Chapter 3

"I passed!" I yelled, and jumped right into the snow, causing Misaki and Haruka to scatter to avoid being used as my doormat. In a burst of joy, I felt like I could flop onto a huge hebi, saddle it, and ride off into the forest with a happy shriek.

Yachiharo gave me a passing grade! That wasn't just anything! That was... that was me achieving much more than I expected! The semester was over, and I could relax and indulge in the sacred art of doing nothing for a whole five days!

The snow crunched, the sky was crystal clear, and the air was so crisp you wanted to bite it, like a sugar candy.

In honor of the Winter Solstice, when the night strives to be equal to the day, Taiyoganori has almost a full week for a big holiday. In the cities, houses are decorated with twinkling lights, flags, and colored crystals. Evergreen plants in pots are brought out onto the white snow to beckon spring and the sun. Prayers are read in the temples, sacred fire is lit, and incense is burned. It's forbidden to be sad during the Winter Solstice, or else misfortune and sorrow could come for the rest of the year.

Schools delighted students and teachers with vacations so they could rest, regain strength, and diligently start studying in the new semester.

Chou flew out right after me.

"Top marks!" she cried, jumping on the steps. "Top marks for ryoku technique!"

I pushed the bangs that had fallen on my forehead back. The frost was nipping at my cheeks, and the fur hood blocked my view, but I didn't mind. Actually, neither did Chou, who was skipping around the steps like a squirrel. We had become good friends during this time. It turned out that the granddaughter of the deceased onmyoji wasn't stupid, knew how to joke, and didn't like Satu much. By the way, Chou was also from the extinct Ikeda clan. But later... her family perished, Chou was left without means of support, and ended up at the Gozen School.

Chou listened and kept silent more than she spoke. However, if she opened her mouth, it meant she had something to say. But right now, she was daydreaming and missed a snowball that came flying from Haruka's direction.

"Oh, you just wait!" Chou exclaimed, indignant.

"Catch me first!" Haruka wasn't scared and stuck out her tongue.

Slamming my book bag onto the nearest stone, I scooped up some snow and immediately shaped it into a ball.

"Attack!" I shouted the command so loudly that Chou almost slipped.

Haruka managed to fend off my projectile. Misaki wasn't slacking and was hitting everyone with snowballs.

"Shoot at Aska! Let her show why Yachiharo gave her a good mark!" she shouted loudly.

"I'm shooting!" Satu's voice was heard from nowhere, and a substantial snowball flew straight at me.

I ducked and shot mine forward without aiming.

"Reinforcements have arrived! Surround the treacherous Shenghai!" someone from Satu's entourage yelled.

Ah, right, here came her hangers-on. She'll go far when she's older; look how cleverly she's trained these girls. I was even a little jealous—such talent!

While I was distracted, a snowball hit me right in the forehead. My head rang, and I plopped to the ground.

"Aska!" Misaki cried out.

Waiting for the picture in front of my eyes to restore itself, I scooped up the snow nearby and lay still. Satu, come here. Or whoever was aiming so well?

The girls started talking among themselves. It seemed they didn't expect me to collapse like that and not move. They could only see my back and the back of my head anyway.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Idiot! You hit her in the head!" Haruka's shout was heard.

"What did I do?"

Oh, dear Kyoko, so it was you who hit me so hard. I'll remember not to hang around when you're throwing something heavy. I'll still need my head, just like my other body parts. Thank the Weaver, the blow wasn't that strong, so I was quite ready for a new attack.

As soon as the girls came closer, I quickly jumped to my feet and launched a half-melted snowball at the girls. Suddenly, the snow clump flashed with purple ryoku and rushed with such speed that everyone in its path was flung in different directions.

At that moment, the door opened, and Teacher Koji appeared at the steps.

The snowball was hurtling straight at him.

"You're done for, Aska," the thought flashed through my mind, and I felt sick.

I wouldn't be able to catch up with it; I might as well collapse and pretend to be sleeping. Until spring. Like the bears that live in the forest and don't like to be disturbed by idle strollers.

