And so, after getting her remaining matches over and done with, Hana looked up from her winning streak to the tournament bracket.
“Looks like Hazuki’s going to see Botan first in the semifinals.”
“So it seems. I’ll do my best to win this time! Though…it’s strange. I could have sworn that Seiran Shidou would have entered as well, but she hasn’t appeared in the final category or even in any others.”
Hazuki’s musings made Hana realize that, indeed, Seiran was nowhere to be seen. Hana remembered that Hazuki had talked about how strong Seiran was, and after meeting her herself, Hana sensed that her power rivaled Botan’s. She was certainly stronger than anyone else on Campus Four’s team. Just what one would expect from the younger sister of the strongest Obsidian-rank practitioner, Kazura.
“She entered last year, right?”
“Yes. That’s why I thought she’d appear this year, but perhaps something happened?”
Puzzled, Hazuki placed a palm to her cheek.
“Well, that’s just fine for us, no? One more obstacle out of the way only makes them easier to crush! And crush that phony princess, we shall! Indeed!”
Kikyou was so pumped up that one would think she were doing the fighting; Hana was at a loss for words.
Hana couldn’t guess who would win between Hazuki and Botan, but even if Botan won, Hana couldn’t imagine herself losing.
And so, as expected, Hana won her matches in short order and secured her spot in the finals. Following this would be the semifinals match between Hazuki and Botan. A previously unseen tension swept over the crowd.
Hazuki’s shikigami was Hiiragi, of course. But while Botan supposedly had multiple shikigami, she’d brought out only one of them during the whole tournament.
“Hakuro.”
A white tiger appeared in response to Botan’s call. Seeing its beautiful coat, Hana wondered aloud whether it was fluffier than Arashi’s fur. Nozomu shot her a cold glare.
“That’s your first thought?!”
“What do you want from me? Once you discover the wonders of Arashi’s exquisite fluff, it changes you!”
Hana gave Arashi a big hug as she defended herself. The question of whether his magnificent fluff was due to him being a god or whether other shikigami were on the same level weighed heavily on her mind.
Regardless of Hana’s dilemma, the battle was already beginning. Hiiragi’s movements were excellent, befitting of a human-form shikigami, and he seemed to be overwhelming the white tiger. That is, until the tiger’s master revealed the next trick up her sleeve.
“Kagura.”
A bird of blazing vermilion materialized, answering Botan’s call.
“Oooh, how pretty.”
Hana found herself charmed by this new opponent, which earned her another glare from Nozomu. He was the sweet-and-sour type who went way too hard on the sour.
Hiiragi had the edge until then, but with this vermilion bird entering the fray, he was put into positions where he couldn’t defend himself. The bird and tiger combined still couldn’t match Hiiragi in raw power, but in practice, there was a limit to what he could contend with. Hiiragi couldn’t fend them off alone when attacks from the air were added into the mix. And what’s more…
“Those shikigami sure seem used to combat. Same for their master.”
Their teamwork was polished enough to catch even Hana’s eye. Botan’s commands were spot-on, as well. That must have made this fight even more of a struggle for Hiiragi.
“That’s because the Yotsukado clan specializes in combat. That’s partly why the main family, the branch families, and even the students have a wealth of combat experience. Their practitioners are often dispatched to other clans to support shade fights in emergencies. Like Kazura, for instance. He’s assigned to the Yotsukado clan by default, but the changing of the clan lords led to an increase in shades, so he’s under my brother’s command for the time being,” Nozomu explained.
“I see, so that’s how it works.”
Hana had thought it odd before that Kazura followed Saku’s orders despite being called the secret weapon of the Yotsukados, but that summed it up quite nicely.
Now, back to the match…
“Oh, shoot!”
Hana unwittingly shouted at what was unfolding before her eyes; Hiiragi had just been hit by both shikigami at the same time before falling to the ground.
Hiiragi tried to pick himself up, but Hazuki raised her voice into what was almost a cry.
“Hiiragi, it’s all right! Don’t push yourself any further!”
