Chapter 43

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“Who am I, you ask? And here I was, thinking that even an ignorant child like you has surely at least heard of me.” said the man, smiling at Shouma, who could smell the bitter fragrance of danger from him.

He stretched his spine, his nerves were on edge and tingled, ready to run for his life if it was needed.

The man jumped down from the tool shed and walked slowly towards Shouma.

“Subaru!”

Shouma shouted right away.

As usual, a small firework scattered in the sky and Subaru shot out of thin air.

He must have sensed by the other’s presence that the opponent was a dangerous kaii. Without waiting for any instructions from Shouma, he plunged into the man. Then, just before he hit the stranger, he grew so large that he could easily cover his face.

But…

“Kyuuu!”

Subaru had been wispily shoken off by the man’s hand. The small kaii was sent flying into the concrete wall that surrounded the park and immediately lost his consciousness.

All of these happened in an instant.

“Subaru!”

“Oh, so it was the Fusuma, huh? I thought it was some crane fly that took a wrong turn.”

With a calm and collected smile, the man closed the distance between him and Shouma in a trice.

“Enishi!”

After the next round of fireworks dispersed, the figure of Enishi appeared.

This time, his size was enormous, so Shouma was confident he wouldn’t be easily blown away. He thought so but…

“Gah…!”

Before Enishi could grow even more, the man’s heel fell on the other’s head.

Enishi plunged headfirst into the ground straightaway, and stopped moving there, as if it had fainted.

“Enishi…”

“You are really haughty, aren’t you? Just who do you think I am?”

The man had ultimately cornered Shouma and the others. He could tell by the way the stranger was moving, escaping was out of the question, even if they were to try and make a run for it.

“Ah, this smell…. I see. So that guy was hiding you, wasn’t he?”

The man carelessly dropped the bloodbathed kitten from his hand and traced his bloody finger across Shouma’s cheek.

“This is perfect. You’ll be the best bait I’ve ever had.”

“Shouma-san!”

The Kappa behind Shouma jumped out and intervened between the two of them to protect Shouma.

“Hoi!”

“You’ve given me a lot of trouble, haven’t you, little girl?”

It happened in an instant. The Kappa’s body was blown away like some ball. Her body, which the man had kicked with vigor, flew high into the air and plunged face first into the ground, only making a sound like a sandbang falling.

“Kappa!”

“I thought that thing would have completely ruined my plans, but it turned out to be useful in an unexpected way.”

“Plan? What did you want to do with those kittens?”

A snarl-like sound came out as Shouma spoke, but as expected, the man showed no sign of being frightened.

“I’ve been collecting kaii’s.”

“The kaii’s?”

“Yes. You know how they flock to the people like you, who can see them, right? But gradually, the number of people who are able to see the kaii are diminishing. It’s not uncommon for people to be able to see them when they’re children, but by the time they become aware of the world, they can’t see anymore. On the other hand, many dogs and cats can see the kaii when they are puppies or kittens. Even when they grow up to a certain extent, they continue to do so. Maybe that’s how close their blood is to our side.”

Shouma’s eyebrows furrowed as he couldn’t make sense of the words.

The man continued.

“It’s nothing but a misunderstanding, you know. Especially for weak kaii. They can’t smell the difference between a human’s blood who can see them, just like you, and a cat or dog’s blood. This, even you could see for yourself.”

“In short, you’ve been using the blood of that kitten to collect the kaii?”

At that moment, Shouma remembered the little kaii’s that swarmed around the kitten’s blood on his handkerchief. This strange man had been aiming for that phenomenon.

“It was a hit! I was planning to use the blood of those kittens to collect small kaii’s and then use them in turn as bait to catch the bigger ones, one by one. But that Kappa kept getting in the way of my plans altogether.”

The Kappa hadn’t been aiming at him intentionally, but it seemed to have interfered with this man’s goal of collecting the kaii, by treating the injured kittens.

