The 22nd volume of the manga. It covers Chapters 108 to 112.
| Chapter Guide | |
|---|---|
| Chapter # | Title |
| Chapter 108 | The Clock Keepers' Court |
| Chapter 109 | The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 2) |
| Chapter 110 | The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 3) |
| Chapter 111 | The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 4) |
| Chapter 112 | Alteration |
Synopsis[]
裁きを受けてもらいます
七不思議・時計守の依代を狙うつかさたちによって、かもめ学園は大混乱に陥ってしまった。依代が破壊できる寧々は、つかさに連れ去られ、時計守の境界へ侵入する。そこで待ち受けていたのは、三人の番人――!!学園七不思議怪異譚、時計守裁判の開廷!Chapters[]
The Clock Keepers' Court[]
- Main article: Chapter 108
The cover page of this chapter features Akane in his Clock Keeper form with half of a clock face above his head, contrasted by a completely black background. He's readjusting his right glove with a serious expression on his face. The flavor text reads: "The Time Guardian that controls the Present."
The chapter opens with Teru and Akane arriving in the Clock Keeper's Boundary. Teru observes the boundary for the first time.
Tapping his chin in thought, Teru explains to Akane what he thinks their best course of action would be. While Teru finds the Clock Keepers dangerous and hates the idea of working with them, he admits that stopping the group trying to destroy their yorishiro would benefit both of them, since the group also caused harm to the student body during the School Festival; working together would just speed up the process. However, Teru warns Akane that this will be the first and last time that he allies himself with the Clock Keepers, which Akane is fine with.
With that settled, Akane asks Teru where Hanako is, and Teru tells him that he snuck away while he wasn't looking. An illustration of Hanako slipping out of Teru's beads with a wispy tail while the two's backs are turned is shown.
Suddenly, as Teru and Akane are running across a bridge, they are interrupted by a single Owl Guardian that cries it has a message. The mechanical bird lands on Akane's arm, and we see it carries a messenger bag, which we later find has a baby owl in it. Akane asks the owl what's going on, and tries to tell the owl he's headed there now, only for the owl to interrupt Akane by saying he has a message for the lowest-ranked member of the Clock Keepers. The message goes as follows: as the one who governs the Present, Akane must fulfill his duty. This vague directive shocks and upsets Akane, who after much silence reluctantly agrees to do it. Teru anticlimactically interrupts by grabbing the owl's wing, which causes much distress to the owl, and asks Akane if this owl is one of the Clock Keepers' familiars. Akane confirms, and explains that winged messengers are convenient since there are three of them. As the owl flies off into the distance, Akane tells Teru they should follow it.
Some time later, as the two are following the owl guardian through the boundary, Akane tells Teru that he needs to correct something about a discussion they had earlier. Akane is behind Teru. He says he learned that the true threat to the student body of Kamome Academy is neither the supernaturals nor the culprit behind the incident at the school festival. As he's saying this, he takes out a gavel identical to the one Mirai uses, complete with the head having an insignia that says "guilty" on it. He then proceeds to perform a sneak attack on Teru, pulling his arm and hitting him in the back with the gavel. As Teru looks on surprised, Akane tells him that the danger is himself and the Clock Keepers.
Meanwhile, the still de-aged Nene is trapped in a birdcage, her hands locked in large, blocky handcuffs. She's in a room filled with several birdcages, where numerous Owl Guardians are seen screeching and flying around. She remarks on how she passed out before waking up here, and observes that the birdcage is suspended over a dark abyss below. Next to her in the cage, she spots Tsukasa, who appears to be sleeping. His hands are also locked in blocky cuffs, though he has a ball and chain around his ankle while Nene does not. She sidles close to him and tentatively calls his name, but he doesn't respond. She then proceeds to lie on her back and twist herself into what she dubs the "captive princess" pose, crossing her ankles and staring upward with big, shiny eyes. Tsukasa sees this and asks Nene what she's doing, and she gets up, surprised that he's awake.
Slowly rising from the floor, Tsukasa leans back against the bars of their cage and remarks with disappointment that he was captured by Mirai. He tells Nene that Mirai's "guilty" stamp seems to have the ability to bend someone to the will of whoever put it on them. Nene then attempts to break the blocky cuffs by smashing hers against Tsukasa's, similar to an otter using a rock to break open the shell of its prey, but she eventually gives up and says she can't break them. Tsukasa, looking dejected, tells her that he probably can't break them, either, since he's somehow lost his strength. He also can't make the Kokujoudai, currently floating outside their cage, do anything right now. Nene surmises that they're both trapped here together, then, and Tsukasa agrees. This causes Nene to cry and call out Hanako's name, to which Tsukasa tells her that Amane is still stuck after being frozen in time and probably isn't coming.
Angered, Nene tells him that he should call for him by harnessing his "twin power," a concept that Tsukasa doesn't understand. Tsukasa then walks over to Nene, who's standing by the bars of the cage. Leaning over her, he tells her that even if he did, Amane wouldn't come, since he never has before. Nene stares up at him, a tear in her eye, as Tsukasa explains to her that she needs to try her best to escape using her own abilities. Nene asks him how, and Tsukasa notes that the cage looks old and that brute force could work. Nene takes to this idea, and begins to try and bend open the bars of the cage with her arms and legs, exclaiming that she's going to see Hanako again. Surprisingly, it works, and the cage starts creaking before the bottom of it begins to fall out. While this frightens Nene, it motivates Tsukasa, who begins pushing at the bars of the cage with his feet to encourage the bolts to loosen. Eventually the bolts loosen so much that the two are forced to dangle from the edge of the bottom of the cage, causing Nene to panic while Tsukasa looks on happy and unbothered.
