Fifty-Second Spell: The Inner Library
Unable to process what Ako just said, Haru retreated into his own mind. He remembered Granny Niji's prophecy, claiming his mother's creation—which was presumably the magic seal on his chest—was 'to stop the wheels of fate from turning.' Combined with Higa's claim that Haru's birth father Taka planned to give Haru to Warumo for some kind of evil purpose before his birth mother Kiku took him away as an infant, it made Haru question his very existence. Why was he born? And what could Warumo want with someone like him?
He then thought about the story of Kiku's ancestor Princess Tagoto, and how she was sought after by Orochimaru who wanted to make her his bride. The main reason why was because she had the ability to resist Snake Magic, which would make her a deadly enemy if he didn't possess her first. Suddenly, he remembered the nightmare he had where Warumo speculated that Haru's recent lack of fainting from hearing his 'true name' might be due to him developing a resistance to Warumo's magic like his mother.
Perhaps like Princess Tagoto, my mother Kiku also had the power to resist Snake Magic, Haru thought. And Warumo wanted her for himself, because like Orochimaru he also knows Snake Magic. That's why he wore that mask shaped like a snake! So he had my father Taka, who was a follower of Warumo, seduce Kiku to produce a child with that same power as a means of controlling my mother. But she caught onto his plan and fled with me, before she died…. It still doesn't explain what Higa was doing in the nightmare, or why Warumo is after me now.
"Ryuji!"
Blinking, Haru turned his attention back to the real world and found himself back in the Healers' Wing with Popuri-Dono snapping a finger in his face while Seita was concerned.
"How did I get here?" Haru asked, looking dumbfounded.
"What's wrong with you?" Seita demanded. "You just froze and didn't say anything for a long time. I thought you were still suffering from that fall you had in the bathroom, so I dragged you to the Healers' Wing to see if Popuri-Dono could help."
"His minor concussion is mostly gone," Popuri stated. "I think the shock of Ako's words caused him to mentally retreat, hence his lack of response to your words, Fumito."
"Is that what happened?" Seita asked Haru.
"Yeah, I think so," Haru said, scratching his head. "I just couldn't accept the idea of me being cursed, but now I think I am."
Popuri looked surprised. "Why do you say that?"
"My birth mother, Kiku, is descended from Princess Tagoto, who was kidnapped by Orochimaru because he wanted to make her his bride," Haru explained. "I think Kiku had the same power as Princess Tagoto, and Warumo wanted it. So I was born to give him that power, but Kiku foiled him and died to keep me away from him."
"But what kind of power are we talking about?" Seita thought for a moment, and then recalled, "Oh! You mean Tagoto's power to repel the Snake Magic which Orochimaru excelled at?"
"Exactly! I think Warumo also knows Snake Magic, and he feared Kiku had the same resistance because of her lineage. But instead of kidnapping Kiku, he used my father Taka to marry her and produce me as a way of controlling her."
"That does seem possible, given Kiku's heritage," Popuri remarked. "But Warumo doesn't normally keep his perceived enemies alive. If anything, he would have killed your mother rather than let her live if he knew she could be a threat to his power. There must have been another reason he kept her alive."
While Haru was bothered his speculations might be wrong, he was considered well enough to leave the Healers' Wing with Seita where they had a quiet lunch at their respective tables before heading back to class not long after.
The next day, a bunch of students who were taking Summer Classes or staying at the school decided to head home to celebrate Obon. Among the students that left were Rui and her siblings along with Hikari.
"Did you find anything out about Mikoto Shinabe?" Hikari asked Haru before she got on a Ōkumo Storm Petrel that was perched at the landing platform.
"No," Haru shook his head. "I've been preoccupied with other things."
Groaning, Hikari said, "That's not going to help us solve the mystery of the thing that toad is guarding in the storage house! And if Shō is after it, we need to stop her before she has another go at stealing the item which has to be important, given how much security Dōmeki-Sama has put in place to protect it. So I suggest you get on that, while I do my own research from home."
"Okay."
Hikari's face then softened. "And, um, my condolences to…your adoptive parents."
Surprised by Hikari's sudden kindness, Haru was unable to speak as she hurriedly pulled on the ribbon-like reins attached to the storm petrel's beak and it took off into the open sea. He then lingered over her words and realized he was mixing up his priorities. While it was still important for him to find out more about his real parents and their connection to Warumo, he should be focusing on dealing with the current issue of figuring out the mysterious item in the sachet Higa took from the Gaikin Bank that was being guarded by Higa's former pet Ōgama Toad Nuru and why it was being targeted by would-be thieves like Shō.
Thus, he spent the rest of the day in the library looking up Mikoto Shinabe's name. But to his disappointment, he couldn't find the name anywhere. So he began to think it was another alias like Tamanoya, until he realized there was a part of the library he hadn't been to yet. It was marked by a white paper screen door that had a painted crest resembling a black crow with three legs. A talisman hung over the door handle containing hiragana words similar to the ones on the omamori amulet Haru wore.
"Where does that go?" Haru asked Inku the Kyōrinrin Librarian.
"It leads to the Inner Library, where all the books on advanced and forbidden magics are kept," Inku answered. "Only teachers and upper-level students have permission to enter. So you'd better not get any ideas."
"Got it," Haru said, hoping his half-truth would prevent his kimono sleeves from turning white.
Fortunately, they did not change from their usual sakura pink color as Inku hovered away. This left Haru to ponder how to get inside the Inner Library without arousing suspicion. Because if he couldn't find any information about this person that knew what was in the sachet in the main library, then he had to check the Inner Library for the answers he and Hikari were looking for.
To be continued…