“I really wanted to kill that Kappa right away. However, I knew that if I were to approach the Kappa here, all the little kaii’s that had started to gather would have been instantly scattered, wouldn’t they? The weaker kaii won’t come close to the smell of the stronger ones.”

“What were you planning to do with all those kaii?”

It wasn’t the stranger who answered Shouma’s question.

“You’ve been planning the Hyakkiyagyou, or would it be better to say, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, haven’t you? There is only so much you can do with a hoard of kaii.”

A cold but dignified voice echoed through the park.

Shouma gasped as he spotted a familiar shadow behind the man.

“Tendou-san!?”

There stood Tendou, staring fixedly at the silver-haired man, while greeting him.

“Long time no see, Amanojaku.” [1]

“Ah, yes. It’s been a long time, Shuten-Douji.” [2]

After being called Shuten-Douji, the eyes of Tendou suddenly glazed. The smile disappeared from his face.

This never before seen expression on his employers face, made Shouma feel in a way he hadn’t before. Goosebumps rose all over his back.

Amanojaku smirked.

“No, it’s my bad. I’ve heard you are calling yourself Tendou now. I’m surprised you’re still playing to be a human.”

The next moment, Amanojaku’s hand reached out and strangled Shouma’s neck. His hands were strong enough to make Shouma gasp for air.

“Gah…”

“I’ll take this one with me.”

“You think I’ll just let you do that?”

“Careful there Shuten-Douji!”

His long claws dug into Shouma’s neck, tearing the skin and causing his blood to plump in droplets to the ground.

“I’m alright with just a corpse.”

Tendou’s movements froze.

Amanojaku laughed, his shoulders shaking happily.

“When all is done, I’ll return this bait to you alive and well. So for now, stay out of my way.”

With those words, the kaii struck Shouma in the stomach, and the boy’s consciousness gradually faded, falling into a deep darkness.

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Translator’s Notes:

[1] 天邪鬼 ‘heavenly evil spirit’ Usually depicted as some oni-like creature, who originates from ancient mythology and shinto rites, they are believed to be wicked deities who like to provoke one’s darkest and most wicked desires to make a person perpetrate inexcusable deeds. The most well-known tale that includes an Amanojaku is the Tale of Uriko-Hime (Melon Princess). It is a story about a little girl who had been raised by an elderly couple, who found her in a melon, later on, when the girl was to be married, an Amanojaku tricked her and flayed her skin to wear it. This disguised Amanojaku soon gets caught and killed by the people of the town. (example)

[2] 酒呑童子 The mythical great demon king of all the oni, who, during the Heian-period, lived on Mount Oe, hoarding treasures, drinks he stole and the women he abducted with his yokai troop from the city below. According to some legends, Shuten-Douji wasn’t born as an oni, but as an ordinary human being. He was an orphan who was much stronger and smarter than any other at his age. The boy was haughty and arrogant, and he was known to frequently fight with anyone. As he was apprenticed as a priest, he became quite fond of drinking. (even his name meant ‘little drunkard’) One night, when a festival was held at the temple, he showed up completely drunk, he put on an oni mask and planned to play pranks on the visitors and monks. After a while, when he wanted to take off the oni mask, he noticed it completely fused to his face and was unable to part with it. As a result he secluded himself from humans, he was thought of as weak and foolish, and went to live in the mountains. He gradually transformed into a real oni and grew not just in power but in knowledge too. One of the most well-known legends tells about Minamoto no Yorimitsu or in other names, Minamoto no Raiko, who had his fill of the constant trouble Shuten-Douji made, and was determined to rescue the girls the oni abducted and also kill the famous demon king with a group of warriors. Tricking Shuten-Douji with poisonous alcohol, he managed to cut off the oni’s head. The severed head in a depth of despair, tried to kill off its pursuer but to no avail. In the Yokai Encyclopedia of Toriyama Sekien, the author describes Shuten-Douji as “He lounges boorishly, using his elbow as a pillow while beautiful women pour him saké, which he devours by the huge cupful. But he styles his hair in a childish bob and wears a red hakama robe, hinting at a tender heart.” (example)

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