"Hmm."
Blue eyes almost seem to glow beneath the light, iridescent and gleaming in a manner almost reminiscent of sharply-cut diamonds. Pretty, certainly –but there's far more to these eyes than merely just a pretty appearance.
"Hmmmm," Satoru-niichan says again, longer and more drawn-out as he scrutinizes Tsumiki. The girl awkwardly shifts in her seat.
"S-Satoru-san?" she smiles nervously.
The white-haired sorcerer finally straightens with a little laugh. "No need to sound so nervous, Tsumiki-chan."
Off to the side, Megumi twitches irritably. "You're the one hemming and hawing and purposely making a big deal out of things!"
"Lies and slander," Satoru-niichan sniffs. "I never make a big deal out of things. Tell him, Shiki!"
The boy slaps a hand to his forehead before Shiki even has the chance to open her mouth. "Can you please be serious at least once in your life?"
… Shiki supposes that she can understand Megumi's anxiety, a little bit. Tsumiki's wellbeing is very important to him, so the boy's reaction towards Satoru-niichan's attitude is somewhat understandable.
On the other hand, the very fact that Satoru-niichan has adopted a playfully teasing behavior like this can be taken as a sign that Tsumiki is fine. Satoru-niichan really isn't nearly as careless as he likes to come off as. If there was something genuinely wrong with Tsumiki's health, then he wouldn't be adopting such a lighthearted demeanor in front of them.
That he had returned to Japan as swiftly as he had, merely two days after Shiki's own return despite his busy schedule, is clear evidence that Tsumiki's wellbeing is important to Satoru-niichan as well.
"Relax a bit, Megumi." The sorcerer pats the boy on the head, which Megumi ducks away from with a small scowl.
Tsumiki lets out a small giggle at the byplay.
"I can see that I'm appreciated," Satoru-niichan rolls his eyes and draws his hand back. "So… I've got good news and bad news."
Tsumiki stops giggling. "Bad news?"
"Let's start with the good news!" Satoru-niichan blithely claps his hands together. "The good news is, physically, Tsumiki seems to be fine. She hasn't been injured anywhere, and there's no sign of any lingering curse on her. Good job on that by the way, Shiki."
At this, he reaches over and also pats her on the head. Unlike Megumi, Shiki does not shy away from her cousin's gesture of affection… even though it means that she needs to comb out her messed-up hair after he withdraws his hand.
"The bad news, however," her cousin continues, "Is that her cursed energy is distinctly higher than it's supposed to be, and there's no clear source for it."
Megumi rears back in alarm, while Shiki stills upon hearing those words.
"Is that a serious problem?" Ken-jichan frowns.
"Depends on how you look at it," Satoru-niichan responds with a slight shrug. "On the whole, the answer is 'no.' Overall, I'd say that Tsumiki's current level of cursed energy is somewhere around a Window's, more or less. It won't affect her daily life or anything. But compared with the amount that she had before, it's still a notable difference."
That's… mildly concerning, and a little alarming.
Cursed energy is something that's more or less fixed at birth, with only a limited capacity for increase later on in life through specialized training methods. It's not something that can just be raised at the drop of a hat.
Which once again raises the question of: Just what had happened to Tsumiki when she'd been forcibly put into a cursed sleep?
"There is precedent for non-sorcerers gaining the ability to see cursed spirits after going through life-or-death experiences," Kiyohira-sensei frowns pensively. "Mostly only as a temporary phenomenon, and very rarely a permanent change. But I've never heard of any case where a person's cursed energy increased after such an experience."
"Which makes this interesting, right?" Satoru-niichan rocks back on his heels. "I think we've already established that it wasn't just a normal sleeping spell that she'd been put under. Which leaves us the question of just what kind of curse this was, precisely, to leave behind unusual side effects like this even after being broken."
It would've been easier for Satoru-niichan to analyze the curse directly if it was still active on Tsumiki. However, given that it was an unknown curse of dubious intent which had been applied to her friend… Shiki can't really say that she regrets breaking it.
"Something that put Tsumiki to sleep, and also… increased her cursed energy?" Ken-jichan's brows furrow, faintly bewildered. "That doesn't make any sense."
"Yeah, it doesn't. Hence my guess here that 'increasing her cursed energy' is just a side effect," Satoru-niichan hums. "Currently, I'm not seeing anything wrong with Tsumiki, aside from the whole cursed energy thing."
