The Reincarnated Onmyoji Who Returned From Another World ~ I Was Reincarnated Into An Onmyoji Family On The Verge Of Decline, But Thanks To My Experience As A Hero Who Fought In Another World And The Magical Power Training I've Been Doing Ever Since I Was Born, This Life Seems Like It Will Be Easy ~ - Chapter 9&10

Let’s study hiragana…?

In response to the housekeeper’s words, I wanted to retort “Do I really need to study hiragana at this point?! I’m in the middle of studying English!” but I was still three years old. There was no way anyone would believe that I could actually read and write.

Even if they did believe me, if they asked “Why can you do it?” I wouldn’t be able to answer anything. Therefore, I obediently started from practicing hiragana.

“…Haah.”

I sighed while carefully learning the characters. I was seriously doing the kind of thing that kindergarteners and elementary school lower grade students did at school.

【Hmm… haven’t the characters changed too much? No matter how you look at it, they’ve changed too much.】

While I was practicing hiragana, Oni was leisurely talking about the transformation of the words beside me. I didn’t know what era this thing had lived in, but the characters must be vastly different between the old days and now. Classical Japanese wasn’t even Japanese. I’d never forgive that subject. Only that one course had brought down my score on the common test mock exams.

【Ho, so this is how you write it now. How interesting.】

Oni, who was leisurely looking at my letters, was now in a semi-transparent form, leaning against my body while looking at the letters. Semi-transparency. Although it was a spirit state where she couldn’t touch anything or be touched by anything, Oni was certainly standing beside me.

This was something I had created after exploring what could be done by messing around with the original shikigami descent ritual technique, wondering if it might be useful as a reference for shikigami techniques.

Others couldn’t see her. She was a semi-transparent manifestation that only I could see. Oni had been using this constantly, always following me around. What’s amazing about this was, well, for example, during tests she could walk around looking at the surroundings and help me cheat. Amazing, right? It was an ability that high school me would have wanted so badly I could taste it.

【Even so, your handwriting is poor.】

‘You’re being noisy chattering beside me.’

【What? Are you angry about having facts pointed out?】

‘Huh?’

【You’re studying it over again anyway, right?】

‘I understand that without being told.’

Even though I was reluctant to do so, I was studying hiragana from scratch again. If that was the case, I should train myself to write characters neatly. That was definitely the way to go. People with beautiful handwriting were wonderful just for that reason. I didn’t think my handwriting in my previous life was terrible, but it certainly wasn’t beautiful either.

‘It’s just harder than I thought it would be.’

The habits from my previous life didn’t disappear as easily as I thought they would. No matter how much I tried, my habits came out somehow, and I couldn’t achieve beautiful handwriting like the examples.

【How pathetic.】

‘Shut up!’

I didn’t want someone who couldn’t even write because they didn’t have a body to butt in. Someone who could only float around as a spirit.

【You, didn’t you just think something rude!?】

I gracefully ignored Oni, who stuck her face right next to mine and protested by rubbing her cheek against mine. She couldn’t do anything anyway. I could just ignore her.

【Nuooooooooooooooooo!!!】

Oni was being as noisy as always. I ignored her complaints and silently continued practicing hiragana.

Chapter 10: Ominous Presence

“…Lately, demon activity has been becoming more active.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. There have been signs of this since three years ago, but recently it’s become even more pronounced. Both their numbers and strength are on a different scale.”

“Are you alright, dear?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Eh?”

“There was a prophecy from the head of onmyoji. A prophecy that great calamity will visit this town. Reinforcements are being sent from the Onmyouryo as well.”

“If reinforcements are being sent, won’t it be alright?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Demon activity is becoming more active. And it’s not just in this town, it’s happening nationwide. There aren’t that many personnel that can be allocated to this town.”

“…I see.”

“Touya is the light of hope for our family. Please, take care of that child.”

“Please stop that… Such… saying such words that sound like a last will.”

“I have no intention of dying. I can’t die until I see Touya’s growth. However, constantly considering possibilities is what it means to be an onmyoji.”

“I’m a person from an ordinary background. I don’t want to think about such things. You must live.”

“…Ah, you’re right. I can’t leave you behind either.”

“Yes, that’s right. Touya would hate it if Papa disappeared too.”

“Haha, I hope he thinks that way. I must properly teach Touya about our family’s shikigami techniques too… I must leave everything of the Koutoku family to him. He’s a genius. They say he’s already mastered the basics. It might be early, but… I’ll trust him and teach him everything. That’s the least I can do.”

In the heavy atmosphere, Ryoma smiled slightly while thinking of his child and renewed his resolve.

…

………

Was there really such time to spare? At night, eavesdropping on my parents’ conversation as usual, I muttered this in my heart.

【Ho! Ho! Ho! Something interesting seems about to happen!】

‘This isn’t a laughing matter.’

Unpleasant magical power was stagnating in this town. As my father said, it wouldn’t be strange if something happened to this town. Right now, I was interfering with that magical power using my own magic and forcibly eliminating the unpleasant ominous power, but there was a limit to that too. It seemed certain that something big would happen soon.

【How wonderful! How wonderful! Onmyoji prove themselves by standing in deadly ground! Demons prove themselves by scattering such things! Magnificent!】

‘Whose side are you on…’

【I am myself. The individual that is me is inexhaustible. I will continue to reign endlessly.】

‘What are you saying when your body is constrained by me?’

【Wh-what!?】

There was absolutely no way Oni was in a position to act high and mighty.

【You spoke of forbidden things! What do you intend! I am an existence once feared throughout all of Japan! And what is this? That you’re constraining me? …I-it may be fact, but I have my way of being. My way of thinking. You’re dancing in my palm! To look down on me is not permitted… hey, listen to meeeeee!】

Ignoring Oni who was making various complaints, I spread my thoughts within my head. Oni couldn’t do anything anyway. The constraint was perfect. As a hero, I could assert this. Even the Demon King couldn’t break this. If the Demon King could do something impossible like this, then it was no longer an existence I could handle no matter how much I was on guard. If that happened, I’d have no choice but to give up.

“Hmm.”

The demons that would probably be born from the unpleasant magical power stagnating in the town were certainly troublesome too, but more than that…

“Something seems likely to spawn in this house too, demons I mean.”

Magical power… no, cursed energy. Cursed energy sprang forth from the very earth of this planet. In such circumstances, this house was built in a place where cursed energy springing from the earth was especially abundant. Unpleasant feelings were accumulating from the cursed energy springing from the earth too. I had a premonition that something would happen.

Something like the simultaneous appearance of powerful demons in two locations. Could the onmyoji really prevent this?

“It’ll have to be me, won’t it.”

It was probably impossible. Anyway, the place where the second demon would spawn was surely here, which meant that I’d have no choice but to clean it up myself.