32

.

Daisaku-sama takes his leave shortly after Kiyohira-sensei returns from 'escorting' Ima-san away. The aged old man does not care to linger long, which is understandable. As a prominent elder, Daisaku-sama surely has a lot of work on his plate… and his workload for the foreseeable future likely only increased after this meeting. Shiki does not envy the elder his position.

Oddly enough, Daisaku-sama does not appear to be as upset at the prospect as one might expect. Maybe the man just really enjoyed all the mind-numbing responsibilities and busywork and endless stream of power plays one after another?

Shiki is baffled by the prospect, but to each their own. Good for him, if that was the case?

The elder departs briskly, swiftly disappearing from view.

Currently, only three of them remain inside the room: Kiyohira-sensei, Satoru-niichan, and Shiki herself.

"… So. Gojo Kansuke, is it?"

Kiyohira-sensei's voice as he addresses Satoru-niichan again is level and calm. Nonetheless, there's a hint of something distinctly accusing to his tone. The gruff man's arms are stiffly folded across his chest, while his young clan head's posture is much more relaxed in contrast.

Shiki takes a quiet sip of her tea, and wonders what her teacher is trying to get at now.

… She can understand it, sort of. Shiki gets why Kiyohira-sensei might be frustrated that Satoru-niichan had apparently known the identity of the Kamo culprit they'd been searching for going into this meeting –or suspected it, at least– and never bothered to share this information with him. But on the other hand, Shiki trusts that her cousin had a reason for it. Getting worked up like this was unnecessary.

"Gojo Kansuke," Satoru-niichan agrees. "Seems rather obvious in retrospect, doesn't it? Crafty Old Hirofumi must've pulled out all the stops to cover up his grandson's tracks, if no one found anything substantial enough to qualify as evidence from the Gojo Clan's end. Really, if it hadn't been for Mei Mei stumbling upon–"

"That's not the point." The older sorcerer pinches the bridge of his nose, in a gesture that speaks towards either irritation or exasperation. Or possibly both? "Satoru-sama, is there a reason why you kept this to yourself, instead of telling us?"

"Would it have helped if I told you?" Satoru-niichan counters, unaffected by the other man's disgruntled attitude. "No offense, but you're a little –well, obvious with your reactions. Everyone knows that you're on bad terms with Kansuke, because of what happened with Shiki when she was tricked into 'visiting' the Kamo Clan that first time. If I shared with you that Kansuke really was a suspect, would you have been able to continue carrying along like everything was normal? Refrain from alerting him of your suspicions?"

The man's hand drops to his side. "That's–"

"And that's also not taking into consideration that I didn't have any actual proof in my hands, aside from Mei-san's words," the white-haired young man continues easily. "Her crows allow for easy spying, not so much for providing evidence –not until she figures out how to make recordings of what she sees with her crows, at any rate. Besides, there were a few other candidates aside from Kansuke, too, and no real way to narrow them down. Not until Daisaku finally pulled out Hirofumi here."

He gestures towards the decapitated head still sitting atop the table.

Kiyohira-sensei makes a dissatisfied sound. "… If Hirofumi-sama was truly as wily as you implied, then he wouldn't have left behind any evidence we could use to lodge accusations, either. Technically, you still don't have solid proof on your hands. Daisaku-sama may have summarily executed Gojo Hirofumi for treachery, but even he did not uncover anything that implicated Kansuke."

"So it's great that we finally have enough justification to go looking for the proof ourselves now, right?" Satoru-niichan smiles, baring his teeth. "He uncovered Hirofumi, and submitted the evidence so there's no doubting the Kamo Clan's involvement. Ima confirmed for us that there really is a relation between Hirofumi and Kansuke. In all likelihood… Hirofumi was covering for Kansuke's activities. Sure, we might not have proof of that. Butas a concerned clan head… it's only natural for me to take initiative and conduct a thorough investigation now that we're aware of such suspicious circumstances, right?"

Kiyohira-sensei blinks, and gives the young clan head a long, searching look. "… You certainly know how to make use of your position, Satoru-sama."

"Why do you say that like it's such a surprise?" The young man rolls his eyes. "Just because I usually don't have the patience for this sort of thing doesn't mean that I don't know how to work my way around it. Shouldn't you know that by now already?"

