
”What about our plans?”
”Do you honestly think she’s the type to care about them?”
I replied to the question from beside me, heavily laced with a sigh.
”No, I guess not. Lucky you. I’ve never actually met her before, myself.”
”Aye, quit messin’ around already, ya bloody idiot.”
I protested by bumping my shoulder against Mibu Itsuki, who was clearly only here for the spectacle.
”How would you like to proceed, acting head?”
”She’s here to see me?”
”Yes, that is what she said.”
”Well, can’t be helped. Let’s go meet her. Show her in.”
”Are you sure about this?”
”She came without notice, so she can handle waiting a little. Give her some tea, and I’m sure she won’t complain.”
”At once, sir. It shall be done.”
As the household staff headed back, the preparations began in a flurry. An extra bench was brought out, a scarlet rug was laid down, and a parasol was set up.
”I really wish she hadn’t come while Ako-chan is away.”
My younger stepsister, Ako, handled our external affairs as assistant to the acting head. Ideally, she would be the one to deal with this, but as luck would have it, she was away in Nara for training.
”Is the timing perfect, or is it terrible? It doesn’t look like she targeted this specifically.”
”You aren’t a person worth expending that much spirit energy on—so stay quiet, okay?”
Itsuki shrugged at my warning.
”Shall I retreat into the shadows, like a proper mistress?”
”I didn’t say that, you moron. And even if both of you were unannounced, you were here first.”
”—Sure. Then I’ll just quietly watch the show.”
”You really are just a spectator, aren’t you?”
In contrast to Itsuki, who was laughing with genuine amusement, Naoshi rested his hands behind his head on the bench and looked up at the sky. The long winter had ended, and the April sky was shining softly.
”————”
Sensing someone approaching, Naoshi brought his gaze back down to earth and stood up.
”Good luck.”
I waved a hand dismissively at her unhelpful, playful encouragement and turned my eyes toward the garden entrance. As soon as that person walked in, the backyard—our training grounds—seemed to brighten ever so slightly.
The person who appeared was a tall, beautiful woman walking with a spirited stride. Her long black hair was slightly ruffled by the wind, and her imposing physique was covered by a plain white T-shirt, distressed jeans, and utterly unremarkable white sneakers.
Arched eyebrows like a master’s brushstroke, long, slender eyes, a high-bridged nose, red lips, and a sharp facial contour. She wore almost no makeup, carried no accessories, and was dressed in simple, rough clothing, yet Suwa Ryūju still radiated an overwhelming presence. It was nothing short of the violent talent of “beauty” with which she was born.
”It’s been a while, Kazuramichi.”
She stopped before Naoshi, her red lips speaking the words. Her golden eyes, at almost the same height as his, shone with a piercing light.
”Every person here is a Kazuramichi, you know?”
For an exorcist, the only person who should be addressed by their family name alone is the head of the house. Given the lack of a scheduled appointment and the distance between their districts—their territories—Ryūju’s greeting was profoundly inappropriate. Moreover, Naoshi was the Acting Head of the Family; with the household staff watching, he couldn’t just let it slide.
But Ryūju’s response exceeded his expectations.
”? That would be you, wouldn’t it?”
And not in a good way. Since she asked as if she were genuinely curious rather than apologizing for her rudeness, Naoshi couldn’t even bother to maintain decorum.
”There’s a limit to how tactless you can be, sister. You aren’t the head of the Suwa family either, are you?”
”That’s true. But the Suwa family is me.”
”Do you even understand what you’re saying when you say that?”
”Of course.”
She nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. In another era, this would have been a massive spark for rebellion against the house.
”Haa…”
However, there was such a lack of heat in her words that Naoshi could only sigh; calling it arrogance felt like an understatement. A brilliant, heaven-sent talent that was obvious at a glance. A wild, untethered exorcist who turned her back on human ethics and remained calm and detached—that was the woman named Suwa Ryūju. Her way of being was closer to an1 than a human; calling her a “living deity” wasn’t just a comment on her power, but a true assessment of her essential nature.
A glance to the side revealed Mibu Itsuki smiling, looking incredibly amused.
”—Fine, whatever. Right this way, Suwa’s eldest daughter. What do you want today?”
”This is fine as it is. I heard you fought Touma in the East.”
Naoshi froze, still gesturing to the bench.
(How did that leak out?)
His sparring match with Yukinojo in Kanto had been a spur-of-the-moment thing. Naoshi hadn’t told anyone around him, and Yukinojo wouldn’t have either. Had there been a witness? Or had someone sensed the aftermath through the collision of spirit energy? No, that wasn’t the problem right now—
”You turned down my invitation, though.”
”Could you stop talkin’ like a mentally unstable girlfriend?”
”It’s not fair, is it?”
”You, for real, shut up, you bloody idiot…!”
As expected, the self-proclaimed mistress—a battle junkie—couldn’t just stay a spectator. Naoshi glared at her and let out a long, heavy sigh.
”No, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. What are you sayin’, sister?”
”Isn’t that pretense a bit of a stretch given the current flow of things?”
”Isn’t it unfair that you only act normal about the weird stuff?”
He sighed again and stared back into those unblinking golden eyes.
”That’s not it. Yuki-kun and I were both in agreement.”
”I agreed to it, too.”
”I didn’t agree with you.”
”But I agreed to it.”
”Itsuki, can we just forget what we were talkin’ about earlier?”
”Oh, come on. I was just jokin’.”
As she said that, Itsuki made an ‘X’ in front of her lips with her index finger. Ryūju, following Naoshi’s gaze, watched that gesture as well. Naoshi ignored the complex look in her eyes, which seemed to carry several different meanings.
”So, if that’s all you wanted, I’d appreciate it if you just went home.”
