The Hacha is a yōkai that steals the corpses of evil people.
I don’t really know how that Hacha is described in the original folklore. After all, I was interested in light novels, not Japanese folklore studies.
But in light novels, it was a ‘cat.’
A cat that looked like it had been burned all over.
Considering that I was likely Korean in my previous life, when I hear “Hacha,” the first thing that comes to mind is the weaponized type of Hacha. Maybe it looked like that in the original stories too?
I’m not talking about a rocket launcher but more like a flaming cart, you know? It looks like it could draw a hellscape.
Stealing the corpses of evil people also must have some relation, right?
That’s why I was only thinking about that as I headed towards the fire scene.
It wasn’t something that could be prevented in advance. The incident had already happened, and the evil guys just happened to be sacrificed in the process.
I might not have the right to judge them, but is there really a need to sympathize with those who died by chance?
…
There was no need for me to charge in like back then since I’m not a firefighter now.
“Are you worried?”
Yuka asked. It seems my expression was too evident.
“… No.”
“There’s no need to worry too much.”
I tried to deny it, but of course, Yuka didn’t fully believe what I said. Honestly, I would feel the same way. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they’ve just been wearing a worried expression until a moment ago and then suddenly say, “I’m fine.”
“I’m here, and Koko is too.”
On Yuka’s shoulders dangled something wrapped in cloth.
The sword Yuka uses, ‘Mumei.’
Ever since last summer, Yuka always brought that sword in her luggage. It’s a sign that she won’t be borrowing my blood anymore.
Even when she went away for a training camp to help Koko study, that sword was included in her gear.
… Guess I can’t travel overseas now. I wonder if artworks could somehow get through customs? There might be some agreement between the governments.
“… Yeah.”
Yuka’s words had an effect.
I briefly diverted my thoughts, and I certainly felt more reliable than when I was alone.
Yuka is much better at fighting than I am. Honestly, my fighting skills were just swinging a sword without knowing anything. Sure, I’ve gained a knack for it after a few experiences, but the difference between her systematic training and my chaotic swats is quite pronounced.
Did Kosuzu, who was active in Otaku Ward, suddenly move to Minato Ward? What does that have to do with our school?
Or maybe it’s just a coincidence that Hacha appeared here.
No need to think about it now.
I just need to resolve the situation. If I can take down Hacha, at least I won’t have to worry about what happens after tomorrow.
“I got it.”
I nodded at Yuka. She smiled faintly, and quickened her pace slightly.
“… U.”
Koko suddenly let out a sound as if she was a bit uneasy.
… There was a pungent smell. It was definitely the smell of something burning.
I could hear the murmurs, interspersed with screams.
And above all, the sound of something burning.
The sound of something cracking and breaking.
… It wasn’t simply the sound of a single house burning.
As Yuka and I started to run, Koko followed behind, slightly slower yet still trying to keep up.
When I looked back, I could see a look of fear on Koko’s face.
… Fire.
I don’t know how it works in this novel, but the ‘rebirthing one’ is commonly depicted as having a weakness to fire in various tales and creations.
Perhaps Koko might share that common trait as well.
“…”
Should I have sent Koko home after all?
No, in this situation—
“… Ah.”
Hearing Yuka’s voice, I looked back ahead.
I felt a rush of heat on my face.
It was a dry, harmful heat, different from the blazing summer sun.
If a building catches fire, it could spread across the road enough to block two cars from passing. Fire is much hotter than one thinks; it possesses enough heat to burn things outside the visible red area.
“This is…”
The site of the fire was some mansion.
About ten stories high? It wasn’t a full-fledged high-rise like a 20 or 30-story building, but it was a rather wide mansion for sure. Being located in the middle of Minato Ward, the interior must also be quite luxurious and spacious.
The flames were raging from the 3rd floor up. Looking at the shape of the fire, it seemed that the flames had already consumed from the 3rd to the 5th floor.
I frowned and scanned the surroundings.
Hadn’t the fire trucks been dispatched before it got this far?
