Promise Of Tomorrow

The rain had completely stopped, as Naomi kept running down the deserted streets of her neighborhood. Everything seemed so lifeless. Empty. She wasn’t in a state of mind to relax and observe her surroundings, though. Everything rushed past her amidst her fleeting vision. Like blurry images, distorted and unrecognizable.

Why was she running away?

Her mind was hazy.

Her upperclassman, Eiji, had offered to help her get rid of a supposed curse that threatened her life. Rid her of seeing all those spirits, all those images of people that were no longer there.

Then why was she feeling this way if her upperclassman was only trying to help?

It was because she had hoped for something more.

Right as she had grown weary of running aimlessly, the world around her began to... thicken.

The air, once crisp from the rain, turned oily and stagnant. Naomi slowed to a halt, her chest heaving, but as she looked up, the familiar streetlights of her neighborhood had changed. The warm, yellow glow had curdled into a sickly, bruised purple, and right where the bulbs should have been... eyes grew.

Stay away...

A whisper, dry as dead leaves, brushed against her ear. Naomi spun around, but the street was empty. Or, it should have been. In the corner of her eye, the brick walls of the houses seemed to pulse, the mortar stretching like skin.

Don't go back to him... he only wants the monster...

Naomi’s head throbbed. The heartbreak she’d felt moments ago was being hijacked, twisted into a cold, artificial dread. She tried to turn back toward Eiji’s apartment, but the road behind her was gone. In its place stood a wall of impenetrable, shifting black mist that smelled only of rot.

There was only one way forward.

The street ahead was unnaturally clear, almost glowing with a predatory invitation. Naomi’s legs moved before her brain could give the command. Her stride was jerky, mechanical, like a marionette being yanked by invisible, biting threads.

Every step she took away from the main road felt like sinking deeper into a dream she couldn't wake up from. The houses began to look like leaning, judgmental faces, their dark windows watching her with the fermented jealousy of a thousand bitter spirits.

She wasn't running anymore. she was being delivered.

It felt as if she were in a dream. In a trance. As if all was suddenly right in the world.

The pavement beneath her feet changed from smooth asphalt to cracked, weed-choked concrete. The rusted chain-link fence loomed out of the dark like a set of iron teeth. 

The abandoned parking lot.

The place where her light had died.

Naomi stood at the edge of the barrier, her eyes wide and glassy. The curse had finished its work. It had brought the sacrifice back to the altar, right on time for the clock to strike midnight.

⌁◉⌁

“Damn it!”

Eiji clicked his tongue, his boots skidding on the damp pavement as he scanned the empty street. Naomi was gone.

“Eiji-dono! We must find the girl!” Meh cried, hovering frantically near his ear.

“I know… but where—” Eiji stopped. A single, jagged possibility sliced through his mind.

“…The parking lot.”

It was the only place that made sense. Whether by her own fractured conviction or the Agubanba’s craftiness, she was being pulled back to the wound.

“Eiji-dono, Meh senses a geyser of malevolence from that direction!”

Without another word, Eiji bolted back into his apartment. He grabbed two things: his motorcycle keys and a weathered cross-body bag. Seconds later, the roar of an engine shattered the midnight silence.

“Meh!” Eiji shouted over the wind as he pinned the throttle. “Go on ahead. If she steps inside that barrier, she’s dead. Don't let her!”

“As you command!” The shikigami bobbed once and vanished into the dark, streaking toward the horizon.

Master and servant raced through the ghost-town streets, their sights locked on one target: the graveyard of rusted steel and bad memories.

⌁◉⌁

Inside the parking lot, the atmosphere wasn’t just thick. It was as if time itself had stopped.

“How did I…?” Naomi’s voice was low, puzzled. She really couldn’t remember how she got there. One moment she was out on the street and the other—

Naomi’s phone flashlight cut a weak, trembling path through the dark. The air was stagnant, tasting of rust and old grief.

A distorted roar echoed behind her, a sound like a siren screaming through water.

“Ah!”

