When you lose track of the Sun, you can always search for the Moon.
DISCLAIMER: DxD doesn't belong to me~
What a cowardly thing to do at the start of summer. The moment my father shows up, to pack my things and head to grandma and grandpa's place. It's not like I don't miss them or anything, it has been almost half an year ever since I visited for them to congratulate me in my highschool debut, but the lingering feeling of bad vibes just won't go away that easily. Maybe it's because I've also shown everyone that I met so far such a cowardly side of mine. I really have no moral in questioning or scolding any member of my peerage for running away from their problems when I myself am doing the same, regardless of circumstances...
I digress. Even with all said and done, one week later after my fateful encounter with dad, I fulfilled my shameful wish and now I am boarding the bullet train that links Kuoh town to Kyoto, going as fast as humanly possible in a three-hour long trip to visit my dear grandparents. As I idly look outside to see the city turns a little less urban, I'm now filled with expectations and shame. It's not that uncommon for a highschooler to go visit their dear grandparents during summer vacation, right? Besides, I'm the only one who can still do such since my sisters either have university stuff or work to fill their schedule and believably avoid that man we call father. Still, I can only hope grandpa Kazuki and grandma Ichika are doing okay, and they have a room to spare for a one.
"Whoooa~! We're moving so fast! It's kinda making my head go all mushy~!"
"Hm. To see an invention that can move as fast as my Red Hare. How impressive..."
"Surely, this trip will enrich me with another layer about this wonderful land."
... Plus three more.
I'm not alone in this trip, as I share four seats facing each other with three members of my peerage: Whiswain, Kan'u and Ryuubi-sensei. It's not like I wanted them to come and visit my dear grandparents, but Rina insisted that I at least had some 'backup' in case something major happens in Kyoto, the epicenter of supernatural youkai activity in Japan not overseen by devils or the church; plus now that it's summer vacation, she'll have the opportunity to build individual rooms for Whiswain and Kan'u and she needs time to request another rebuild and hypnotize my family so they won't mind the extra rooms, sensei coming as well so that her beloved general won't wreck things absentmindedly. She assured me that no war would happen there since relatively speaking youkais are weak compared to the stuff I've faced so far, but since it's also home of the great fox spirit Yasaka and the next head of the Kansai youkai Faction Kunou, you never know.
I remember her telling me stories about how senpai saved Yasaka-sama from the Khaos Brigade a few generations ago, and since then the devil factions and the Youkai faction have been working together with some wavering but strong ties. I wonder if I'll get to meet Yasaka-sama and Kunou-sama...
Also, Rina gave me this card for permission to enter the supernatural side of Kyoto. According to her, this card will allow whoever has it to access the territory of the Youkai faction without the risk of attacks or repercussions for invasion, basically a visitor's card into places not under the supervision of the Gremory or other devils. You wouldn't know that by looking at it, though...
"Rina, this is just a picture of your father with a sign saying 'Allow them to do whatever the hell they want or else' and a lipstick mark."
"Yeah~, father is... Pretty famous in the supernatural world, and people who give him motives... Don't usually live long. As long as you guys have those, any faction will give you permission to do mostly anything out of fear."
"Holy shit..."
"I'm giving those to you because I know you won't abuse them. Plus, the Gremory and Yasaka-sama have some history, I'm sure she won't be mad about the red dragon and his lively companions just sightseeing in Kyoto."
"Heh, even if she does, what will she do? Get herself kidnapped by humans to annoy you?"
"Annie...!"
"Thanks, Rina. I'll be back... For Tanabata, I promise."
I really, really want to spend time with her and the others, but with him around, I'll only poison the enviroument and make everyone mad at me. Mom was almost crying when she scolded me for avoiding father a few days ago, and if I have to see her struggling tears for something I did again, I rather kill myself. At least she was in a better mood enough to pack some snacks for us...
"There are a lot of cemiteries around here. It's almost scary." Whiswain comments looking outside the window, the fast-moving train we're in not making her lose sight of the many tombs we pass through on our way to Kyoto.
"They're not exactly cemiteries, dear Whiswain. You see, in Japanese culture, burying their dead is a mostly recent tradition brought by the western culture. What we're seeing are tombs that carry the names and homages of deceased loved ones in them." Ryuubi-sensei explained, and after a gasp of surprise and amazement, the grim reaper turned to me and I nodded to sign that what sensei said was correct. "Usually, the corpses are burnt and their ashes and bones collected to be bury or spread in other locations, with only a part of it truly buried in those sites."
"Oh~, so that's why there are so little wandering spirits in them." She says. Such a morbid subject, but it does make sense, I guess even spirits are able to move on when there's no rotten corpse to attach their grieves and sorrows on. Plus, those are sites for those areas only. "Uh... Ichijou-san, how's Kyoto? Is it nice there? I hope it is nice there."
"Well, I was born and raised in Kuoh, so I have a pretty biased view on Kyoto despite my father being from there." I snap my tongue just remembering about him, but a quick slap on the face to wake myself made me snap back. "What can I say... It's a nice place, people there are more lively than in the Kanto region, and the food is delicious if a bit greasy. There are a lot of temples there, too, no wonder the youkai presence there is stronger than in other regions. The only problem is there so much noise, a person from Kanto like me is not a fan..."
"Oh, I see." Whiswain nodded, her little eye getting brighter with excitment. "I was a bit scary about going there, but now, I have nothing to fear, specially with you around."
"Any reason for your family to be so far apart from each other, though?" I toss my eyes forward to face Kan'u, who gave me such question while looking out of the window. She shifts her attention to me, and shrugs. "Just an idle question, don't answer if you don't want to; I am also not all that thrilled for it. You can call it a capricious part of me."
"Truly, I'm quite curious myself." Sensei seconded, her pink eyes also looking at me. "I've noticed also that Lord Hajime lacks the common posh Kyoto dialect from there, and all of your sisters and family members present so far are natural from Kanto..."
"Hm~. I guess you can say the Tsukino tend to have a bad blood with each other." I answer with a puff of smoke out of my system, earning rather curious stares on my end. My family history... I'm not all that thrilled about and surely it's not that important, but if they want to hear it. "You see, my family, at least the Tsukino part, used to be a small clan of Samurais back a few centuries ago. It's not like they were big or anything, and after the Meiji restoration and the the abolishment of the feudal system, a descendant of mine abandoned the sword and became a small-scale politician and stabilished himself in Kyoto, my grandfather inheriting a small villa from him where he lives to this day with grandma. My father and my grandfather never got along, so much so he studied for and entered Tokyo-U just to get out of Kyoto and grandpa's reach. I think it was after his second marriage that he decided to ease up and stay in Kuoh, where he met my mother; but I think Satsuki's and Shion's mothers were also from Tokyo."
"Wow, that's amazing~!" Whiswain sighed with star in her eyes, and for that I scratch my cheek, a bit embarrassing. It's not that much of a deal, but it's family history, at least. Grandpa loves to tell that to everyone. The one with more focus on me however was Kan'u.
"So, the reason behind your mastery in the arts of the blade must've come from those ancestors of yours, the japanese samurai." She comments, arms crossed and a curious shine in her intense crimson. "Perhaps your blood is more noble than I give you credit for, Hong Long."