"Yes, I really should," the burly man mutters under his breath, and sighs. "Every time I tell myself I need to stop judging by appearances, somehow I keep finding myself falling back into the same trap. Repeatedly."

Shiki peers up towards her teacher suspiciously. "… Are you still referring to Satoru-niichan?"

Kiyohira-sensei snorts, then ignores her question entirely. Rude! "Anyways, I presume that you already have a plan in mind, Satoru-sama?"

Her cousin looks faintly amused. "I do, yeah. I'm just waiting for Mei-san to get back to me –I've asked her to keep a few crows on Kansuke ever since she marked him out as a suspicious character. Restricting his movements would only alert him unnecessarily. This way, he'll still think that he's in the clear, and we can have him lead us to–"

Satoru-niichan is interrupted by a sudden beeping sound from his cell phone.

"Ha! Speak of the devil."

Kiyohira-sensei leans forward intently while the young clan head takes the device into his hands and flips it open. "Mei Mei just brought you news regarding Kansuke?"

"Mhm," Satoru-niichan nods. Then, raises an eyebrow. "He's already made a run for it, apparently. Probably ran the moment he realized that Hirofumi was dead… huh. He's all the way at the Ukiharu Temple?"

The Ukiharu Temple? That sounded oddly familiar…

…

… Wait, wasn't that–

Next to Shiki, Kiyohira-sensei startles roughly, "That –that's the temple that Nanami-kun said his sister met Araya Souren at, isn't it?"

That… did not sound good. Kiyohira-sensei's hands clench into fists at the realization, while Shiki exchanges a quick glance with her cousin. Despite the mildly distressing news, the young man still does not seem overly concerned, and there's some small corner of Shiki that takes reassurance from that unwavering confidence.

Satoru-niichan snaps his phone shut, and pats her on the head.

"I'll head out and take care of this," he says without preamble. "Stay here with Kiyohira. Since we don't know what happened in that temple, exactly, I don't want to risk you going anywhere near there for now. Stick with your teacher and stay out of trouble while I'm gone, alright?"

"Okay." If Kansuke somehow managed to escape from an irritated Special Grade sorcerer while said sorcerer was actively hunting him down, Shiki would be very surprised.

… It was a little concerning that of all places to flee to, Gojo Kansuke had chosen the Ukiharu Temple. But from another perspective, the suspicious move on his part only cemented the fact that the man was most definitely hiding something. Once they finally get a hold of Kansuke, hopefully they'll finally be able to get some proper answers, and figure out what's going on.

Then they'll be one step closer to getting justice for Jihei-san, too.

Shiki doesn't doubt Satoru-niichan's strength. Literally no one within the Gojo Clan is a match for him. Saying something like 'Please be careful' for a task as trivial as this would probably make him laugh at her.

So instead, the white-haired girl reaches out and briefly tugs at her cousin's sleeve to draw his attention to her. "Come back soon, please."

Satoru-niichan glances down, as if faintly startled. Then the expression on his face morphs into a small, teasing quirk of the lips, and he teasingly ruffles her hair again.

… Shiki should really stop tying her hair up, if it's always just going to end up messily tousled like this.

"I'll be back before you know it," he promises.

Outside in the garden clearing, the sun shines brightly overhead. They barely make it three steps out into the open pebble-lined path before Satoru-niichan lazily raises his hand and waves it in a clear gesture for Shiki and Kiyohira-sensei tostop and stay where they are.

The young man proceeds walking forward on his own. Once there is a slight distance between them, cursed energy swells and rises–

And in the blink of an eye, Satoru-niichan promptly vanishes into thin air.

Teleportation.

Shiki stares silently for a moment at the empty spot where her cousin had stood mere seconds ago. "… Limitless is really convenient, isn't it?"

Kiyohira-sensei snorts. "Sure, you can say that. But Limitless is intensely difficult to use properly without the Six Eyes. The clan has multiple records of Limitless users who literally ripped themselves into pieces attempting to teleport when they lacked the cursed eyes to help them maintain control."

"Ah," Shiki hadn't known about that fact. "That sounds very unfortunate."

"… That's certainly one way to put it." The man eyes her oddly for a moment, then heaves a heavy, resigned-sounding sigh.

