Asakami Ito
Day 0 - Afternoon (Phase 2/3)
Minami Ward - Tokisaka Shrine
Ito ignored the shrine maiden sweeping the Tokisaka Shrine grounds. He had seen her before; she had undoubtedly seen him before. He lived in the area, making him a common sight. Likewise, she too was a regular sight in his day-to-day routine. Though he took note of everyone that he saw on his outings, he didn’t expect the same from others. But he knew that he stood out due to the weapon he carried with him, one which he was rarely seen without.
The Minami Ward had rumors of an “unsociable samurai” that could be spotted at certain hours of the day. Her curious glance at him was part of the routine. If ever he arrived by car and she was tending to the shrine’s grounds, she gave him that same brief glance.
But the routine was off. Something else was watching him. It wasn’t the curious eyes of the Minami Ward checking out the local urban legend. Something with intent had Ito in its sight.
He couldn’t pinpoint it, so he ignored it.
Being watched was normal. There was too great a list of parties that would have reason to keep tabs on him. Ito had long since grown accustomed to being watched in this city. Being watched wouldn't be enough to stop him.
A neatly tied indigo ramie sack hung from his left hand. The relic inside pressed against the cloth, its sharper protruding edges giving the package a peculiar shape. It was likely what had drawn the unknown observing him from the shadows.
The package swayed lightly as he followed the sidewalk, walking past the shrine, to the konbini that along with the apartment complex sandwiched the old shrine and choked away its splendor. Ito slipped a coin into one of the three vending machines lined up at the storefront, pressed a button, and after a small clang, he took the bottle of green tea with his free hand.
Then, as always, he set off toward home.
⸻
With the click of an iron lock Ito stepped into his home.
With his shoes discarded at the entrance Ito stepped through his home in a pair of grey slippers. He stopped for a moment to deposit his drink in the fridge, which itself was stocked with nothing except identical bottles of green tea. Soon there would be no space for anymore additions and he would have to inevitably drink some, but until then he could carry on with this routine.
One of the wooden floorboards creaked lightly under his feet, and Ito paused to stare down at it with an exasperated sigh. Just two weeks ago he had done work on the flooring in the dining room. That was the problem with these old machiya, for how beautiful they were that very same beauty belied an endless list of costly complications in the upkeep. Sure enough should he take care of the kitchen, the walls in another room will need work, then the roof, then another segment of the floor.
But at least it was something to occupy him, even if it too formed a routine from which he couldn’t escape.
Ito left the kitchen, passed through the hall, slid open the shoji, and stepped into his garden. A large, plain slab of cypress lay atop the grass. Well-treated, its waxed exterior shone like amber. Leaning down, Ito grabbed one end of the slab and flipped it over, revealing its underside.
Carved into the wood was a large circle, engraved with occultic runes and characters. Each cut was clean but revealed untreated wood beneath. Small discolorations were visible where the lines had been left in the dirt, but they wouldn’t matter. As he was told, the ritual was largely superfluous.
Ito lifted the indigo sack.
On his own, he was trapped in these pointless routines. But the key to his cell was in his hand now. It wasn’t happenstance that he came into possession of it.
After all, it was Ito that had arranged for the relic in his hand to be taken to Kagamihara University. It was due to him that Asahi had learned of its arrival. The original plan was to kill Asahi and take it after the former had already stolen it.
Though he wasn’t above stealing, Ito knew that to be the culprit of the theft would leave a clear trail to himself. Plundering the treasure from the thief would leave a murky trail, throwing off any interested parties.
It wasn’t outside of his expectations for the chairman to catch wind of Asahi’s betrayal. Little happened in the underside of the city without Shinonome Hisao’s knowledge. That was why Ito had targeted Asahi. Should the chairman make a move to stop the traitor, there was only one person he would send for the job.
Ito only needed to provide the basic framework and the Grail would take care of the rest. It was that leniency which enabled one such as he, who knew little of Magecraft, to participate at all.
Ito untied the sack, placing the plundered relic in the center of the summoning circle.
From his jacket pocket he retrieved and unfolded a small slip of paper. His grey eyes scanned it, double-checking the ritual, and refreshing himself on the incantation.
Even that was lenient, but he would see it through regardless.
He crumpled the paper and tossed it aside.
Enough waiting. The incantation consisted of what Ito identified as two distinct halves. The first laid the groundwork for the summoning. The second was an oath.
Red brands seared and engraved his skin.
“I announce.”
For Ito, only the oath was necessary.
Something stirred. The still air in his garden came to life with those simple words. The uniformly cut grass swayed.
“Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason, then answer my call.”
A ring of light appeared within the carvings on the cypress. Like a liquid, it spread along the markings, filling out the circles carved into the wood. Ito watched the ritual until the light began to rise from the ground, at which point his vision turned black.
“I make an oath here.”
Ito continued, unperturbed. He was told that the fifth element was imperceivable by human eyes. That his vision would fail before it as an automatic defense mechanism.
“I shall attain all the virtue of all Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all the evil of Hell.
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!”
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Originally Posted by Mitsurugi Ayame
