Guilty on All Counts

As Shin sat down in his chair, he staggered. He could feel the eyes of the three staring daggers into him, and he could also feel the pain. The pain of hearing the word Kishin left him with a searing headache. All he could do to bear it was grip his head, trying to retain consciousness.

“Are you okay, Shin?” Piercing through his pain, he heard Yukimura’s words. They didn’t alleviate it; they were only a nice distraction.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s trust Takeda to do his job.”

Takeda stood tall before them, and the pair could only see the back of his suit. His eyes were too busy bouncing between the papers in his right hand and the person known as Satori in front of him. However, before either of the two spoke, General Kurea spoke first.

“Satori. Have you confirmed that the male behind Takeda is the Kishin?”

Satori gave a nod to Kurea, all while the ringing in Shin’s ear worsened.

“Then you may read the written indictment.”

“Of course, Kura. Yasura Shin is being charged with damage to property, endangerment of Onmyoji, and hosting a Kishin. This arises from the attempted destruction of Kanazawa City’s Prefectural East High School on Friday, October 17, 2025.”

Again that word. Tears began to well up in Shin’s eyes as the K-word continued to be repeated in the trial. As they dripped from his face onto the desk, it was Isamu’s turn to speak.

He raised his fist to his mouth before clearing his throat, revealing the white stainless-looking gloves he wore.

“Yasura Shin, you have the right to remain silent, the right to examine evidence and witnesses, the right to know the charges, the right to a fair trial, and the right to appeal the trial…If you dare…Now, Kishin, do you have anything you wish to say regarding Satori’s facts?”

“I…” Shin tried to speak, but the pain already moved from his head. It began to resonate throughout his body. His heart was beating erratically. Saliva frothed from his mouth. Before his chin slammed onto the desk in front of him, Yukimura held onto him, stabilizing him. Shin felt a cold sensation on his body as she did, and Takeda was not blind to the situation behind him.

“I?” Isamu asked while raising a single brow. “You what?” Interjecting before Shin could speak was Takeda.

“What Shin meant to say was that while he did destroy the school grounds, he did not do so consciously. It was the K-word inside of him. Therefore, the human, Yasura Shin, is innocent.”

“We should be charging the Kishin inside him, then? Is that what you’re trying to say, Takeda?”

“Correct.” At the mention of the word, Takeda knew Shin’s condition would get worse. Without turning his back, he could only offer him a whisper. “Hang in there for just a bit longer, Shin.” Shin could barely hear him over the ringing, but the words warmed his heart nonetheless.

“So, the issue lies not in what Shin has done, but in the Kishin. Therefore, this trial is present today to determine if the Kishin is safe enough for the world. Is that correct?”

Both Satori and Takeda answered Isamu with a “Yes, that is correct.”

“Then, Satori. Present the evidence that shows the Kishin is unfit for this world.”

“On it, Isan.”

Satori went underneath the desk, scrounging for something. When they appeared, their hands were full of papers lined top to bottom with various texts. Satori spent a few seconds organizing them before placing them neatly on the desk.

“What are those papers?” General Kurea asked as if she didn’t already know.

“Well, Kura, this document is the original report on the mana readings in Kanazawa City from the most recent Friday. Meanwhile, the one you’re holding is a copy. Right, Taku?”

Takeda only nodded his head along to Satori’s words.

“Alright, so follow along with me then. It shows that there were two areas in Kanazawa City with abnormal mana signatures. One was you, Taku, as you were tasked with handling a kappa gang that arose there. However, the other was around the position of Yuki and Shin’s high school. It happened slightly later, about 30 minutes after you arrived on scene. Right, Taku?”

“Yes, Satori.”

Satori flipped over to the next page before talking again. “On further analysis, five distinct mana signatures were surrounding Kanazawa City’s Prefectural East High School that day. The first was Yuki, who is natural since she attends school there, as permitted by the Onmyoji Organization. However, the next few were not. The second and third belonged to those of two yokai. An ushi-oni and a suiko, with readings of 6.8 and 5.7, respectively. As for these yokai, I can only assume Yuki confronted them according to protocol. There is proof of such engagement both through the written report and also the disappearance of the third mana signature. Right, Yuki?”

