Seirin was nonetheless interested in the phenomenon of social media, she had heard her maid speak of it once in awhile, and one of the younger attendants had mentioned it more frequently too. There was a soft glow to Seirin as she smiled and talked, rather eager to listen and hear about new things. For her this was a completely new feeling, she had her own problems but what mattered was she seemed to be enjoying herself in this moment right now.
When it came time to call for drinks, Seirin asked for oolong tea, Rodrick and Helena both asked for anything cold while Helena specifically wanted something that was also sweet. Asta asked for 5 bottles of water.
Soon, Lorelai and Ultana left to retrieve the meals and drinks for everyone as Seirin settled down with Rodrick, Helena, Asta, and Otis. Finally able to get a breather she sat down while the three from colder regions leaned or slumped back fanning themselves with brochures they picked up along the way, or in Helena's case a paper fan she bought.
"I had taken this chance to go out and play, I know I will get an earful when I'm back, but it will be worth it. After all I never expected to even meet people of Arcanis this way. I had thought it would be in a stuffy meeting as my first encounter when I am a little older, as part of my duties they are trying to grow me into", she opened up a little. Out of the group only Otis seemed to notice it was her at the conference, so she felt the topic was a bit more relevant here.
"But, I am glad that my first meeting was a happy one", her self-reflection as this more quiet time came to pass made everyone quite aware of how much Lorelai and Ultana talked, not for the worst of course. Seirin felt their presence was lively and made her forget about her worries...
-----
As the minutes went on, Otis' eyes noticed strange patterns, small as they were, forming on the trees around them. Was it just a trick of the heat he may think... But soon, the area around them appeared to darken first, a white and blue haze set upon the surfaces like a thin coat of snow.
Lorelai and Ultana were not back yet, though they may soon be. Seirin within this situation seemed to be confused too... So this didn't appear to be one of her "bodyguards". Rodrick and Helena both perked up noticing this strange change in the atmosphere and Asta stood up as if the heat was no longer a problem for her. Everyone but Seirin who had known combat felt it. There was a hostile air about this boundary setup around them.
Appearing in front of them like a ghost out of the fog, was a women wearing a kitsune mask to conceal her identity, a long ponytail, and an ornate blade tucked into her shrine maiden's outfit.
"I suppose if I don't take this chance, there will not be another chance...", the maiden began to draw her sword as she walked forward. Rodrick, Helena, and Asta would begin preparing something for combat, though they were ill-equipped with their main weapons being in the hotel.
With a few breaths of anticipation, the party could feel nothing from this lady... Yet, within their bodies they felt nothing but danger. The most interesting aspect was perhaps her weapon, overly ornate for what appears to be an assassin. It didn't take more than a few moments to figure out she was here for Seirin, but within moments, she charged forward.
The first to notice the changes in their surroundings and perhaps the only one paranoid to expect some form of trouble to manifest when a VIP escaped the ken of her guards, Otis had already unslung his backpack and pulled out its contents. Simple wakizashis, sheathed in simpler wooden scabbards, revealed themselves. They were the fruits of his labour at the Kirizanto Forge, bearing spirit-slaying inscriptions upon mirror-polished steel, their edges sharpened until the wind sang across the blades. But they were still as fragile as any other, and as Otis tossed them towards his three allies, he could only hope that they, like himself, understood that these wakizashis wouldn't be able to withstand a single clash with that woman's sword.
An assassin this flashy could only exist within the bounds of the sealed space she had created though. His own eyes flickered, mana burning into the nerves of his eyes as the Strigidae cast Scan. Only jumbled up data emerged though, scrambled by such a concoction of cloaking spells that Otis almost smiled. Certainly, she had made her preparations for spells of a higher caliber than the elementary array that he kept in his brain. Asta should've taken his offer. Rodrick and Helena too. Facing such a foe may have been reasonable if they were all at their best, but dehydrated and fatigued from the summer heat? With weapons made for the artistry of the inscriptions rather than battle? Otis let out a breath.
He reached into one of his many pockets as he stepped in front of Seirin, palming a Vorpal Warp and bringing it behind his back.
"It'll teleport you. Throw it when you need to."
The trio of melee specialists can have their deadly dance. As for Otis, he held two Slicing Bullets in each hand next, those uncanny eyes of his flickering back to the trees, searching for signs of talismans, markings, anything that he could destroy to cause this uncanny space to be restored to normal, or at least cause to glitch enough that someone could get out.
With her companion chosen by merit of being the least exhausted of the group besides herself, Lorelai and Ultana made the trek to secure life saving refreshments and far less urgent but no less important snacks. You never forgot your first time with tentacled sea creatures, living or otherwise, and Lorelai's heart soared at the prospect of providing an innocent youth a pleasant memory to cherish!
Of course she said as much to her partner in her quest, chattering the entire way there and the entire way back about every thought that flitted between her ears. Japanese politeness, which admittedly should have stopped her from being so verbose in the first place, would keep Ultana from snapping, but she would be spared the verbal onslaught as they drew closer to where they had left there party.
Bizarrely where she knew they where, Lorelai could see neither hide nor hair of them. Idly she thought it had been several minutes since she saw anyone walk either way along the trail. Clutching her armful of canned beverages closer she edged forward, hackles metaphorically raised. "They wouldn't have left without us. They could barely stand, let alone keep hiking without us..."
It didn't take long for Ultana to regret going with Lorelai. She thought Otis' rambling was bad but Lorelai was something else! I don't think there was even a single moment where her mouth stayed closed for longer than a second or two! The only thing they really prevented her from snapping was the smell of the takoyaki in her hands. Luckily, or unluckily, she finally stopped when they returned to where their classmates were.....or should've been. Not a single one of them nor any trace of them were there.
"Well, not all of them at least." There's some she wouldn't really be surprised to see go missing. "But you're right, Asta and the other two were especially out of it...But what could've happened to them?"It's not like we were in middle of nowhere, if something big happened, there would've been a big commotion or something to alert us....Like a lightening bolt, she was reminded of what happened earlier. "Do you think those people that were looking for Seirin found her? Though, it wouldn't explain what happened to the others...Hmm...Unless someone else came after them..."
If they were attacked, it could be that they were carried off but....Checking the ground, there was no obvious signs of a struggle and there was no signs of destruction to the area. It was as if they disappeared into thin area or were teleported away...Items still in hand, she continued searching the field until something catches her eye. Bending down, she saw what looked like a talisman covered in dirt near the edge of the area. "Lorelai, over here. Found something."
