Kaze no Stigma:Volume3 Chapter 6

Confession underneath the moonlight

Part 1

"......oh"

Suddenly Kureha looked up at the sky. Before her eyes there was nothing but interminable rough stone. But, seeing something there, her lips raised faintly and she murmured slowly.

"He was unexpectedly fragile. I wanted him to at least deal with that child called Ren."

Advancing at most ten steps, Ren looked over his shoulder. With an awkward face he wanted to ask those two behind him a question.

".........................so where are we supposed to go?"

"...supposed to?"

Without giving it any thought Ayano discarded Kazuma's question.

Together with a heavy sigh Kazuma asked them.

"...........you two, what the heck you came here for?"

"Well you see, we came here on the spur of the moment. We didn't have time to investigate."

"That's no reason, stupid", Kazuma said in a cold manner.

And then he started to walk in front.

"Do you know where to?"

"More or less"

Last night he confirmed Ayumi's silhouette. It wasn't difficult to follow that presence.

After walking a few minutes, guided by the voice of the wind, the trio came to the deepest part of the mansion, in font of the cave shrine.

"Welcome to our family's greatest sanctuary."

A soft alto welcomed them. A single beautiful woman, who could only be called bewitching, stood there and behind here five subordinate Chijutsushi.

"Hi. Thanks for yesterday."

Kazuma greeted her in a relaxed manner and returned the Chijutsushi's gaze, full of hatred.

But to the last Kureha was full of courtesy - or maybe rudely courteous - when asking about their business.

"Can I ask you what business do you have here?"

"So she said"

Kazuma looked at Ren. Ren took a step forward, faced the group of Chijutsushi and boldly declared.

"I came to save Ayumi-chan"

"....and instead of her to let Mayumi become a sacrifice?"

"No. We won't allow the ceremony to happen. The three of us will defeat the demon beast sleeping inside Mt. Fuji"

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

As expected that was surprising enough for Kureha's eyes to become round. But she straightened her attitude in a second and admonished Ren like an adult would a helpless child.

"Boy - you would be better learning how to look at reality more closely."

"I am looking. At the very least more than you", retorted Ren with no hesitation.

"Letting the sacrificing continue for three hundred years and labeling it as <It can't be helped> it seems much more strange to me.I won't let you do it any further. I won't allow it! Absolutely!"

Pressed down by Ren's vigor and strong declaration, the Chijutsushi backed off. But, Kureha - the one that didn't move an inch from that place looked down on the boy and fearlessly laughed.

"I see - that's like saying there's no more room for discussion - well then - let's start shall we?"

As if encouraged by Kureha's composure, the Chijutsushi started to prepare or battle. In response to it, so did Kazuma's side.

Unsheathing Enraiha, Ayano shouted:

"Ren, ignore the small fry! Match me!"

"Yes!"

Ayano and Ren let out fireballs simultaneously aiming at Kureha. Even though it was far inferior to their real power, the people who could oppose it were a very select category.

But even when faced with such a calorific value, Kureha didn't loose her smile.

"Fu fu........"

Without moving even a finger, it was clear she didn't use her power. But, the fireballs aiming at her described an arc, as if avoiding her and parted left and right. shrinking as if crushed, they split open.

"Wha.....?"

Kureha started taunting Ayano in mute amazement.

"Is this the famous Kannagi flame from the stories? How very lukewarm huh?"

A cold sweat followed the muscles along the spine. it was entirely impossible to tell what happened. She had no counter-plan for it. She could elevate the calorific value further but will that work?

"I saw it yesterday too - you have a very curious technique. You, are you really a Chijutsushi?"

From Ayano's back, feeling disturbed, a voice that kept it's cool reached. Always calm and steady in all respects, a low voice that she grew accustomed to hear.

"Kazuma!? What did just happened?"

Casually controlling Ayano's question, Kazuma started walking.

"That ability, did you receive it together with your power?"

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

Easily divulging her most important secret, for one moment, Kureha opened her eyes wide. But she immediately regained her composure and expressed a suspicious and somewhat transcendental smile.

"True, if you saw Yuuji's shape, it's no wonder you saw through me. But that was wrong. Because I was born with it, you see"

Stopping without changing her posture, Kureha talked indifferently.

"Without being able to manipulate even a grain of sand, the one who can't hear the voice of spirits, I can on the contrary use this. A unique power. Because of it, Father hated me very much. All the more because it was so strong."

