Chapter 1: Prologue: Kyoto’s Twelve Guardians
The island nation Japan, Kyoto.
Unlike the vibrant, international metropolis of Tokyo, Kyoto, the former capital, has retained its ancient architecture and traditional festivals to this day.
The entire city exudes an atmosphere rich with history and culture.
At the heart of Kyoto stands the Onmyo Bureau.
"Screech—"
The sound of a car braking echoed through the stillness.
A luxurious vehicle, reminiscent of those used by European aristocrats in the Middle Ages, came into view.
"My, my, driving for an hour has left my shoulders sore. It seems I'll have to wait for Satoru-kun to come back and give me a proper massage," a graceful voice, tinged with a mix of complaint and anticipation, came from inside the car.
The door slowly opened.
A woman emerged, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a pristine white European-style gown. Her demeanor was gentle, her beauty striking.
She is one of the Twelve Guardians, the elite protectors of the exorcist world, known by the title Heaven Empress (Tenkō).
Subaru Mitejima!
Unfolding a fan in her hand, she maintained her smile, her crescent-shaped eyes gleaming as she softly said:
"Let's go, Tatara."
As if summoned by her words, a white figure suddenly appeared at her side.
He is another member of the Twelve Guardians, known by the title Soaring Snake (Tōda).
Tatara!
"(゜▽^*))"
The white paper covering his face displayed a cheerful emoticon. Tatara nodded in agreement.
He's an odd one. Even among the Twelve Guardians, many consider him eccentric.
(Aren't they all eccentric? Or perhaps being part of the Twelve Guardians means being an oddball?)
Although capable of speech, Tatara preferred to communicate using emoticons on the cloth that obscured his face.
More intriguingly, Tatara had existed long before the current Twelve Guardians were formed, always maintaining his peculiar appearance.
During battle, he made no distinction between friend and foe, a trait that led many of his peers to avoid interacting with him—not out of fear but because he was too troublesome.
The two pushed open the large doors of the Onmyo Bureau and made their way to the meeting chamber, the designated gathering place for the Twelve Guardians.
…
As the conference room doors opened, Subaru Mitejima held her fan to cover half of her face, revealing only her crescent eyes as she chuckled softly.
"It seems we're the last to arrive."
Inside the spacious chamber, twelve chairs were arranged beneath a massive compass.
A steady flame burned at the center of the compass, illuminating the room.
All the chairs were occupied except for two—the ones belonging to Subaru Mitejima and Tatara.
"Yes, so please take your seats," a male voice called out from a raised platform.
The speaker was Tsuchimikado Arima, head of the Tsuchimikado clan, the 39th leader of the Onmyo Bureau.
He is revered as the God of Onmyodo.
"Now that everyone is here, let's discuss the situation with Magano and the Basara."
…
Adjusting her elegant dress, Subaru Mitejima gracefully took her seat.
Her gaze instinctively shifted to an empty sofa in the corner of the room.
She frowned slightly, her crescent-shaped eyes widening.
"Why hasn't he returned yet?"
Extending her slender hand, she interrupted, "Excuse me, may I ask something?"
"Hm? What is it, Subaru? Are you unclear about the agenda?" Tsuchimikado Arima didn't appear annoyed but instead looked curious.
A closer look revealed a glint of teasing amusement in his eyes, as though he already knew what she wanted to ask.
"I'd like to ask about Satoru-kun. Shouldn't he have returned by now after dealing with that Basara?" she asked, glancing back at the empty sofa.
"Oh, you mean Satoru-kun~?"
Tsuchimikado Arima stretched his words, resting his chin on his hand as he teasingly replied,
"Didn't you know? Satoru-kun left Kyoto. He went to Tokyo, saying he was tired of dealing with Magano and wanted to take a break—something about 'playing at being a teacher.'"
"To… to play at being a teacher in Tokyo?"
Subaru Mitejima's expression froze.
She couldn't imagine that carefree, white-haired oddball as a teacher.
Would he teach jokes or just skip classes entirely?
More importantly, why did he tell Tsuchimikado Arima but not her?
And to think she'd been worrying about him, assuming he was still chasing that Basara!
Well done, Gojo Satoru. You've successfully made a lady angry.
Though Subaru Mitejima's face still held a smile, the veins bulging on her wrist betrayed her irritation.
"Just so you know, it's been half a month since he left for Tokyo," Tsuchimikado Arima added nonchalantly, clearly enjoying himself.
"Oh my, in that half month, who knows how many pretty girls have already approached Satoru-kun? As much as I hate to admit it, he really is quite handsome~~~"
Snap—
The fan in Subaru Mitejima's hand broke cleanly in half.
"Arima-sama, let's focus on Magano, shall we? There's no need to discuss irrelevant matters," she said with a refined smile that failed to mask the subtle threat in her tone.
What?
I, the leader of the Onmyo Bureau, am being threatened by the Heaven Empress? If word of this gets out…
Never mind. Better to let it go.
"Cough, cough. Let's proceed with the meeting…"
In truth, Tsuchimikado Arima wasn't afraid of Subaru Mitejima.
What he feared was that man.
That man… was simply too terrifying.
As Tsuchimikado Arima resumed the meeting, the other Guardians found it hard to focus, their minds consumed by the absurd image of that man playing teacher.
The thought was too surreal to believe—or even imagine.
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