Volume 5 Chapter 2 Naoshi ／ Going To Tokyo I： Kickstart Your Heart
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Tokyo Skytree.
From a height of 450 meters above the ground, two thoughts cross my mind as I gaze at the Kanto Plain.
It’s overwhelmingly vast and flat.
The world, covered in gray tones, appears flat at first glance.
There are likely hills that have been cleared and former ridges.
But they aren’t strongly recognized. They feel distant.
From an exorcist’s perspective, this means there’s no hub like Umeda, linking *here* and *there*.
The existence of mountains, along with the drawbacks of Great Youkai and swarms appearing, had the advantage of making resource allocation clearer.
Both of those are absent here.
”I see.”
The young man with straw-colored hair, Kazuramichi Naoshi, muttered while stroking his chin, looking far off with narrow eyes.
Even during the Edo period, when the city had a population of a million, the capital region was full of ghost stories. Now, it holds far more people—enough that even ten times that number wouldn’t suffice.
I hear that in Kanto, the factors inviting ayakashi are far more influenced by people than by the land itself.
Since the establishment of the Greater Capital Barrier, while it hasn’t allowed the appearance or invasion of Great Youkai, this unprecedentedly large city in human history has seen Intermediate Youkai appear even in densely populated areas during the day.
However, the damage to ordinary people has been surprisingly low, considering the situation.
The key to this is the early warning network for ayakashi, commonly called “E.A.D.N.,” a masterpiece created by the Bureau of Onmyō out of necessity.
This spiritual defense network is now connected to smartphone apps, transmitting information seamlessly to exorcists in the surrounding area, protecting people’s lives.
However, it can’t capture all signs or all ayakashi, and some voices of concern suggest that the speed of response may actually be creating urban-type ayakashi, skilled in concealment.
Still, exorcists have no choice but to respond.
”The response is pretty quick.”
”Yes, it’s not something you often see back home,” Shiun Suzuri said.
Shiun Suzuri, with her long black hair in a ponytail and a dignified demeanor, and Kazuramichi Ako, with her blue-tinged silver hair and striking red-brown eyes, shared their thoughts.
Suzuri, Naoshi’s betrothed (by her own account), and Ako, his cousin and adopted sister, were not only related by blood but also devoted daughters who adored Naoshi enough to accompany him from Osaka to Kanto.
Moreover, they were promising second-class exorcists in their local area, shifting their gaze between the scene below and their smartphone screens.
They exhaled as they compared the ayakashi’s appearance on the screen to their own senses, watching its reaction fade away in just a few minutes.
”In terms of quality, I think we can handle it well enough.”
”But there are too many—we’re understaffed.”
Behind the reliability, there was also a hint of danger; this was the daily life of this land.
”Generally, I agree, and it seems educational. So, you two cool with usin’ the app?” Naoshi asked.
”Yes, big brother,” Ako replied.
”We understand the basics; we just need to practice,” Suzuri added.
Naoshi nodded in satisfaction at their response.
”Alright, let’s hit up a Kanto exorcist experience tour in Tokyo’s 23 wards. How ’bout 2 hours? If you hunt more than me, I’ll give you a reward,” Naoshi proposed.
”Huh?”
Ako raised her hand silently next to the speechless Suzuri, seeking permission to speak.
”Go ahead, Ako-chan,” Naoshi said.
”Weren’t we supposed to go on a date today?” Ako asked.
Suzuri nodded in agreement with Ako’s words, her ponytail swaying wildly.
”No, you didn’t say that,” Naoshi protested.
”Didn’t you learn your lesson from the Umeda incident, Nao-nii…!” Suzuri scolded.
”What are you talkin’ about? I told you when we came to Kanto, we’d play and not just visit,” Naoshi argued.
”Certainly, you did say that…,” Suzuri acknowledged.
”Then there’s nothing we can do,” Ako concluded.
”Ako-san!? Is that okay!?” Suzuri asked, puzzled.
As Suzuri looked unconvinced, Ako quickly switched gears and began a light stretch.
