Part 7

  (Usagiyama Iori)

  May 3rd, 2008

  I’ll really miss Kyoto, since I had a lot of fun, even more so when you are favored by the ruling power in the region. When I woke up in my hotel bedroom, the sun was already up. I wasn't used to sleeping on a futon, but it was comfortable.

  *Maybe I will buy some in case I have guests coming over.*

  My home was a converted warehouse, and some rooms were empty. I decided that I will furnish them… eventually. For now, I had much bigger fish to fry, like the army of stalkers waiting for me out of the hotel. Since the recordings of my fight with the Hero Faction and the cultists, Kyoto has seen a surge of visitors whose intentions were mixed.

  Witchbde has cataloged their magical signature, some were yokai, others devils, and… there were even angels, both fallen and from heaven. The angels from heaven wanted me to give them back the spear of destiny, but it's too te, it's now bound to my soul like a regur sacred gear.

  I know that there had been a meeting between the fallen and Yasaka and that she had politely told them to run along and get the fuck out. They didn't seem to have gotten the memo.

  With a sigh, I sat up, still wearing my yukata, my breasts spilled out of it, and I found myself thinking about going to call for the massage service. But before this, I started my usual stretches to start the day. I started with the cobra stretch, holding for ten seconds, and when the time epsed, gently lowered myself back down.

  I did this ten times before switching to nine other exercises, and then I felt like I could go on with my day. After this, I went to the bathroom to start my ablution; the warm shower after such light exercises was divine. After taking care of myself, I put on the Miko outfit given to me by Yasaka -I was in love with it- then I went out of the small bedroom to the living room-cum-kitchen.

  Standing in the kitchen was Iwatani Talya, my current bodyguard ssh magical mentor, cooking apparently. As I sat at the counter of the small Kitchen, I said, “Hello, Talya.”

  “Iori-chan! You're awake! Look, breakfast!” The tanuki half-yokai turned toward me. She was wearing an apron with a ptter filled with food in her hands.

  The peppy tanuki girl came next to me and pced the ptter of food on the counter before me. I was invited to a cssic Japanese breakfast: steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, natto (fermented soybeans), tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), and nori (seaweed).

  “It looks delicious.” I said as I grabbed my chopsticks.

  Talya was introduced to me by Yasaka, she is meant to be my bodyguard, my magic teacher and the liaison between myself and the West Yokai Faction.

  “Fufufu. All that time in cooking css wasn't in vain!” The tanuki girl said smugly.

  This gave me an idea; as I really wanted to be more self-sufficient than I am right now. “I've been thinking of taking some cooking lessons as well, Japanese and Italian food are my favorite.”

  I started eating with gusto, Talya's food was delicious, the grilled fish had a good texture, the tamagoyaki were salted but not too much and! There were sausages hidden inside them. When I looked at the time while eating, I saw that it was already 9:00 in the morning. I put down my chopsticks and held onto my belly. “Phew, I am full. It's way better than what I cook for breakfast in the morning.”

  Talya finished as well and then suddenly asked me, “What are we going to do today? Meet Kunou-sama again?”

  I thought about that. “There's that magic shop in Ura-Kyoto that I want to go to.”

  The tanuki girl's eyes shone with interest. She cpped her hands as she said, “Oooh! Elder Shinsui owns it, he has many rare books and magic tools from… other sources. You might find interesting things there.”

  Raising an eyebrow at her admission that the owner had some fishy business, I said, “I am intrigued.”

  # # #

  3 hours ter…

  After teleporting out of the hotel to avoid my ‘fans’, Talya and I went back to Ura-Kyoto to find the magic shop which had been recommended to me. Shinsui's was a shop hidden from the main road leading to Yasaka's pace, in an alley fnked by two establishments: a bar and a weapon shop.

  When Talya opened the door, I saw a spacious interior, with well-ordered shelves and furniture den with books or items. I spotted a huge contraption on the ceiling, which was moving; I think it was representing the movement of heavenly bodies in the sor system.

