Asumu
Please sit in a well-lit room, at a comfortable distance, when watching.
When I went to Yakushima for a memorial service, I, Adachi Asumu, met a mysterious man named Hibiki.
At first, he seemed a bit silly, but...
...right before my eyes, he was enveloped in purple flames, transformed, and fought a giant monster.
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Volume Three
Fading Voices
There's a strange man named Hibiki~
I I I I... I'm told he's well-trained~
Morning...
Huh? Did someone give you their cold?
Eh, why?
'Cause it'd make things tough for you?
With that coming up soon...
Oh, that's right. I really need to train more.
Was it cold in Yakushima?
Not really.
It was sunny.
A bunch of stuff happened, is all.
"A bunch of stuff"?
There you are, there you are!
What's up?
Oh... um... well, you see...
Tests are coming up, right?
I figured you guys would be getting pretty stressed, so...
The wall of Jounan.
We're definitely gonna pass, right?!
Won't it be easy, though? You just have to believe in yourself.
- Ehh?! - Ehh?!
Look at you, all confident.
Did something happen?
I guess so...
But y'know, in regular classes and cram school, I know they tell us to just focus on studying...
...and keep an eye on our health, but it makes me feel strangely uneasy.
Yeah, you might end up even more anxious.
But if you actually get sick the day before, you'll be out.
'Cause then I'd never figure out factorization.
There's mnemonics for the history stuff, though.
Like the one for the end of the Kamakura period, and the one about the samurai-backed shogun for...
Uh... which era was that, again?
Aw man, now I'm getting all nervous...
Well, all we can do now is study!
Alright then! Let's go, Asumu!
Okay!
Hurry up, c'mon!
Travel
I hate to say it, but back-to-back cases are tough~
Uff... uff... uff~
Enough!
Don't say anything and just work hard~
So that's how it is, huh?
That's how it is.
Let's see... it was a Yamabiko, right?
The most recent sighting was last November in Aomori, and Kachidoki defeated it.
Have you ever fought one, Hibiki?
Six years ago, I guess?
Hey! Don't put those there!
...Right.
Geez...
Evil spirit
Heyyyy!
Voice
Heyyyy...
Voice
Why are you looking at that now, of all times?
It's... kinda relaxing.
Even if it is, I don't think it will help your grade.
That's true...
Yeah... I guess you're right.
Yamabiko target people through their voices, right?
Yup. I read about it in the database.
If you shout "hello" and get a "hello" back, you're done for.
Yup, you're a goner if they parrot it back at you.
This will be my fourth Yamabiko.
It's your first, right?
Yeah.
Say, Kasumi...
Hm?
Ah... never mind.
What is it? Now I'm curious.
Nothing at all! Just pretend I didn't say anything.
What?
Nothing, nothing.
Could it be... you revealed your identity to someone in Yakushima?
Whyever would you think so?
When you talk like that, it usually means I've guessed right.
How rude! That's hardly ever the case.
It shouldn't even be "hardly ever"!
Geez.
I can't imagine anyone getting lost around here.
That's why amateurs shouldn't go trekking in the mountains.
Yeah.
Heyyy!
Anyone here?!
Please reply!
Might as well check further in.
Yeah.
Hey, don't rock the bridge.
I'm not.
Huh...?
We've been waiting.
Mmm... looks delicious!
Fall
Hmm...
Okay! Starting from this valley area looks like our best bet.
Thank you very much.
Thanks!
All done!
Alright, let's head out!
- Hibiki! - Ms. Adachi!
What a coincidence!
It's an amazing coincidence!
Almost like we've been drawn together by fate!
- Oh! Thanks for the help the other day.
Not at all! It was nothing!
- Hibiki?
Hibiki!
...Right.
Are you here together?
No... well... yes. We're colleagues. Yup.
- Hello, I'm Tachibana. - My name is Adachi.
- Nice to meet you. - You see, Ms. Adachi, we're on the job right now.
- Are you working now, too? - Yup! I just dropped a customer off nearby.
You know, the konjac sashimi here is delicious!
- So I thought I'd come get some for my son. - For your son?
We should really get going...
Oh! Come to think of it,
I gather Asumu ran into you later on in the forest?