"It's not like them being samurai has anything to do with that. Otherwise, Nobunari-san would be appearing on television for completely different reasons." I said between my teeth out of mischief. I mean, father is a kendo master and he even reached nationals when he was a student, and grandfather used to be a police officer; but I'm more me, being a samurai descendant has nothing to do with it... I think. But blood indeed is thicker than water.
"But still, entering a prestigious university such as Tokyo-U just to study elsewhere other than their homeland sounds... Oddly petty. Not to scoff dear father's accomplishments, but that reason alone colours me surprised." Ryuubi-sensei questions, and I hiss about the thought. If only she knew the reason Satsuki, Shion, Minatsu and Futaba studied hard to enter Keio was also to stay as long as possible away from dad. Spite is a powerful feeling indeed. "There must be some bad blood between the dear patriarchs. Hong Long, do you have any idea what could it be?"
"Dunno, never bothered to ask. But if it gives me a haven dad avoids for me to escape, I'm more than glad that grandpa Kazuki and father hate each other." I spit, clenching my teeth. One, two seconds pass, and I snap back to reality for the three lasses who now look at me with surprised and shocked expressions, my face hurting for contorting so much. Ah, I did it again. I sulk a little, and toss my gaze elsewhere, looking at the scenery by the window. "Sorry about that. I... Didn't mean to."
"..." There was a beat between us. Ryuubi-sensei blinked a few times, sighed, and waved a hand to indicate that everything was alright, at least on her end; on mine, I was still trying to avoid thinking about him. I should wear a better face when facing grandma and grandpa. How am I going to explain the three girls following me is another story entirely, but let's take things slowly. "Dear father went to Tokyo-U, your sisters are Keio alumni... And you, the youngest among them, the almighty red dragon. Truly, despite the bad blood, the Tsukino have been blessed with such wonderful children."
"I guess you can say that." I nonchalantly sigh. "Aside from being the red dragon, compared to my sisters, I'm just an average highschooler. Satsuki works at Kuoh clinics and she's quite reliable even to her own family, plus she's the one who taught me how to cook and clean the house; Shion was a ronin for a year, but she entered Keio anyway and was quite popular there because she's a blackbelt in Judo too; Minatsu took Arts and she wants to become an actress and Futaba is studying to become a politician or something. They're all bitchy and annoying, but I have to admit they got a lot on their belts."
"Heheheh..." I hear a small laugh, and turning my view to a certain direction, I see Whiswain hiding her giggles with a hand. Once our stares collide, for the first time, she didn't flinch, but she looks happy, if a bit red."Ichijou-san, when you talk about your sisters, your eyes become really bright. You must be really proud of them!"
"I... Hm... Tch." Damn it, I can feel my ears burning just by realizing that, and not by rage in that case. I try to find any excuse to escape, but I have none, and instead I turn to a random direction and dismiss that comment with a click of my tongue. Another laugh, this time coming from sensei.
"Indeed. For all the words you use to describe them, I can sense some form of pride and joy as you talk about their accomplishments." The pink-haired master nods peacefully, turning her eyes to me with a serene expression, satisifed for some reason. "Aside from your father, you truly love your family, no?"
"..." No response for me, because I have nothing to say, nothing at all. "Whatever..."
I hate to admit it, but... Family is family, I guess. Except for him.
Except for him.
The rest of the trip wasn't all that eventful, we played cards, ate mom's special bento and read a dictionary about devil language translated to japanese Rina gave me so that I could start to learn the tongue of the Underworld(Patented by Akeno Himejima-senpai) before finally reaching our destination, Kyoto. It must be because I'm a devil now, but the airs around here have a different weight compared to Kuoh's, something completely different from a few months ago. Still, it's not suffocating or anything, just something I noticed. I shrug it off since it didn't bother me much, and once out of the station, we still had to pick a bus to go to my grandparents' house. I took us a few minutes on both wheels and by foot, but once we reached the place, they couldn't contain their amazement to the traditional-styled mansion in the middle of the woods. I guess it's enough of a nice place...
"Whoa~! Ichijou-san's house is amazing!"
"I have to admit, the foundations seen solid enough and the traditional style bends perfectly with the enviroument. Congratulations, Hong Long, I'm impressed."
"This place is very nice."
"I did say my family owned a piece of land big enough to be comfortable. The regal aura is just for show, though. It's not like grandpa or grandma hold tea ceremonies in here anymore." I dismissed their amazement for the mansion with a wave, but still, even as an grown lass, the sheer size of this place is amazing, but then again, the Tsukino tend to have a lot of members. I reached for the comically-modern voicespeaker doorbell and a buzzing sound came from it. One, two seconds, and the one who picked was grandma Ichika. "Hey, grandma Ichika. It's me, Ichijou. May I come in?"
'Oh, heavens me. It has been so long, dear. Of course you may enter.' Came the sweet, calm elderly voice by the other side of the speaker, and for some reason the side of my mouth twitch a little in an upward arc. I think I missed her more than I should. A small buzzing sound, and the main door leading to the mansion opens slowly.
"Thank you, grandma." I smile. My three companions were enchanted by grandma's voice, and snapping them out, I signed that I would be coming first in order to first greet my grandparents and then introduce them to my group and vice-versa. I knock on the open door a few times and entered the place. "Hey, grandma Ichika(Ichika-baachan), grandpa Kazuki(Kazuki-jiichan). I'm going i-..."
*POW!*
"INTRUDER...!"
"BGWAAAAAAAH...!" But before I could even take two steps inside the mansion, a shadow came from the heavens and dropkicked me in the face! My body turned off, went all numb and I fell on my back in a piledrive position, utterly defeated. Once I could tell left from right, I lifted my stare to first look at the girls' panties and then to the sillhouette standing right beside me: this tall, grizzling, serious-looking old man wearing a polo shirt and black pants with a spiky hairstyle. I was quick to recover and stand up against him. "Jii-chan, what the hell...! Is this how you welcome your grandson into your house after all this time?!"
"What grandson?! My memory fails me in remembering such a hooligan grandson!" Kazuki-jiichan, the oldest living male of the Tsukino family, scolds me with his bespectacled black eyes as he reaches a hand to pick my small ponytail and grip it like a vice! "What kind of respectful man styles his hair like this?! Not one worth of honour, certainly! Abandon the idea that I shall accept you in any form for being the spring of thee youth!"
"Go burn your tongue on Ochazuke, jii-chan!" I retort against his heavy Kyoto dialect, and he tightens the grip on my hair to the point I thought he wanted to snap my ponytail off!
"You dare mock me with that naff tongue raised in Kanto?! I have you know Bubudzuke is the right term for that grub, lad!" He responds now shaking me left and right by the tuff of hair as I try to get myself free from his clutches. As the chaos runs free, Jii-chan's eyes sudden shift to the three horrified young women who were following me, and kicking me on the back of my legs so that I could lose balance, he turns to them and politely bows. "Heavens me, forgive my behaviour regarding my daft grandson. May I ask miladies' identities and then welcome you to the Tsukino state?"
"Why the different treatment between strangers and your own grandson?!" I scream with my own grandfather gripping me by the hair as I try to get myself free from his grasp. In the end, however, he let me go and I stand up, dusting my clothes so that I could present my dear companions to him. "Caham... Grandfather, those are my... Acquaintances from school, who wanted to visit Kyoto with me, plus a teacher that is new to the country and wanted to see some traditional japanese archteture, which I offered the Tsukino state. Kan'u, Whiswain and Ryuubi-sensei."
