Asumu
Please sit in a well-lit room, at a comfortable distance, when watching.
I, Adachi Asumu, am a third year middle school student living in downtown Tokyo.
After I met Hibiki, a man who transforms into an Oni, something changed.
Meanwhile, I passed my high school entrance exam.
In an attempt to tell Hibiki about it, I headed for the mountain where he's currently training, but...
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Volume Eight
Howling Wind
Thanks, Akira.
No problem.
We need to get back underwater quickly.
Ibuki...
Mochida Hitomi
Ah, hello!
Hm? That was fast.
Oh, well... I had the phone out already.
Please charge phone
I see.
Say, we're thinking of having a "we passed!" party tomorrow.
Do you think we should have it at Tachibana's?
Huh? Ah, yeah, sure.
I wonder if Hibiki will be there tomorrow...
- Wait, hold on, my phone is...
- Huh? What? What?! - Um... aah!
Please charge phone
Is it good?
Yup. Eating this after training is the best!
I see, I see!
By the way, you said you were exterminating monsters, right?
Yeah.
It must be getting pretty hectic.
Yeah. Lately, it seems like a lot have been popping up.
And somehow or other...
...it feels like they're getting stronger.
That's why I've been coming here recently and trying out a variety of drumming styles.
Because that sorta thing happens.
Thanks.
Do you think they'll appear in town too?
Not for now, anyway.
That might happen someday, though.
I see...
But be careful.
Don't overdo it, and don't act recklessly.
Okay?
Thanks.
Well, I'll just have to work hard where I'm able to.
Hibiki...
Found it...!
Ow!
Who's there?
Akira? What's the matter?
- Ibuki! - Ibuki!
Huh? Asumu?
Hello...
You know him?
He's the one I told you about recently.
The one I mistook for Hibiki's apprentice.
Wait... you two know each other?
Coming...
Hello, this is Tachibana's.
Pardon me, is this the Tachibana Sweets Shop?
Yes, that's right.
The one in the sixth subdistrict of Shibamata?
...Yes.
Oh, good! Bingo!
Man, I've been trying to find you guys for a while!
I'm Adachi Asumu's mother.
Oh, Asumu's mom! Sorry about the other day.
I'm Kasumi. Tachibana Kasumi.
Ah! You're the one I met in Okutama,
Hibiki's gorgeous girlfriend!
Oh, no, that's...!
My son is truly indebted to Hibiki.
Oh, not at all.
Anyway, Asumu came there today, right?
Eh?
Well, I checked my voicemail, and...
Uh... he said he couldn't meet up with Hibiki there, so he was heading somewhere or other.
U-um, could you give me a moment please?
Sure, sure!
Hinaka. Hinaka!
You told Asumu something about Hibiki, didn't you?
Like what?
She says Asumu went somewhere to see Hibiki.
He's saying Asumu is there with him.
Yes... he came out here trying to meet up with Hibiki...
Right...
Yes...
Anyway, I'll look after him for now.
Sure, no problem.
The Makamou shouldn't be active until the morning, either, so...
Right.
Okay... alright.
- I'll leave it to you. - I see...
So, for tonight, Asumu is...
Oh, it's fine! It's fine!
If that's how it is, it's fine! No problem.
He's a boy, so you have to give him some free rein.
It's good that he's being willful.
I want him to grow up big and strong, after all!
I'll leave him in your hands, then. Thank you!
Yes, yes, goodbye!
Well?
She said, "He's a boy, so you have to give him some free rein."
Huh. That's a great response!
What a good mother.
That said, this area is dangerous,
so please stay close to us for now.
Okay.
Oh! But I can go see Hibiki in the morning, right?
- I want to hurry and tell him that I passed— - It's ready.
Eat with us. We were just about to start anyway.
Ah... thank you.
The Makamou was able to fly,
so I'll go unpack the disk animals.
Okay.
Since it hasn't fully matured yet, I think it'll stay in the lake for now.
