The girl on the bed turned her head toward the door at the knock. “Yes?”
The door opened, and a face quickly peered inside. It was a girl wearing a tea-colored blazer.
“Can I come in?”
“You are...”
“Heheh—. Good afternoon!”
The girl who had come to visit Yuiko with a bouquet of flowers in hand was Morino Saori.
“When we came yesterday, I thought the room needed a bit of color—it didn’t even have any flowers...so... Mmm... Is there a vase?”
“Um...”
“You look better today. But it’s boring to just sit here by yourself, right?”
Yuiko only looked at her blankly.
“Huh? Oh, right...I haven’t even introduced myself yet. I’m Morino Saori. I came with Ougi Takaya yesterday—he’s my classmate.”
“Ougi...Takaya?”
“Yeah. He’s pretty unsociable, so I guess he’s kinda scary at first sight, but he’s not a bad guy. And he’s not bad-looking either, right? His personality is kinda aloof, and he’s 5’8”, so a lot of people probably secretly like him. What do you think, Yuiko-san?"
“???”
“Ah, what am I talking about? Anyway, have you remembered anything more since yesterday?”
Yuiko, eyes downcast, murmured a listless reply to Saori’s question: “Not really...”
Straight black hair whispered against her cheeks, across a profile which seemed as beautiful as that of a Japanese doll. After a moment of gazing at that face, Saori said forcefully, “It’s okay! Cheer up! You’ll definitely remember soon! Definitely!”
“That’s true. I’ll remember soon.”
Saori, understanding immediately the effort Yuiko had put into her smile, thought that she was very brave.
Yuiko accepted the bouquet charmingly. “Thank you for everything, Morino-san, for coming to visit me even though I’m a complete stranger.”
“It’s really not...”
“These are such pretty flowers. I was actually a bit lonely, so I’m glad that you came to see me.”
“...”
“I was feeling depressed—I don’t know anyone here. ...So I’m very happy that you came.”
Saori’s expression darkened a bit. Yuiko, noticing, asked, “? What is it?”
“Ah...it’s nothing. I was thinking that you have such clear eyes.”
“Oh my. Why do you say that all of a sudden?”
“Nevermind. Just a bit of self-loathing.”
In actuality...
Saori had not really come to visit Yuiko. The true reason was something Yuzuru had said: “I want to see that girl from the other day.”
Saori had been startled beyond words by that one side comment. That Yuzuru “wanted to see” that girl was a grave situation indeed. Especially when “that girl” was the amnesic beauty from yesterday! Saori had unhesitatingly rushed to the hospital. Her strategy was to put up a guard against that possibility. In other words, (Palm Yuiko-san off with Takaya-kun, and hide Narita-kun!) was her battle strategy.
Though in actuality, what Yuzuru had meant was that he wanted to find a lead on ascertaining who it was that had possessed him, but Saori had misunderstood him completely. Saori had continued to smile, but inside she was setting up for a fight...
But before Yuiko’s brave smile those feelings gradually shifted, and Saori became completely dejected.
(I am such a horrible person...!)
Really, if she thought about it, this just wasn’t the time to be talking to Yuiko about guys. She didn’t even know who she herself was. Dejected and sad, in that genuinely uneasy state she must have been truly glad to see Saori. Even in such a serious situation Saori hadn’t been thinking of Yuiko at all...
(I’m being so narrow-minded.) Saori berated herself. (I guess this is what people mean by “love is blind”.)
... Somehow that doesn’t seem quite right.
(That’s right! This isn’t the time to be thinking about guys. This is when I need to help Yuiko-san. This is when friendship between girls takes precedence over love!)
Saori seemed to gain a mysterious energy.
“Yuiko-san, I’m here for you, so cheer up! You can’t give up!”
“Saori-san, you’re such an interesting person.”
“Ah...really?”
Yuiko laughed with such charm that Saori couldn’t hope to emulate it.