Once she moved closer, Ultana showed Lorelai the talisman. "Looks like this is probably why we couldn't find them. Has to be some kind of barrier spell." After glancing at Lorelai, she pocketed the drinks to free up her hands and proceeded to tear apart the talisman. Nothing happened at first, but soon the barrier gave way and they could see their friends again......and a shrine maiden? Well, a strange girl with a ponytail wearing a kitsune mask and wielding a real fancy looking weapon. Not to mention she was charging at her classmates quickly. Something had to be done.
"10 spirits of earth, launch forth the bolts of golden earth!" casting Earth Arbalests, she targeted the assassin hoping to interrupt her charge and get her to back off.
JM frowned. The questionable legality of a student being kidnapped for an apprenticeship flew over his head. He wasn't the kind of guy to over think these kinds of things. Their reasons too; they could be out to save some magical world on Mars or whatever, he didn't care. If the school wanted him to hang out with these dudes, then fuck it, he'll ride.
He shrugged.
"If you guys are on the straight with me, I ain't got no questions. You gonna teach me to be a youkai or exorcist or the fucking fairy princess, then fine. Just don't waste my time, I've behind everyone else as it is."
He knew what he must have looked like to his classmates, and they weren't wrong. He was older than most of them, and less educated besides. It was a struggle to even retain scholarship, despite how minimal the requirements were. And speaking of uneducated...
"And I dunno if my dad was an Oni or whatever, but you'll be doin' yourselves a favor if you don't find much similarities with 'im, deadbeat useless hairy drunkard that he is."
Okay, so he might have put little more venom in that than he intended. It was an opportunity to bad mouth his old man though, so he wasn't going to take it back.
JM shrugged again, and turned to his Senpai or whatever.
"A'ight goldilocks, whatchu got for me? Your bossman seems like a busy guy, so I don't wanna stay in his hair for too long."
Air, that was all Aurelius managed to hit as Akimoto swiftly evaded, turning his body away from the sword of the youngster. This man was far quicker than Aurelius had determined. The young swordsman pivoted after his initial swing, taking his blade back the way it came. Both hands held firm to the handle, using the fullest of his strength. Once again, he only managed to hit air as Akimoto took a single step evade the boy's blow. Aurelius stopped in the middle of his swing, pulling his arms back a bit; the blade was pointed toward Akimoto to initiate a thrust. The man waited till the last possible moment as Aurelius' blade was nearly piercing his clothes, one swift movement and the blade was pushed upward.
"WHAT?!" Aurelius yelled out as his arms went into the air. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest, his body moving against his will. Aurelius slammed into the ground with his back first. His mind raced at the mere thought that anyone could stop his blade with just a stick.
Everything happened quickly, it took barely half a second for the swordswoman to bound the more than a dozen feet between her and Seirin, but in that time it appears she didn’t expect her accompaniment to be combatants either. There was a surprise in her movements as her blade met with a dagger held up by Asta who made her way to the front, already forming a shield with Solid Armaments. Rodrick and Helena didn’t delay to try and skewer the attacker, but she was faster as she quickly stepped back and did a few errant swings. In that single moment, the two students froze in midair before being repelled by a gust of wind.
Now in a stance with her blade pointed at Seirin, aiming it just over Asta’s shoulder, all who were face to face with her, Otis, Seirin, and Asta, felt her killing intent in that moment, but her foot never stepped forward.
An array of arrows made from rock would land in the place the assassin once stood as she bounded back. By the time she had resumed stance, everyone was back in front of Seirin, her hand on her chest as she was almost ready to step away, but she couldn’t.
“This is unexpected… But I’ll just have to make this quick”, muttered the assassin.
BATTLE START!
LORELAI
There was recognition in Lorelai’s eye as she saw the talisman, the lessons in that class having been taken to heart, though her expression turned monstrous with righteous fury to see the barrier fall and reveal her threatened classmates by a cowardly assassin. Lacking any skill with such small thrown weapons as soda cans would make, she dropped them and blitzed the assailant in a dead sprint. While she lacked a spear, Form 4 of Dieter’s Fields only required a strong advance to see her hands come together in a heavy hammer blow against the assassin.
Follow Up! Chains her hammer blow into a flurry of punches from Form 1. Follow Up x2! Steps into extreme close range and headbuts the mask in lieu of the hammerblow from Form 4.
OTIS
The barrier was gone, and two more joined the fray. Were the numbers great enough now, that the difference in individual skill could be overcome? Otis let out a breath, enjoying once more the heat of the summer day even as a deathly chill emanated from the masked swordswoman. “Stay,” he said, one eye flicking in Seirin’s direction, as he dropped a Slicing Bullet onto the ground in front of her. Before it could bounce around, his foot stomped on it.
Lorelai, the most energetic and reckless of all, rushed in without even a weapon in her hands, and Otis, trusting his own speed, moved in to assist her. Another hand slipped into his ammunition pouch, pulling out another bullet. His natural magical capabilities were unable to keep up with the costs of the spells he had memorized, but when it came to what he could prepare, the Strigidae could always hit above his weight class.
With Lorelai taking the front, Otis skirted around from behind, throwing a bullet aimed squarely at the woman’s spine.
Now, it was time to see just how their enemy responded.
ULTANA
Seeing Otis attempt to go behind the assassin, with Lorelai at the front, Ultana created a Broadsword with Solid Armament and charged in from the side. Swinging her blade with a furious swing, she sent countless Earthen Spikes towards the enemy to ensure Otis wasn’t discovered.
ASSASSIN
The assassin found herself on the backfoot though was keeping more than pace with Lorelai’s swings in hand to hand. The footwork was wrong for bare fist even if the principles were kept, and so with a rapid assortment of strokes from the left hand and right foot, the assassin dealt a few blows to Lorelai, sending her back with a finishing kick. She had no time to rest however as she for a moment sensed an attack from behind, yet in front of her was a seemingly larger threat. If she dealt with the one behind, she would be vulnerable to a larger attack, and if she dealt with the one in front, she was in danger of being put back onto the defensive. She was choked for time given the situation, and so retreating onto the back foot was not an option.
Not to mention, in Lorelai’s place was Asta, with her shield in front formed and to prevent yet another strategy she could use. If she could just get everything into view...
The assassin executed some fast footwork that doubled her back away from her current position, in what appeared to be a blur the sword was back in it’s sheath. The stance was… Familiar, it looked a lot like what Kuuto used, with a few differences. Regardless, what was to be of note was that the sword was glowing now.
With a grunt that felt painful, she drew the blade. A single white slash went through the earth spikes, Asta’s shield, and Otis’ bullet, before an array of slashes appearing like wide cross hatching followed immediately after. Asta being the closest to this attack was sent back with various cuts along her shield arm, and some reaching her chest.