"H-Hello."
"Good afternoon."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, lord Tsukino."And the three of them bowed, included the tiger general.
"I see. Very well then, I welcome you all to the Tsukino household. Thou who speaks to thee is Tsukino Kazuki. It's also a pleasure to meet you all." And grandfather adopts a more noble and regal stance, also politely bowing to the three girls and offering to pick their jackets, which they refused for not wanting to be a bother. One, two seconds, and he turns to me. "Let me guess: Haji's back from his trips, right?"
"..."
"Thought as much. Do not fret, I am not accusing you of visiting me just to flee from your father. Honestly, I'm glad that his... Misdeeds are as much of a weight to you as it is to me." The older Tsukino coughs, reaching my head to give it a small pat, I can only feel love and warmth coming from him this time around. He can be quite violent and strict, but I really don't want jii-chan to think I'm just passing by to escape from him; I really do want to see them from time to time. Once that was done, he turned around and signed us to follow him, not missing his stance. "Come in, dears. I welcome thee to the Tsukino state. Please, follow me."
"Okay. Let's go." I point my chin to my grandfather's back, and the girls nod for that. What a hell of a first impression, I hope they don't resent or fear grandpa after that. He's not a bad person per se, but Satsuki's and Futaba's intensity had to come from somewhere.
I adjust the small string holding my lazy ponytail down, and pick my laggage to enter the state, followed by my dear peerage mates who scan the place. The Tsukino mansion, a small gift grandpa got from an ancestor of mine, a ronin-turned-politician. Father, aunt Tsubomi, aunt Mitsuba and aunt Shiki were raised here, but grandpa and grandma never had any problem with so many children due to the sheer size of this place, a Yashiki-style japanese house with a small bamboo-plantation, a backyard with a koi pond, a zen garden and even bonsai stalls. The girls can only sigh and moan in amazement as we follow grandfather through the roofed wooden pathway leading to the bigger house. So traditional, I remember loving to come here and play.
"How's Kyou-chan, if I may? Certainly, she might be very busy considering the lively bunch she has to raise." Grandfather asks without looking back, walking deeper and deeper into the Tsukino state. Ah, that. I purse my lips a little, and make a half-assed grin.
"She's fine. Now that I've entered high school, she has more time to herself and can focus more on her job. We're not going to be brats for the rest of our lives, you see." I comment back. From jii-chan, a small chuckle and a nod in understanding, his dry steps on the wooden floor followed by the tracks of our luggage. Maybe I should ask something else, too. "How about you? Taking care of the house by yourself, this whole and big state. You shouldn't be doing that at your age, jii-chan."
"Shut your trap, lad, I'm not that old. Moreover, unlike people from Kanto, this amount of work is hunky-dorey for someone like me." He scoffs, and for that, a brow of mine twitches. "I should be the one worried about you and your family living in that suffocating space back in Kuoh. Not just the dimensions, the dullness makes it look dead, I'm surprised you don't look like me at your age..."
"What you Kyoto people know anything about dullness when all you do all day is look up at your own rear end..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing." I hiss to another side when jii-chan turns to look at me. Ah-ah, the typical Kyoto treatment, no wonder I developed such a sardonic sense. But despite that, I actually feel at home here. "Good to see you healthy, though. It makes me relieved to see you so well."
"..." And then he stops, lifts his a bit, takes a deep breath, turns to me and coughs once again all in the spam of two seconds. After that, he resumed with his walking. "Hush, you."
I love you too, grandpa.
"They do look and act a lot alike, right? Sensei, Guan Yu?"
"Such an unpleasant family trait. I feel like crying just by being near them."
"But it is somehow endearing, no?"
I hear voices on my back, followed by some cute chuckles and giggles. Never thought like that, by the way. Mom usually says I'm more like her part of the family, but I guess I'm seeing the similarities. Whatever, I'm more me, anyway.
Once we reached the main house, we dismissed our shoes and socks and walked onto the wooden passages as the sliding paper doors were open so that the summer airs could enter the otherwise dull rooms. Eventually, we reached the main hall and jii-chan announced his entrance by sliding the door open.
"Dear, Ichijou and his lovely companions are here." He says.
"Heavens me, such lively guests." And the one greeting us by the other side was also an elderly woman wearing a black yukata, her wavy, greying hair pulled in a sidetail falling onto her right side and her brown eyes shining a tired yet kind aura as she sits in a seiza position near the tea stove. There she is, my dear grandmother, Ichika-baachan. She politely bows to us. "Good afternoon, I am Tsukino Ichika, and I'm honoured to have such lovely people visiting the Tsukino state. And Jun-chan, long time no see."
"Hey, baa-chan." I bowed as well, signing for the rest of my peerage to do the same. I blush a little with that pet name. I reach for my backpack and from there I pick a small package of sweets I bought, plus some other presents from my sisters and mom. "Here, a small gift: some plum mochi from Toraya, plus other sweets from my sisters and mom. I hope you enjoy them."
"Oh, how lovely. I appreciate it." She smiles, reaching her hand for the presents and putting neatly besides the tea firework. She then reaches for another plate next to her and offers it to me, it carrying four rather big riceballs and a few cups of tea. "I knew you were coming, so I seized the opportunity to prepare some snacks after such a long trip. I hope you enjoy it. For you and your lovely friends."
"Thanks." I smile, picking the plate and offering the riceballs for my peerage, who politely thanked the elderly Tsukino woman and took their share. Little do they know about baa-chan.
"Why do you exclude me from the pleasantries of gifts, young man? Don't you have any respect for your grandfather?" The elderly Tsukino man however slides right next to me and asks with a gruff yet slightly whiny tone. The side of my mouth lifts a little, and a laughing huff of smoke exhales out of my mouth.
"I thought you said men don't consume sweets and those are simply feminine traits, jii-chan? Hence I didn't bother to bring you those. But don't mind, next time, I'll surely bring you some karasumi." I chuckle at the pout he makes after my sardonic comment, but my victory over his Kyoto supremacy was short-lived as he punted me on the back of my kneecap, making me kneel to the floor and almost twist my ankle, the sudden weight and position there making me wail in a very unmanly way. I turn to him with trembling lips. "J-Jii-chan...!"
"Mind you, your clearly rude comment wasn't the reason for this punt. You're stepping on the border of the tatami." He scoffs as I look down as see I was indeed with a foot on the black line separating one tatami floor from the other. Not enough reason to punt me on the leg! "You Kanto folks clearly have no ethic. I fear for the future of this nation..."
"..." I purse my lips, standing up and putting some weight on the affected leg. I guess the fault is mine as well, I know how this relative of mine behaves, yet I still push his buttons. But messing with Kyoto folks is also kinda funny. We stare at each other for a few moments, and then he sighs.
"You'll be staying here for a week or so, right? Right before Tanabata? I guess that'll be enough for your companions to know Kyoto." He comments, making blink back in surprise about how swift he shifts in mood, typical Kyoto behaviour. Hee turns his eyes to them, who nod back, and turn back to me. "... And for him to be back on his trips. If you like, I can tell your mother that you'll be staying a little longer for that research of yours in case you're not ready to return, but mind that I have to look after your grandma as well."