“Aah....say...” Saori, meaning to follow up on yesterday’s events, looked outside. “What great weather. It’s such a waste to be just sitting in this room.”
“?”
“You’re much better now, right? If the doctor lets us, it’ll be a great chance—I can take you sight-seeing around Matsumoto
!”
“Oh! Really?”
“From your uniform, it looks like you’re not from a school around Matsumoto. You probably won’t get your memories back if you just stay in the hospital, but they might be stimulated if you go out and look around.”
Yuiko’s expression suddenly brightened. “Oh, I want to go, I want to go! Please take me!”
“Then how about tomorrow?”
“Oh, yes, tomorrow!”
“If they don’t let you, then we’ll slip out!”
“All right!”
“Then it’s decided!”
“Yay, this is great!”
The excited two clapped their hands gleefully, having found completely kindred spirits in each other.
Saori stayed until six o’clock to chat with Yuiko about this and that.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Okay. Thank you for coming today.”
“Cheer up even if you’re feeling lonely, okay? See you!” Saori said, and walked out of the room.
The door slowly closed.
Yuiko saw her off...then suddenly murmured, “Kousaka...?”
The curtain behind her fluttered in the wind. Outside the window—
Beneath the ginkgo tree a young man in a trenchcoat had been standing for an indeterminate amount of time. He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but his skin was fair as to almost be transparent. He was truly beautiful enough to send shivers down one’s spine. He softly removed his sunglasses and lifted eyes like black crystals in her direction.
Kousaka Danjou Nosuke Masanobu called out to Yuiko: “My Lady.”
Yuiko tossed a sharp glance out the window. Her expression had already become so cold that it was as if she had put on a Noh mask. She asked in a low voice that sounded like it belonged to someone else altogether, “What news of our Lord?”
“Our Lord currently seems to be...confined within his spiritual vessel.”
“What...!” She cast him a dagger-edged look as terrifying as a demon’s glare. “Explain thyself!”
“It appears that there are those who have sensed him within the spiritual vessel and have moved to counter it.”
“What...” For a moment Yuiko seemed to sway in shock. “Who hath done this?”
“I do not know. However, there are many who fear our Lord’s revival and eventual domination of the «Yami-Sengoku». It would not have been out of the question for any of them to have acted.”
“Hmm...”
Kousaka eventually told her of noticing the «talisman bracelet» guarding Yuzuru, which prevented him from further approach.
“Is the seal a strong one?”
“No. From its appearance, the bracelet only has the power to protect, not seal. Perhaps it gives the spiritual vessel a suggestion that allows him to use his own powers to «bind» our Lord. Even if it is due to a suggestion, it seems the vessel has the «power» to confine our Lord within himself. We must punish him for it later.”
“Of a certainty,” Yuiko laughed lightly. “That one seems to possess unusual quantities of spiritual power. I know not how thou camest to chose him as the spiritual vessel, but without that power he would be useless. Such is the purpose of the vessel; if he doth not match our Lord in power, the choice would have been meaningless.”
“...”
“We finally achieved the unraveling of the seal upon the Maenduka by uniting our «power» with that chit Yuiko’s. Yuiko is our descendant, and it is natural that we chose her for our endeavor. However, Yuzuru was by thy judgment, and he is a worthy spiritual vessel. I shall speak well of thee to our Lord, Kousaka Danjou.”
“I am grateful...”
“This day hath arrived at last. We must help our Lord subjugate this country at all cost and correct its erroneous ways.”
“I hear and obey,” Kousaka replied in a clear tenor voice. “There is no one but our Lord to rule the country. Thus shall the order of the «Yami-Sengoku» be completely altered.”
“We shall crush those foolish onshou. They shall know the true ruler of this country.”
“Yes.”
Looking over at Kousaka, Yuiko said quietly, “Thou hast been the one to guide me since I awakened from my temporary sleep, Kousaka. I am grateful.”
