Chapter 40

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“So you are a Kappa?” [1]

“Yes.”

The girl sat on a bench at the park and nodded. In her arms, the kitten, whose injuries were now completely healed, slept peacefully.

She began to tell her story as Shouma asked her to do so.

It was about two months ago when she first found an injured kitten. The small creature was left in the middle of the park, covered in blood, as if the perpetrator was showing it off to a wider audience.

Since then, abused kittens have been dumped in the park about two or three times a week. It was probably during that time when Kazuha herself found a cat.

Each time, a kitten was slashed with something like a knife and their tendon’s were always cut to prevent them from escaping, leaving a feeling that whoever did that must have been insane.

The girl said, whenever she found one of the poor creatures, she would treat it with her medicine.

“It’s called the Kappa’s elixir. Basically, it can cure all kinds of external wounds, except diseases.”

“Is that why you took the form of a girl, so that people won’t suspect you?”

“Yes. There are a lot of kids in the park. Apart from the fact that I’m dreadful, as it is my nature, I don’t wish to scare anybody as it’s not my intention…”

It seems, this was the first time somebody saw through her disguise and found out her true self.

Speaking of the Kappa, it was one of the kaii that even Shouma knew of. The image in his head was of a creature with a plate on its head, a web between its arms and legs, with a huge shell on its back. Although the girl in front of her, had none of those.

“When I change back to my original form, that’s how I look. A lot of the kaii’s, like me, who tend to play tricks on people, could change their form. It’s easier for us to move from place to place. Though I can’t change into anything I want to, like the tanuki or a fox. I can only take this form…”

Apparently, there were professionals in the world of the kaii too.

“Well…, perhaps, didn’t you happen to see the perpetrator?”

The girl shook her head at this question.

“There was always a kitten when I came here. It doesn’t mean I’m here all the time, so I haven’t seen the culprit.”

“I see…”

Could it really have been some kind of kid from the neighbourhood? Or perhaps, had it been an adult who had a morbid habit of doing this kind of thing, since it has happened so many times in a row?

Shouma stroked his chin.

The Kappa girl stared up at him.

“So you are a human who can see us, aren’t you oniisan?”

“Yes, more or less.”

“But in spite of that… how to say it. I couldn’t smell that from you, you know. You seem like a normal person. As a kaii, it’s kind of comforting to be around you…”

She turned her nose directly towards Shouma and whiffed at him.

“Oh, it’s…”

He pulled out the protection charm under his clothes.

“I hide the smell with this. If I didn’t have it, I’d have a lot of little one’s coming around me. That would be a huge mess.”

“Wah!”

The moment the girl saw the amulet, she covered her nose. Somehow, it seemed the amulet emitted a smell that was quite unpleasant to the kaii.

“This thing cancels out your own smell, oniisan.”

“Is this stench so bad…”

“This stench is… I could say it’s more similar to a smell when one stands next to an extremely powerful kaii.”

“…What does that smell like?”

“I don’t think people would understand.”

Shouma held the amulet close to his nose but he couldn’t feel anything. If he would be forced to say, he could sense the faint scent of incense that his grandmother used to burn almost everyday.

“But, if you are a human who can see us, does that mean oniisan, you are the rumored ’human who collects the kaii’?”

“To be precise, I’m not the one who collects them.”

It was Tendou-san who collected them, while Shouma just helped.

“There are a lot of rumours, aren’t there?”

“Yes. They say there is a human rampaging with a bunch of the kaii, who follows that person…”

“Oh, that’s probably not me.”

If that person has a reputation of rampaging, that could only be Tendou.

Leaving aside the rampaging, Shouma was not aware that he was so raving. Sure he had a few rough moments, but that didn’t mean he was ’rampaging’.

“Eh? But I’ve never heard of two humans that are collecting the kaii…”

“Well, it’s because I’m just helping.”

As Shouma let out a strained laugh, the kitten suddenly stirred in the Kappa’s arms. Apparently, it had woken up.

The kitten jumped out of the girl’s lap and stretched its back unbothered, as if it hadn’t been injured a few minutes ago. The small creature mewed, probably saying its thanks, then simply ran off.

“I’m glad the cat seems alright.”

“Yes.”

The Kappa girl nodded with a smile.

“But we shouldn’t leave it like this…”

“Um…”

Shouma looked at the girl who pulled on his arm.

“If you don’t mind, could you help me catch the person who is hurting these cats?”

—–

Translator’s Notes:

[1] 河童 Perhaps one of the most known yokai, not just in Japan but in the western countries as well. They could be mischievous and cause some merely playful tricks with the people or they could viciously drown and eat not just horses and cows, but the humans who pass by their river and lake. In Shinto, Kappa’s are revered and if people pay their respect as they should, these creatures will help with irrigating rice fields. They are able to learn human languages and are adept at medicines. Most of them are honorable, and if one were to cross paths with a Kappa, one could be able to escape on land by bowing, which makes the yokai bow as well, resulting in the water, that is in a bowl on top of the creature’s head, spill out and making them immobilized. (example)

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