The sword stopped glowing and the assassin gave a cough, before advancing forward quickly towards Seirin. Rodrick and Helena stepped forward, however Rodrick’s snow soldiers were quickly cut down as they were summoned, while Helena’s Knight of Radiance had it’s attacks easily evaded by this agile assassin. Still with their bodies in front, they need only get in the way for long enough.
OTIS
Otis’s eyes widened at the brilliance that flashed from the assassin’s sword. What an absolutely sublime cut! He had been banking on her slashing his bullet, yes, and had even hoped she’d do so: each of his bullets used impact triggers to detonate the Fire Rune at their base, and if she had done such, the particular bullet would have fired off, striking the ground twenty meters away...before the Vorpal Warp enhancement activated, forcibly relocating the assassin further away from her target while giving everyone else a chance to spawn-camp her.
But that had only been a hope, and it was a hope destroyed by the burst of slashes that accompanied the singular strike, shredding the runic etchings upon the bullet before it could discharge.
Just like that, however, the assassin broke through the vanguard, dashing towards Rodrick and Helena’s own defenses. She was swift, certainly, swift enough to trivialize what magical guardians emerged. Her senses were sharp too, enough so that she had been able to counter attacks from every direction just a moment before when they approached her.
The Strigidae, however, had not yet run out of gambits.
From a fair distance behind, Otis focused his vision, shadow-dancing with the assassin as she evaded the Knight of Radiance’s broad strokes. And as patterns developed, as habits were read and understood, he reached out with his other hand, a bullet held out…
“Ein-Tes.”
...and threaded a slicing beam of energy diagonally upwards, from the bullet he had dropped right in front of Seirin, to the bullet he held now in his hands.
It just happened, really, that Helena’s Knight physically blocked the bullet from view, that the assassin’s body was right between those two bullets when he invoked them.
LORELAI
Her mad rush didn’t amount to any significant damage upon the Assassin, her stance and movements all wrong for fighting without a weapon, but it proved ample distraction to let others surround the attacker. Pity then that she released a blinding attack that seemed to part the very fabric of reality itself, cutting down the defenses and armaments between her and her targets. By a stroke of camaraderie Asta had placed herself between Lorelai and the Assassin, protecting her from the whirling blade as she rebounded from the kick.
Her fury was tempered by the ragged cough that followed the attack, a sign of infirmity she took to like a shark does spilled blood. Without any pretense for defending herself she launched herself off the ground in a flying tackle to restrain the assailant for the others to finish.
ULTANA
Despite the advantage of numbers, the assassin was still holding off their attacks. One single slash from her blade was enough to thwart their attacks. While not any major injuries sustained, Asta, being the closest to the attack, took the worst of it. Before the assassin charged once more towards Seirin, the sword stopped glowing and coughed. Could the attack (or sword) be taking something out of her? Either way, they couldn’t let her get to Seirin. With Lorelai making a reckless attempt to restrain her, they needed to bring her down now.
“With an unyielding will, I call upon the power of the earth to aid me in this fight.”
Activating her Earthbound circuit, she raised her broadsword and made her own reckless charge to slam her weapon into the assassin’s chest.
ASSASSIN
She was quite nimble, the assassin, having obtained a decent amount of. Perhaps something Lorelai should’ve picked up, as her tackle was a straight-forward approach that the assassin’s keen senses was able to react to as she bounded over Lorelai, leveraging herself over with her hand on her back inadvertently pushing her into the ground letting her continue to a skid behind her, and by chance, avoiding a crippling strike from the Slicing Bullet, barely grazing her shoulder as she went into a spin mid-air.
At the same time, Helena’s knight went for another swing, bringing it up in a diagonal arc while Rodrick had the time to summon White Archers. In the spinning midair jump, the assassin swung her blade twice, once to take Helena’s knight’s blade off-balance and avoid it swatting her out of the air, and the second deflecting some of the ice arrows, managing to catch Rodrick in the shoulder as he staggered back in response, leaving Seirin open in a gap between the two.
“Fujiwara Discreet Arts, White Flash of the Glaring Glass”, she muttered under her breath, bringing her focus to this technique.
In that very instant, everyone present witnessed what appeared like a glint of reflecting light against their eyes, blinding them, and as the vision settled, right next to Seirin was a line through the stone-paved floor , and a long cut going cross through her forearm and near her shoulder. The attack… Hit? Seirin yelped a little at the pain, her left sleeve was also completely cut as it fell right off.
At the very instant of the blinding flash, Ultana had managed to strike the assassin out of the air, veering the attack just off-course as she tumbled along the stone pavement. It appears they just barely managed to prevent a fatal attack.
BATTLE END
With distance being made between the group and the assassin, she stubbornly began to take up a stance again, even knowing in the back of her head that her time was short, or even over. As soon as her hand made it to the handle of the katana, an array of throwing knives came flying at her, landing at her former position as she was forced back further. A click of her tongue as she began to start backing away further.
Emerging from the shadows was a dual arm blades wielding… Weasel person? Or at least, they had a weasel-like tail, all adorned in a black suit jacket over what looked like a bodysuit. One might be quick to assume this was a kind of beastkin similar to Otis, but they would be false.
“Lady Seirin, you’d been advised not to separate from your escort”, the voice that came from this new ninja-like figure was female.
“Ahaha… Y-yeah, I’m... so sorry for that, Fuuko, but…”, the way she apologized was like a child who had just been caught red-handed, looking away and almost slinking away.
“It’s for your own safety”, she retorted quickly before turning back to the assassin.
At this time if anyone would have rushed to Seirin’s side to check her injury, would find that it has mysteriously disappeared.
Appearing shortly after this woman was a familiar coat and blade, forcing the assassin to draw her blade to block a slash that came from what appeared to be countless yards away. Stepping in from behind the group was Kuuto. His glare sharpened as soon as he laid eyes upon the blade she was carrying.
“Hm, it appears I’ve found my thief… And culprit”, and it wasn’t just Kuuto who recognized something here. The assassin too. Those more attuned to combat would feel an immediate palpable fear coming from her, before she began to bolt off.
The weasel-like ninja lady known as Fuuko raised her hand, and on signal a few ninjas appeared beside her like phantoms on command. With one wave pointing forward, they were off to chase the assassin while she turned back to take care of the group.
“You knew you were in danger and yet you decided to sneak off from your escort”, Seirin turned away from Fuuko as her features began to melt away and become more human, revealing a girl with sharp eyes and hair tied in a ponytail. Those well-versed in yokai might recognize the features and abilities this girl held as that of a Kamaitachi, but this full human appearance on this kind of yokai meant that she was most likely a half yokai.