"Even when that strong, did you desire even more power?"

"For someone who plans on becoming a sorcerer, don't you think that's a natural desire?"

"...........I think that depends on the power."

Ayano was unable to follow those two's indifferent exchange. She couldn't understand the omitted parts from their own self-evident truth.

"Hey!"

Finally loosing her patience Ayano pulled the hem of Kazuma's jacket.

"Explain. What is Kureha's power?"

Requesting it in a tentatively small voice, in her own way she tried to pay attention not to spoil the mood. But it wasn't effective.

Kazuma had a truthfully annoyed face, that only changed when seeing Ren's expression, standing next to Ayano, asking the same question.

"It's the control of gravity."

".........the control.........of gravity........", Ayano repeated once more, amazed.

It's not like she didn't understand the meaning of the words. But -

"Why is a Chijutsushi able to do that?"

The phenomena caused by the Spirit Magic were exceedingly pragmatic. For a Enjuthushi flame, for a Chijutsushi soil and stone - they are able to manipulate such things.

Surely, if one presumed gravity was an adaptation of the four elements, it would be a symbol of the <Earth> attribute but the Spirit magic doesn't handle such general concept like symbols.

While it may be true that the flame is the symbol of destruction and regeneration, a Enjutsushi that is able to manifest a <Healing Flame> has yet to appear.

Although it wasn't unreasonable for Ayano to be surprised, Kazuma completely discarded such considerations.

"it can't be helped it you thought so before this. But accept the reality in front of you."

"Well, you could say that..........", Ayano mumbled insecure.

Being the opponent of gravity, an invisible power, she didn't have the slightest idea on how to fight it.

"You must start by recognizing the distortions in space. Don't see it with your eyes and don't think about it. Just feel it."

"Don't say such even-before-the-first-generation-of-battle-manga lines..............."

Ayano was sulking but Kazuma didn't really pay attention to her. Shifting his focus on Kureha, he said:

"We don't have time to carefully work over the battle plan, you know right? Because the other side is trying to waste time."

Ayano too observed Kureha. In all this time they were conversing, no matter how much opportunities she had for attacking she didn't and only stood in front of the shrine. As if she doesn't proactively wants to fight.

Is she buying time? For the Tsuwabuki people to do st, there can only be one reason.

"Then, the ceremony is already.........."

"Correct, it's about time for it to begin."

"Is- isn't this really bad? I need to hurry!", Ren shouted, completely changing his facial expression.

Lightly knocking his head to calm down, Kazuma laughed.

"That's true. You must hurry. That's why, a little unreasonableness can't be helped, right?"

Faced with Kazuma's smile, that no matter how you look at it was scheming, Ren unintentionally backed off. Unwilling to break his commitment, he chose some prudent words.

"Killing it's absolutely no good."

No one will become a sacrifice - if he couldn't keep that promise, saving Ayumi will have lost its meaning. It's not a question of finishing it with <it can't be helped>.

"That's fine, the one to experience hardships it's only you."

"Ehh.........me?"

Without answering back, Kazuma lifted Ren by grabbing him by the collar. He held him aloft with all his power.

"Ni- Nii-sama!?"

"Gooooooooooooo!!"

He threw him violently. The small body wrapped in wind, instantly reached a speed of two hundred kilometers and before any of the Chijutsushi had time to react, reached the small shrine and disappeared inside the cave.

"Uuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

From inside the cave, the boy's shrieks, reverberating over and over could be heard.

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

Friend or foe regardless, they all stared dumbfounded at the interior of the shrine and only Kazuma threw his chest out with pride.

"Excellent, it turned out well"

"Wait a secooooooond!", shouted Ayano after coming to her senses.

"What is it?"

"Don't you <What is it?> me!! Why are you being so reckless!?"

As Ayano's hands grabbed him by the collar and shook him with an almost magical skill, Kazuma laughed with an endlessly superficial smile.

"Ah! Isn't it fine? I made sure to harden the defenses"

"Even so, with that unreasonable speed!?"

"It can't be helped right? If he was any slower, he might have been shot down. I'm telling you not to worry, he may feel faint but I made it so he won't get hurt."

"........really? In that case it's fine.........."

But if Ren were to hear those words, no matter how gentle a child he is, he would have complained in a big voice.

"Where is the part I may feel fainttttttttttt...................?"