Time rewound to just before Rowan had left home.
On the other side of Tokyo, in Ukiyoe Town—
"Hey, Nyanko-sensei, are we really going out?"
Natsume stood at the entrance of the Nura Clan's estate with Nyanko-sensei in his arms, hesitating to take the final step outside.
In Natsume's view, they had come to Tokyo to seek refuge, not to go sightseeing.
Although he was somewhat tempted by Nyanko-sensei's desire to look around Tokyo, he still hesitated.
It was impossible to say that he had no interest in Tokyo. After all, this was Tokyo, one of the most prosperous cities in the world.
The problem was that Hagoromo-Gitsune's subordinates were currently hunting him. What would happen if they encountered danger after leaving the Nura Clan?
He truly did not want to cause trouble for the Nura Clan.
"What are you afraid of, Natsume?"
Nyanko-sensei said dismissively, "Aren't I still beside you? Don't tell me you think those worthless small fry under Hagoromo-Gitsune can actually defeat me."
"Don't worry, Natsume. With me around, there won't be any problems."
After Nyanko-sensei repeatedly persuaded him, Natsume finally stepped out of the Nura Clan's estate and began his tour of Tokyo.
When he arrived in Tokyo yesterday, he had been entirely focused on finding Ukiyoe Town and had no spare attention to properly observe this prosperous international metropolis.
Today, he finally had the opportunity.
Tokyo was indeed even more prosperous than he had imagined.
At Shibuya Crossing, the instant the traffic lights changed from red to green, crowds surged onto the pedestrian crossing from every direction, converging into a rushing river.
Office workers dressed in suits hurried through with briefcases tucked beneath their arms. Young women in brightly colored dresses held iced coffee and laughed together. On the enormous LED screen of a shopping center, the music video for an idol group's latest song played on a loop. The beat of electronic music mixed with the guitars of street performers, turning the entire street into a boiling pot.
Lively.
More lively than anything Natsume had ever experienced before.
It was the first time he had seen so many people.
"Tokyo really does live up to its reputation."
"Hey, Natsume, the weather's getting hot. I want shaved ice."
Just as Natsume was marveling at Tokyo's prosperity, Nyanko-sensei spoke from his arms.
His voice was neither high nor low. It was at a normal volume, yet aside from Natsume, no one heard Nyanko-sensei's words.
Or perhaps they heard him, but what reached their ears was only an ordinary cat's cry.
"Meow!"
Thus, even the people standing next to Natsume did not find anything strange.
What kind of person could not be found in a large city like Tokyo? A boy carrying a beckoning cat was far too ordinary.
The only thing that drew people's attention was Natsume's appearance.
He had soft, short hair that shone light brown beneath the sunlight. His tea-colored eyes were as clear as if they had just been scooped out of a mountain spring. The hot breeze gently lifted the hem of his white shirt, revealing a slender wrist slightly reddened by the sun.
What a beautiful young man.
But that was all.
After all, the one thing Tokyo did not lack was handsome men and beautiful women.
Every member of the idol group playing on the shopping center's giant LED screen was no worse-looking than Natsume.
After sighing in admiration, the passersby hurried away.
Leaving behind a country boy who seemed completely out of place in the fast-paced metropolis.
"Nyanko-sensei, where am I supposed to find shaved ice for you?"
Faced with Nyanko-sensei's demand, Natsume frowned in difficulty.
"I don't care. I want shaved ice. The weather is so hot. I just want something cold and refreshing. Natsume, hurry and find some. Go find it quickly."
"Alright, alright. I'll look right now."
There was nothing Natsume could do against the unreasonable Nyanko-sensei. He quickened his pace and searched for somewhere selling shaved ice.
Before he realized it, Natsume gradually strayed away from the crowd.
Finally, on a street with fewer pedestrians, he found a shop selling cold drinks.
"Ah, I finally found one."
"Ah, I finally found you."
Just as Natsume sighed in relief, a deep voice sounded.
Natsume froze slightly, because no matter how he listened to it, that voice did not sound like Nyanko-sensei's.
At the same time, Nyanko-sensei, who was lying on Natsume's head, sensed that something was wrong and kicked Natsume away.
"Natsume, watch out!"
Before the kicked-away Natsume could process what was happening, he saw a fist larger than his own face smash over viciously and strike Nyanko-sensei with a loud bang.
Whoosh!
Nyanko-sensei flew away like a cannonball.
"Nyanko-sensei?!!!"
Natsume hit the ground with a thud. Before he even had time to cry out in pain, a shocked shout escaped him.
He had seen it clearly. A terrifying yokai as massive as a mountain, with red hair, sharp teeth, multiple arms, and a demonic mask, had appeared beside him at some point and sent Nyanko-sensei flying with one punch.
If Nyanko-sensei had not reacted in time and kicked him away, the one sent flying would not have been Nyanko-sensei.
It would have been him.
In other words, Nyanko-sensei had saved his life, while he had dragged Nyanko-sensei into danger.
