Kyuu.
Seems like the sound of crying is cute.
Is this really my taste? Well, considering that Jjapgurasu made this body, it might be unexpectedly cute and pretty.
Or rather, it’s probably the writer’s taste.
“Turn right here.”
I said while looking in the direction Chiga was facing.
I don’t know the exact principle, but it’s not just about looking in a direction to notice. It feels somehow… more fundamentally connected to me.
Maybe she’s also treated as Jjapgurasu’s manifestation.
“……”
Grandfather and Yuuki didn’t say much. Both of them were trying hard to suppress their expressions, but I could feel the twisting guilt underneath their blank faces.
Saying it’s okay here would only make the atmosphere more awkward.
Knock. Knock.
Blood was still flowing into the bucket.
Since I forced the wound open and left it, wrapping a bandage on it wouldn’t make any sense.
“Kyuu!”
“Wait a second!”
As I shouted, Yuuki turned to look at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Stop the car!”
As soon as I spoke, Grandfather stepped on the brakes.
Thank goodness I had my seatbelt on, just in case. I held the bucket tightly with my right hand. My body swayed forward, but the bucket was so deep that blood didn’t spill out.
“Kid, what’s happening—”
Fortunately, the car was going slowly, so it didn’t lead to an accident—
“Grandfather, look over there!”
Yuuki shouted immediately.
The ground was rumbling.
This sound… was the sound of stones rolling.
At the same time, Grandfather and I looked out the window.
Stones were rolling down.
Grandfather immediately shifted the gear into reverse and stepped on the accelerator.
Not just one large stone, but several small ones were pouring down. There were also stones as large as my body, and many heavy ones that were hard to lift, though not quite as big as a person.
Tick. Tidick.
I heard the sound of sand grains bouncing off the car body. If Chiga hadn’t warned us, we would have probably ended up in a pancake-like state with the car.
“Kyuu—Kyuu—”
Looking down at Chiga, I realized I was holding her too tightly.
Is she different from a typical living being? …Well, she definitely is, but still, seeing this ‘living’ thing feeling as if it’s about to burst from being held too tightly was a bit unsettling.
As I slightly released my grip, Chiga immediately returned to her original state, like a crawling, red finger.
“Did that tell you something?”
Yuuki asked.
I nodded.
“Maybe it did.”
The gazes of Grandfather and Yuuki, looking at me, became somewhat strange.
…..
Wait a minute.
Did I look like I was foreseeing something earlier?
As I cautiously lifted my gaze, Grandfather and Yuuki got out of the car.
I also opened the door with my right hand and got out of the van—
Realizing I was still holding the bucket, I just placed it next to the car.
After all, if I carried it around, it would definitely spill.
Blood was still dripping from my hand.
“……”
I gazed quietly at Chiga, whom I was holding in my hand, and just placed her on the back of my neck.
I felt my clothes getting damp with blood, but in the current situation, it was already irrelevant.
As I approached Yuuki, he flinched at the sight of me.
“Uh… are you, okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Aside from my arm being a bit painful.
It’s definitely a sight that would scare you at midnight.
In fact, I had been contemplating what to do since the moment I got out of the car.
I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t satisfy the ‘condition’ Jjapgurasu presented to me.
But until now, Jjapgurasu has been very lenient with me.
…..
No, wait.
I looked down at my left wrist again. The bandage Yuuki wrapped around my left arm was quite thick, yet the area near the wound was already stained a dark red.
Thinking back on the wound, it didn’t seem particularly lenient. It feels a lot like being treated as a toy.
No matter how nice it was, it feels like a position of being a psychopathic person who abuses their pet.
Well, maybe just a toy would be better.
“Kyuu.”
I spoke while looking at Chiga facing forward.
“This way.”
I looked in that direction.
As I began to walk ahead, Yuuki quickly stuck to my side.
Thank goodness I wore sneakers. Well, it was just one pair of sneakers and one pair of school shoes anyway.
The direction Chiga pointed to was an unpaved mountain path.
Click.
Yuuki turned on a flashlight and shone it at my feet.
“Wait.”
As I was about to walk, Yuuki reached out to stop me.
