Volume 5 - CH 10

Volume 5, Chapter 10: I Got Involved in all Sorts of Trouble, Part 1

“Time sealing technique……? What’s that?”

Onzada’s father and elder brothers came home less often nowadays.

Onzada, who was the fourth male amongst five brothers, knew that his parents’ families were a bit different from those of the general [Shrines].

Priests in ordinary temples did not learn how to fight and train their bodies. They did not go out to purge evil spirits.

His own father destroyed evil spirits that normal people couldn’t even touch that possessed other people by filling up his body with “Ki” which was a mixture of the body’s own energy and the power drawn from the outside air.

Onzada, as a child who knew of it, admired it as an “ally of justice”, and devoted himself to practicing “Ki” to the point of exclusion.

Onzada, as he was now, has power approaching either his eldest brother or close to that of his second brother, who was without peer. When his eldest brother came home, he asked to be taken along for a demon extermination.

Of course, he was refused. Still, Onzada that clung on to him, causing his elder brother to be greatly embarrassed and inadvertently spilled out one of his secrets.

That was: the [Time-sealing technique].

“Onzada, do you know of the [Mountain]?”

“Yeah…… It’s where father and brother go to help out, no?”

“Several years ago, there was a [Shrine Maiden] who reported from the [Mountain] of a prophetic vision. It seems that there will be a tremendous [Evil] that will appear in the world about 19~20 years from now. At that time, we, cannot do anything but send it to the past.”

“Hah? I don’t understand, Aniki.”

“I don’t understand it well myself, but it seems that there’s a technique that uses the “zero” and the “twelve” figures, and seems to be called the [Hourglass Technique.]”

“I don’t understand at all.”

“What I do know is that we’ll be able to defeat that [Evil] several years before it commences its assault, I mean.”

“Beat it before it comes……?”

“If we can successfully defeat it, then the world will be peaceful in 20 years. Now, though, the [Evil] has caused the evil spirits to increase in number. Leave all these evil spirits in these few years to Father and I.”

“………But”

“Onzada should continue to train for the future. It will be your responsibility to seal that [Evil] that will come back 20 years into the past. If you don’t, I won’t be able to protect my future wife.”

“Well, I don’t know……but, I understand.”

The story was too difficult for him to understand, but the fact of the matter was that within a few years, there would be considerable danger. Based on that, knowing that he had been entrusted with the “future”, he obediently nodded.

“…………”

Protecting the future…… It wasn’t the teasing of his brother, but that singular girl that floated up in the back of Onzada’s mind, and he hurriedly shook that image from his head in a fluster.

＊＊＊

I’ve move into the second grade in elementary school.

There have been no changes…… is what I’d like to say, but it’s changing bit by bit.

Ouji-kun has become extremely thin. While he was cute when he was like a plush toy up until a while ago, when he lost weight, his appearance became much better……

I often see the girls in the class call him [Prince-kun] and talk to him.

However, whenever I tried to join the conversation, the girls would all disappear at once. Are they still not accustomed to my appearance, or are they taking into consideration my needs……

I don’t want to know about the subtle feelings that I don’t really know much about.

“Yuzu-chan, there was a party at our company, but Yuzu-chan didn’t come? Uncle Tagaki and even Shijiyuuin-san’s father came.”

“Well…… It’s kind of a little bit too high society for me……”

Where even people like the president of a company and a real Princess-sama like Kako went? My father would be troubled if a “fake Princess-sama” like myself went.

Besides, at a party, if I was to get along well with the party’s organizer’s child, even if I was being watched with strange looks, strange rumors wouldn’t spring up.

Even though it was such a wonderful party, Kouki-kun and his father didn’t attend.

I heard that the relationship between Kouki-kun’s parents and his grandparents weren’t good because of the matter of “land speculation”.

When I say “rumors”, it was something I heard from the “Spirit of the Wakame Seaweed” using hand gestures in the ramen at the ramen shop where the Dad was working.

…… I wonder if I’m just tired.

By the way, only Misa and I could see the “Spirit of the Wakame”. It’s surely because both of us have pure and innocent hearts.

＊

“Are you a child from this shopping district?”

While Misa and I were playing in the alleyway beside the ramen shop, an elegant man in his mid-twenties talked to me.

I could tell that his suit was fine at a glance. Behind him was someone in a black suit with a bulge in it that made Misa a little bit frightened.

“…… and you are?”

I was a little wary, but I asked him in a childlike way.

Still, noticing that I was trying to protect Misa, the man took an exaggerated step forwards, turning a sweet smile at us.

“I’m not a suspicious person. I spoke to you out of curiosity because there aren’t many children despite being such a wonderful shopping street.”

“Fuuhn~……”

He was saying plausible things, but he ultimately didn’t answer my question. His face was smiling, but to me that smile looked like that of a “snake”.

