Konjiki no Gash!! Chapter 5

**Is It a Tool or a Person!?** (道具か人間か!?, *Dōgu ka Ningen ka!?*) is the 5th chapter of Makoto Raiku's Konjiki no Gash!!. This chapter was originally released in Japan as part of volume 1 on May 18, 2001.

## Plot

Kiyomaro and Gash were just attacked by a man with a blue book and a kid of his own with ice abilities. But Gash is more amazed by the sudden ice pillars than he is worried about anything else. The man repeats to Kiyomaro that he wants Gash. Like Kiyomaro, Gash also feels that this other kid looks just like him. Kiyomaro takes note of the similarities between Gash, this new kid, Gash’s red book, and the blue book in this man’s hands. Kiyomaro also recognizes that *Gikoru* sounded like a spell, just like *Zakeru* is for Gash.

The man, Hosokawa, tells Kiyomaro he and his kid, Reycom, are just like them, and casts another *Gikoru*, and the kid shoots the ice shards from his mouth. Gash and Kiyomaro manage to dodge the attack, and Gash is in awe at the kid’s ability to shoot shards of ice out of his mouth. Another *Gikoru* is cast, only this time the ice comes up from the ground and almost pierces Gash. Kiyomaro starts to wonder how many kids with books like this are out there, and he asks the man where he got his. Hosokawa tells him that he found his, and assumes the same happened for Kiyomaro. Hosokawa realizes Kiyomaro is new to all of this and offers his backstory before stealing Gash from him.

In a flashback, Hosokawa is at work and finds Reycom in a storage room eating a big, frozen fish. Presently, Hosokawa explains to Kiyomaro that Reycom didn’t leave him alone after that, no matter how much he tried to get rid of him. In the flashback, Hosokawa is in his apartment, angry that he was fired at work for making a mistake. Reycom offers him his book, telling him to try reading it, but louder. Infuriated, Hosokawa does it anyways and ends up casting *Gikoru*, ice shards coming out of the kid’s mouth and destroying the room. In the present, the man goes on to explain he used Reycom's power to get revenge on his boss, hospitalizing him, and later robbed banks and jewelry stores so he could become rich.

Hosokawa infuriates Kiyomaro as he continues to explain that he uses Reycom for his own gain, and how it’s his own hate, anger, and green that increase the spell’s power. He tells Kiyomaro that there’s a lot he wants to accomplish, and that one kid just isn’t enough, which is why he needs Kiyomaro’s, too. Kiyomaro instead asks the man why Reycom is being treated so poorly despite being the reason the man is where he is today. The man scoffs at that and dismisses the Reycom as a tool, therefore taking care of him is unnecessary.

Kiyomaro and Gash are furious and ready to fight. Gash’s *Zakeru* clashes with the Reycom's *Gikoru*, and Reycom gets a bit injured. Hosokawa mocks Kiyomaro and Gash for only having one spell and calls Gash a useless tool. Kiyomaro and Gash dodge another attack, sliding on the ground, and the man uses a new spell, *Furizudo*, and Reycom lets out a frost from his mouth that encases part of Kiyomaro’s body to the ground. Kiyomaro is intimidated by Hosokawa's battle experience, and Hosokawa walks up to him and kicks Kiyomaro in the face and calls both Reycom and Gash monsters, which really affects Gash. He goes on to say that Reycom is such a good monster that listens to him, and just freely kicks him in the head.

Gash tries attacking Hosokawa , but Hosokawa just grabs Gash, points him at Kiyomaro, then grabs Gash’s book to read from it. He is unable to read the book but remembers hearing Kiyomaro, and tries casting *Zakeru* himself. Nothing happens when he says the spell aloud and Hosokawa slams Gash into the ground, further enraging Kiyomaro.

## Features

### Characters by Appearance

* Kiyomaro Takamine
* Hosokawa
* Gash Bell
* Reycom

### Spells by Appearance

* Gikoru
* Zakeru
* Furizudo (Debut)