Upon a closer look, the wound Hatsumi had just dealt was already being closed by miasma.
“Nothing truly hurts this beast...” Titania muttered.
“Meaning... we have to finish it with a single blow,” Hatsumi said, holding her sword at the ready once more.
She’d never imagined she would be forced into such a hard battle against an opponent who relied entirely on brute force. It had a tenacious body, abnormal physical strength, and a physique that was two or three times larger than hers. Her techniques were supposed to surpass it greatly, but here she was at her wits’ end just trying to simply handle it. Was her struggle due to her own lack of skill?
“So strong...”
This was a predicament. However, that was precisely why she had to steel herself.
Hatsumi recalled her trip back to Japan—more specifically, the moment her school’s founder had casually appeared at the Kuchiba dojo.
It happened while everyone was idling in the living room of the Yakagi mansion, talking about things like what they would do when they returned, what to buy while they were still there, and what kind of souvenirs they would bring. The room felt like a gathering of students on the last day of a school trip.
In that moment, an old-fashioned rotary phone started to ring from somewhere in the house; someone was making a call. Hatsumi, being the most used to the quirks of her cousin’s home, was the first to walk over and pick up. Luckily enough, it just happened to be from her mother.
“Hatsumi-san, the head of the family is here,” her mother said.
“Huh? Granny Byakuya?”
She was genuinely surprised. The head of the family was the founder of the Phantom Sword, and she only ever came down from the mountains when something serious was happening in Japan.
“She’s calling for you,” Hatsumi’s mother said. “Can you come back immediately?”
“Mm. I don’t mind, but...”
“It’s alright. It doesn’t appear to be anything urgent. Maybe she just wants to see your face.”
“Got it. I’ll be right there.”
Hatsumi hung up and went back to the living room. The others had gathered in front of the veranda. The curtain was open, and they were all gazing at the night sky. An enormous red moon hung overhead, dyeing the night in its color.
“The moon... is bright red,” Liliana said. “It’s... creepy.”
“It’s also misty out,” Felmenia observed. “Suimei-dono, isn’t this rather abnormal?”
Suimei was still lounging on the sofa, not looking even a bit disturbed. He casually closed his book and turned to them.
“Hm? Aah, that,” he said. “It’s abnormal, but you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Are you sure?” Felmenia asked. “I believe this is a temporary transformation of the world. You described it to me once...”
“It’s not supposed to happen... unless under the influence of something tremendous,” Liliana agreed. “This abnormality... fits the description.”
“It’s the Night of the Crimson Moon,” Suimei explained. “A grand monster has probably descended from the mountains.”
“A-A grand monster?” Liliana repeated.
“Is it in any way related to the monster professor?” Lefille asked.
“No, not at all,” Suimei said. “This one’s a monster in an entirely different way. The professor can be pretty scary when he gets serious, but this one’s scary on a whole other level.”
Suimei’s vague explanation wasn’t convincing.
“Suimei, got a sec?” Hatsumi said, joining the conversation.
“Aah, Hatsumi? Look outside,” he replied.
“Mm. That’s what the phone call was about. Granny Byakuya came down from the mountains.”
“Thought so. It wouldn’t end up like this otherwise,” Suimei said, sticking out his tongue.
“Lady Hatsumi, do you know what’s going on outside?” Lefille asked.
“Nope. Looks like things are pretty crazy, though,” she answered. “I don’t know how it works.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever Granny Byakuya—the founder of our school—comes down from the mountains, it’s like... the air gets corrupted.”
“The founder...” Lefille said, trailing off.
“...of your school?” Felmenia finished.
“Mm. The person who created the Phantom Sword,” Hatsumi confirmed for them.
“Pretty sure you can’t call her a person,” Suimei quipped.
“Oh come on,” Hatsumi said in exasperation.
“What’s that?” Lefille spotted something outside and raised her voice. “I can faintly make out monsters.”
“Hmm. Lefi, you can see the Hyakki Yagyo?” Suimei asked.
“I can see it... very clearly too,” Liliana added.
“Aah, that’s ’cause of the bonus option the Society’s monster installed in your eye,” Suimei told her.
A parade of skulls, monsters, and ghosts were outside. Granny Byakuya hadn’t brought them down with her or anything, but because of the effect she had on the world, such things tended to manifest in her wake. Hatsumi couldn’t see them, of course, so even as she squinted out the window, she had no idea what the others were talking about.
“What is it?” she asked. “I can’t see anything.”
“It’s fine,” Suimei told her. “They probably won’t do anything naughty, so just leave them be. At most, they’ll scare someone. If they go too far, their boss will cut them up.”
“Hmm. Is it always like this?” Hatsumi asked.
“Yup. Whenever the monster comes down, it’s always like this,” Suimei confirmed.
“Is that so...?”
“Well, they’re different from the things the instructor had you cut down, so don’t worry about it.”
Hatsumi’s expression turned to one of shock, and just then, a sudden thought came to mind.
“Suimei, will you come too?” she asked.
“No, I’ll pass.”
“Really? But you’re part of our school too. Besides, granny isn’t totally unrelated to the Yakagi family, isn’t she?”
“She isn’t, but I only studied there for a bit before quitting. It’d be awkward for me to show up now.”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t have to worry about that.”
With that last remark, Hatsumi left the Yakagi mansion. The path outside was covered in a strange fog, and the air was humid and lukewarm, making for an all-around bizarre atmosphere. Still, this was the same as usual. Hatsumi paid it no mind and headed for the neighboring house, where her mother, Yukio, was waiting at the entrance.