Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume4 Chapter 1 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

"Ugh, why are you always like that?"

"Don't say vague words such as ''like that''. Was there a problem?"

"A big one, you baka! You're always, always forcing everything on me! To think that just by standing there you get paid, don't you think of apologizing to the diligent working people?"

"Not at all."

"You low-life scoundreeeeeell!"

The girl's angry roar, rumbled in a big way.

It happened during the evening, in front of the Shinjuku Station. The lovely girl's scream, became the focal point for the people passing through.

"Ah."

Belatedly realizing she became the target of attention, the girl's face became colored with shame.

"You're the center of attention."

The man who seemed to accompany her, nonchalantly informed her. For a second time the girl frowned but being careful of the surroundings this time, she said in a whisper.

"Who- whose fault is it?"

"It's yours, yours, yours. Don't shift the responsibility."

"Uuu.......a- anyway, we're changing the place."

The girl took the man's hand and left that place behind as if running.

Without being particularly unusual, a commonplace act found anywhere.

But this was the beginning of everything.




"Go- good grief......I was so embarrassed."

While out of breath because of the powerful sprint, the girl glared at the man standing next to her.

The man, while running the same distance at the same speed, with no indication of heavy breath, he replied calmly.

"I already told you it was your fault. Don't complain to me."

"A- aren't you in the wrong for not working seriously?"

In short, it was like that.

The girl's name was Kannagi Ayano. The man's name was Yagami Kazuma.

Their occupation is to exorcise evil and protect the world from harm.

As the man's motto was ''earn money with ease'', for people that possess first class battle abilities like Ayano, whom he met during work, he doesn't hesitate to bear the stigma of a salary thief.

That's what happened this time. Without literally raising a finger Kazuma watched over Ayano like a sightseer frivolously ridiculing the seriously fighting Ayano.

Being too serious and having pride towards herself as a practitioner, Ayano couldn't forgive Kazuma's attitude.

"J- just stop it already you low-life scoundrel!!!"

Which means her anger exploded in the already familiar way.

What happened until now can be called an ordinary scene. But -

"That's no good, making your woman work while you have it easy, such a windward man is no good."

"Eh?"

Called out from an unexpected direction, Ayano frowned with a twitch. Turning her face around, a strange man before his twenties, with a sloppy smile, approached grinning.

"Forget about that useless man and come with me. I'll make you happy."

''.....What, a flirt.....''

Ayano instantly lost her interest for the man. Ignoring him, she turned to where Kazuma was. But - no one was there.

Watching around even more, the ''useless man'' was putting a coin into a vending machine.

"Hey.", said Ayano in a crushed to death tone. 

But even so, without changing his facial expression Kazuma took a sip of the Oolong tea, enjoyed the cold liquid reaching his neck, sampled its flavor in full and finally answered.

"......What?"

"It's not ''.......what?'' is it!? Why, when I'm being involved with a left-over inferior man, are you ignoring it without taking any sort of position!?"

"Don't say that. The job is already finished, so I don't think I have any obligation to protect you."

In spite of absolutely not protecting her during the job, Kazuma said so, shamelessly.

Of course, Ayano can't be deceived with those words.

"This has nothing to do with work. Every man had the duty to protect the girl he's with at the same time!"

"I think that sort of sexual discrimination has no logic. To begin with, one or two dozen of skirt-chasers makes no difference for you right?"

"That's why I told you that's not it! With the technique of escorting a young woman - any man of caliber should care about that!"

"That caliber should be fine even without asking."

While arguing noisily both of them naturally took their leave.

The skirt chaser saw them off dumbfounded, but after finally noticing something he shouted with grim eyes.

"W- wait you!!"

".........."

".........."

Stopping at the same time, both turned around with bored expressions.

"Why couldn't he watch us off quietly?"

"He's really an idiot that can't read the atmosphere."

"You....you!!"

Completely made fun of, the man's face flushed bright red. Of course, not being ashamed because he doesn't know his standing.

Gripping his fists, the man drew closer with a rough gait. No matter how you look at it, he wasn't in the disposition to flirt with Ayano anymore.

"Really......"

Letting out a bothersome sigh, Kazuma took a step forward. It seems he intended to become the man's opponent but from that figure, standing there with one Oolong tea can in his hand, no tension can be felt.

"You should pick your partner a little better. It's impossible to get this woman through flirting you know?"