Inwardly, Shiki also sighs resignedly. Did she not express her sympathies properly? … Was this not the correct sort of thing to say, in this kind of situation?

Regardless of her confusion, Kiyohira-sensei does not seem inclined to explain anything.

"Come," he says shortly, turning on his heel. "While we wait for Satoru-sama to return… in the meantime, there's something else that I would like to ascertain."

The girl blinks, and tilts her head. "'Something else?'"

Kiyohira-sensei nods once, shortly. "Satoru-sama is going after Kansuke-san right now, which shouldn't take long. But I was wondering… what about his mother, Gojo Kikuhime?"

Who?

"… Formerly Kamo Kikuhime," her teacher elaborates, when Shiki stares blankly up towards him. "Sister to Kamo Matsuhime, the Lady of the Kamo Clan."

Kamo.

That… certainly puts things into more perspective. It also explained why Gojo Kansuke would be so close to the Kamo Clan and willing to perform all manner of tasks for them, despite being a Gojo.

"Kikuhime-san isn't particularly active inside the Gojo Clan, but… it's still odd." Kiyohira-sensei frowns. One hand rises absently to rub at his chin idly. "Ever since her husband's death, Kikuhime-san has kept to herself, staying by the shrine that she built in their home for him. But Gojo Kansuke coming into contact with Kamo Lady… there's no way that she wasn't involved in facilitating this connection somehow. I intend to look into this matter, while Satoru-sama is otherwise preoccupied."

Shiki nods slowly in vague understanding. The distinct possibility that Gojo Kansuke wasn't just acting as an agent of the Kamo Clan, but also specifically as an agent of his aunt, Lady Kamo Matsuhime…

To be honest, Shiki had almost entirely forgotten about the woman who'd tried to trap her into a betrothal with her son. She hadn't really considered this angle, not with her attention preoccupied by the mysteries surrounding Jihei-san's murder, and then her own situation with Araya.

Was it possible that Kamo Matsuhime was the one behind this far-reaching plot? She was a high-ranked member of the Kamo Clan, who would also have the clan head's ear. By proxy, her words should hold weight in the Kamo Clan as well… although just how much weight was debatable, considering that her desire to see her own non-sorcerer son as clan heir set her at odds with the elders who were in favor of the boy with Blood Manipulation.

But what reason would Kamo Matsuhime have to target Shiki? Just because of that failed betrothal attempt? No, something about that didn't seem quite right…

Shiki trails after her teacher in silent, increasing confusion as they make their way through the clan compound.

.

.

It doesn't take long before they arrive.

Unlike most high-ranked clansmen who tended to live near the center of the clan compound, Gojo Kikuhime's residence lies closer to the surrounding forest. Ostensibly for the secluded peace that a sparser area would provide, so that her 'mourning' would not be interrupted, or something to that extent. But Shiki can't help but also notice that it also means an easier path to leave the compound itself, without leaving very many eyewitnesses.

Is she reading too much into things? … Maybe, maybe not.

Surprisingly, Kikuhime-san is actually present inside her home, when Kiyohira-sensei and Shiki arrive on her doorstep.

That's… unexpected. Very, very unexpected, especially considering how her son had already escaped the compound. He'd run all the way to the Ukiharu Temple, even, which was a not-insignificant distance away from the Gojo clan compound. Considering that he'd chosen to run, one would think that he would've made arrangements for his mother as well, no?

So. In all honesty, Shiki had not expected to find Kikuhime-san still here, when Kiyohira-sensei initially raised the idea to look into Gojo Kansuke's mother, starting from heading over to where they resided inside the compound.

Going by the faintly perplexed look that she can see forming on Kiyohira-sensei's face when footsteps start sounding behind the door following his perfunctory knock, her teacher hadn't been expecting to find anyone inside, either.

Much less Gojo Kikuhime herself.

Shiki isn't quite sure what to make of this situation, only that it's undoubtedly strange. If Gojo Kikuhime had been the one to put her son in touch with the Kamo Clan, then it didn't make sense that he would just –leave her behind, and escape on his own. Unless there had been no time for him to warn her? No, that probably wasn't…

… Were they possibly estranged, somehow? That would explain the conspicuous negligence in warning his own mother, but then that raised the alternative question of just how Gojo Kansuke was making use of his mother's Kamo connections…

Strange.

