Chapter 10:
Oni-Yamaguchi
Shinyo High: Succession War
Mr. Yamaguchi grinned; red horns caught at his hairline. An odd, cold pressure settled in the room.
“Yukiharu-san…” He glanced at her evaluation partner, catching the same mischievous grin. She had looked bored before entering the classroom, but now, with the stakes raised, an unexpected spark of excitement lit her expression. It was as if the challenge had awakened something in her.
“Mr. Yamaguchi…!” Ryuji tried to reason, a heatwave hit. Yukiharu-san shoved Ryuji aside as a ball of flame whipped past; it struck the wall and died against the ofuda’s seal. “There’d better be extra marks.” Because this is not the evaluation he was told an hour ago.
- - -
An hour ago.The midterms are behind Ryuji and the rest and what lay in front was the practicum evaluation. Ryuji’s been feeling blue since he returned from Chiba. Yukiharu-san and Fuyuki-san started distancing further than before. Sayuri-san was always in the middle like a diplomat. It wasn’t completely cut off, she kept the formalities and asked questions on things during the study period. Yukiharu-san and Fuyuki-san both helped him with binding practices. Now he can summon up to two scales briefly.
“I think I am unseen Minato to Yukiharu-san.” Ryuji moped as the class shuffled out from the classroom towards the old building where the practicum evaluation was held.
“I still see you Minachi and don’t worry about Hana-chan, she’ll sort things out soon.” Sayuri-san returned with a cryptic response and a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see the other two walking closely together.
The class arrived at the entrance area of the old building, it used to be the old Sumida Riverside High School before it was converted into Shinyo high school. Mr. Yamaguchi posted the schedule for the evaluation by the building’s entrance.
“You will be evaluated in pairs in a sealed classroom to rebind freed kagebis under five minutes. The points will be given by technicality, coordination and collaboration.” The students crowded the list.
“Good luck, you’re with Hana-chan.” Sayuri-san nudged.
He was last on the schedule.
- - -“Yukiharu-san, should we talk through how we’ll handle the binding?”
She didn’t look his way, “Minato-san we’ve done this before. There’s no need.” Her arms were crossed and leaned back as if she’s leaning against an invisible wall. Ryuji almost saw an afterimage of Fuyuki-san. The real person was practicing drawing kuji-kiri with his evaluation partner, Sayuri-san. He glanced over at Sayuri-san and she gave him a hearty wave.
Then Yukiharu-san’s cold voice pulled him back, “Minato-san are you listening to me?” Her eyes were looking straight at him, not through him.
“Sorry I was… thinking…” he excused himself, felt stupid for not being honest with her. Ryuji’s mouth opened to question.
He wanted to ask why she’s being so distant. He wanted to ask what he did wrong and correct them if possible. Only sigh came out.
“What were you thinking?” she relaxed her arms and straightened up her posture, unsmiling, like a mask she only wears in public. Sayuri-san was right. In private moments she was warm and friendly.
His words tangled on his tongue. “I was thinking… you’re … pretty…” He felt the heat rush through his face. “knowledgeable in binding so you should handle that and I can focus on something else.”
“I’m sure Mr. Yamaguchi would like to see your technicality.”
“Exactly.” He sighed.
“We can split the task. Like I said. Half and half then rotate.”
Mr. Yamaguchi opened the door. “Alright first group,” Fuyuki-san and Sayuri-san entered the building.
- - -Yukiharu-san kept her distance the entire time. She used the wall to do stretches as if she’s an athlete. “You should try it too. We might have to be physical.”
First wave of student excited the room with mixed murmurs of barely passing to excited talk about how easy it was. Fuyuki-san and Sayuri-san were among them. Yukiharu-san went to talk to him, still in her calm cold expression. He couldn’t get close to the two, so he watched them converse from a distance. They nodded an exchange and she returned to Ryuji.
“Four kagebi to bind. Blank charms in each corner and broken charms in the middle. We get five minutes.” She reported.
“eighty-five seconds per kagebi.”
“I can do it in twenty. You can get the charms.”
Then Sayuri-san came out from the second batch of students.
“It was a breeze! Although the release looked really scary, but Ko-chan was awesome.” She came by to check on Ryuji and Yukiharu-san.
“I’m glad you’ve overcame them, you are usually afraid of yokai and spirits.” Yukiharu-san smiled, Ryuji thought.
“Yea I still do. Minachi be sure to protect her.” She passed by Ryuji and gently tapped his shoulder.
“I don’t think she’ll let me.”“Nonsense! She’ll come around when things really matter. You’ll see.” - - -“Yukiharu-san what do we do, I think he’s…”
“We subdue him, he’s not himself.” She drew her charm out, the one from Sumidagawa Shrine – water spirit.
