Hana, having never attended a festival, found herself closer to the rather baffled mood of the first-years.
“I wanna go home…”
“Nozomu wouldn’t let you hear the end of it if you did that.”
Hana lamented her lot in life, but Hazuki, sitting in the next seat over, kept her in place.
“You sure are calm, Hazuki.”
Hazuki had been selected for the Campus Cup teams since she was a first-year, and she’d apparently fought Botan herself in the final category and lost each time.
“Did you avoid being a victim of that Yotsukado lady?”
“If I had to call it being a ‘victim,’ I suppose I have experienced her insults before. Such as how my human-form shikigami is wasted on such an incompetent practitioner and the like.”
“Oof.”
That girl had no filter. Hana had to respect Botan in a way. She must have had a lot of confidence in herself to drop such brutal insults. It sounded like she was undefeated, which explained it a bit.
“You didn’t get mad?”
“Not at a direct descendant of the Yotsukado clan. I’m just the daughter of a mere branch family, so I’m in no position to complain. Not that I could have argued, as I did lose.”
“Yeah, that’s the five clans for ya. Can’t ask for a stronger comeback than that.”
Kikyou and Nozomu could let their anger show because both of them were also direct descendants of the five clans. The other students were plenty motivated, but they didn’t say a word against Botan; they were still taking her position among the five clans into account.
Hana was a bit relieved to see that everyone retained some sense.
“I’ve heard that she’s earned the ire of the other campuses as well, so I’m always nervous that someone might blow up on her. Be careful that you don’t let her pick a fight with you, Hana.”
“I’m losing motivation by the second.”
Hana would have liked to run away if she could, but while she and Hazuki were talking, the meeting’s fervor had somehow turned up a notch.
“We have three human-form shikigami and an inugami. We can totally win! Heck, you’d better win like your life depends on it, Hana! The Ichinomiya mansion isn’t gonna be your home anymore if you lose!”
“Nozomu’s got zero restraint, I swear.”
Hana’s expression turned sour, but the rest of the students were just as fired up as their leader.
“We’ve got an inugami, so we can totally pull it off!”
“If we don’t manage to win this time, we’ll be a disgrace to every previous graduate who brought home a victory.”
“I’ve had money on this Campus Cup for the past year! I’m begging ya, you’ve gotta win!”
Hana had people practically worshipping her. All she could do was clutch her temples in exhaustion.
“What am I gonna do if I actually lose…?”
“The students might make you bear the brunt of the responsibility and tear you to shreds the next time you set foot on campus…”
Hazuki gave her prediction and then fell silent.
“Hazuki, don’t go saying stuff that’ll actually scare me off!”
“I—I mean, it’s just the easiest thing to imagine!”
Hazuki was shaken, while Hana was starting to shake even more.
“Crap. Now I really can’t lose.”
The final event’s participants were Hana and Hazuki. If Campus One wanted to make first overall, both of them needed to make it to the top.
“It’s a tournament format, so let’s just pray that neither of us gets matched against Botan early on.”
“For real.”
“Oh, but Campus Four has one other person to be careful of. It’s a girl who’s always by Botan’s side, Seiran Shidou. She’s quite strong, too, so be careful. She’s from a family that’s served the Yotsukados for ages.”
“Seiran Shidou, huh…”
Hana remembered the girl who was also there when she met Botan. Botan left such a strong impression compared to Seiran, who had a subdued demeanor, that Hana struggled to recall what she looked like. But she still had the vague memory of a dignified and well-mannered girl.
“Also, her brother is said to be the most powerful of all Obsidian-rank practitioners. It certainly runs in the family. The Shidous are called the secret weapons of the Yotsukados for a reason.”
“Bleh. The strongest? So that means he’s stronger than Saku, right?”
“Yes, probably.”
Hana sure was impressed.
“I wonder what he’s like…”
Hana was curious about what it took for someone to be called the strongest of them all.
While Hana and the team were attending their meeting, Saku was listening to a report at the mansion. The tension in the air was thick, and one could tell at a glance that the subject of this report was far from cheerful. Listening further would paint a picture no less solemn.
Across from the figure at the head seat, Saku, sat Yanagi. Yanagi, who ranked just below Obsidian as a Fourth Color, Lapis, sat on his knees with his back straightened. The lapis-colored pendant around his neck further symbolized his strength as a Fourth Color practitioner. The record he set by obtaining the Lapis rank at the youngest age in practitioner history remained unbroken.
It was a feat impossible even for Saku. But while he couldn’t overwrite Yanagi’s record, Saku had managed to reach Obsidian rank first, while Yanagi remained at Lapis. That spoke to just how much weight the rank of Obsidian carried, and just how difficult it was to achieve.
