FIFTH STREET SHOPPING
NANOKA KIBA
I'm going now, Uozumi.
Please let the school know that I'll be absent.
FUNA UOZUMI
Yes, Miss Nanoka. Please take care.
Nanoka.
I have to tell Mao that I encountered the Byoki.
BYOKI
Mao!
KAMON
I'm still sleepy...
Hyakka... Tea.
Right away.
What?! Kamon?!
Nanoka... Why are you here so early in the morning?
MAO
Wait, what's he doing here?
Oh right... When we met him last time...
For the wounded animal ayakashi.
He apparently mixed a tracking scent
into the medicine he gave us.
But it worked well on her wounds, didn't it?
Oh, I didn't use it on Tenko.
I can prepare medicines myself.
What?
You didn't trust me?
And here, I trusted you and slept like a baby all night.
I see. In that case...
BENIKO
Can you ask your guardian shikigami to stand down?
Your tea.
Don't worry, I didn't poison it.
I'll be fine. I have an antidote with me.
W-What is it with these people?
They don't trust each other at all?
So, Kamon...
I heard you were in Kyoto.
Yeah.
I was making my rounds with the wealthy families there too.
That's where I started hearing the rumors.
About an onmyoji who could prolong people's lives.
That person was using the name of the Goko Clan,
and running a scam by using fake life-extension spells.
Master Mao...
Please teach me...
The secret spell of Taizanfukun...
Was that person a Water sorcerer?
Yes...
The killing...
isn't over yet!
I wasn't expecting it to be Shiranui.
- Shiranui?! - Shiranui?!
Surprising, right?
Yes.
Shiranui was...
how should I put it, among the Water sorcerers...
You have no talent!
Just quit!
Forgive me, Master!
SHIRANUI
He was always getting scolded by the Master.
Since I often accompanied Master,
I saw it happen many times.
But if Shiranui is still alive, then...
that means he was summoned to the Goshikido
MASAGO
instead of Masago, who was the better sorcerer.
That's exactly it...
After all, the Goshikido was designed so that
each person entered alone through one of five separate entrances,
without ever seeing the others.
It was set up so that no one knew who else was summoned.
MASTER OF THE GOKO CLAN
Of the five summoned here,
whoever survives in the end
shall be the true successor.
In other words,
if anyone found out you'd been summoned to the Goshikido,
the other four might try to curse you to death.
That's why everyone was acting as if nothing had happened.
Even so, around that time,
people in the compound began dying under mysterious circumstances.
In every case, they were senior apprentices
regarded as the most skilled practitioners
of one of the Five Elements.
That's right.
Several deaths did occur in quick succession.
The only person everyone was allowed to openly curse...
was Mao, the sacrifice.
Beyond that, no one knew who their enemies were.
I suppose they ended up being cursed to death by mistake.
OTOYA
What the heck? That's terrifying.
It's always like this.
I came to tell him about the Byoki,
but there's always some crazy drama going on over here,
so I can never tell him important stuff.
One thing is certain...
Shiranui is trying to acquire the secret technique of Taizanfukun...
in order to become the true successor of the Goko Clan.
Yeah, that guy is pure evil.
So, why doesn't he come after us himself?
Maybe he's busy running his life-extension scam back home...
Seriously? That's the reason?
But, his legs...
I injured them,
but he acted like he didn't feel a thing.
His legs...
I think I've got the gist of it.
Until next time, Mao.
Next time?
I'm leaving, too.
Okay.
That brought back a lot of memories I'd rather forget...
Neither Hyakka nor Kamon seems eager to continue the killing...
But Shiranui alone...
still intends to carry on the fight to the death.
Uh...
Can we talk now?
Is there something you want to tell me?
Well, the Byoki found me on the other side.
You should've told me sooner!
But the three of you were having an important discussion.
Nanoka...
So, did it do anything to you?!
It chased after me...
And then, the Byoki said...
You can still turn back now.
If you continue to give yourself to Mao,
you will...