"No need, jii-chan. I guess we can figure out ourselves. Truth to be told, I'm more here to... Sort things out." I respond. One moment of silence, and his nods in understanding, scratching his cheek. It's not untrue after all, if I stayed back in Kuoh, I would only be mad at dad and do and say things I didn't mean, plus I only have so many excuses to be far away from home before mom scolds me again. "But thanks anyway."
"Understood, you'll sort things out, you're a smart lad... Mostly." He sneers, and I nervously smile. He can just choke on hamo spine on the other hand. "Very well then, let me guide you to the guest room. Little birds, I welcome thee to Kyoto."
And then, bidding farewell to grandma, grandpa took us to the other side of the mansion, where the guest room are, sliding a rather large door open to reveal a massive room that can double as a dojo of a sorts, as he instructed us to put our luggage on a completely different room and gave us directions for the bathroom and washing room. Once that was done, he left us alone and we could finally rest at ease.
I slowed things down and decided to lie lay the tatami, my body turned to the ceiling that was too far away from its own good. So, here I am, in Kyoto...
"So this is a yashiki-style house. I must say, impressive. The traditional air around here is thick, and how seemingly it blends the enviroument and the construction its nothing short of a work of art." Ryuubi-sensei, taking a small stroll around, could only look in amazement as I feel her feet walk around the dry tatami. I've seen this place so many times, I lack the romance of that kind of wonder, but I still admit its a pretty nice house.
"Haaaah~. So this is a tatami floor~. It's so nice to sit and lay on. It smells nice too." Whiswain on the other hand has her face on the floor, rubbing her fleshy side on the pale tatami and with a stupid smile on her face. Once that was done, she puts herself sit and turns to me. "This place is surely amazing, Ichijou-san. Not just that, but mr. and Mrs. Tsukino seem nice too... Although your grandfather seems a bit too intense. N-No offense."
"I took a liking of him. Glad to know some members of the family can put this indolent dragon in his place." Kan'u huffs, coming closer to give me a light kick on the side of my body if just to piss me off. I turn to her and stick my tongue out. One, two seconds, and she lays right next to me, her body now glued to the tatami floor as she takes a deep breath, enjoying the feeling. "What a humble abode. Simple, yet welcoming. The air around here is pure as well, as if the gods live in this domain."
"This place is near the mountains, of course some of the Yaoyorozu's blessings might reach here." I comment, sighing. This place sure is peaceful, and I think we can thank some of the Gods for that. After all the stuff I've been through, I'm willing to believe this is what is going on here. I feel calm here, maybe Shinto deities do not affect devils of other pantheons? What a thought to have. Oh, speaking of Gods, I've totally forgot! I stood up from my lazy position. "Oh right, I almost forgot, I should greet aunt Shiki as well..."
"Hm? So you're telling me there are more relatives living here? I'd love to meet her." Ryuubi-sensei smiles, but hearing my claims, Kan'u frowns as she stands as well.
"I refuse to do so, though. She didn't show up to greet us, what a rude lady." She huffs, and I knock her on the head. It's not like she can do that, and besides, we're the one visiting, a little leeway is expected.
"D-Don't be like that, miss Guan Yu! It's a big house! She probably didn't mean to miss our coming!" The grim reaper girl tries to explain herself, but a single stare from the general made her flinch and hide right behind me. Another wrong assumption, I say.
"It's not like she can hear us, either. I won't take long, she's right next door, anyway." I said, walking towards a direction on the sliding doors which all look the same.
"Hm? Right next to us? Yet nothing? How come?" The bishop asks, her single bright eye curiously waiting for a response. Instead, I slide the door open which leads to the second living room, right next to where my father and aunts used as their own. Seeing the place, they soon hushed themselves and blinked in surprise and realization. "Oh..."
"Yeah. Sorry for misleading you, guys." I bowed, turning to a side where a wall instead of a door rests, and in the middle of it, a small wooden tamaya shrine with a few offerings, a cup of water and a photo of a black-haired little girl rests, a small incense burner in front of it plus a small red cushion. I sit on it, ring the bell a few times and clap my hands for a pray. "Hey, aunt Shiki. I hope you're doing well. May you rest in peace."
[Namusan.] Yagura finishes. Oh, thanks for the blessings, Yagura. [No problem. I know the chant is other, but I think my own great-grandfather Juuzo would say something like that.]
"Namusan."
"Namusan."
"N-Namusan..."
"Hm...?" And when I snap back to the real world, I see myself between the general and the emperor of the three kingdoms and my grim reaper peer hiding beside me, as they take my sides sitting on the floor and clap their hands in a prayer as well. A small laughing huff escapes my lips, and I nod. "Thanks, girls. I think aunt Shiki is pretty happy for the homages in heaven."
"The dead can't say for themselves, Hong Long. Whatever they said or did, it all becomes irrelevant after the end, for everything is transitient. The only thing we can do is wish them peace." Ryuubi-sensei lectures, turning to me with a smile.
"I-I don't understand much about what you believe, b-but death... Is not the end, but at the same time, it is. I hope she can rest in peace." Whiswain speaks. I turn now to the tiger general, and after a moment of consideration, she ruffles her black locks and bows.
"This is what master Wukong taught us, at least." She sighs, looking quite nonchalant.
"I see. Thank you." I nod again and reach for the incense sticks to light a few of them and place them on the urn in front of the Tamaya shrine, which already had a few already burnt out. Plus, the offerings are fresh new and the shrine looks clean. I'm glad they care as well.
After that, we took a small nap and rest on the guest room, enjoying the soft tatami and the bright midday Sun, plus a small bath on my grandparents' eastern-style bathhouse. I gotta say, after all this time bathing in big springs from both my own house and the Gremory manor, I can no longer enjoy a wooden bathtub without feeling cramped, as if the walls of it are suffocating my body. But then I remembered the reason as to why I am glad for them: even if I pass out, their size makes it impossible for me to drown on them. It's the little things, I guess...
Another bad habit I got from all of my previous experiences: I'm so used in bathing together with my peerage mates, I completely lost my common sense regarding shame, and when Jii-chan spotted me following the girls for a bath, he piledrove me into nonexistence and lectured me about how I'm shameless and uneducated. That one... Is one me, unfortunately. But I'm glad someone can drag me back to reality sometimes...
"Baa-chan, we're going to stroll around for a bit, okay?" I say as I peek through the sliding door into the main living room where my grandma hasn't move since I arrived. After a small rest and bath, we decided to walk around Kyoto and know the place. I personally have no much hype for this old and boring place, but since we're here, might as well show my peers around, Ryuubi-sensei specially. The elderly woman smile serenely, reaching for a umbrella hanger and giving one to me.
"Understood, Jun-chan. Have a safe trip, and watch out for the rain, please. And don't forget to come back for dinner, I feel like preparing something special for you and your cute girlfriends." She spoke, and my ears burn a little with the mention of such intimate word. They're not my girlfriends, I'm not like that, they're just really good friends! I say nothing, only mask my mouth with a hand as I reach for the umbrella. Before I could leave, she warns me one more time. "Oh, and before I forget... Watch out for foxes. At this time of the year, a lot of sunshowers have been happening, you wouldn't want to bump into a fox's wedding and be sentenced to death, right?"
"Fine." I nod, and the group around me let out a small chuckle. If only she knew, if only she knew. But the weather now is sunny, so I don't think I'll have any problem into finding such. I wave her one last goodbye and I followed to the entrance door with my peerage on my back. Before we could do so, however, we bump into my grandfather,carrying a small pot of fish food and putting his wallet inside his pocket. Oh, he's gonna feed the koi. "Well, I'm going out, Jii-chan. See you later."