“If it were not for you, Lady, wife of Lord Shingen, we would not have been able to revive him.”
And then he named her: “Sanjou-no-Kata-sama.”
“...”
Yuiko said, her expression dignified, “Is that so.”
And Yuiko—no, Sanjou-no-Kata gave a cold, eerie laugh.
The shadow from the window frame stretched onto the bed.
“My Lady. There is something I would like to report to you.”
“... What is it?”
“It seems that the Uesugi are on the move.”
“What, the Uesugi?” Sanjou took in this information. “The onryou hunters of Uesugi Kenshin? Those who are called the Meikai Uesugi Army? Was it not annihilated a short while ago—?”
“It seems that the remnants have reorganized themselves. Their goal is the eventual collapse of the «Yami-Sengoku». They have proven to be much more troublesome than the inept onshou.”
“...”
“If Kenshin’s kanshousha are on the move, then their purpose must be the «choubuku» of our Lord. If such a thing should occur, then there will be no way of bringing him back.” A suspicious light kindled in Kousaka’s eyes. “What should we do?”
“We must destroy them.”
“But they are kanshousha.”
Sanjou’s eyebrows knit in displeasure. “We cannot stand by and watch our Lord be exorcised. Fear not; when the crucial moment cometh, thou wilt act as our rear-guard. Such is the duty of a vassal.”
“...”
“We must first release our Lord. If we cannot break the spiritual vessel’s «internal bind», we cannot make any movements of our own. We must begin now.”
“Yes, my Lady!”
Sanjou never noticed the sly grin that accompanied Kousaka’s reply. She continued, “Also, there is one who concerns me.”
Kousaka asked in return, “Who is it?”
“Upon taking possession of Yuiko and returning to this place, there was one who was with our Lord’s spiritual vessel, Narita Yuzuru, when first I encountered him. Furthermore, he came to see Yuiko yesterday. It would seem that he is a friend of Yuzuru, and was named ‘Ougi Takaya’ by the girl from earlier.”
“Ougi Takaya?”
“I cannot understand it. Though he seems not to possess any great degree of spiritual power, somehow he was also able to see the flames....”
“Flames? Did something happen?”
“It was my mistake. That chit Yuiko seized an opportunity to oppose me when I saw our Lord for the first time in these four hundred years and allowed my emotions to run away from me. I suppressed her immediately, but in truth it was my carelessness. Cursed girl...I did not expect her to carry that amount of «power». I have underestimated her.”
“But so too does it make her worthy of being thy spiritual vessel.”
“Verily. No, ’tis that youngster called Ougi who concerneth me. There is something strange about him. I do not believe he is one of us, yet I do not know his nature. Nor can I discern his true shape. Only that he appears to be no ordinary human...”
Kousaka listened attentively with a cold serenity. (—Ougi Takaya...) He murmured the name in his mind.
Kousaka seemed to already know something of him, but had no intention of informing Sanjou. On the contrary, it would appear that he had been relieved to ascertain that Sanjou knew nothing of Takaya’s true nature. He had adopted an expressionless mask, pretending that it was the first time he had heard the name.
“I shall do as you ask, Lady, and keep watch over him.”
“And what of our Lord?”
“I have given it much thought. I would like to ask my Lady’s aid in this as well.”
“My aid?”
“Yes, my Lady, with that girl from earlier, Saori.” A small light gleamed in Kousaka’s eyes. “She was with Narita Yuzuru this morning, so she is probably an acquaintance. As long as the spiritual vessel is so wary of strangers, we cannot easily approach him, but not so with those he already knows.”
Sanjou immediately perceived Kousaka’s intentions. “Thou art suggesting the use of that girl?”
“Exactly so. The suggestion from the bracelet will waver upon its removal, and our Lord’s power will most likely overcome it such that he can break free of the spiritual vessel’s «spirit binding». ...My Lady.”
Sanjou, having understood Kousaka’s words, slowly smiled. “... I see.”