".........What does that mean?"

At his tone that was definitely not praising her, while her temples were twitching, Ayano pressed a question.

Kazuma answered with nonchalantly.

"It means that your behavior is firm, that you're a very level-headed Ojou-sama."

"............."

With a pure white look, Ayano stared at Kazuma very long.

"Say that again while looking into my eyes."

"Sorry, that's impossible."

An immediate reply. Furthermore, he adverted his eyes making an unnatural face.

''"Kazuma?"''

With a sweet smile but while her temple veins were pulsing Ayano grabbed Kazuma's collar.

She pulled Kazuma closer with a superhuman strength her slender arms didn't seem capable of and glared at him point blank, their faces very close.

No matter how those two think about it, that was from the start nothing more but a lover's quarrel.

What's more, they didn't even pay attention to the existence of the man drawing closer.

His very small pride stepped over, the skirt chaser's face was warped with anger.

"Yooooooooouuuuu!!"

Glaring at the two huddling closer preparing to kiss, the man struck.

But, just before the attack reached, Kazuma gently pushed Ayano aside and retreated himself, using that recoil.

The man's fist and then his body slipped through the space between those two. 

First his fist and then his upper body and then the lower half of his body went through.

Nonchalantly, with his foot left in place, Kazuma swiped the man's feet.

"Gee!?"

Unable to defend, the man lively fell down. And soundlessly meeting him half-way, using the pointed end of his tiptoe, Kazuma kicked the man's jaw.

" - gh!"

Raising a voiceless shriek, he fell flat, the white of his eyes showing. 

Without even making sure of the conclusion, Kazuma turned back to Ayano.

"Well, let's go."

"Yeah."

Heartless, the two started walking leaving the fainted man as it is. But, after advancing a few steps, Kazuma suddenly stopped.

"What happened?"

Without answering Ayano, Kazuma turned back unusually slow. Ayano too, followed his gaze, and looked at the same thing he was.

''" - Why?"''

Ayano inclined her head a little. There's no mistake about it, Kazuma's kick shot the lights out of the man's jaw.

That man's cranium and his brain were violently shaken inside and he wouldn't be conscious for at least an hour.

"Hmmm - "

Icily looking at the man that was recovering with an unusual speed, Kazuma pushed out his Oolong tea to Ayano.

"Hold it."

"Ah, yeah," nodding obediently Ayano took the can. 

Fleetingly looking at the can in her hand, for some reason her cheeks were dyed red.

"Y- You....u...."

Looking at Ayano, although staggering, the man got up. Admirably, his sturdiness is clearly exceeding his intellect.

"You made me so angry.......I won't go easy on you - I'll kill you!"

While spouting words with no ingenuity, the man was rapidly recovering. The unfocused pupil, was glaring at Kazuma now.

" - Raah!"

Raising a strange voice, the man started running towards Kazuma. He was fast.

The movement excluding any technique based only on force and the explosive power was closer to that of a beast.

Reaching top speed in just three steps, he brandished his hardened fists.

"Dieeee!"

The fist pushed out in a straight line. Kazuma handled that with a empty handed movement, parrying by rotating. Simultaneously seizing the opponent's arm, making sure to catch his fingertips, he lightly overturned the opponent's wrist.

Only by that movement, the man's body flew in mid-air. And then, with no sign of effort put into it, he was blown off with extreme force.

By seizing a linear motion thrust with a circular one is swallowed up and the center of gravity crumbles.

This is a technique that is called Aiki in Japan and China or Hapki in Korea.

By utilizing the opponent's power, a larger amount of power can be controlled with a smaller one - that is the advantage of this power but - 


<nowiki> - bekiii! -</nowiki> 

But even so, how much power did that man's attack have, to be flung away with enough force to break the roadside trees he crashed into.

Kazuma looked down in silence at the man that tumbled from the nearby crashed trees. There is no negligence in those eyes. It was an expression convinced that he will definitely get up.

"Heh......hehehehehehe.....there's no use......"

As he thought, the man showed no sign of damage. 

"On the me right now, human attacks don't work!"

While screaming the man took off his jumper. That body dressed in a T-shirt is skinny. But - 

"Koooo......"

Together with the exhalation, the thin body rapidly grew thicker. 

The over-sized T-shirt was pushed and stretched by the inflating body.

"Ooaaaa!!"

