Ultimately, the Patriarch of the Busujima family couldn't resist his own daughter's insistence and reluctantly handed Murasame over to Saeko.
His daughter had simply stated, "A sword's recognition of its master is a matter of destiny. Father, Murasame is currently useless to you."
Frustrated and deeply wounded in his pride, the Patriarch simply told Saeko to get lost and practice with Murasame.
'Damn it…' he thought, grinding his teeth. 'How could I, a renowned grandmaster swordsman of my generation, not earn Murasame's approval…?'
Growing increasingly angry, the Patriarch knelt before the ancestral tablets and listed all of his daughter's shortcomings, hoping for some supernatural sympathy. Finding it useless, he then marched into the storage room, rummaging through the ancestral belongings like a desperate junk collector.
For several days, the Patriarch couldn't find any other useful magical relics. Instead, due to his constant, obsessive practice of the ancestral breathing techniques he had memorized from the flipbook, his appetite increased ravenously and his physical stamina improved considerably. This rapid progress made the Patriarch even more excited, prompting him to practically tear his family's storage room upside down.
It wasn't until a butler from his friend's household, the Takashiro family, arrived that the Patriarch finally emerged from the dusty storage room, his interest waning.
A twitch appeared at the corner of the Patriarch's mouth.
The Takashiro butler, seeing the usually dignified Busujima Patriarch sporting a sour face, disheveled clothes, and a terrible stench—resembling a homeless person who had rummaged through a garbage dump for a week—could only remain stunned in silence for a long while.
"...Lord Busujima, the Takashiro Patriarch invites you, as a renowned swordsman, to grace us with your presence."
"No," the Busujima Patriarch snapped.
He first denied his title of 'renowned swordsman,' correcting the steward's "slip of the tongue" with utmost seriousness. "My Busujima family has been a lineage of Samurai for generations. My ancestors were Samurai, and so am I, and so are my descendants."
'What kind of bullshit title is a mere swordsman?' the Patriarch thought defensively. 'Compared to my demon-slaying ancestors, modern swordsmen wouldn't even be fit to be dogs!'
He had to set the wrong path of the Busujima family right. His ancestors were glorious samurai; how could he ever think of changing his allegiance to modern sports fencing? He had been ignorant and unfilial before. Now he had changed for the better, and was the most traditional and upright descendant of his ancestors!
"...Alright, sir. Then, regarding the matter the Takashiro Patriarch invites you for..."
No time! The Busujima Patriarch wanted to shout that, but since the man was sent by a close political friend, he could only politely decline. He didn't have time to be a guest right now; he still had to turn the west wing's storage room upside down before he would be satisfied. Besides, it wasn't appropriate to let a servant do the searching. What if they secretly pocketed a priceless magical treasure left by the ancestors?
"I see... then we can only wait until next time to invite you to appraise the famous sword the Takashiro Patriarch recently acquired," the butler sighed, turning to leave.
'Why so much talk? Just get out of here... wait. !!??'
"You just said... a famous sword?" the Patriarch barked, his eyes widening.
"Yes, Your Excellency, the Patriarch recently acquired—"
"Then what are we waiting for!?" the Busujima Patriarch interrupted, grabbing his coat. "Let's go! Now!"
The Streets of Tokyo
'It seems we haven't encountered any real danger?'
Saeko Busujima was starting to have doubts as she walked down the street. The man who called himself Rom might actually have some real skills. After all, it was his hint about the "details" that had allowed the Busujima family's magical legacy to be revived.
He had also vehemently warned of potential dangers, and upon hearing this, the Patriarch of the Busujima family had secretly dispatched a small army of retainers to protect Saeko from the shadows. Therefore, the originally agreed-upon monetary reward was deemed insufficient to repay Rom's massive kindness. Consequently, the Busujima family generously transferred the deed of one of their commercial properties directly to Rom. For the wealthy Busujima family, this was insignificant, but for an ordinary person like Rom, it was a staggering fortune.