"Take care, you little rascal." He nods, patting my head and blessing the rest of my group with a chin up. "I hope you have a lustrous time in Kyoto, dears. Take the words of this Kanto punk with a grain of salt, and explore this region to your heart's content. I shall prepare the best supper for such occasion and..."
"Jii-chan, you're being annoying."
"Pardon?"
"Jii-chan, thank you for your time. That's what I meant. We're leaving, thank you for your time."
"Indeed. Very well then, celebrate your coming to Kyoto, grandson and YOU DARE MOCK ME THINKING YOUR JEST IS UNDER MY SIGHT, YOU DAFT PUNK?!"
And I skip away from Jii-chan's words and possible physical violence as we exit the Tsukino state and venture the previous capital of the rising sun nation. As we put on our shoes, I felt a small extra layer on the sole, and taking a quick look, I noticed that I was stepping on poor Fukuzawa-sensei's face. A present from grandpa? Once we're back, I'll give him a hug or something...
Kyoto is not exactly a hotspot region for the young like myself. While sightseeing is mostly nice and the region has a sense of freshness and tradition compared to Kuoh, it's mostly the hystorical sites that gather people far away from my usual age range. A good place for a date... If you're like 30 or something. Despite such, Ryuubi-sensei, Kan'u and Whiswain sure enjoyed the bus ride to some neighborhoods and sites. Since it's our first day and after all that trip, we decided to visit a more modern and interesting part of Kyoto. A walk to Shijo Street is not unlike a walk in Tokyo, and among some modern buildings plus suspiscious stores, we reach the Nishiki market, crowded as always.
There's two things Kyoto is known for: History and food, and being a highschool student during holiday season, only one category to choose from. So many stalls and stands, I feel a bit dizzy surrounded by so much screaming people and variation of scents, and to think I used to come here all the time during my visits. It's nice. I guess this is the summer feeling I've been missing, but of course, there is something amiss despite everything...
"Fuu~, fuu~. So hot~! Eating fresh takoyaki has its downsides!" Whiswain says with a tongue sticking out, one hand holding a takoyaki stick while the other carries a small package of those same octopus balls. She takes a chance again and bites it, her eye filling with tears as she munches on it then smiles. "Hmmm~... But is so good~!"
"The food here tastes stronger than back in Kuoh. The buzzling business and chaos that ensues is also unlike anything I've ever seen." Ryuubi-sensei with a meat croquet at hands comments, her pink eyes wondering around the stalls and crowds of people, all in a hurry and nonstopping, not that different yet not that similar to Tokyo. "So, this is the famous Nishiki market. I feel like I'm in another culture entirely..."
"You can say that. I'm so used to this, I feel at home, somehow." I comment, eating some soft-served ice cream with chocolate a stall from Nara was serving. It's hot and stuff, I'm not going to eat hot food during summer. I turn to my knight peer, and sigh seeing her carrying a small gari-gari popsicle. "Kan'u, I know you like being a contrarian, but be nice and taste some local food. I bet there's some grilled octopus that might be of your liking..."
"No." Cut and dry was her answer, and for that I frown. This little bitch...
"C'mon, eat some deer poop since your taste is shit, anyway." I shoved the tip of my ice cream into her mouth, and with pursed lips, he fought against my invasion while I smear her face with green tea ice-cream and chocolate balls. The rest of my peerage laughs to the scenario, and now she is now shoving her own soda-flavoured candy into my mouth. "Fucking tiger general..."
"Degenerate red dragon..." She murmurs back. In the end, we end up trading sweets, and I spent our trip with a gari-gari-kun in my mouth as her entire face is filled with matcha and chocolate deer poop. Talk about a fun-fun moment.
But actually, I was having fun. Kyoto is kinda boring most of the time for someone my age, but knowing I'm far away from someone gives me a sense of clarity and serenity. Must be the new airs around.
I heard also from Rina that Rias-sama's wedding was around this place, and honestly, I feel at peace. Maybe being a place so close to senpai's heart is giving me a second-handed solace... I feel at home. Can you feel that as well, Yagura, welsh dragon?
[YES, I DO. THE ONE BEFORE YOU HAD ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS OF HIS LIFE IN THIS REGION. EVEN WITH HIM LONG GONE, I HAVE... SOME ATTACHMENT TO THIS PLACE OUT OF RESPECT AS WELL.] The red dragon says with a surprisingly serene voice. I guess this place is blessed by his presence as well, that senpai of mine. Huhuh...
I'm glad I came to Kyoto.
...
"Hey, Ichijou-san, may I ask you something? Why dear grandmother calls you Jun-chan?" And now, after a calm yet hurried afternoon at the Nishiki market and taking a stroll around the calm neighborhoods of Kyoto, Whiswain asks as we walk back home. Oh, that. I'm so used to it, I almost forgot the reason behind it.
"Oh, that. It's actually a funny story." I say, taking a small look at her. "You see, my dad and I share the same first ideogram for our names, the 'One'. Because of that, one of my aunts started calling me 'Junior' as a way to give me a petname. One thing led to another, 'Junior' became 'Junya' and then became 'Jun-chan' and in the end, it stuck. Only my aunts and baa-chan call me that, though. I don't mind it, but it does feel weird sometimes..."
"That's... Kinda cute." She whispers, a blush and a smile creeping on her half-skulled face.
"Jun, you say? As in, the virtue 'Jun', 'purity'? The irony is so strong, it's nauseating." Kan'u muses, a laughing scoff leaving her mouth as I give her a side glance and a wink. Never thought it that way, but when you put it like that, it feels even weirder. Oh well...
"I don't mind. It's a petname, and if she calls me like that, I have nothing against it." I answer back. I hear a laugh coming from another direction, and Ryuubi-sensei smiles.
"You really do love your family, no, Hong Long?" Came an echo from this morning's trip, and now that I'm in a better mood, I can't help but smile with a lowered head. I guess so, with a sole exception. Family is family, after all, what kind of person would I be if I hated them?
Speaking of love, I wipe out my phone, took a photo from the group and sent it to Rina and the others on the Line. I should apologize as well. That's the least I can do since I should take advantage of the current good mood...
Ichijou - A small stroll in Kyoto
Ichijou - Wish you were here.
...
Sigh.
Ichijou - And I'm sorry.
Ichijou - For everything.
Ichijou - When I come back, let's eat at JONATHAN'S as a apology gift.
...
*TINK*
Hm?
Donmyn - RINA
I know yer not lik dat. - RINA
Sort your things out, no hurries. - RINA
Take care. - RINA
Luv yu. - RINA
...
*TINK!*
No need to apologize. - YOKO
Wish you were here too. - YOKO
I'm not mad. Don't worry. - YOKO
Stay safe. - YOKO
I love you. - YOKO
...
*TINK!*
You should. - ANNIE
Butiz cool - ANNIE
Glad to have you back at least. - ANNIE
Hugs to your grands. - ANNIE
(DELETED)
Ignore that. - ANNIE
I dont. - ANNIE
Seriously. - ANNIE
...
*TINK!*
❤. - TASHA
...
"Did you send it, Ichijou-san?"
"..."
"Ichijou-san...?"
"Pffft... Heheheh..."