Koji, without taking his eyes off the open book, raised his hand. The snowball scattered into a thousand snowflakes, swirling in the air. I opened my mouth, and the girls collectively gasped.

"Aska, if you want to kill me, come up with something more elegant," Koji said, unperturbed.

And then he looked up at me. Mocking sparks danced in his black eyes. No, not mocking. Excited and mocking. I realized too late that I should have been wary, because a moment later, my vision was blocked by a snowball that came from nowhere, flying at my forehead.

With a yelp, I put up my hand, punching the snowball with a flash of ryoku. For some reason, the snowball didn't scatter everywhere but rushed back towards Koji. He, in turn, sent it back to me with one clear strike of his hand's edge. I quickly reacted and swiftly drew the kanji for "Reflection." The snowball smashed into it; the kanji sparkled with purple light. An instant later, nothing was left of the snow.

No one uttered a word.

But the corners of Koji's lips were twitching in a hint of a smile. And that was something new. What amused him so much? Our antics in the snow, or had he gotten bored himself and decided to teach Aska, who was randomly throwing snow, a lesson?

"The reaction is not bad," he finally said. "But you need to train. Then you'll catch everything that flies at you immediately and won't wait for it to hit you on the head. Look at Aska's kanji. It should have reflected the snowball, but instead, it destroyed it. What are your thoughts?"

"Aska writes kanji badly," Satu grumbled without looking at me.

"Did the ryoku not flow in correctly?" Misaki carefully suggested.

"Aska writes kanji excellently," Koji smiled after all, only I wanted to hide behind the back of some tsumi. Because even a tsumi would be nicer.

However, I was glad that Koji was looking at Satu and not me. I had to give her credit; she didn't chicken out or step back but stood there like a string. And her face had such composure, wow! I was even jealous. Because his tone clearly implied: "Unlike you, Student Ikeda."

Koji then turned to Misaki.

"And your suggestion is closer." And then he looked at me. "You must not forget the correct stroke order for writing a kanji. That is how ryoku flows into every stroke. If the sequence of the strokes is mixed up, the kanji is initially drawn with a shifted vector, and the result is completely wrong."

"Do you teach calligraphy too?" Chou asked with admiration.

Well, all he needed was to teach calligraphy too. But Chou was only in her first year; she might have simply not been interested in Koji's subject specifically. Perhaps she only became interested in him after our trip to Nozu.

But now, standing before him and quietly brushing the snow from my hair and clothes, I was sincerely glad that Tehiko taught this subject to us.

"Demonology," Koji replied. "We'll meet in the third year, Student Chou."

She practically blushed. It seemed the army of infatuated students had gained one more recruit. Or maybe the girl was just shy, and I was being a jerk.

"Aska, why are you making a face as if you ate a honey cake with a lemon filling?" Koji asked without even turning to me.

"I'm not making a face!" I retorted. "I'm just thinking about how... how..."

"How diligently she will study Demonology night and day," Haruka chuckled.

Oh, you're a setup!

"Will there be extra lessons?" Satu immediately perked up, sensing freedom for maneuver with her taunts. "Some students aren't able to absorb the material right away."

"There will be," Koji replied unperturbed. "We take particularly gifted students directly to the tsumi. That way, you can pass the practical lessons very quickly and even get the chance to skip the exam."

Everyone instantly paled.

I swallowed. Somehow, I didn't like those practical lessons. I'd rather just cram the theory. Because it was a known fact that knowledge is weightless luggage; it doesn't weigh much. So, I'll stick to the standard program somehow.

Koji was about to say something else, but suddenly frowned sharply and thrust his hand into his pants pocket. A second later, one of those black crystals, the kind that were in the classrooms and, as it turned out, the teachers carried, was in his palm. It was a means of communication: you put your ryoku into it, transmit a thought—the recipient's crystal vibrates, and upon touching it, the message can be read. Only now, the crystal was glowing like a scorching ruby.

Koji quietly cursed and darted back into the school.

We only had time to exchange glances.

"What could have startled him like that?" I asked thoughtfully.

But I should have kept the question to myself.