“Oh.”
Then, looking at what the light was illuminating, I let out a slight sound.
There were footprints on the path.
It wasn’t mud, but rather moist soil. Trees were so dense above that it seemed the ground never dried.
And on top of that, there were footprints of several people scattered about.
“Are there people who arrived before us?”
“Hmmm.”
Grandfather took out a flashlight and shone it behind us.
….. A black car was parked there.
It wouldn’t have been strange not to discover it while coming here. If we came up from below, that car must have been coming down from above. Moreover, it seemed to be coming from a completely unpaved path.
Even if that car went up the path, it seemed there was a road coming out the other side. The path curves as it comes this way, so it’s hard to spot unless looking closely through the trees.
Moreover, it was midnight with no suitable streetlights around.
We took a moment to walk around to check.
….. It was a car that felt similar to the van we took. There wasn’t anything written on it. Aside from it being black and out in such a remote area, there wasn’t anything particularly unusual. Even shining light through the windows didn’t reveal any objects inside.
“We need to be careful about this.”
Grandfather said.
Right.
That could be a vehicle carrying some extremely dangerous people. It wouldn’t be strange in this world for a serial killer to come to bury corpses.
Even, if it’s not in this world, it would still be possible.
We turned our steps again.
Should I pull out the knife? I hesitated for a moment but decided against it.
I’m not going to catch a yōkai, nor would I aim a knife at a person. If a fight breaks out, I would just end up being a burden.
It would be more useful to hide somewhere rather than jumping in halfway.
Yuuki tightly gripped his sword’s sheath, and Grandfather also nocked an arrow on his bow. He skillfully held it with his left hand, while he held the flashlight with his right.
And like Yuuki, he shone it at my feet.
“If you see a person ahead, let me know. From then on, just hide.”
I nodded at Grandfather’s words.
We began to walk again.
“Do you need me to hold on to you?”
Yuuki asked with a very worried expression.
“I’m okay.”
I replied.
Every time I bled, I felt like I was either adapting or that my body was getting stronger. The time I could hold on was gradually increasing.
The first time I got hurt, I collapsed right after taking down the enemy, and then I would get dizzy just by riding the subway. But now I was even climbing the mountain.
Still, the mountain path was rather gentle. It didn’t feel like a serious hiking trail, but there were signs of people having walked there.
Maybe it was private land? If so, I felt a bit sorry for dropping blood on the path.
“Kyuu, kyuu.”
“…….”
“…….”
Other than Chiga’s cry, there were no words exchanged between us. Only faint sounds of cicadas in the distance, and a bit of birdsong could be heard.
Good.
Let’s organize my thoughts a bit.
Anyway, in Jjapgurasu’s eyes, I must appear to be an interesting toy to play with. They don’t completely break me, but they seem to lead me to play around as they wish.
At least until now, Jjapgurasu has never told me what situations I would face if I failed to meet the conditions.
Whether I would have to suffer pain, die, or simply become indifferent and leave.
….. Responding seems to depend more on the heart of the being responding, rather than how it’s called upon.
From the way Kaneko springs up whenever she calls, there seems to be some condition, but I think it isn’t outright false.
Perhaps the way Jjapgurasu answers is somewhere between her free will and instinct.
Like how a starving person turns toward the smell of delicious food.
“Grandfather.”
“What is it?”
“Is it possible that the rocks rolling down earlier were because Kudan foresaw it?”
“That might be so. If it’s a yōkai that sees the future, it could happen. Of course, until we meet it directly, no one knows for sure.”
“Then, those who followed such Kudan….”
Silence returned.
….. They must be seeking out the prophecy. All alone.
I remembered that. There was a story about how it was okay to speak to a friend if I wanted to say something.
Nevertheless, since there was no statement like “it’s okay to hear together,” it could mean that it was something I couldn’t tell Yuuki.
As we climbed a bit further—
“Wait a moment.”
Grandfather turned off the flashlight immediately.
Yuuki followed suit.
Yuuki reached out a hand and gently pushed me down.
Hiding behind a tree by the dirt path, Yuuki and Grandfather bent over and held their breath.