As she screams that they're going to fall, Tsukasa asks her if she thinks Amane is going to come, causing her to cry out for Hanako. She tries to encourage Tsukasa to do this, too, but he remains adamant that it wouldn't work. Nene yells at him to just try before her hands slip from the cage. Tsukasa grabs her, sacrificing his own grip on the cage, and both of them begin to plummet to the abyss below. As they fall, Tsukasa stares upward for a moment before whispering something unintelligible.
Suddenly, Hanako appears, asking "What is it?" with an unamused expression on his face. He's wearing his tsueshiro cape. He then proceeds to grab Nene and Tsukasa, one under each arm, and lands on a birdcage. An owl screeches and flies at him, and he tells them to "hold on tight" before pushing against the wall to send the birdcage swinging in the other direction. The owl follows, and as the momentum of the cage swings them back the other way, Hanako uses his knife to slice the bird in half.
They all make it to safety, and Hanako crosses his arms and looks on in disappointment at the two of them at they sit across from him on the floor; Nene has somehow managed to free herself of her handcuffs. Clearly upset, he tells them he has a lot of things he wants to say to them, but can't resist being distracted by the elephant in the room: Nene's smolness. He lifts her into the air, and she flaps her arms happily before smiling and hugging Hanako. She enthusiastically and unashamedly expresses her great big love for him, shocking Hanako into silence as he is overwhelmed by feelings of love and affection for the tiny Nene. Tsukasa, in the background, congratulates them.
Tsukasa addresses Hanako from behind and begins to make his way over to him, who remains quiet and doesn't immediately respond. He remarks with some surprise that Hanako was able to move after being frozen earlier, and that Hanako saved not only Nene, but him, too. Hanako, back still turned to Tsukasa, informs Tsukasa that saving him was secondary to saving Nene. Tsukasa silently stares at Hanako for a while, making Hanako uncomfortable and urging him to ask what his problem is. Tsukasa bluntly asks him if he's mad at him, to which Hanako, visibly disgruntled, denies. Amused by this response, Tsukasa asks him why he's so mad, causing Hanako to double down and assert he isn't mad. Tsukasa takes a second to think before arriving at his joyous conclusion: that Hanako is mad because Tsukasa kissed Nene. Hanako, clearly pissed, neither confirms or denies this as Nene informs Tsukasa that she hates him.
As Tsukasa badgers Hanako, asking him if he's going to kiss Nene, Mirai appears and finds out that Tsukasa and Nene have escaped their cage. She asks Hanako if he helped them escape and, not waiting for an answer, deems him as guilty as they are before proceeding to whip out her hammer and start attacking them. She tries to smash them all with one big swing of her hammer, but Tsukasa dodges with a back handspring while Hanako bounces back, Nene still in his arms. Mirai chases Hanako, trying to hit him with her hammer, while Hanako runs away, barely managing to escape her attacks. Realizing he can't fight like this, he calls to Tsukasa and chucks Nene at him, and Tsukasa catches her. Unfortunately, as Hanako is doing this, Mirai manages to catch up to him and, with her hammer in gavel mode, marks Hanako on his stomach with the same "guilty" stamp she gave Tsukasa earlier.
Victorious, Mirai smirks at him and tells him to behave, before apologizing to Tsukasa and Nene for the wait. She tells them that since Akane has arrived in the boundary, "it" will be starting any minute now...
The scene returns to Akane and Teru, where we get a view of Teru reaching for his sword seconds after Akane stamped him on the back. Akane dips his head and solemnly apologizes to Teru, and starts to try and explain himself, but Teru, expression darkened, unsheathes his sword and immediately starts attacking him. Akane exclaims with shock and tries to tell him to wait as he dodges his attacks, but Teru is relentless and won't give him a chance to explain. Eventually, Akane skids backward from the force of his hammer and Teru's sword colliding, and takes the opportunity to smack his gavel against the ground and order restraints onto Teru. Teru's arms lock behind him and become shackled by the same cuffs used on Nene and Tsukasa. Teru loses his grip on his sword and it clatters to the floor. Falling to his knees, he finds that he's been sapped of his strength and won't be able to break free of his cuffs.
Defeated, Teru asks Akane what's the meaning of all this, and Akane answers by telling him that the Clock Keepers are going to hold a trial that will determine the person who is responsible for the disturbance in the school. Teru mockingly asks if they really need to do this now, and Akane, back turned, cryptically responds that "now" is actually the perfect time for it. He explains to Teru that this isn't his choice, and that he has to ally himself with the Clock Keepers this time. Then Akane tells Teru this:
| “ | Minamoto Teru, Student Council President. I, the lowest-ranking member of the Clock Keepers, summon you to our court of law. Court is now in session! | ” |
— Aoi Akane, exercising his power as the Guardian of the Present and the lowest-ranking member of the Clock Keepers, to demand Minamoto Teru stand trial in their courtroom and causing the terrain to shift itself into their court of law.
| ||
The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 2)[]
- Main article: Chapter 109
Part 1: The Trial Begins[]
The chapter begins where the previous chapter left off, with Hanako, Yashiro Nene, Minamoto Teru and Yugi Tsukasa being suspended on the scales as they face the Three Clock Keepers for judgement. Hanako appears surprised by the sudden change of the boundary, as he wonders when the Clock Keepers have such power. But before he could finish his thoughts, he glances at Teru, and then gets the shock of his life. He asks Teru why he was captured, while using the little Yashiro as a shield from him. Yashiro, for her part is just happy to see Teru, while he remarks that she looked different due to her age regression. Meanwhile, Tsukasa looks around his surroundings, and notes that aside from the Clock Keepers at the forefront, the court is filled with numerous Owl Guardians who are clamoring among themselves.