It was torn off when its limit crossed-over.

".....Is this what you call ''pump up''?" asked Ayano, lacking a sense of reality.

By repeating muscle contraction, by means of pumping large quantities of blood containing oxygen, the muscles will dramatically expand - there certainly is such a technique. But still - 

"Well - did the human muscle fiber extend this much?" Kazuma returned with a bitter smile.

Practically, when seeing this you have no choice but to laugh. The man's transformation reached the limit of metamorphosis.

The thickness of his arms, the width of his chest, all his muscles, without exaggerating, swelled up more than three times.

The body, neglected because of laziness, suddenly evolved to the utmost limits of a well trained bodybuilder.

"Ku ku ku ku ....."

Expressing a full smile, the man inserted power in his muscles. The body that increased its thickness to the limit became even wider.

"You'll die you know? There's no one who survived after seeing this body!"

".........."

With sober eyes Kazuma inspected the surroundings. It was obvious but they became the target of attention for many pedestrians crossing in front of the Shijuku station.

"This is a rough estimate but a hundred people are watching you. Do you intend to kill them all?"

"Shut- shut-up!"

Since his cool line was calmly retorted, the man shouted with a red face.

"Don't talk down on me! Let's go!!"
 
Together with his voice, the man's figure disappeared. That's what it must have looked like through the eyes of ordinary men. 

Much faster than the first charge, with a speed that obviously exceeds what a man can achieve, he dashed.

The fist pushed out a second time and Kazuma dealt with it using the same circular motion.

But, whether Aiki or Hapki, although it appears like a supernatural movement for the untrained eyes, the principle is still the same.

Even using the principle of leverage, if the opponent's power is bigger, there won't be any effect. 

The man's physical strength, drastically transcended the human limits. Although Kazuma had a far better posture, even using his whole energy, he couldn't change the thrust's trajectory.

As soon as he noticed that, he moved. Diagonally stepping ahead, he moved his body from the trajectory and going even further, he went around the man's back.

The powerful fist was dodged and his slovenly stance was destroyed, leaving his back defenseless. Placing his foot on the back of the knee, Kazuma stepped on it with all his strength.

With a crumbling sound, the knee's ligament broke. But still he mercilessly stepped on it, beating the man's knee to the ground. The white tiles spread on the ground broke at the same time with the kneecap.

"Hikyaaa!"

His knee completely destroyed, the man screamed with intense pain. Maybe because of the dull sound made by the knee, his upper body arched with force to watch for Kazuma behind him.

Using the foot he broke the knee with as a pivot, Kazuma raised his elbow overhead. 

The cranium that was approaching from the opposite side was attacked by Kazuma's elbow that seemed to bore a hole in it.

The <<Ki>> pumped into the cranium via that extremely violent power blow penetrated his brain and came out through the forehead.

The man's body convulsed, then fell down like a doll with broken strings and was silent. 

As expected, he didn't get up this time. 

"Many thanks."

"Ah, I pointlessly used my physical strength."

At Ayano's thankful words, Kazuma made a sluggish reply. 

Although it was minor, because he exercised he felt thirsty and extended his hand to Ayano.

"Oolong tea."

Kazuma carelessly stretched his hand but the next second he turned his entire body around. 

He noticed that Ayano's hand was empty.

"My Oolong tea?"

Cross-examined by Kazuma, Ayano's cheeks lightly colored and smiled while showing her tongue.

[[File:Kaze no Stigma vol 04 021.jpg|thumb|]]


"I drank it."

"Aah!?"

Extremely childish, Kazuma's eyes peeled openly angry.

"You, don't behave selfishly with the social standing of a rich woman! Return my Oolong tea!"

".....Still, don't you think that it's unsightly......" Ayano murmured, dejected by the excessive cheapness.

Rare nowadays, she was full of disappointment.

"Shut up. I can't stand when other people take my stuff."

"Well, leaving that aside...."

Considerably displeased, Ayano forcefully changed the topic. 

"What do we do with this?"

In front of her eyes, the fallen flirty man became a mere shadow of its former self. 

His flesh deflated and his body returned to the modest former self.

No, it didn't just return. Even after returning to the same shape, the muscles' atrophy didn't stop.

Thoroughly endless, as if air slipped out of it, the man's body shrunk until it turned into a creature of only skin and bone.

"Is this...the backlash of power? But he doesn't seem dead."