Oh no, not at all...
He was really impressed with how hard you've trained!
And he even said you saved his life!
Um, well, Ms. Adachi, you see...
Kasumi, let's go.
We really have a lot to do, so please excuse us.
...Was I a bother?
Asumu! I got in!
To Heisen Academy?
Yeah. It's my fallback school, though.
Even so, congrats.
Thanks.
Still, it'll really hit me hard if I don't get into Ryutoku now.
Well... it might be tough.
Falling
But man, you're so cool, Asumu. I mean, you're completely focused on Jounan.
It's like you're a real man among men!
A... a man?
I... I'm a real man...
Hey guys, listen to this!
What?
I got in!
Congrats!
Good work.
You too.
Alright... here.
Here.
But why do you end up revealing your identity so often?
That's just how things go sometimes.
You don't regret it at all, do you?
No, well... sorry.
Everything turned out alright in the end, so there's that.
Here.
So, how old is the kid?
He said he's in his third year of middle school.
His last year, huh...?
Yeah, at Higashi-Shibamata.
That's where I went!
Right, right, right! Here.
He should be taking his high school entrance exams, right?
Hm? Hold on, you mean to tell me you let him see you fighting a Tsuchigumo...
...when exams are right around the corner?
I didn't exactly let him see me. It just... happened.
Did you follow up with him properly?
Sort of.
In other words, no.
It's fine! He seemed like a good guy.
Plus, he had these big, round eyes, y'know?
And it's not like a man would scare so easily...
That boy's going to fail his exam.
I keep telling you, don't I?
That not everyone is strong like you, Hibiki.
I'm sorry.
I'll make sure to follow up with him when we get back.
Alright. Well, you're up!
Got it.
We're counting on you.
Get into Jounan!!
I'm home.
You there?
Hm? You're early.
Yup. I was lucky to have a bunch of long trips, so I finished early.
I brought home some konjac sashimi. Want some?
No thanks.
What happened? You're all down in the dumps.
Nothing really.
Nothing at all...?
Your test's coming up, right? Is everything okay?
I'm fine!
Well... alright, then...
You know, I ran into Hibiki again today.
Where?!
Near Okutama.
Okutama...
It was such a coincidence!
I was on my way back from a long-distance fare.
He seemed kinda different from the guy we met on Yakushima, though.
There, he was like "We're basically neighbors!", right?
But today, it was like he didn't want to talk to me.
Did he say anything about me?
Well, he kinda bolted after I started talking about you.
He said he had work, but they were definitely on a date!
It was honestly a bit of a shock.
It's a given that such a looker would have a girlfriend, I guess.
And she was quite a beauty, too!
You know, somehow...
Huh? Where are the scissors? They're gone...
Yeah, the locals say there have been victims in the area, so they've started regulating it.
I'm positive there's a Makamou here.
Aah, I was right...
The temperature and humidity requirements were met, after all.
How are things over there?
There's two pieces of junk mail for you.
Parentheses. One for a beauty treatment...
...and one for a bridal boutique. Close parentheses.
And there's some bills for Father, but...
How's Dad?
He said he'll be back tomorrow.
The meeting at Yoshino has dragged on an awful long time.
'fraid so.
Doesn't that mean things are gonna be busy this year?
Though not at the shop...
Seems like it.
Well, if you find out anything else, let me know.
Okay! Roger! Mission acknowledged!
You don't have to say it like that...
Forest
It's an Oni!
It is, it is!
Oni!
Oni! Oni!
Oni!
Okay, the tea's all poured.
I want some!
I'll be looking forward to that tea later.
Be careful.
I'm off.
You've gotten so big...
We'll be playing a little game of tag with the Oni, so you go play hide-and-seek on the next mountain.
When morning comes, we'll feed you and all head down to the village.
Chaos
Yo!
An Oni!
Oni! Oni!
Damn...
They've sure got some sticky fingers.
Evil
Fading Voices
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!
Go down the mountain and eat some voices, okay?
If Hibiki and that boy have reached an understanding,
then it's all good, right?
Commencing Makamou interception plan.
You really need to train harder.
Volume Four
Running Ichiro
Volume Four: Running Ichiro.