“I-I’m sorry”,
“Sorry? Just sorry?! We have killer on the-”,
“Ahem”, she bit her tongue as Kuuto interjected. It’s not really something people should be hearing, but at this point it was probably too late.
“A-anyway, we need to keep you safe, at least until this situation is all over. I know how much you want to go sightseeing, but please, be patient”, there was a quiet as Seirin was being scolded for her behavior, looking down and a little glum. The young lady known as Fuuko turned to the rest of the group.
“I’m sorry for having involved you unrelated children into this… Affair”, she would not openly state it, but she was surprised at how lucky Seirin had gotten, running into kids who happened to be trained combatants, at least, to some degree. She bowed in apology.
“Please, tell no one of what happened today. We’re trying to prevent any form of panic while we close this up”, she then turned to Kuuto.
“Prosecutor Kirizanto, I will be taking Seirin someplace safe, these are… Do they happen to be students of yours?”, he nodded in affirmative. She looked at that the group for a moment in pensieve, running a finger over her chin, then grabbing Seirin by her hand.
“Now, we will be on our way… Come on Seirin, you have caused enough trouble for today”, she stated. There was a pause as everyone watched them disappear from sight.
“Hm…”, Kuuto turned to the students here. He recognized some of them from the vampire incident some week or two ago…
“Interesting that I see some familiar faces. Do you kids have a habit of hunting for trouble?”, there was an awkward silence… Would one take that as rhetoric or a serious question? The hard glare in Kuuto’s eyes made that difficult to ascertain.
“Well no matter, it would be advisable to forget about today’s incident. If you have any worries to put to rest I’ll try my best to explain things, under the promise that none of you try and get involved. We can call this an impromptu lesson of sorts”, there was some historical significance to the people here today.
“For the record before you ask, questions about this investigation are off-limits”
Aurelius would find himself waking up, laid down in Lady's lap. As his vision returned to him, the figure of the man he had been sparring earlier was beginning to become visible as he sat across.
"Oh, so you're finally awake? Ran right into the edge of this stick here... Hahahaha! Should've seen the look on your face! Man it's been years since I've seen someone get their greenhorn cherry popped by someone way out of their weight class. Ahem, anyways...", he stood up and paced around a bit holding the stick he had used earlier.
"Fact I haven't just left you to wake up to nothing but your lady friend here - no pun intended - means I've taken an interest in you. Your stance is too rigid, even if it's correct, your grip is unsure, even if you've resolved yourself to your decisions, and most importantly...", he swung once before pointing the tip at Aurelius' face.
"You rely on those too much, I like the look but it follows me like a goddamn haunted house painting. What good are eyes if it can't see this stick that struck you?",
"I had half a mind to just leave, but turns out I'll be staying in Kyoto a little longer, that is, if you're interested in learning", he offered.
"Haha! Yeah I guess he does seem that way! Well, nothing major, just collection", collection? Like debt collection?
"All ya gotta do is watch, we'll get into practical stuff bit later, I think I know why the boss put ya with me, we both got issues with our fathers", it was not at all what he meant, and at this point JM was unsure of what this guy was even, other than assuming he was some special kind of Oni considering he had a much more human appearance if not completely human. In fact if he wasn't here among these other Oni, he probably would've been seen as a normal human.
---Later---
As a pair the two walked around town, JM was even taken to a clothing store in the Yokai-run town, where he was given something like the rest of the Oni. He looked at himself in the mirror and it made him look sort of like a "really nice guy", just like these other "really nice guys". Kinrou gave him the thumbs up on whatever combination he decided to go with, and when asked about paying for it he said he'd foot the bill, and it would be a gift.
Fortunately for JM, unlike his other classmates who had come here, he actually got time to enjoy this interesting town before being put to work. In fact half this work was going around greeting some store owners and collecting their fees for the month so it was said. As a result, he mainly just walked around, but so far... It may be difficult to ascertain what Kinrou was talking about, or why he was here. It almost seemed as if he was just dragged into becoming a kind of demon mafia.
But eventually they came to a small shack in the back and darker area of Eiseikato. A slum, some would say. Their suits kind of stood out here, and in that sort of sense, there was an immediate feeling of danger, but Kinrou in his gold and black suit did not seem at all fazed as he made his way to knocking on the door.
"Yooo! Mr. Gyushi home?", there was a silence....
"Go away! I ain't payin'", Kinrou looked around for a bit.
"Now that ain't right, we did the job as promised, all that's required is you keep your side of that", there was a disgruntled voice at the other end that sounded like gibberish. For a moment, it appeared like there was an eye peeking through the hole at the top of the shack door, before suddenly it broken down. Kinrou was sent flying back as JM would instinctively get some distance from whatever it was emerging.
Whoever it was in there had transformed into what would be believed as their true form. An Ushi-Oni? They were collecting a fee from a powerful yokai like this? It's fearsome bovine head on a spider-like body, boasting a thick body and pincer-like arms and legs.
"Ahahahahaha! Did that old fart really sending a small and weak human like you to collect from me?! He must be growing soft! Ahahahahaha!"
Kinrou dusted himself off as he got up, putting his sunglasses back on slowly as he spoke.
"Oi oi oi, it appears there's been a misunderstanding", his eyes glinted a clear gold glowing even behind his shades.
"What? You're gonna apologize to me now?" the echoing inhuman voice of the Ushi-Oni known as Gyushi thundered in bemusement at the golden man.
"No, oh no. The misunderstanding... Is that the small and weak one here is you. I'll give you one last chance to pay up, or else I'll be collecting more than just your money", there was a thundering gold aura around his hands and arms, subtle, but from where JM was standing it was quite visible.
"Ahahahahahaha! HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I will give you the honor of being my funniest snack yet! Foolish human! A town like this, is no place for the likes of you!", the jaws of the Ushi-Oni came crashing down upon Kinrou who in a cloud of dust from the impact, disappeared from sight.
There was a silence of suspense, but the first thing visible from the smoke, was a golden lightning.
"Hooooh? Was that really your best shot?", a gust of wind cleared the dust as Kinrou's golden blazer flew back, landing beside JM, also noticing that some other yokai had come out to peek from the shadows, watching the exchange going down. Mr. Gyushi was surprised, groaning and doubling back, at first in what appeared to be surprise, but a golden pulse emanated from him as Kinrou delivered a punch right to his gut.
JM would recognize this power... Well, not precisely. It was similar to when he would access his demonic form, but... Kinrou other than growing two horns, did not look at all changed from his usual appearance... And of course the cool golden aura.