Which means that the increase in cursed energy isn't an imminent danger to Tsumiki, but it is something very concerning. Especially since even Satoru-niichan can't find a clear reason for it, not aside from the unknown curse that Tsumiki had briefly been placed under.
Kiyohira-sensei folds his arms across his chest. "So the biggest point of suspicion here would still be her missing memories."
"Yes." Satoru-niichan drums his fingers in a restless little rhythm. "Tsumiki doesn't remember who cursed her. Someone deliberately made it so that she wouldn't remember. Jujutsu is capable of many things, yes, but erasing memories… that's the sort of result you can only get through a binding vow or something."
"But Tsumiki isn't a sorcerer." So how would it be possible for her to be missing memories because of a binding vow?
"She isn't," Satoru-niichan nods, "But I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a binding vow so easily, especially now that her cursed energy has risen substantially from what it originally used to be. Assistant managers can still make binding vows, y'know."
Shiki is aware of that, yes. But that's because assistant managers know how to control their cursed energy, and Tsumiki… doesn't. So how–?
"It takes less control over your cursed energy than you'd think to make a binding vow with another person," her cousin adds. "Conscious control, I should clarify. Or lack thereof, as the case might be. Because ultimately, what matters the most in the end when it comes to binding vows is the intent in it."
… Shiki supposes that she can follow the reasoning behind that.
"At any rate," Satoru-niichan claps his hands together. "Setting aside the how behind it –whether Tsumiki has a blank spot in her memories because of a binding vow or a cursed technique comes secondary to the fact that she is missing a few key memories. Unfortunately, we don't have any clues to work off of directly, which means it's time to brainstorm."
Shiki tilts her head as her cousin smiles winningly.
"… But if even you can't find anything to work off of with your Six Eyes, then how do you plan to brainstorm a way to track down the culprit?" Megumi asks.
"By using the tried and true method of answering the question of, 'Who stands to gain something from doing this?'"
Because no one does anything for no reason.
"We have a few suspects on our hands," Satoru-niichan continues, raising a finger. "The higher ups, for one. Maybe they're getting scared that none of their efforts to make us fall into line are working. Shiki is using her suspension to search for Suguru instead of reflecting, and I immediately took up a teaching post to prevent them from sinking their claws into Okkotsu Yuta."
"So cursing Tsumiki would be a good idea?!" Megumi grits his teeth.
"It would be a warning." A brief pause, and then, "But it's a common attitude among sorcery clans to be dismissive of non-sorcerers. Purposely going after a non-sorcerer like this… I'd love to know which of those hypocrites decided to throw away their own pride so thoroughly."
"Alternatively, it could be a curse user. Someone who's aligned with Geto-san." News of Tsumiki being cursed had reached Shiki right as she'd been close to finding Geto-san in India. Who's to say that this was merely coincidence?
"… I suppose that's also a possibility." Satoru-niichan does not dismiss the idea out of hand. "You ran into some of Suguru's people in India, didn't you?"
"I did." Two of them, in fact. Possibly three, if Shiki was also counting the man who'd made his escape on a four-winged cursed spirit towards the end.
"Geto Suguru was involved in business dealings with several sorcery clans, so we can't discount the possibility of them taking action on his part, either," Kiyohira-sensei says gruffly. "We're most likely looking at a sorcerer. A curse user being the one to approach Tsumiki is possible, but… the sort of curse that she'd been put under isn't the kind that someone without the right know-how can put together on their own. This is the sort of knowledge that would usually be jealously guarded by a sorcery clan."
"So you think it's one of the clans acting on Geto Suguru's behalf?" The expression on Ken-jichan's face indicates that he does not like that prospect at all. "An enemy of the Gojo Clan…?"
"The Gojo Clan itself is another possibility."
Satoru-niichan stills at that response from Kiyohira-sensei. "Someone in the clan is causing trouble again?"
"I don't have proof to be throwing around any accusations," the burly man shakes his head. "But… it's not something to dismiss out of hand. It's been a while since you've returned to the compound, Satoru-sama, so certain individuals have grown a little… restless in the meantime."
Shiki turns towards her teacher. "Restless enough to target Tsumiki?"
"Ordinarily, I'd say no," Kiyohira-sensei falls quiet for a brief moment. "To be honest, I don't like the thought that there's a clan member who would try to threaten Tsumiki like this. Especially since both you and Satoru-sama have made clear your attitudes on this matter. Challenging that, as a member of the Gojo Clan, would be foolish."
