Asumu
Please sit in a well-lit room, at a comfortable distance, when watching.
I, Adachi Asumu, am a first year high school student living in downtown Tokyo.
After meeting Hibiki, a man who trained hard to become an Oni and now saves people, something changed.
Inside Tachibana's, the mysterious shop where Hibiki lives,
I accidentally fell into some sort of pitfall trap...
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Volume Twelve
Secrets Revealed
Heyyy!
Hey!
Man, those guys sure are strong.
Don't worry!
I haven't lost yet!
Yeah. It's a pretty tough situation.
Their appearance changed completely!
It's like they became even stronger.
In the end, not only could I not defeat either of them...
...but I'm the one who got beaten and fled.
Their appearance... changed?
Yeah.
It's like... their whole bodies were covered in armor...
...and my techniques didn't work against it.
Hmm... that's quite troublesome.
It really was.
The parents this time are some real nasty ones.
Yeah.
Well, they're monsters,
so that's a given.
I suppose it would be "overly nasty", then.
I'll handle it somehow.
I've got a plan.
Is that so...?
Armor, huh?
Hm? Does that remind you of something?
I think there was something like that in...
...the historical documents we dug up recently.
If you find out anything, let me know.
Alright, I will.
I'm counting on you, boss.
Bye.
So...?
Well...
Looks like their plan is to get us out of the way using a strong Douji and Hime...
...so the Makamou they raised can descend on the town.
It'll be fine!
Say, did gorilla #0 come back yet?
Yeah... it's back.
Good.
Okay... quiz time!
Which of these is #0, the combat disk?
- Hmm... which could it be...
It's... this one!
Yup!
We have defeated an Oni using the power you gave us.
You mean we failed?
Wow!
Asumu?
Midori?
- Why are you here? - Why are you here?
Rekka
Oni Stones
So this is what's below Tachibana's?
Yup. It's twice the surprise, like Hattori Hanzo as an Oni!
Huh?
Ah, never mind.
That's... Hibiki, right?
Yup, it is.
I guess this all seems pretty strange, huh?
That Hibiki becomes something like that, I mean.
No, it's not like that at all.
I think it's amazing...
Hibiki called me his friend,
but I really don't know much about him.
Ah, I see.
Then, how about I fill in some of those gaps, being his childhood friend and all?
Sure!
But not a word of this to anyone, alright?
Got it.
Midori's gorilla, gorilla, gorilla~
The googly-eyed crab spins around~
Thanks.
These are... the armored Douji and Hime?
Yup.
#0 got a real good shot of them.
I'm hoping we'll figure out their weak point by watching this.
Have you heard how and why someone goes about becoming an Oni?
Yeah.
Hinaka said you have to train, train, and train some more.
Ah... so Hinaka told you...
These days, there are far fewer aspiring Oni, though.
Here, have a seat.
Okay.
As for why there are people willing to be Oni...
It's because there's an endless supply of these Makamou monsters.
You mean their numbers aren't decreasing, even though Hibiki and the others defeat them?
Right.
No matter how many have been defeated over the years, their numbers never seem to dwindle.
In fact, there appear to be even more of them lately.
And that's why Hibiki's so busy.
Yeah. I can't take a break either. It's tough.
Oh, this is the one you saw, right?
Yeah, that's it!
The color's a bit different, though...
A Makamou's color, build, etc. all vary depending on where it appears.
These turn up all across the country, you see.
Usually there are about a hundred annually,
but things are a bit odd this year.
That's why Hibiki and the other Oni are fighting hard to protect people from them.
Here, these are the Oni of Kanto.
This is one named Ibuki.
Hello!
Huh?
That's strange...
They even have a customer.
I guess they're downstairs?
Jounan?
Huh?
Excuse me.
What's the matter?
It's closed.
Oh. This place is filled with traps, just like a ninja house.
So...
...the passageway must have closed because a panel somewhere was pushed.
Let's see...
I definitely remember seeing a strange picture of a Douji.
Right?
Yes?
Oh, Ibuki?
You're upstairs?
H-hold on!
Ah, sorry, excuse me.
Geez... huh?!
I'm really really sorry,
but could you look after the shop until we're able to get out of here?
Alright.