Panic seized her, and she dove behind the skeletal remains of a gutted sedan.

She pressed her hands over her mouth, trying to stifle her ragged breathing.

What is happening?

This was supposed to be a fun excursion with Hazuki. A thrill. A laugh. Now, she was hiding in a monster's den, haunted by a past that refused to stay buried.

Silence settled over the lot, heavy and suffocating. Naomi slowly panned her light around the concrete pillars. Had the thing disappeared? Was she—

Saved?

As her arm fell to her side, her fingers brushed something on the ground. It was thin. Prickly. It felt like dry, dead hair.

A sudden gust of wind hit her face, carrying a stench so foul her stomach revolted. It was the scent of a shallow grave.

Naomi jerked the light upward.

There it was. Standing right over her.

The Agubanba.

The mouth was a vast, yellow-toothed cavern that looked capable of swallowing her whole. Its body was a sagging, deformed mass of grey flesh, and its prickly hair stood up like rusted nails. Three months ago, it had looked small, a nightmare in the periphery. Now, towering over her in the direct beam of the light, it felt large enough to blot out the sun.

Its blood-red eyes, situated unnervingly beneath its jaw, widened. With a pained, weeping cry, the specter lunged.

“AAAAAAH!”

Naomi threw herself to the side, her shoulder hitting the dusty concrete as the Agubanba slammed into the wall behind her with a sickening thud. It turned sluggishly, its jaws snapping at the empty air where her head had been a second ago.

She scrambled on all fours, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She barely found her feet before it charged again. Another desperate leap. Another narrow miss.

“Hey, you!”

“Eh?” Naomi spun around, her light sweeping the shadows.

“Over here!”

The floating eyeball—Meh—emerged from the gloom. “You need to leave this space! Eiji-dono can’t—Look out!”

The Agubanba roared, its massive mouth unhinging as it Prepared for a final gulp.

“Quick!” Meh cried, darting toward the exit ramp.

Naomi didn't need to be told twice. She kicked off the concrete, her short legs pumping with every ounce of strength she had left. Behind her, she could hear the Agubanba weeping—a high, mournful sound of pure malice.

The light of the streetlamps grew closer. The steep incline of the ramp felt like a mountain, but she didn't slow down. The weeping was right at her heels now, the cold draft of the creature’s movement chilling her spine.

Just a few more steps…

The specter dashed. It was faster now, closing the gap in a blur of grey hair and yellow teeth. Doubt flared in Naomi’s mind.

I’m not going to make it. I’ll never—

“Oi!”

A voice cut through the terror.

Just beyond the entrance, bathed in the harsh, artificial gold of the streetlamps, stood a familiar silhouette.

Kanzaki Eiji.

He stood there with one hand outstretched, waiting. Naomi didn't think. She didn't hesitate. She threw herself forward in the longest jump her legs could manage and caught his hand.

In one fluid motion, Eiji hauled her toward him. The Agubanba whistled past them, a blur of stinking flesh and red eyes, its momentum carrying it straight out of the shadows.

Eiji’s grip was firm, grounding her. A wave of security washed over Naomi, stilling the tremor in her hands.

He had come. Just like earlier that day. Just like six years ago.

The Agubanba slammed into the iron perimeter gates, the metal groaning under the impact. In the full light of the street, the creature was a masterpiece of the macabre. It looked like a floating ball of raw, bruised flesh, its yellow jaws clenched tight, thin black arms dangling like dead branches.

“Heh…” Eiji smirked, his eyes sparking with a dangerous light. “Good job. Now let me handle this.”

He gave her a reassuring nudge, stepping forward to face the nightmare. Naomi watched him, breathless.

How could he be so calm? Was this what it meant to be an exorcist?

The Agubanba let out a final, ear-piercing wail and charged.

It was a blur—faster and deadlier than before. Naomi’s eyes couldn't even track the movement.

CRASH.

The monster slammed into Eiji like a freight train, the sheer force of the impact sending him flying backward. He disappeared into a heap of nearby rubble and discarded crates with a resounding, violent thud.

