#hakozaki arc

[coquelicoq]

if i had to guess why they switched the order of abandoned station and two wheels within the episode, it would be for the juxtaposition of what matoba says his motivation is for coming to the station alone with what matoba does at hakozaki's mansion that completely contradicts it. abandoned station actually bookends two wheels, with the part that's to be directly compared saved for the end of the episode only after we've seen the entirety of two wheels.

like in the episode it goes 1) matoba, alone, gets one youkai (big rainy day guy) to eat another youkai (hitokubi) at the station, 2) on a later occasion, matoba nonchalantly gets one youkai (eye-eater) to eat another youkai (the shadow doll) at hakozaki's mansion in front of several members of his clan, 3) natsume says in voiceover how uneasy it makes him to see the matoba clan use the eye-eater for their own ends, 4) natsume flashes back to the end of the abandoned station encounter, which we are seeing for the first time, in which he asked matoba if he came alone to avoid putting his clan in danger, and matoba responded that he just didn't want them to see him taking the easy way out.

only a few seconds elapse for the viewer in between 3 and 4. we're meant to see that matoba was clearly lying about only coming alone so his clan wouldn't see him take the easy way out; we (and natsume) now know, thanks to two wheels, that he has no compunctions about doing the exact same thing in front of them.

[joelletwo]

chobi ep next is still insane to me. what the hell are they DOING with the pacing of this season. how many matoba ones did we have confirmed again were most of them just my wishful thinking that they would be normal about the order of those. sigh

[treecakes]

the reason chapter 120 isn’t officially part of this arc is because we’d already be at part 5 if it were

[vice-like]

yk i dont think midorikawa has ever been this obvious with her hints so it might be a red herring, but this chapter being bf portrait of a girl arc makes me think about the possiblity that the "reiko" portrait was at the hakozaki house

[connan-l]

Now that Season 7's first trailer is out, it slightly validated some of my theories about which chapters is going to be adapted — so I decided to make a prediction of what Seasons 7 & 8 could looks like (I mean, we still don't have any confirmation for Season 8, but there's no way we don't get it, right?) I'm probably going to be very wrong but it was fun to try and think about!

I'm going to make the assumption that we'll get 13 episode instead of 11 because of something fun I found out: so far there's been 74 episodes of NatsuYuu (OVAs notwithstanding), which means that if we add two seasons of 13 episodes we'll reach the 100 :) So I hope we actually do get 13 episodes this time (I've also seen some people wondering if we'll exceptionnally get a 22 or 26 episodes season because of the 15th/20th years anniversary, which could be fun but I doubt they'll do that sadly).

Season 7:

Episode 1: Chapter 84 (Mini-Nyanko) Episode 2: Chapter 80 (Yorishima intro) Episode 3: Chapter 77 (Hakozaki 2) Episode 4: Chapter 83 (Kitamoto bookstore) Episode 5: Special 17/84.5 (Teen Matonato 2) Episode 6: Chapters 95 & 96 (Isamu arc) Episode 7: Chapter 81 (Flower bed) Episode 8: Chapters 92-94 (Miharu arc) Episode 9: Chapters 92-94 (Miharu arc) Episode 10: Chapter 87 (Nishimura) Episode 11: Special 8/31.5 (Chobi special) Episode 12: Chapters 88 & 89 (Souko arc) Episode 13: Chapters 88 & 89 (Souko arc)

Season 8:

Episode 1: Chapter 71 (Ake & Shiro) Episode 2: Special 14/67.5 (Birds & Reiko) Episode 3: Chapters 106 & 107 (Yorishima arc 2) Episode 4: Chapters 90 & 91 (Tenjou-san/painting arc) Episode 5: Special 19/89.5 (Matoba station) Episode 6: Chapters 85 & 86 (Tanatsutaki inn arc) Episode 7: Chapters 85 & 86 (Tanatsutaki inn arc) Episode 8: Chapter 99 (Origami) Episode 9: Chapter 108 (Chobi) Episode 10: Chapters 100-104 Homura arc Episode 11: Chapters 100-104 Homura arc Episode 12: Chapters 100-104 Homura arc Episode 13: Chapter 105 (Post-Homura)

For Season 7: I know some people wish the season could start with the exorcist chapters, but I think it makes more sense we begin with a ‘normal’ slice-of-life Natsuyuu episode rather than the more heavy stuff. It’s been seven years, after all; they need to reestablish the series’ characters and world properly, and I think chapter 84 with the clay mini-nyanko is th best one for that. I mean, in this chapter we have: Natsume returning a name, mentions of Reiko & the book, cameos of Tanuma and the Fujiwaras (the anime could probably briefly add Kitanishi, Taki & Sasada too), and a bittersweet story about a yokai Natsume befriends — so I think it’s perfect for a new start to a new season. Then it makes sense to follow this up with the exorcist stuffs in episodes 2 & 3. I'm hesitating which one would go first though; if we follow the manga chronologically then it would be the Hakozaki one, but I think they'll likely choose to reintroduce Natori first... I do believe it's important to introduce Yorishima early on too so that they can later adapt the second Yorishima arc in Season 8, to really establishes him as this new important recurrent character. (Though I wonder if 2 exorcist episodes side-by-side would be too much, so maybe they'll adapt Yorishima intro for ep2, then have another slice-of-life episode, then have the Hakozaki chapter.... who knows)