  “Wow, it's amazing here.” Despite the oldie look, there was a fantastic atmosphere with all those glowing and shining items at the entrance. No, they are not glowing… per se, it's like my eyes could see a strange field wrapped around them.

  “High praise coming from the Witch of the Bde.” A wizened voice said, coming from the depths of the shop.

  I frowned, squaring my shoulders and putting myself on guard. “Who?”

  As if a blurring mist had been lifted, an old Kitsune with white hair, eight tails, and wearing a blue kimono appeared. He had mischievous eyes and a smirk on his face.

  *Tricky yokai.* I didn't even feel his presence, a sure sign that I need to polish my touki sensing skills.

  Talya walked forward and slightly bowed to the old man. “Shinsui-dono, don't startle Iori-chan, she's on a hair trigger.”

  With a gruff voice, the old kitsune said, “She should be, there are so many looking for her at the moment.”

  I closed my eyes in frustration; everyone knew who I was now and wanted a piece of me. “I bet that I am going to have to kill someone before I leave Kyoto…”

  The old man ughed. “My money is on the crows, they've been lurking about.”

  The crows? He meant the Fallen Angels from Grigori? If any show up to mess with me, I will just pluck them to death. With a slight bow of my head, I thanked the old man for the warning veiled in the joke he did. “Thanks for telling me.”

  Shinsui nodded. “This information is on the house. Now, what might I help you with, Usagiyama-san?”

  Putting on a polite smile I replied, “Yasaka-sama recommended your store, she said that you have books which would help me to set foot on the path of magic.”

  The old kitsune perked up at my answer. “Oh, you want to become a magician?”

  “More like a sorceress, a true one.” Like Circe or the Scarlet Witch.

  I know that some enemies I might meet would be immune to physical damage. Magic was an important tool to obtain and I simply refused to become a Devil to obtain it, no matter how beautiful and sexy Rias was.

  The old man raised his hand and walked up to me, putting it on my right shoulder. “Let me check if you're able to wield magic first, sometimes people don't have the talent…”

  I don't believe that I don't have it, Witchbde would have told me. Shinsui let go of me as if his hand had been scalded and there was an indecipherable look on his face…

  “Your mana reserves are… impressive.” He simply said, then he turned to Talya and asked, “Talya-san, are you here to help her choose what magical field she will focus on?”

  The girl pushed out her chest and boasted, “Umu! I am Iori-chan's teacher! Yasaka-sama chose me especially for this task.”

  Talya might act childishly, but she is actually older than I and an accomplished magician specialized in illusion magic, war magic, darkness, and fire magic. It seems that her family is well-regarded in Kyoto as well, since they've been here for centuries and contributed to the protection of the dragon veins under Lady Yasaka.

  Shinsui nodded, turned his back to us and said, “Follow me then, we will look for the things you need.”

  He walked toward a huge library, my spatial sense was kind of disoriented as I saw the space before me expand. Not just the room expanded, but also the shelves. Books were floating and rearranging themselves from the shelves.

  I focused my gaze and saw tiny beings in the form of balls of light doing the job. I have no idea what they were, and I didn't have the leisure to ask what the hell was going on. As we passed through each alley, I noticed that the shelves were beled with names like: magic, martial arts, ritual, history…

  On the far wall there was even a map showing Earth but… it actually had many bits attached that I didn't recognize. There were small bubbles with some kind of symbol in them over the ndmasses. I was curious about what it meant…

  We stopped before a door that was obviously a storage room. Shinsui said, “This is where I store the books for beginners and journeyman magicians.”

  The old man opened the room and there were more shelves inside. Shinsui walked in and stopped before the first shelf and said, “Ready your wallet, my prices are not cheap.”

  Talya chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, don't I know it? I'm still paying in installments for those Sutra scrolls that you sold me years ago!”

  Shinsui turned toward her and gave the tanuki girl a vulpine smile. “Buddhism texts aren't cheap, Iwatani-san.”