There's something that Shiki is missing here, definitely.

The girl suppresses a small frown, as the door finally opens and they are greeted by a tall woman dressed in long robes of mourning black.

"Kikuhime-san," Kiyohira-sensei greets shortly, after a distinct pause. "… This is a surprise. I suppose I should apologize for arriving unannounced with my charge on such short notice."

"It's an honor, Kiyohira-sama," the woman responds quietly, dully, and folds herself into a polite bow. She straightens, and then offers a second bow in the younger girl's direction. "… Shiki-sama."

So this was Gojo Kikuhime.

Looking at the woman… the first thought that comes to mind is that the resemblance between her and her sister Kamo Matsuhime is quite clear. The general shapes of their faces, the dark, glossy hair… it's similar to what Shiki recalls of the Kamo Lady. But whereas there had been something undeniably sly and sharp about resplendent, confident Kamo Matsuhime, Gojo Kikuhime somehow seemed so very worn in contrast, to the point where it was a little… jarring. Unlike Matsuhime-sama, who possessed an ageless sort of beauty, Kikuhime-san had a faintly sunken pallor, with light wrinkles lining the corners of her eyes.

The single greatest point of difference between them, however, would be the listless expression on Kikuhime-san's face. This sort of look… such an expression belongs to a person who has long since surrendered to their fate.

Was it from Shiki and Kiyohira-sensei showing up on her doorstep? … Or was it because she had been abandoned by Gojo Kansuke?

There hadn't even been a single flicker of surprise on her face when she'd greeted Shiki and Kiyohira-sensei at the doorway so politely, so calmly.

"Hirofumi-sama is dead."

The woman's face doesn't even twitch at Kiyohira-sensei's probing statement. "I've heard. He was executed by the venerable elder Gojo Daisaku-sama, for his traitorous activities."

Kiyohira-sensei's eyes narrow. "So you do know what repercussions there are for traitorous activities committed against the Gojo Clan."

"Of course I do. In this… the Gojo Clan is not so different from the Kamo Clan," she responds indifferently. Then, the woman moves out of the doorway, turning around to head back into the darkened house. "I am aware that you have many questions for me, likely due to Kansuke's… recent actions. I invite you into this humble abode –this conversation is not one that is fit to be held in an open doorway."

Kiyohira-sensei is still for a moment, watching her receding form. Then he sighs, and steps over the threshold. "… I suppose you have a point."

"It gladdens me that you agree, Kiyohira-sama."

Shiki cautiously follows her teacher inside.

The interior of the home is not too different from various other buildings in the clan compound that Shiki has seen. It's smaller than Kiyohira-sensei's home, but that's only to be expected. Kiyohira-sensei's home is both a house and a training dojo all in one, so it's fairly sizable.

But Gojo Kikuhime's home is well-furnished all the same, the floorboards polished and everything arranged neatly in their positions.

If there is anything of note… it would be the household shrine placed quite prominently in the living room, the cabinet-like structure reaching all the way up to the ceiling. The food offerings upon the altar look recent, and the thick scent of still-burning incense is strong, to the point where it honestly feels a little choking. Shiki cannot say that she's particularly fond of the difficulty in breathing, nor the sweet-bitter burn that it leaves in the back of her throat.

Opening the windows for a bit of ventilation would not be amiss, in her humble opinion.

But Gojo Kikuhime walks through her house as if there's nothing wrong, and Kiyohira-sensei does not make any reaction beyond briefly wrinkling his nose, so Shiki bites her tongue and keeps her thoughts to herself. With any luck, this entire ordeal wouldn't take too long.

The woman leads them into an empty room, and excuses herself briefly to bring tea. Three ceramic cups are soon set out on the low table, fogging lightly as they are filled with steaming liquid.

Kiyohira-sensei does not even lift a single finger to touch it. Shiki follows his example.

Kikuhime-san gracefully takes a seat across from the two of them.

"My son," she starts quietly. A brief hesitation, then, "Is he… still alive?"