Hello. Oh, Dad? You've got something?
Yeah. Hibiki's right here.
Gimme that for a sec!
Hello?
Yeah.
An image of the armor dissolving?
I knew it.
Yeah. It seemed that way to me too.
I'll give it a shot.
Okay, bye.
Well?
A drastic transformation really should've been impossible for them.
Do you have a stopwatch?
Yeah... but what're you gonna use it for?
To time something.
Time?
That's one of the Oni's partners, a disk animal.
Yeah, Hibiki uses these.
They're designed and tested here, and created at our headquarters in Yoshino.
This is what they were like in the past.
That's incredible!
We call these summoned familiars "shikigami".
Oni use these to locate and defeat Makamou.
Um, this might be a really basic question, but...
Can Makamou only be defeated by Oni like Hibiki and the others?
You're a sharp one, Asumu!
Oh, no...
That's right.
Oni shoot the Makamou with purifying sound to defeat them.
They need to be purified like that, or they can't be defeated.
Found them.
Alright!
Not good...
They're pretty close to the base of the mountain.
You heading out?
Yeah.
Oh, just to be safe, you go back to town.
They might end up heading down there.
Got it. If anything happens, I'll evacuate everyone.
We in Takeshi serve as the Oni's support.
The group evidently started out as a gathering of people who had been saved by Oni.
Does that mean you guys were saved by Oni too?
Well... not quite.
Why I joined, hm?
I suppose... it was a result of Hibiki's influence.
Eh?
I think it was because he became an Oni.
Hibiki claims that I was the one who gave him the opportunity to become one, though.
I've been studying.
There was a time in middle school when Hibiki was really depressed.
I only noticed it by accident, though.
Ah.
It was...
...after a kid from our class transferred out.
The fact that he hadn't been able to stop it...
...really weighed on him.
The transfer was due to a fight with another student,
but apparently Hibiki saw it happen and wasn't able to do anything.
He was really torn up about it.
Hibiki was?
Yup.
So I blurted out "And you call yourself a man?!"
Ehh?!
"Then... you need to work hard so the same thing doesn't happen again."
Then he said,
"I already knew that without you telling me."
Asumu?
Um, actually... I saw some shoplifters at a bookstore recently,
but I couldn't do anything...
Huh?
And later, when it seemed I would be beaten up,
I still couldn't do anything...
I see...
But hearing about that conversation you had with Hibiki...
...kinda makes me feel at ease...
It might be strange to say that, but...
I guess... it just makes me think.
Is that so?
Yeah.
I'm counting on you.
That's Midori's new spring collection for ya.
About thirty seconds left, I figure.
Not yet?
So there really is a time limit.
It's impossible to get strong all of a sudden if you haven't put in the training, after all.
Here we go!
Now for the Nurikabe.
My bad.
Alright.
Surging Flame Style!
Surging
Flame
Surging Flame
Surging
Flame
Surging Flame
You can use this rope ladder to get back upstairs.
Okay.
Bye.
Um, Midori...
Thank you for telling me all of that stuff.
Sure.
You know, Hibiki thanked me just like that back then, too.
So, you go to Jounan?
Yeah.
I couldn't today, though.
Then we might even be in the same class!
Maybe!
You were really a huge help, thank you!
- Sorry for the trouble.
Not at all!
- Thanks so much! I mean it! - Sorry...
Oh, that looks good on you.
Welcome!
You really like our millet dumplings, huh, Hitomi?
Yes!
- Adachi. - Adachi.
Ah... hello.
Asumu.
Now, now...
But, Asumu...
Where have you been, Adachi?
Secrets Revealed
It is as if you are wholly transparent
As if everything is passing through you
Is that not how it feels?
Boy! If you are going to journey...
Then you must have clear skies in your heart!
Hit the beat! Keep your beat!
Seek out the places that move your heart!
Hit the beat! Keep your beat!
Find what no one else can do!
That is your resonance!
The Douji changed and ate the Ubume and Hime.
Sorry, we're in a hurry!
That's why I'm a Special Mobile Attack Unit.
I was told my son fell ill at school and collapsed and was brought here.
Volume Thirteen
Chaotic Affairs
Volume Thirteen: Chaotic Affairs.