Hanako wonders what is going to happen, with Teru telling them that there will be a trial to determine the one who is responsible for the disturbance, as what Akane had told him. Which means that at the trial, they will decide on who among them will take the blame. Hanako is shocked at this, and remarks that there are more important things to do than hold a trial, like figuring out how to get the school's time back, or stopping whoever is responsible. Yashiro then remarks that the trial is happening because the Big Clock was destroyed, and that's probably messing with Kako. Teru laughs at Yashiro's remarks, and then mockingly says that he has probably lost his marbles while showing an angry expression, which the others take note.
Part 2: The Charges[]
Either because they were talking too loud, or he heard what Teru said about him, Kako demands for "Order in the Court", and as all fall silent, he begins the trial by having Mirai read the charges. Mirai, however gives the the Charges to Akane instead, and so he reads the charges:
| “ |
Leader of the Seven Mysteries, Yugi Amane Present-Day Kannagi, Yashiro Nene Student Body Representative, Minamoto Teru And (Yugi Tsukasa says his name): Tsukasa. My name is Tsukasa (Aoi Akane continues): Yugi Tsukasa All four of you, Though the severity of your crimes may vary, are complicit in the destruction of the Big Clock. Your actions have led to the time within the school coming to a halt. That much is undeniable. Therefore, the court finds merit in bringing each one of you criminals to trial. That is all |
” |
As the mention of "criminals", all the Owl Guardians present clamored out the same word over and over, which greatly terrifies Yashiro. As Akane finishes reading the charges, Kako begins by giving each one of the accused a chance to make their defense. And with that, the Three Clock Keepers call for Hanako to step forward.
Part 3: Hanako's Defense[]
Once Hanako takes his place at the stand of the court for his defense, he starts by telling the Clock Keepers that he has no defense, because he is not the one who broke the Big Clock. To that, Kako asked him if he has evidence to back it up, to which Hanako is confused by it.
Noting that both his brother and his assistant are among the accused in the trial, Akane then tells him that any testimony from either a family member (Tsukasa) or a colleague (Yashiro) will not be accepted, and in addition, states that as his assistant, Yashiro would be willing to lie for his sake.
In response to that, Hanako then shifts the defense to a motive as he tells the Clock Keepers that he has no motive. But to that, Kako remarks that Hanako had at one point exclaimed that if he had the powers of the First Mystery, he could do all the pervy stuff that he wants (If we remember, this was the very reason why Hanako had no access to the Clock Keeper's boundary, and therefore, their Yorishiro). When Kako recalled and then said Hanako's words exactly, it left him greatly embarrassed, and at that he had nothing more say and then just laid down on the floor in embarrassment.
The reactions among the others varied: Tsukasa was curious at what he said, Yashiro recalled that Hanako did said such a thing, Akane found it disgusting, one of the Owl Guardians considered him a Criminal just for being a pervert, and Teru exclaims that Hanako's better off dead, to which Hanako states that HE's already dead.
Kako came to the conclusion that Hanako has a motive, and no alibi, marking him as guilty in their eyes. With his defense finished, he now calls in Yashiro to defend herself.
Part 4: Yashiro Nene's Defense[]
Once Yashiro was called to the stand, she was so small that her head barely peeked out of the stand. She tells the Clock Keepers that she's not a criminal either as she didn't do anything to any of the Clocks. To that, Kako asked her on what evidence she has. While Yashiro was trying to comprehend what Kako said, he also came to the same conclusion as what Hanako, for if time was stopped, then Yashiro's impeding death would be forever delayed.
Akane, being Yashiro's classmate, tries to appeal to her by asking her if she remembers anything that happened during the School Festival or when Time froze, just anything so that she can prove her innocence. To that, she answered that the time stop would bother her because if the school festival never ends, then she would be unable to con...
Yashiro stopped her words from there, confusing the Clock Keepers. However, she is too embarrassed to say it, so she beckons Akane, who then beckons Kako to call in an Owl Guardian to hear what she is scared to say. She tells the Owl Guardian her secret, and then tells it to be quiet, but this was to no avail, as the Owl Guardian cries out her secret that she was going to confess to Hanako when the School Festival ends.
This shocks everyone in the court, and especially embarrasses Hanako. And while the Owl Guardian was finishing up her lines, she slaps it as she screams out a loud "NO". Hanako remains mesmerized as Yashiro continues slapping the Owl Guardian, and the others look on. And as Akane gives out a sigh due to the commotion, Kako calls for Minamoto Teru to stand for his defense.
Part 5: Minamoto Teru's Defense[]
Once Teru was called to the stand for his defense, he begins by explaining that he is not the kind of person to break the Big Clock, because he is both an exorcist and the School Council President, As such, he tells the Clock Keepers that he is not the type of person to go and disrupt the flow of time in the school. All the while, Teru was using his Rizz to the best of his ability. However, it did not affect anyone in the courtroom save for Yashiro, who just fawns over him.
In fact, it was to no avail as Kako reveals that Teru has a hidden desire for destruction that is presenting itself at the trial. And because of that, he gives a silent threat to Akane that he will kill him when the trial is over, to which Akane tells him to not give him that glare.
With his defense ending without much commotion as with Hanako and Yashiro's defenses, Kako calls in for the final accused to stand in his defense.
