#and was trying to figure out if matoba knew and was alluding to it!!

[coquelicoq]

actually natori has some kind of tracking talisman on matoba at all times. that's how he knew where to abduct matoba from for Operation: Kitty Cat City. matoba fully knows about it; it's why he wasn't at all surprised to find a paper doll in natsume's hair after the mask youkai debacle (matoba internally as he watched it fly away: classic mother hen shuuichi-san momence 🥰). because this is matoba "boundaries? what are those? can you eat them?" seiji we're talking about, he's not bothered by this "violation" of his "privacy"; rather, he finds it fittingly clingy (it is, after all, only right that natori should be keeping tabs on him obsessively). sometimes the talisman gets confused and sticks to yesterday's outfit, so he always checks to make sure he has it on the way out the door (his pocket patdown is "keys, lighter, wallet, exorcism supplies, shuuichi-san's cute lil tracker he thinks i don't know about <3"). i wouldn't be surprised if he's figured out how to uno reverse it and now uses it to track natori's location as well. this may not technically be canon but it is probably all 100% true in an important way that transcends canon, we just never hear about it because it isn't relevant to natsume's journey 😌

#matoba: a natori talisman. sure wish i had one of those 😇 #<-knows that he has one on him at that very moment and also that natori doesn't know that he knows #convince me that he didn't say this on purpose to make natori sweat. you can't! #in response to him saying that natori side-eyes him and has a dot dot dot speech bubble (my favorite vol. 26 ellipsis btw) #which is exactly how he would react if he had secretly planted a talisman on matoba #and was trying to figure out if matoba knew and was alluding to it!! #check and mate. game set match. QED. i rest my case. #i've connected the dots i've connected them but also i feel like it wasn't that hard. the truth is out there you just have to believe #natsume's book of friends #natsume yuujinchou #horrible exorcists #matoba seiji #f #homura cats arc #my posts #btw i do not think the head of the matoba clan actually does anything so base as to carry keys on his person #he has people for that. he has a driver. he has servants who open the door when they see him coming. what possible need could he have #for such an object #he also may not need to carry a wallet (or equivalent) for similar reasons #but it was the best shorthand i could think of to make what i meant by 'pocket patdown' readily apparent #especially since 'cell phone' isn't an option either since this is set in the 80s #i figure he must have some kind of lighter or firestarter bc he uses smoke to find the source of the locked-room curse #he also seems to carry a brush & ink and various & sundry tools of the trade that i decided to call 'exorcism supplies' #matoba-san drop the 'what's in my purse' youtube video 👀