"...?"
"Heheheh... Hahahahahahah...!" I laugh. Of course I laugh. I don't know why, but I laugh. I feel like a massive weight was lifted off my chest and for that, I can finally breathe normally. My sudden change in behaviour scared both my bishop and my knight, but not the Rook, who came closer to pat my head and hold my hand. I smile at her, drying my tears. I don't think those are for laughing so much. "You were right, sensei. You're always right."
"I'm glad that you know that. And I'm glad for being such." She chuckles. I'm not angry for being wrong this time, not at all. My other pieces exchange glances and wonder what the hell is wrong with me, but soon join us to pat my back or share some more local candies and talk as we take another selfie and resume our walk back home as the Sun starts to settle.
"I don't understand much, but I'm glad Ichijou-san is happy again!" The grim reaper girl smiles at me, while Kan'u shrugs to herself, but she bumps my arm with her elbow. The airs of Kyoto feel a lot fresher today. Must be the goodwill of the gods...
*TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!*
"Hm...?"
"Huh? Kyah!" But then as we started to calm down, I hear from an approaching distance steps coming in a fast pace, making me shift my attention to my back. Whiswain did the same but the moment she did so, her eye widened and she wimpered in a very sudden way, as if she just saw a ghost. However, what came to us wasn't a wandering spirit, but a dark-haired young woman of bright blue eyes and long bluish-grey hair running fast at us
"Hey, red...!" . She spots me, and in a moment, she lifts a hand.
"Huh...?" Out of instinct, I also lift mine without any apparent reason. As a flash, cross paths, and then.
*SLAP!*
"Tag! You're it!"
"Wait, wh-...?" And the moment we come closer to each other, she slaps my hand and announces that I'm 'it', as she disappears at once from our sight, leaving me completely dumbfounded. What was that about? And I feel like I saw her already, but for some reason my mind just can't... Huh? I close my eyes, and in an instant, we went from a typical suburban Kyoto street to another location with a hall of Torii lines. "What the hell...?"
"W-What?" Whiswain moans, scared, coming closer to me. Not just the scenario changed, but the aura around is also abnormal and different from before.
"Did we reach Fushimi-Inari without realizing? No, there is something more sinister behind such." Sensei sharpens her pink eyes and pull her bangs away from her face. Dropping her purse and pulling her sleeves. "The air is also filled with black miasma and the scenario is not human-like. If yours truly were to guess, we're in UraKyoto."
"Urakyoto... The reverse side where the supernatural resides?" I ask, and master simply nods, soon returning to her position. Urakyoto, the other side of regular Kyoto beyond the normal sight, not unlike the small pocket dimensions created during Rating Games but broader for the Youkai Faction. So we were teleported here somehow, and I am almost sure it has to do with that girl we ran into before. Now that it stopped, I felt a small jolt of fear and dread coming from her when we high-fived. As if... As if! I hear the sound of leaves and trees shaking, and the dark presence around doesn't leave.
"And we're not alone." Kan'u sighs, her red eyes following every movement from all directions as she slowly forms a battle position with her hands. A shadow lurks faster and reaches for her back, a small glimpse of a blade on its hands!
"Kan'u, watch out!" I warn her, summoning my own sword Ix to deal with any problem that was directed at her! However, as fast as I or the assaulter could act, she didn't even turn around and socked the poor bastard on the face, so fast yet so fierce, the kitsune white mask he was wearing shattered in a million bloodied pieces. I think she broke his face!
"Small fry." She scoffs, turning to the man wearing a black yukata and with a fox tail coming from his derriere holding his bleeding face to kick him away back into the woods. We hear more muffled gasps of horror and leaves raffling, and in the end, from the trees, the top of the Torii and the tall grass, we saw ourselves surrounded by youkai of all forms: kitsune people, karasu-tengu, even some large club-wielding colourful oni and razor weasels, all their attentions turned to us! Shit, I think we stepped right into a hostile territory. "Niponic Youkai, no? I'm unimpressed."
"Devils from the land not from here, you have stepped into the territory of the West Youkai faction!" A tall and imposing karasu-tengu youkai with black plumage and a crooked beak says, apparently the leader of this group. Of all the supernatural creatures here, I can sense that his aura is the strongest. He lifts a hand and signs to us with a stern tone. "Not only your invasion is worth questioning, we have been informed that a dragon with two chinese companions are causing havoc in our land and territory, and we fear that it aims at our dear leader and mother, Kunou-sama! Since you fill that criteria, we shall dispose of you here and now for the sake of our Faction!"
"Wait, this might be a misunderstanding. I am a dragon, yes, but I don't think I'm the one you're looking for." I say, lifting a hand despite the small flinch all of them do. Another dragon here in Kyoto? Then maybe my assumptions were not uncalled for. But first things fitst, I reach a hand for the permission card I got from Rina to explain myself better and get out of this situation. "Here, I have an ID so that I can travel through Kyoto without problem even as a devil. As you can see...!"
*FLASH!*
"...?!" But as I lift the card to show my identification, a small flash of light comes my way and pierces a hole through it, the burning spreading all over it until there was nothing left but ashes. I turn forward, and I saw that the flash came from the fingertip of the older Tengu, who had a magical mandala rune pointed at me.
"You... Are not from Kyoto, are you?" He asks, clenching his beak until he could and his red eyes shining a dark aura. "Do not interrupt me as I talk, Kanto folk. It seems that your stereotype is quite misleading, which is a shame. You sound like a... Reasonable fellow... For a person from Kanto, at least."
"..." An eyebrow of mine twitch.
"H-Huh...! What Ichijou-san said is true! Here, we have...!" And Whiswain puts her hand in her own pocket to show them our special ID, but then I lower her hand and I could feel a bloody pump emerge on my head. I guess they want to do it the hard way, after all. Typical Kyoto people. "H-Huh? Ichijou-... -san...?"
"Whiswain... This guy from Kyoto just gave me a reason to kick his ass..." I turn my head to her and smiled. It wasn't a happy smile however, and she noticed as she flinched. "... I'm not gonna waste it."
"What...?"
"Pardon, mister dr-...?"
*DOOOOON!*
"HIDEBU...!" And without losing momentum, I summoned my Sacred Gear and launched against that tengu a small sphere of a Dragon Shot, the impact under his talons being enough to launch him in midair! This is self-defence now! I'm gonna show those uppity Kyoto folks how we do things back in Kanto! The tengu recovers from the stun and lands on top of a torii, now pointing his monk staff, his khakkara, at us. "Damn Kanto arseholes! This means war! Prepare to face the wrath of the Kyoto Youkai Faction!"
"Bring it on, Kyoto pansy-ass! I'll make you swallow natto until you explode!" I lift a hand and make a 'come on' gesture, as if the entirety of Kanto history now rests on my shoulder to destroy those uppity Kyoto bastards! Confused by all of this, Whiswain joins sensei to protect herself, who was also surrounded by Youkai with Kan'u! I turn to my section and flipped Ix to the other side. "I'll use the back of the blade on you, though. Don't wanna hear the whining of you porcelain-assed crybabies when I'm done."
"You dare mock us!" The karasu-tengu screeches, his youkai fellows gathering around and forming a small army of them. "My comrades, attack those intruders! We're gonna show them the pride and joy of the Kyoto youkai Faction!"