Part 6: Yugi Tsukasa's Defense[]
Once called to the stand for his defense, Yugi Tsukasa begins his defense by saying that he did not break the Big Clock, like the others said. However, he was the one who told his Broadcasting Club members to do it. This shocks all the others at the court, including both Hanako and Yashiro.
Tsukasa explains that he had to help Nanamine Sakura by destroying all the Yorishiros. But in order to destroy the Clock Keeper's Yorishiro, he needs to stop time so that he can first enter the boundary. And in order to quickly make time stop, he has to destroy the Big Clock (By having someone else do it for him). Tsukasa also tells the Clock Keepers that he is curious to find out what would happen if he broke the Big Clock to smithereens.
This very clear admission of guilt gives Kako little time to reach the conclusion for him. It was very clear to him that of all the accused Yugi Tsukasa is guilty.
At that, Akane asked if he should be fed to the owls, to which Kako answers that he be turned into one of the gears to be used for the clock instead. At that, Mirai decides to act on the sentence, and approaches Tsukasa because earlier, he had manhandled and hurt her, and so he must be punished for doing so. She then attempted to fast forward Tsukasa's time so that his whole being can be turned into nothing but dust.
Part 7: The Disruption of the Trial[]
However, what happens instead is that Mirai's spell backfires, and she is pushed outwards. It also destroyed the shackles that were keeping Tsukasa's arms closed, and given how the shackles work, it also restored Tsukasa's powers upon their destruction. Mirai is shocked at the sight of the destroyed shackles.
With his powers back, Tsukasa called in his Kokujoudai to wrap and restrain Mirai as he jumps towards Kako. When he realized what Tsukasa is about to do, Hanako screams out his name, trying to stop him, but his cries were in vain as Tsukasa punches through Kako's chest and grabs a gear from his body. Kako's body is revealed, which is filled to the brim with gears and other clockwork. This action seemingly kills or incapacitates Kako, and as Akane comes to his side, Tsukasa notes that the Yorishiro wasn't in his body, revealing to us that his true motive for being at the Trial was to get a chance to grab the Yorishiro from the most powerful Clock Keeper, who was in that case, Kako.
Then, Tsukasa comes to a terrible conclusion:
| “ |
Since I couldn't find the Yorishiro while searching through the boundary, I wondered if it could be hiding in the School Mystery itself. |
” |
— Yugi Tsukasa musing on the reason he couldn't find the Yorishiro inside Kako, and then making a grim conclusion as he points towards Aoi Akane.
| ||
The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 3)[]
- Main article: Chapter 110
Part 1: The Aftermath of the Trial[]
The chapter begins right before the ending of the previous chapter, with Tsukasa Yugi victorious over a dead Kako, and holding one of his gears in his hand.
As an injured Mirai watches from the side, and Hanako, Nene Yashiro and Teru Minamoto look over what had just happened from one of the scales, Tsukasa muses over Aoi Akane possibly having the Yorishiro after not finding it in Kako's "heart" and leaving him for dead. Akane prepares to defend himself, and tells Tsukasa that he has dared to rebel against the Clock Keepers in their court of law, calling it a serious offense. Tsukasa, rather amused by his threats, leaves the scene but not before tossing a gear from Kako's body and then throwing it off.
Or it seemed that Tsukasa had left, because as soon as he disappeared, he reappears behind Akane and attempts to strike him. Akane was shocked by his sudden appearance, but was able to fight back with his hammer, only for Tsukasa to strike his hip, causing him to bleed. Akane tries to hit Tsukasa again, but he dodges it. He jumps back, grabs some gears from Kako's body, and then uses it as projectiles, throwing it at Akane. Akane manages to parry all the gears thrown at him, but gets an uppercut from Tsukasa, which he shurgs from. Seeing how disrespectful Tsukasa was in using Kako's gears as projectiles, he gets angry and tells Tsukasa not to throw "Jii-San"'s parts at him while wiping the blood off his chin, and tries to kick him. But it was to no avail as Tsukasa dodges the kick, and then grabs his leg, spinning him like he's on a lasso. After spinning him for a while, he throws him off a great distance. He ends up hitting the podium of the stand.
Having him pinned down, Tsukasa goes in for the kill, but Akane does another kick, which he dodges, but cancelling his attack in the process. As Tsukasa stares at him with a deathly gaze, Akane angrily thinks to himself that none of his attacks are getting to him. However, as Mirai is getting up and recovering from the attack Tsukasa dealt to her earlier, and him being too focused on attacking Akane, he deems it as his chance. Akane gets up, and uses his hammer to stop Tsukasa's Kokujoudai Tsueshiro from restraining Mirai, and he tells her to run away from the scene. Sadly, Tsukasa pins him down for the second them after this, and as he slumps down defeated, Tsukasa grabs his head, and then asks him if gears are also inside him, intending to break open his chest like he did Kako. However, before he can open up his chest, Mirai runs in between Akane and Tsukasa's hand, getting hit in the back in the process. Akane watches as Mirai sacrificed her life to save Akane, and gets broken up into gears in the process.
As Mirai's parts crumble down, Tsukasa notes that there is a key inside Mirai's body that actually contains the Clock Keeper's Yorishiro. He takes the key with the Yorishiro, and the first part ends.
Part 2: Confronting the Third Mystery[]
Meanwhile at the time-frozen and plant-like supernatural infested Kamome Gakuen, a man's singing can he heard as he walks around the school's hallways, which are filled with both attacking plant-like supernaturals and panicking humans. Among the frozen humans include Nagisa Kunishige holding Tiara Minamoto in his arm, and protecting her from the plant-like supernaturals, and a concerned Yokoo Shun who is either protecting or comforting a kid as the chaos unfolded.
