coffeeyoukai | natsume: chapter one

Good Night... little kitten, the moon is beautiful today.

Hm? The sun is still high out so I can't see the moon, and so I can't tell whether it's beautiful? How boring. It's precisely because you can't see it that your imagination can soar.

It is in your heart that the pinnacle of beauty lies.

Ah... I apologize, perhaps you're having trouble understanding me.

By distorting the ending syllables of a sentence, I can make it sound dissonant. That sound disturbs your ears and leaves a scar on your heart.

It's a sort of "good luck charm".

I've had this habit since long ago. If I'm not careful, I end up slipping into it when talking. I apologize if it causes you discomfort.

If I focus, and put my entire heart into a word... that becomes a magical kotodama in its own way.

In the same way that concealing your true name grants it Power, so does concealing the true intentions behind your words.

It's because I always speak with such a strange inflection that any words I utter with the correct tone will certainly reach your heart.

Like an evil spirit, it enters through your ears, slithering all the way to the deepest reaches of your heart.

So that you might hear my words, and gather them...

And you drink down dangerous words, curses, that you would normally have ignored on instinct.

Do you understand? Yes, you seem to be a fairly intelligent one. ♪

You should beware. The better you are at listening, the more susceptible you are to magic.

≪Is your reason for cooperating with Trickstar really just that you sympathize with them?≫

≪If so... It's better if you run away with your tails between your legs now, before you get deeply hurt.≫

≪It's not to late to run.≫

...Mm~ Magic doesn't seem to be too effective on you. Or perhaps I've dulled.

Or maybe, my power is insufficient to scratch it... You may have already been caught up in the grand flow of fate.

Not that it matters to me, since it's your life. I won't interfere, so do as you wish.

At least until the sin and Power of your life, the gift that the gods gave all humankind equally, burn out.

≪Little kitten. Come over here, I'll show you something nice. ♪≫

...Hm. So I can still use simple magic on this level. It seems that I've mostly recovered, although I still can't use it in combat.

I'll have to continue letting my magical power regenerate for a while more.

In any case, look at this... it's just an everyday blackboard.

Can you see the chalk marking that's been left on the outer edge of the whiteboard?

Yep, it's a pentagram drawing. It's a design holding a lot of meaning. Humans are beings that can only understand things by encoding and classifying them, after all...

In a strong design, lies a similarly strong magical power.

There are several such marking scattered around the school, so do try and find them if you have free time. A pentagram is a connection point to another world, so touching one lets you experience a sacrament.

It might be dangerous, so it would be better if I'm with you when you touch one. In any case, this marking is kind of an old one, so try knocking on it.

I happen to have a hammer on me this time... use this. Right, use all your strength to strike the marking.

Click, Click, Click... ♪

Yep, well done. ♪ Lastly, give the blackboard a hard push.

Ahaha... ♪ The blackboard just went spinning around, like "whizz", and sent you spinning along vigorously too. Your movements are all so cute.

Are you alright? Not injured anywhere?

Oh, you have a cut on your forehead. I have a band-aid containing medicinal herbs on me, let me apply it.

Here, it should heal quickly, even if you take a bath or something with the band-aid on.

In any case, it's as you can see. Behind this blackboard is a secret passage.

It connects to the next door class, the B class, although not many people know about it.

In the worst-case scenario, if anyone like the student council steps into 2-A... escape is possible though this secret passage.

Well, that's the worst-case scenario, but as they say, prevention is better than cure.

There are pentagrams scattered all around the school...

Most of them either conceal a secret passage like this one, or serve as a safekeeping area for items that could be helpful in a pinch.

Remember that well. I don't mind if you put them to good use.

In the past, I found it fairly interesting to store things everywhere, but I don't think I'll be using them anymore.

I'll be happy just helping to topple the student council and start a revolution.

Ahaha... ♪ Don't look so alarmed. I'm not your enemy.

In fact, I support you. I have a slight grudge against the student council, see.

I have high hopes for you all, and for Trickstar. Into this tasteless, withered school where both happiness and smiles have been lost...

Please, do blow a breath of fresh air.

If you ever have need of a magician, call on me. You'll have to pay a price of equal value, but I'll be of help. ♪

Ah... It's a little late for this, but I'm called Sakasaki Natsume.

I only come to school when I feel like it, so you may not have heard of me, but I suppose that makes me your classmate.

Nice to meet you, little kitten. ♪

And now that introductions are over with, please excuse me.

...Eh? You're telling me to do my job according to the duty roster? I messed up by giving my name even though I'm the one on duty today, huh?

Tch~ I was going to confuse you with something good and skip my duties for today...

You're quite strong. Since ancient times, women have always been more resistant to magic.

What a bother. I don't want to waste my time doing something so boring.

Well, fine. I don't think I'll be bored if I keep talking with you. While talking away, we ended up on the cusp of night...

Let's get this done quickly.

Being able to turn any kind of hardship into fun and happiness is a kind of magic too... ♪