  Talya stomped her feet. “Mumumu, I will pay it in full with my current job sary!”

  Talya and Shinsui started looking for books for me while bantering. I did my own browsing as well, and at the same time, Witchbde also gave me some advice. {You must focus on the basics, Iori. You should master the magic of this nd and maybe something foreign to give yourself an advantage against the local magicians.}

  The basics needed to be mastered first before any fancy spells. *Okay, I will do that.*

  After one hour, Shinsui and Talya helped narrow down some basic magic books which match the criteria that I've given them. They were:

  Complete Norse Treaty on magicBasic of OnmyōdōAdvanced OnmyōdōWards and EnchantmentMerlinean Magic TreatyShinsui assured me that the books were copies of magical tutorials and research that he had obtained two centuries ago. That anyone in Japan wouldn't have simir knowledge of merlinean and Norse magic; it was a toss-up for Onmyōdō because it was one of the main magical practices practiced in Japan.

  We were at the counter, and Shinsui stood behind it, he was operating a modern looking cash register linked to a computer. He made me pass my Bck Amex card into the Payment Terminal; the payment was complete thirty seconds ter.

  Shinsui bowed and, with a smirk, said, “Thank you for your patronage, please come again.”

  Talya pulled a bag out of nowhere and loaded the book inside. She waved at Shinsui and said, “Goodbye!”

  The tanuki girl pulled me toward the exit of the shop. Before stepping out I turned around and loudly said, “Bye” to the shopkeeper, or should I say the shark in fox clothing. The five books cost me 3 million yen, the price wasn't cheap at all. Once we were outside, I saw that the sun was high in the sky.

  I fished my phone from my handbag and saw that it was 1:23 PM. “We missed lunch.”

  “Don't worry! We have a Wacdonald nearby!” Talya pulled out her phone as well and used Moogle Maps, which somehow worked in Ura-Kyoto.

  I forgot how things were named in this anime world… Moogle instead of Google, Wacdonald instead of Macdonald. It's like an off-brand of what I knew, and it was maddening.

  {We have company.} Witchbde warned me.

  I heard the fp of wings coming from the sky, and I saw two men wearing cloaks and business suits floating in the air; each of them had four bck wings spread from their backs. Just like Shinsui had predicted, the fallen angels were the first to come looking for trouble. Speaking of Shisui, his store suddenly locked up, and a barrier was immediately erected over the building.

  With a sigh, I asked, “Who are you people?”

  “Iori-chan, they’re obviously big meanies.” Talya retorted helpfully.

  She wasn't wrong, those guys looked like the typical evil mooks with their sleepy expressions. The one with tanned skin and blonde hair floated forward. “Miss Usagiyama, please come with us.”

  Talya continued to entertain the gallery while pointing her finger at the two fallen by saying, “Ah, this must be more of your fans, Iori-chan.”

  A spear of light coalesced in the blonde fallen hand. “Don't make the situation worse than it can be.”

  The second one with bck hair did the same. I shook my head in annoyance and asked, “Are you sure that you want to do this? You can leave right now, and I will forget that you've accosted me.”

  “Hey, hey, Iori-chan, can I record the beating they will get?” Talya asked with a lot of enthusiasm.

  “I don't do beatings, I give lessons.” I said without looking at her.

  This seemed to infme the fallen. “Impudent human!” The blonde fallen angel raised his spear to throw it, but…

  Breathing in and out, I focused all my strength on my next step, without using any touki. This was one of the things I was trying to mimic from the anime Demon Syer: Total Concentration Breathing. It involves expanding one's lungs to intake as much air as possible, accelerating one's blood flow and heartbeat while increasing their inner body temperature, resulting in their bones and muscles becoming more excited.

  It wasn't difficult to replicate, I jumped and suddenly found myself right before the angel who tried to back off, but I caught a part of his cloak and then used my weight to make him fall toward the ground. Before he could hit the ground, I targeted his temple with two of my fingers while channeling my touki.