“Senpai!” Naomi’s voice was thin with terror.

“Someone’s eager…”

Eiji didn't stay down. He shoved a piece of broken crate aside and rose from the debris, that same dry grin plastered on his face. He wiped a smudge of dust from his jaw. “And I even guarded,” he muttered to himself.

It had been a while since he’d faced a specter with this much kick, but now that he’d lured it into the light, the hunt was on. The thrill—that familiar, dangerous fire—burned bright in his chest. He readjusted his stance, his eyes narrowing.

“If you want a fight... then a fight you’ll get.”

Eiji’s voice dropped to a low, focused hum. He brought his index and middle fingers before his face in a ritual sign, locking the others together. He took a soft, measured inhale and closed his eyes.

The Agubanba didn't care for ceremonies. It shrieked, its massive body tensing for another bone-crushing dash.

“Senpai, watch out!”

Eiji didn't flinch. He exhaled, his eyes snapping open. His irises had vanished, replaced by two glowing pits of crimson light.

As he stepped forward, red lightning crackled around his boots, scorching the pavement. With a second step, the static intensified, dancing up his sleeves and coiling around his forearms like snakes of pure energy. He clenched his fists, and the air thundered in response. This was the power of the god his soul was bound to: Susanoo, the King of Storms.

The Agubanba lunged, its thin, black arms whipping through the air like lashes. This time, Eiji didn't take the hit. He dipped his shoulder, a move so fluid he seemed to slip through the molecules of the air itself.

The specter pivoted, unhinging its jaw to swallow him whole. Eiji grinned. He spun his torso, putting the full weight of his momentum into a lightning-coated fist. He buried it deep into the creature’s deformed, fleshy torso before it could snap its teeth shut.

CRACK-BOOM.

The sound of the strike echoed back like a distant mountain storm. Thunder particles erupted from the point of impact, blasting the Agubanba backward. It skidded dozens of yards across the concrete, its body convulsing from the shock.

“Come,” Eiji challenged, his hands flickering with fresh arcs of electricity.

The monster wailed—a pained, hateful sound. It dashed again, flailing its arms in a desperate, reckless frenzy. Eiji ducked and drifted, weaving through the assault. He was luring it in, waiting for the opening.

The Agubanba took the bait. It reared up, its shadow towering over him as it opened its mouth wide enough to engulf a car. Eiji didn't move. He waited until he could smell the rot in its throat, then he thrust his hand forward.

His fingers were outstretched, glowing with a concentrated, violent red. A beam of crimson lightning tore through the night, a jagged spear of energy that pierced the specter's core.

The roar of thunder drowned out the creature’s scream. The Agubanba collapsed, hitting the floor as a lifeless heap of flesh and grey hair.

Eiji exhaled, the red glow in his eyes fading into the dark. “Thought you were tougher than that…”

Naomi finally released the breath she’d been holding. She stared at him, her mind racing. This wasn't just a delinquent who knew how to brawl. This was something out of a manga. She felt as if those characters she used to draw came to life all at once.

“Say…” Eiji leaned over the dying creature. He pulled a playing card from his pocket and waved it in front of the monster’s fading eyes. “Does this ring a bell?”

The Agubanba didn't react. It just stared blankly, its soul essence leaking away.

“Not intelligent enough. Figures.” He stuffed the card back into his pocket. It wasn't the one. Not the one that had taken his family. But the vow remained. He wouldn't stop until that card found its owner.

As the monster withered, a yellow, flickering flame ignited within its open jaws.

Eiji reached into his bag and produced an ornate, jet-black key. With a flick of his wrist, the key shifted, metal sliding over metal until it formed a wakizashi—a short, black blade.

“Time to go home.”

He touched the tip of the blade to the yellow flame. A golden thread spiraled up the steel, humming with a soft, melodic vibration.

Slash.

He severed the cord. The distant, crystalline chime of a suzu bell rang out through the parking lot. The hideous mass of flesh dematerialized, breaking apart into thousands of glowing green particles that rose into the air like stars returning to the sky.