After that I’m no sure on the order, but there must also be the Taki brother arc for a Taki-focused episode, then the Kitamoto & Nishimura chapters. I think it’d makes sense to adapt both of the Kitanishi chapters in season 7 so that then in season 8 they could adapt the Tenjou-san/painting arc in order to make it feel balanced (or they could do the reverse and adapt Tenjou-san arc before in season 7, but I think it's better if it comes after). And then have the flower bed chapter as another slice-of-life episode (which I think is important to have before the Souko arc thematically). Not gonna lie it really frustrates me that they decided to adapt the Tanuma & Misuzu chapters in a movie, because now Tanuma doesn’t have his own arc like Taki has :( At least he still appears more than her in other arcs, but they’re not focused on him so it’s not the same.

So the Chobi special from Volume 8 might seems weird to be in season 7, and admittedly I doubt it'll ever be adapted (maybe in an OAV?? But who knows) - but I thought about it because of Chapter 108 which is also centered on Chobi. Having the Chobi special before Chapter 108 seemed logical to me, though there's more chance we'll get another special like Special 14 or 18. (UNLESS they manage to adapt the Chobi special with Chapter 108 in a single episode... I dunno).

And there's no way they don't adapt the second teen Natori special, which has to be before Miharu arc. I think the Miharu arc will happens either in the middle or towards the end of the season, but I believe having Souko's arc as the final would be pretty emotionally impactful, with ideally 2 episodes. It’s the origin of the Book of Friends after all, so it’s important to really highlight it (though I doubt they'll do that unfortunately, I think they'll likely try to cram everything into a single episode as usual with the 2 chapters arcs -_-).

For Season 8: I think it makes sense to start with slice-of-life chapters with this season too, but admittedly I wasn't really sure which one. The Ake & Shiro or the origami chapters seems the more likely. Then there's still Special 14, which could also make a fun slife-of-life episode.

The Tenjou-san/painting arc and then the Noren inn arc in this season was more fitting than the last in order to balance the focus on Natsume's school friends - and like I said earlier, even though chronologically it happens later in the manga I think they will adapt the second Yorishima arc as well here. I think it’d make sense they decide to adapt the special with Matoba here too (It could be in Season 7 I suppose? But then it would a wayyy too exorcist-focused season).

What I’m the most confident in is that they’ll decide to end Season 8 with the Homura arc, and that it’ll take 3 episodes. This is such a long, important arc, and if they don’t mess it up it would make an amazing final; especially if after that we don’t get another new season until at least a few years.

(Hopefully we won’t have to wait 6 years for Season 9 afterwards… There was 2 years between Season 2 and Season 3, and then 4 years between Season 4 and Season 5, so if Season 8 is released in 2025 then I hope we’ll get Season 9 in like. 2028-2029. please.)

Anyway, just for fun I tried to imagine what a Season 9 could look like too:

Season 9:

Episode 1: Chapters 109 & 110 (Kaka arc) Episode 2: Chapters 117 & 118 (Occult salon arc) Episode 3: Chapter 112 (Taki Matoba tea party) Episode 4: Chapters 113-116 (Younger Cousin arc) Episode 5: Chapters 113-116 (Younger Cousin arc) Episode 6: Chapters 113-116 (Younger Cousin arc) Episode 7: Chapter 111 (Tanatsukitanishi beach) Episode 8: Chapter 120 (Hakozaki 3) Episode 9: Chapters 121-126 (Portrait of a Girl arc) Episode 10: Chapters 121-126 (Portrait of a Girl arc) Episode 11: Chapters 121-126 (Portrait of a Girl arc) Episode 12: Chapters 121-126 (Portrait of a Girl arc) Episode 13: Chapters 127 (Homura cats returns)

This would make for a super plot-heavy season, but well all the recent arcs ARE very plot-focused lol. I initially thought that maybe the Portrait of a Girl arc could make it more to a potential Season 10 while the younger cousin arc could the final for Season 9, but ending the season on such a personal, Natori-focused arc like that would be a bit... strange. So! If we have Portrait of a Girl as a final, I think it makes sense for the occult salon arc to be at the very start of the season to introduce Shinobu and Clara (I vaguely thought it would be fun if they introduced them in Season 8, but the idea of a whole season where we start with the looming threat of Matoba's mysterious sister only to have her identity revealed at the very end is really cool too). I think the beach chapter too could be nice after the Natori arc as a sort of break before we got back into the heavy plot stuff with the 3rd Hakozaki chapter. I gave Portrait of a Girl 4 episodes here because I think it's what it wolud need to be properly adapted (it IS the longest arc to date after all, with 6 chapters!) but because of that I had to scrap the Hinoe chapter (which could then be adapted into Season 10). However I think it's more likely they adapt it into a three-episodes arc sadly (same thing with the Younger Cousin arc, they'll probably cram it into 2 episodes rather than three...)