“You can use protection charms?”
“Assist me.” She dashed forward.
The classroom was a battlefield. Oni-Yamaguchi’s eyes burned with unnatural light, his movements jerky and inhuman. Desks and chairs lay scattered, the air thick with the scent of scorched paper and sweat.
Ryuji had a crazy idea. Oni-Yamaguchi is contained in the room by ofudas but he cannot break through the walls. He could use the ofudas on the wall to seal his body and then Yukiharu-san can seal the deal.
Ryuji’s mind raced. “Head and chest—the chakra points,” he muttered, recalling the lesson. He caught Hanako’s eye, and for a moment, the tension between them faded, replaced by shared urgency.
“Distract him. I’ll get the ofuda,” Ryuji called, voice tight.
Hanako nodded, already moving. She darted left, drawing Oni-Yamaguchi’s attention with a sharp, taunting gesture. The possessed teacher lunged, hands moved like claws, slashing where she stood a heartbeat ago.
Ryuji slid along the wall, used the lectern to grab the first seal near the ceiling. He almost lost the balance. His hands shook, but he forced himself to focus. He dashed across the classroom to the opposite wall. Oni-Yamaguchi blocked his path. Yukiharau-san thrashed a wave of water to block, then stepped in.
Ryuji climbed the stacked tables and reached for the second seal. Yukiharu-san hands were locked and was being pushed towards the stacked tables.
“Now!” he shouted.
Yukiharu-san’s movements blurred – she twisted herself over and under to break free from the locked hands. Grabbed his arm and drove him to his knees.
“Hold him!” Ryuji pressed the first ofuda to Yamaguchi’s forehead, the paper sizzling against his skin. Hanako pinned the teacher’s chest, slapping the second ofuda over his heart.
The room pulsed with energy. Hanako’s voice rose in a steady chant, words ringing with power. Ryuji joined in, his voice shaky but determined. The oni howled, thrashing against their grip, but the ofuda glowed brighter.
With a final, wrenching cry, the spirit tore free. Yamaguchi collapsed, the light in his eyes fading. For a heartbeat, silence reigned.
Hanako let out a breathless laughing, “Yatta!” her face alight with triumph. But as the adrenaline faded, she stepped back, her expression shuttered. The distance between them returned, sharper than before.
Ryuji watched her retreat, a knot tightening in his chest. He wanted to say something - anything - but the words wouldn’t come.
The classroom, once a place of chaos, now felt eerily empty. The only evidence of the battle was the spent ofuda, curling at the edges, and the lingering echo of Hanako’s voice.
- - -The classroom was silent, save for the faint hum of fluorescent lights and the lingering scent of burnt incense. Yukiharu-san’s “Yatta!” still echoed in Ryuji’s mind, but the moment of triumph had already faded into a chill. The ofuda on Mr. Yamaguchi’s forehead and chest pulsed faintly, their paper edges curling as the last traces of the oni’s presence dissipated.
Before either of them could process what had happened, the door slid open with a sharp, deliberate sound. Three figures in dark suits entered - Shinyocho officials, their faces unreadable, their movements precise. One of them, a heavyset man with a scar along his temple, surveyed the scene with a practiced eye. Without a word, he motioned for Yukiharu-san and Ryuji to step aside.
The officials moved quickly, collecting the spent ofuda and the charm that had unleashed the oni. They spoke in clipped tones, their conversation just out of earshot. Ryuji tried to catch Yukiharu-san’s gaze, but she was already retreating into herself, her posture rigid, her eyes fixed on the floor.
Moments later, two paramedics in dark navy uniforms entered, wheeling a stretcher through the classroom door. Without much ceremony, they carefully lifted Mr. Yamaguchi - who was still unconscious and pale, the faint pulse of the ofuda on his forehead barely visible - onto the gurney. The Shinyocho officials exchanged a few hushed words with the medics before following them as they rolled Mr. Yamaguchi out, the squeak of rubber wheels echoing down the corridor. Through the open door, Ryuji caught a glimpse of an ambulance waiting with its lights flashing softly outside, ready to take their teacher away.
Fuyuki-san and Sayuri-san, summoned from the hallway, watched as Shinyocho sealed the evidence in a black case. No explanations were offered. The officials left as abruptly as they had arrived, leaving behind only the faint smell of disinfectant and a dozen unanswered questions.
Ryuji lingered in the doorway, unsettled. He glanced at Yukiharu-san, hoping for some sign of reassurance, but she was already walking away, her steps measured and distant. The classroom felt colder now, emptier—a place where answers had been buried and the truth was just out of reach.
Outside, the sky was heavy with the promise of rain. Ryuji wondered if he’d ever know what really happened in that room, or why Yukiharu-san seemed further away than ever.
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