… Well, that instantly confirmed whether or not she had been aware of her son's activities. Not that that had really been in any doubt, given the way she'd reacted and the words she'd spoken upon seeing Kiyohira-sensei standing in her doorway.

"As far as I'm aware, yes," Kiyohira-sensei responds simply. The strong scent of incense in the house hangs over them, heavy and stifling. "Our honored clan head has chosen to take matters into his own hands to bring him back to the compound."

The woman's hands tighten over her tea cup, "I see."

Kiyohira-sensei studies her for a long moment. "… You know his transgressions. I cannot guarantee his life. But I can promise you that I will speak in favor of a lighter punishment, if you cooperate and answer my questions."

Kikuhime-san huffs out a small, humorless laugh. "You hate Kansuke."

It's a flat statement delivered as fact, not even a question.

… Shiki thinks that the woman might be misunderstanding things, though. Kiyohira-sensei might be quick to anger and stubborn when holding the occasional grudge, but he's not the type to actively hate something, or someone. At least, not from Shiki's understanding of her teacher.

"'Hate' is a strong word," Kiyohira-sensei deflects, ignoring the implied subtext. You hate Kansuke, so why would you lie to my face and say that you would speak in his favor? "I… disagree with his views, certainly. His choices and his actions, especially when they are harmful to my charge."

Briefly, the man's eyes cut towards Shiki, before returning to the woman seated across from him.

"But this isn't about Kansuke-san," he continues as he shakes his head, exhaling slowly. "I… choose to put my faith in Gojo Satoru. Despite his eccentricities, I… I believe that he is capable of leading the Gojo Clan forward to a better future, without resorting to staining his hands in a tyrannical bloody reign. I wish to do what little I can in order to support that."

"Is that so?" Kikuhime-san arches an elegant eyebrow. "Pardon my bluntness, but I don't believe that's what the elders have been saying."

"The elders do not give him enough credit. And, circumstances have changed from what they once were," Kiyohira-sensei rubs tiredly at his face with a large hand. "You could say that I have a… vested interest, in choosing to support Satoru-sama."

The woman hums. "I believe that was evident from the moment you chose to support Gojo Satoru-sama when he declared himself the head of the clan, no?"

Kiyohira-sensei frowns, disgruntled. "Yes, but also… no. Not really. It's not… I…"

Was it just her imagination, or did Kiyohira-sensei just glance towards her again? Shiki blinks questioningly at her teacher, but the man does not make any indication that he notices her confusion.

… It's a little strange that he's stumbling over his words like this, though. While it was true that Kiyohira-sensei wasn't the most eloquent person around –that would've been Jihei-san, indisputably– it's not to the point where he fumbles to this extent.

Are you alright? Shiki wants to ask him. Except this isn't really the time or place to be asking after his welfare, not while they were sitting across from Gojo Kikuhime in order to interrogate the woman. Although, given how the conversation was currently going, it seemed that Kiyohira-sensei was unusually patient with making small talk today, for some reason.

Curious.

Discreetly, Shiki tries to take in a quiet breath through her mouth, determinedly ignoring the overwhelming scent of incense in the air that both adults seem completely immune to.

… It smells like sandalwood. Sandalwood, mixed with a hint of something… spicy? Something uniquely spicy, but also with a perceptible hint of bitterness that tingled on Shiki's tongue just from the scent alone. It wasn't any scent that she was familiar with, despite Iori-sensei's thorough instruction in a multitude of different kinds of incense used for various types of rituals and ceremonies.

Shiki represses the sudden urge to sneeze.

Please hurry up, Kiyohira-sensei.

"… At any rate, it is heartening to hear that our honored clan head does not intend to rule through blood and fear," Kikuhime-san's hands close down over her own cup of tea, and she delicately raises it to her lips for a long sip. "But despite such reassurances… I do not think that his patience would hold for what Kansuke has gotten himself involved in."

"Involved… in…?" Kiyohira-sensei murmurs. His eyes narrow, and he glares down at his teacup like it has personally offended him, instead of looking towards the woman sitting across the table. "About… about that. Just what is he… involved in, exactly?"

Kikuhime-san is silent for a moment.

Then, a soft sigh.

"I hope you know that I am dearly sorry about everything, Kiyohira-sama," she whispers. "… You as well, Shiki-sama."

