Seventy-Fourth Spell: Hanen

On New Year's Day, everyone was busy with their continued celebrations including the staff. Thus Haru decided that night would be the perfect opportunity to get into the Inner Library using the Namahage Cape. But to make sure it worked, he put the Namahage Cape on around sunset and walked past Kuro the Nekomata as she was guarding the Byakko Wing.

Although the rustling of the straw cape barely made a noise, the eyeholes in the Oni mask weren't big enough for Haru to see clearly out of. So he fixed that using the Wood-Carving Charm Mokokè. Later that night, Haru sneaked out and made his way to the school library. He used an ordinary paper lantern to see where he was going, as all the lanterns hanging in the school halls had been turned off via magic.

Inside, Inku the Kyōrinrin had his scroll-laden body curled up like a serpent near the waist-high tables as snoring noises came from his wooden mouth. Haru remembered seeing Inku drinking sake with Ako the Shitanaga uba and her Shunobon partner Bambō earlier, which made him wonder how a yokai made of paper scrolls could eat and digest food, let alone drink liquids. But he realized he was getting too distracted and walked quietly to the door with the white paper screen that marked the entrance to the Inner Library hoping Inku didn't see the light of his lantern that was glowing beneath the Namahage Cape.

"Musukāi," Haru said as he cast the Knot-Breaking Jinx on the amulet that was wrapped around the Inner Library door handle.

To his surprise, the rope necklace the amulet was attached to unraveled itself causing the amulet to fall to the floor. He looked back at Inku, fearing he heard the sound of the amulet hitting the floor. But Inku didn't stir, which relieved Haru as he opened the door to the Inner Library and stepped inside.

"Hey!" shouted a voice. "Who let you in here?"

Startled, Haru dropped his lantern and closed the door behind him thinking Inku saw him enter the Inner Library.

"Where did you go?" The voice said. "Did you leave?"

Quickly, Haru picked up the lantern and saw an old book that was sewn together float toward him. The book opened to a bookmarked page, where the letters rearranged to form a face that reminded Haru of Denshō Ishi, the History of Magic teacher that was also a talking rock yokai.

"I can't see you very well," the old book said. "To me, you look like a floating arm attached to a paper lantern."

Realizing he was still wearing the Namahage Cape, Haru responded, "That's because I am a floating arm!"

"Then you must be that onryō I've heard about," the talking book assumed. "The groundskeeper Higa came in one time looking for the best ways to hunt an onryō. But who knew the onryō he's been after would just show up here!"

"Yeah, what a coincidence," Haru said, going along with the lie and hoping the book would lower its voice. "Did you talk to him?"

"Only a little," said the talking book. "I'm a Kyōrinrin myself, you see, and I keep an eye on things here in the Inner Library while Inku is in charge of the rest of the library."

"Do you have a name?"

"Of course I do! It's Hanen."

"Well, Hanen, I am…Hebi, and I'm here to find information on someone. Otherwise, I won't be able to pass on to the afterlife!"

"Oh, I see. And who are you looking for?"

"Mikoto Shinabe."

Hanen paused. "Nope! Doesn't ring a bell."

This put a damper on Haru's hope, until he remembered the name Higa mentioned by accident. "What about…Tamanoya?"

Upon hearing that name, Hanen looked surprised. "What do you want to know about him?"

"Just who he is, and why he's so important."

"Really? You didn't have to come in here to find that out! He's mentioned in a book called Artifacts of Ancient Japan. There was also an article about him in the Maichi Yosoku."

"About what?"

"Him turning 1,306 years old last year."

Shocked by this information, Haru accidentally backed into the Inner Library door. Realizing this, he stepped away from it. But in the light of his lantern, he saw a long shadow stretch across the door's paper screen.

Knowing the shadow belonged to Inku, Haru closed the lantern to douse its light. Then the Inner Library door opened, causing Haru to rush out. He brushed past Inku's paper-lined body, but he didn't stop and kept running blindly through the darkness until he stumbled through the opening to the library. Further down the hallway, he took a series of turns trying to remember where the stairs to the second floor were.

"Great, I'm lost," Haru grumbled as he stopped running. "These stupid walls don't know when to stop changing."

A series of heavy footsteps caught his attention, which he guessed were Bambō's. So he walked in the opposite direction of them, reaching the hallway near the courtyard. There he saw two figures standing very close to one another. But as he approached them, a speck of moonlight revealed the two figures to be Sayuri Shō and Ryosei Maki.

"How much do you know?" Ryosei demanded as he pressed Shō against the wall by her throat.

"I know just as much as you do, Maki," Shō insisted, trying to pry Ryosei's fingers off.

But Ryosei held firm and pressed his face closer to Shō's. "Dōmeki-sama may have given you a second chance, Sayuri, but I know who you really are. And if you don't do as I say, you're going to be in serious trouble!"

Ryosei held up his wand and pressed it against Shō's face. Haru was so stunned that he tripped over himself. A small grunt escaped his mouth, which was loud enough for Ryosei to hear as he turned his attention from Shō toward the spot on the floor where Haru had fallen.

To be continued…