A fight would ensue as the Ushi-Oni would get back up, but Kinrou's compact form made it easy for him to evade the large and clumsy attacks of the large oni, but even then he was just showing off. At the very end he proved it wasn't even necessary for him to do that as he stopped yet another attack with just his hand, before delivering a side kick right into the yokai's center, sending it flying back again.
"You...! You're not human are you?!"
"What gave that away? The horns or the fact that I kicked your sorry ass?", Kinrou cracked a cocky smile and his knuckles,
"So, feel like payin' yet? Or do you need a few more hard knocks?",
"N-no! I'll pay! H-here!", the Ushi-Oni shrunk in size, stepping forward as well... A smaller version of himself, bowing as he produced a bag of coins.
"Well, that wasn't so hard was it? Nice doin' business with ya Mr. Gyushi", and with that... Kinrou and JM departed.
There was a shift. A shift in the progression of the battle, a shift in the amount of risk that the masked assassin was taking. And as flying blades cut off her advance, Otis’s hand went for his pouch again, smartphone slipping out and index finger on the sensor. One more finger press, and the camera whirred to life, recording everything that transpired on video.
The masked assassin and the ninjas that saved Fuuko. Seirin herself, caught in the frames, as well as the words that Kuuto exchanged with the assassin. Records, not for the Strigidae’s own memory, but for the purpose of sharing with others. Perhaps Koyuki would know what to make of ninjas; being as old and Japanese as she was, this would certainly be in the fox girl’s range of knowledge, wouldn’t it?
But for now, this incident was over. Otis flashed a small smile at Seirin before she left, before his expression turned carefully neutral once Kuuto addressed them. The phone, once again, was turned off and slipped into his pocket, and he remained quiet throughout, listening for what questions and answers would pass between teacher and student.
Otis, however, would not say a single thing.
There was no way he wouldn’t want to get involved, after all.
The city of demons is an interesting, otherworldly location, existing within the pocket realm owned by Kuzunoha who rules it as a haven for all yokai to find refuge. Yokai though, are creatures of the night, and so it was natural that in this city, it would always be night, save for the lights of the market districts and houses. It's population numbered just under several hundred, and kept itself going by trading with the outside world through private networks.
Sitting atop the pinnacle of this city was Kuzunoha, perched atop the inn that she runs, the Rakkaden [落花伝], in a room with a view over her domain. She takes a puff of her pipe as she looks over the city once more, before she addresses the people seated within the room. All were seated in two neat rows, some kitsune maids were filtering out of the room, having left some meals for these unique patrons.
Sitting behind her was a selection of yokai, among them included the head of the Koujou family, Yukihara, and the Suzaku Hinoyama. There were a few others including what appeared to be a kamaitachi with a veritable amount of scars, some appearing in their human forms, and then one towards the back that appeared as if he had walked right out of a samurai film.
"So why have you called us here Lady Kuzunoha?", first spoke the kamaitachi. There was silence, she took yet another drag of her pipe, before turning just a bit to indicate her acknowledgement.
"In such a rush to get to business? Ever the diligent one aren't you Youhaku?... Very well, we all have business to attend to", she turned herself around to face the group that had gathered. Everyone here ran something within Eiseikato, the council so to speak, who answer directly to Kuzunoha.
"I have called you all here to address matters regarding the fragments of the Sessho-seki", there were some whispered murmurs. The Sessho-seki, the vaunted jewel said to house the power of one of the great evils of Japan, Tamamo no Mae, a yokai so powerful she had rivalled a god.
"It appears one of them has been been detected within Kyoto. Of course... This cannot stand", the ancient fox pulled her paper fan near her face and fanned it out, at the very same moment the scenery within the room appeared to change as she displayed her powerful illusion abilities, though not for any vanity. In the empty center of the room was a small miniature version of Kyoto.
"Now... Youhaku, you as the representative from the Yatagarasu will have to inform us what you can about the situation. What has been happening the last few days?", the kamaitachi bowed humbly, before he began to speak, the map in the center changing to match what he was saying.
"Thank you, Lady Kuzunoha. There are a few things I need to address, before I get to the Sessho-seki", he began.
"First, over the past month, members of the Kaganomiya Family have been targeted by assassins. Just yesterday an attempt was made on the last lively member, though it was thwarted through sheer dumb luck, it's not likely those affiliated will let that stand", the map lit up around the Kiyomizu-Dera to indicate the location of the attack.
"Next, there have been sightings of unaffiliated yokai in the outskirts of the city. Scouts report that some of them are not simply yokai attracted to the Sessho-Seki's power, as some of the movements seemed deliberate. We have reason to believe that they are associated with our assassin. Unfortunately I have been forbidden from revealing any details about the assassin", there were some disgruntled murmurs in response, showing some disdain for that matter. The map lit up in various spots around the map.
"Finally, the Sessho-Seki. I'm afraid while we have not managed to pinpoint it's location, some of our scouts reported it was detected near or around the sight of the attack from yesterday. Speculation tells us that we may find our stone if the assassin is captured, although... They had given us the slip yesterday, but it is a lead nonetheless", a pause followed as he bowed, signifying the end of his report.
"I see. There are also... Rather interesting players on this board, not as mentioned. Barring the Fujiwaras, and the other exorcist houses, the last lively member of the Kaganomiyas you speak of... She is the Blessed one is she not?", with reluctance, Youhaku had nodded. It appears that information was not something he was supposed to share, but it was something the Lady knew of anyways.
"Hmhm... Considering the deity that has blessed her, the presence of the Sessho-Seki is... Not unexpected then. My worry however is not it's presence. A gathering of demons is hardly something this city can't handle, no... Someone means to do something with the young lady too", Youhaku looked at Kuzunoha with an expression of surprise, or shock, some form of fear involved too.
"The assassinations leading to this month, where a conference had been held, one that required the presence of a Kaganomiya... I do believe our assassins had planned this for some time now, and they have had the Sessho-Seki for quite some time already. For what that is... Well, I can only imagine. Hopefully we will not have to imagine that. It is risky... But I suggest everyone here begin to start tapping into their Kyoto connections, my numerous fox familiars aren't able to keep track of everything, we want eyes and ears everywhere. I make myself clear?", in unison, everyone in the room bowed and gave an affirmative response.
"Very good, now then... Let us return to our own parlours", and with that, everyone had slowly filtered out of the room, one by one. Some of them chatting on the way out, and others already with their attendants giving them orders. The only one that remained was Youhaku.
"Hm, have you not business of your own, Vice Commander of the Yatagarasu?", she addressed him teasingly.