The man is revealed to be Natsuhiko Hyuuga, whose blood was the catalyst for the events now taking place. As he walks around, he sees a time-stopped Sousuke Mitsuba, or rather, the fake supernatural Mitsuba. He does some handwaves and calls, but it was just a comedic gesture, as he knows he's frozen solid in time. Then he opens a piece of paper that contained some of the petals that Mei Shijima had made for the Broadcasting Club's operation. As he pours them down on Mitsuba, he calls it a gift from "My Lady".
The petals' effects was that it removed Mitsuba from the School's frozen time, and thus he was brought back to his senses. Upon returing to normalcy, he remarks that he could move again. Natsuhiko greets him good morning, and upon seeing him, Mitsuba jumps on him like a dog, and happily says that Natsuhiko had come to rescue him from the plant-like supernaturals. He began to talk in length about the various events that had happened, and even told showed him Mitsuba's Mother, who was lying unconscious beside him.
However, before he could continue talking, Natsuhiko shuts him up, and tells him that he's not here to talk about the events that have unfolded. Instead, he asks Mitsuba if he was able to make a Yorishiro (Despite there already being a Yorishiro for No.3). This question shocks him, and he asks Natsuhiko what he was talking about. Natsuhiko seemed annoyed by his answer, and after answering in the affirmative, he gets up, takes his razor, and slices his palm like he did when he destroyed the Big Clock. Mitsuba looks at him with horror and fear, and as his blood drips to the ground, Natsuhiko explains that a Yorishiro sets apart the Seven Mysteries from the rest of the supernaturals, because in his own words, "it makes them a proxy to the gods". Then as he comes closer to Mitsuba, he tells him that without a Yorishiro, Mitsuba couldn't become a full-blown mystery, and Natsuhiko apparently reminds him of it.
After saying that, he puts his bleeding palm onto Mitsuba's face, and once he pulls it out, Mitsuba spits it out and asks what he was doing. But before too long, he suddenly feels something wrong in him, and then he starts to cough up blood. Natsuhiko's blood that can destroy supernaturals is having its effect on him, and as he coughs and coughs profusely, Natsuhiko remarks that a school mystery with a Yorishiro would be able to dilute the effects of his blood curse, but because Mitsuba wasn't able to become one, he is now dying from the blood.
As Mitsuba slowly starts to die off, Natsuhiko mocks him by saying the following:
| “ |
Aww, a School Mystery with a Yorishiro would've been able to dilute the effects of my curse somewhat but...oh well. It's not like you didn't have the time. Were you really unable to choose even one thing important enough to you to be your Yorishiro? Stupid little Mitsuba-Chan. Always asking for the Moon...you want to become human? That could have waited until after you became a proper supernatural, don't you think? Well, I suppose that is what made you so cute, Mitsuba-Chan. And it's also why you're dying to me now!
|
” |
— Hyuuga Natsuhiko mocking the fake Mitsuba Sousuke for being unable to choose someone or something to become a Yorishiro as he coughs up blood and slowly dies.
| ||
After this, the second part ends.
Part 3: The Gathering of the Yorishiros And A Brother's Brotherly Feelings[]
The scene shifts back to the Clock Keeper's boundary, as we see Tsukasa Yugi holding the Clock Keeper's Yorishiro, and looking deeply at it. While looking, he counts the School Mysteries whose Yorishiro were destroyed:
| “ |
And since the Third, Mitsuba, doesn't seem to have created a Yorishiro yet... That means the only ones left are Now, all of the Yorishiro will finally disappear!
|
” |
— Yugi Tsukasa counting the School Mysteries whose Yorishiro are destroyed, those that are left, and then revealing his true goal in gathering the Yorishiros to everyone present.
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Both Hanako and Yashiro Nene are shocked by his comment, while Minamoto Teru looks on in silence. He is actually thinking to himself that if Tsukasa continues on with his plan, the Clock Keeper's Yorishiro will be destroyed. He further analyzed that if any more Yorishiro are destroyed, it would not be good for both the region, and Yashiro's lifespan. He figures that while he couldn't get out of his bindings no matter how much power he draws, he also notices that the Clock Keepers were moving slower than usual, perhaps due to Natsuhiko's blood pouring on their Big Clock. He further notes that the School Mysteries are supernaturals on another level, and that though they are currently defeated, they can turn their situation around and use their powers to stop Tsukasa. He then asks a question to himself: Why are they not using their power to the fullest? Are their powers conditional, or do they simply not care if their Yorishiro is destroyed.
Then Tsukasa looks up, points to Yashiro, and reminds her about their deal: if he won, Yashiro would have to destroy the Yorishiro. With the Clock Keepers' yorishiro in hand, he begins to he approach the baby Yashiro, who looks terrified, and asks her if she would honor their promise. But before he can reach her, Hanako lunges from the scale and hooks his knife through Tsukasa's sleeve before pushing them both to the floor. Straddled atop his brother, Hanako shoves the knife into the floor and pins Tsukasa there. Tsukasa attempts to reach for the knife with his free hand, put Hanako stops him by pinning his wrist with his own restrained ones. Tsukasa asks Amane why he's interfering, and Hanako, face hidden, tells Tsukasa to stop what he's doing. Confused, Tsukasa asks why, and reminds Hanako that he wanted this as much as he does, since if all of the Yorishiro are destroyed, God will grant Hanako's wish.
