Storehouse (
Summary[]
One of Kyora's maids is seen preparing his tea.
As a white mask flashes over Kyora's face, Chihiro raises Enten, the blade's surface rapidly blackening; a clear indication of Kuro. Kyora reveals he is disinterested in combat and brushes aside Chihiro's demand for the Shinuchi's location in favour of appraising Chihiro's blade. While it appears decorative, Kyora recognises that it is clearly one of Kunishige Rokuhira's works, thus the young man on his couch wielding the blade must be Chihiro Rokuhira, his deduction surprising Chihiro himself.
To the side, Shiba stands and ponders how Kyora could've known about Chihiro's existence and name, questioning if there was an information leak within the Kamunabi. In addition, despite being confronted with an Enchanted Blade, Kyora seemed calm and in control. Thinking back to when they had told Hakuri about their plan, Shiba recalls Hakuri agreed that since only Kyora knew where the Storehouse was, the only option was questioning him. Hakuri then revealed information on the estate and warned Chihiro and Shiba of the Tou, the Sazanami Clan's Special Defense Corp, consisting of the four strongest of the clan's 50 sorcerers.
Hakuri revealed all of the children revered the Tou, and even Hakuri wanted to be part of their ranks one day, but he now viewed them as powerful and scary. Shiba thought Hakuri wouldn't be attacked by his own family, but Hakuri stated the Tou would not hesitate to kill him if they found him.
Back in the present, Shiba wonders why Kyora hadn't ordered for the Tou to arrive yet, having refrained from bringing Hakuri because they expected to fight. Kyora, meanwhile, tells Chihiro if he wanted the Shinuchi he should bid for it like everyone else, a notion Chihiro immediately shuts down, voicing that Shinuchi was his father's blade. Kyora then points with his hand, and Chihiro and Shiba immediately notice a display case had appeared right behind Chihiro, with Shinuchi's box inside.
Chihiro immediately remembers his father talking about the Enchanted Blades, and his father's semi-regretful face when discussing Shinuchi took particular precedence in his mind. He rushes to take it, but is confused when his hand passed straight through the case and box. Kyora reveals the box is a preview projected by his sorcery.
Kyora moves on to say Shinuchi is a masterpiece, grinninge as he declares that life is the most valuable thing there is; hence Shinuchi, having taken countless lives, should be valued appropriately. Kyora tells Chihiro not to intervene, as due to Kunishige's death no new Enchanted Blades would be created, making valuing Shinuchi against the market clearer.
Chihiro and Shiba confronts Kyora.
Both Chihiro and Shiba are angered by Kyora's purely financial view of Shinuchi, and Shiba prepares a hand-sign in order to engage. However, Chihiro is faster, his blade centimetres away from Kyora's neck, and he tells Kyora to hand over Shinuchi and reveal the Storehouse's location. Kyora notes that while hard to define, the Storehouse could be stated to be 'inside' of him, projecting an image of the Storehouse's interior around them. Kyora states the Storehouse is a subspace created by sorcery, with only those of the Sazanami bloodline holding authority over it. Chihiro and Shiba are cautious at Kyora's casual reveal of this key information that not even Sazanami Clan members were aware of.
Kyora concludes that non-clan members cannot access the Storehouse without permission from himself, who has full control over the space. Should Kyora die, the Storehouse and everything within will be destroyed. Kyora refuses to hand over Shinuchi and rhetorically asks if Chihiro will kill him, along with everything in the subspace. Chihiro does nothing upon seeing the projections of numerous prisoners within the Storehouse.
Shiba internally reflects that Kyora chose to reveal the Storehouse's capabilities so as to avoid combat before telling Kyora they'll rip off his fingernails until he hands Shinuchi over. Kyora agrees but retorts he will kill one prisoner for each fingernail; the loss in value regrettable but not irreplacable. Shiba disgruntledly notes Kyora had used their unwillingness to gamble with people's lives to his advantage, and they couldn't act even if Kyora was bluffing.
Realising this as well, Chihiro lowers his blade. Kyora smiles and dispels the projection, thanking them and commenting revealing Storehouse secrets was difficult. Shiba abruptly wonders if Hakuri could interfere with the Storehouse based on Kyora's words that only a Sazanami could control the space; but reckons Hakuri's self-proclaimed lack of talent in sorcery is an issue.
Shiba suggests to Chihiro that they should withdraw for now. Kyora interrupts them, stating as uninvited guests, they should offer Kyora a gift; his idea of a gift being Chihiro's blade. Three members of the Tou — Tenri, Tamaki, and Enji — suddenly appear in the room. Kyora asks where the fourth member Soya is, and while Tamaki thinks Soya is ill, Tenri believes Soya is looking for Hakuri again. Kyora brushes off Soya's absence and asks the three of them to deal with Chihiro and Shiba, Tenri readying Isou in response.
Elsewhere, Hakuri walks down some stairs in an apartment complex, having stayed behind due to his lack of ability in sorcery. Sometime after, Hinao had asked him to run an errand for her, which Hakuri agreed to. Hakuri turns a corner and abruply bumps into Soya, who bursts into a smile, having been looking for him for a long time. In contrast, Hakuri appears terrified.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Kyora states he does not want to fight and appraises Chihiro's blade.
- Kyora's statements lead Shiba realise there may be information leaks from within the Kamunabi.
- The Sazanami Clan are said to have 50 sorcerers, with the four strongest being chosen as part of the Special Defense Corp, also known as the Tou.
- Hakuri reveals he, like many other Sazanami children, used to idolise them and desired to be one of them, but now regards them as frightening as they would kill him on sight.
- Kyora expresses his views regarding the Shinuchi's immeasurable material value, which anger Chihiro and Shiba, Chihiro raising his blade to Kyora's neck.
- Kyora explains the storehouse as a sacred storage subspace that only those of the Sazanami bloodline can access, and uses his sorcery to project images of the subspace to Chihiro and Shiba.
- Living people are among the 'merchandise' stored in the subspace, and Kyora holds them hostage to ensure Chihiro backs down.
- Three members of the Tou—Tenri, Tamaki, and Enji—arrive and prepare to confront Chihiro and Shiba.
- The fourth, Soya, meets Hakuri, who is outside running an errand for Hinao.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
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