Next to Yanagi sat a man of about similar age to him, with hair that looked a bit unruly. Unlike Yanagi, whose expressionless face sometimes made people mistake him for being ill-tempered, this man seemed kind and approachable. And his good looks rivaled Saku’s to boot.
His name was Kazura Shidou. He was an Obsidian-rank practitioner, just like Saku; one could call him Saku’s senior.
The subject that the three discussed with stern looks concerned the terrorist group called the Skull of Nirvana.
“So everyone from the Skull of Nirvana is done for?” Saku asked, to which Yanagi nodded, his expression not changing.
“Yes. The security guards immediately noticed the problem and acted accordingly, but everyone in custody died then and there.”
Saku’s expression grew grim. Every single one of the Skull of Nirvana members they had captured had died, which presented a problem.
“What caused it?”
“Our security was solid. If everyone died while under surveillance, I must assume it was some form of curse.”
“Figures. I agree there.”
Saku left Yanagi’s theory at that and turned to Kazura.
“Kazura, what do you see this as?”
In age, experience, and practitioner skills, Kazura was above everyone else in the room. However, Saku held a higher social position as the lord of the Ichinomiya clan, so Kazura was mindful of his words and spoke only when necessary.
“I believe they still have accomplices. There’s also the possibility that the members we captured were only the lower-ranking ones.”
“Silencing them, huh…?”
“Yes.”
“Curses are your forte, right? Are you sure you couldn’t determine anything else about the cause of death?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Kazura smiled wryly as he shook his head.
“You’re letting that Strongest Obsidian Rank title go to waste, I tell ya,” Saku complained, his attitude disrespectful.
In response to this tantrum, Kazura’s brows drew together pitifully.
“Please don’t ask the impossible. I’m not infallible, after all. And titles such as Strongest Obsidian-Rank Practitioner are unfit for me.”
“There’s a point where being too humble turns into an insult. If you think there’s a practitioner out there better than you, bring them here and let me be the judge of that.”
In rare form for an egotist with unshakable confidence in his own skills, Saku highly praised Kazura’s abilities; the man left Saku no choice but to admit defeat in the face of a level of raw strength that he could not hope to reach. That was who Kazura was. Yet he never carried himself with the vanity that Saku did; Kazura was instead quite a reserved person.
“It’s an honor to be so highly regarded by the Ichinomiya lord.”
Kazura exuded an air that soothed the hearts of all around him. He was a gentle soul whom the unknowing onlooker would never associate with the term strongest. His affinity for curses was also far removed from the impression he gave. But the level of his power was the real deal; anyone who thought lightly of Kazura from their first impression quickly learned of their folly after they saw him fight.
“You can let at least a little bit of it go to your head. You’ve got more than enough strength to back it up.”
“I do that plenty. Besides, I belong to the Shidou family, so my accomplishments are the Yotsukados’.”
“Really, it’s a shame you’re not an Ichinomiya man.”
“You have a fine Ichinomiya man in Yanagi, do you not?”
Yanagi winced when his name was brought up.
“Please don’t compare me to yourself, Kazura. The gap between our skills is that of heaven and Earth.”
“I’d like to pat you on the back and say that’s not true, but that’d probably just hurt your pride even more, so I won’t bother with any blatant lies.” Saku spoke with the same sort of wince.
“There’s no need for that. Now then, the Skull of Nirvana matter takes priority.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
With Yanagi warning him of the digression, Saku refocused on the subject at hand, and his stern expression returned.
“We thought we had captured them all, since one of them claimed to be the boss, but something never seemed right about how weak they were.”
Yanagi and Kazura nodded.
“Hana might be strong, but I can’t imagine any group that would go down that easily could ever steal those talismans out from underneath the Association Headquarters’ airtight security. Given this latest incident, it’s safe to say this is someone higher up the chain trying to cover their tracks.”
“The Skull of Nirvana never did admit how they infiltrated headquarters, correct?” Kazura asked, and Saku confirmed.
“Yeah, that was the one thing they all stayed tight-lipped about.”
Saku clicked his tongue.
“Wasn’t too long ago that I could’ve gotten my hands a little dirty to make them talk, but now the Association blowhards are going on about ‘human rights’ and whatnot. If I knew it’d end up like this, I would’ve gone through with it anyway…” If the Skull of Nirvana’s boss had still been alive, the fearsome look on Saku’s face alone would have made him beg for mercy. Yanagi and Kazura frowned. “Well, no use talking about it when what’s done is done. Yanagi, Kazura, I want you to lead an investigation to find out if anyone was behind the Skull of Nirvana, and if they’re connected with the deaths of the Skull of Nirvana members. If curses were used, that’ll be Kazura’s specialty.”
“Very well.”
“Understood.”
Yanagi and Kazura bowed their heads in response to Saku’s order.