One Lifetime, One Meeting​

“... that curse ...”

“Maybe...”

“Then ... Higeta-san... request... Spirit Realm...”

“... Mitsuhiko-san... wrong...”

“... sorry I... Suzuka-san... sunset...”

“So it is...”

“... Unosuke Higeta-san... immediately... lie down,.. I’ll... convenience store and... something for us to eat...”

The two voices that echoed in my ears became clearer as I regained consciousness.

I had feeling in my entire body again- albeit I was a bit stiff. I could feel my fingers, my toes, my head, everything. Although... my everything felt like it was encased in a layer of dried mud.

I pulled my body upward to stretch. The sounds of cracking and tearing filled my ears as the mud- or more likely stone- fractured and fell from my body. I accidentally let out a low, satisfying groan as I felt my tense muscles regain their elasticity.

“What is this...” One of the voices from earlier spoke.

I let my body relax and remembered my situation. I was still in Fujimori’s classroom, but the chairs and desks had all been shoved into a corner. In front of me were two people dressed in differently colored costumes that resembled a Shinto priest’s. One was a petite girl in a red uniform with a book dangling from the belt on her waist. The other was a taller, athletic looking guy in a blue uniform.

“It’s Miyagawa-san and... Tsuchimikado-san, right?” I tried to say, but a low, raspy voice spoke in my place.

The eyes of the two people in front of me widened at the mention of their names.

They were my schoolmates, Suzuka Miyagawa and Mitsuhiko Tsuchimikado. The two school idols of Blessed Justo High School.

The part-time onmyoji that went to my school.

Tsuchimikado was in Class Person, so I never saw him much. He was tall- but not freakishly tall like I was- and annoyingly good looking. His dark brown hair was a bit long for a boy, but when it was combined with his soft hazel eyes and obnoxiously chivalrous personality, his whole “traditional samurai” bit was rather believable.

Then there was Suzuka Miyagawa. She was in Class Eagle, like Eiko and I were, so I was more familiar with her than I was with Tsuchimikado. She was an effortlessly elegant shrine maiden with long, beautiful hair the color of blooming cherry blossoms that was usually draped over her shoulder in a low, loose ponytail.

That girl from earlier must have been Miyagawa-san... I realized.

It was no surprise that this perfect girl lived at a shrine, nor that she came from a family of priests and shrine maidens. Not even the white, medical-grade eyepatch over her left eye could make Miyagawa seem less lovely. Rather, the eyepatch made her angular, nearly black colored right eye look like it belonged to a fox goddess.

I lifted my hand to my neck and tried clearing my throat. My voice sounded hoarse- most likely because I was stone up until a few moments ago.

“Nng... My voice sounds all weird,” I coughed. “Ah, but maybe I should just be happy I’m free...”

I looked back over to Miyagawa and Tsuchimikado. They both seemed smaller than I remembered, and their faces were unnaturally pale. The narrow gaze Miyagawa usually had was replaced with a wide eye.

Tsuchimikado especially didn’t seem like his usual, annoyingly charming self. Unlike during school hours, his hair was tied in a top knot, but a few strands that were too short to be tied back fell wildly around his face.

The pewter staff he was pointing directly at me was also a bit off-putting.

“I never thought I’d get cursed.” I said, silently trying to figure out how a soft-shelled turtle should talk to a pair of idols. “I guess I underestimated how much people disliked me... Ahh, whatever.”

I let out a sigh before smiling at Miyagawa and Tsuchimikado.

“I’m really grateful you two saved me, Miyagawa-san, Tsuchimi-”

BAM!!

Tsuchimikado slammed the bottom of his pewter staff into the ground. In an instant, the metallic, clanking finial folded and retracted into its wooden handle. He then twirled the pole and slammed the opposite side onto the ground. As quickly as the finial had retracted, a long, curved blade extended from the new tip of the pole.

Eh? I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The pewter staff had turned into a naginata.

With his new weapon in hand, Tsuchimikado took a wide stance and aimed the blade at me.

“It looks like we have no choice...” He said.

“It’s Purification by Death then.” Miyagawa casually responded and positioned herself behind Tsuchimikado. “We should make this as messy as possible to make up for that 56% discount.”

“Always thinking about profit aren’t you, Suzuka-san?” Tsuchimikado let out a sigh. “You could be a bit more sympathetic given the situation. It’s your classmate we’re killing after all.”

EHH?!

“W-wait just a minute!” I shouted. I began to lift my hands in surrender, and to protest being killed, but Tsuchimikado immediately lunged at my head.

I had never been in a fight before, but Tsuchimikado moved slower than I expected. I quickly moved my feet and curved my back to dodge. As a result, the blade safely swiped past my nose.

“That was fast!-” I was surprised at my own ability, but Tsuchimikado didn’t give me time to celebrate.

As the blade completed its arc, Tsuchimikado shifted his stance. His body followed the trajectory of the first swing and spun into a second attack. He swung the blade upward this time, but I was able to shift my body and sidestep the slash.

This guy... He’s really trying to kill me!!

I noticed Tsuchimikado change his stance again. Without missing a beat, he curved his swing into a third attack. He aimed his blade at my neck again but I managed to duck under it.

Up and down... Down and up... I started to connect the dots. It’s like a roller coaster!

The first hill on a roller coaster is super tall and needs a motor to pull the cars to the top, but it’s usually the slowest part of the ride. When the cars quickly fall down that first hill, the resulting energy is the reason the cars are able to zoom through the entire track without an engine. Any hills after that first one are short enough for the stored energy to get the cars over it, which makes going up those hills much faster and more fun. But the drop from those smaller hills also create energy that can keep the ride going!

Tsuchimikado-san is doing the same thing. He generated the energy for that first swing with his own strength, just like a motor on a tall hill. Rather than letting his attacks slow down, Tsuchimikado-san is using the energy from his previous swing to fuel the next one. Which would mean...

I side stepped Tsuchimikado’s upswing and then I ducked under his downswing.

“This is too easy! Are you sure you’re an onmyoji, Mitsuhiko Tsuchimikado-sama?” I let out a playful laugh.

Knowing how and when Tsuchimikado would strike made avoiding injury surprisingly fun. It was just like wrestling with Mom or chasing Eiko around the house with candy canes.

My body felt incredible. It was as if freeing me from my curse also freed me from all my inhibitions. I was full of energy, and just dodging Tsuchimikado’s attacks gave me a massive ego boost- something I didn’t even realize I had been craving.

Then, in the corner of my eye, I saw Miyagawa holding up a paper talisman.

H-hey wait... Is this about to become two against one?! That’s not fair!

“Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water.” I could hear Miyagawa chant something as I kept dodging Tsuchimikado’s blade. “Change Spring into Summer, and set ablaze the Woods of Jupiter. This, I command-”

As Tsuchimikado pulled his naginata back from another swing I dodged, Miyagawa threw the talisman. She wasn’t aiming for me. Instead, the talisman landed on the back of Tsuchimikado’s hand as he transitioned from one swing and into the next.

Breaking the pattern I had come to expect, Tsuchimikado thrust his blade forward towards my gut. Thinking fast, I sucked in my stomach and jumped backwards to create the distance I needed to not be impaled.

“EXPLOSION!” Tsuchimikado finished the spell Miyagawa had started.

You’re kidding...

I saw the talisman on Tsuchimikado’s hand vanish. Then, from the tip of his blade, my body was consumed by a fiery explosion and the world went white.