“……Misa, go back to dad-chan’s place.”

“Y-yeah”

I held off the conversation as I took Misa’s hand and went to the back of the shop.

Just when I thought that he would follow us, the man just gently shrugged and went back to the shopping district. …… Behind him, there were some more evil-looking men in black suits, but when the man looked lightly at them, they scattered into the shopping district.

I wonder what…… what was this feeling.

After talking to the man who was just here before, I felt something light up in my heart. What is this small, fluctuating “feeling”…

“……I won’t let anyone say that about our ramen!”

We got in from the back and heard dad-chan shouting loudly.

“……O-onii-chan?”

“Misa, please stay here.”

Leaving the anxious Misa behind me, I looked at the situation happening in the store.

Kotone-chan seems to not have come in yet, but in the shop there seems to be some ill-bred customer and dad-chan who were glaring at one another and in their own world. It wasn’t a pleasant atmosphere.

The other customers sneakily payed up and leave the store. The grandpa who owned the shop was cutting green onions in the kitchen as if he couldn’t heard them.

…… Actually, it’s quite likely that he couldn’t hear them.

And, sure enough, that customer was one of those evil-looking men near the man we had talked to earlier.

“What is this ramen? It seems I made a mistake, and should have eaten instant ramen, which would have been better.”

“What was that? Could you say that again? ”

“It’s a fraud to take my money like this. Ramen is supposed to be fully stewed with pork and chicken, and at the moment when it’s at its best, it is supposed to be a clear and refreshing soup, and not skimped on time or material or effort like this.”

This hoodlum, he’s actually a great lover of ramen, isn’t he?

“And you call these noodles? Is this used paper? I thought it was a rubber band.”

“You little… You can’t even use the chopsticks properly, so what are you going on about”

“I don’t have to eat it. Aah, but if it were in some remote region, I might still be able to tolerate it. Your store should just go out of business quickly!”

“This bastard……”

Oops, that’s a no no. That man absolutely refused to make a move, but was waiting for dad-chan to hit him.

I’m also…… feeling like my heart is throbbing.

“Ooh, a brat!”

“Yuzu-chan, get back.”

As I entered the store, both the hoodlum and dad-chan spoke.

Dad-chan put his knife down first. If he were to leave the kitchen as it was now, it would be a breach of the firearms and swords laws.

“Why did you decide to eat ramen?”

“Yu-Yuzu-chan?”

Replying with a cheerful look full of smiles, Dad-chan had a confused expression on his face.

…… It’s been a while since I felt like this. I directed my look at the hoodlum. He’s got a violent presence. And he’s radiating malicious intent……

Was my heart thumping? Maybe it’s because I met that man just before, but……?

For some reason…… it seems…… really tasty.

“………tsuuu”

As I gazed at him, the thug’s body stiffened and he shut up.

I wonder what he saw…… I won’t do anything, you know? I’m just a harmless, helpless child?

…… It’s okay. After seeing such a superb man, you are unsatisfactory.

“Sit down, uncle.”

“…………”

The hoodlum’s eyes began to swim as the child smiled cutely at him.

Perhaps the uncle is only looking at my eyes. Dad-chan seemed to notice something between the hoodlum and me, and seemed to notice the unusual state of events despite being confused.

“……Sit down.”

When I whispered please in a low voice, the hoodlum sat down slowly next to myself, as I sat down at the counter.

“Grandpa-chan, dad-chan, Ramen for two. Please put plenty of seaweed.”

“O-, oh……”

“Aiyooo”

Instead of Dad-chan who seemingly hasn’t kept pace with reality, it was grandpa shop owner who started to make ramen briskly. ……He heard me.

“Right, there we go.”

In the blink of an eye, the ramen noodles were layered onto the wakame, and placed in front of us.

“Eat. Is it delicious?”

“…………”

“……eat.”

At the end, when I was muttering softly, the hoodlum hurried, and began to eat ramen greedily. Oh no, how shameless.

“……Goho, guho”

Yeah, dad-chan’s ramen is delicious, but grandpa-chan’s ramen is also delicious.

When I glanced to my side at him, it seems that he’d been possessed by the “spirit of the wakame” in his bowl and not mine, and it seems to be invading his stomach vigorously along with the noodles.

“………”

…………… Uwaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

The hoodlum’s face was starting to turn “green”.

What……? Why did it become like this? I felt like it just happened on impulse.

Surely, it’s because of him. …… Sorry? If you want to resent, resent your boss.

The green-colored hoodlum, put down a large bill while shaking unsteadily like a “fish taking its first bipedal steps on land” and went off.

It’s a little bit too much, but it also includes the service charge (being next to a beautiful little girl).

If I stayed here, would I meet that wonderful person again?