And here it is haha. Can't wait to see how completely false my predictions will be lol.

Following this, the still unadapted chapters would include: Chapter 119 (Hinoe/Natsume crossdressing), Chapter 128 (current arc) that would fit into Season 10, then Special 18 (Nyanko meets little boy), Special 20 (movie special), Special 21 (little traveling yokai), Special 22 (Ribbon Nyanko & Mana Kitamoto), all of which could either fit in Season 10 or in an OAV.

[worldunbent]

"i've seen weird things since i was little..."

i was curious when the standard chapter intros started disappearing, so i skimmed around a bit and here's some observations:

special chapters generally don't get this intro, since they're often from another character's pov, and even when natsume is the pov character they're generally too short to waste any time on exposition.

tanuma gets a variant in sp5. "i've seen weird things since i was little. things other people can't see. i have no idea what they are."

natori also gets a variant in sp15. "since i was little, i've been able to see things other people can't. our family apparently used to be exorcists, but the ability to "see" died out. the family business folded." this doesn't come back in sp17.

the only standalone main chapter not to get this intro in the first several volumes is chapter 19, temporary house (the one where natsume learns how shigeru met reiko as a child). my guess as to why that is is it comes right after the first multi-chapter arc, taki's introduction. the second chapter of taki's arc doesn't have an intro, as becomes standard for all multi-chapter arcs, so maybe midorikawa was experimenting with dropping the intro in general. clearly it doesn't stick, because...

after this, all main standalone chapters and the first chapters of arcs continue to have the intro for quite a while. the next main standalone chapter with no intro is chapter 70, games party. genuinely no idea about this one. it comes back for 71, then...

chapter 72, closed room (beginning of the hakozaki arc) has no intro.

73 is the second part of closed room, then 74, 75, and 76 all are standalones and all have the intro.

chapter 77, the two rings (return to hakozaki manor) has no intro.

after this, 78 & 79 (bb!natsume and boar nynako) are the last chapters to have the intro. from chapter 80 (yorishima's first appearance), we never see the intro again.

so even though there are a handful of chapters with the intro afterwards, i do think the hakozaki arc really marks the turning point.

[p5x-theories]

@loufiy sent me this GitHub folder they found with what appears to be decrypted versions of some of the BYTES files I can't open myself, and there's some potential new story information in here!

Two disclaimers:

As I can't decrypt these myself, I can't absolutely confirm they're real. However, considering how many of these files there are, and the fact that I can see these files exist in the game files even if I can't open them, it would be an awful lot of trouble for a fake.

Note that these files are from Version 1.3.1, according to the poster. Some things here may have changed since then, and/or Google translate may not give completely accurate translations of everything.

As a warning, this could be considered spoilers for the next story arc, as it goes through what the in-game text indicates will happen.

I'm focusing on the ConfQuest files, as those are the ones loufiy pointed me in the direction of. There's so many other files in this folder that it'd take me forever to look through all of them- it'd be a bit of a needle in a haystack situation, haha. So I appreciate them giving me a direction!

The animal girl's quest is marked as "obsolete", along with the original version of the orange cat's quest. Given the cat's quest was redone and re-added, this probably means they're reworking the girl's quest to add in later. It looks like this may be the case for one of the other side quest characters as well?

Interestingly, the Shibuya mascot's quest, the blonde Shinjuku man's quest, and Kazuhiko Tsuda's quest are all not marked as obsolete, despite not being available in-game at the moment

"Concerto for Rule-Breakers"- the next story arc- has quests listed here despite them not being implemented in the game yet. It seems a new teacher will be introduced at Kokatsu, 明石 (probably Akashi?), and reacts oddly towards Ms. Katayama. Later, in Mementos, the shadow that Wonder and Cattle fought when leaving Mementos for the first time reappears, and they have to defeat it again. It rains the next day, and Wonder runs into Riko on the way to school. The new teacher is formally introduced to the school, but now Katayama is acting weird. Another day passes, and it's unclear exactly what happens- other than Wonder eating lunch with Shun on the roof- but the text for that evening says some "unpleasant things" happened that day. The day after that, Katayama gets in trouble, and Mr. Hakozaki substitutes in for her class. The next day passes, and Wonder talks to Riko. The Phantom Thieves go to Mementos again to look for the next Palace. Apparently they find it, as the next quest says they found the new teacher's Shadow in Katayama's Palace? After that, Shun invites them to eat at Toraiken, and the next quest says Wonder learned some things about Katayama that day. The next day Wonder sees Riko talking to Katayama. More time passes, and the Phantom Thieves gather on the rooftop to discuss Katayama; a quest mentions her "past mistakes" she's being punished for. The day after that Wonder apparently made plans to meet up with Riko in Kichijoji, which Motoha and Shun join him for. After they talk, Riko apparently wants to get more information about the new teacher, leading to Wonder talking to the teacher as a distraction. This sounds like it goes well, and they meet back up with Riko at the cafe in Kichijoji, then head into Mementos after that. Later, Riko and Wonder go to the Student Guidance Room together, while Shun and Motoha have a conversation elsewhere in the school, and it seems they manage to gain some information from the new teacher's laptop. The next day has Wonder meeting up with Shun and Motoha, but then the following quest mentions they all return to Shibuya safely, and Riko asks them about the "other world". This day ends, and Wonder visits the Velvet Room in his sleep, then wakes up in the morning to no Ruferu. At school, Riko apparently asks people about the Palace. Motoha adds her to their group chat. They end up meeting up at a bar in Shinjuku, and after that, talk to Katayama herself. This conversation causes Riko to speculate there may be two Palace rulers in the Palace. At school the next day, the school summons everyone to the gym, and after, the Phantom Thieves discuss the new teacher's change of heart. Meanwhile, Polter is in Yongen-Jaya, with a weird app on her phone.