But in that state, it likely won't be long before it leaves the water.
Yeah.
So we don't have time to waste on frivolous things.
You know...
Hm?
Akira seems like she trains hard.
I'm pretty sure she's the same age as you.
Eh?!
Haze
When you grow a bit bigger, you'll be able to fly again.
Haze
Thank you for the food.
Not at all.
Here.
Thank you.
That's different from Hibiki's.
Hm?
The ones Hibiki made looked like drumsticks...
You're pretty well-informed, Asumu.
Nah, not really...
There are all sorts of Makamou,
so there are also a variety of ways to fight them.
Come to think of it,
Akira said earlier that this Makamou is a flier...
That's the type I'm responsible for handling.
Tsuchigumo, like the one you saw in Yakushima, Yamabiko, and the like,
are handled by Hibiki's sort...
...who defeat them using taiko drums and drumsticks.
That Bakegani in Boso recently would usually be handled by a different—
Here.
- Thanks. Well, I'm off. - Take care!
Yup!
H-help! Something went up my leg...!
Um...
Ah... Morning.
I'm uncomfortable with you standing so close to me.
Ah, sorry.
You just seem really amazing...
Um, you seem to be around the same age as me...
I'm entering high school soon.
I thought so!
If there's anything I can do, or—
I doubt it.
I'll be blunt: it's a bit of a nuisance for us, having you here.
What we're doing isn't a game.
An untrained person like you shouldn't be here!
C'mon, don't say it like that.
Asumu was just trying to go see Hibiki.
He may be a friend of Hibiki's, but I'd prefer it if he didn't obstruct us any further!
All he does is get lost, eat, and sleep.
Alright, that's enough.
Getting overly critical like that right away...
...is a bad habit of yours, Akira.
Morning!
Ah, Hibiki!
You must be working hard.
Here's a gift of cucumbers for the front lines. Try some.
Keep a closer eye on your friend here, Hibiki!
Ehhhh?!
Well... we're off to exterminate the Makamou,
so you guys wait here.
You're gonna use the snakes to drive it out of the lake, right?
Yes.
I see.
Need any help?
No, we're good.
Okay. Well, good luck.
Thanks.
You too, Akira.
Yeah.
Akira.
Well, anyway... congrats on passing.
Oh... thanks.
As a treat for coming all this way to let me know,
here's some specially-brewed tea.
Okay.
Um, Hibiki?
Yeah?
I'm sorry.
What's this all of a sudden...?
So that's it.
Well, that's how Akira tends to talk, but...
...what she said wasn't exactly wrong, y'know?
...Yeah.
Still, I think it was unavoidable this time.
I mean, it's not like you had any ill will.
So don't let it bother you enough to apologize!
Here.
Ibuki!
Akira!
All this might be a little hard to understand.
Um... Akira, Ibuki, and I, as well as our boss at Tachibana's,
all belong to an organization called Takeshi.
Oh... I know.
Here.
About the group name...
It basically refers to the Oni who save people.
And also the groups of people who support those Oni.
We travel all over the country...
Every day, we work hard to eliminate Makamou,
and at times... we put our very lives on the line.
Well, from our perspective...
we're just doing what comes naturally.
Alright, here.
But I guess what I'm trying to say is...
you should just believe in yourself and do what works for you.
Okay?
Yeah.
C'mon, eat.
Akira!
Hurricane
Reppu
Hurricane
Reppu
Breath
Blow
Trust
We're done.
Good work!
Here.
Ah, thank you.
Um...
Good work.
Thanks.
I went overboard earlier.
I'm sorry.
Akira and the kid... have reconciled~
Howling Wind
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!
Becoming our prey...
...is an honor bestowed once a century.
It doesn't seem to be an Ubume or an Ookubi.
Then it isn't a flying Makamou?
With the Unified Fire Burst Style,
I'll finish the Ooari in one burst.
Volume Nine
Writhing Malice
Volume Nine: Writhing Malice.