140th Spell: Another Attack
Feeling nothing as the man passed through his body, Haru was extremely confused. He turned around and saw the man in the blue robes approaching a large creature that resembled a giant serpent with multicolored scales that seemed to vibrate like a mirage. But just as the creature started to open its enormous eyes, Haru was woken up by the crowing sound of Dōmeki-sama's Yatagarasu Fushigi.
"I had a weird dream again," Haru said casually while eating his rice porridge.
"Like the one that had Warumo in it?" Rui asked.
"Not exactly, but it was just as strange," Haru replied.
He then told Rui about the beach, the man, and the giant serpent.
"That doesn't sound like your previous dreams," Rui said. "But I still can't make sense of it."
"Same here," Haru sighed. "I guess I'm just cursed to having weird dreams…."
"But there must be a reason you're having this particular dream," Rui speculated. "And maybe we'll get some answers when the Polymorph Kampo is ready to use."
"We still have another week, right?"
"Yeah, last time I checked with Hikari."
Although Rui sounded confident, this didn't ease Haru's troubled mind. So before he went to Classroom 201A, he told Rui that he needed to go to the bathroom. But really this was just an excuse so that he could collect himself before classes started.
On his way to the boys' bathroom on the first floor, though, he heard the same voice from the library:
Must kill the enemies of Seiryu's Heir!
This was followed by an ear-piercing scream of pain and the sound of thunder.
That's the same noise that followed the attack on Bambō! Haru realized. Someone else must have been electrocuted!
His answer came when he saw a body lying on the floor just outside the boys' bathroom where water was pouring out of. Cautiously, Haru approached the body. It was Gorogo Gumo, whose spiky hair was charred with his school kimono soaking on the front and burned in the back.
"GUMO!" cried another voice.
Haru looked up and saw Daizō Maki standing at the opposite end of the hall while accompanied by Ushiwa Koi.
"Ryuji?" Koi looked at Haru with confusion. "What are you—
"YOU did this!" Daizō declared, pointing an accusing finger at Haru. "I overheard you telling Wataka that you needed to use the bathroom. But that was just so you could attack Gumo, just like you did to Bambō!"
"I did not attack Gumo!" Haru said as he stood up. "This is literally the first time I've seen Gumo since breakfast. And I didn't attack Bambō either!"
"Oh, yeah?" Koi didn't seem convinced. "How can you prove it?"
"Dōmeki-sama checked my wand after Bambō was attacked, to see if it had been used recently," Haru explained. "And it hadn't."
"Then if you didn't attack Gumo, why were you standing over his body?"
"Because I heard screaming and found him like this."
"A likely story," Daizō interjected. "Gumo's never screamed, even when he was in pain."
Looking at Daizō's kimono, Haru knew he was telling the truth due to the lack of white lines on his sleeves.
"Well, whatever attacked him was clearly powerful enough to make Gumo scream because I really did hear him."
"Then you need to get your ears checked because I'm telling on you!" Daizō said as he took off in the direction of Dōmeki's Office while Koi followed close behind.
After Gumo's body was taken to the Healers' Wing, Dōmeki-sama ordered all classes to be cancelled. While the Primary Students were sent home early on the Ōkumo Storm Petrels, the Secondary Students were confined to their Clan Wing dormitories for the rest of the day. The only exceptions were Haru, Daizō, and Koi who were brought to Dōmeki. She asked each of them a series of similar questions while checking their wands.
"It would seem none of you used your wand around the time Gumo was attacked," Dōmeki said after she finished the interrogations. "So all three of you are innocent."
Daizō didn't like this answer. "Ryuji was standing over Gumo's body when I saw him, so he had to have been involved in some way!"
"But there is no evidence to suggest that, Maki-kun," Dōmeki insisted. "Unless you're assuming he's involved because of his heritage."
"Maybe…," replied Daizō.
"Unless we find out otherwise, you had best keep your assumptions to yourself," Dōmeki warned. "The last thing we need is to incite unnecessary panic among the students over false rumors. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Dōmeki-sama," Daizō and Koi said in unison, bowing their heads low.
"Now please head back to your clan dormitory," Dōmeki said. "Except for you, Ryuji."
"What?" Haru couldn't believe it.
Daizō discreetly sneered at Haru as he and Koi left Dōmeki's office. Haru wanted to get up and punch Daizō's face, but he kept himself together as Dōmeki got up from her platform and opened a hidden compartment on the wall behind her. Inside this compartment was the opening to an atrium with sunlight coming down from above, though Haru's eyes were drawn to the large bird that was sitting on a perch in the middle of this atrium.
Its body resembled a crow, but it had three legs instead of two. Plus, it was bigger than a typical crow with white plumage and yellow eyes like a hawk's. On the bird's back was a red circle with rays similar to the Japanese flag. Then wrapped around its ankles were red ribbons with small bells that rang as it moved along the perch.
"This is Fushigi, my Yatagarasu familiar," Dōmeki-sama said as she held her arm out to the bird, allowing it to climb on. "She's been in my family for generations ever since she became the companion of my ancestor Amaterasu."
"Amaterasu? I thought you were descended from Rikimatsu," Haru said.
"Rikimatsu was the son of Princess Iyo, who as you should know from your history lessons was the daughter of Queen Himiko, who was Amaterasu's other child apart from Emperor Jimmu," Dōmeki stated. "So Amaterasu is my family's true ancestor, even though it technically started from Rikimatsu. And every woman in my family is gifted with the ability of clairvoyance, which is channeled through Fushigi who should be able to discern if you really are involved with these recent attacks or not."
To be continued…