[PARTNER, THAT WAS A CALL FOR WAR. WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU FOR THAT UNCALLED REACTION?] The dragon inside my left arm asks, not out rage or exasperation, but he seems genuinely curious. With a side chuckle, I can only explain myself as a matter of pride: time to show those noisey Kyoto guys they're no longer the centre of Japan! With a confused, yet understanding sigh, the dragon coughed and aimed his own power at the youkai against us. [VERY WELL. AS UNREASONABLE AS IT SOUNDS, I SHALL SHOW YOU THAT THE POWER OF THE RED DRAGON HAS NOT WEAKENED OVER TIME!]
[BOOST!]
"Great! Sensei, protect Whiswain! Kan'u...!"
"Don't give me orders." And the tiger general unleashed a powerful stream of energy that wipe out a good junk of that line of Torii gates and swatted away a group of Youkai. Powerful as always, I bet she's fine as it is for now! In another second, another wave of Youkai descended upon us, and then we stood up our weapons to block their assault, blades clashing against blades, metal fans and monk staffs!
"Kan'u, one more thing: please don't use lethal force." I warned her. As much as those uppity Kyoto folks and their dialect piss me off, it'll be bad for everyone if we start pilling up bodies even for self defence. She eyes me, blinks a few times then sighs, nodding to say she understands. Good.
"Honestly, such a mindless request. Asking me to not kill those youkai weaklings..." She murmurs, and in another second, she spins the staff of her crescent moon blade guandao and creates a gust of wind that stunned the youkai surrounding us. She stops, aims at all of them, and in another spin, uses the dull end to bluntly stab all of them, as they fall and twitch on the ground in pain. "... Is like asking to step on an ant and not kill it. You really underestimate my strength, Hong Long."
"It's not my fault you're a gorilla woman. Not judging, though." I snicker, and she hisses with her teeth clenched. A third wave comes to get us, before we are faster enough to escape from their attack, and once I see that sensei and Whiswain were far from danger, the former carrying the latter on her arms, I aimed my direction at the leader of them, the Karasu-tengu. Something tells me if that I knock him out, we're going back safe and sound, so let's do this, just once! He lifts his monk staff and we clash weapons. "I have you know, not trying to boast, but picking a fight with a dragon is always a bad idea!"
[BOOST]
"Curse you... Don't underestimate the ayakashi, gecko boy!" He curses, pushing his weapon forward so that recoil could propel him backwards and he could take flight away from me! I thought he was running away or something, but then spreading his wings, the crow aberration flapped them in high speed and I saw dark glimpses coming my way! I lift Ix and what clashed against it were sharp, knife-like black feathers! Dangerous. He flapped them again and again, and a flurry of those rained on me! I couldn't block or evade all of them, so I could only run. "How's that?! You gaunty Kanto scrawny folks can't even flip Okonomiyaki right, what makes you think you and your sword would scare me?!"
"Shut up! I'm surprised you can even fly with all the carbs you eat!" I stuck my tongue out and with a swing of my sword, the edge of the blade caught a handful of those feathers and in another powerful move, I parry them back at the flying tengu, who gasped in surprise and tried to shield himself against the reflect assault, only having his own wings pierced. He started to lose height, and so I ran for him and clashed weapons once again. However, this time, his grasp on his monk staff was faulting, and so I parry it away and kicked him right on the chest, making him fly away! "Hah! Lukewarm and mild at best, just like your Dashi stock!"
[BOOST!]
"Curses... I'm not done yet!" But as he flies away, he picks from inside his robes a paper talisman and toss them against me, as they stuck on Ix and make it a hundred times heavier! Shit, a sealing ofuda?! No, that's a boulder one that makes things heavier, like in the tale of the Monkey King! Even with my devil strength, I can't lift Ix properly now! I can only leave it on the ground, the karasu-tengu now landing on the stairs and aiming his stance on me! "I'll make you eat those words, alongside that Kanto dashi of yours that looks like sewer water!"
"Bring it on, you idiot!"
"Don't call me an idiot, you retard; that's rude!"
"Calling me a retard is ruder!" I shout back as we clash fists. I don't care if we're in Kyoto, nobody calls me a retard! A moment of shock, and then we unleashed a barrage of fists against each other barehanded, as our weapons were far away from us! His talons were hard and quick, but my dragonic instincts and reflexes were enough to match and even outspeed and outmatch them, and with another announcing [BOOST], I dodged a punch and give him an uppercut! "My regards to Wajima-san!"
"You...!"
"Misogi-dono, hang on...!" And the tengu curses under his breath and bleeding beak as his fellow youkai gather around to gang on me, making me back away and escape their several flames, talismans, claws and blades! Even if this place is not real, I should keep damage as low as possible! As following me, Kan'u appear and creates another energy wave from her Guandao, knocking them away!
"My regards, everybody! Now, perish devils...!" The tengu nods at his fallen companions and then cut the distance between us in an instant, using his massive wings to swat Kan'u away with the force of a horse and launching her far away into the woods! I screamed for her name, but then that bird youkai just gave me a punch right on the gut and tried to cut my eyes with his sharp talons, which I dodged for a nail! "Man of fire? More like lame of fire, right?! Now perish...!"
"Not yet!" I recover my stance and turn to him, ready for a colision. He's fast and quite nimble for an Youkai, but I know I can beat him and show his snotty Kyoto beak a lesson! I pull my arm and ready another punch as he dives into me with a powerful kick! With this one, I'll end it in one hit! Just one hit!
"That is quite enough..."
*FOOOSH!*
"What...?!" But as we were about the clash, something happened that made us stop: From the ground below us, the concrete stairway following the torii in a way similar to Fushimi-Inari, flowers sprouted, several of them, all blooming in different colours and types! In the end, I saw myself in a garden of every type of flower, and my only thoughts for that were... "Wow, look at the pretty flowers~."
"Right~. So colourful and cute~." The karasu-tengu in front of me concludes as we nod to each other, a small smile forming on its beak and his red eyes no longer hostile but enlighted like my own, sharing a moment of peace. Yep, no reason to fight, let's stop and appreciate roses, and the sunflowers, and the carmelias, and the...
[Snap out of it, Ichijou. That's a charm spell.]
"Oh, right. Battle time." I said with a slap on my cheek, waking me up from my daze and snapping my senses back. I don't know what the hell happened, I just lost my fighting spirit just now, but I'm all in at the moment! I turn to the crow youkai, who still had a stupid smile up his face, and prepared myself! "En garde!"
"Huh~? Whoa!" But as he turns to me, a long and silvery appendance appears out of nowhere and snags him off my range, pulling his quite violently into the distance and now holding him protectively! Wait, is that fox's tail?! The crow turns upwards and gasps in surprise! "Gah! Mutsumi-sama...!"
"What...?" My eyes trail upwards, the direction where the tail was coming from, and standing up the torii gate, right on top of it, stood a new figure: wearing a red and black kimono, her sash decorated with figures of dragons and wearing black geta sandals stood a glamurous, gleaming, smiling young woman, she doesn't look a few years older than me, with platinum-blond hair and fox years coming from the top of her head and nine tails sprouting from her derriere, hands on hips and a leg lifted in a glamurous pose. Her orange eyes were sharp yet mischiveous, her rosy lips on a nonchalant smile and her aura directly turned to me, so much I flinched. A kitsune? No, a nine-tailed fox, just like Yoko? My eyes look down, and I see that she not only got the tengu, but Ryuubi-sensei, Kan'u and Whiswain! I sharpen my eyes and shook away the thought of how beautiful she looks, she's an enemy! "Let them go, now! I don't know who you are, but let them go before I force you to do just that!"
