Natsume Yuujin Chou 23

Ashitaka x Taiyou/Transcendence Scans Use Only

Natsume Yuujinchou 23

Code
N- Natsume
M- Nyanko-sensei
U- Unknown
H- Winged Ayakashi
R- Reiko
S- Natori
NS- Nanase
T- Touko-san
K- Kappa
B- Matoba

01
[Cover]

02
Natsume Yuujinchou
Volume 7
Midorikawa Yuki

03
[Contents]

04
Natsume Yuujinchou
Chapter 23

05
Natsume Yuujinchou Characters
A Quick Guide

Nyanko-Sensei
(Original Form)
Natsume’s (self appointed) guardian. He has taken the form of a maneki neko, and is currently living as a pet cat. His original form is a well known youkai called Madara.

Natori Shuuichi
A youkai exorcist. On the surface he’s a hot selling actor. He has an ayakashi shaped like a gecko living on his body.

Natsume Takashi
A boy who can see Ayakashi. He inherited his grandmother’s heirloom, the ‘Book of Friends’. His parents are dead, and he is currently in the care of his distant relatives, the Fujiwara couple. Like his grandmother, he possesses unusually strong spiritual powers, enough to take down ayakashi with a single fist.

Story
Natsume has a secret - he can see youkai. One day, he inherited a book of contracts with youkai, the ‘Book of Friends’ from his grandmother. Since then, alongside Nyanko-sensei he passes his busy days being targeted by youkai and returning their contracted names…!?

The Yuujinchou is…
A book of youkai contracts created in order to keep the promises of the youkai that swore to become the followers of Natsume’s grandmother Reiko if they lost a match with her. They cannot defy the orders given to them by its owner.

06
N- Ever since I was small I have occasionally seen strange things
N- As others cannot see them, they are most likely
N- What you would call youkai
M- Oh look Natsume, the street carts are out
N- Cuz there’s a festival soon
M- Hoh… Ah, Natsume, squid, buy me fried squid
N- Hey be quiet Nyanko-sensei
N- Cats aren’t supposed to eat squid anyway
M- Idiot I’m not a cat
M- You’re gonna deny the middle aged squid!?
N- Don’t say things that make me not want to hold you!

07
N- Geez… chew it properly sensei
U- Oh
U- Sorry
N- No
N- It was my fault…
N- …Hm?
N- Blood!!!?
N- Wah!? What the!?
N- Is this from that woman?
h/w- Ha

08
N- She’s gone…?
N- Was she an ayakashi? …An injured one…?
N- …no…
N- Something felt off…
N- It looked like she came down those stone steps…
N- Did something happen up there?
N- …What is this feeling…?
N- It’s as though if I were to turn away now
N- Something terrible would happen
N- A shrine…?

09
N- An umbrella?
N- It isn’t raining though…
N- Is someone inside…?
N- What the!?

10
N- Ayakashi…? What on earth…
U- Ooh…
h/w- Ha
N- Are you okay!? What happened…
Sfx- rustle
U- What

11
U- There’s one left?
N- Uh
N- Can’t breathe…
N- …Le…
N- Let…
N- What is this guy!?

12
H- What are you doing!?
H- Run!
N- Wha…
N- Eh…
N- Ah…
N- Wa
N- Waaa!?

13
N- …Who are you?
N- Thanks for saving me
H- Same here, if you hadn’t come I wouldn’t have regained consciousness
N- A girl’s voice…
N- How lame, being carried by a girl…
N- Oh yeah, she’s an ayakashi
H- Hm? You’re heavy, and kind of warm…
H- Are you human!?
N- Eh, you’re only noticing this now?
H- Gyaaah!
N- Eh!?
N- Uh…
14
N- Uh
N- Wah
N- Aaa
N- Aa
N- Ah!
M- Natsume!? What the hell’re you doing!?
h/w- Geez
h/w- Steady
Steady
M- Oof
N- Nothing good comes of getting involved with ayakashi…
H- Sorry for the fright…
H- Are you okay?

15
N- I almost died… but thanks for getting me out of there
M- What the hell are you thanking her for, explain, Natsume!
H- …Natsume…!? The one with the rumoured ‘Book of Friends’!?
H- …I thought… you’d be cooler though…
-Arrogant
-No mercy
-Last boss
R- Kneel and relinquish your name!
N- No
N- That would be my grandmother
H- Even so a Natsume is a Natsume…
H- Natsume-sama
H- Were you aware that recently there have been attacks on the ayakashi of this region?
H- They receive grave injuries
H- There are frequent cases of ayakashi having most all of their blood stolen
N- …blood…?
H- My friend was also attacked
H- I was trying to find out who was behind it

16
H- But there aren’t many survivors and even less clues
H- Without any leads I resorted to patrolling the forest, and I heard a scream from that shrine
H- When I flew in something was attacking them
H- I was trying to shield the ones who had collapsed but something crashed into me and I passed out
N- …I, I see…
N- ‘Something’, huh…

17
N- It was dark, and I couldn’t see very well, but
N- That was the thing that has been attacking ayakashi huh…
H- Natsume-sama
H- I want to stop him. Please lend me your strength
N- …That grotesque scene
N- A twisted opponent going around stealing blood
M- Fool, don’t be selfish!
M- He has no obligation to help you
S- ‘Isn’t it about time’

13
S- ‘You decided whether the things that are important to you are humans, or ayakashi?’
N- What should I do?
N- I want to help her out
N- But if I get involved I might end up getting Touko-san and Shigeru-san caught up too…
N- Like the thing with Kai and Natori-san
N- What if I end up betraying expectations?
H- Natsume-sama
H- I’m sorry for giving you such a blue face
H- There’s no sense in a human like you getting involved in all this