TLDR for the new plot: A new teacher comes to Kokatsu, and though it's Katayama's Palace that the Phantom Thieves find, the new teacher seems to have a Shadow in there as well. Riko gets involved after the real Katayama gets in trouble at school, and eventually helps them gain even more information about the situation when they access the new teacher's laptop. This endeavor seems to lead to Riko joining the team. After eventually causing the new teacher to have a change of heart, Riko speculates there's actually a second Palace ruler involved with this Palace.

[haru-chi]

May I manifest this for it to become true <3

the 7th season gonna be the dream exorcist season ~

where we'll have :

Yorishima first anime debut

Hakozaki mansion 2nd story

Hand extended story

Miharu arc story

MAKE THIS HAPPEN !!! I HAVE FAITH IN YOU !!!

[otakween]

I'm Standing on a Million Lives - Volume 14

Woohoo! New character and a new arc. I like new girl's shaggy hair and her black and white outfit is cute too.

Ch. 65

A nice, strong start to this volume. Very surprised to see COVID incorporated, but I guess it's set in present day after all. Interesting that the mangaka decided to use the 2020 situation for commentary/character development.

The idea of sorcerers being unable to produce viable offspring is super interesting. It's always good to give big debuffs to OP characters (unless they're child free and don't care lol).

Malita moment with Yuusuke was nice, but I feel uncomfy seeing him so wholesome all of the sudden. He's definitely developed as a character, but he still spews stupid, self-righteous BS so it's like...has he changed though??

Hakozaki confronting Yuusuke about his weirdo misanthropy was satisfying, especially the "you're no better than those who commit genocide" bit. You tell him! His "I'm just doing what seems right from my perspective" seems like a weak excuse...

Kinda yikes for a manga character to be "on the side of COVID," but at least he says "but the innocent lives being taken thing isn't cool" lol. Edgy, but not "get the mangaka cancelled levels of edgy."

Glenda based as always with her "teenagers say dumb shit because their brains aren't fully developed" observations (paraphrased haha).

Kinda hilarious how Glenda was like "Oh, by the way feminism is a thing" to Jangani and he was like "that will never catch on." Cue it immediately catching on a panel later LOL. I was surprised to see Yuusuke say "Japan is pretty behind" when talking about gender equality in the US vs. Japan. Love that a Japanese writer acknowledged that. (Not to be all rah-rah USA though).

The goblins IRL being labelled "Chupacabra" is genius.

Ch. 66

Yuusuke helps Keita rehabilitate his dad who just got out of prison. Good to see some more 1 on 1 character time.

Yuusuke's such a smartass. It's a good thing he was taken down a peg last chapter because in this one you'd think he was smarter than everyone (although I guess the bar is low with Keita's dad and his goons)

The revelation about how dragon bishops are created was interesting. I'm a little confused about the dead fetus thing. Does that mean the younger dragon bishops were that way from birth and then just grew normally?? That would be an interesting story to follow. Are they evil as little kids or does that come about during puberty? lol

Keita's dad just conveniently doesn't notice Keita and Yuusuke using magic right in front of him. Also isn't surprised by two teenagers easily beating up 3 grown men.

I was relieved that Yuusuke acknowledged that Keita's dad isn't "healed" and that he'll most likely relapse again. We don't need anymore talk-no-jutsu insta redemption

Ch. 67

Hmmm that chapter was kinda weird. All over the place in tone. Excited to have a new character and a new arc though!

New girl is Taiwanese, I like her design and air-headedness, but like a lot of the other characters, I was kinda annoyed by how quickly she got used to the idea of being in another world. Also, I rolled my eyes when she brought up feng shui (like: "geddit?? She's from Taiwan!")

Not sure if it's clever or lazy to have the fantasy world mirror the politics of ours. I guess for me it makes things more interesting because it's more relatable and cool to hear the differing perspectives the characters have on things like dictatorships and imperialism. (We get another nod to America in this chapter). Interesting to think about Japanese people keeping up with American politics (although I guess that's only natural considering America's place in the world).

