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Published at 4th of July 2017 12:50:09 PM


Chapter 84

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Chapter 84: Flowers, Girls, and the Guardian Shield (12)

 

Keikain Haruka felt tired and spiritless. Although she was of similar age to her classmates, however, as the daughter of one of the Tsuchimikado subfamilies, she had learnt how to use mystic arts and control shikigami [1] from childhood.

 

She had once crusaded against man-eating monsters, dispelled horrible ghosts, and investigated all sorts of urban legends to solve the weird presences hiding behind them. If it came down to life experience, not only the naive noble students, even the teachers in school were no match for her.

 

Other than in Kyoto where the headquarters of the Bureau of Onmyō was, she was regarded as a top-level expert amongst all the Bureau of Onmyō branches. She was one of their trump cards. However, she hadn’t expected that she would go to protect a schoolgirl for half a month. If it wasn’t because the branch she belonged to got in touch with her regularly and offered her the consumables she needed (including money), she was even beginning to wonder if she had been forgotten…

 

However, she had a big problem now.

 

“Neh, neh, Haruka-chan, are you reading a book alone again? Is this book interesting?” The girl named Nanako asked and moved closer to Haruka.

 

“No. It’s just a very common book,” said Haruka.

 

The book she held now was a handwritten copy of her family’s secret spells. However, there was a special enchantment on it. If ordinary people read this book, they would find that they were reading a historical book titled “Records of Ancient Matters”.

 

“What’s the title? I will read it some other day. Oh right, speaking of book, Haruka-chan, I found a very interesting shojo manga! The male character and the female character in the manga are so cute! Besides, the story itself is also attractive. If you want to read it, I can bring it to school… Oh, right, remember not to be caught by the teachers because I really like that manga and don’t want it to be confiscated, and remember not to be caught by puppy-chan! She looked like she was in a bad mood recently. I heard her shouting when I passed by the student council… Oh, Teacher Allen! Wait for me!”

 

The girl named Nanako spat out words as if her mouth was a machine gun. After that, she jumped up and left. Only Haruka still sat there with a confused expression on her face. She closed the thick old book with a “Pa” sound, then put the book into her leather small bag with a straight face, “I should have gone to read the book in the library…”

 

——Split Line——

 

After class, Haruka carefully avoided Nanako’s sight, then took the school bus leaving school.

 

In order to protect the schoolgirl Miyama Chihaya, the Bureau of Onmyō rented the second floor of the house that was opposite the Miyama family’s coffee shop. Therefore, she was a nonresident student too.

 

Keikain Haruka hadn’t ever talked to Miyama Chihaya yet. She operated according to the work regulation “As the task performer, you shouldn’t have a lot of contact with the protected person too much. Otherwise, when the protected person runs into danger, your private emotions will affect your judgment”.

 

For instance, currently, even though Miyama Chihaya and she were on the same school bus, she still consciously sat in a corner where Miyama Chihaya wouldn’t see her. When Miyama changed to the tram, she chose to stay in the adjacent compartment. People would feel a sense of familiarity if they saw something appearing in their sights again and again. If Chihaya found her, it might cause problems for her.

 

In the past, she had once been regarded as a stalker by her protected target – Although what she did was the same as a stalker…

 

Peeping through the transparent window, Haruka looked around at the people beside Miyama Chihaya, then nodded slightly. As her shikigami had reported to her before, there was an unidentified girl beside Chihaya. Although the girl looked human and didn’t do anything suspicious, however, Haruka’s instinct was warning her that the gold-haired girl was undoubtedly an “anomaly”.

 

Because the girl’s presence was too pure, if Haruka hadn’t used her shikigami or spells, she wouldn’t even have been able to find the girl’s existence. Even a dying person’s presence wouldn’t be as pure as this girl’s, and therefore, Haruka was sure that this girl wasn’t an ordinary person.

 

Although the girl did nothing bad to Miyama Chihaya, but as Chihaya’s protector, she couldn’t allow herself to see such an unidentified factor wandering around Chihaya…

 

Of course, although she was an onmyoji, she still obeyed the laws. She wouldn’t just dig a hole to bury the girl in – although that was the most convenient option. She would find a chance to get close to the girl, then cast a spell on the girl to make her leave Chihaya. Although it was unfair to the protected person, but this was the safest method.  

 

Currently, she had an opportunity to cast her spell. When Miyama Chihaya went into the vegetable shop, Haruka silently walked to the girl who was staying outside to wait for Chihaya. However, before Haruka could do anything, the girl had turned back and stared at her, who was hiding behind a telephone pole.

 

“Hentai?” asked the girl.

 

“…”

 

Since she had been seen, then she had to solve the whole thing as quickly as possible! Whilst realising this, Keikain Haruka drew out her magical book from her small bag. Her delicate finger slid through the book spine, then the book opened by itself and floated in the air like a feather.

 

“Kagome kagome, Kago no naka no tori wa. Itsu itsu deyaru…” (The bird in the basket/cage, when, oh when, will it come out?) Haruka sang the children’s folk rhymes “Caged Bird” in a cold tone.

 

With her song, seven black iron pillars come out from the shadows on the ground. They enclosed Moli from seven different directions and formed a giant black cage.

 

“Tsuru to kame ga subetta. Ushiro no shoumen – daare?” (The crane and turtle slipped. Who is behind you now?) Haruka kept singing.

 

Moli looked at her in confusion, then an invisible hand pushed her and made her lose her balance. She fell forward. Meanwhile, an obscure slender man in black suddenly appeared behind the cage. As the girl was falling to the ground, the slender man stretched out his hand to the girl, trying to strangle her neck.

 

I won’t kill you, but you’re out of the game now… After finishing her song, Haruka thought in her heart silently.

 

[1] Shikigami (式神, also read as Shiki-no-kami, 式の神) is the term for a being from Japanese folklore. It is thought to be some sort of kami, represented by a small ghost.

 





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