”You like strong people, don’t you? What’s the difference between me, Touma, and Kurushima?”
”I really wish you’d listen to people for a second…”
But the question hit the core of the matter. There was a decisive difference between the younger friends Naoshi respected and Suwa Ryūju. If he didn’t explain that, she probably wouldn’t leave today. Naoshi steeled himself and opened his mouth.
”—Have you heard the stories of the first time those two faced a Great Youkai?”
”Yes.”
”Yuki-kun had just turned fourteen, and Tetsu-kun was only thirteen. Yet, Yuki-kun won, and Tetsu-kun survived.”
That was the reason both of their names were always mentioned when talking about the strongest in the exorcist world today, and the reason Naoshi held them in such high regard. Both of them had already possessed the strength they needed when it mattered.
”Honestly, I trembled when I heard those stories. If I had faced a Great Youkai at that age, I would have been helpless and died for nothing. What did you think of them?”
”It’s impressive, but I think I could have done the same thing.”
”Is that so.”
He had expected that answer, but actually hearing it left Naoshi feeling cold. Perhaps that statement was an absolute fact. She possessed enough power for it. Indeed, she was undoubtedly a gem—but a gemstone that shone without ever being polished. In reality, Suwa Ryūju had never faced a Great Youkai on her own. Perhaps it was because the Suwa clan was strong enough that they didn’t have to rely solely on her, but surely, she hadn’t had many combat experiences either.
”The exorcist I think is the strongest is the third-generation Touma Yukinojo, and the one I think has the most spirit energy is Kurushima Tesshin. That’s why I treat them specially.”
That was precisely why, despite her power, her evaluation as an exorcist was never very high. However, unlike the practitioners in Kyoto, he fully understood why the Suwa family kept Ryūju there. It was dangerous to keep an entity so detached from humanity constantly facing off against Ayakashi.
”You should add my name to that list.”
”Oh? Like, in the category of ‘the exorcist most likely to be delusional’?”
If only Ryūju had come from a slightly less notable house. If she were in a position where her spirit energy was less of a concern, or if at least she were of the same gender, she might have been a worthy opponent to devour as fuel.
”You say such interesting things.”
But she wasn’t. That was why he had avoided meeting her until now—to avoid having to confront her.
”Can’t be helped, I guess. I don’t know if you’re truly strong.”
But he couldn’t overlook Ryūju’s arrogance. She had touched a nerve.
”—I see. So, you’re lookin’ down on me. You’re lookin’ down on this ‘me’.”
Her. And himself.
—
Summary:
Naoshi and Itsuki are interrupted in their training by the sudden arrival of Suwa Ryuju. The tension escalates as Ryuju displays an unsettling disregard for social norms and challenges Naoshi’s authority and strength. The encounter moves toward a confrontation as Ryuju questions Naoshi’s views on power and his past battles.
—
Trivia:
The Suwa family is a militant exorcist clan rooted in Nagano.
Ako is currently away in Nara training for her role.
Naoshi’s Kansai-ben is a fake accent used as a defensive mask.
Itsuki is present to witness the encounter as a self-proclaimed mistress.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Suwa – A family line descended from the Dragon God, they are a militant clan of Nagano exorcists whose eldest daughter arrives at the training hall.
• Naoshi – The acting head of the Kazuramichi family is a pragmatic, blunt young strategist who wields lightning-based Reiryoku, earning the moniker ‘swift as the wind and fierce as lightning’. He uses a faux-Kansai accent as a defensive shell, though he feels exposed by Ryuju’s presence. Navigating complex political ties with several women, he is also Ako’s step-brother and the target of her deep, possessive affection.
• Itsuki – A skilled swordswoman from the Mibu family, this young woman with an asymmetrical bob and gray-and-blue eyes is a former “handsome boy” who moved her residency to the Kazuramichi household. Currently acting as Naoshi’s loyal mistress, she fights with silver-bladed weaponry and is present at the training grounds for the spectacle.
• Mibu – The Mibu family name, carried by Itsuki. The lineage is based in Otsu City, Shiga, and is a prominent house of exorcists.
• Ako – Naoshi’s younger stepsister is a sharp-minded exorcist and acting head assistant currently training in Nara. Lacking the Spiritual Power to change her situation, she seeks power—including Shinobi clan techniques—for her step-brother, harboring a cold demeanor and a hidden, intense obsession with him. Her striking outward appearance and supernatural identity stem from carrying the blood of a Yuki-onna.
• Kazuramichi – The Kazuramichi family name, carried by Naoshi and Ako. This lineage is one of the Kansai Eight Families and holds a significant position within the exorcist hierarchy.
• Yukinojo – The head of the Touma family and a third-generation member considered by Naoshi to be one of the strongest exorcists in Japan. At 21, this handsome young man with snow woman blood is known as the “Ice Blade,” mastering fire and swordsmanship. He also possesses the “Divine Eye.”
• Touma Yukinojo – The head of the Touma family and a third-generation member considered by Naoshi to be one of the strongest exorcists in Japan. At 21, this handsome young man with snow woman blood is known as the “Ice Blade,” mastering fire and swordsmanship. He also possesses the “Divine Eye.”
• Tesshin – A Kurushima family member who is considered by Naoshi to be the exorcist with the most spirit energy.
• Kyoto – A girl referenced as a vocational student who plays around with the protagonist.
• Ryuju – The eldest daughter of the prestigious Suwa family and a First-Class Exorcist, this tall, beautiful woman with long black hair, an imposing physique, and golden eyes acts as a primary antagonist. Often called a living deity said to descend from the dragon god, she is a legend with monster-like strength and raw power surpassing Naoshi, renowned for her lethal hand-to-hand combat skills.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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