127th Spell: Howling Scrolls and Substitutes

"What's a Howling Scroll?" Haru asked Rui.

"It's an enchanted scroll that screams at the sender," Rui shuttered.

"My great-grandmother sent me one a few years ago," Cheng Chun said next to Rui and Haru. "And that was right before she died…."

"She must have be so disappointed in you if the Howling Scroll she sent to you killed her," Daizō joked morbidly.

"You take that back!" Cheng snapped. He was about to march over to the Seiryu table, but Haru stopped him dropping the Howling Scroll in the process.

The moment Haru did this, the white ribbon wrapped around the Howling Scroll came loose.

"HARU RYUJI!" shouted a familiar voice from the scroll.

"Lady Meru?" Haru exclaimed, though he immediately felt embarrassed that he had become conditioned to address Rui's mother in that fashion.

Rui then stepped back as the scroll unrolled itself and levitated in the air. The large letters written on the scroll merged into an illustration of Meru Wataka drawn in ink, whose upper-half emerged from the scroll and grabbed Haru by the collar of his kimono while Cheng backed away.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING TAKING MY PRIZED SHIP AND PUTTING MY CHILDREN IN DANGER?" Meru's illustration yelled as the inked lines on her face became more intense. "BECAUSE OF YOU, I WAS STRANDED AFTER THE AOMORI STATION BARRIER WAS FIXED AND HAD TO SKIP AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS MEETING TO BE INTERROGATED BY A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MINISTRY'S MAGICAL TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT ON THE IMPROPER USE OF ENCHANTED VEHICLES—EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T PILOTING THE SHIP IN THE FIRST PLACE! NOW THAT SHIP HAS TO BE GROUNDED FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, OR IT WILL BE IMPOUNDED FOREVER, WHICH WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT FUTURE BUSINESS MEETINGS AND LAST-MINUTE DELIVERIES! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH THE TROUBLE YOU CAUSED, RYUJI, BECAUSE IF YOU PULL ANOTHER STUNT LIKE THIS I WILL BE REQUESTING YOUR IMMEDIATE EXPULSION FROM MAHOUTOKORO FOR BEING A MORONIC DELINQUENT LIKE YOUR PARENTS BEFORE YOU!"

Meru's illustration then briefly looked past Haru's shoulder at Gyoku, who was averting his eyes at the Genbu Table.

"And Gyoku-kun, I want to congratulate you for being placed in Genbu," said Meru's illustration in a softer tone of voice. "I hope you learn greater wisdom in the clan I was a part of when I was your age than what your FOOLISH SISTERS HAVE in Byakko."

Then Meru's illustration huffed and let go of Haru as the scroll set itself on fire burning up completely before any cinders fell on the floor. No one said another word as the crowing noise from Dōmeki's Yatagarasu bird Fushigi was heard, implying the first period of class would start very soon.

"Good morning, everyone!" Gimu Rikyan said to the class of 201A.

He was wearing a cream-white robe similar to the kind Popuri-dono wore, only there was some subtle gold embroideries sewn in that sparkled in the sunlight depicting the Fenghuang bird that was considered to be a Chinese cousin of the European Phoenix. Also his bun cap was replaced by a white silk hair tie and black hairpin, while a strand of his blue-black hair was hanging loose on the left side of his chiseled face.

"I assume you're all wondering where your usual Kampo teacher Midorime-sensei is right now," Gimu continued. "Well, this year, she has taken a sabbatical leave which means she will be gone for the rest of the year having decided to take on an important academic assignment. So I, Gimu Rikyan, will be your substitute Kampo teacher while also serving as the new Healer in place of my grandfather, the late Popuri-dono."

Rui and Haru didn't respond to Rikyan as they were still traumatized by the Howling Scroll sent by Rui's mother Meru. Nayu Rakkashi remained silent as well, covering the white sleeves on her kimono from embarrassment. Just then, Ako suddenly came into the classroom escorting two kids. One was Hikari Genma, who was wearing a towel on her head, and the other was a kid whose dark-brown hair was so long that his face couldn't be seen.

"What brings you here, Ako-san?" Gimu asked.

"I caught these two in their dorms trying to skip class, so I thought to bring them over here myself," Ako said as she shoved Hikari and the long-haired kid forward.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Ako-san," Gimu said politely. "If there is anything else I need, I will let you know."

Nodding in understanding, Ako closed the sliding door to the class as she left with a loud slam!

"And what are your names?" Gimu said to the long-haired kid and Hikari.

"Hikari Genma," Hikari said irritably. "We met at your book-signing event."

"Ah, yes! I had almost forgotten about you. My apologies!" Gimu responded and then looked at the long-haired kid. "Though I don't believe we've met before, Mister—

"Fumito. Seita Fumito," the long-haired kid said, his voice muffled through layers of hair.

"Is that really you, Fumito?" Daizō remarked. "Or did you get replaced by a Keukegen?"

Koi and Gumo laughed at this, while Haru was confused.

"A Keukegen is a yokai that resembles a mass of long hair that typically reside in damp and dirty places," Rui whispered to Haru.

"No, it's really me," Seita sighed. "I didn't want to come to class because I couldn't cut my hair this morning."

"Why is that?" Gimu asked.

"Because this happens." Seita took a pair of shears from his kimono pocket and attempted to cut his hair.

However, the ends of Seita's hair suddenly turned into barbed spikes that pushed the shears away. Seita tried to push back, but the barbed hair ends were stronger which forced him to drop the shears.

"That's the same hair that Harionago have!" exclaimed Cheng.

"You mean those female yokai with the barbed hair that can sometimes be seen in Māreroji?" Sumi Boin guessed. When Cheng nodded, Sumi looked at Seita with surprise. "Does that mean…you're related to a Harionago?"

To be continued…