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[paperpusher]

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[dullknife]

So you enjoyed your school days?

[paperpusher]

Hmm. I would say so. I wouldn't go back if I had the option, but it's nostalgic. Also, I was the sort of student who got good grades without too much studying, so that's always a bonus!

[dullknife]

Also the type to brag about it?

[paperpusher]

Haha, not at all. Your classmates already don't like it when you're both good-looking and get good grades, so why rub it in? ✨

[also: brag to whomst]

But what about you? Either truth or dare, or just what you were like in high school. Your pick.

[dullknife]

Truth, preferably not about high school.

[paperpusher]

Haha. I'd ask if you didn't have a good time in high school, but there's no need to waste my question on that.

Instead my question for you is: what's something that you like about this place? I'm new here and like to hear people's bright sides.

[dullknife]

I like very little about the place itself. Good food, I suppose. But you have to be wary of contaminated sources.

[paperpusher]

I can guess what "contaminated" means in this context. Any hints for what to look for in advance? I can do some wards but I don't know if they'd impact the food.

[dullknife]

There's no obvious tell in appearance, smell, or taste. My best advice is to stick with restaurants and shops that are transparent about what they serve. If the origins of the food are unknown or questionable, keep an eye on how others react.

What kind of wards?

[paperpusher]

Sensible enough. It's a shame that there's no obvious difference, but I guess that would be too easy.

Protective wards against ayakashi, curses, etc. I don't think the hotel's little "bonuses" would count as a curse, though it'd be nice if they did.

[dullknife]

No, I'm afraid not. You said before that acting was your day job - does that make this type of thing your night job?

[paperpusher]

Haha, that's it exactly! I'm an exorcist. Though maybe "public" and "private" jobs are a little more accurate, since of course I do plenty of exorcism jobs during the day as well. As well as shooting at night when it's required, I suppose.

[dullknife]

What a busy schedule. One job is enough for me.

But it turns out we're in related fields after all.

[paperpusher]

Well, you know what they say. When you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life ✨

Ah, don't tell me you left your office job for the exorcist community? That's a new one for me!

[dullknife]

[Well, he hates what he does, so...]

Worse. I left sorcery for an office job and later went back.

[paperpusher]

Hahaha. Family business?

[dullknife]

No, I'm the only one in my family. Is that what it is for you?

[paperpusher]

Ha, yes and no. The Natori are an old exorcist clan, but the ability to see ayakashi died out generations ago. Until me, that is. So I'm currently a clan of one, but I'm using the traditional Natori family techniques from the tools left in my family storehouse. I just assumed... to leave and come back, it sounded like it could be family dynamics.

[dullknife]

Ah, no. It just turned out to be what I'm better suited for. Was there anyone to help you make sense of things, or did you have to figure it all out for yourself?

[paperpusher]

Oh, I had plenty of mentors once I showed up to my first spellcasters assembly, though they could only help with the general-- even then I knew better than to give away the family techniques. What about you, if you're also an independent practitioner?

[dullknife]

Would they be usable by others if you revealed them?
There are two schools in Japan that teach sorcerers. Because our numbers are few, they keep an eye out for sorcerers who pop up outside of established family lines and recruit them. I was scouted and sent to attend school in Tokyo.

[paperpusher]

Schools for sorcerers?

[That's... intriguing. He can't help but think about what something like that would have meant for someone like Natsume-- a school for someone disconnected from the exorcist community, but still troubled by ayakashi because of his sheer power. Someone who had suffered for being alone. (It's not just Natsume he's thinking of.)]

...Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't work out for the people who taught me. One can no longer see ayakashi, and the other has retired to the mountains. He's annoyed enough at how accessible he is from Kumamoto, I can't imagine someone like him would ever move to Tokyo.

[dullknife]

[He makes silent note of that sidestep.]

I understand the feeling.
What happened to the one who lost their ability?

[paperpusher]

[Natori's put up with enough shit for his family retreating from the exorcist community entirely rather than join another clan and hand over their techniques; it's not like the fact that they exist and could be learned by anyone with access is some big secret, but it's also easy enough to gently not respond. Plus, he gets to poke fun at Yorishima giving the entire community the metaphorical equivalent of double middle fingers as he takes his immense power and knowledge and goes home for good.]

Hahaha, it's not too late to become a mountain hermit yourself! Well, if we weren't in the hotel instead, I suppose.

He's doing alright. Last I heard he'd started working at a secondhand book shop and living a more or less normal life. One of his familiars stuck around to keep an eye on him and his daughter.

[The other two had taken it... less well. But in the end, Natori was able to avoid having to exorcise them in front of Takuma-san, which was by far the better option.]

[dullknife]

Yes, unfortunately being here makes that impossible. [It's too late anyway, for other reasons.]

That sounds nice. It's a relief to know it didn't end in tragedy. Though I was also wondering what caused him to lose it.