We are here for you

Meet the Seirin Clan!

* Normal P.O.V. *

Kagami was walking down the busy streets of the capital city of Japan, Heian-kyo. It was an attempt for him ro relax himself, since their strict training instructor, Riko, had a severe fever. So, he left their clan's territory and went to the city.

' Hm... What should I do now? People without special abilities can't see me, and I might as well end up scaring people because they can't 'see' me.. Life seriously sucks.. ' Kagami ruffled his hair.

He paved his way through busy streets, deeply engrossed in his thoughts. He didn't notice that Kuroko was following him all the way, and ended up scaring him as usual.
Afterwards, they engage into a conversation, with Kuroko ending it, saying that their instructor had recovered and was ready to give them hell in their training. Neither of them knew that someone was following them, until the girl called out to them herself.

* Your P.O.V. *

The pair stopped right at the moment when I called out to them. I regained my breath before looking up to them.

" Hello, are the two of from the capital? You seem to be familiar with the area around here, " I tried to sound as friendly as I could.
" No, I mean, yes, but, how can you even see us?! " The red-haired man pointed towards me.
" Kagami-kun, it's rude to point at people. But, you don't realize that this person has a gift to be able to 'see' us? " The blue-haired man deadpanned.
" I see... But why aren't you scared or anything? " The red-haired yokai, Kagami, asked.
" I'm pretty much used to it. I have a noisy and nosy spirit inside my house. " I shrugged.
" If that's so, then I'm sure that you will get along with Kagami-kun soon enough. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, I am a yokai, a nurarihyon[1]. Forgive me for the late introduction. " He bowed towards me.
" I'm Kagami Taiga, same species as this guy, a yokai, but I am a Suiko[2]. " He introduced himself.
" It's nice to meet you too. My name is Oikawa Shigeru, I am a human, but I can 'see' supernatural beings, I know healing magic and medicinal knowledge. " I bowed towards the two.
" So, Oikawa, was it? what were you doing earlier? Were you intentionally stalking us? " Kagami-san asked me, his split eyebrows pointing upwards.
" No, it's just that, the two of you caught my attention, and you were walking while no one noticed you, so I thought you weren't human or something. " I rubbed the back of my head.
" I see.. Then, would you like us to show you our world, the yokai world? " Kuroko-san quickly asked.
" Yes, I'd love to! I've always been wondering what the world of yokai looks like. " I excitedly replied.
" Then, see it for yourself, " Kagami-san grinned broadly.

Then, I was led by the two of them deeper towards the forest, and not long, mist covered some parts of the forest. Kagami-san was walking in front of Kuroko-san and I.
" Be careful, Oikawa-san, this mist is used to mislead humans, and eventually, a yokai will devour the human that gets trapped inside the mist. Here, take my hand. Yokai who have strong powers can't be fooled by the mist. " Kuroko-san stretched his hand out to me, and I obediently took it. We held hands for quite a while.

As the mist diminishes, it reveals a district, similar to the capital of Heian-kyo, but it was filled with yokai. Strangely, they look exactly like humans.
' I thought that yokai would look like monsters, just like what books mostly describes about yokais. ' I look around the district with admiring eyes.
Shops, bars, bath houses, and even inns are everywhere, just exactly like the busy streets of Heian-kyo. And along the way, Kuroko-san and Kagami-san were greeted by the yokai there. Well, it was mostly Kagami-san, since the others didn't notice that Kuroko-san was there too.

" Hey, Kuroko-san, why can't other people see you? " I aaked out of bewilderment.
" It's my low presence. I was born with it, that is why most of the time people don't notice me.. But right now, it's a different case. I am currently masking your presence with mine, so the others won't know that you are here. " He calmly replied.
" I see... " I muttered back in reply, and my attention returned to the new environment I'm currently at.