I heard faint voices from a distance. There was no light visible yet.
I could vaguely see Grandfather gesturing.
I moved slowly, following Yuuki’s lead, careful to not let the two of them get spotted because of me.
“Stay here.”
Grandfather spoke from a certain distance.
“Kyuu.”
Chiga responded for me.
“How…?”
What were you going to say? Although I didn’t speak, Grandfather immediately moved. Gripping the bow, with an arrow nocked, he slightly drew back the string and moved.
Yuuki also drew his knife.
“…… We’ll go observe what those people are doing.”
I nodded at Yuuki’s words.
Certainly, without me, we wouldn’t be able to achieve the goal of finding Kudan.
In the distance, people with flashlights were moving about, shining lights here and there. They were far enough that I couldn’t tell their expressions or what kind of conversations they were having. But one thing was certain, it seemed they were ‘searching for something.’
And those people seemed different from those we encountered at the ranch. Their attire was different. I don’t think there was a reason to change clothes in between.
Grandfather and Yuuki soon disappeared into the forest.
It felt as if they were accustomed to this kind of thing.
“…….”
I stood still for a moment.
Gradually, I started to feel a slight tremor in my body. It was summer. And it was already near the peak of summer when it shouldn’t be this hot, but now I had lost quite a bit of blood.
I was still alert. But I was anxious. I didn’t know how much time would pass, and I didn’t know what would happen if we spent too long here.
“Kyuu.”
“I know.”
I replied to Chiga, who whined.
Chiga was feeling anxious. Reflecting my worries, she really wanted to find Kudan and fulfill our objective.
….. Has midnight already passed? I didn’t think about checking my phone. Even in this darkness, a small light could be seen from afar.
If it had passed midnight, I had a promise to keep tomorrow.
Huddling my knees together, I wrapped my left wrist with my right hand and hugged it near my chest. I then leaned against the base of the tree as if lying down on my side.
“Kyuu?”
“It’s okay.”
It’ll be fine.
“It’s okay.”
“…… Are you really okay?”
Suddenly, someone replied to my muttering, and I jolted up from my spot.
“Oh, I’m fine. Calm down. I’m not here to hurt you—”
The person speaking paused when they saw my face.
“…… Miss Kurosawa?”
She wasn’t wearing a nun’s outfit.
But I could recognize who she was, even in the darkness.
Hagiwara Hana.
I quickly turned my head away, but Hagiwara seemed convinced that I was Kurosawa Kotone.
“What are you doing here? What’s that smell?”
“…….”
The smell.
Oh, right.
While she didn’t have the remarkable sense of smell of a beast, people working in this area were always said to have quite sensitive senses. Especially for trained individuals like Yuuki or Hagiwara.
If it were far away, they might not notice.
But if Hagiwara was searching nearby…
No, maybe she joined a bit late. Although she didn’t have a flashlight in her hand, she could see the droplets falling on the floor.
And if she touched it, she’d understand that it was blood.
The traces that led up to me.
“Are you perhaps bleeding?”
Hagiwara took a step closer, and I instinctively stepped back, bumping into a tree.
Ah, right. I was leaning against the tree just now.
“What are you doing here…?”
“I am—”
Hagiwara opened her mouth, then shut it tight. Then she gazed at me expressionlessly.
I examined Hagiwara’s clothes.
Despite being a summer night, she wore long-sleeved clothes with wide sleeves. Her skirt also hung down long. Honestly, it looked a bit too mature. She was so beautiful that she appeared to be in college or a newlywed.
But there was a reason for sticking to such an outfit.
After all, you can’t just stroll around in a nun’s outfit in front of people. She must be wearing something as similar as possible.
“You, what are you doing here?”
Again, her eyes looked at my left wrist that I was covering. Blood was trickling freely. Moreover, my clothes were soaked with blood.
Hagiwara’s expression twisted.
“Who did this to you?”
Though I didn’t think she had fully grasped the situation yet. But… She didn’t seem to view me simply as a desperate suicide seeker or a lost hiker.
As I made a stance to dash out, Hagiwara quickly extended her right arm downward.
