“Confidence” (
Summary[]
Two days pass and the date is now November 3rd. Hiyuki and Tafuku sit in a restaurant, Tafuku with a dessert as Hiyuki (still with a bandage around her forehead) munching on a large plate of spaghetti. Tafuku then shows Hiyuki the news he has received: Enten's submission to the Rakuzaichi. The two speculate as to why Chihiro had submitted the blade and what he could be planning.
Elsewhere, Shiba drives Chihiro, Hakuri, Hinao and Char in a car. In the passenger seat, Chihiro explains he'll use Enten's presence in the Storehouse to perform reconnaissance, in order to find out more about the Storehouse. Chihiro states one thing they know that Hakuri may be able to interfere with it due to being of the Sazanami line, and another the possibility of insurance for the Storehouse. Kyora had claimed the Storehouse vanishes if he is killed, but contradicts the statement that the Sazanami Clan defend the auction with their lives; if Kyora were to risk his life and get killed, the Storehouse, and with it, the auction, would be gone.
Shiba concurs that there is likely some insurance at play, but they can't know for certain. He also proposes the Storehouse could be a location in the real world, and Chihiro agrees that's possible too. With so many unknown variables, Chihiro has decided to perform recon in order to narrow down what exactly the Storehouse is. Hinao and Char ask about the recon function, and Chihiro explains the goldfish he creates are manifestations of his spirit energy, and thus he can move them freely and also get a glimpse of their surroundings, which he had previously used during the Yakuza raid when he first met Hakuri. Shiba asks if Chihiro can activate the goldfish remotely, and Chihiro replies he had tried it out after Sojo had remotely activated Cloud Gouger.
Chihiro then stated the process was simple: he just had to charge Enten with spirit energy before breaking contact with it, and thus Enten will consume the spirit energy present within the blade in order to activate techniques rather than consume the spirit energy from Chihiro directly. Shiba asks if it would work, considering Sojo was only a hundred metres away from Cloud Gouger. Chihiro responds he's not sure, but they had no choice but to take the risk. Shiba is impressed by his conviction in his gamble, and questions if Chihiro's really okay with doing that. Chihiro admits it was difficult to let go of Enten, but Hakuri decided his move, prompting Hakuri to feel remorseful again, which Shiba quickly picks up on.
Knowing Hakuri must also be feeling complicated due to his father's readiness to kill him, Shiba proposes they go out for some ice cream, and while Hakuri states he's fine without, Char interjects and asks for some. Hakuri apologises to Chihiro but Chihiro tells him Hakuri had given him the confidence to give away Enten, through reminding him that Enten would always be his blade. As he speaks, Chihiro closes his eyes and attempts to connect to his blade, seeing a vision of it before him. Chihiro steadily reaches out towards the vision, and at the same time small droplets drip out of Enten's sheathe. As Chihiro grabs onto the metaphorical blade, a small black goldfish swims out of the real Enten, within the Storehouse.
As Shiba congratulates Chihiro, having noticed the small smile of accomplishment on his face, Chihiro tells Hakuri he had given them some general information, but after some recon they could ask more specific question, which they would count on Hakuri to answer. The reminder of the ways he has helped Chihiro reinvigorates Hakuri, as Chihiro refocuses on his goldfish's vision.
Controlling the fish, Chihiro sees Kyora's back, the older man facing Shinuchi's box. Noting how Kyora could enter the Storehouse, Chihiro then quickly moves the goldfish out of the way as Kyora turns around. Kyora suspects he had seen something but dismisses the thought as he walks up to Enten. Kyora thinks back to Chihiro's determined expression as he made the trade, and suspects Chihiro must have a plan in store. He relishes the idea of matching wits against Chihiro, and muses for him to 'bring it on'.
The Auction Begins.
Five days later, on November 8th, the day of the Rakuzaichi, two sorcerers chat by a stone wall in a parking lot, one wearing an oni mask and the other with tattooes on his bald head. The masked sorcerer comments it's unusually calm, compared to the usual deaths caused by people causing chaos. His bald comrade comments the unusual atmosphere is likely due to the auctioning of two Enchanted Blades; an unprecedented event. The oni sorcerer still thinks there's no point for there to be so much tension so early, as the Enchanted Blades, due to being headliners of the auction, were bound to only show up at the evening. The bald sorcerer admits the auction was likely to be chaotic later on, as the two watch a crowd advance into the auction building. The doors had opened at 11:00am, and the auction proper was to be opened by Kyora at 12:00 noon; then the 208th Rakuzaichi would begin.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Two days pass. The date is November 3rd.
- Tafuku and Hiyuki learn Enten is to be sold at the Rakuzaichi and speculate why Chihiro would have done so.
- Shiba drives Chihiro, Hakuri, Char and Hinao throughout Tokyo. They discuss how to investigate Kyora and his Storehouse.
- Chihiro explains his plan to form a small black goldfish from Enten to survey the Storehouse. He can see whatever is within the goldfish's field of view. He decided to try remotely activating Enten after hearing how Sojo used it against the Kamunabi.
- To do so, Chihiro needs to charge Enten with his spirit energy before separating from it.
- Chihiro reveals he gained the confidence to let go of Enten temporarily after Hakuri reminded him Enten will always be his blade.
- Chihiro remotely activates Enten and summons a small black goldfish from it.
- Kyora is within the Storehouse but Chihiro hides the goldfish before Kyora can notice.
- Kyora internally suspects Chihiro has an ulterior motive in letting go of Enten, but relishes the challenge of matching wits with Chihiro.
- Five days pass. The date is November 8th, and the Rakuzaichi is to begin on this date.
- The doors open to the auction house at 11:00 am. The auction proper begins at noon. Cars arrive outside the building, many individuals stepping inside.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author's Comments | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
I was one of those terrible kids who would ask his parents for cash as a birthday present. But what could I do, I was addicted to DB Heroes.
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