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Koyomi
Nothing
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How sloppy.
When we fought last summer you had more backbone, didn't you?
I've pretty much been holding back this time, entirely.
I appreciate that.
Anyway, what are you after...
challenging me to a fight all of a sudden?
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A lot of things have hit a stopping point for me,
so I thought maybe I'd see if I could get some training from you, Kagenui-san.
I was thinking it'd be nice if, the next time I'm met with a difficult situation,
I could deal with it as deftly as you, and without relying on my vampirism.
Oh, I see. That's what this is about.
But you should probably give up on that.
If you were to try and learn my technique from me like this in live battle practice,
you would die before you learned it.
Just why exactly do you think I've sent Yotsugi to invade your house?
For a little while at least,
I've made it so that you should be able to go without being bothered by oddity affairs.
It's just that, it's a little painful going about my day to day life protected by two little girls.
And that is exactly why you can't carelessly make a move, now isn't it?
It's the same for them, too.
In any case, you shouldn't be doing extreme things like trying to learn anything from me.
Why did you get involved with oddities and ghost stories, Kagenui?
It probably started back in kindergarten, when I punched some irritating kid.
Thinking about it now, that brat might have been possessed by some awful thing or another, too.
Well, that was from back before I specialized in immortal oddities.
So, the reason you specialize in taking on immortal oddities now,
is because it's impossible to overdo it, right?
Turning that around, that would mean that you've overdone it quite a lot of times before, wouldn't it?
Is your profession perhaps based on this?
I suppose you could say that.
You sure have a lot of questions.
What, do you want me to join as well?
To the fabled 'Araragi harem' or whatever you call it.
Why does she know about that?!
Er, no. No such scandalous organization actually exists.
It'd be nice if I could become enough of a big-shot to woo you.
Though right now I'm more worried about staying human than getting big.
Don't worry, if you do lose your humanity, I'll be here to beat you to death.
Hey, Kagenui?
Ash
What is it?
How are you and Ononoki related to each other?
My relationship with Yotsugi?
As you already know, I'm the exorcist and she is my familiar.
But, well, Ononoki does refer to you as 'big sister,' now doesn't she?
She does.
So, I was wondering if you two had a kind of sisterly relationship or something.
If you're gonna say that, it's like this:
She says big brother when referring to you, too, doesn't she?
She says big brother and big sister when referring to most people.
Big brother Oshino
Big brother Kaiki
Yes... but,
she calls you just 'big sister.'
Well, aren't you the perceptive fellow.
Or maybe you have good intuition?
Well, it's not really something worth hiding,
and it wouldn't really matter if I told you,
but being asked so formally makes me not want to tell you, somehow.
Then, you won't tell me?
No, I'm not saying I won't.
I also won't charge or put you to work,
so you can rest easy on that front.
Okay then,
how about a continuation of our battle?
Just one shot.
If you manage to land just one shot while matched against me,
I'll tell you then.
Yotsugi's true identity.
Magical incantation
And so that's why, Karen, it's your turn.
Um, what exactly do you mean by 'that's why'?
I-can't-talk-about-the-details,
but-there's-this-person-who's-strong-as-an-ox.
so-strong-that-I'm-utterly-powerless-against-them,
but-I-want-to-land-a-punch-on-them.
Is there anything I can do?
who
exactly
does
my
brother
think
I am?
I am a martial artist who walks the path of martial arts.
Even if I knew a method to practice violence, there's no way I'd teach it to an amateur like you, bro.
Don't talk like that.
I'll fondle your breasts anytime you like from now on.
Oh, really? Well, with a condition like that, then I am also prepared to concede...
Nothing!
There is no time when I'd like to get my breasts fondled by my brother!
Think about it, Karen.
Having your breasts fondled by your brother when you'd like,
vs. having your breasts fondled when you'd wouldn't like.
Which is better?
Oh! I'd prefer getting fondled when I'd like!
It's obvious once you compare them!
That's my bro, you're so smart!
That's my Karen.
You're so dumb
Alright, got it.
It's not my policy to take on apprentices, but I'll make a special exception for my bro.
So what would you do for example?
If you'd want to land a punch on a person who is clearly stronger than you, what would you do?
It's impossible!
No, seriously.
Under those terms, it'd be difficult to get in a punch versus that person, wouldn't it?
Even if it didn't have to be a clean hit.
It'd be difficult even to get in behind their guard, wouldn't it?
Yeah. I told you, I'm utterly powerless.
If there's such a difference in ability,
then you just shouldn't fight them.
Martial arts says you should run away.
Actually, from what you've told me, I'm guessing it's like this:
If you can land a punch on this person,
they'll answer a question of yours,
or something like that, right?
Yeah, exactly.
That's a pretty good inference coming from you, Karen.
Aren't you just being refused indirectly?
I bet you asked something insensitive.
So maybe you've just been driven away without being exposed to the sharp edges.
At some point you've started to wonder only about how to land a shot on this person
instead of about whether or not your question will get answered, haven't you?
What the?!
I see.
So that must be how Kagenui expresses her adult considerations.
Well in that case, what should I do in response?
How should I know!
Think about it yourself!
But if it were me,
I'd do my best so that this person, who was so considerate of me, wouldn't lose face.
At the least, I'd make sure that they didn't find out that I saw through their excuse to propose the fight.
So as to give nonchalant concern to Kagenui
by way of hiding my intention to respond to her sentiment,
I'll need some kind of excuse for when I face her.
So that means I'll have to think of some way to get a shot in on her,
not to win against her, but to lose gracefully.
I'm at a complete standstill.
Now for the epilogue, or rather, the punchline.
To construct a false chance of victory,
I basically followed the same method I took when I fought against her back in summer break.
As for how I confronted that,
I had Oshino Shinobu suck my blood, boosting the vampirism in both of us,
strengthening myself, and then went to confront her.
This time however, I couldn't use this method as-is.
I can't keep using my vampirism,
However, I can borrow Shinobu's abilites as much as I want.
I borrowed her ability to materialize matter,
and had her make me a pistol.
Black
I brought the handgun only to use as a tool for rhetoric.
Donuts
100-yen sale
Kagenui said 'one shot.'
'If you land one shot.'
In that case whether that shot was from a punch or a bullet shouldn't matter.
That's just exactly the kind of simplistic idea that a fool like me would think up.
And also, and this part's cruicial, it was an idea that would 100% fail.
An idiotic highschooler stepped up to a game and simply lost.
That should be the end of that.
A sudden response to a nonchalant concern.
Rather, to counteract my carelessness.
It should at least get a passing grade.
Ash
Huh?
The lifelong undefeated specialist, Kagenui Yodzuru, was gone.
Huh?
To be continued
I kick a stone away to get rid of my worries,
I'm downplaying the flutter I feel this April.
We were happy children full of curiosity,
I was the one who pushed you forward,
from that day onward.
Let's escape our confines
and take our time along the way
Let's ride our bikes to far away
carrying our hopes and dreams in the basket
Is the future we heard so many rumors about,
A nice place to be?
Even if we ask our extending shadows about it,
we'll still be none the wiser