"Of course, but I have yet one question... Tamamo-no-Mae, Otakemaru, and Shuten-Douji... Do you truly believe they can return?", the question was snapped as Kuzunoha returned her fan to it's folded position, as she turned back around to face the city.
"Such an absurd question, though no less absurd than someone earlier. There are yokai that believe they can, to believe that they can be led to the golden age from centuries ago, and that belief is enough for something to return in this world of demons", Youhaku turned away a bit, then gave a bow. The answer was not satisfactory, but he knew he would not get a clear cut answer, before disappearing in a soft gust of wind.
Koyuki woke to a morning alongside others of her kind. A strangely comforting experience she had not had before, everyone seemed to have been rather nice, but strict in their running of the place. Some were even interested in how she had attained a brilliant white coat, as most foxes here had an orange one. Others kept to themselves, but did not create any trouble. She expected to have to report to Kuzunoha again, but instead she was told that all of her instruction for each working day at the inn was to be from the manager in charge at the time.
"Now then, Koyuki, today we will be going shopping", shopping? Such a simple task, but given this was an Inn... The manager had assigned a senior to her, who called herself Kohane. She was a taller kitsune, only two tails, but she's seen her work. She's really good at cleaning and doubles in the kitchen during dinner.
"We'll be meeting with suppliers today in order to make sure we'll be well-stocked for the next month. This is mainly just to let you get to know who else works with the Inn, it's pretty boring work, but since you're new to this city maybe you'll find some fun just looking around", she pointed out.
"Anyways, get ready and meet me at the front of the Inn in ten minutes, we'll be out for more than a few hours, so bring a bag. Also, don't change out of the Inn uniform, people we approach need to know where we're from", and with that she let Koyuki do her preparations.
Hinoyama was a... Laid back teacher. Icarus had woken up late... Or was it early? He could not tell with there being no sun, and thus, only an endless night. Over the last 24 hours, this little house in the shrine had become quite familiar, partly because it was kind of small. It was packed to the brim with old scriptures and books, most of these were in old Japanese, but the fellow firebird was kind enough to demonstrate them. They were... Spells...? As Hinoyama had informed him, spells were much more useful for yokai who had a large source of magic to pull from. Namely themselves. Other than that, he was told to do his training first.
Which was of course... To die. Without dying. It was an absurd concept, and how was he to reach it? There were various ways, according to Hinoyama, but in whatever case, it never seemed clear. To burn out and then return? To be a stubborn fire that refused death while treading the line? Or was it a mental thing?
It was described by Hinoyama quickly. He actually does die, but revives faster than his body and fire can deteriorate. That was even more absurd. How does one do that?
In any case... This morning, Hinoyama didn't seem to be anywhere... Perhaps he can get another peek at those scriptures? Or he can continue his training. Of course, he also had the option of just hitting town for a bit, if he felt like playing hooky.
Tsurara was put into a small apartment above a store just down the street, selling some rather nice Japanese sweets. It was run by an old lady kappa who occasionally came up to give her a pack, in fact she was waking up to the knock on her door to be given more. This time it was daifuku, black bean filling.
She can enjoy that now or later, up to her, but she had to get going for Yukihara's lessons, else she would come hunting her down with a naginata. Despite her rebellious streak as a Yuki-Onna, it was not enough to shake off the fear of death itself, though she knew she would not do such a thing, the glare and killing intent was the real deal. Did she hate Tsurara or something? Well in any case... She had to get going.
----
To her surprise as she arrived, so did Tsurara expecting to see her already in the parlour, but she was also accompanied by two others from her staff.
"Hm, if I had no business at the Rakkaden, I would count this as you being late, but it appears you are lucky today. Please try to arrive earlier from now on", she coldly told her as she walked in. Tsurara followed in after her.
Pretty soon, everyone was settled in the room, various female yokai sat in seiza in a grid formation in front of Yukihara. It was... Sort of like homeroom. Although, this class only consisted of maybe seven people.
"Today's lesson we shall be cooking. I will provide a shopping list for everyone, and once you all return, we shall begin the cooking. Why I have not bought them myself, well, that is because shopping and picking out the best ingredients is all part of your class. You will learn that the quality of your ingredients will be reflected in your cooking, and of course... Your skill as a cook will also be reflected. Now then, make your preparations. Be ready in front of the parlour in twenty minutes, and I will then present you with your shopping lists. Dismissed", today seemed simple enough. Cooking and buying ingredients... They were vital aspects of a housewife and her ability to provide for her husband. It made sense. Well, there was nothing else but to prepare...
Having now been in two life or death scenarios, Lorelai could, in a detached fashion, notice that her prior encounter with the vampire was far less visceral, yet had a far more flashy and high stakes affair. It was the lives of countless souls being sucked away by an aristocratic child feasting for some small gains, yet even in the height of that battle, where she believed herself to be pouring her all into crushing his ambitions, it was here in a skirmish that hardly lasted a minute that saw the Dutch-Japanese's blood sing with righteous fury.
Incandescent was the heat that filled her lungs, heaving bellows that loosed her rage in pitifully ineffective roars. Her muscles and bones ached from the sloppy, amateur attempts to use spear fighting with her bare fists, over-extending herself for no gains. She'd been more bruised in ego then by the assassin, the dirt leaving greater stains then her impeccably sharp blade had. Just about everyone else bore injury to it save her, the one who invited such wounds so nobler souls needn't suffer!
For all the emotions roiling inside her, it was shame that kept her from raising a peep when rescue arrived. When the assassin fled and Seirin's real protectors gave chase, leaving them with the ever unflappable professor of Exorcism, carrying himself as a man of law and order instead of their educator. The lack of pity in his clipped, detached words had her rising, a fistful of dirt being crushed in her palm as an outlet for desires run rampant. When she spoke, the words were hoarse and scratchy, pitched low yet dripping with an incurable enmity for the culprit.
"If we had need to hunt for injustice, the world would be a place safe enough girls like Seirin would never require such security. I only ask to know why such an attack would occur? We spoke with her, we laughed and walked with her among the shrines! Seirin was harmless...why would that animal not kidnap her ransom, but rush to murder her on holy land?"
Granted, when it was brought up about her potentially being trouble, she figured all is well if it brought them a fight and sure enough, it did. Though, it didn't exactly go as she nor anyone expected it to go. Finding and breaking a barrier to find their friends and seeing an assassin donning shrine maiden garb definiteeeeeeeeeeely didn't expect such an adventure, short-lived as it was. Ultana was no marksman but admittedly it did sting to not really get a hit. Knocking the bitch out of the air and causing her attack to go off the mark made her feel a bit better.