This time, it was Yukimura’s turn to nod along before Satori resumed.

“However, when she did, the fourth mana signature suddenly appeared on the scene. Almost like it emerged from something, did it, Yuki?”

Yukimura was about to speak as the gaze of the three generals shifted onto her, but before she could, Takeda positioned himself in front of her. His stern eyes were attempting to burn a hole through Satori’s chest. “You can’t ask her while you’re in the middle of presenting evidence. Right, Satori?”

“Yeah, my bad, my bad. However, my point is that the fourth signature nearly breached the 9.3 level, with that of a 10.0 level being on the same level as a god. And gods can’t parade among humans, can they? So, neither should the Kishin, to whom the fourth mana signature belonged. Right, Taku?”

Shin continued to writhe at the mention of Kishin, trying to keep himself in the seat. Yukimura’s hand began to curl into a fist as Shin started to lose it. However, that was all she could do at the moment. So, she turned her head and looked up at the only one who could do something in this moment: Takeda. It was the same Takeda, who remained oddly calm.

“The numbers are accurate. Along with the fact that beings that powerful shouldn’t be allowed to do as they please on Earth, unrestrained, as the Onmyoji Codex dictates. Therefore, while I do agree that there should be restraints, I think the severity of those restraints should be decided by the people who live their daily lives on said Earth.”

After Takeda finished speaking, that was when the oldest of the three generals, General Hyon, spoke up for the first time in this trial. “So it seems that we can all agree that a witness is in order.” His speech remained grainy, but he enunciated it clearly. “Bring them in, Satori.”

“No need, Hyon. Because the witness is sitting down right there.” The hair on Satori’s knuckles stood on end as their pointer finger landed on Yukimura.

“Then, Yukimura…please make your way to the podium.”

Yukimura moved as General Hyon directed. However, before doing so, she did her best to gently place Shin’s head on the desk in front of him as if to ease a fraction of his pain. On her way to the podium, no words were exchanged between Yukimura and Takeda, only a look. A single glance that Yukimura knew the meaning of quite well: do not lie. Then, finally, after Satori stepped off of it, Yukimura arrived at the podium. At that moment, she was the one directly under the three generals.

“So, Yuki…” Satori’s eyes opened as they met the eyes of Yukimura. The never-ending spiral of Satori’s eyes staring into the depths of Yukimura’s soul. “You already know what question I’m about to ask, right?”

Yukimura’s jaw tightened before she answered.

“No.”

“Then, I’ll make it blatantly clear. You can confirm that you were on the scene where the Kishin emerged, right, Yuki?”

“Yes, I can.”

“So you also saw how it entered the scene, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then, how did it do it?”

“It emerged from the ushi-oni’s body.”

“Then, when you saw it emerge, did you believe it was worthy of being spared?”

Yukimura’s hands clenched once more. Her lips quivered a small amount, only noticeable to the person right in front of her. However, when she opened her lips to speak, Yukimura saw a hand waving in front of her.

“My bad, that probably made you uncomfortable…” Satori’s tone lowered from their normally energetic one into that of a whisper. A whisper that Shin couldn’t hear, Takeda couldn’t hear, not even the three generals; only Yukimura’s ears could listen to it. “Do you believe that the Kishin deserves to live after seeing what it was capable of?”

Yukimura still struggled to answer. She placed her eyes on Shin, the boy who was struggling not to cause a scene. Then, to Satori, the one hounding them for answers, trying to make a scene. She nearly looked at Takeda, but halfway, her eyes fixed themselves to the desk in front of her, before she gave her answer.

“No. No, I do not.”

When Yukimura gave her answer, Satori smiled. Satori smiled as they faced the generals. “Well, with that, wouldn’t you say that it is guilty on all counts?”