Instinctive fear aside, I had to eliminate that guy for my own survival.
If Mori didn’t survive, she would wander around the house, bothering people. And the ones getting harassed would be the Yakuza, no less.
What kind of reasoning is this? Just harassing without any particular reason and riling up a Yōkai before running off? It wouldn’t be surprising if a bunch of burly-looking suit guys showed up at my house the next day.
Besides, if I turned my back in this situation, it felt like they’d pounce and cut off my neck right away.
…That thing is a Yōkai, sure, but it seems based on a dog. Maybe it still retains that instinct.
Standing here facing it, looking directly into its eyes—
Its dog jaw snapped open and it charged at me.
What a waste of time.
That’s right, my knowledge is nothing more than what I’ve loosely picked up from the internet.
I’d love to slice through my enemies like Yuuki does in novels, but I’m no expert. I’ve never even learned how to use a sword.
Well then.
I thrust the sword forward.
It was a sword I made fresh each time I used it, and of course, the blade was well sharpened.
The dog, charging at me, turned its body sideways.
Great, one thing is clear: the dog was aiming for my neck. If it wanted my arm or leg, it would have bitten differently.
Not exactly joyous information.
I swung the knife towards the dog as it sidestepped.
I wouldn’t say I was a master swordsman, but a well-honed blade can be threatening just by swinging it around.
The tip of my blade lightly grazed the dog’s waist.
As the dog ran forward, a long wound formed. Seeing a red mark left in the empty air felt far more bizarre than I expected.
And then—
“Yip.”
Letting out its distinct pained whine, the Yōkai swiftly pivoted to the side.
At a glance, the injury didn’t look too deep. Of course, a regular person would be crying rivers with a wound like that, but this thing is a Yōkai, remember? Last time, a Nue lunged at me with a bow lodged in its neck without hesitation.
Maybe it’s because it’s always been the one inflicting pain?
Amidst those thoughts, what caught my eye was the fur around the wound.
While the fur in other areas stood upright, the fur on its flank hung limply, soaked from the rain.
“……”
Alright, noted.
I charged towards the dog.
My drenched clothes clung uncomfortably to my body, but I could bear it. The instinctive fear lingered, but people are known to bungee jump and ride roller coasters despite their fear of falling.
And that underlying belief is, “I won’t die.”
Right. I wouldn’t die. I had already tasted teeth and had my heart pierced. Neither could kill me.
My body doesn’t succumb to violence.
“Arf! Arf!” The dog barked energetically and charged at me, matching my pace.
I firmly gripped the blade with both hands and raised my left arm. I bent my elbow, assuming a protruding pose like a trainer would do while wielding thick cloth during dog training.
And then I slightly lowered my left hand.
What would the dog think of that?
I hoped it would appear as if I were preparing to swing my sword back, to keep it from realizing my intention so it would bite my arm instead.
Thud.
I felt the dog’s teeth sink into my arm. A sharp pain shot through me.
The dog instinctively tried to hold its ground on all fours, pulling back as it attempted to drag me along. Hadn’t they said a dog’s teeth are specialized for tearing? It seemed to want my body in that way.
The eyes we locked were clear, yet they remained drenched in the blood that had been scattered moments ago. The rainwater trickled down my body, washing it away slowly, but the eyes lacked any lively spark. Strange for a beast that curses people.
It reminded me of the boiled dog’s head I had witnessed earlier.
When my legs lost strength and I was about to be dragged away, I swung my knife. It wasn’t anything extraordinary. However, that sharp blade—no, a blade meant to be sharp all along—could surely slice well enough even with a casual swing.
“Ugh!”
The dog emitted a whimpering sound.
Crack.
It turned its head sharply, causing me to swing in parallel.
“Ah…!”
The knife fell from my hand.
Honestly, my head wasn’t functioning well enough. I was hanging on to consciousness, fearing I’d really die or suffer something worse, and my overwhelming instinctive terror, desperation, and excessive blood loss had tangled up in my mind.
