I Was Reincarnated in a Modern Day Onmyoji Family - Chapter 23: Tenkyo-jin

Chapter 23: Tenkyo-jin

I turned 2 years old.

A child’s body grows very fast.

I can now run, and I can move my tongue to its fullest.

With the addition of physical strengthening, I am able to do almost anything.

Even now, I am putting on clothes that I took out of the wardrobe in my bedroom.

“Are you able to change by yourself now? I didn’t teach that to you.”

As expected, it was difficult at the age of one due to problems with the range of motion of my arms, but now that I am two, I am able to change my clothes.

I am now able to go to the bathroom by myself, and I am finally free from the caregiving situation.

I gave up my sense of shame a long time ago, but being taken care of by others is something that makes me feel…sorry about it.

“I want to do things on my own.”

“You can spoil your mother a little longer.”

The mother seems really disappointed.

But I know, I know, that between the ages of one and a half and three is called the early toddler years, the time when autonomy is nurtured. It was in the mother’s parenting book.

From this time on, children start to say, “I’ll do it myself! I’ll do it myself!”, It’s no surprise that I started doing things on my own.

“Mama.”

“Yuya is growing up so fast, imitating his older brother, and I’m a little sad about that.”

Indeed, at one year old, Yuya began to imitate me.

He tries to walk by imitating me, he tries to change his clothes, he tries to eat by himself, and he even wants to go to the bathroom by himself.

But he can’t do any of these things well, so he only bothers his mother more than usual.

Even so, I can see a great deal of growth in Yuya as he walks unsteadily toward mother.

“That’s cute.”

“Saint is cute too. Come on, let’s go out when you’re done getting dressed.”

Today was my first outing in a while.

I rarely go to the park, and recently I’ve been staying at home, not even going shopping.

To put it simply, I am a hermit.

There are several reasons, but the biggest reason is that there are no mysterious creatures outside. It takes time to trap and capture them, so I can use my time more effectively if I stay at home.

Normally, I would tell them to go outside and play, but for some reason, the mother does not say that.

Is it the Onmyoji’s educational policy, or does she value the diversity of her children?

I wonder if she understands the indoor life, because Onmyoji world is a shady place to be.

Either way, it was convenient for me.

The purpose of my first outing in a while was to go on a little outing and have a picnic.

I heard that it is a place rich in nature, a hidden spot in the true sense of the word, where only people related to Onmyoji are allowed to enter.

“Okay, we’re all here. Let’s go.”

This time, unusually, my asshole of a father is with us. It’s a family outing.

It was the first time in my life that I had ever gone out with my father, who is always away from home or sleeping even on holidays.

I had only ever seen him in kimonos or suits, but he was dressed more normally than I had expected. Or rather, he was in uniform.

Since we do not have a car at home, we use public transportation such as buses and trains to get around.

Yuya, who can’t walk well yet, is in a stroller, and I am struggling to move my short legs to keep up with them.

My father, who is holding my hand, looks somewhat happy.

I can remember how hard it was for me when I was a corporate employee. I have some sympathy for him, as he is so busy that he can’t provide much family service at all.

However, I wish he would spoil my mother more. She seems like a newlywed, so he should take better care of his wife than his son.

After about an hour of travel, we reached our destination.

“So this is Amahashi Lakeside Park. It is a very beautiful place.”

“It’s not safe by the lake. Let’s spread the sheet around here.”

The park is surrounded by fences, and “No Entry Except by Authorized Persons” signs can be seen everywhere.

It is surrounded by deep trees, probably because it is located in the mountains, and no one seems to be able to enter except on the well-maintained paths.

As we followed the road, the view suddenly opened up and we saw a large lake shining in the sunlight. The lake was surrounded by a beautiful lawn.

There were many picnickers around the lawn just like us, and it was more crowded than I had expected.

It is said that only people related to Onmyoji are allowed to come here, but there are quite a lot of people.