And in the next instant, she had a sword in her hand.
It was a small dagger like a tiny cross. The short part of the cross was the handle, and the long part was the blade. It looked to be about 20 centimeters long. It seemed to be shorter than about 30 centimeters.
That makes sense.
Nuns in stories like this tend to have such weapons.
“Wait. Don’t move.”
Hagiwara said.
She wasn’t aiming the knife at me.
“…… You’re Sota’s friend, right? I hope you won’t hurt me.”
Well, normally, one wouldn’t think to slice another person.
Of course, I did, but the other one was a man-eating demon after all.
“What happened that brought you here? I won’t hurt you.”
“…… With a knife in hand?”
“…….”
In response to my words, Hagiwara seemed to be rendered speechless.
I’m glad I didn’t draw my knife.
Otherwise, I would have looked extremely threatening too. If I moved quickly, she would probably think I’d stab her too.
I gently lowered my right hand that was covering the wound wrapped by my left hand. Blood gushed out from the wound I had been holding back. Now the bandage had become completely useless.
“……!”
Hagiwara gasped at that sight.
I moved my hand with the intent to toss Chiga’s body towards Hagiwara’s face.
Hagiwara instinctively slashed at the bloodied mass with her knife.
Swish!
There was almost no functionality as a solitude. Even if there was, it was more like a decoration, and since there was no ‘malice’ between us.
But the sudden spray of blood, like from a misting device, was good at blocking one’s vision for just a moment.
“Gya!?”
I immediately covered my face with my arm and turned my body, so it wasn’t a big problem, but Hagiwara got splattered in the face with blood. It’s likely she would be fine after a quick wipe.
However, during the time it took to wipe the blood off her face, there was a chance for me to bolt for the path.
I started running.
“Wait, there!”
At Hagiwara’s shout, the flashlight from the people searching above turned towards us. Damn.
But I still made it. With my skills, I can’t swerve through a dense forest like a wolf or a fox.
Having a path was much better.
Moreover—
Clang!
I heard the sound of blades clashing. Then the sound of something metallic dropping to the ground.
“Who…!”
“You shouldn’t point a knife at someone!”
Yuuki looked cool as he rushed out of the forest at the same time Hagiwara did. He must have noticed when he heard Hagiwara speak to me.
“You’re being reckless!”
Hagiwara shouted in frustration, but I didn’t turn back to look.
“Kurosawa!?”
As I kept running without stopping, Yuuki called out, sounding a bit flustered.
“Over there! Catch her!”
From above, several people came rushing down. Six of them.
Pak!
But the footsteps of those six people soon stopped.
An arrow was lodged in the ground, shaking.
It was the arrow that Yuuki’s grandfather shot.
“Don’t move from there.”
I halted my steps.
The comment wasn’t aimed at me, but damn, I was immensely exhausted. Though this path was gentle, it was still a mountain path. Climbing up while not properly paved made it that much harder.
It looked like there were no trees at the top, just meadows, but climbing up from the bottom with lost blood was somewhat challenging.
“Kurosawa, what’s going on?”
Yuuki, who had approached before I knew it, said. Facing me, he pointed the knife at Hagiwara.
“Maybe she was going to search. Isn’t that right?”
Grandfather spoke without mentioning the word Kudan.
“……”
The people slowly descending from above were all men. It seemed Hagiwara was the only woman among them.
Although all the men wore ordinary clothing, about two of them were dressed in the distinctive collar worn by clergy. Black shirts with short collars, and the white part of the collar visible in the middle.
“A church?”
Yuuki muttered.
“What on earth are those people—”
“They have their own ways of doing things.”
Grandfather spoke to Yuuki and then turned his head back to the men.
“What’s your reason for being here? Reveal your reasons.”
“…….”
Nothing could be heard in reply.
“…… There are rules in this land. Withdraw. This matter has nothing to do with you.”
“Elder.”
At Grandfather’s words, Hagiwara spoke.
I turned back to look.
Hagiwara’s face was smeared with blood here and there. Though there was still a bit of astonishment left on her face, her voice remained steady.
“This matter concerns us.”
When one of the men flinched, Hagiwara raised her hand.
