Chapter 29 — What Does Killing Ice Even Mean?! Is This Some Philosophical Thing Again?!

As soon as she returned to her room, Tomochika began collecting her things. Seeing as all of her belongings fit into a single backpack, it didn't take all that long.

Can you wait a bit? As Tomochika turned to leave, Mokomoko stopped her.

"What? If we don't go soon, Takatou will be left waiting."

Yogiri couldn't need that much time to prepare his things either. They had agreed to meet just outside of their rooms before leaving.

A man will understand if you just tell him that a woman needs time to get ready. It won't take that long, anyway.

"Okay, fine." It seemed like an odd time to stop and have a chat, but there was probably some reason for it, so Tomochika conceded and sat down on the bed.

Although we don't know exactly what their objective was, this time the enemy targeted you specifically. Relying entirely on that boy is no longer enough. He is sensitive to danger aimed at his person, but is rather slow to notice anything aimed at you. Even I noticed it before he did.

"Okay, I already get that just because he's safe doesn't mean I am."

On top of that, you will not always be together. In short, I believe you need to find a way to survive in this world on your own.

"I agree, but what can I even do?"

Tomochika hadn't received the Gift that the rest of her classmates had, nor did she have any special powers like Yogiri did. This wasn't a situation that could be resolved simply by working hard at it.

I have been considering ways to make you stronger, but it's not something that can be done immediately. For now, you must be able to make it through on your own strength.

"That's easy to say, but how much 'strength' do I actually have?"

Tomochika's family still actively practiced their martial art, so it was something she was fairly familiar with. But she had only ever been able to practice with her own family members, and in a place as peaceful as Japan there were no practical applications for it either. She had no way of actually comparing herself to anyone else.

If it is someone entirely reliant on their own strength, it should be easy enough to defeat them. Someone like a murderer with nothing but a knife should also be simple. Against a true master, you should be able to buy enough time to find a chance to escape.

"Isn't that actually pretty impressive?"

In the context of our world, yes. But in a world like this, where your opponents have skills and magic, you don't have much recourse.

"Then what do I do about it? You wouldn't bring it up unless there was something I could do, right?"

Let us release your seal.

"And suddenly you're sounding suspicious again! I can't say I'm not intrigued, though." She was about halfway between excitement and feeling like Mokomoko was just making fun of her. But if she had her own secret power, she might actually be able to contribute something. "So what happens if we release this seal? Am I going to get some superpower or something? Normally, I would think you're just messing with me, but after seeing Takatou's abilities, maybe it's possible after all."

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this won't awaken any dormant powers within you. All it will do is allow you to feel comfortable with killing people.

"That's it?!" Of course, having the resolve to kill others was no small thing. But the gap between that and her expectations left her largely disappointed.

You shouldn't sell it so short. If you are able to attack someone with the true intention of killing them, you have already become significantly stronger. Normal people cannot kill others so easily. Even if you resolved yourself to such a goal, your subconscious would strive to avoid it.

"But that's just an issue of preparing yourself for it, right? What is the seal you're talking about?"

There is a belief that possessions run in families, correct? The Dannoura family has something like that. The nature of breaking people like they are no more than objects is something we are born with. The same goes for you.

"Really? Seems highly questionable." And it did sound unbelievable. Yes, everyone in the family practiced martial arts, but none of them were that extreme.

Remember when you were ten years old, you gouged out one of your grandfather's eyes? That was when I realized you were more suited to being successor than your sister.

"Except Grandpa still has both of his eyes?"

Well, that's because, umm, he had an artificial eye implanted a long time ago.

"Right, that doesn't sound insane at all! You made that story up just now, didn't you?!"

I was hoping to make it seem like there was an untamed beast living within you, but I suppose I couldn't make it convincing enough.

"Who cares about that right now?!"

At any rate, rather than any sort of unfamiliar weapon or skill, your innate talent is far more useful to you.

"Maybe, but won't it change my personality as well? I don't like the sound of that."

Your personality itself won't change. You will simply lose your hesitation when attacking. Well, I won't force you or anything. At most it will only improve your survivability by about ten percent.

After a short pause, Tomochika spoke again. "Fine. So, how do you remove this seal?" It was better than doing nothing at all, she supposed. So she steeled herself for whatever it would take.

The seal is one of mental conditioning, placed using suggestion. Removing it requires a few specific keywords.

Mokomoko then began to chant.

The mad wander the three realms ignorant of their madness,

The blind born of the four modes of birth perceive not their blindness,

Born again, and again, and again, yet birth is shrouded in darkness,

Dying again, and again, and again, yet death remains a mystery.