"Yet you still think that it's a distinct possibility," Shiki notes.
"I do," Kiyohira-sensei exhales slowly. "Because there's no denying that this still happened. Tsumiki was cursed, and the culprit is likely related to one of the clans, if not outright a member of a certain clan. To approach the neighborhood without raising the Gojo Clan's attention… either we're looking at a very skilled individual who's able to perfectly hide their tracks, or it's someone within the Gojo Clan who decided to take action. Shiki, didn't you also come across someone who forged a Tobiume token, too? The one that you brought to me to verify before you took off for India?"
Shiki nods. Yes, the token that her teacher is talking about would be the one that she'd acquired from the curse user Ogami Shiho's hands.
… If these events were all related to each other, as Kiyohira-sensei suspected, then it indeed pointed towards the suggestion of someone within the Gojo Clan acting against them.
Satoru-niichan lets out a dissatisfied 'tsk.' "I've been too nice recently, haven't I?"
"It's not a matter of being nice, Satoru-sama," Kiyohira-sensei rolls his eyes.
"No? But if there are people in the clan who feel comfortable enough to act behind my back like this, then clearly it's because they don't think they'll face consequences for it," Satoru-niichan drawls. "If there are clansmen who are starting to be forgetful, then clearly they're in need of a few reminders."
"… Please don't go overboard, Satoru-sama."
"The one going overboard isn't me," Satoru-niichan lets out a faint huff. "They're the ones dragging an unrelated non-sorcerer into things."
Kiyohira-sensei opens his mouth, then closes it mutely. Clearly, he can't find it in himself to disagree, because he's also of a similar line of thought.
"It may be a mole within the Gojo Clan that we're looking at," he says. "But again, there's no proof, and we don't know this for certain. It may also very well be the Zenins responsible at the end of this. Or maybe the Naniwas."
Satoru-niichan hums idly in acknowledgment. "I suppose we'll see, then."
"Indeed," Kiyohira-sensei echoes. "… This investigation will likely take a while to make any proper headway. What will your plans be in the meantime?"
Making an example of the culprit would be the most straightforward and effective way of dissuading anyone from repeating their actions. But unfortunately, since the exact identity of the one who'd cursed Tsumiki is still a mystery, that's not something they can do. Yet they can't sit around and do nothing, either; they have to present some sort of reaction to the numerous eyes watching them.
Because if neither Shiki nor Satoru-niichan show any signs of reacting, then that would only invite their opposition to potentially do something even worse next time.
But without a proper target to aim their ire towards, that means they need to do something else in order to make their stance clear.
Shiki glances up towards her cousin, only to find the man already looking at her. Satoru-niichan smiles, and Shiki thinks that she understands what he's thinking in this moment.
"I'll stay with Tsumiki."
At this statement, all gazes in the room turn towards her with varying degrees of surprise. Satoru-niichan's gaze, however, remains entirely unsurprised.
"You're sure about it?" he asks lightly.
"I'm still suspended, aren't I?" Shiki responds levelly. "So I have plenty of time on my hands."
Satoru-niichan nods.
"You don't plan to continue searching for Geto Suguru anymore, then?" Ken-jichan asks her.
Shiki's thoughts haven't changed. She still wants to break Geto-san's legs and drag him before her cousin, but… circumstances have changed. This isn't the right time to focus on a search for Geto-san anymore, never mind the fact that her search for the man to date has only grown increasingly convoluted the further she progressed into said search.
Tsumiki needs her more than Shiki needs to search for Geto-san. That's the long and short of it.
… That, and the fact that Shiki is still quietly concerned for her friend. She'd broken Tsumiki's curse, and Satoru-niichan had proclaimed her to be alright… but the mysterious increase in Tsumiki's cursed energy was still concerning, even if it didn't seem to have any unfortunate side effects so far. It would be for the best that someone stays by Tsumiki's side to keep an eye on her.
"Tsumiki takes priority," Shiki answers her uncle. "I'm going to set aside the search for now. There are other, more pressing matters to take care of."
Such as rooting out the potential traitor within the Gojo Clan who was deliberately taking action against them, as they'd just discussed.
Satoru-niichan pats her on the head. "You've been working hard recently, hmm? Sadly, I can't tell you to relax yet."
The words aren't apologetic; Satoru-niichan has nothing to apologize for. But there's something faintly commiserating all the same, and his acknowledgment of her efforts is a form of recognition… even though Shiki wasn't able to produce any tangible results.