"Ex… explain yourself." Kiyohira-sensei demands, shaking his head roughly. Shiki's fingers curl up slightly on her lap as she studies her teacher intently, observing his strange behavior.

… Something is off.

For a single moment, the scent of spicy-bitter sandalwood is overpowering.

"Why apologize? What… is the Kamo Clan planning?" Kiyohira-sensei finally manages to get out.

"There's nothing I can do to change things. And… I don't want to regret my decisions again," Kikuhime-san says softly, her eyes fixated on the tea in front of her. Then, suddenly, "You're not just here for Kansuke. You're also here to ask after my sister too, aren't you?"

"… Yes."

The woman nods. "Of course you are. Even when we were children, everyone always liked to talk about Matsuhime. It used to drive our other sisters insane, but… jealousy is pointless. So very pointless, in the end. Especially when you're dead."

There's a hint of something distant in her voice as she ruminates on her own words, heavy with the weight of memories and guilt.

Kiyohira-sensei frowns. "What is your sister planning with Kansuke-san? How… how much of this situation is related to the Kamo Clan as a whole?"

The woman's fingertips dance feather-light across the rim of her tea cup. She does not answer Kiyohira-sensei's questions. "Ever since we were young, Matsuhime has always had a way of… drawing attention. Getting whatever she wanted. She was such a lovely girl… so lovely, but… I wonder when things started to change for us. Or perhaps the signs were always there from the very beginning, and I blindly refused to see it? … Oh, my beloved sister…"

Her words say beloved sister. But her voice… she does not say 'beloved sister' the way Shiki would say 'beloved uncle,' or 'beloved cousin.'

Something's not right.

Shiki knows that, has had an inkling of something being distinctly off for quite a while now, but… but for some reason, it's a little hard to think in this moment. In fact, it feels like it's getting a little hard to breathe–

There's a loud clatter, the harsh sound of ceramic cups shattering. Tea spills over the table, soaking into the ground underneath.

Shiki's heart leaps into her throat when Kiyohira-sensei suddenly pitches forward and slumps over headfirst with a heavy thud.

"Kiyohira-sensei?" The girl reaches out for her teacher, alarmed, and –there's a pulse. Good, there's still a pulse. That's good. Kiyohira-sensei is still fine, he isn't dead–

But why did he just topple over like that? Why is he unconscious?

Shiki is not in the habit of observing the lines in her surroundings in every waking moment, which means that she usually is not observing these lines while she is going about regular activities in the Gojo clan compound. But in this moment where Kiyohira-sensei collapses in a dead faint, Shiki instantly shifts her perspective once more, attempting to pinpoint the irregularity behind it–

And she doesn't understand.

The lines indicative of esoteric cursed techniques tend to be colorful. Swirls of different colors that stand out against the usual backdrop of gleaming red lines… except, there's none of that to be seen here. The gleaming lines stretched across Kiyohira-sensei's body shine red, meaning that the sudden loss of consciousness isn't due to a spell or cursed technique. The number of lines haven't changed too much, either. For all intents and purposes, it only appears that Kiyohira-sensei is asleep.

How?

There's absolutely no way that Kiyohira-sensei just fell asleep out of nowhere, on his own volition, with no warning! But if cursed energy hadn't been involved, then… what else could it be? The room itself was empty, aside from the furniture and the tea provided by their hostess. That, and the thick, cloying scent of–

… Incense. It's the incense!

The thought strikes her like a sledgehammer through the haze of confusion. If it wasn't the result of a cursed technique or anything else involving cursed energy that she could identify and trace, then… that only left the suspiciously concentrated scent of incense burning in the air. It wasn't odd for clansmen to keep shrines in their personal homes or to burn incense in honor of the deceased, so Shiki hadn't thought too much of it, but in retrospect that was probably exactly what Gojo Kikuhime was banking on.

This unknown, acrid scent that she still couldn't properly identify, the way the scent hung so heavily in the air–

She should've said something.

Shiki should've said something, the very instant her mind registered the unusual scent of incense. But Kiyohira-sensei hadn't reacted to it, and so she'd thought nothing of it when taking her cues from him. They'd both been under a false sense of security since they were currently inside the clan compound. While verbal spats and petty power plays were par the course in the Gojo Clan, she hadn't expected– she hadn't thought that–!