It hurts.
It really hurts.
Compared to the unrealistic pain I’d felt from a Nue earlier, this was different. My left arm felt like a rag.
Especially the bandaged part on my left wrist.
The dog, startled from biting me, let go. Fortunately, I spun to my left as I was yanked, perhaps due to my lesser body weight.
After rolling about three times on the floor, I quickly rose and searched for the sword.
It was a few meters away to my right.
I threw my body in that direction.
“Arf arf!”
I could hear the sound of a dog barking, and then the frantic rush of the dog charging toward me. Chilling. It felt just like being hunted prey running from a dog.
In a frantic rush towards the knife, I stumbled and fell.
“Hey, young lady!”
“Don’t come near me!”
I still had the sanity to yell stuff like that.
Hearing one of the Yakuza guys shout made me scream in a panic. Fortunately, the noise running this way stopped.
“You can’t cut that…!”
With my claw-like fingers, I tried to crawl towards the knife, but it was impossible. Of course it was. The dog was dragging me by my ankle after biting me. That thing was even bigger than I was.
As I was dragged two steps away from the knife, my fingernails left marks in the wet sand. Blood seeped out from my left arm. This was insane.
I thought my legs would finally be let go, but now it was my calf.
And then, my left thigh, and quickly after, my lower back.
My body lifted briefly before I was hurled down again.
I twisted my body stubbornly. Each part of my body throbbed, but I had to survive above all else.
As I turned, the dog’s teeth sank into my belly, but it didn’t last long.
It instinctively drew back, as if startled. Thanks to that, my insides seemed relatively safe. Although, if I stayed like this for a few more minutes, I might actually get eaten.
“…Ah!”
Then, suddenly, an idea struck my mind.
I touched my right shoulder with my left hand.
“Yip?”
Wait, it had stuck around even in this situation?
I grasped it with my left hand.
“Hey!”
As I shouted at the dog, its eyes turned towards me.
I raised my right finger towards its face, but the dog promptly bit my hand.
And with its right paw firmly pressing down on my chest, it yanked back as if trying to pull my arm off. The skin split along its fangs, and blood dripped down my face.
Before the dog could open its mouth again, I shoved my left hand into its open maw. I felt my flesh tear against its teeth here as well, but that wasn’t important right now.
With everything I had, I crushed the tooth in its mouth.
Just one popped would be enough for the entire room to fill with its deep red color, and if it exploded while still in its mouth—
It was like I could almost see exclamation points in its eyes. The lifelessness faded for an instant, and my hands were freed.
Both of my hands were too battered to see properly, but they still managed to function.
Dogs have a particular behavior they show when they’re in pain or when they’re being forced to eat something revolting: opening their mouths wide, tensing up, and gagging.
The scene of my blood—presumably from exhaustion—pouring out was quite grotesque.
Taking advantage of the Yōkai being preoccupied with that, I quickly turned to where the knife lay.
It wasn’t far, and even someone like me, with somewhat limited stamina, had enough to pick it up.
“…Ah.”
I felt a bit dizzy.
Now, I was really at the end of my time limit. Honestly, it surprised me that I had managed to endure after losing this much blood. This body definitely didn’t feel human anymore.
I grasped the blade and glared at the dog.
Seeing the dog still in place, I noticed another area that looked a little better.
The blood soaking its back was being washed down nearly clean by the rain, but in front of its legs, that wasn’t the case.
The fur that got cut earlier had fallen down toward the legs.
…No.
It wasn’t just fur. The long fur that had fallen down was dragging sand with every step the dog took.
Moreover, the dog was limping.
It wasn’t even cut that deep.
If that Yōkai had made a curse using that dog, then it would only make sense that its image would resemble its original form.
And that dog? The fur wasn’t some long strand of something.
I glanced back at the dog’s back.