While fires spread faster than one might expect, there are limits. Of course, that changes based on the material. Unless it was made of flammable materials, the fire wouldn’t spread this much in just a few minutes before the fire trucks even arrived.
“… Is it Hacha?”
Yuka said with a slightly dumbfounded expression.
It certainly is.
The existence of Hacha is a yōkai that steals the corpses of criminals.
Could such a yōkai cause this enormous fire? Even an evil entity wouldn’t intentionally escalate a situation to such an extent. There wouldn’t be any reason to do so.
Suddenly, something popped into my head.
‘A family died.’
Right. The scammer couple who died last time had a child. I don’t know how harmonious their family was or if the child was abused by the parents.
But one thing is certain: the child died too.
And only then did I realize a fact I had overlooked.
Hacha targets criminals but shows no concern for other beings.
Just like how lions chasing deer don’t care if they step on or kill insects along the way, Hacha will simply disappear after targeting its prey without making any efforts to handle the situation.
That’s how it must have been after the entire family perished.
Sasaki and Shii got wrapped up in the events of the original story for the same reasons.
And it’s the same this time too.
I hurriedly looked around again. I listened closely. The siren of the fire truck is loud enough to be heard from cars with closed windows. If they had set off, it should already be audible from a distance.
Why?
I pulled out my cellphone and was about to call—
“No, there’s a fire here! I reported it just a moment ago…!”
A frantic voice came from beside me.
I turned my head to see a girl about my age yelling into her phone.
“It won’t connect? What do you mean…!”
It won’t connect?
When you call an emergency line, it first gets directed to a central representative that receives reports from the entire area. Then the caller describes where and how the situation occurred, and they call the nearest center to dispatch help.
A fire truck can’t come from far away, so they set up small centers close by to dispatch quickly.
Usually, even the slightest scent of smoke or a hint of a burning smell would have two large red fire trucks and an ambulance rushing to the scene, with patrol police turning back to go to where the report came from.
There were police here too.
But the fire trucks, which are most critical, weren’t arriving.
“What’s going on?”
“Huh?”
I started talking to the girl, and she turned around, startled.
She looked like she had seen better days, with a slightly sunburned face. I felt like I had seen her somewhere.
But now wasn’t the time to ponder that.
I could see traces of tears on her cheeks. She had some soot on her face and parts of her hands looked red and swollen. Did she get burned?
“A-Actually, inside, my little brother…”
“…”
What I asked wasn’t that, but I could understand why such an answer came out.
It would be worrying if a family member was trapped inside.
I looked back up at the mansion.
Black smoke was billowing out. If someone was inside, they would have likely passed out from the smoke before even burning. Given how long the fire had been raging, there might not be any hope.
But.
I turned to the girl again.
No, I looked at the people gathered around here.
Everyone had worry etched on their faces. Some had traces of hasty attempts to exit while the fire raged, their clothes marked.
“…”
“Hold on.”
As I was lost in thought, Yuka grabbed my shoulder.
“You’re not thinking of going in, are you? The fire department will be here soon. We can’t handle a fire like that.”
She was right.
You can’t extinguish a fire with a sword. Just slicing burning objects doesn’t put out the flames.
Fire isn’t like a yōkai’s nest. It’s the very essence of a ferocious, consuming force, mercilessly devouring everything around it.
But.
“…”
I paused for a moment and said,
“I got it.”
That was my answer for now.
Yuka stared at me intently. It felt as though I would disappear at any moment.
Gripping my arm tightly, Yuka said.
“And that person.”
Yuka pointed toward the girl who was panicking.
“… Don’t you remember? She was the one who tried to hurt you back then.”
“… Ah.”
Only then did I remember.
While the situation had been intense, the memory of those kids who tried to drag me into the bathroom to assault me had fallen far down my priority list.
It never even made it onto the list in the first place. A human punch is nothing compared to a yōkai’s claw or fang.
Plus, ordinary students wouldn’t be able to kill me outright either.
I knew well that the girl belonged to the kind of person who could push classmates to the edge of suicide. But still—
“Life and death have no weight.”
Surely, Yuka didn’t mean it like that.