"No need to look so huffy." Her cousin's hand slips down and tugs at her cheek… even though Shiki is fairly certain that her expression hasn't changed at all. "… It is what it is. Don't feel too bad about not being able to find Suguru. None of us expected that Tsumiki would be targeted like this all of a sudden."
"But–"
"You're not omniscient." One last little reprimanding tug, and then he finally withdraws his hand. Shiki rubs at her reddened cheek silently.
"We should've had more security measures in place," Kiyohira-sensei grumbles. "We were complacent. It won't happen again."
Tsumiki bites her lip, hunching slightly in on herself. "… I'm causing trouble for you guys, aren't I?"
"It's not your fault." Kiyohira-sensei lifts his hand, as if to pat the girl on the back. For some reason, though, he only ends up hovering awkwardly instead. His hand twitches, and limply falls back down at his side. "You're not to blame for being cursed."
"What Kiyohira said," Satoru-niichan looks on with an air of amusement. Kiyohira-sensei stiffly looks away from him, which only causes the other sorcerer's smile to widen.
Shiki looks between them, then towards Tsumiki. The girl doesn't seem to notice the strange little byplay between the adults at all, head lowered and staring down at her hands.
Shiro rises up on its hind legs and noses its way into Tsumiki's lap, causing her to startle slightly. From the other side, Kuro also pops up as well. The presence of the unusually affectionate Divine Dogs is enough to distract her, and soon there is a soft smile that curves over her lips. A gentle expression, one that suits her much more than the forced smiles and downcast, prolonged silences that Shiki has observed from the other girl recently.
… Shiki is not Yuzuki. She doesn't know what the right words are, in order to make it so that Tsumiki can smile naturally again. But apparently, just the Divine Dogs are enough.
Shiki's gaze flicks towards Megumi. As the master, his shikigami's actions are either a command on his part or a reflection of his own feelings.
"What?" Megumi asks, once he notices her looking at him. "… Is there something on my face?"
"It's nothing," Shiki says, faintly thoughtful.
Shiro lets out a happy bark by Tsumiki's side.
.
.
It's a bit of a strange feeling to step back inside the house in Saitama. Although it's home, it's also been quite some time since Shiki has last been back here. Attending the jujutsu school means living in the school dormitories, and when Shiki had been suspended she'd directly began her search for Geto Suguru right afterwards. There simply hadn't been any time for her to return–
No. That's not quite right, is it? If Shiki wanted to, she could have returned and spent some time with the Fushiguro siblings before setting off on her self-imposed mission. But she'd deemed searching for Geto-san to be a higher priority.
Later, later. She'd visit the Fushiguro siblings later, after she was done with her task. But there was a marked difference between later and too late.
It wasn't wrong to follow up on Geto-san's trail as soon as possible. But in the aftermath of Tsumiki being cursed, Shiki can't help but wonder if her friend's ordeal could've been prevented if Shiki had… visited more often. If she visited more frequently, then it would mean that Tsumiki was important, and others would think twice about harming her. Right?
Alternatively, it was also possible that frequent visits would mean painting a target on her back. Instead of warning off those with untoward intentions, it might actually end up resulting in the opposite effect.
… Or it could also mean that watching eyes would simply interpret it as Shiki being possessive of Megumi. The Ten Shadows boy, who garnered far more attention from the jujutsu world than a non-sorcerer sister who held no talent for sorcery.
Formerly, at least.
Tsumiki's cursed energy used to be rather unremarkable. The same as one might expect of an average non-sorcerer civilian. Currently, however, it's around the level of a Window, which is a sharp increase. Time will tell if it's only a temporary effect that will fade with time, or if it's something permanent and here to stay.
Thus far, it's looking like the latter is the case. In the following days, Tsumiki's cursed energy has not decreased, and neither has her newfound sight faded.
There had been a memorable instance where Tsumiki, both in an attempt to distract herself from the fact that she'd recently been cursed and to add her own touch to Shiki's wardrobe, decided to go out on a shopping trip. It had started out well enough, all the way up until she reached the cashier's counter, where a spider-like curse had crawled out and settled itself over the man's shoulders.
Tsumiki's reaction was to let out a sharp yelp, and pale rapidly as she stumbled backwards in fright.
"Excuse me." Shiki reached out and summarily crushed the Grade Four cursed spirit with her bare hand, not even bothering to cut its lines. "It's fine now, Tsumiki. Just a spider, nothing to be scared of."