Feeling ashamed, Natsume could not help examining the yokai that had ambushed Nyanko-sensei.
The way this yokai stood in the street was like forcing an ancient sea monster into a goldfish bowl.
Yet not a single pedestrian stopped.
There was no barrier and no concealment.
This massive monster, large enough to block nearly half the street, stood there openly in broad daylight, but everyone continued walking as usual, as if they could not see him at all.
However, whenever people approached him, they would subconsciously take a detour around him, yet they did not feel that anything was strange.
"Kid, your name is Natsume, right?"
The yokai spoke. His voice was so low that the vibrations could be felt through the soles of one's feet, but his tone was unexpectedly calm.
"Hand over the Book of Friends."
Natsume instinctively reached toward his chest, where he kept the Book of Friends close to his body at all times.
But he would absolutely never hand it over to this yokai.
"Hey, Tsuchigumo."
At that moment, a massive yokai descended and protected Natsume behind him.
It was Nyanko-sensei, who had been sent flying.
At this moment, he had already shed his beckoning-cat appearance and returned to his true form. In both height and build, he was not at all inferior to Tsuchigumo.
"I didn't expect Hagoromo-Gitsune to send even you."
"Long time no see, Madara."
Tsuchigumo snorted coldly and looked Nyanko-sensei up and down.
"I didn't expect you to be subdued by a human. How disappointing."
Natsume became somewhat angry upon hearing this. Was this guy looking down on the relationship between Nyanko-sensei and him?
"Nyanko-sensei wasn't subdued—"
"There is no need to explain, Natsume."
Nyanko-sensei's deep voice came over, soothing the angry Natsume.
"The relationship between Natsume and me is not something a muscle-brained brute like you could understand. Tsuchigumo, leave now, and I can spare you."
Hearing this, Tsuchigumo could not help laughing loudly.
"Hahaha! You're still talking tough, Madara. That punch just now must have injured you badly."
He had absolute confidence in his own strength. Even another great yokai like Madara could not possibly remain unharmed after taking one of his punches.
The guy before him was only forcing himself to hold on.
Nyanko-sensei sneered.
"Then come and test it."
Tsuchigumo narrowed his eyes. Powerful yokai aura poured out without concealment, and the surrounding pedestrians immediately felt a heavy pressure sweeping over them.
The pressure arrived so suddenly that the nearby people had no idea what was happening.
One after another, they left the street.
In the blink of an eye, the previously lively street became completely empty.
No—
one person remained.
"Step back, Natsume."
Nyanko-sensei spoke. His enormous yokai aura erupted and collided with Tsuchigumo's.
The two invisible forces instantly distorted the surrounding air.
Natsume wisely retreated some distance and used a vending machine as cover.
He knew the battle that was about to begin was not something he could interfere with.
A duel between yokai, especially a clash between great yokai like these, was far beyond what a human body could endure. A human did not even need to be directly hit. Merely standing nearby might be enough to tear them apart.
After Natsume had hidden himself, Tsuchigumo's massive figure abruptly closed in on Nyanko-sensei.
Although his body was enormous, his speed and agility were astonishingly powerful.
His huge fist shot forward like a cannonball, smashing toward Nyanko-sensei's head.
Bang!
The collision of pure physical strength exploded across the street, creating a ring of visible air waves.
Madara's strength was enough to make most yokai lose half their body on the spot, but Tsuchigumo merely swayed slightly, as if bitten by a mosquito.
Nyanko-sensei, however, was sent flying backward and crashed awkwardly to the ground.
"Nyanko-sensei…"
"Don't come over, Natsume."
Nyanko-sensei spoke, stopping Natsume from rushing forward. He slowly climbed up from the ground and stared fixedly at Tsuchigumo.
"So you really are injured, Madara."
Tsuchigumo understood very well that under normal circumstances, the other party would never be in such a sorry state or fail to withstand even one of his punches.
The true reason was that the earlier punch had already severely injured him.
"For the sake of our shared identity as yokai, as long as that boy Natsume hands over the Book of Friends, I can let you both leave," Tsuchigumo slowly said.
"Never."
Nyanko-sensei rejected him without hesitation. He had already come to regard the Book of Friends as his own property. How could he possibly hand it over to Tsuchigumo and Hagoromo-Gitsune's people?
Tsuchigumo's face gradually became ferocious, and the malice in his eyes grew more obvious.
"Then don't blame me for showing no mercy."
He had decided. Today, he would deal with these two fools here and take the Book of Friends.
After making his decision, Tsuchigumo launched another attack. Nyanko-sensei—no, Madara—roared and charged forward without backing down.
The two powerful yokai immediately became entangled in battle.
Madara was extremely fast. His sharp, massive claws tore through the air and went straight for Tsuchigumo's throat.
However, Tsuchigumo did not even dodge. His uppermost arm suddenly pressed downward, his palm as large as a millstone and carrying overwhelming force as it struck Madara's side directly.
With a thunderous crash, the earth shook, and Madara was smashed sideways through the air.
~~~
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