  The fallen was out like a light, I rolled away from the unconscious man as the other angel dive bombed toward his companion. Thankfully, he had dismissed his light spear when he noticed that I evaded his maneuver. Second guy was more bloodthirsty than the first one, so I decided to do away with him.

  This time, I combined my new breathing method with my touki-based instant movement, and as the fallen turned toward me with a savage look on his face, I used all my strength to break his face. But I didn't hear bone breaks, no… his head simply turned into bloody mist.

  I froze at what just happened and looked at my bloodied fist. “There wasn't even a bit of resistance. How strong am I?”

  That was a question for ter; Talya sauntered next to me and said as she twirled on herself, “OMG, I am going to have so many views with that video! You were amazing, Iori-chan!”

  The young woman wasn't even phased by me killing someone, there was definitely something wrong with her. In the end, we ‘looted’ the mobs and handed the unconscious one to Yasaka-sama for questioning. I just recouped my lost money with those fallen angels.

  # # #

  (???)

  “It didn’t work.” The gorgeous blonde woman said from behind her King who was sitting before a table, staring at the swirling red liquid in his wine cup.

  She walked around and sat next to him. She shivered at the memory of the scene she had witnessed. The girl that her King wanted was simply terrifying. The light filtering through the windows slowly dimmed as the man snapped his fingers; the windows and blinds closed.

  The sor they were in was one now completely dark, but as the two of them were devils, nocturnal creatures, it wasn't a problem. They could see as if it were day in this darkness.

  “What happened?” The male devil asked.

  The blonde stared at her King, he was an attractive devil, with short silky bck hair and sharp purple eyes. He had dashing looks that were accentuated by his fashionable clothing, which showed he was well built with the physique of a swimmer. When he had asked her to become his bishop after 5 years of being his contracted magician, she accepted without hesitation.

  Life as a reincarnated devil wasn't easy, though. It was a culture shock compared to the retive safety of the human world. Devil society is all about might makes right and her King was building up his peerage ever so slowly. That is why she was participating in this pn when her King had taken notice of this new girl, Usagiyama Iori, the Witch of the Bde. A fancy title that she found completely ridiculous.

  “The mercenaries confronted her and tried to coerce her to come with them; she killed one, and the other was knocked out. She didn’t even need to use her sacred gear to defeat them.” She reported, remembering the one-sided fight.

  Her King stayed silent for an instant before saying, “I see, Usagiyama-san has more depth than I thought. She’s worthy of being my future Queen.”

  The blonde beauty sneered internally. That girl was trouble but her King was too enamored with her beauty and power to make rational decisions. She decided that she needed to at least try to dissuade him from doing what he pnned. “My King, can I be candid?”

  He smiled at her in a boyish way. “You know how I value your opinion, Selene.”

  Which was true, Selene liked that fact about him. “And it warms my heart that you do, my King. I will be blunt… I think we should not try to force the issue, the girl is… peculiar. She has no qualms about killing, she moves like a ghost; I think she was trained to be a killer.”

  It was meant to be a warning, but it seemed that she has failed to pass across her misgivings about his pn to add that girl to his peerage. Because her King's eyes turned downright predatory as he said, “The more I hear about her, the more I desire her.”

  Selene closed her eyes and sighed in frustration. “Nothing will change your mind, my King?”

  The devil took a sip of wine from his gss and said, “My mind is set, Usagiyama Iori will be my new Queen.”

  Her King stood up and put down the gss on the table. “Let’s go back to the Underworld, we need to prepare our trap and some amenities for my future queen.”

  Selene stood up as well. “Yes, my King.”

  A magic circle manifested, and the two were teleported away from the vil that they'd been renting. Selene still had a bad feeling about this…

  A/N: Heya guys! I want to tell you that I'm going to slow down release of the chapter to 1 per week, because I need to build up buffer chapters for this story. There's only 16 chapters on Patreon, and I want to have at least 25.

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