Besides the vicious yōkai being reborn as spiritual power increased, Sū ěr met many yōkai whose values, style, and speech were from a different era.
They were like elderly people from the previous century; their clothing and habits were outdated by twenty or thirty years. They spoke of events from three decades ago and were dumbfounded by the glittering modern cities.
The past seemed to be curling forward, merging into the future. Yet whenever Sū ěr tried to connect with the world, he felt it was perfectly healthy—as if it were meant to be this way. It was the living beings within the world who were struggling to adapt.
Well, "struggling" might be too strong a word, but the situation left even Think feeling lost about where to begin.
Back in the city, at the Nura residence:
"Again."
"Huff... puff..."
Gasping for air, Araragi didn't even have the energy to speak. The figure in the blue haori across from him felt like a phantom; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even touch a sleeve.
Sweat poured into his eyes, which he wiped away crudely with the back of his hand. The super-vampire body Kiss-shot gave him technically shouldn't feel fatigue, but he was psychologically drained. He just wanted to lie down and rest.
It was like playing a game against a pro friend. No matter how fun the game is, being stomped repeatedly makes you lose interest. Araragi was the one being stomped.
Worse, unlike a game he could just quit, combat was unavoidable.
Grit teeth, he pulled his scattered thoughts together and channeled the energy in his body—Pop!
As if popping a bubble, Araragi vanished into a cloud of deep-grey mist. Despite the lack of wind, the mist shot toward Rikuo at incredible speed.
Mist Transformation—a vampire classic. But Araragi was naive if he thought this would hit Rikuo. In fact, even he didn't expect it to work.
As he passed through the blue figure, a hand appeared behind the mist. With a casual motion, like scooping something from water, Rikuo grabbed Araragi by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back into physical form.
Rikuo didn't follow up with a strike; he just tossed Araragi to the ground.
"...AAAAAGH! I QUIT!!"
This time, Araragi didn't scramble back up. He just lay there like a starfish, shouting. His initial shyness and gloom had been beaten out of him. Sū ěr felt the boy had become much more open in this environment full of yōkai.
"You need to work on your energy control, Koyomi," Rikuo said, turning around coolly. "If you only rely on physical strength, you're dragging the vampire name through the mud."
"Shut up! I only started training a week ago and I can already turn into mist! I think I'm doing great!" Araragi protested.
"Is it actually useful, though?" Spending every day training Araragi had caused Rikuo to pick up a roasting habit. "I can force you back to human form just by disrupting your energy. At this level, it's barely enough to save your life, let alone win a fight."
"..."
Unable to argue, Araragi just let out a loud sigh.
He wanted to be strong, but he didn't want to train. What's the problem?
"Rikuo is still way ahead of him," Sū ěr said, sipping tea while watching. "Is this training even working?"
Sū ěr hadn't watched every day, but based on tonight, Araragi week hadn't been pleasant.
"Don't be silly. I've been teaching Rikuo since he was a pup. How could he be surpassed in a few days?" Nurarihyon said, a mix of annoyance and pride. "Don't underestimate 'Time,' old monster!"
Being called an "old monster" by an old monster—the relationship between the two had grown much closer since Sū ěr beat him up.
"True. Can't underestimate time..." Sū ěr sighed.
"Pfft. It sounds natural coming from Mr. Nurarihyon, but it feels weird coming from you, Sū ěr," Hanekawa said, tilting her head with a smile. She was holding a small yōkai, watching it struggle in her hands.
Meme Oshino kept muttering that those who touch the supernatural get pulled deeper into it. Hanekawa, having touched it, wasn't stopping. She had followed Araragi right into the Nura Clan.
"Don't let the looks fool you. I'm old enough to be your grandpa," Sū ěr said, touching his face.
"Then when do you plan on having a child?" The question came out of nowhere. Think didn't look over, but Sū ěr felt her sharp gaze lock onto him.
While the group was drinking tea and watching Araragi, Think and Jibril were on the other side, simulating a massive magical formula. The flickering light drew the curious and fearful gazes of the Nura yōkai.
Think was designing the formula, while Jibril handled the precision control and physical manifestation. Hard to believe, but Jibril had actually been the one to ask Think for help.
The target was the ancient well behind the Higurashi Shrine.