Poison.

An airborne poison, masked as sandalwood incense.

… Poison is not something that Shiki is familiar with. Why would she be? Poisons are ineffectual against cursed spirits, who are completely immune to such things. Unless the poison in question was one that was generated from a cursed technique, it would not accomplish anything in a fight with a cursed spirit.

Poison was useless against curses.

But it wasn't against sorcerers.

Because sorcerers, for all their unique skills and abilities, were only human.

The quicksilver thoughts flit through Shiki's mind rapidly. Kiyohira-sensei is unconscious. Poisoned incense.

… This was a trap. It had to be. The incense had been thick and choking from the start, which meant that this had been planned before Shiki and Kiyohira-sensei's arrival. Gojo Kikuhime had been expecting them, and that was a whole new layer of terrifying. The idea to search for her in the first place was one that had only occurred to Kiyohira-sensei in the aftermath of the meeting when Gojo Kansuke was pinned down as the culprit.

Either someone had planted the idea to follow up on Gojo Kikuhime in Kiyohira-sensei's mind… or Kikuhime-san's grasp of Kiyohira-sensei's habits and personality was accurate enough to predict how he would react, upon knowing that her son was involved.

Neither possibility was particularly reassuring.

Shiki's first reaction after processing these thoughts is to get out. She only knows how to reinforce her body with cursed energy as a rudimentary defense and for dealing with physical injuries; not so much for something as complex as poison. The dull tiredness she'd been feeling while Kiyohira-sensei was talking with Kikuhime-san likely wasn't just her being bored from sitting through multiple lengthy conversations today. If the fact that Kiyohira-sensei had fainted out of nowhere was anything to go by… Shiki would rather not take her chances by continuing to stay in this poisoned environment.

But when she tries to stand up, her legs refuse to obey her.

Her muscles are lax, no matter the command to move, and her body stubbornly remains inert, despite her efforts.

… The realization of her situation is chilling. How had she not noticed this? Was the poison also interfering with her thought process? Or… had the seals on the house itself been altered? All buildings in the clan compound came with basic seals for privacy and maintenance, so she hadn't thought to take a closer look before stepping inside. Another oversight, clearly.

Panic should be making her tense, should send her heartbeat racing. Yet in this moment as Shiki sits at the table, hovering over her unconscious teacher, everything is just… slow. Sluggish, in a way that it hadn't been even moments prior–!

The girl sways involuntarily, and barely manages to catch herself on the edge of the table. Looking into the glossy surface of the tea-soaked wood reveals no answers and yields no escape.

"I'm surprised that you still haven't succumbed to the poison. Even as diluted as it is and altered into incense, the Kamo Clan's kanashibari concoction isn't something that is shrugged off so easily," Kikuhime-san's voice sounds distantly from across the table, distinctly impressed. "Even with the additional safeguards in place, you're still standing. I would've thought that you'd pass out long before Kiyohira-sama did, especially given that you're still a child."

"… Why?"

It's the first word that Shiki has spoken to Gojo Kikuhime, this entire time. What is your goal behind doing something as outrageous as this?

The girl slowly lifts her head and holds the dark-eyed woman's gaze. Scarlet lines are slashed across Kikuhime-san's face, over her chest and down her arms… but Shiki's body is already paralyzed. Seeing the lines means nothing, if she can't reach out and cut them.

Shiki's fingers itch.

… Even though logically she knows that killing the woman won't immediately remove the poison from the room. The poison is the most pressing issue right now. It seems that the goal is to incapacitate rather than kill, but this still can't mean anything good.

Kikuhime-san stares back placidly, and takes another long sip of her tea.

"If you ask me 'why'…" For a moment, the woman falls silent. "My beloved sister… knows what other people want, and knows how to make use of that in order to get what she wants. She promised me Kansuke's safety and happiness, if I assisted her in this endeavor. A binding vow. I… I'm truly sorry, child."

Her tone is contrite, but it's clear that she's unapologetic. Given another chance, the woman would make the exact same choice.

What a liar.

"Such sentimentality is unbecoming of a Kamo, my dearest sister."

