Mid-July, in a quiet corner of Mifune City's old district, a tall, heavy wall enclosed a domain wholly separate from the city's noise.
Beyond the wall rose dense bamboo—and within it, a massive traditional Japanese residence, similar in old-fashioned elegance to the Asagami estate, but built with two floors.
This was the mansion of the long-standing demon-hunting family: the Ryougi.
The wall itself carried the weight of years, blocking most sound and sight from outside. The residence's wooden pillars and beams, and its dark, slanted roof tiles, projected a cold, unapproachable authority.
Yuuki had made an appointment in advance under the name of the Asagami family, so he was admitted as a guest with little difficulty.
The guest room was also minimal to the point of severity. The walls and ceiling held almost no decoration. The only accent was a hanging calligraphy scroll—spare brushwork, long and distant in mood—and beside it, a small wooden rack with a single bamboo sword.
Yuuki sat formally on the tatami, pretending to be calm as he drank black tea.
Across from him sat Shiki's older brother: Ryougi Kaname.
Meanwhile, Shiki herself hid behind the corridor, peeking at the two of them.
She hadn't expected Yuuki to show up like nothing had happened—after she'd given such a clear rejection signal. He'd even gone so far as to discharge himself early to come here.
"Ori… did you really explain it properly?"
In her mind, Shiki accused Ori—then, apparently dissatisfied with Ori's answer, she bit her nails in irritation, turned away from the corridor, and marched back to her room.
"If you came to see Shiki," Kaname said gently, "I'm afraid you may be disappointed."
Because the corridor faced away from Yuuki, he noticed nothing—but Kaname had seen clearly. He spoke with calm apology.
"I see."
Kaname was eleven years older than Shiki. He wore a gray-blue kimono. His brows resembled Shiki's, and he kept similarly short black hair—but unlike Shiki's slender frame, his body was solid, trained, visible even beneath a loose kimono.
More importantly, Kaname didn't carry Shiki's thorny aura that pushed others away. He felt warm—ordinary.
Probably because unlike Shiki, Kaname didn't inherit the family's dual personality. Naturally, he wasn't the heir. Until Shiki came of age, he served as the acting manager of the clan.
A man largely unrelated to the non-ordinary—a thoroughly normal person.
Yuuki took a sip of black tea. It was high quality, worthy of guests, yet tasted bitter in his mouth.
"Kaname… can't you make an exception?"
This wasn't Yuuki's first visit to the Ryougi household, nor his first conversation with Kaname. After moving back to Mifune City and discovering he shared a class with the Ryougi family's young lady, Yuuki had visited on the first weekend, bringing Fujino as well.
Back then, he'd treated the Ryougi as a future business partner.
Now, he treated Shiki as an important friend.
Perhaps sensing that shift, Kaname sighed softly, considering how to refuse without causing harm.
So Yuuki decided to speak first—before the refusal could land.
"Kaname… do you really think it's good for Shiki to stay like this?"
He went on:
"Four years ago—1991—there was that three-month economic shock. Startups, old families… bankruptcies everywhere. Even the Asagami main line—an old family on par with yours—collapsed and vanished. The Ryougi household must have faced difficult choices back then, too. You probably worked hard just to keep things stable."
It had begun with the property collapse, but it touched everyone in Japan: collapsing prices, unemployment, consumption shrinking, recession. Ordinary people lived on the edge. Major families had to be even more careful.
"I don't know what business the Ryougi conduct," Yuuki admitted. "Since our families haven't actually established dealings yet, this may be my assumption."
He met Kaname's eyes. The Pseudo Fairy Eyes and Overlapping Thought activated—Yuuki was fully ready for debate.
"But if your losses were limited, I'd assume that's largely thanks to you. Still—the future head of the family is Shiki. It can only be Shiki."
He pressed.
"With Shiki's current ability to socialize—her habit of keeping everyone at arm's length—will that really be okay?"
Then, as if pitching himself, Yuuki patted his chest.
"But I'm different. Kaname, you know this. Before I came here to study, I was already the one actually calling the shots for the Asagami family. I kept an Asagami real-estate clan alive in Tokyo through that crisis. Strategy, vision, business communication—I have the credentials. Who else could do that?"
Yuuki stood up, growing animated—almost theatrically so.
"If you help me reconcile with Shiki, then as Shiki's friend, I'll gradually teach her my experience. I'll help her become a proper head of house. That way, the Asagami and Ryougi families can cooperate far more in the future."
Kaname couldn't help laughing at Yuuki's dramatic expression and rising intensity.
"Hahaha… sorry. I'm not laughing at you. I just didn't expect someone to fight this hard over my sister."
He took a couple sips of tea, then set the cup down and stood.
He walked to the weapon rack in the alcove.
"Yuuki. There's truth in what you said… but also mistakes. Allow me to correct you."
Kaname lifted the bamboo sword and placed it in front of Yuuki with solemn care.
"The Asagami household has been separated from the Asagami main line for too long, so it's normal you wouldn't know. In fact, our main business is dealing with supernatural incidents."
He spoke plainly:
"We are what people call a 'demon-hunting family.' We accumulate wealth by taking contracts. So economic downturns don't affect us much."
If anything, during hard times, accidents increased—meaning the Ryougi might even see more work.
"What we value most in a family head isn't business skill," Kaname continued. "It's the inheritance of demon-hunting techniques."
He simplified it further.
"The ability to fight what isn't human."
No wonder he couldn't find the information. The Ryougi and Asagami weren't just in different industries.
They weren't even in the same world.
Meaning: even if Yuuki stopped the Araya crisis, Shiki would never be destined for an ordinary life. She belonged to that side from birth.
Kaname's voice remained gentle, but his eyes were firm.
"Take the bamboo sword. Come to the dojo with me."
Then:
"If you can't even defeat me, then being with my sister—who is stronger than I am—will only mean being hurt again and again."
It wasn't the development Yuuki expected.
But it was still a chance to reach Shiki again.
He didn't hesitate. He picked up the bamboo sword.
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