While the girls were discussing the upcoming school term and the Cultural Festival after school starts, a similar situation naturally appeared among the boys.
For example, Ishigami Yu's school start anxiety was even more severe than Fujiwara Chika's.
"Yeah, not long after returning from the trip, school will start..." Ishigami Yu hung his head, looking as if he had aged decades.
Shirogane Miyuki didn't know how to comfort him.
Natsume could only hand Ishigami a cup of tea, hoping he would calm down.
"Thanks... but you good students won't understand! The fear we average students face when school starts!"
Ishigami Yu clutched his head with both hands. "School starts right after the holiday ends! Phew— this feeling is like..."
"It's like a diver whose oxygen tank is exhausted, dragging his body that is about to reach the limit and wanting to swim out of the water surface, only to be dragged back into the water forcefully at that moment!"
Shirogane Miyuki: "Stop talking Ishigami! I already understand your despair and feeling of suffocation! But think carefully, isn't there a Cultural Festival after school starts?"
Ishigami Yu's eyes widened. "Think carefully... I haven't done a single book of holiday homework!!"
The diver who was just dragged back underwater was suddenly hit by a huge rock named [Homework].
Shirogane Miyuki: "..."
Takashi: "... Speaking of which, where is Ryo-nii?"
Shirogane Miyuki shook his head. "Not sure, probably still sleeping in the room."
...
Tokyo, Cloud Cat Cafe.
"Gre... Great Yokai! And two whole ones!"
Maki Yanagi (Cat Cafe employee) silently held a tray, serving her own boss and the Great Yokai who suddenly appeared today.
"Young friend Uchiha, long time no see. I really didn't expect that you went around the sea and actually brought Kujiramie over. This is a guy I invited many times without success."
Nurarihyon's eyes carried a hint of envy. You know, any group of yokai can only be called an organization if they possess a Great Yokai level combat force.
The Nura Clan back then was known as the Hyakki Yako (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons). Although not as exaggerated as a hundred Great Yokai, there were at least ten.
However, after hundreds of years, the current Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan is just a Lord of Pandemonium in name only.
So Nurarihyon had invited Kujiramie in the sea more than once. Unexpectedly, this kid succeeded!
"Kujiramie, didn't you say you wouldn't join any yokai organization... Wait! Then you joined the human side, right!"
Kujiramie drank tea silently, but his eyes were on the various cats in the cat cafe.
"Don't misunderstand, I didn't join or become anyone's subordinate. Young friend Uchiha and I are in a cooperative relationship."
The old Nurarihyon sighed. "Forget it, another cup of coffee."
Maki Yanagi nodded, and then was stopped by Uchiha Ryo reaching out.
"Mr. Nura, my place is not for you to mooch food and drink. Besides, as the biggest yokai boss in Tokyo, what are you doing in my small place?"
"Ehehe..."
The old fellow who had lived for unknown years scratched his weird head protruding backward. "It's not the yokai era like the Edo period now. This old man is just here as a tourist to drink coffee."
Nurarihyon petted the cat that suddenly jumped onto his lap.
"Look, I'm quite popular with the little guys."
It wasn't just Nurarihyon who was popular with cats; at the same time, a group of cats was actually hanging on Kujiramie's body.
Great Yokai as cat climbing frames? Uchiha Ryo didn't dare to think so, but the cats indeed liked the two Great Yokai very much.
Having had contact and even sparred once with Nurarihyon, Uchiha Ryo could figure it out. After all, his ability is Kyōka Suigetsu (Mirror Flower, Water Moon), integrating himself with nature.
Creatures like cats have a shy personality, so they dare not approach strangers at first. But Nurarihyon has almost no biological aura in the eyes of cats, isn't that equivalent to—a moving cat climbing frame?
As for Kujiramie...
Damn! No way? How did you train these cats, Enyun-chan? Or rather, what did you feed these cats! They even dare to stick so close to a whale!
Enyun-chan expressed: What's wrong with using the power of a Tailed Beast to catch fish in the sea to save excessive consumption of cat food?
"Forget it, I was indeed passing by today and came in sensing the youki. See you next time, young friend Uchiha."
"I don't think I will have any more contact with the Nura Clan."
Nurarihyon waved his hand. "Well, aren't you from that human Shuchiin Academy? Actually, I go to Shuchiin's Devotion Festival every year."
"Devotion Festival?"
"Hah? As a student of Shuchiin, you actually don't know this legend, tsk tsk tsk~"
Uchiha Ryo held back the urge to keep the old slippery ghost here and beat him up, but still asked curiously. "You, a yokai who has lived for so many years, are still interested in our human legends?"
"Legends... Kid, want to hear me tell a story?"
"Then let's hear it."
Nurarihyon signaled Maki Yanagi to refill the coffee. "It's a long story..."
Uchiha Ryo pulled a chair and sat down. "Then make it short."
"Cough, that was a long, long time ago."
"Get to the point."
"..."
Nurarihyon also wanted to teach this stinky brat a lesson, but it seemed he couldn't beat him, so he'd better continue talking.
Four hundred years ago, Hagoromo Gitsune of Kyoto brought chaos to the human world, and her favorite food was the hearts of young women. At that time, Hagoromo Gitsune's side dispatched a large number of yokai to search for women with particularly high innate spiritual power or youki.
Because devouring such hearts could greatly increase Hagoromo Gitsune's youki, they found the daughter of the local lord.
But the young and handsome Nurarihyon at that time happened to fall for this human woman, so the Nura Clan naturally fought to the death with Hagoromo Gitsune's side.
Finally, with the help of the human Onmyoji Keikain Hidemoto, although they successfully sealed Hagoromo Gitsune, Nurarihyon's heart was taken away.
Afraid that Uchiha Ryo wouldn't believe it, the little old man in front of him actually pulled open his clothes, revealing the scar on his heart.
"Otherwise, what do you think? How could the magnificent natural-born Great Yokai Nurarihyon be so old? If I hadn't lost my heart, my current age could only be said to be in my prime!"
Nurarihyon said disdainfully.
"But you humans are really interesting. That battle happened in the Lord's Mansion at that time. Probably some humans saw something and then compiled a story about the Devotion Festival."
Good heavens, the Devotion Festival tradition of Shuchiin that continues to this day was actually created by this yokai in front of him.
"Hmph hmph hmph, how about it, I'm amazing, right? Four hundred years ago, I was at the peak of Great Yokai strength! If I hadn't been sneak-attacked by Hagoromo Gitsune and had my heart taken away..."
Uchiha Ryo chuckled. "Just a fox with nine tails... is it very strong?"