14
H- Sorry, please forget I said anything
N- Wait
N- What happened to your friend?
N- Is the one who was attacked okay?
H- My friends are like my family
H- Even if it’s only the dew who remain, I must protect them
H- Farewell

15
N- …What should I do sensei?
M- Idiot, if you decided not to get involved, then don’t
M- Regardless of whether you decide to get involved or not you never seem happy
M- The polar opposite of Reiko, she was always grinning
N- Well, Reiko never had anything besides the Book of Friends
H- ‘My friends are like my family’
H- ‘I must protect them’
M- But this time
M- Your decision not to get involved might be the right one

16
N- What?
M- That ayakashi said something that puzzled me. If ayakashi are having their blood taken
M- I have heard of humans who use ayakashi blood to cast jutsu
N- What do you mean?
N- The thing collecting ayakashi blood is human?
N- That…
N- Was a human…?
h/w- Ha
N- The thing I scratched, it felt
N- Certainly seemed, more than an ayakashi
N- Like it
N- Was human
N- Who?
N- If they use jutsu…
S- Sigh…
NS- Oh? The young master Natori heaving a sigh, how unusual

18
S- Nanase-san
NS- Hi Natori. Heard you let one get away
NS- Intercepting a request originally meant for us, that’s not like you
S- The ‘Around that are there’s a troublesome old well. There’s also an ayakashi disguised as a human sniffing around so do something about it’ request you mean?
S- As was asked I sealed the well and chased the ayakashi away
NS- Chased away? That’s unusually soft of you
S- I’m not a powerful exorcist like the Matoba group; I couldn’t summon the strength
NS- Oh? No sarcasm or hostility
NS- Natori, why did you go so far as intercepting us to take that job?
NS- Is there something in that town you don’t want the Matoba to get close to?

19
S- Of course not
NS- Is that so?
NS- Now I think of it, you got to know a boy who can see ayakashi recently didn’t you Natori?
NS- ‘Natsume’ was it? Where does he live?
S- That’s private information. If you’ve no further business I’ll be taking my leave
NS- I suppose so
NS- Oh yes, we’ve recently acquired a new ayakashi
S- Oh?
NS- It’s still in training, but it could probably eat the likes of your shiki
NS- Natori, don’t interfere with us again
NS- Our boss has a short temper

20
NS- See you Natori
NS- But I’m glad there’s nothing in that town
S- What do you mean? I’m curious
NS- Oh, well actually…
M- Oi Natsume, where’re we going?
N-… To the forest near that shrine, I want to talk to that winged ayakashi again
M- Fool! You made a rare wise decision not to get involved, forget about it
N- I’m sorry but this is my nature sensei, please give up

21
N- There are a lot of ayakashi around here that I know… I can’t just leave this alone
T- Good morning Takashi-kun
N- Since everyone is so kind to me
N- My feelings of not wanting them to get caught up in this
N- And my desire to become useful to someone have become so big
N- The book of friends that unities many ayakashi
N- While I hold this, I cannot cut my ties with ayakashi can I?
N- Ah
K- Ah, Master Natsume, I’m so grateful
K- I don’t know a winged ayakashi
K- But I have seen an ayakashi who was attacked and had its blood stolen and life taken
N- What!?

22
K- I was so overcome with fear that day that I drank myself to sleep
N- I see…
N- Did you see what did the attacking?
K- No
h/w- sigh…
N- I see…
K- But I’ve heard rumours about him
K- They are very unpleasant
K- It seems a huge black shadow leaps upon you
K- And a man stands and watches from behind
N- The one who leaves with this big shadow…
N- That man is human!?
K- Yes
K- Most likely

23
N- It’s raining…
N- I guess we should call it a day sensei, we didn’t see that female ayakashi…
N- Sensei… that person just now… had a cut on his hand…
N- I wonder if it’s a coincidence… the thing I scratched yesterday, it was about the same place…
N- …Sensei?

24
N- Sensei?
M- What was that just now…
M- He gave me a really awful feeling
N- It’s him
N- I’m going after him
M- Natsume wait…

25
N- Maybe I’m over thinking it…
H- Ah…
N- That way
N- Wha…
N- …Huh?
N- The winged ayakashi!!

26
N- Stop it!
N- Wah…
H- Natsume-sama…
N- Waah
M- Geez, you are such a pain
N- Uh

27
M- Scram
U- Gii

28
T- Yes, this is the Fujiwara household
S- Excuse me, my name is Natori
S- Is Takashi-kun there?
NS- ‘Oh, well actually’
NS- ‘Our boss, Matoba, is actually around there right now’
NS- ‘He said something around there had been bothering him for a while, and he took a bunch of shiki with him’

29
NS- ‘Well, it has nothing to do with you anyway’
B- Heh
B- So you can see ayakashi
B- And you seem to have something interesting alongside you
N- Who are you?
B- Oh, how rude of me

30
B- My name is Matoba
N- Matoba…
M- Matoba you say…
M- Matoba, the exorcist?
M- You use ayakashi as bait in order to exorcise other ayakashi
M- I hear you dabble in vulgar jutsu as well
N- …Sensei
B- That voice…

31
B- I see, you’re the child who came flying at me in the shrine?
B- I did something bad
B- I thought you were a surviving ayakashi, so I…
N- This person is Matoba…
B- And?
B- Who are you?