Hanako affirms that Tsukasa is right, and that God can grant his wish, but explains that he doesn't want that to happen if it means Tsukasa will disappear. He says that he already lost him once, and if Tsukasa is destroyed, Hanako won't be able to see him again or save him.
But Tsukasa, unfazed by his brother's words, merely asks:
| “ |
So? |
” |
The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 4)[]
- Main article: Chapter 111
Part 1: The Root of the Problem[]
The Chapter begins where the previous chapter left off, with Hanako pinning down Tsukasa Yugi, the Clock Keeper's Yorishiro dropped, and Hanako saying the last line, to which Yugi Tsukasa says that he knows.
Tsukasa then proceeds to tell him that Hanako's actions contract one another: He despises him, and yet hates the idea of never seeing him ever again, thus not having changed since they were dead decades ago. He then insults him by calling him a weirdo and laughing. Hanako, with eyes wide open, tells Tsukasa that he's the weird one, and starts to tell him his own reflections of his past:
Eversince the day that Tsukasa returned after being gone for six months, Hanako, or Amane Yugi in life, has never figured out if the Tsukasa who returned, was really his brother, or someone masquerading as him. It is then revealed that Amane saw that the returned Tsukasa had a gaping hole on his chest (similar to the hole where the Entity within spoke to Tsukasa in Chapter 78 and that which appeared within his chest in Chapter 82).
Tsukasa tried to retort his brother's words, but was interrupted as Hanako tell him that he's not his brother, but an impostor. Unfortunately, before he could continue, Tsukasa screams at Amane that something is behind him. And it is revealed to be Kako, repairing himself after receiving the blow from Tsukasa. As he repairs. both brothers are shocked by his return, and his face, which resembles a dilapidated old man, is revealed.
Kako realizes something about Tsukasa that finally makes sense to him, and then orders Hanako to dispose of him. But shocked by his sudden command, Hanako merely says a surpised "huh", before Akane Aoi, who recovered from the injuries he endured yells "Stop" to the persons involved. He then uses his power of time stop, which stops everything in its place, the Yugi Brothers, Teru Minamoto and Nene Yashiro included.
Akane then asks Kako if that was all he wanted to hear, and Kako replies that it is enough. Akane then comes and picks up Mirai's broken body, to which Kako says that he'll fix her up, and tells Akane to pick up the pieces of her body, which he obliges. Kako lifts up his staff, drops it in the waterline of the boundary, and stirs it, causing a large spiral staircase to form, then asks Akane if he's done yet, to which he says he will come. He then approaches where the frozen Teru, and asks if he can still hear him. He then tells him thar as soon as he can move, he should take Yashiro with him to the Student Council room. He also tells him something else, but it was hidden from the reader. Afterwards, he puts on the hood of his cloak as Kako does the same and picks up the Yorishiro, then the both of them climb down the spiral staircase.
Part 2: The Heart of the Clock Keepers' Boundary[]
Then more of the Clock Keepers' rumor is narrated:
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School Mystery No. 1: The Clock Keepers The "Heart" of their boundary, it's lowest layer...
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— The rumor about the Clock Keeper's heart of their boundary
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The spiral staircase leads them to the lowermost point or "heart" of their boundary, which leads to a giant vault door. Using the key, Kako opens the vault door, and they are led into a path that is always snowy. The path leads to a cold, unfamiliar town, whose people speak an unfamiliar language. The rumor continues:
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...is always covered in snow. A foreign town. An unfamiliar language. I heard that the innermost reaches of a boundary vividly reflects a school mystery's origins. So...
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— The rumor further describing the "foreign town" that lay beyond the door
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As both Kako and Akane walked through the town, they approached a certain house, and then the rumor countines:
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Perhaps the two of them once lived somewhere like this.
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” |
The house is revealed to be Kako's workshop, filled with toys, dolls, machinery of various kinds, and clocks. He sets Mirai against the Worksmith's table, and starts to fix her. He asks Akane to hand him the parts, which Akane obliges, while starting a fire at a nearby fireplace with a kettle on top.
While Kako works on fixing Mirai, Akane stares at the fire and asks him if it was necessary to drag the trial the way he did. He then tells him that while Kako can repair himself by manipulating time, Mirai isn't capable of doing the same, and hence, not as lucky as Kako. Kako then answers him that such an action as necessary, as he noticed that "something" is eating away at Kamome Gakuen. He further explains that the Yorishiro that were vital to protecting the Near Shore, were gradually being destroyed, followed by the students becoming supernaturals, and concluding that thanks to such actions, the boundary between the Near and Far Shores practically dosen't exist anymore.
He then questions Akane as to why they are in this mess. Akane defends himself, saying that he did, and told Kako that he had to take care of the guy that contacted him, as he was obviously after the Yorishiro. Kako then tells him that Akane misunderstood, and that if they don't tackle the root of the problem, then the present cannot be changed. He revealed to Akane that he had held the trial to determine who they are, what their plans are, and what they have done.
Akane then reflects on the "Root of the Problem" that Kako pointed out, and remembers what Tsukasa had confessed at the trial, that while he didn't destroy the Yorishiro, he was the one who commanded his Broadcasting Club members to do so. Akane then asks Kako of the root of the problem is Tsukasa, to which he responds in the affirmative, or more precisely, the "thing" inside of him.
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It was enshrined at the bottom of a large pit, granting wishes in exchange for any young woman it swallowed, and later sealed away. A shadow of an old faith, the mere remnants of its former glory...
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” |
Kako then told Akane that such a being is not good for both humans and supernaturals.