The eerie pressure vanished. The silence that followed wasn't heavy but oddly serene.

“It’s…” Naomi looked up, her face bathed in the soft green light. “…Beautiful.”

She walked toward him, her hands clasped tight. “Is it over, Senpai?”

“Not quite.” Eiji pointed to a single firefly of light lingering where the monster had been.

“Naomi?”

The voice was young, feminine, and hauntingly familiar.

“H-Ha…zuki?”

“It is you!” The light chuckled, glowing brighter.

Eiji realized this wasn't his conversation. He stepped back into the shadows, giving them space.

“Hazuki! But how…?”

“Listen, Naomi… I’m sorry,” the spirit whispered, its light dimming.

“What are you saying?! I’m the one who left you! I’m the one who should be sorry!” Naomi’s voice broke. “I should have stayed! I should have—”

“It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself.” The voice was thick with affection. “Naomi, I’ve been watching you. You’ve been struggling, haven't you? Trying to make friends?”

“How do you—”

“I know. And it’s my fault. I sheltered you too much. I never let you out of my sight.”

“But that’s what friends do!”

“No. I should have let you see the world on your own. And now… now you have to.” The firefly’s glow began to flicker like a candle in the wind. “From now on, Naomi, you need to live your own life.”

“But how? I’m all alone and you—”

“You’re strong, Naomi. Stronger than you think. You never really needed me.”

“That’s not true!”

“It is. You can be so much more.” The conviction in Hazuki’s voice was absolute. “And you’re not alone, either. I’ll always be right here.”

The firefly leaped from Naomi’s palms and vanished into her blazer pocket, right over her heart.

“Hazuki…” Naomi gripped her jacket, tears finally spilling over. But for the first time in three months, she felt whole. The weight in her chest lifted… alongside the curse.

Eiji stepped forward, holding a small glass vial. With a silent command, the remaining particles in the air were drawn into the glass, filling it with a soft radiance.

“Gathering the souls,” he muttered, corking the vial. “So they can rest.”

It was over.

“Senpai, I…” Naomi looked up. Her face was still tear-stained, but her eyes were different.

“No matter how many times I save you, that harassment won't stop,” Eiji said, cutting her off. He stared at the horizon, the image of his own sister, Hifumi, flickering in his mind.

“Eh?”

“That won't change unless you do. You have to stand up for yourself. You have to set the line.” He turned to her, his hair messily caught in the night breeze. “Only you can save yourself.”

Naomi stared at her hands. She balled them into fists.

“Only me, huh?”

“If you set that limit,” Eiji added, “I’ll deal with anyone who dares to cross it. But you have to take the first step.”

“I will,” Naomi nodded, her voice firming up. “I promise.”

“Good.” Eiji turned and started walking toward his bike.

Naomi watched his back as he walked, her mind a blur.

And you’re not alone, either…

Hazuki’s words echoed in her heart. She realized then that Kanzaki Eiji hadn't just saved her life; he’d given her the spark to start it again.

He had done the same thing as 6 years ago. Set her life into motion, without asking for anything back.

And that was something Naomi couldn’t let go of. Not again. Not anymore.

With a sudden burst of energy, she skipped after him.

“Say, Senpai!”

“What now?”

“Will you join the Occult Club?”

Eiji raised a brow.

“No.”

“Ah-re? But you already said yes!”

“When did I ever say—”

“In my head!” Naomi declared, hopping over a puddle. The rain was gone and a new dawn was about to begin.

Eiji opted for silence.

“Hey, senpai.”

“What now?”

“Will you at least drive me home? It’s late!”

Eiji let out a long, exaggerated sigh, glancing at the road.

“…If it means you’ll stop talking so fast.”

“Yatta! Wait—I have twenty missed calls from my mom!”

“You’re on your own for that one.”

“EEEHH?!!!”

And as it seemed, the wheels of fate, once frozen in that abandoned parking lot, finally began to spin again. Both for the girl and the exorcist alike.