The fur that stood straight up.
But upon reflection, it wasn’t a case of the fur standing up as when a cat gets scared.
The fur was standing straight up. Directly up.
“……”
After the dog finished gagging, it glared at me again.
I felt blood flow from my left arm. The Jjapgurasu left a wound when it decided to tether me to itself.
Maybe I should try it.
The dog lunged at me.
I swung my left arm, splattering blood all over.
It turned its head in an attempt to look away, but it didn’t stop its charge.
This led to blood marking its back. The fur shot straight up, high into the sky. Even some of the blood stuck well above, far from the dog.
Ah, I see now.
This is how it ‘controls’ it.
If that’s the situation, the one laying the curse would certainly be troubled if the cursed target wasn’t supposed to mix with its intended target.
I lifted the knife.
As the dog charged at me, I swung the knife over its head.
Thud, thud.
I could feel something akin to threads snapping as the knife made contact with it.
In an instant, the dog’s head dropped. It didn’t stop moving entirely, but at least, the places where my knife had scoured were definitely affected.
Its jaw plummeted as the heavy body came crashing down on me.
It didn’t crush me though.
The dog somehow managed to pull itself up as if confused by its stiff head.
After all, if I had called Yuuki, it’d totally know the dog’s name and how to deal with it.
But I didn’t regret not calling.
A muffled sound came from the dog as it tried to speak with its mouth shut. However, it sounded more like a pitiful whimper trying to bark.
I swung my knife a few more times— not at the dog, but next to it, especially towards its legs.
One side of the dog’s body toppled over.
I had once seen something like this on an animal variety show: a dog that had lost movement in its leg due to nerve death. This dog resembled that very much.
I lightly lifted the ear of the dog wriggling on top of me and said, “Can that person hear you?”
The dog froze for a moment.
“Seems you’re quite bold, thinking you can touch a person here.”
As I said that, I let go. The dog whimpered, but with both its left legs paralyzed, it couldn’t properly get back upright.
I pushed the heavy dog off me to stand up.
The next thing to do was simple.
I walked around the dog, swinging the knife in the air.
Thud, thud, the cutting sounds echoed continuously. With each slice, it was unable to move any further.
After severing everything down to its tail, the dog’s form became a miserable sight of a creature that couldn’t die, fully paralyzed, reduced to just whimpering.
“……”
Of course, it didn’t look like the ‘puppy’ I knew. It was even different from a large dog. Its body looked more like that of a hairy person.
At least it was fortunate that it took on an invisible form, as I could only guess its silhouette thanks to the blood on me.
I lifted the knife, aiming for where a heart would be.
I targeted between its ribs and pressed down with all my strength before twisting the knife up and down.
The dog trembled and stretched its legs as it met its demise.
“……Hah…”
A wave of relief washed over me. At the same time, an overwhelming weakness surged.
My lightheadedness surged as soon as I determined the situation was safe, and my brain seemed to shut down abruptly.
Like the building manager pulling the breaker, sensations grew distant from my extremities, leaving behind only the feeling of cold.
If I felt cold in the middle of this summer night, I must have really gotten drenched from the rain.
As I toppled over, I could hear people rushing in from afar.
…Well, I wouldn’t die.
If I passed out like this and woke up, it’d be either a hospital or something similar, and either the hospital or the people there would tell me not to go to school tomorrow.
…I wonder if my attendance days would be okay?
Perhaps Yuuki was completely unaware of the situation, so there wouldn’t be any forced reason for me to rest.
…At the same time, a small thought emerged: ‘Am I going to actually die like this?’
I don’t want to die yet.
*
Kurosawa Kotone.
Like any family name in any part of the world, this name ‘Kurosawa’ likely has no particular meaning, no different from foreign names like ‘Baker’ or ‘Hunter.’ At the very least, it evidently didn’t represent ‘that person’s personality.’
However, seeing this girl—or rather, her mother and the religion long held by their lineage, gave that family name a strange credibility.