"Well then."

"Who on earth was this guy?"

Kazuma shrugs his shoulders but doesn't answer. Different from Ayano, tilting her head in wonder, he does not seem to have any sort of interest towards it.

Taking an attitude with no sense of responsibility, Ayano stares at Kazuma including blame.

"You'll just ignore it?"

"It doesn't concern me. Well, as for the obligation I have as a citizen, shall I inform the police?"

Taking out his cellphone, he pressed the buttons. But, contrary to his words he didn't press 119.

"Kirika? There is knocked down half naked suspicious person at the south entrance of Shinjuku. If you catch it, you may hear something interesting. Bye."

Without waiting for the other side to reply, he one-sidedly informed her about the business and closed the phone.

Ayano looked up at Kazuma with a stunned expression.

"How to say this, you can't be kind no matter the circumstance?"

She knew who he contacted. That's someone she definitely didn't like but she couldn't help but feel pity for Kirika.

But, Kazuma replied very naturally.

"It's fine because it's Kirika."

A casual tone full of trust. That careless contact, unkind but without omitting crucial steps, recognizing the signs of Kazuma's confidence in ''if it's Kirika, that's enough'', for some reason Ayano felt discomfort.

"Hmmm, is Tachibana such a capable police officer?"

''Not in other areas'' - without using words just by placing accent, Ayano spit out the thorny words.

Tachibana Kirika is the name of the person Kazuma called. Her rank is police superintendent. She serves as the Chief of the Special Investigation Unit, the institution dealing with expelling evil spirits.

It would be better not saying this but, as a matter of fact, this organization is made of only puny abilities.

Especially their battle capabilities were really meager. So after discovering the devilishness to be defeated, they leave the actual ''defeating'' to the big guns - the Kannagi Clan.

And so, the trust Kazuma was placing on Kirika seemed to be related to police business but -

"Aa, ahhh, Kirika is really capable ''even'' as a government worker."

It appears that Kazuma was trusting Kirika as a practitioner. Answering her question that was supposed to be mean earnestly made Ayano's face become even more grim.

"You meant very capable as a practitioner?"

"Yes, isn't she a top class Onmyoji?"

"But isn't that person from one of Tachibana's branch families?"

Even if it is an Onmyoji name, it belongs after all to one of the branch families. To say nothing of the do-nothing-job as a police chief.

In front of Ayano who was having such warped thoughts, Kazuma shamelessly praised another woman.

"Because she was more capable than the branch family, she was gotten rid of to Tokyo MPD's Special Investigation Unit as some sort of exile."

".............Really?"

"Especially for her, because she adopted fairly unprincipled different style techniques, they had various reasons for punishment. But, at the very least now there isn't a single person from the Tachibana more capable than her."

"Hmm, really?"

Seeming really displeased, Ayano made agreeable responses in short sentences with no intonation.

Incompletely understanding her obvious ''I'm angry'' attitude, Kazuma looked into Ayano's face.

"What happened?"

"Nothing!"

Shouting angrily, Ayano turned her face away. Watching her reaction, Kazuma's lips curved as if finally noticing something.

"What's up with you, don't tell you have a sense of rivalry towards Kirika?"

"I- it's not like that!"

That was an almost reflex answer but it was definitely not a lie. The one Ayano was fussing over was not Kirika.

''More than that woman, I was, by far...''

She looked up to Kazuma peevishly.

As for Ayano, she was conceited about the fact that Kazuma was her partner. More than Kirika, she was far more helpful. She fought for the sake of Kazuma.

''"It's fine because it's Ayano."''

He never told her such words, not even once.

He doesn't trust in her. Perhaps he doesn't even have confidence in her.

''Am I that useless?''

It seems she'll forever be nothing more but an unskilled half-share. Thinking like that, she becomes unbearably anxious.

Even so, this man never says what she wants to hear and only spouts worthless bullshit with a frivolous laugh.

"It's fine. In other areas it's out of the question but as a practitioner you won't loose. When exchanging blows you're absolutely stronger." - Like that. 

At the expressively well timed reply, Ayano is helplessly enraged.

"That's not a follow-up! You baka! Just die!"

Kazuma stares at Ayano's fit of anger really, really happy.

Since before the trust comment, for the sake of enjoying himself with Ayano's reactions, Kazuma takes careful aim with his words and before she will realize it, many of these incidents will happen.