But afterwards, for several days in a row, Saeko acted together with Yukino Yukinoshita and Miko Yotsuya. However, she hadn't seen a single trace of danger, and even Rom himself hadn't sensed anything amiss when he checked in.
Impossible…
Standing outside a cafe, Rom frowned in deep thought. The divination result couldn't possibly be wrong. Because that reading was the very beginning of his true journey into the realm of Granny Mitsue's teachings.
'Could it be…?' Rom wondered. 'Was it because of my unexpected intrusion as a "butterfly" effect?'
Possibly. Rom couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This was a good thing. With his deliberate "interference" and warning to Saeko, perhaps an extra piece had inexplicably appeared in the gears of the divination, making them unable to turn, thus forcing the girls' fates to deviate from their original, doomed trajectory.
He habitually stroked the glowing prayer beads on his wrist, smiling as he looked down the street in the direction Yukino and the others had departed. He had, in a way, done the righteous thing that Granny Mitsue had always spoken of…
Pulling his coat tighter against the wind, Rom prepared to go home. The weather grew increasingly cold and harsh; winter had truly arrived. Several days of light rain were washing away the remnants of autumn, making Rom feel somewhat melancholic.
'Teacher… are you watching? I know I was wrong about everything… Can you still accept this unworthy disciple…?'
He turned to step toward the train station, but stopped abruptly, his foot hovering mid-air.
'Had I… overlooked something?'
His teacher had warned him years ago. Whether it was a mortal holding a ritual, or an evil spirit wanting to harm someone… It all seemed to hinge on timing.
What timing?
A sudden, violent, unsettling feeling washed over Rom. Timing… what kind of timing…?
He rapidly recalled the minute details of the past few days. Ms. Busujima had entrusted him with finding clues about Murasame. Through this, he learned that the Busujima family was far from simple. And indeed, that proved to be terrifyingly true.
The girl with clairvoyance, Miko, would frequently look at Saeko with a curious, almost guarded gaze. Or rather, Saeko always carried a long object wrapped tightly in strips of cloth on her back now…
Could that be Murasame?
He remembered that Saeko hadn't acted this way or carried such a weapon a few days ago. Combined with the text in the chronicle that the Busujima family's ancestor slew demons…
His heart pounded wildly against his ribs, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
Was it possible that his warning was perfectly effective, which was why the Busujima family had survived and given him such a generous gift? But since the warning was useful, had the Busujima family proactively reawakened something unusual to protect themselves?
For example… Murasame.
Once a magical artifact like that was awakened, would certain opposing forces in the underworld be unwilling to see it return?
For example… the exact kind of evil spirits slain by the ancestors of the Busujima family.
He thought of it. He finally realized it!
He turned around almost frantically, his scalp tingling with sheer, unadulterated terror.
'Timing… This was the timing…'
He seemed to have never changed anything. Nor had his warning ever been an obstacle to the spirits. Rather, he had become a vital, missing link in fate itself! He had inadvertently become the exact guide who opened the door to the three girls' destined peril!
'I am already trapped in the web of fate… Teacher…!'
He called out to the void, lost in thought yet operating on pure instinct. A freezing chill ran down his spine, and goosebumps rose all over his body as he fell into an absolute panic.
Fate. His own divination. The planning of timing. This interconnected development seemed to be flawlessly manipulated by an invisible, cosmic hand. But this was mathematically impossible.
So, it could only be Fate…
Slap! Slap!!
Rom suddenly slapped himself twice, hard across the face. The stinging pain grounded him.
'What are you afraid of!?' he screamed at himself internally. 'The realm you have longed for all your life is right before your eyes! Are you going to let yourself stop out of cowardice? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!'
No one could stop him from completely stepping into Granny Mitsue's true realm. No one could!
His hands trembled violently as he took out his smartphone, failing to press the correct buttons accurately several times due to the adrenaline. He couldn't help but slap himself twice more to steady his nerves.
'Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!!'
'Teacher… Please look at me! This time, your disciple will not disappoint you again…'
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