Sanjou took a red carnation from the vase beside her pillow. “I will deal with the girl. Thou wilt warn the other onshou. Those who lay a finger on Yuzuru...those who interfere...we shall destroy.”
Kousaka lifted his eyes. Sanjou crushed the flower in her hand. “I shall leave it to thee.”
“...Yes, my Lady!”
The wind emerged into the garden, into which the rays of the sun streaked red as blood.
At the same time, at sunset, two shadows walked shoulder to shoulder along the road following the bank of the river Narai on the western side of the city of Matsumoto.
“I’m sorry for dragging you out shopping with me.”
The shadow who had so meekly apologized was Narita Yuzuru. Dressed casually in a Dhangarhi shirt, jeans, and white Prod-Keds, he was the image of a normal high school student.
“It’s no bother at all.”
The one who had so gently replied was the man who had given him the «talisman bracelet», Naoe Nobutsuna.
Since there seemed to be those who wanted to remove the bracelet, he was acting as Yuzuru’s bodyguard. Well, even if he had told Yuzuru not to worry about it, he really couldn’t help but worry.
Yuzuru chuckled and said, “I see.”
At around 2 that afternoon, Takaya had visited Yuzuru’s house with the “mysterious man dressed in black”, Naoe.
In the doorway facing the startled Yuzuru, Takaya had grimacedand reluctantly said, “Actually, um, this guy’s my, er, cousin, Naoe Nobutsuna...”
“No way! Really? He’s your cousin?”
Naoe greeted the astonished Yuzuru once more.
“I apologize for appearing so suddenly and startling you like that yesterday. It was urgent, so I’m afraid that Takaya did not have time to warn you.”
Yuzuru alternated his stare between the two. “So Takaya was the one who called you...?”
Naoe seemed to secretly poke Takaya with his elbow. “Ow, that hurt!” Takaya complained in a whisper, but at Naoe’s look grudgingly replied, “It looked like you were possessed by some kind of spirit, so I was worried, and um...went to...uh...Tochigi and...er...how’d it go again?”
Naoe buried his face in his hand for a moment. Apparently this was something they had rehearsed beforehand. He quickly followed up without missing a beat: “Actually, my family has a temple of Shingon-shu in Tochigi. I am a licensed Buddhist priest, so thought that I might be of some help.”
Takaya started. “What, you’re a monk?”
“I told you that, did I not? Were you not paying attention?”
“You never told me! Then how come you don’t shave your head?”
“I am not so particular about appearances.”
“You gotta at least have a round head to be a monk!”
“That’s up to the individual, I believe.”
Yuzuru, listening to this conversation, was seriously taken aback. This was the first time he had heard of Takaya having a relative who was a monk.
Takaya went home shortly after. Since a shopping trip was next on the agenda, Naoe had accompanied Yuzuru as his escort.
Following the path that ran along the bank of the river, Yuzuru chuckled merrily.
“? ...What is it?”
“Hmm? ...it’s nothing.”
Catching himself, Yuzuru embarrassedly kicked at a pebble underfoot. He’d been thinking about the exchange between Takaya and Naoe from earlier.
“Well, Takaya’s really, you know, not very sociable, I guess. He’s impertinent and bad-mannered and quick-tempered and rude, and he quarrels with the teachers all year ’round...”
“?”
“He’s always snapping at people who are older than him, and he never really lets his guard down with them. But he was joking around with you, right?”
“Was he joking around?”
“Yeah. Those barbs were his way of joking around. He’s like a puppy—you can tell when he’s just playing around because he doesn’t bare his teeth.”
Yuzuru turned his eyes to the flow of the river, where fragments of the setting sun glittered.
“When Takaya bares his teeth, even I get scared. He says stuff like ‘screw you’ and gets this bloodhound look in his eyes. But Takaya was just having fun earlier acting...well, like a spoiled child, I guess.”
“Acting like a spoiled child?” Naoe looked at Yuzuru with true surprise in his eyes. “He was...with me?”