Then, we arrived at a huge dojo, and entered the building. When we entered, I could hear an ear-piercing voice coming out of a room.
" Where on earth are those two?! Kuroko-kun should've been back by now! And it looks like they're taking their time... Fine, I'll give them hell when they come back... " A female voice shouted.
" C-calm down, instructor! They'll be back soon! " A male voice said.
" A..Actually... we're just back... Riko-san. " Kagami-san answered with a slight shiver in his voice.
" Hmm... Looks like you need to learn your lesson, huh, Bakagami.. Go and run 10 laps around the village, now! And don't come back until you've done it! " The shorter female ordered.
" Y-yes ma'am! " And with that, Kagami-san disappeared in a flash.
" Where's Kuroko-kun? " The female instructor looked around. She didn't notice that he is right in front of her.
" I'm right here, instructor. " He replied.
" Uwaaaa! Stop appearing out of nowhere! " A man with glasses jumped due to surprise.
" Geez, you scared me there, Kuroko-kun! By the way, who is the kid beside you? Don't tell me... he's a human?! " She sniffed my scent.
" Aha...haha.. Nice to m-meet you! My name is Oikawa Shigeru and I'm pleased meet you! " I nervously bowed my head.

A deafening silence passed through for a few seconds until I was hugged by the instructor.
" Oh my, you're so cute! Just like Nigou! " She squealed.
" Um, thank...you? " I mumbled.
" Riko-san, please release him, you're suffocating him. " Kuroko-san emotionlessly said.
" Oh, sorry! It's just that it's quite rare to have a human visit here... My name is Aida Riko, I'm an oni[3] and instructor of the Seirin clan. " She vigorously shook my hand.
" Are you sure that he's not dangerous? " The man with glasses glared at me.
" Relax, Hyuga! He looks friendly, I think he is harmless, " A tall, brown-haired man approached us with a friendly smile.
" That's why people can easily fool you, Kiyoshi! You're too kind, " The glasses man grumbled.
" This is Hyuga Junpei, he's a kappa[4], and beside him is Kiyoshi Teppei, a tanuki[5]. They are both essential to the Seirin clan. " Riko-san introduced the two.
" Nice to meet the both of you, my name is Oikawa Shigeru, " I bowed.
" You're a polite one, huh. Nice to meet you, " Kiyoshi-san ruffles my hair.
" So, Oikawa, was it? I hope you know that we aren't going to easily let you go if you are useless. " Hyuuga-san hissed.
" Well, I know healing magic and I study medicinal plants.. And I can cook if you want me to.. " I shivered, intimidated by the glasses man's aura.
" Oikawa, don't get scared by this guy, he's just a bit moody today! " An energetic voice shouted.

I turned around to see a cat-like face staring at me.
" Hi there! I'm Koganei Shinji and this tall guy here is Mitobe Rinnosuke! " He roughly slapped my back.
" They are respectively a bakeneko[6] and a manipulating wind yokai. " Riko-san continued.
The black-haired man nodded at me.
" Aand.. Last but not least, here comes our clan's pretty boy, Izuki Shun! " Koganei-san pulled another black-haired man next to him.
" Yo, I'm Izuki Shun! I'm a Karasu-Tengu[7]. Nice to meet you! " The man lets out a hearty laugh.
" Since Tsuchida, Furihata, Kawahara, and Fukuda are not here, here's the main leaders of our clan! Welcome to our Seirin Clan! " Kiyoshi-san smiled.
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[1] Nurarihyon is a type of yokai that sneaks into people's houses and steals their food.
[2] A Suiko is a water yokai, it has the features of a tiger's appearance. It has a fiercer temper than Kappas.
[3] Oni means ogre in Japanese.
[4] Kappa is also a water type yokai, it has a shell on top of its head.
[5] Tanuki is a raccoon yokai in Japanese folklore.
[6] A bakeneko is a cat yokai that can transform into a human.
[7] Karasu-Tengu is a crow demon or yokai in Japanese folklore.