Yuusuke has an existential crisis because they've time-skipped another 85 years. I feel like a big jump like that makes things less interesting because they won't be able to do as many callbacks to older characters. Will we get a resolution to Malita's story?

I liked that Hakozaki called out the fact that the Master only reaches out to Yuusuke and no one else. I really hope they continue to develop her skeptical side. It'd be cool to see her take on Yuusuke in a fight one day.

That Chinese dragon design was so cool! I hope we get to see more of that monster.

Ch. 68

The corruption of the local government and strategies for solving this arc's goal are discussed. In other words, mainly a world building/team work heavy chapter, which I always enjoy the most.

I feel like this writer is actually pretty good at explaining politics/government in easy-to-digest ways. Could they help me understand IRL stuff too, please? lol

Interesting use of the revival mechanic here where they use Hakozaki as live bait. I like that their "immortality" has a lot of clear cut rules so they can't really abuse it too often, but it's still a nice advantage to have.

Yuka getting abruptly eaten by a sea serpent was pretty funny. Hope she's not just absent for the rest of the chapter now.

I found it weird that the refugees were like "oh that money? Worthless." but then they say "it will keep the 8 of you fed for a month." So...not worthless? That still sounds like a good chunk of change to me!

Ch. 69 (nice)

Holy shit! This chapter was so, so good. First of all, Iu finally gets some long-awaited focus and second, there was just so much intrigue jam packed into this between the revelations of how the new city's religion/culture works, the different characters reactions to that, and that cliffhanger ending with Iu being suddenly acknowledged as a messiah! Only problem is...the next volume isn't out yet so I gotta sit here in suspense ;-;

The oppressive theocracy being portrayed here is clearly supposed to mirrored after the Taliban. Pretty heavy stuff for an isekai manga, but a fair target I would say. I thought it was interesting how Iu and Keita went back and forth between "well, it's a different culture we need to respect that" and "fuck that! This is inexcusable." Obviously, when it comes to the Taliban, the "fuck this" attitude is probably the "correct" one, but sometimes other cultures/religions skirt that line and you need to judge on a person-by-person basis...if that makes sense. Like how there's a difference between women who wear head coverings because of an oppressive regime (fuck that!) and those who wear them as a personal choice (different culture, let's respect it). I feel like philosophy fans would like this manga...a lot to discuss.

Iu stepping into the leader role but being insecure about it ("what would Hakozaki do?") was interesting. I kind of thought she was more confident than that, but she has so little screen time I guess I didn't really know her after all lol

Iu being like "lol kay, ready to die now" when she gets sentenced to death but knows she'll just revive was great. Imagine facing a firing squad with that kinda swagger. Kinda badass.

I've never seen Dr. Stone, but the kind of old timey engineering Yuusuke and Kusue did in this chapter (fashioning rope out of sea serpent scales to build a rope/pulley system) reminded me of that series (based on what I've heard). Fun seeing Survivor stuff like that.

[coquelicoq]

i want beniko and yorishima to hang out. i think they'd balance each other out well. antisocial old man and woman who resents a different old man for dying before she could socialize him. yorishima probably knew her grandfather and probably was cranky about his whole youkai friendship situation, which beniko was also cranky about. ultimately beniko has to make her peace with the fact that she avoided her grandfather because she couldn't share his world and that now that he's dead it's too late to reach out to him. yorishima isn't a substitute for her grandfather, but he is a guy who's isolating himself not just from humans who can't see, but also from humans who can see and from youkai. his perspective overlaps with hers in some ways and with hakozaki's in some ways and completely diverges from both in others. i think it would be good for both of them and i would like to see it.

[joelletwo]

if theyre being sensible they simply have to put eye-eater hakozaki 2 in this season but that would make. count. four exorcist arcs and three of them matoba-centric. and that feels. too good to be true. but well also we're getting into the (more) matoba-centric parts of the manga i GUESS???? idk. idk. idk. [losing my mind]

[akitania]

nanase’s best chapter in general is special 17, but i’m incredibly fond of her throughout the entire hakozaki arc and especially this one panel:

has natsume ever been as scared of anything in the entire manga as he is of an old lady popping out of the bushes to give him a friendly greeting

[nyanko3sensei]

Ah... I’m once again left in tears after watching the season finale for Natsume Yuujinchou Roku! (TT ^ TT) <3 <3 <3 As an avid fan of both the show and the manga, I think that season 6 has moved up the ranks and become my new #1 amongst the whole series \(^////^)/

While I do wish for there to be more, I am perfectly content with the fact that Shuka Studios decided to end the season with the Hakozaki Arc. Not only do we still have a sense of resolution, but we also finally get some light shed upon Natsume’s mysterious grandfather. While I am a huge fan of the HC that Reiko had given birth to Natsume’s father through a fling(?) with a yokai, from the evidence that Midorikawa Sensei has provided us, I’m leaning more towards Reiko’s husband(?) either being an actual exorcist or at least a member of one of the exorcist clans. 