Not long after that, her escorts, along with their teacher, showed up and managed to get the assassin to flee. Eventually, they went on their way and their teacher turned around and mentioned their penchant for getting into trouble. Given their serious glare in his eyes, I'm sure it might be taken for a serious question but given who he is, probably not. "While I'd like to ask about the shrine maiden using Fujiwara arts but that's not going to happen. But following Lorelai's line of questioning, I'd like to know who Seirin really is and what's so special about her that people want her dead. We should at least get that much, hmm?"
Would also be nice to know who is targeting her but they probably won't answer us. They say don't get involved but considering they've seen us defending her, we might be seeing them again.
"Hmmm. While I can't share why, as that is part of the investigation, I can talk about Seirin and who she is", he began. Seeing as it is something they can be privy to. People not aware of the magical side of the world though were not, and a different story would be given.
"But before that I'd like to begin with the Imperial Family of Japan. I'm sure as you know, they are this country's ruling family, although all governance is done by the Prime Minister. During World War 2 however, the Emperor of the time, Hirohito had invited several other families to become part of the Kyu-Miyake, and become extended members of the Imperial Family. Following the American Occupation of 1947, all of these families had lost Imperial membership... All but one", he raised a finger indicating that number.
"This family is the Kaganomiya, all records of it were struck and kept secret, the entire family lives in complete secret, and so sometimes the family is called the "Backside of the Throne". The Kaganomiyas are actually a talented family of onmyou, and through their skills and connections as such they have maintained the supernatural side of Japan for decades",
"Seirin herself is the young heir to the head of the Kaganomiyas, as I'm sure you could've guessed by now", at least until their policies loosen. Recent events such as these conferences were meant to help with their approval of opening up more, but this year may make it a hard sell... Though, that reasoning alone is enough.
"Hmmm... I see, sir, how about the ninjas that came afterward? Just personal guards?", Rodrick piped up, he seemed a little interested, perhaps because this was this world's nobility. There was also some concern about Seirin herself, but it seems he was purposely avoiding explaining Seirin and her spontaneous healing near the end of the earlier fight.
"Ah yes them. Simply put, they are the Yatagarasu. They're a shadow enforcer organization whose main goal is to protect the Imperial Family, what you saw was their ninja, which is actually exceedingly rare. Usually you would meet them through representatives who approach to speak with you about matters. The reality is that those representatives are only mouthpieces for them to conduct business, the true organization is hidden away", he explained.
"Now then, I think I have spent enough time here", he said, walking through and past the group.
"I'm afraid I am needed elsewhere, if you have other questions be sure to direct them to Utsumi instead. Speaking of which...", a blue ethereal bird flew by just over Kuuto.
"I'm sure he already knows what happened here too", and with that, he was gone.
Morning came, and still, Koyuki wasn't in the room.
Otis stretched his neck as he turned on the hotel's TV, feeling his spine crick and crack this way and that. It had been another long night; after the encounter with that incomprehensibly nimble assassin, the Strigidae had devoted himself to the theorycrafting of new bullets. A successor of the Fairy Bolts series, one that could home in without having a previous mark set up, or perhaps a gravity bullet that subjectively weighed down the one who's in its range. If he had his gun, the whole encounter would've changed for the better, that much was clear. So maybe this time...
His amber eyes centered on the lovingly crafted firearm, before Otis nodded. It was stuffed into his backpack immediately afterwards, folded up with a bunch of other metal objects. So long as he didn't go through an airport or something like that, it should be fine. After all, yesterday he had toured a bunch of places with razor-sharp wakizashis in his pack. Police were probably more interested in his passport than the contents of his pack. Probably.
Otis was willing to gamble on that ambiguous probability. More importantly, however, he had a teacher to catch.
Hitching up his backpack and making sure the straps of his belt pouch were done well, Otis refilled his water bag with tap water, jammed a couple slices of lemon into it to offset that plastic-y taste, and headed downstairs to find Kuuto. There was only one question that needed to be asked of the teacher, after all.
"Two days now, and no sign. Where is Koyuki, Kuuto?"
Aurelius stared sternly as the man began to make fun of him. It hurt his pride a bit to beaten by someone only wielding a stick. Those movements, they were something he had never seen before. Before he could open his mouth to rebuttal, the experienced swordsman began to explain why Aurelius had lost, his ear perked up to take in everything the man said; the words cut through him like the sword he was holding. Suddenly he became further interested as the man spoke about training. This could be his ticket to learning to hone his abilities and finally avenge his mother.
"I accept your offer of training." Aurelius spoke calmly as he stood, dusting himself off.
As Morning came around, Ultana awoke from her slumber. Still half-asleep, she lazily began to stretch while resisting the urge to fall back asleep. Slowly gazing around the room, she could see that Asta wasn't there and was probably already up and about. Given the time, no surprise really. As Ultana got ready and was about to head out, overheard some commotion with the other students about how some of them didn't make it back to the hotel. Did they sneak out? We are in Kyoto after all, with this citys history of course you'd try to have some fun. .....Unless something happened to them. I wonder....if we were attacked yesterday....Though, if something did, the teachers would say something, yea?
After some thought, she decided to leave the matter to the teachers. Besides, there was something she was still curious about. Last night, there was that assassin that came after Seirin. As surprising as it was to find out who she was and her family, it was the style that assassin used that really caught her attention. Fujiwara Discreet Arts....didn't see nothing like that at the shrine. To find out more, Ultana would need to find a place where she might learn more about it. While she'd like to ask their exorcism teacher Kuuto, considering this was something he refused to talk about, she can't exactly go to him about it. Hmm...I wonder if a library would have what I need...
Heading downstairs, she could see Otis looking for their teacher Kuuto but it seemed like he hasn't returned to the hotel yet. But their other teacher, Utsumi Shichimori, was there. Maybe he'll know? Walking up to him, "Excuse me... Mr. Shichimori, would you happen to know of a library that would have something on Excorcism?"
Time flows on, and Lorelai's ire had dulled to a determination to see herself pushed even harder to improve herself, lest she repeat the poor performance that saw her all but useless against the assailant. By all accounts they'd not see her or Seirin again, the heiress' importance crystal clear even to the oblivious blonde, but that was no excuse not to better herself. A grueling physical regime would normally be her chosen recourse, but seeing as they were in Kyoto, she had other resources to call upon.
With her knew spear still in the works, it seemed only appropriate to learn a new art to pair alongside it. Her own styles, while effective, were more...utilitarian, then measures of skill. They brought brute force to bare and let her exert the fullness of her strength, but they didn't leverage much beyond that. That had seen her learning the arts of a man long past, one whose teaching would normally demand a cooler head, but the Dutch-Japanese could be doggedly single minded in her pursuit of a physical achievement.