”In the end, I can’t go against what my step-brother decides.”
”Ugh…!”
”Ako-chan isn’t as obedient as you say.”
”Anyway, please tell me more about the reward.”
Naoshi lightly pointed out, “That’s just how you are,” as Ako smoothly ignored the inconvenient question.
”Yeah… that’s true. Depending on that, I could try to be patient.”
”Why you sound so condescendin’? Well, if I really try, I can do anythin’ for you, so how about it? ──Ah, but not kids, alright?”
Naoshi gave a small warning to the girls, who had already changed the tone of their eyes mid-conversation.
Of course, neither of them had the kind of personality that would make them stop because of that.
”So, marriage is okay!?”
”Sorry, but that’s a bit beyond what I can do.”
”Why!? If both parties agree, it should be possible!”
”Convince your parents first, and then come back──how about you, Ako-chan?”
”Then, how about a month of exclusive rights with my step-brother?”
Naoshi raised one eyebrow at the still-confident proposal, even as the suggestion lowered the hurdle from marriage. Suzuri, who had been used as a stepping stone, made a face that seemed to say, “That’s unfair.”
”That’s too long, can’t it be just one day?”
”One week.”
”Three days.”
”Five days, please.”
The response to what seemed like a compromise, leading to 4 days out of the 7-day week, was beyond expectations.
”Then, 2 days.”
”Huh?”
Ako’s doll-like baby face froze, and her hands flailed in the air as if expressing her inner turmoil.
Seeing Naoshi’s mischievous smile, Ako seemed to realize she could no longer continue the negotiation.
She slumped her shoulders and said in a flat, yet slightly defeated voice,
”Then, 2 days, please.”
”Got it. It’s decided.”
”Isn’t that cruel…?”
Although it was never an equal condition, Suzuri sympathetically voiced her opinion, following the usual pattern of getting hopes up and then letting them down.
”Well then, how about Suzuri-chan gets one day, and Ako-chan gets three?”
”How did that happen…!!”
”Thank you, Suzuri-san. I’ll make good use of it.”
”What the──”
Suzuri was left speechless by the sudden betrayal.
Naoshi grinned, and Ako nodded without any expression.
”Now that we’ve settled everythin’, let’s get goin’.”
”Yes, step-brother.”
”Wait, Nao-nii, I’m only two days late, you know!?”
”Yes, yes.”
Naoshi chuckled at the girl’s excited reaction and moved away from the window.
* * *
”Well then, take care, you two.”
As they descended from the observation floor to the ground, Naoshi called out to Suzuri and Ako, who were heading toward the station.
”Huh?”
The girls turned around, raising their voices in surprise, and Naoshi continued with a look of genuine surprise.
”What are you surprised about? Since this is a competition, it’s obvious we’ll be splitting up.”
”But──”
Naoshi brushed off the thought that it would be better to take the train to the city center for now with a laugh.
”A little *extra reward* isn’t something to miss, right?”
After saying just that, Naoshi turned his back to the two and waved his hand casually.
In the next moment, he quickly started running.
”──Suzuri-san, we should hurry too.”
Ako’s voice, tinged with urgency, prompted her to start walking quickly.
”Ah, yeah.”
Though younger, Suzuri was taller, and she quickly caught up with her at a brisk pace.
”Ako-san, Nao-nii is──”
”He was more serious than I expected. He doesn’t seem willing to give us even two days.”
Suzuri frowned slightly at this likely prediction, then changed her expression.
”Then, we have to show him that we won’t let him have his way.”
”Yes, let’s make a plan. Suzuri-san, please keep an eye on step-brother’s movements through the app. I also want to know his target.”
”Understood.”
Suzuri nodded, and her gaze shifted to the reaction of the ayakashi, which began disappearing almost as soon as it appeared.
The change, faster than before, clearly moved westward like a wave.
”It’s heading west──could it be a monster?”
”Really, no matter what, the distance never seems to close.”
The girls’ white sighs dissolved into the February air.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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