On the other hand, I’ve gotta say that I’m proud of myself for emotionally preparing myself for Natsume’s big reveal to Natori about the Yuujinchou (^^)b (Though that probably lies in the fact that I had an additional episode to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for this moment~)

Now, here’s to hoping for a season 7!

[rithsu-chan]

Because We’re Friends

Title: Because We’re Friends Fandom: Natsume Yuujinchou Characters: Natori Shuuichi, Natsume Takashi, other mentioned characters Relationship: Natori Shuuichi & Natsume Takashi Prompt: Favorite chapter/episode/arc (for May 17) Word Count: 2263 (not including the additional scene in italics below) Summary: Shuuichi isn’t stupid. He suspects– knows that Natsume has always been carrying something important with him. He doesn’t know what it is exactly, but he just knows it’s something dangerous. And so Shuuichi’s worry grows. And grows. 

And grows.

Warning: Contains content from manga chapters 14, 60-62, and 72-73, so if you haven’t read up until those chapters then don’t read this yet

Notes: This isn’t actually a single chapter/arc; it’s just that my favorite part/s is/are scattered throughout the manga, as seen in the warning above. 

I just love Natori’s relationship with Natsume and he’s honestly so protective of him, which is why Natori knowing about the Book of Friends really hit it home with me. This is basically just the scenes in the manga written in Natori’s perspective along with my own headcanons. Some of the dialogue were copied directly from the ones in the manga, so, yeah. Disclaimer.

Also, I crammed writing this so I’m sorry if it’s a bit messy and inconsistent. And b o i, I did not expect for this to exceed 2,000 words at all. I thought it was just gonna be a drabble with about 1k or so words, but then this happened. :’))

Anyway. On to the story.

The first time Shuuichi realized Natsume was carrying something important with him, it was at their trip to the hot springs. He had caught the tail end of Natsume’s conversation with the Youkai – Sumie, was it? – and even the part where he had a piece of paper tucked in between his lips.

Shuuichi thought odd of it, but he didn’t have time to think into it further as the Youkai was gearing up to attack Natsume, and he couldn’t have that, so he threw away everything but the thought and the instinct to protect him.

And then everything, his true purpose as to why he was in that inn as well as his motives in bringing Natsume along with him, kind of just unfolded from there.

Needless to say, he felt a little bit guilty about deceiving Natsume to go with him on this trip, when all he could have done was ask, but he couldn’t quite find it in himself to do anything but lie at that time because he was so used to doing so. It was hypocritical of him to say to Natsume that he wouldn’t need to lie when he was with him when he himself did so. But, well… he’d say that old habits die hard, but he feels himself letting up a little bit when Natsume admits that he’d been keeping things from Shuuichi himself, and that statement brings Shuuichi back to what he was doing with the Ayakashi before.

However, that was something that could be done at a later date, and right now what’s more important is to seal that Youkai properly.

Shuuichi could admit to himself that he panicked just a little bit when his paper dolls failed to subdue the Ayakashi, but then he proceeded to feel relieved and amazed at the fact that a Youkai that Natsume had saved prior to their trip had been the one to save them when the exorcism failed. Huh, maybe helping Youkai isn’t so bad after all…?

He’ll... entertain that thought another time.

The next time the matter comes up, a few months, close to a year, had passed. Tsukiko-san had called and he’d sent a paper doll containing the details of their meet up, only to find out that that doll had fallen to the ground due to the rain and was picked up by none other than Natsume.

It was funny how fate decided to let them meet again, and under this circumstance no less, but it was even more frustrating because Shuuichi didn’t want Natsume to be involved in his exorcism business. The various times he was involved, Shuuichi had been infected by his compassion and kindness and recklessness, three things that the people in his line of work usually lacked – and for good reason, because those three things entail weakness, and Ayakashi leech onto that.

But… when Shuuichi looks at Natsume and all his compassionate glory, he can’t associate him with the word. Natsume is anything but weak; he’s brave and determined, and he’s also just a tad bit fragile, but that doesn’t make him weak. He knows that anyone who’s had a childhood dealing with Youkai couldn’t have grown up being fully accepted, and it shows with Natsume’s actions because, just like himself, he’s grown accustomed to lying, he finds certain acts of kindness directed toward him surprising, he has a hard time trusting people, and he…

He keeps secrets, no matter how dangerous, just so he could protect other people.

“Are you the Natsume of the Book of Friends that I’ve heard so much about?”

And that brings Shuuichi back into the present, because there it is. There it is again. The... recognition that Youkai have of Natsume’s name.

“Natori-san…”

“Tsk, so the exorcist brat is here. Did you overhear us?” the Ayakashi asked.

“...No,” Shuuichi answered, choosing his words carefully. “But it sounded intriguing. Care to fill me in?”

The Ayakashi snorted. “Who would tell a halfwit exorcist like you?”

