Konjiki no Gash!! Chapter 13

**A Moving Target** (動く標的, *Ugoku Hyōteki*) is the 13th chapter of Makoto Raiku's Konjiki no Gash!!. This chapter was originally released in Japan as part of volume 2 on August 9, 2001.

## Plot

At night, Haruhiko and Sugina are training in the botanical garden. Haruhiko comments that their limit is six spells in succession, but that now it’s time to train with moving targets. Later, during the day, Kiyomaro and Gash happen to be visiting the botanical garden. Gash is playing on all of the plants and Kiyomaro tells him to be careful. Some onlookers are chuckling, and Kiyomaro gets embarrassed, thinking to himself that he shouldn’t have brought Gash along. In a flashback, Gash tells Kiyomaro he wants to go somewhere that isn’t the park. He explains that he always goes to the park, and that Naomi knows he always comes alone. He tells Kiyomaro that Naomi said that he’ll probably never be taken anywhere, then gloated to him about going to the zoo because her parents love her. Presently, Kiyomaro thinks about how it’s important that Gash is still having fun after finding out he’s a demon. Kiyomaro also takes note that the botanical garden has barely changed since he'd last been there.

Tsukushi Kinoyama, one of the caretakers of the botanical garden, shows up beside him and asks for him to elaborate, surprising Kiyomaro. Tsukushi remarks that Kiyomaro seems to be doing well despite not having shown up in a while. Kiyomaro explains his absence has been because of school, to which Tsukushi teases him about being bullied. Kiyomaro is very embarrassed again, and Gash swings in on a vine, kicking Kiyomaro right in the face. Tsukushi hits Gash for hurting the plants, and then introduces herself. In turn, Gash introduces himself and states that he’s here to train Kiyomaro. Tsukushi starts laughing and Kiyomaro gets even more flustered. Gash exclaims that Kiyomaro has made a lot of friends, but all he can list is Suzume, which causes Tsukushi to laugh even harder. Kiyomaro, even more flustered, walks away from them. Gash then asks Tsukushi if she knows KIyomaro. She tells him she does, and that when Kiyomaro was getting bullied, he would come to the botanical garden instead of school. She explains to Gash that admission is cheap, Kiyomaro’s parents were annoying at home, and he couldn’t go roaming the streets during the day, so she would just let him stay. Gash asks if Tsukushi was protecting Kiyomaro, but she insists she didn’t do anything. She then goes on to say she just protects the plants, and that they grow strong on their own. Gash tells Tsukushi she’s a good person and that he wants to be friends with her, and that he would like to visit the botanical garden when he’d like. Tsukushi smiles fondly and allows that.

Nearby, Kiyomaro finds strange markings on one of the trees and studies them. He rules out the possibility of a parasitic plant being the cause, and soon realizes there might be a demon there. Elsewhere in the botanical garden, Haruhiko and Sugina determine there are eight people there that should be enough for their training session. Haruhiko casts *Juron*, and Sugina brings up large roots from the ground to wrap around and trap several people. Kiyomaro runs back to Gash and Tsukushi, and tells Gash that another demon and bookkeeper were already at the botanical garden, but that they don’t seem to be here for them because other people are being attacked. A root emerges beneath Tsukushi and wraps around her, trapping her like the others in the garden. Haruhiko is disappointed that people aren’t running away, as he feels that would make for more of a challenging training session.

Kiyomaro overhears this and gets angry. Haruhiko tells him that this is training for him to use his power better, but that if people don’t run away then there’s no point. The roots are also attacking other plants in the garden, and Haruhiko tells Kiyomaro he’ll give him thirty seconds to run, and that if he doesn’t he’ll end up like the other victims. The root around Tsukushi then tightens and she screams. Kiyomaro casts *Zakeru*, surprising Haruhiko and Sugina. Gash’s lightning strikes the root binding Tsukushi, freeing her. Holding her in his arms, Kiyomaro apologizes to her that he’ll have to hurt her plant friends a little, but he promises that he and Gash will defeat Haruhiko and Sugina.

## Features

### Characters by Appearance

* Haruhiko
* Sugnia
* Gash Bell
* Kiyomaro Takamine
* Naomi (Flashback)
* Tsukushi Kinoyama

### Locations

* Mochinoki City
	+ Kiyomaro's Room (Flashback)

### Spells by Appearance

* Juron (Debut)
* Zakeru