The cashier's half-bewildered, half-flustered expression had changed into understanding upon hearing those words.
This particular incident made it clear that Tsumiki needed to start familiarizing herself with cursed spirits and such, lest she struggle to fit in with others around her. Especially since she would be returning to school for the end of the term soon, and schools were commonly breeding grounds for various types of cursed spirits.
Megumi would be with her at school, true. But they were in different years and classes, and he couldn't be with her all the time.
And what about incidents like the shopping trip? There was no telling when a cursed spirit would appear, especially in populated cities. If Tsumiki reacted the way she did in the store, then it was a surefire way to draw attention to herself. Both from other non-sorcerer passerby who would be confused by her seemingly-nonsensical reaction, and potentially also the cursed spirit in question.
If Tsumiki wanted a normal life, then she would need to train herself to ignore cursed spirits. To pretend that she saw nothing, just like the other non-sorcerers around her.
"There's also another option of enrolling her in the jujutsu school."
Shiki pauses. "Tsumiki isn't a sorcerer."
"Not every student who attends is suitable for a sorcerer's work," Kiyohira-sensei responds, and sits down on the backyard porch beside her. He also proceeds to set down the tray in his hands, one with two cups of steaming tea balanced atop it. "If it's Tsumiki… even if she had the talent for it, she doesn't have the right temperament. She's…"
"Tsumiki is kind." Kind, and caring. Which are good qualities to have, but not necessarily for a sorcerer.
Shiki accepts the tea that she is offered, and sips gingerly on the fragrant drink.
"Yes," her old teacher nods in agreement. "That's not the point, though. The jujutsu schools are institutions where new sorcerers are trained, but it's not solely just for sorcerers, as you well know. Assistant managers and the like also attend the school."
Tsumiki, as an assistant manager?
"I'm not saying that she should be an assistant manager," Kiyohira-sensei clarifies upon her silence. "But the school does accept those who aren't interested in combat roles, and teach them about curses all the same."
"Tsumiki doesn't have to attend the jujutsu school to learn what she needs to."
"She doesn't," Kiyohira-sensei acknowledges. "But it's an option nonetheless. Enrolling in the Tokyo school will ensure that no one will be able to try any funny tricks as long as she remains on school grounds. True, this will undoubtedly thrust her into the spotlight, but in another sense… it's also another layer of protection."
"I see what you're saying." It's a lot harder to mysteriously curse a student of one of the jujutsu schools than a nameless civilian. But, "I don't know if the attention would be a good thing for Tsumiki."
Kiyohira-sensei lets out a gusty exhale, "I know. From being a non-sorcerer to suddenly having enough cursed energy to qualify as a Window, and being clear-sighted… it's something that a lot of people will be very interested in."
"So enrolling in the jujutsu school wouldn't necessarily be good for Tsumiki, if the consequences outweigh the benefits." The last thing that Tsumiki needs is to be scrutinized and picked apart like an interesting specimen by the sorcery clans. And they would be interested –there's no way that they wouldn't be.
A common problem that all sorcery clans struggle with is the inheritance of cursed techniques. Of talent for sorcery. If it became public knowledge that Tsumiki, a former non-sorcerer civilian, suddenly met the baseline requirements for becoming a sorcerer…
It wasn't the sort of danger that she needed to be exposed to. Especially since it was currently entirely possible for her to be properly taught what she needed to know without announcing her change in status to the jujutsu world at large.
"We won't be able to hide Tsumiki forever, though. Particularly if this is, indeed, a permanent change that she'll be living with for the rest of her life." A brief pause, as Kiyohira-sensei takes a sip of his own tea. "Better to unveil the information on our own terms, rather than risk someone else revealing it at an inopportune moment."
Her teacher has a point.
"… It's something that we should ask Tsumiki about as well," Shiki sets down her tea cup. Putting aside the question of whether or not attending the jujutsu school would be good for her… would Tsumiki even want to attend the jujutsu school? As far as Shiki knew, Tsumiki seemed perfectly happy to attend a normal school and lead a normal life with other non-sorcerers.
"I suppose that's true. This isn't the kind of decision to make lightly, anyways," Kiyohira-sensei hums, contemplative. "Attending the jujutsu school also means being cut off from a good number of her peers. The lack of social connections would also be something to consider here."
Shiki hadn't even considered that to be a problem.
Which… might be due to her own schooling experience. A very solitary one, up until her enrollment in the Tokyo school.