Shuuichi paused. The way the Ayakashi said it… it seemed more than just an insult. He’d have lapsed into a thoughtful state right then and there, but alas, the Ayakashi has fled, effectively stopping his thoughts and putting him back into reality.

Later on, after the affair has ended and he’s told Natsume that whatever he had to say, he can say when he’s ready, Shuuichi thought. The amount of recognition Natsume holds over various Ayakashi is downright alarming, if only because it means that Natsume is so deep into Ayakashi business that he’s well-known by them across the land. Originally, Shuuichi had thought that that recognition was brought about by Natsume’s big heart for all the beings around him, but maybe there’s more to it than that.

Maybe… maybe he was well-known because of something he has, something that holds importance and– and power over the Youkai. Something powerful and terrifying and dangerous.

Something that the kind Natsume maybe shouldn’t have in his possession.

The Book of Friends, huh…?

Shuuichi had just exorcised an Ayakashi when he heard two small ones fretting over being exorcised themselves.

“Hey, isn’t that an exorcist?”

“Eh?! How scary… we might be exorcised if he finds us.”

Shuuichi finds himself amused, and he butts in, telling them that if he kept exorcising the small fry, it would be bad for his health. The low-level Ayakashi, fearing for their lives, blurt out that they’d do anything he demanded while also asking for forgiveness. Shuuichi, not one to pass up the opportunity, asks.

“Have you heard of the Book of Friends?”

The small Ayakashi are quaking and are weak-willed but they say nothing helpful about it and quickly run off. Shuuichi purses his lips.

Hm, so it appears that the Book of Friends is a well-kept secret among the Ayakashi that, for some reason or the other, should not be known by exorcists.

Now the question is: why?   

What power could the Book of Friends possibly have that would threaten the Ayakashi greatly should an exorcist get his hands on it?

Shuuichi thinks.

Youkai are generally afraid of exorcists because they do not want to be exterminated. So, if an exorcist in possession of the Book would be much more dangerous and fearsome for the Ayakashi, then Shuuichi could safely assume that the Book is fairly powerful.

Now then, Shuuichi mulls over what possible use a book could be to an exorcist. A book contains writings, and Shuuichi could think of a few things that require writing for exorcists.

It could be a book of spells, for example, spells that could effectively and efficiently exorcise Youkai. However, Shuuichi could not see the wisdom in simply carrying a book of spells around so he scratches that thought away.

A collection of circles, perhaps? That could serve some purpose for exorcists, having a ready-made stash of different types of circles made for different purposes. It may be convenient in some way for some people, however, for Shuuichi, it would only limit the sizes of the circles and he’d have to redraw them on the ground anyway if he needed a bigger one.

The last thing Shuuichi could think of that would need writing in an exorcist’s job would be forming a contract.

That… is not a pleasant possibility.

Shuuichi has caught only a glimpse of the Book, and from what he remembered, it was thick. If that thing contained contracts, then it means that a lot of Youkai were involved, and for such a thing to be in Natsume’s hands… he didn’t want to think of the possibility. Not yet. Shuuichi lowered his hat.

He best be going back. Natsume’s coming soon.

When Shuuichi had gone back to his condo with Natsume after picking him up, he was surprised to see one of his acquaintances – Aimiya-san – hanging around by the entrance of the building. And because fate just liked to screw with him, said acquaintance had also invited Shuuichi to an event in the Hakozaki house and managed to drag Natsume along.

Shuuichi had been careless. He should have never paraded around with Natsume, and now some weird rumor had spread about him.

He managed to suppress a sigh as they entered the premises of the Hakozaki house and quickly put on his business smile, listening attentively to Hakozaki-san’s request to find the elder Hakozaki’s study and seriously considering it.

It was a great opportunity, Shuuichi thought. His only regret was having Natsume be in the presence of other exorcists, especially since the Matobas are most probably elbow-deep into this matter as well.

But really, it was an opportunity that Shuuichi could not pass up, and he’d just have to take the risk. Natsume could defend himself fairly well enough anyway, and he had his cat bodyguard too, but just to ease his own conscience a little bit, he asked Hiiragi to go with Natsume as well, and also made Natsume dress as a shiki for good measure.

With that done, he set out to do some searching on his own. Urihime and Sasago had reported back to him after a while with a non-affirmative of the study’s location, but they both promised to search harder and Shuuichi only nodded. He’d thought as much anyway. There was no way his shiki could find it that quick if the people that came here before him hadn’t found it yet by now.

He continued searching on his own but no such luck turned up on his end as well. He sighed forlornly, thinking if it was impossible after all.

Ah, but if it’s Natsume…

Shuuichi found himself thinking. Natsume is different after all; he might just be able to find it.

He might have mused on it more, but then he was interrupted by the presence of another exorcist.

Nanase-san.

“Natori!” the elder pleasantly exclaimed. “As usual, you pick up on interesting stories very quickly.”

Shuuichi blurts out his greeting and they proceed on chatting. When asked about Natsume, Shuuichi simply waves it off and states that he hasn’t seen him.

He doesn’t want Natsume doing anything with the Matoba clan, not after he read Matoba’s letter to Natsume.