What do you think it meant?
The Byoki knows that
Nanoka's blood sustained my life?!
Nanoka fainted after giving me her blood,
and I regained my strength.
Does that mean...
I shortened Nanoka's life?!
So, it was talking about my blood, after all...
Yes.
In that moment,
it felt like I was being sucked in...
or maybe like something was being drained out of me.
Since then,
I've been feeling unbelievably well.
So? Is that a bad thing?
Aren't you afraid...
that I might be draining your strength?
Not really.
If it helped you get better, then isn't that enough?
Why did the Byoki appear before Nanoka just to warn her?
Because it doesn't want Mao to stay alive, right?
As long as Mao is alive,
the Byoki can't reclaim its body.
That's why if you get hurt again,
I'm going to give you my blood.
Nanoka!
You shouldn't say something like that so lightly.
Huh?! I wasn't expecting that.
I mean, it works out for you, doesn't it?
The kodoku pot got destroyed, you know.
Even so,
you have to take better care of your own body.
What?!
After the way you've been treating me this whole time?
I don't know what you mean.
You really have no idea, do you?
About what?
Never mind.
I have a letter from Uozumi,
the shikigami you sent to the other side.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Otoya, bring me a sake cup.
Yes, Master Mao.
Here you go.
Drink this, Nanoka.
What is this?
It's water with a protective talisman dissolved into it.
With this, the Byoki won't be able to lay a hand on you.
Oh...?
Give these to Funa.
Funa?
It's the shikigami's first name.
Oh...
FUNA UOZUMI
that fits her perfectly.
They're protective talismans and cursed tools for her to protect you with.
Okay, I'm going back now.
Be careful, Miss Nanoka.
I realize the Byoki is after me, but...
You have to take better care of your own body.
He said that because he's worried about me, right?
Is it my imagination?
He definitely seems nicer to me than he was before.
I'm home!
Welcome back, Nanoka.
Grandpa?
NANOKA'S GRANDPA
Byoki!
Grandpa... Get away!
Uozumi!
She... can't move?!
It appears Mao had you swallow a protective talisman.
But you should know, Nanoka...
I never had any intention of harming you.
What...?
Tell Mao...
Eventually, he will need me.
If he wishes to know the truth...
The truth?
What's that supposed to mean?
The truth about Mao's past from 900 years ago?
I may have killed the Master's daughter...
I may have killed Lady Sana.
Nanoka...
If you wish to see me...
call my name at any time.
It's gone.
What's the matter, Nanoka?
Are you alright, Grandpa?
Hmm?
There was a cat...
Oh...
This is unacceptable.
I can't believe it got into our house!
Uozumi.
Uozumi hates cats, you know.
Eventually, he will need me.
If you wish to see me...
call my name at any time.
Like I'd ever do that!
But still, what does the Byoki want?
MILK HALL
Welcome.
Hi , Dr. Mao...
TENKO
forgive me for calling you.
Not at all. Ever since the big earthquake,
I was wondering how you were faring here at Milk Hall.
This is Dr. Shibasato.
He's a well-respected doctor.
I'm actually retired.
Because I injured my hand in the earthquake.
Before that,
I was the personal physician
to the sickly son of an aristocratic family.
But I haven't seen the family after the earthquake.
Just recently, though,
I received a telephone call from the son.
Doctor...
Young Master...
Is this Master Yoshifusa?
Help me... please...
So I paid a visit to the estate.
But...
At the door...
I was met by a family I had never seen before.
They politely asked me to leave.
However...
For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of Master Yoshifusa
peering from the window.
I can't help but wonder...
what in the world is going on at that estate?
What became of the former owners of the estate?
While away from home,
they were caught in the fires following the earthquake
and went missing, according to rumors.
Their home has been taken over?
YOSHIFUSA
I'm terrified...
Who...
YURAKO
the hell...
are those people?
Huh!?
Hey! Hey!
Hey, are you alright?