The doors to the room suddenly slide open, revealing another woman dressed in opulent robes standing on the other side with a broad smile on her face. A woman whom Shiki hadn't realized had been present at all –was it the poison dulling her senses? The seals gleaming over the doorway? Both?

There was nothing to be done for it now, though.

"I haven't been a Kamo in a very long time," Kikuhime-san doesn't move a single inch. "Also, I'm your only sister left."

Kamo Matsuhime giggles softly, a girlish sound. "Ah, why pick at the details like this? You were always my favorite sister, even years and years ago, I promise."

Seeing the matriarch of the Kamo Clan standing here like this should come as a shock, as completely unexpected as it is –yet somehow, beneath the initial surprise, Shiki finds that she actually isn't surprised by it at all. Gojo Kikuhime's trap coming into effect, Kamo Matsuhime showing up immediately after…

Despite the lack of true surprise, alarm bells still blare loudly inside Shiki's mind at the woman's appearance.

Kamo Matsuhime.

… What was she doing here? How in the world did she enter the Gojo estate unnoticed, without raising any attention?

Lady Matsuhime finally looks towards her. Shiki doesn't know what sort of expression she's wearing on her face at the moment, but whatever it is, it makes the woman smile.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she says airily. "How very nice to see you again, blessed child. It would've been a lot sooner, had everything gone according to plan… but this is still on schedule, I suppose."

The Kamo woman strides towards Shiki, confident and graceful. There is reason for her confidence: Shiki is wholly paralyzed by the poison, and the edges of her vision are already starting to turn dark and blurry.

But even so, fierce sense of defiance burns inside her chest, and her cursed energy flares–

Shiki experiences a single moment of satisfaction when the weight of her cursed energy sends both women simultaneously crashing down to the floor all at once. Kikuhime-san gasps in pain, having scraped her face against the sharp edge of the table on her way down, while her sister snarls, but is helpless to resist the invisible weight. The Lady of the Kamo Clan is pressed completely into the ground, and her cry of rage swiftly turns into a cry of pain when Shiki raises the pressure of her cursed energy, and there is an audible snap–

Ah. Did she break a bone?

How very unfortunate for Kamo-sama, then, that Shiki does not care about her wellbeing at all in this moment. The girl unhesitatingly increases the output of her cursed energy. Kikuhime-san makes a choked, strangled sound –finally she has a taste of how Shiki had felt, breathing in those poisonous fumes of hers for who knows how long– while her lady sister grits her teeth. Then screams in renewed pain, when there is another bone-breaking crack that resounds through the air.

Shiki does not feel a single drop of pity for her. Kamo Matsuhime only has herself to blame, pulling something as outrageous against her as this inside the Gojo Clan.

Wordlessly, Shiki raises her cursed energy again. At this point, she can feel the edges of the suppressive barrier containing this room, likely obfuscating and hiding everything currently happening inside the house.

More. She needs more cursed energy. Shiki needs enough cursed energy to shatter the wards, so that the rest of the clan will be alerted to what's going on here. Lady of the Kamo Clan or not, if Kamo Matsuhime is caught here, uninvited and unannounced, under such incriminating circumstances?

Shiki would like to see the woman try to talk her way out of this one.

The Kamo Lady sputters. In midst of her graceless struggling, she manages to turn her head just enough to scream–

"ARAYA!"

Shiki's eyes widen.

What?

… Oh. So it was… Kamo Matsuhime was a distraction. Kamo Matsuhime and her sister were both distractions, for Shiki to focus on–!

Because right here, right now, there was a fifth person standing inside this room–

A large hand suddenly seizes her head from behind, and slams her down into the table. Pain bursts explosively from the sheer force of it, and her head is ringing, but Shiki holds on to her cursed energy with an iron grip. Blindly, she continues increasing her output, heedless of how everything around her begins to tremble and shake beneath the unseen pressure–

Someone leans over behind her. A low male voice, speaking in a grave, solemn tone right beside her ear.

"You will successfully break the barrier if you continue raising your cursed energy like this. But you will also most certainly break Gojo Kiyohira."

Involuntarily, Shiki falters.

Kiyohira-sensei–?

In her single moment of hesitation, she only has enough presence of mind to vaguely register another flash of pain, before everything is plunged into darkness.

.

.

…

.