It felt as if the name was crafted deliberately to signify that lineage.
Kurosawa (黒沢) — Black Marsh.
Looking deep inside, it seemed like a deep pit where nothing was visible; almost as if something was lurking at the bottom, glancing back at this side.
Yamashita Yohei stared intently at Kurosawa Kotone, who lay in the hospital bed, with a ballpoint pen perched between his fingers like a cigarette.
Of course, what she had made was “Kurosawa,” not “Akasawa.” Even if the nail was red, if it was deep, wouldn’t the only color witnessed be black?
Every wound on the girl’s body had mostly vanished without a trace during the ride to the hospital after getting burned by the car.
Only the red blood that had soaked the backseat she occupied remained as evidence that she had lost that much blood.
The hospital staff seemed convinced that Kurosawa Kotone was in a critical state from losing blood. If not, did they think she had hemorrhaged? Anyway, there weren’t any visible wounds, yet blood was everywhere, and her condition was far more serious than what could be described as ‘urgent anemia.’
“Is that… a failure?” murmured one of the subordinates blankly, staring at the girl being brought into the hospital.
The hospital staff glanced at Yohei, looking as though ready to call the police, but fortunately, nobody reported anything.
After all, this was a hospital they frequented often.
Yohei lightly tapped the subordinate’s shoulder twice and spoke.
“I’ll be watching her. You all should check on Miho’s condition.”
He had already confirmed before coming.
Although she was drenched in blood, the lifelessness he had seen in her face just a few days ago was finally fading away. While her gaunt appearance had not returned, she wasn’t dead, and if they took care of her properly, she would regain her strength in no time.
After the subordinates bowed and left to return to their car, Yamashita Yohei walked into the hospital— that is where he was currently.
A failure.
Kagami had certainly called it that.
Yohei’s ex-wife — Kagami’s elder sister was deemed much more useful. That was just last year.
“……”
Although he wasn’t privy to detailed information on that matter, Yohei took a deep breath.
He unfolded his phone.
I might feel sorry for the girl, but I had many questions to ask Kagami.
*
As soon as I opened my eyes, Kagami was there.
“What time is it?”
“Why? Are you worried you’re going to be late for school?”
Hearing her, I felt relieved, thinking my condition must have been somewhat restored.
“I don’t want to be any later than I already am.”
Kagami checked the clock hanging on the wall of the hospital room.
Six in the morning.
I still had some time. I only needed to arrive at school by eight-thirty.
As I tried to get up, Kagami gently pressed my shoulder to keep me lying back down.
“Calm down. We’re not in Saitama. You can also walk to school, so you can take an hour or two more.”
Oh, that’s right. It would have only made sense to move me somewhere nearby after bringing me to the hospital.
I relaxed my body a bit.
“Did Yamashita call for me?”
“Yamashita did call.”
“…Do you know who sent that dog?”
“I already knew that a long time ago.”
“Please tell me you weren’t the one who sent it.”
“I’m not foolish enough to throw away my biggest source of income. My sister might be that foolish, though.”
“……”
I took a moment to process her words.
“Your sister is Yamashita’s ex-wife, right?”
“Well… that’s right.”
“……”
“Do you know this? Every religion has a predetermined fate.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means schisms arise because of differing interpretations of doctrine. Yamashita’s ex-wife is my sister. Naturally, the two have split apart. Yet, it seems my sister still has lingering feelings for Yamashita.”
“……”
I stared at Kagami before saying something.
“Were you able to solve it?”
“It’s only you among our sect who possesses a sword capable of cutting Yōkai.”
Oh, right. I remembered they said making one of those wasn’t easy.
I let out a deep sigh.
“Well, we’ve been looking for a way. It seems Yamashita doesn’t completely trust our sect.”
“……”
“Don’t you want to ask more questions?”
“No, I’d rather not dig deeper than this.”