KITAMI SHIBASATO
He said that
he walked all the way, just to see me.
Master Yoshifusa...
has always been frail.
Oh my...
Dr. Shibasato, are you saying that
Master Yoshifusa escaped from the estate to see you?
Well, that's what I thought at first,
but apparently that wasn't the case.
How so?
Right after Master Yoshifusa was carried inside,
a female relative came to visit.
The home being taken over by complete strangers?
Oh dear, is that what Master Yoshifusa told you?
According to this relative,
the master and mistress of the estate
had indeed died in the fires following the great earthquake.
And to support the sickly Master Yoshifusa,
relatives of the late master had moved into the household.
He has met them many times since he was young,
but he became absolutely terrified of them.
Master Yoshifusa has always been emotionally unstable.
Yes... he was always that way...
Therefore, as a small token of our appreciation...
I was handed a large sum of money, and asked
if I could look after Master Yoshifusa at my home for a while.
Although I retired from practice,
I was concerned for Master Yoshifusa.
Oh... is that what happened?
I have to admit, that was a bit anticlimactic.
Yeah...
If Dr. Shibasato is satisfied with the explanation...
that's fine.
If there's no supernatural cause,
there's nothing I can do.
Mao!
Oh dear! I didn't expect to see him so soon!
It's still too early for us to meet.
And yet...
I'm so glad I came to the Imperial Capital.
What's up, Nanoka?
You came back again?
Hey, that's my line.
I'm beginning to worry that Master Hyakka
might move in with us.
As if!
I just came by to take a break.
Why did you have to kill Lady Sana, too?
That's the one thing I cannot forgive!
Though he said that,
he's always coming here to see Mao.
Tell Mao...
Eventually, he will need me.
If he wishes to know the truth...
What Mao wants to know more than anything...
is if he really killed Lady Sana.
It's eating away at him because...
he must have been in love with her.
- Hey. - Huh?
What was Lady Sana like?
What was she like?
She was beautiful and kind...
intelligent and pure...
SANA
And even though she was Master's daughter,
she'd still chat with us apprentices without putting on airs.
What is she? Miss Perfect?!
The successor of the Goko Clan
was supposed to marry Lady Sana, right?
Yeah.
Mao was chosen as the successor at one point,
so he must've been thrilled.
You know, he was head over heels for Lady Sana.
Maybe he just can't forget her...
Even though she died so, so long ago.
I'm going home.
Was Nanoka here?
Yes. It didn't seem like she had any important business, though.
I see...
Then I suppose nothing bad has happened in her world.
I'm glad.
Ugh, this is so stupid...
Why can't he just let it go? It happened 900 years ago...
I wish he'd just forget about her.
Oops, I forgot to tell him about the Byoki.
But after that, the Byoki never appeared.
Maybe it was because of the barriers...
Uozumi placed around the house.
And no new assassins came for Mao.
CHRISTMAS CAKES
If you wish to see me,
call my name at any time.
Which means... if I don't call, it won't come?
Hey, Mao.
What is it, Nanoka?
For you.
Merry Christmas!
It's just a little thank you for everything you've done for me.
Wait, Nanoka.
I have something for you, too.
I prepared it just for you.
I wasn't expecting a present in return, but...
I'm so happy!
ONMYOJUTSU BASICS
MEMORIZE THESE
"How to cast spells and form hand seals?!"
He gave me homework?!
Chicken's ready.
UDON
A wool scarf, huh?
It's quite warm.
Then came the new year...
It was the 13th year of Taisho, 1924.
Once again...
a new incident began to unfold.
NEXT TIME
On that day, the area was reportedly littered with blood,
military uniforms, and bayonets,
along with countless silver lumps scattered among them.
How lovely to finally meet you.
Captain Shirasu...
Or...
should I call you Hakubi?
Is she a sorcerer?
Who is this woman?
So Shiranui wasn't the only one trying to capture Mao alive?!
Is this...
Metal energy?!
Next time: The Iron Mask