“Hunters” (
Summary[]
Shiba takes note of the Tou's skill and remarks Kyora really could fight if he felt like it, contradicting his earlier statement of not wanting to battle. Kyora, while noting they may incur losses, considers them worth it if they can acquire the seventh blade and prevent the theft of Shinuchi. He then states the tables have turned, and now they are the hunters, rather than Chihiro and Shiba.
Shiba once again states they should leave as obtaining Shinuchi is out of the question, but Chihiro stops him and activates Nishiki. He remembers Shiba telling him the Kamunabi will be bidding on Shinuchi, with a very high chance of obtaining it due to their government-sourced funds. If they were to get it, they'd be able to use it due to their control of its wielder.
Chihiro then recalls asking his father about the blade and why its case was different. Kunishige responded that was because Shinuchi was not only powerful, it was different; hence the added security. Chihiro then asks about why the blades aren't in the Kamunabi's hands, thinking them safer there and Kunishige denies this, promising to tell Chihiro the reason later. He grimly divulges the real reason why the Kamunabi can't get a hold of Shinuchi and why it's so secure; because it is the one sword they can't let anyone ever use again.
Knowing this, Chihiro decides he must obtain Shinuchi before the Kamunabi can get their hands on it, which is only possible through the Vault (storehouse). So he and Shiba have to stay, as they don't know enough about the Vault and need to keep pressuring Kyora. Shiba sees this conviction in Chihiro's eyes before a ringing sounds abruptly resounds through the room.
On the stairwell outside a high-up apartment building, Soya declares he has truly missed Hakuri. Hakuri is terrified, recalling memories of Soya and other Sazanami family members beating him up, and immediately jumps over the ledge. Soya catches him by his jacket and warns him that he could die if he fell from that height, to which Hakuri yells he'd rather fall, as Soya was inevitably here to kill him for 'ruining the merchandise'.
Soya states he's not here to do that, since they're brothers; Soya being five years older than Hakuri. It is revealed that Soya does sincerely love Hakuri, but expresses this love through violent actions. Soya drags Hakuri back onto the stairwell and tells him that he'll inform their father that it was the fault of 'that merchandise woman' that Hakuri went crazy, and now Hakuri should have returned to normal.
Remembering said woman, Hakuri declares he refuses to come back and refuses to be part of the family. Soya is confused and dismayed, tearing up, as Hakuri wasn't the kind of person who would talk back to people. Hinao then arrives at the top of the stairs, holding an umbrella as it was about to rain. Soya immediately thinks that just like the captured woman, Hinao is also influencing Hakuri and leading him astray, and promises to kill her so Hakuri can come back for real.
Hakuri tries to restrain Soya while yelling at Hinao to run, but Soya punches Hakuri's face, slamming him into the ground, tears rolling down his face as he tells Hinao to give him his little brother back. Hakuri grabs Soya's leg, telling him to stop being so crazy, confusing Soya who believes he is 'saving' Hakuri.
At that point, Shiba arrives behind Soya, confirming whether Soya is his target with Hinao before slamming his palm into Soya's face, grabbing and crushing it. Shiba then shifts his grip to the collar of Soya's shirt and teleports the two of them high into the air above the stairwell, far away from Hakuri and Hinao. Soya demands Shiba give him back his brother as the tell-tale black discolouration of Isou flickers across his left eye. By this point, Shiba considers Hakuri important to their mission, and resolves to keep him safe.
Chihiro and the Tou begin their battle while Kyora watches.
Hakuri, lying on the stairwell, is informed by Hinao that she had alerted Shiba to their location by dialling him, hence the ringing in Kyora's room. Back then, as soon as the ringing had sounded Chihiro had encouraged Shiba to go on ahead while he'd figure out what to do against the Sazanami. In the present, the three Tou members activate Isou, shadows springing over their left eyes as Chihiro leaps out of a window. The trio follow, each wielding two blades, and Chihiro cuts through one of Enji's blades immediately. Kyora, from the broken window, sips on his tea as he watches the battle.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Kyora decides to engage Chihiro and Shiba now that he has the advantage.
- Chihiro decides to keep fighting and activates Nishiki.
- His decision is motivated by his father's declaration that nobody should ever wield Shinuchi again.
- Thus, Chihiro believes his only course of action is to obtain Shinuchi from Kyora's Vault beforehand; hence he needs to question Kyora further.
- Shiba initially disagrees with his decision but is interrupted by a ringing sound.
- Soya is revealed to be extremely possessive of Hakuri, viewing anyone who gets close to Hakuri as 'influencing' him away from the Sazanami family.
- A woman due to be sold at the auction is revealed to have 'influenced' Hakuri, but she is now dead.
- Soya attempts to attack Hinao for the same reason, but is stopped by Shiba, who teleports him into the sky. Soya then activates Isou.
- The ringing sound is revealed to be Hinao calling Shiba as a signal.
- After encouraging Shiba to leave, Chihiro faces the three Tou members after leaping through a window.
- Tenri, Tamaki, and Enji activate Isou.
- Kyora observes from the window, sipping on his tea. 10 minutes have passed since his arrival at the Sazanami Estate in Chapter 22.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author's Comments | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
I've been eating Calorie Mate bars for meals while I work lately. They are supposedly nutritionally balanced, so I'm getting healthy.
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