“Yes, he did.” Yuzuru opened his eyes wide. “It’s probably because I’m an only child, but I feel like my cousins are like distant siblings.”
“...”
Yuzuru laughed, his gaze falling down to his feet. “Naoe-san, you’re very like Takaya.”
“...eh?...” Once again, an unexpected comment. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. Yesterday, after you left and Takaya came to visit, I thought, ‘hmm, they’re really alike, aren’t they?’ even though I had no idea you were cousins.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Well, you’re really different in terms of personality and appearance, but I guess you give off the same sort of vibes somehow...”
“...”
“Hmm? Speaking of which, you and Takaya don’t look anything alike, do you?” Yuzuru tilted his head, but smiled. “But you still remind me of him. Even when I’m walking with you like this. Somehow it feels like I’m walking with Takaya...”
Looking at Yuzuru’s innocent smile, Naoe was inwardly perplexed.
Needless to say, claiming that they were cousins was a big lie. They had decided to do so to prevent Yuzuru from having inconvenient doubts regarding Naoe. And yet Yuzuru thought that the two of them resembled each other.
They were alike. What meaning had the perceptive Yuzuru placed in these words?
(... This person...)
Perhaps Yuzuru had sensed that he was also a kanshousha. Of course, he would not know the significance of their existence. However, even if he didn’t recognize them, he could probably still sense them.
If that was what Yuzuru had meant by “alike”, then he probably possessed genuine abilities of his own.
But if that was truly the case, then conversely it was also proof that he and Takaya were of the same kind.
(Can I believe that?)
These, his own intuitions.
Takaya’s voice echoed in his ears: “What the hell are you talking about! Do you have any proof at all? If you’re gonna say that I’m Kagetora, then prove it!”
Naoe’s brow secretly drew together. (I’m probably uneasy as well—)
Until now, Naoe had thought that it would be impossible for him to mistake Kagetora. No matter the circumstances, he had no doubt that he would always be able to recognize Kagetora.
An unease because he’d had no leads on Kagetora, which he had thought would instantly disappear were he able to see Kagetora again. And yet even now it had not been obliterated. On the contrary, it had become all the stronger.
Was Takaya really Kagetora?
Did he have no choice but to await Takaya’s “awakening”?
Naoe smiled slightly in self-derision. (I’ve become such a coward—)
Perhaps it was because they were up against such a formidable enemy this time.
But...
“Naoe-san?”
Yuzuru’s voice recalled him to himself. Yuzuru was looking over at him.
“Yes?”
“You know, don’t you?”
“About what?”
“About the spirit who’s possessed me. About the ‘him’ inside of me, and—”
Naoe, enduring and returning Yuzuru’s straight-forward gaze, stopped walking.
Yuzuru suddenly seemed to read something from Naoe’s eyes
“I see...”
“...”
“That’s true, isn’t it?” Yuzuru smiled and said. “Since you’re here with me, I’ll be fine.”
“Yuzuru-san.”
“I’ll be fine with you. I believe that.”
(A mysterious young man...)
His earnestness, his sincere words gave peace to one’s heart. Just having him near made one feel at ease.
He seemed a truly lovable young man.
And if he had not been mistaken in naming Takaya Kagetora...
That soul, exhausted and worn to the limits of endurance, probably had need of this young man.
Not himself...
...
Naoe addressed Yuzuru gently, “Please be there for him.”
“?”
“I will watch over you, so...please watch over him.”
Yuzuru looked over at Naoe curiously for a moment, but finally nodded and smiled a smile blurred by the setting sun.
“...I will.”
A likeness of the Kagetora that he had so missed was painted against the sunset sky. But hardly had the contours been sketched before it disappeared into the noise of cars passing them from behind. Returning once more to reality, Naoe suddenly came face to face with doubt.
To which Kagetora had that likeness belonged?
—there had been such pain within his eyes.