"You dare speak with Mutsumi-sama like that, filthy Kanto devil?! Know your place!" The karasu-tengu exploded at me, trying his best yet failing to break free from the tail grasp and get me. For all his troubles, he received a slap from another tail, knocking him out cold. With that taken care of, the fox spirit, Mutsumi I presume, turns to me and smiles.
"My, aren't you all living the spring of your youth. Such vitality, but wasted on uncalled conflict. I guess everybody has a way to express frustration, no?" She speaks with a madam's chuckle. Now that I think about it, she lacks the Kyoto dialect from other youkai around, but not the time to think about that, I pull Ix and blasted a energy slash at her direction. But she was faster, and light as a feather, she jumps away from the exploding area and lands right on the stairway, her geta making a dry wooden sound on the solid floor, still balancing my peerage mates on her tails. "I don't dislike that, though. Live your youth as you want, young one. A pity for your lovely companions, having another dragon too focused on conflict. I bet they feel lonely..."
"I said to let them go!" I turn and point my sword at her direction, no reaction but amusement from her. One blink, and she turns her attention to something behind me.
"I guess that he's not the one, right, Kunou-dono? The other had a white armour, this one is the red one?" She says, her attention not turned to me at all! I feel something appear right behind my back, and with it, a warm aura. "I guess it was a rude assumption of us. We should apologize."
"Indeed, Mutsumi-dono, indeed."
"Wha-...?!" And I turn around to face and discover the owner of that voice coming suddenly from behind me. However, as I turned around... *BOING, BOING~!*, my face instead clashes with the soft touch of boobs, and taking advantage of my daze, I feel arms gentle and lovingly hugging me. I stop, then look up to see a beautiful woman of majestic golden aura wearing a shrine maiden outfit, her skin being so fair it looked divine and her golden locks and orbs giving her also a more royal aura, her locks decorated with pins and regal needles with two fox ears sprouting from there. Suddenly, something inside me snaps and one eye is claimed by Yagura in surprise. "[Kunou]...?"
"Oh my, so you know who I am? It must the be the Boosted Gear..." She chuckles as I calm down and let myself be embraced by her soft and warm grasp. Yagura's reaction was expected. I look at the fox's smile, and I saw her tearing up as her hug becomes tighter. "Hello again... Red Dragon Emperor."
So, I really ended up bumping into her of all people, despite my best efforts to avoid problem in the end. But despite such, I'm glad that I'm here, as the second-handed nostalgia hit me the best in here.
So, this is the ruler of the Kyoto Youkai faction, and one of senpai's former spouses: Kunou.
Ah-ah, now I miss Yoko...
And indeed. Foxes are cute, but foxy wifeys are cuter, and Ichijou already have his... But what's a few more?
Hello again, DxD fandom. Another chapter in less time due to my new schedule and having sorting RL things now. Truth to be told, I had a blast writing this chapter because it feels right at home talking about Kyoto and Japan in general, although I hope I didn't go overboard in some terms since lots of the humour behind it comes from the fact it pokes fun of both Kyoto x Kanto rivalry and maybe some kansai thrown in the way, also another theme around this arc besides hatred: Family, and the bonds that are thicker than water. I had fun, but better be safe than sorry and put a small glossary at the end. I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless and have a nice day. Stay safe and don't forget to R&R.
Ichijou meets some really beautiful and bountiful foxes, his trip to Kyoto starts off well! But lurking under the rug, the white one continues his mischiveous misgivings~!
The HAFU: Annabelle Hellsing/Sayuri
- The knight of Berolina's peerage, a vampire-ninja hybrid. She's 16-y/o and her birthday is Semptember 1th.
- Half-romanian and half-japanese, she's also half-vampire and half-ninja and all-awesome! At least that's how she sees herself. The 18th daughter of Haruka and 3th child of Desmond.
- She reached high-class ninja rank before she was 13, and being the daughter of the Kaguya plus her own supernatural side made her quite prideful about her better accomplishments. A normal fish in a small pond if you will. She knows best now, but the typical vampiric pride remains.
- Despite such, she rather use her special ninja skills to laze around and pull pranks at others. She is one of the two peerage members who has a kill count, and she has reached double digits. What a fun lass...
- Since she chose the way of the shinobi instead of the Kunoichi, she is specialized in stealth, assassination and information gathering. However, unlike Ren, she continues to refer herself as a female.
- Being a daywalker, she lacks typical vampiric weaknesses, but ever since becoming a devil, most of them became irrelevant. Go figure. Also, despite such, the Hellsing still consider her family, including her dear half-brothers and father. Laura, Desmond's wife, has nothing against her either and offers some candy from time to time.
- Like every half-vampire, she can be kinda dumb. Also, a harem member who lacks ecchi scenes? More common than you think! (Seriously). She also [DELETED] Ichijou a bit...
IKKUN'S GLOSSARY ON KYOTO
- Kyoto dialect: The typical dialect from people of Kyoto, although they are too stubborn to admit it. It may come up as posh and refined if a bit indirect. Masters of passive-aggressive, give a double tap if people from Kyoto are being polite because they usually mean they're annoyed by you.
- Bubudzuke vs. Ochazuke: Both are ways to refer as the tea over cooked rice dish. However, Ochazuke is more used in the Kanto region while Bubudzuke is more of a Kyoto thing. We use tea in the dish, why be a contrarian?
- "You're being annoying" vs. "Thank you for your time": It's a pun lost in translation. "Yakamashii" is a word to announce that someone/thing is being annoying, basically a "Shut up" or "You're too noisy". "[o]yakamassan" however is a parting word in Kyoto dialect, their version of "Itekimasu". A bit of trivia: they have their own welcoming word apart from the standard japanese("Irashaimase"), which is "Oyokoshiyassu".
- "I'm surprised you can even fly with all the carbs you eat!": For some reason, Kyoto folks eat lard-filled or pasta-based dishes as proper meals like takoyaki or okonomiyaki, which means they eat it with rice. How they're not fat is a mistery, and I doubt it comes from them using their brains very often. A bit of trivia: Kanto-side Okonomiyaki restaurants are mostly self-service while Kyoto/Kansai-sided have a proper chef to flip Okonomiyaki, and they get mad at you if you try do it yourself.
- Stock differences: Dashi stock dishes differs from both sides. Kanto-sided tend to be made from bonito flakes and therefore has a stronger colouration and body. Kyoto-sided and the likes use dried konbu instead, so it looks a lot milder compared to the former. It DOES NOT look like sewer water, fuck you.
- "Idiot" vs. "Retard": Another regional thing hard to translate. "Baka" and "aho" are both ways to call someone a fool. However, "Aho" tends to be a lot more offensive than "baka" in Kanto, while it's the opposite in Kyoto and Kansai. Compare as of how offensive the C-word is between the UK and the US, for example.
"By the way, mom's from Sendai, so she uses standard japanese, so does grandma Chiaki and Grandpa Shou. The one sibling among us five that uses Kyoto dialect is Shion-nee, so you have a pretty good idea how it works."
"My, running your tongue like that; you seriously have a death wish, little brother."(Shion)