Inner peace? Not by a long shot. But putting her body and mind into a single action wasn't that far off from her usual single minded approach.
Hmm, why do I feel like Munemori-San is rolling in his grave... The blonde thought, the groans of ancestral spirits ringing ominously over head as she took a moment to quirk her head mid-kata, only to resume when the dojo's sensei cast her a recriminating look. Eh, can't be more important this.
"Well, I almost hoped you'd say no, at least that'd be pretty entertaining, well any case, I have to get going for today, so all I'll do now is show you one thing", he began, getting up.
He stood in the center of the area they were in, then drew his sword, resting it has side, before slowly bringing it in front of him, his arm at a diagonal down position while the blade was pointed straight in front of him. There was a long silence as they watched him, wondering what he was doing, but eventually a leaf fell upon the blade. What appeared to be a single swing he cut the leaf in half without so much as disturbing it's descent. The feat was not huge, nor was it flashy, it was a feat that would go unnoticed if done correctly. It appeared like a single cut, and what it appears to be is him turning the blade up and slashing, but such a movement should not be possible... So then there might be a trick to it?
He turned back to Aurelius putting his blade away before pulling out the spare katana from his belt, tossing it to Aurelius.
"By the end of the week you ought to be able to do that at least. Practice it with a proper katana, two edges is cheating", he noted.
"Welp, see ya tomorrow kid. If you somehow just run off with my katana don't worry about it, that one I picked up off some poor soul on the road", and with that... He was gone.
As Otis went downstairs to find Kuuto, it took maybe some time to realize he was not here, or... That he asked Utsumi where he was, and was given the answer. It appears he was quite busy with the case, which should not have been a big surprise all things considered.
"Aha... You mean the yokai and demon class members?", he looked at Otis carefully. It wasn't a long amount of time since he's had him in his class, but he more or less understands the curiosity. It was likely he was only curious.
"They're in a... Different program for this trip. I'm sure you can understand if I say that yokai and demons can't learn any form of exorcist techniques", he explained.
"Rest assured though, they are still fine, we get reports on their status every morning".
As Ultana came down also, she was greeted to the sight of Otis and Utsumi chatting. As soon as the exchange ended, she inquired to him about a library. To be honest, Utsumi was almost surprised, almost visibly, he had not taken Ultana as the type to be looking for a library of all things while out and about, but he was rather glad she took to exorcism, so it appears.
"Well, it's only available to the exorcist families of Kyoto, but I've been given a permit from Kuuto that allows students to visit it and browse it. If you're interested, I can give you the permissions to enter", he reached into his pocket and produced a small talisman. It was almost expected he would hand it over, but that appeared to not be the case.
"Place your finger upon this seal", he asked. As soon as Ultana did so, a kind of seal appeared on her hand, before disappearing.
"The library is on the Fujiwara household's grounds. If I recall you were there yesterday. I'm sure you may be wondering where this library might be, seeing as there was only the estate, but the library is underground", he explained.
"Simply ask about the library and present your hand to them for them to check for the seal and you will be allowed in. Please adhere to their rules while you are there as well", just like that he began to usual teacher spiel, but if Ultana was all good, then she could get going.
Lorelai was greeted with an old woman, well, older? She didn't seem granny old, but old enough to have a child who by now is an adult. There were only a few other students from Silver Gate here today, maybe at most four. As the teacher entered the room, everyone fell quiet and began to scramble.
What followed was a normal greeting for the dojo, seated, bows, then standing, and told to start practicing, but before Lorelai and the other Silver Gate members could join they were told to step back and watch, for now.
"Except you lot, I'd like to ask that you all watch for awhile. Today we will be demonstrating multiple forms of Shingan-ryu. This will be as much a learning experience for you, as it is good practice for my students", she stated.
Sure enough, that's what they did, seated at the sides watching the class go through the various types of styles and forms. They had of course, kenjutsu as expected, but they also had battoujutsu which was sword-drawing, unarmed combat, bojutsu or staff fighting, naginatajutsu, soujutsu which made use of a yari spear, arresting or apprehending arts, and even for resuscitation, which was only mentioned but not demonstrated.
After about maybe an hour of showing just a few forms from each, Lorelai and the Silver Gate students were asked what they wished to learn.
Assassination attempt investigation, hrm? Made sense then. And considering the matter of the mask...
"Fine." Otis had suspected as much. It remained a curiosity to him that humans were so eager to segregate themselves from the other sentient races in the world, but perhaps a sense of xenophobia was easier to foster when you only spend time with those similar to one's self. He shrugged off that idea, storing into his mind that Utsumi was lying. That teacher had told them to set up room arrangements for groups of four, without mentioning anything about how those of a more incorporeal slant would not be arriving at their room at all for a sizable portion of the singular week they'd be spending in Kyoto. Even in the absence of any nefarious kidnapping, there was no reason why the training the demons had to undertake meant that they couldn't return to their hotel rooms at night.
Simply put, shit stank bad.
As Ultana offered a suitable distraction for him, Otis drew out a piece of paper and a pencil. He closed his eyes briefly, his exceptional intelligence retrieving the details of that assassin's mask in far greater detail than what his phone's camera could capture, before he drew multiple variations of that same mask from different angles upon the piece of paper. There was a slight pause as the Strigidae's mind raced through any other possible details that seemed unique, but after a while, he stopped and wrote down a simple question instead, before folding the letter in half.
"Utsumi," Otis said, waving the letter towards the man. "If you receive reports, you can send reports. Can you send this to Koyuki?"
Within the letter, the question address to the kitsune was simple: "Where can you buy this, specifically? -Otis"
As the teacher responded to her requested it almost seemed like she might've not been able to go before he reveals that their teacher Kuuto gave them a permit to enter the library. Though, instead of giving her the talisman she thought was the permit, he had her place her finger on it before something appeared on her hand before disappearing. If she wasn't to be given the talisman, than it appeared to her that the 'permit' might just happen to be what appeared on her hand a second ago. A magical permit?
As the teacher explained, the library happens to be in a familiar location. The shrine where she was able to learn the Overflowing flame technique, the Fujiwara estate. She was confused at first but he later made sense of it that the library was beneath it, underground. Now that she got what she wanted, she thanked the teacher and immediately left the hotel and made her way over to the shrine. Once Ultana reached the Fujiwara shrine, she went up to someone who works at the shrine.
"Hello, my name is Ultana Whelen, I'm here to see the library." She greeted them as she showed them her hand.