It’s not that it’s okay if someone’s sister dies just because she was hostile to you, rather it’s likely saying there’s no need to risk your life for someone who was your enemy.
I didn’t expect any gratitude from her even if I went in. After all, there are quite a few people who criticize firefighters regardless of their relations.
But isn’t that the nature of the job?
Injuries have weight. Sometimes you have to think of people that way.
Yet lives saved in the process are without weight. Gender, age, or past, none of that matters.
All that counts is whether a living person is reachable, and you bring them out.
If the rescuer starts judging someone’s life based on their criteria, then in the end, the ones forced to step up would not be firefighters but rather the victim’s family.
You can’t make people like that jump into the flames.
“If I’m even just one minute late, many people will die.”
I hate fire.
There’s not a single good memory about getting involved.
“The fact that no fire department has come in a situation like this means that something has gone fundamentally wrong.”
What could have possibly gone wrong? I have no way of knowing. Could it be related to Kosuzu?
“Even so, you don’t have to go.”
Yuka said.
Yeah, she was that kind of character.
She’s righteous yet realistic.
In Tokyo Slayers, a character with such foolish earnestness was Sasaki.
“…”
I paused to think and looked around, but not a single person among the crowd was looking to go inside. That was the smart choice. Going in would only result in another corpse piling up.
You need protective gear to tackle flames.
“Kotoné?”
Koko interjected, looking at me with a pitiful expression.
Once again, I hesitated.
I—
“Sorry, Yuka. Koko.”
It’s not a matter of whether to do it or not.
It’s simply that those who can must do what they can.
“Wait!?”
I heard Yuka shout at me, and the onlookers turned to us.
Yuka hurriedly tried to grab my hand while dropping the bag she carried in the other, but I was a bit quicker.
By the time Yuka seized my left arm, I had already bitten down hard on my wrist.
I pulled back my head.
There wasn’t a lot of blood, but some flesh had been torn away. And a stream of blood trickled down.
After the burning pain, I saw red eyes staring at my wrist.
*
“Hmph.”
As I stated my demands, Nirlas fell into thought for a moment.
“Yours is the longest request I’ve heard. Don’t forget, all the preparations will be made with your blood, right?”
“Of course.”
I replied lightly.
“Then I’m even more curious.”
Nirlas approached me with an air of intrigue. Well, I couldn’t see it, but that’s how I felt.
“Why would you go that far? It’s not like you seek to be a hero.”
“…”
I paused to consider.
That’s true.
Honestly, it doesn’t make sense logically.
Of course, there are countless people who dash around madly, banging on doors to evacuate residents while the halls are filled with smoke. Some die trying to save others without considering their own lives.
I am… not that kind of person.
Why had I wanted to be a firefighter?
… Probably just because it seemed cool.
The first toy I ever had as a kid was a red fire truck. It was really impressive. That was probably it.
“My little brother is inside.”
When I said this, Nirlas let out a pleased snort.
“You have a little sister around you too, don’t you?”
Koko.
“If you die, what then?”
“If I thought I was going to die, I wouldn’t even consider going in.”
“Curious about the grounds, huh?”
“There’s a prophecy. It says I will die by the hand of the one I trust the most. Until that time comes, I will remain alive without fail.”
I had thought about that before.
What if I got badly injured and became brain-dead or a vegetable? Imagining Yuka, who was next to me, eventually unable to bear it and letting me die in peace.
But no matter how I think about it, that notion is too far-fetched. Kudan’s prophecy isn’t about individuals. There’s nothing monumental likely to happen just because I quietly slip away.
More than that, I’ve already been in a situation where I slipped in the bathroom, and my neck turned in a weird direction.
Living while being unable to die holds no meaning for me. Either dead or alive; it might just be one of the two.
Fire is terrifying. Like I had thought about Koko, my regenerative ability might not help against fire either.
So that’s why I was making this kind of demand.
“Interesting speculation.”
Yet while Nirlas spoke with a hint of mockery, she didn’t refute my words.
“However, there’s still a problem. To pull you out from there, and create protection from the fire, and keep that maintained for a while—all that makes me wonder what you intend to give me for it.”
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