“Are you here to find Kudan?”
“…….”
“Using methods that leave scars on that child, we would like to know about the ways we have no knowledge of and do not want to know.”
Yuuki tightened his grip on the knife.
“What’s important to you?”
“The prophecy.”
“Do you want to know the prophecy?”
Hagiwara shook her head.
“No. We are not trying to hear the prophecy. We’re simply trying to behead it before it opens its mouth.”
“Why?”
“Because Kudan foretells disaster.”
As Hagiwara took a step closer to us, she continued speaking.
“But that’s a false prophecy. We cannot let people believe in that.”
Ah, I see.
In Christianity, prophecies are delivered by prophets. Moreover, these prophecies do not predict an individual’s fortunes or misfortunes. It only deals with the world, divine judgment, and other religious content.
But if a ‘beast’ like Kudan were to deliver such prophecies, then from their standpoint, that wouldn’t be a prophecy. That would be the whispers of Satan.
….. It’s not surprising that they look demonic.
“…… Once again, I’ll say this, there are ways in this land to govern itself.”
“The way of this land.”
Hagiwara questioned.
“Are you saying we aren’t included in that?”
“…….”
Hagiwara took another step closer.
“How many more years do we have to wait to become people of this land? It has already been 450 years since God’s will reached this ‘land.’”
Hagiwara closed her eyes, quietly inhaled, then exhaled, speaking as if praying.
“Innocent Omin nepaachiritsu e suhiiriyesupeiritusu sanchi.”
The sound was reminiscent of chanting a scripture.
“Amen.”
“Amen.”
As Hagiwara concluded her statement, the men echoed her in a low murmur.
I didn’t quite understand, but it sounded like a prayer.
“Persecuted, hiding, dying, hiding, apostatizing, repenting, hiding, and transforming, the people of this land carried on their faith. Even as time passed and the stories distorted, the mere belief continued. They persevered, praying to the Virgin Mary while turning her into a Kannon statue.”
Hagiwara opened her eyes and smiled gently.
“And then they began to glorify it, claiming something excellent is uniquely theirs. Are you looking for something of your own in Japan?”
“…….”
For me, all of this was a distant tale of Shinto and Christianity. I don’t believe in gods in the first place.
Considering the profession I held, many people had religious beliefs, but I didn’t.
If there were a god, would I have lived such a life?
Well, I was strangely being singled out by some divine-like being now.
The main reason I was thinking this was that I was on the verge of collapsing.
That’s right. I felt like I was genuinely reaching my limit.
“Kurosawa? Kurosawa!”
As I suddenly took off running, Yuuki shouted urgently from behind. However, he couldn’t run to catch me immediately.
“Grab her!”
Hagiwara shouted.
Phew, phew, I heard the sound of arrows flying and another arrow thudding into the ground.
Swish. I heard someone draw a sword.
“Wait!”
I wasn’t sure who shouted. Since it was a woman’s voice, it must have been either Yuuki or Hagiwara.
At least they treated me like a person.
Though I felt like my legs were going to give way, I kept running forward.
“Stop!”
One of the men stood in my way. As if threatening me, he pointed a sword at me.
The tip of the knife was without hesitation. Did he plan to slice me as an heretic?
No, he wouldn’t do such a thing. At least in this world, the Catholic Church wouldn’t indiscriminately cut down someone just because they were a person.
So—
I quickly seized the man’s hand with both my arms.
Thud.
“What—”
Then, I pierced the collarbone with the sword’s tip, and the man’s eyes widened in shock.
The surroundings became silent.
I pulled out the sword and began to run again. For a while, I could hear nothing coming from behind me.
Was this my first time stabbing someone?
Yeah, it was mentioned in stories.
“Just a bunch of duds. I’ve never been in combat, hardly even hunting or anything.”
It wasn’t quite accurate. That would probably be a story from some similar situation. It sounded like something Hagiwara would say while confronting Yuuki.
Is this the situation being referred to? There must have been an incident like this in the original work.
There was a commotion behind me. It seemed like Yuuki and Grandfather were buying time.
I ran on, leaving that noise behind.
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