Hiiragi saw Hazuki gaze upon him, her expression so pained that the injuries may as well have been hers. He let the strength vanish from his body, before vanishing himself.
He was a shikigami, so as long as his practitioner was safe, then he’d heal in time. But even knowing that, the majority of practitioners felt like their shikigami were practically family. That’s why it was hard to see one’s shikigami being hurt.
“Man, I know it’s just a school event, but I don’t think I’m ever gonna like doing stuff that hurts shikigami.”
Hana sighed, and Kikyou had to agree, but…
“Fair enough, but it must be done. Coordination with one’s shikigami is essential when fighting as a practitioner. This Campus Cup serves to teach the students that.”
“I know, but still…”
Hazuki looked crestfallen; and it was surely her worries about Hiiragi that weighed on her rather than the loss.
“I feel bad for them,” Hana added.
“Hana, I know what you’re trying to say. But it sounds a bit out of character after I saw you mercilessly beat the living daylights out of your opponents’ shikigami!”
“Good point.”
“Absolutely, you are not one to talk.”
Kikyou firmly objected, while Kiriya and Nozomu joined in on the dogpile.
“Oof…”
Even Hana had enough self-awareness to know she couldn’t argue with that. To escape those vicious glares, she called out to Hazuki, who was just now returning.
“Hazuki, I’ll avenge you—don’t worry.”
“Sure… Please do.”
With the stage set, Hana ventured into the final match: a one-on-one against Botan.
Botan seemed self-assured as she stood waiting.
“Well now, I suppose I’ll commend you for not running away in fear.”
“I’ve got my other half to avenge, so that’s that.”
“Tee-hee.”
Botan gave an odd giggle. She might have looked like a prim and proper lady, but at her core was the daughter of the clan that specialized in combat, the Yotsukados, and she very much delighted in it.
“Do you perhaps think you have any chance? Those shikigami of yours indeed seem imposing, but you know that human-form shikigami hardly guarantee you a win, don’t you? That goes for your inugami as well. There’s no blade that won’t be wasted in the hands of an incompetent wielder. I don’t know how you managed to bring an inugami under your command, but it was surely done by Lord Ichinomiya’s power, no? You really are suited to that bug shikigami.”
Yet again, Botan made light of Azuha.
“Heh-heh-heh-heh… Not once, but twice you’ve insulted Azuha.” Hana let out a creepy chuckle. A switch flipped in her brain. “In that case, I’d be happy to put you down so thoroughly that you’ll never let the word ‘incompetent’ pass your lips again.”
With a sinister grin and the concept of “self-restraint” cleanly tossed out the window, Hana held out her index finger.
“Azuha, come.”
With that, Azuha fluttered from her perch in Hana’s hair to land on her fingertip.
“Aoi, Miyabi, Arashi. Sorry, but can I ask you to stay out of this?”
“Well, saw this coming.”
“Yes, it’s only natural. I suppose I must leave this to our elder sister.”
“Indeed.”
Hana had her golden tickets to victory stand down and instead restricted herself to a single insect shikigami. Botan was stunned.
“Surely you don’t intend to fight me with that bug?”
“I do.”
“Are you mad?!”
It was too shocking for Botan to believe it. Or anyone else…
“Whoa, c’mon, no way.”
“Bugs are at the bottom of the barrel!”
“Noooo! I’m begging you, at least take the inugami!”
“Why are you throwing this fight?! It’s first place if you win this!”
The peanut gallery was acting up again, and this time it was almost entirely the Campus One crowd, but Hana firmly ignored them.
“I’ll show you what a so-called measly insect can do.”
Hana’s expression exuded unshakable confidence.
“Is that so? I find little joy in bullying the weak, but I suppose it is the duty of the strong to put you in your place. Hakuro, Kagura.”
A white tiger and a vermilion bird appeared before Botan.
When the signal to start came, Botan’s shikigami moved at once. They intended to mercilessly attack Azuha right from the start, but Azuha fluttered gracefully to dodge it all. It was as though she was merely toying with them.
Botan was certain that she could defeat a mere bug instantly, so it didn’t take long for her blatant irritation to rise to the surface.