Kako then finished his repair of Mirai, leading Akane to ask her if she's ok. Mirai suddenly wakes up with an energetic smile and starts darting around Akane while asking him lots of questions about his well-being. However, Akane grabs her by the collar of her dress, and tells her that he isn't happy about her sacrificing her life for him, and tells her to never do it again. In response, Mirai pats Akane while calling him a good boy, and Kako is satisfied by his work, telling Akane that everything about Mirai was in working order.
Part 3: The New Present Begins[]
Akane serves Mirai tea, and after she finishes it, both she and Kako prepared themselves and both they and Akane approached a giant grandfather clock, surrounded by smaller clocks. Approaching the front of the clock, Kako, holding Mirai in his hands, tells Akane that they will part ways with him, as he intends to go to the past, alter the course of events that led to time being stopped at Kamome Gakuen, and remain in the Clock until a new present is certain. He reminds Akane of his duties from now on, and Akane reiterates them: He will determine whether a new present will be born due to the alterations done by Kako and Mirai, deal with any problems that may airse, and try not to die until the both of them return. Kako, then pats Akane on the head while affirming that he is correct. He then proceeds to begin his mission, while entrusting everything to Akane, "the Lowest-Ranked Clock Keeper, the Guardian of the Present".
After they both depart, Akane leaves the Big Clock, and closes the Pendulum door. He then takes a seat near the clock and breathes a sigh of relief, having been exhausted from the events that happened earlier. He then wonders on the new present that Kako and Mirai were about to make, and hopes that it is a good present. The clocks in the room start to tick, one after another, until all the clocks are ticking and toiling their bells at once. A clock that has "1968" on it clicks once, and then the perspective shifts.
We are now returned to the present that has been made by Kako and Mirai, wherein the events of the 113th School Festival of Kamome Gakuen begins anew. Everything seems to happen the same as it does at the start of Chapter 104 before all the chaos happened. However, there was one difference: Yashiro Nene, seemingly restored to full size and age following the reset, is shocked at what has happened. It is implied that she is aware of the changes that had happened and as she looks around the Festival, she is exasperated by the changes. This is the New Present that Kako and Mirai have made. And from there, the chapter ends.
Alteration[]
- Main article: Chapter 112
Part 1: The Allegory of the Plant in the Flower Pot[]
The Chapter begins with Yashiro Nene in her gardening outfit, holding a trowel in one hand, and a sprinkler in the other hand. She is staring at a small flower pot that hasn't been given a plant yet. As she stares at the pot, she begins to monologue:
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To be honest, my life has been filled with nothing but problems until now.
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— Yashiro Nene admitting to the reader that her life has been filled with problems
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As it turned out, the flower pot is an allegorical form of symbolism of Yashiro's own problems, which first starts with the plant sprouting that represents her encounter with Hanako in the first chapter. Then as the plant grows, a caterpillar starts munching on it, which represents the twisting of the Seven Mysteries' rumors by the Broadcasting Club. Yashiro slaps the caterpillar out of the plant, only for everything to be blown apart in a devastating wind. This represents the realization that she has little time to live.
Then as the storm increases in power and terror, Yashiro hides in a box, which represents her being trapped in the Picture Perfect World of the Fourth Mystery. Next, we see Yashiro wandering in a desert with the hot sun burning down on her, which represents both the sacrifice of Akane Aoi by Shinigami-Sama that led to the Severance, and the attack on Kamome Gakuen by the multiple plant-like supernaturals caused by the Broadcasting Club. Then ultimately, the winds pick up again and drag her away to wherever it goes, which represent her final two problems: The dilemna whether to remove the Yorishiro or not, and the Academy's time being frozen.
After all that, the plant within the flower pot has only grown to a typical shrub despite Yashiro's efforts. And worse, it has never bloomed a single flower. Then as she pondered on how to make the plant grow, both the Clock Keepers Kako and Mirai appear, with Kako picking up the flower pot. As she is surprised by their appearance, Kako tells her that the roots of the plant have died, thereby no matter what she does, it will never bloom a single flower as a result of it.
Then Kako tells Yashiro to "try this", as Mirai gave her another pot with a plant that has bloomed flowers. He tells her that while the plant now presented to her came from the same seed, it grew up strong and healthy, without any disease, implying that the timeline has now been changed to remove the "root of the problem" that Kako mentioned to Aoi Akane about in the previous chapter.
As they parts ways with Yashiro, Mirai asks her if "the prettier version of something is always better, right?". And as the both of them depart, this leaves Yashiro dumbstruck, and then she soon realizes what Kako and Mirai had actually done. She gets up and screams at them to give back what was important to her.
Unfortunately for her, it was all a dream, and she (As her New Present-Self) is brought back to the now-altered present, with the School Festival about to begin.
Part 2: A New Present, A New School Festival[]
Her last actions ended up happening in the real world, as Akane Aoi asked her what's wrong, if she was sick, or if she was out of it. Yashiro answers her that she's fine and that she's sorry to bother her. Yashiro then tells Aoi that she has this weird dream (The allegory that happened earlier) that was bothering her since the morning. Aoi askes what kind of dream it was, to which she was about to answer, but then she ultimately forgot what it was. Aoi responds by calling her "Typical Nene-Chan".
Then as they strolled around the School Festival, Aoi remarks that while Yashiro is with her, her head is up in the clouds, and laments that she was looking forward to having Yashiro all to herself at the School Festival. This makes Yashiro shocked, and it made her heart beat, but then she apologizes for her actions, and tells her that they can go wherever they want to go, to which Aoi cheers happily.