“Is that so?”
Kagami smiled.
“Well, thankfully you were able to resolve it. If we had stepped in, people might have died. Because it was that strong of a curse.”
“Solitude?”
“Inugami,” Kagami explained.
“An infamous Yōkai. If only you had called beforehand, I could have told you something useful.”
“……Forget it.”
She probably would’ve rushed over the moment she heard.
Nonetheless, I noticed Kagami’s outfit was somewhat different than usual.
She wore a dress similar to the one from when we first met but had draped a thin yellow cardigan over it. It didn’t seem like attire for work at a bar this way. Then again, it’s only natural for someone working there to wear clothing they find comfortable. It’s like how employees dress casually at home.
“I don’t want to be treated as a bad person at the hospital.”
Hmm… that makes sense?
After all, if the medical staff had seen me dripping blood when Kagami showed up, they might think my mom hit me for some reason.
“So what’s next? I want to be discharged.”
“The hospital will try to stop you, but… if that’s what you want, then go ahead.”
Kagami said.
“How about stopping by the Yamashita residence instead of heading straight to school?”
“Yamashita’s house?”
“Don’t you have a friend there? I heard you were anxious all night and barely slept. Wouldn’t it be strange if you suddenly vanished and then had odd conversations at school?”
“……”
That’s true.
“I’ll bring you a school uniform. Think of it as part of the payment for resolving this incident.”
When I stared at Kagami, she rose from her spot.
“You have a rival, don’t you? Considering you went through all that trouble to create your presence, you can’t just let it go for a mere twenty thousand yen.”
No, it wasn’t about the money.
…
Well, perhaps I could accept it this once.
My clothes had been completely tattered by now.
Any garment would do.
*
Thus, in a bit of a hurry, I ended up eating breakfast at the Yamashita residence.
“……”
“……”
I never expected to have breakfast.
Then again, I’d usually be on my way to school at this hour.
Having breakfast at seven fifteen in the middle of Tokyo surely has its benefits.
“Did you succeed yesterday?” Yamashita asked.
I nodded.
Worried that I might feel uncomfortable, Yamashita had set aside a small room for just the two of us to eat.
Well, this was better than eating with a bunch of Yakuza. But if you asked whether I was at ease, the answer was a definitive no.
Thinking about what Yamashita went through yesterday… well, he didn’t get hurt or anything, but the mental toll was pretty high.
“So, who are you exactly?”
Fortunately, I was prepared to answer that question.
“I’m a shrine maiden.”
“…A shrine maiden?”
“Yep. From my family’s side.”
“……”
Yamashita stared at me in disbelief.
“Do you think that was some kind of curse yesterday?”
“I did what I could, so thankfully Mori seems alright. So really, it doesn’t matter if it was a genuine curse or not.”
“……I see.”
Yamashita seemed to grasp some of it.
By the way, apparently the Yakuza fell over themselves in a frenzy of cleaning the hallway. And whatever spots seemed impossible to clean, they swapped with a door from another room to hide it and planned to replace it with a new one during Yamashita’s time at school today.
The room that had turned into a bloodbath was kept sealed under the pretext of ‘magical significance.’
“Thank you. I don’t know what happened, but I think I need to say that.”
“I’m not sure if what you’re saying really was helpful.”
I mumbled those words.
I figured it’d be good to say I had a falling out with my mom over believing in those things when making excuses later.
“I spoke briefly with Miho this morning.”
I simply listened to Yamashita’s words.
“I still can’t wrap my head around the idea of Dad marrying Miho, but at least I’m trying to stop running away.”
What should I say in response to that?
Did you think well? Honestly, I found that kind of attitude too old-fashioned. I had no intention of lecturing my friends.
“But I’ll still stop by every now and then.”
That’s what I said instead.
Yamashita let out a faint smile and seemed to lower his head to hide it.
After that, we finished our meal in silence.
Then we headed to school together.
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