And even then, there was still a certain degree of isolation. Neither of her classmates were at the same level of progress as her in their studies. Understandably so, considering that neither Kinji nor Kirara had been trained to become sorcerers since childhood. But the fact remained that even though they were peers, they weren't exactly on equal footing with each other.
It's not something that Shiki considers to be a problem. But, would it be something that Tsumiki might be sensitive about?
Kiyohira-sensei shakes his head roughly. "I'm going to set that aside for now. Whether or not it's best for Tsumiki… I suppose we'll have to see. You'll keep an eye on her, won't you?"
"Of course."
Kiyohira-sensei nods, and downs the last of his tea in a single gulp. "Moving onto other matters, though… about the curse users that you brought back with you. There have been a few developments on that front in your absence."
Curse users?
… Ah. Kiyohira-sensei is talking about her visit to him back in the clan compound, before she ended up leaving for India. Ogami, and the Kobayashi brothers.
"What about them?" she asks.
"Ogami Shiho is currently being held as a prisoner in one of the clan's cells. Investigation into who hired her to kill Kon Shiu is still underway," Kiyohira-sensei informs her. "But aside from that… several of the elders think that her cursed technique would be useful. There's talk of having her make up for her crimes by swearing oaths of loyalty to the Gojo Clan."
The Seance Technique is a useful one, certainly. Even setting aside how Ogami had summoned the Sorcerer Killer to fight for her, there are still numerous other ways for the technique to be utilized even outside of combat. Shiki isn't entirely surprised that there are elders who are interested in acquiring Ogami's services for the clan. And given that Ogami was currently a captive of the Gojo Clan, her options would be extremely limited –assuming that the old woman still wanted to live.
"The elders will have to be careful about it if they want to use her." Shiki might've been able to defeat the Sorcerer Killer that Ogami had summoned, but it had been a struggle even for her. The vast majority of other sorcerers would probably find it a steep, steep hurdle to overcome. The Gojo Clan would have to be very thorough with their containment methods if they wanted to make use of the curse user as they so desired.
"That goes without saying," Kiyohira-sensei sighs. "On the other hand, the clan isn't as interested in the Kobayashi brothers. Do you intend to keep them around?"
Shiki shrugs. She doesn't particularly care one way or another. Considering that the two brothers might still be wary of running afoul of Geto-san's cult, though, they might prefer to stay somewhere that is protected from the potential ire of a Special Grade curse user.
"… I see." Kiyohira-sensei falls silent for a moment. "If they're staying, then they can't keep their status as curse users."
Because no respectable sorcery clan can openly associate themselves with curse users, the criminals of their society. And Shiki is a daughter of the Gojo Clan, one with many eyes on her. It's one thing to privately contract a curse user for a particular task, but another thing entirely if it turns into something long-term.
"That would be something to discuss with the Kobayashi brothers, if they decide to stay." On the chance that the brothers wished to leave and return to their previous life, there was no point in doing anything about their status as curse users.
Kiyohira-sensei nods, "I'll delegate that to Botan to take care of. If things are left as is any longer, I suspect Gojo Morihiko might try to purposely make an issue of this in order to force the Shunryu situation."
"The Shunryu situation?"
It takes Shiki a moment to recall that Kiyohira-sensei had previously mentioned something about an ongoing… disagreement of sorts, between the Tobiume and Shunryu branch families. He hadn't managed to get very far into his explanation before Choki came bearing news that Geto Suguru had been sighted in India, though.
"I've mentioned it before, haven't I? A good number of the Shunryu branch have… migrated over to the Tobiume part of the compound," Kiyohira-sensei twitches. "Gojo Morihiko, as the Shunryu head, is the one who's most upset over the entire thing. But the longer that this drags on… well, let's just say that he's not the only one who's getting anxious about the situation."
Shiki tilts her head. Are there other branch families who are starting to become concerned about this, too?
"The Shunryu head is demanding a meeting. Since you'll be staying put for a while instead of running all over the world, I would recommend dealing with that before things start getting out of control," her teacher advises. The scowl on his face that accompanies these words, however, indicates he's just about as enthusiastic about this upcoming meeting as Shiki is.
"I suppose there's no avoiding it," she sighs. It's always one thing after another, isn't it. Even though Shiki is no longer preoccupied with searching for Geto-san, it seems that she's still going to be kept busy. "So why did so many people from the Shunryu move in with the Tobiume, anyways?"
"About that…"
.
.
…
.