“It’s a yokai! It…it emerged from a Kotogatari! A horrible Nue!”
Then came a mighty crash, as if an inner wall had been broken through.
In panicked tones, the owner told them everything.
How he hadn’t liked Amagai’s tone and the way he’d rudely taken charge of things, and so he’d hidden a Kotogatari, a precious heirloom, in the storeroom.
But then he’d heard a crashing sound, and when he went to investigate, he’d found the Nue laying waste to the storeroom, and he’d immediately locked the beast in.
Amagai ordered the owner and all the servants to evacuate, sending Tomohito to accompany them just in case.
Then it was only Akari and Amagai left standing in the corridor that led to the storeroom. And Kansuke too, of course.
“The Nue Kotogatari. It’s often replicated and used as a protective talisman. Old, established families keep one in the house to worship. The original was an Aratama, a savage soul. Our organization recommends the immediate retrieval of this type of Kotogatari. As the pages and bindings age and degrade over the years, the spirits within become even more susceptible to violence. As such, this Kotogami can no longer be safely sealed inside its book.”
Amagai flung the Kotogatari tome onto the floor. Its bindings were coming apart, and the text inside was faded and only half-decipherable, the pages yellow with age.
The fading and blurring of the text itself wasn’t water damage or anything like that. Even Akari could see that it was a physical representation of the erosion of the binding spell that kept the Kotogami inside the book.
“Idiot. If he’d just handed it over to begin with… This way is so much more work.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Akari hoped the practical question would bring Amagai back from his self-indulgent brooding session.
The Nue was still rampaging around inside the storeroom. It could break free at any moment.
“I’m going to have to slay the Nue. I don’t have time to prepare a new, blank Kotogatari. I’ll have to end it here.”
Akari felt her impression of Amagai improving somewhat. He sounded very competent.
From the firm set of his jaw, she realized that despite his constant complaining and obvious work-shirking, he was at least prepared to do his duty as a Narrator.
Personality flaws aside, he was good at his job.
In that case, she’d better step back. But Amagai looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.
“Wait. Where is your book bag?”
“Huh? Oh, I left it in the library.”
“I see.”
Amagai turned and started walking back down the hallway.
Surprised, Akari stared after him. She didn’t notice Kansuke frowning beside her.
“Uh, where are you going, Mr. Amagai?”
“Didn’t you say your Kotogami there is Kansuke Mishima? Even you must have heard his tale. In this situation, there’s no better Kotogami for the job than a DemonSlayer.”
“Wait, you want me to narrate Kansuke’s book…?”
Amagai’s plan finally registered with Akari, whose voice had grown high and squeaky with panic. Not that Amagai cared.
“From what I can guess, you haven’t made a contract with that one yet. So I think it would be more effective if I narrated. The Kotogami I brought with me in my own book bag…well, let’s just say we don’t get along too well.”
“Ah, but…be that as it may…”
“That display of swordsmanship just before—very impressive from a mere physical manifestation. And you say he hasn’t even had a narration spell cast? That book must have been bound by a master craftsman. Totally wasted on you, of course.”
Akari shuffled after Amagai as fast as she could, but her kimono was restrictive, and he was able to stride forth in comfortable modern trousers.
And to make things worse, she wasn’t very agile to begin with. She soon lost sight of Amagai, and just as she was beginning to fret, Tomohito appeared around a corner, back from escorting the home’s residents to safety.
“What’s wrong, Mistress Akari?”
“Tomohito! Amagai is saying he’s going to narrate Kansuke’s Kotogatari!”
Tomohito’s eyes widened, then instantly narrowed.
“Please excuse me, Mistress.”
Tomohito swooped her up in his arms. He could run much faster than she could, even while carrying a full-grown woman.
They’d lost sight of Kansuke too. He’d been right behind Akari… Where could he have gone?
“Amagai must have gotten ahold of Kansuke’s Kotogatari already. No matter what, we are duty bound to return to our Kotogatari when human possession changes hands.”
Tomohito’s explanation didn’t help to quell the sense of unease Akari was feeling.
The two of them burst into the library to see Amagai turning Kansuke’s Kotogatari over in his hands and inspecting it.
Amagai turned and frowned at Akari, who was gasping for breath. Then, ignoring her, he faced Kansuke, who was standing before him.
“Lucky you. You get to have your book narrated by a real Narrator this time, not just some random rookie.”
“I think that’s ill-advised. But do your worst.”
Kansuke stared impassively back at Amagai, who flipped open the book’s blue-gray cover and thumbed through to the corresponding page. Then, he began to read.
“A warrior of centuries past,
who with mighty sword did slay
an Onigami demon god.
May thy steel blaze again
in service to thy lord.
The DemonSlayer Kansuke Mishima!”
The blue-gray ribbon of energy arose from the book’s open page once more and enveloped Kansuke.
The magical energy unleashed was visibly many times greater than when Akari had manifested Kansuke by simply speaking his name.
It was strange, though. That blue-gray color… It seemed duller in her opinion. More…ominous.
The energy enveloped Kansuke, obscuring his impassive expression. When it cleared, the kimono he wore looked different.
Before, he’d been dressed in a casual, debauched manner, with a kimono but no overcoat. Now, he wore a men’s hakama—formal split kimono pants for samurai mounted on horseback—and dual swords at his waist. His shoulder-length ponytail was the same, but it seemed to be floating in a nonexistent breeze. His impassive expression was gone too, replaced by a grimly resolute jaw and steely, determined eyes.
“You seem so…”