"Don't you think that's a bit edgy?" The whole process was getting more and more shady.

It is a verse from Kuukai's "The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury." It is often used by martial artists and by Shingon Buddhists. At any rate, all you have to do is repeat it.

"It's a bit long, though..."

You can say it as fast as you like.

"Why can't you make these things shorter?!"

Well, that's all I wanted to talk about for now. It takes some time to take effect, so make sure to do the chant well in advance of needing it.

Reluctantly, Tomochika muttered the words as she rose from the bed. She didn't feel any particular change, but that was best, she supposed. When she stepped out of the room, Yogiri was already waiting for her.

◇ ◇ ◇

Having collected all of their belongings, the pair made their way to the emergency stairs. Hanging around would be dangerous, so their first course of action was to get out of the hotel. They could think of what came next after that.

While it is certainly better than using the elevator, it is reasonable to assume that the enemy might predict you will take the emergency stairs. Why don't you just try jumping from a window or something? Surely they won't expect that.

"You realize this is the fifth floor, right?" Tomochika was shocked by the bizarre suggestion.

I know plenty of people who could jump from this height without a problem.

"And are those people human?!"

"Well, if we had something like an emergency escape bag, it might be doable. But I don't really want to spend time looking for one, and it would be a bit too flashy for people watching from the outside. We are trying to sneak out, after all."

"The emergency stairs should be safe enough, right?"

The corridor was laid out in an L-shape. Heading right from their rooms was the elevator landing. If they went left, they would turn a corner and the emergency stairs would be at the far end of that hallway. Paying careful attention to their surroundings, the two approached that corner. Thanks to their caution, they easily heard the approaching footsteps — someone was coming from around the other side.

"My, my. Where are you going in such a hurry?" A woman with a gentle smile appeared. Wearing a soft white dress, she held a grossly over-ornamented staff in her hand.

That appearance and soft-spoken demeanor sparked something in Yogiri's memory. This was one of Yuuki's bodyguards, Riza. At the moment, she was displaying no intent to harm them, but her appearance now of all times couldn't be a coincidence.

"Do you need something?"

"Just this." With a gentle laugh, she tapped the bottom of her staff on the floor. As she did, transparent spikes appeared before them. Like a cage, icicles rose up from the floor, surrounding them on all sides. "I was told by Yuuki to take Miss Dannoura to him. If you cooperate, I have no reason to harm —"

Yogiri kicked the icicle cage around them. A number of the icicles shattered, making enough space for a person to walk through.

"Wow, how fragile are these things?" Tomochika said, smacking a nearby icicle with her hand. As her fist bounced off it, she recoiled with an exaggerated shout. "It's so cold! And why didn't it break?! Why is this one so hard?!"

"I just tried killing the part I kicked. Seems like it went fairly well."

Apparently, inanimate objects created by magic were also susceptible to Yogiri's power.

"What does killing ice even mean? Is this one of those philosophical things again?!"

As Tomochika continued to complain, Yogiri pulled her out of the cage. Riza watched them, speechless. She must not have thought escape was even possible. The fact that she was here as an assassin was plain as day, so Yogiri felt more than justified in killing her. But they wouldn't learn anything that way.

"What is going on?! I don't understand this!" Completely at a loss, Riza raised a flustered voice as she pointed her staff at the two of them. The tip glowed bright, followed by an enormous block of ice appearing in the space in front of it.

She was probably planning on throwing it at them. With its sharpness and weight, that chunk of ice would easily reduce a person to a pile of lifeless meat. Since Yogiri had been planning on talking to her, his response had been too slow. In a situation like this, even if he killed the mage now, there was no guarantee the magic she put in motion would stop. So instead he unleashed his power at the ice itself.

The frozen block immediately shattered, dissipating into mist in front of them. Riza retreated a step with a sharp cry. Since she had tried to attack them, Yogiri now had all the justification he needed to kill her, but instead he turned his eyes to her staff. It really was a large thing to be carrying around for no reason, so it was possible that it was a necessary component of her magic.

He could kill her at any time, so first he tested out his power on the staff itself. It snapped in the middle, losing its magical glow as the jeweled head fell to the floor.

Riza sank down as well, her eyes wide with fear. She was just now realizing how out of the ordinary her opponent was.

"Can you use magic without your staff?"

"N-No!" Her reply was instant. And, as it happened, it was also the correct response. Yogiri had been fully prepared to kill her if she had so much as hesitated to answer.