“Saint, if you want to go play, please say a word to your mother.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded obediently, but I wasn’t planning to move from here without telling her.

A group of children were playing, and the mother probably thought I would join them.

Of course, as an adult, there was no way I was going to join them.

“It’s twelve o’clock, so let’s have a quick lunch.”

At the mother’s urging, we gathered around the bento box.

The bento was very tasty and the setting was perfect.

Both the sandwich and the meatballs were very tasty.

Now that I’m comfortable, my gaze is drawn to the center of the park.

The lake, the park’s most famous landmark, has been on my mind since a while ago.

“It’s so… adult-like to be able to enjoy the view when you’re in, Saint…”

“Yuya is a grass tosser. It seems that even in the best of environments, personalities do emerge.”

My parents seem to enjoy watching us, but I wonder if the two of them are bothered by it.

That lake looks strangely too sparkling to be reflecting sunlight.

It’s as if the lake itself is glowing.

“If…… Saint, can you see?”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been looking at the lake the whole time, the damn father asks that question.

“It’s so sparkly. What is that?”

“…… That is the light of Tenkyo-jin ….”

A celestial being?

Tenkyo-jin …… Ah, Tenkyo-jin!

That onmyoujutsu, that’s the one I learned on the Onmyouji channel!

“It’s a large scale onmyoujutsu formation used in ceremonies to guide the souls of those who have failed to attain Buddhahood back to heaven.”

“……That’s right. Where did you learn that?”

“Because, as you instructed, Saint is watching the Onmyouji channel earnestly. You remembered it correctly, great job, Saint.”

Mother pats me on the head.

It is a funny thing to think about my age, but I am honestly happy when she praises me like this.

It seems that my already high motivation to become a Onmyoji is going to increase even more.

The Tenkyo-jin is exactly what I just answered.

To the average person, this is an occultic story that raises eyebrows, but it seems that “souls” do exist. It is apparently common knowledge in Onmyoji circles that dead people ascend to the Heavens and are reincarnated in the cycle of life.

However, there are exceptions to every rule, and some souls cannot ascend to Heaven and remain on Earth. That in itself is not a big problem. A mere soul does not have the power to harm others.

However, the story changes when impurities gather in such souls.

Souls easily gather impurities, and if they do, they become Yōkai.

Onmyoji cannot stand the increase in the number of Yōkai, the arch-enemies of Onmyoji. This formation was built to prevent it.

The Tenkyo-jin have the effect of attracting souls that have been lost, and the Onmyoji will raise them to heaven.

Each area has its own Tenkyo-jin, and the Onmyoji take it in turns to perform periodic exorcisms in order to suppress the occurrence of Yōkai.

One might think that exorcism is the domain of monks and the like, but it seems that this is not the case anymore.

In today’s increasingly diverse world, the work of Onmyoji seems to be diverse.

It can be said that they had no choice but to do so in order to gain…… profit. How can I put it, this is a very difficult world to live in.

“This is the Tenkyo-jin……this? That means we’re not here for a picnic today, but for an exorcism.”

“It is also a picnic. but then we perform a ritual.”

It means that the community rotation has come to the Kyobe family.

It may be a tedious job for the father, but for my part, I am glad to have this opportunity.

After all, I would finally be able to witness the ritual.

“Dad, can I watch you?”

“…… Ahh.”

What’s the pause?

Oh well. I’m curious about the use of spiritual power and so much more. Let’s have a good look.

Mother and Yuya stay where they are, and the damn father takes me with him to the lake.

“Have you finished watching the Onmyouji channel yet?”

“Yeah. I’m still watching it, though, because it’s updated weekly.”

“I see.”

So hurry up and teach me the secret of our family’s onmyoujutsu.

I replied with such expectations, but the father’s reply was curt.

I thought to myself, “As expected, he wouldn’t teach the art of Onmyoji to a 2 year old boy”.

As we moved to the edge of the lake, we noticed a small boat floating by.

The damn father lifts me up and we get in the boat and we move to the center of the lake.