Editing City Series:Volume4b Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 3===

'''4:12 PM

By the time the afternoon north wind began to wash across the Koto region’s fields, Koto Chancellor Yuuki Yuuki had just finished climbing the stairs to the Nandaimon Shrine.

She looked around with Housei in her right hand and a small paper bag in her left.

“…”

In the setting sun, the leaves of the shrine’s pine trees rustled coolly in the wind and some of the weak brown leaves fell to the ground.

With the green breath of life gone, the dried leaves were only trash.

Cleaning the shrine of such filth was Senga’s job.

But Senga was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

Instead, someone else stood in the shrine.

It was an elderly man in a suit.

He slowly walked toward Yuuki from the house behind the sanctuary.

He approached with the sound of gravel underfoot.

–''Yuuki – Person Tech – Take – Identify Person – Hit.

“Houzenji Head Butler Iwai Sanzou…”

The man stopped when Yuuki spoke that name.

They were ten meters apart.

They faced each other with too much room between them to attack in a single beat.

–''Yuuki – Mind Tech – Take – Decode Expression – Hit.

Her Tech succeeded, but she still could not read his expression.

Iwai’s gentle smile was so tense that not even Yuuki’s Tech could read through it.

With his many years of experience, he did not even need to focus to guard against that sort of search.

It was an expressionless-looking smile and it moved only slightly as he spoke.

“Oh, if it isn’t the Koto Guardian. It has been far too long. Three years, is it?”

“Not since the ceremony giving me the title of guardian. …Why are you here today?”

“To discuss old times.”

His casual answer put a derisive smile on Yuuki’s face.

“Are you sure you didn’t come with some treats as you gave a report on last night’s incident?”

“Well, I did bring some treats. But…”

Iwai Sanzou made a show of tilting his head.

“What is this incident you speak of?”

“…I see. So that’s how it’s going to be.”

“Is something the matter?”

“You’re the head butler now, but it seems you have just as much influence as 13 years ago.” Yuuki aimed Housei toward Iwai. “You aren’t planning to use your corporate power to intervene and take control of everything like you did during the Kinki Riot, are you?”

“You seem quite mistaken. I am no more than a loyal servant of the Houzenji family.”

“Did it slip your mind that you used to be the commander of the Houzenji Group’s special forces?”

“…”

“You and my grandmother are probably the only adults who were involved in the Kinki Riot to the end and know everything that happened.”

“Are you all that different, Koto Guardian? You too know the secret of the Rhythms and Techs.” He took a breath. “I heard from Senga-sama why you are a Killing Holder. …And if you know why Rhythms and Techs exist in this world, then I suppose that works.”

“You talk too much.”

Just as Yuuki said that, Senga’s voice cut in.

“Stop it, Yuuki.”

Senga stood in front of the house’s sliding door in her usual white shirt.

She grabbed the broom leaning against the wall and walked toward the other two.

The gravel crunched under her feet as she did so.

“That man and his corporation are no fools. They will not do the same thing they did during the Kinki Riot.”

“…Really?”

“Besides, Yuuki, think about it. It is because Houzenji covered up last night’s incident that you can remain the only Killing Holder.”

If word of Takada’s death got out, Nakamura would also be given that name.

It was a side effect of the press restrictions that that had not happened.

“For the time being, their corporate group is not your enemy. Please make no mistake here.”

Iwai slowly walked forward, as if encouraged by Senga’s worried-sounding words.

He made a wide circle around Yuuki to keep his distance while also lining up next to her.

Senga stopped in the same position he had been in.

“You should leave, Iwai. You have a lot of preparations to make, don’t you?”

“Yes, I must prepare to protect Osaka.”

The elderly man bent his straight back in a bow.

“I will be going then,” he said as he turned his back.

And he began to walk.

Yuuki stared at his back.

–''Yuuki – Mind Tech – Take – Emit Killer Intent – Hit.

Pure tension came from Yuuki’s biological left eye.

The wind blew and the pine leaves rustled or fell.

But Iwai Sanzou did not look back.

His pace did not falter as he descended the stairs and disappeared from view.

Her killer intent had to have reached him, but he had ignored it.

“…”

Yuuki frowned and looked away before looking to Senga who was smiling bitterly a short distance away.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s no use, Yuuki. Honestly… He and I are very different from the people we were in the old stories I tell.”

“Isn’t he the one who cornered Kuki Udai and Nakamura Midori when you tried to protect them? Have you forgotten your grudge over that interference?”

“What good is causing more deaths?” muttered Senga as she approached Yuuki. “You know why I set aside the spear, don’t you? He is the same.”

Yuuki said nothing.

She held her tongue and hid her expression, so Senga sighed.

“You really are serious when it comes to yourself.”

Then Senga’s eyebrows moved.

Her eyes turned toward Yuuki’s left side.

Yuuki held a small paper bag there.

“What is that?” asked Senga. “Ingredients for dinner?”

“No.”

“Stationery.”

“No.”

“Medicine?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“Something I will need once I leave my past.”

“Eh?”

Yuuki responded to that confused syllable.

“It’s something I will need to ensure I don’t give up.”

She held the paper bag in her arms, and…

–''Yuuki – Hear Tech – Auto-Take – Listen – Hit.

She heard a quiet, barely-audible sound behind her.

She turned around in surprise at the small presence she had failed to notice until now.

–''Yuuki – Sight Tech – Take – Spot – Hit.

Something strange grew up from the tall grass that separated the hill’s slope from the shrine grounds.

It looked like a light brown calligraphy brush with a white tip.

It was an animal tail.

“…?”

When Yuuki took a step back and readied Housei, it half-frantically ran out from the grass.

The 15 cm creature looked something like a fox and something like a mouse.

It stood on its hind legs and shook its long tail as it looked up at Yuuki.

“Oh…” Senga opened her narrow eyes. “How unusual. That’s a Dog God.”

“A Dog God?”

“They are a relatively docile type of spiritual beast. …I wonder why it’s here.”

“Maybe it was drawn here by something in the sanctuary.”

“No, I wouldn’t think so. Dog Gods are known for holding an interest in people.”

“Hm.”

Yuuki nodded and took a step forward to approach the Dog God.

The Dog God jumped back the exact distance of her step forward.

With a rustling from the grass, she saw just its tail sticking up again.

Yuuki looked to Senga.

Senga looked to Yuuki.

They both looked back to the tail in the grass once more.

The tail did not flee.

“…?”

Yuuki took a step back.

Again, the Dog God ran forward to fill exactly the distance of her step.

The small animal looked up at Yuuki from a distance of approximately five meters.

Yuuki looked at the Dog God.

The human and animal motionlessly waited for the other to do something.

Senga smiled bitterly as she watched.

“Reminds me a lot of Shoui and you right now.”

“Hizaka Shoui…”

Emotion briefly filled her eyes as she muttered that name.

She looked at the Dog God with slight surprise in her eyes.

“Come to think of it, Hizaka Shoui had an animal like this with him yesterday…”

“Oh? Perhaps it came to visit you.”

“I seriously doubt it.”

Yuuki looked away from the Dog God, but she sounded more intrigued by the idea than the words themselves let on.

She began walking toward the house.

Senga quickly called out to her.

“Yuuki, what about the animal?”

“You said they’re docile, right? Then it doesn’t matter.”

She listened to the quiet footsteps following her.

It stepped much more lightly on the gravel than a human.

These were the footsteps of a Dog God that may have been accompanying Hizaka Shoui.

“…”

Yuuki embraced the paper bag as she walked.

The wind blew and her hair fluttered.

That wind gave a chill to the growing colors of evening.