Then they go throughout the different spots of the School Festival. Firstly, they both go to a 3D Trick Art Booth, where they have their pictures taken. Next they initially want to go to a Fortune-Telling booth, however the wait line seemed to be long. They suddenly set their eyes upon Class 3-B's Timeless Haunted House (An indicator that the present was changed, as Class 3-B initially had a Maid and Butler Cafe exhibit). They go inside the Haunted House, which leads to Yashiro getting spooked. But overall, they both had fun.
Next, the girls are out searching for more booths to go through (And seemingly pass by a grown-up and healthy Shijima Mei, who is passing by a guy with a sign to the aforementioned Fortune-Telling Parlor). They see an art exhibit and Aoi remarks that the artists are talented, to which Yashiro agrees.
Then as they continue their way through, they encounter Minamoto Kou, who is promoting his class' Takoyaki Stand. Yashiro sees him, and wonders who he was again. Kou then looks at her, and seemingly bows down in front of her, as if to confess, only to give her a "1 free Takoyaki" ticket. But before Yashiro could ask Kou, someone calls him, and he tells her that he has to go. The unnamed voice asks him if he's a flirt, to which he answers that he isn't. Afterwards, Aoi tells Yashiro that he is Minamoto Teru's brother. She then asks him if she knows him, to which Yashiro doesn't answer as she sees both Kou and Mitsuba Sousuke, who is alive and well, and a member of the Photography Club. Unfortunately, Yashiro answers that she doesn't know him.
Then they pass by posters for the Wizard of Oz Play. In there, Aoi remarks that Yashiro is so popular, and in addition to that, who would expect less, as she is also the Star of the Wizard of Oz Play. Yashiro ponders on the word but quickly realizes that she has to be there at the practice for the Wizard of Oz Play.
Then Yashiro monologues as she practices for the play inside The Sealed Auditorium and eventually leads the play to a resounding success:
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Once she said it, I knew it to be true. That they choose me, and I worked my butt off rehearsing too. I know all this, and yet, Why do I feel so uneasy? I'm nailing all of my lines, and delivering a sound performance, so why? It feels like I'm walking on clouds...am I still half-asleep? This song, these lyrics...I feel like I wanted somebody to see me sing.
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— Yashiro Nene reminiscing on how she enjoys her role as the Star of show, yet feeling that she lacks someone to clap for her
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Then as she and her classmates bow down at the conclusion of their play, she suddenly sees a hallucination of Hanako clapping her admits the numerous spectators clapping for them. He is the one person that she remembers, and he is the most important person to her. And so she screams his name loudly:
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HA-HANAKO KUN!!! |
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— Yashiro Nene shouts Hanako's name while bowing at the conclusion of the School Play
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This shocks everyone at the Sealed Auditorium, as both her co-performers and possibly the audience look right at her.
Part 3: The Clock Keepers' Butterfly Effect[]
Meanwhile at the Student Council office room, Minamoto Teru locks up the office, and Aoi Akane called him. But instead of saying anything, Teru punched Akane straight in the face, and he hit with such force that sent Akane flying towards a table, breaking it and letting the papers fly off in the process. Teru then approached him, and tells her that he didn't bring in Yashiro, as before that, he would decide whether Akane is a Supernatural or a Human Being. He then approaches Akane, holds him by his tie, and interrogates him as to what he had actually done. He then concludes by saying that Akane had let him down.
Akane tries to defend himself and he was about to scream his defense, but then he stopped, and then answered Teru that it was probably the "Butterfly Effect". He then describes it:
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The Butterfly Effect...you know what that is, don't you?. The theory that the tiniest flap of a butterfly's wings could cause a tornado to form miles away. Same thing goes for the past and the future. The tiniest change to the past, can cause a great ripple effect into the future.
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— Aoi Akane describing the Butterfly Effect to Minamoto Teru and how the actions of both Kako and Mirai led to a similar effect that changes the very chronological state of the future.
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And after hearing all that, Teru asked for clarification, Akane answered him thus:
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Because the Past changed, we now inhabit a Brand-New Present. See? The First Day of the School Festival is drawing to a close. In this "Present", none of the students will turn into monsters, and time won't come to a standstill. The Incident that shook the school..."Never Happened". That was the Clock Keeper's Goal. |
” |
— Aoi Akane explaining to Minamoto Teru the reason why Kako and Mirai had to create the New Present.
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Reacting with disbelief, Teru asks Akane if he should just throw away their old present just to live in the new one, then Akane explains that while some of the people retain the memories of the old world, it will all be erased and replaced by the new memories in three days' time. Akane continues that as per Kako's plan, everything has gone off without a hitch, and that some people would prefer this present over the original one. Akane also notes that Teru could be one those who will prefer the new present, as well as Yashiro herself.
Part 4: Reminiscing the Past[]
Meanwhile in the Faculty Room, Teacher Nagisa appears, felling good that his class did well at their Wizard of Oz play. Teacher Tschigomori asks him if his class did well, and Nagisa answers that they did well until the end. Tsuchigomori responds by muttering that it is already this late in the afternoon, as the Clock seems to say "4:30". Nagisa notices that Tsuchigomori is wearing a wristwatch that is broken and asks if it is indeed broken, to which Tsuchigomori says that it was broken a long time ago. Nagisa then asks if it's some kind of keepsake, to which Tsuchigomori answers that it's not really a keepsake.
However, Tsuchigomori mutters that an old college of his named Yugi Amane, gave it to him. And the scene pans to a picture of a grown-up Amane Yugi, surrounded by his students, one of them apparently being a young Nagisa. The Chapter then ends.Features[]
- This volume includes a preview of Volume 23.
Translation Notes[]
Gallery[]
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