Nanase-san finally leaves and he takes the opportunity to look for Natsume and warn him about her. When Shuuichi does find him though, he was being attacked by a Youkai, and he tries so hard, his hardest, to pretend that he didn’t hear about the Book of Friends from the Youkai, only telling it to stay away from Natsume and attempting to rescue the younger male only for the fat cat to jump in and save him instead, but he knew Natsume knew that he heard it, so he tried placating him, telling him he’d just pretend he didn’t hear anything.

Natsume surprised him with his response.

“Natori-san… I won’t say it now because there are Ayakashi around, but after everything is done, will you hear me out?”

The statement gave Shuuichi pause, but he smiled and replied, “Of course.”

“My grandmother was called Natsume Reiko. It seems she had strong spiritual power.”

Shuuichi perked up at that, slightly surprised at Natsume’s straightforwardness and not expecting him to open up immediately after they’d finished, but he listened closely nevertheless.

“She was bad at dealing with humans so she was always involved with Ayakashi.” A pause. “She would challenge some, and when the Ayakashi lost, she made them write their names on a piece of paper. It seems she collected these.”

As Shuuichi heard the words, he was overcome with a grim disposition.

Natsume had said that she’d made them write their names. Shuuichi isn’t stupid; he’d deliberately told Natsume a while back that contracts formed with Youkai would require a name other than their real one, so the younger male’s lack of elaboration meant only one thing: the real names of the Ayakashi had been written.

It was a forbidden act.

Shuuichi listened on mirthlessly as Natsume continued to tell him about his grandmother, about how she’d made the Book of Friends out of loneliness, about how he’d inherited it and…

And about how, since he’s the only living blood relative of Reiko, he’s the only one able to return the names to their respective owners, which was why he’s now made it his life’s mission.

It was all… very difficult to accept for Shuuichi, because he knew, even if Natsume didn’t say so, that it was dangerous, risky, unsafe, and– and life-threatening. And he knew Natsume knew that as well, yet the younger still persists in doing so, if only to free the Youkai. Such a heavy burden for someone so... young and innocent. Shuuichi resists a shuddering breath.

Natsume was kind.

Natsume was too kind.

“It would be better if… such a dangerous thing was burned,” Shuuichi breathed out amidst the crackle of fire. Natsume, not having heard it because of the noise from the fire, asked what he had said, but Shuuichi merely brushed it off.

When Natsume had gone and the whole Hakozaki affair had been left behind, Shuuichi contemplated. He didn’t want the Book of Friends to stay in Natsume’s hands any longer, but Shuuichi had a feeling that nothing he’d say would persuade Natsume into giving it up, because Natsume’s just like that. Shuuichi can’t see him willingly throwing away the book; if anything, he’d probably fight tooth and nail just to protect it and to not let it fall into the wrong hands.

Shuuichi sighed exasperatedly, looking at the sky.

What was he going to do with Natsume?

End Notes: And yeah, that’s it. That’s the story. I now realize it’s more of a character study actually...? Of Natori, that is. 

Okay, uhm, I lied. That’s not the whole story yet. There’s still a scene I haven’t included in here ‘cuz I’m not yet done writing it, and is2g if I don’t get what I have done out right now, my brain is going to explode. 

The additional scene I’ll add tomorrow, but it’s going to be in a reblog sooo yeah. Y’all better read that additional scene because that’s where the title of this one-shot came from.

Thanks for reading and good night. 

...

On second thought, I’m gonna add here what I’ve written of the additional scene bc gahhhd I really need to get it out of my system/drafts and if I don’t my frustration would only grow and grow and grow.

So. Here you go.

“Natori-san! Natori-san, wait! The Book– it’s reacting!” Natsume shouted, stopping Shuuichi’s assault on it and momentarily distracting him from the Youkai.

“Watch out–!” Hiiragi warned, and Shuuichi turned to the Youkai, expecting to be hit, but that was prevented by the fat cat turning into his beast form and grabbing the Ayakashi in between his teeth.

“Natsume, now!” The white-furred beast looked to Natsume, his deep voice carrying across the land to where Natsume was, the Book suddenly out and opened.

“One who would protect me...” Natsume chanted, and Shuuichi looked on, confused and at the same time enchanted. “...show me your name.”

As the words were pronounced, the pages of the Book started flipping on its own and then abruptly stopped, a single page left standing. Shuuichi watched, enamored. He saw as the younger male ripped the page from the book and held it between his lips, a sight which he has seen only once before, at the inn with the hot springs.

And then, Natsume clapped, and blew.

The characters from the paper flew towards the captive Ayakashi in Madara’s mouth, and then a bright and soft light filled the air as the ink sank into the Youkai’s forehead, symbolically indicating that its name has been returned.

Yeah, just take it. And don’t give it back. Ugh.

Okay bye, for real now. See you tomorrow. 

[theangry-ace]

wait

we’re already getting the Hakozaki arc? is there no anime original episode this season? i was so waiting for that...