Chapter 23: Right or Wrong

Dr. Ozaki was about to unearth Setsuko's grave when Seishin came.

Ozaki, "Now..."

Seishin, "Toshio..."

The doctor turned to see the monk.

"Seishin! Don't scare me like that! I thought it was okiagari!"

He then proceeded to dig.

"I stayed here after Setsuko's burial today...as I thought you'd come to open up her grave."

"Yeah? Good. Come and help me."

"What're you gonna do after opening it up?"

"Of course, I'll check and see if she will rise up. And, if she does rise up..."

"If she does...?"

"I'll bring her to the villagers...and tell them that these things are the real cause!"

"Toshio..."

"And, I'll run all sorts of experiments on her. What's their weakness? What can kill them? I'll bring everything to light!"

"I don't think Tokujiro would allow you to do that to her."

"Huh?"

"In addition, they looked no different than before they died. It's true that okiagari attack people. But is it really okay for us to take the matter into our own hands just because they're murderers?"

"Don't confuse the okiagari's attacks with murderers! There's no law to judge okiagari!"

"I know that...I know..."

Connor appeared out of nowhere, it seemed to be his natural talent.

"Actually, they aren't any different from their former selves. Except, of course, they need to feed on blood in order to survive."

Seishin, "Really?"

"These vampires aren't like the European ones I've faced, in terms of behavior. Mainly, the European ones were always murderous in both lives—they had to be put down; they had no hope. But these, they're struggling. They're trying to keep their humanity."

Ozaki, "You're just getting scared! Their deaths are terrible but people's deaths are not terrible?!"

"Any death is terrible."

"If we let a single one of them live, the deaths will grow in a chain reaction! Are you okay with the village dying out?!"

Seishin, shocked by what Ozaki had said to the two of them, looked like he was going to faint for a moment.

Ozaki, "Seishin?!"

Instead, the Junior Monk ran off. "Sorry, Toshio!"

"Hey!"

Connor, "That isn't what I meant. I meant you should try considering alternative methods of dealing with them; ways that don't involve killing them." With that, Connor walked away.

Later at night, ancient temple:

Seishin, still in shock from what Ozaki had said to him, was kneeling in his hideout. Connor, who was in the same place at the same time, was keeping an eye on him, when Sunako came in.

Sunako, "Mr. Muroi..."

Seishin, "Sunako..."

Connor turned, and saw her.

Sunako, "It's gotten cooler. Fall is now here...I can tell since the scent of the night is suddenly changing."

Connor, "So, I'm not the only one who noticed."

Sunako looked at Connor for a few seconds, then turned back to Seishin.

Sunako, "Are you feeling down again?"

Seishin, "You came to cheer me up today again?"

"Yes, since I'm your fan. Say, I thought I'd ask you this the next time I see you. What kind of novel are you writing right now?"

"It's about a man who wanders about the wilderness. An older brother who killed his younger brother is exiled from his town and wanders about the wilderness. And his dead younger brother follows him. It's a story like that."

"Does the dead younger brother do so after becoming a ghost?"

"It's a little different from ghosts. It's "shiki."

"Shiki?"

"A corpse demon. It's the name I gave to corpses that rose from their graves."

"So they're different from ghosts?! Unlike ghosts, they have bodies! They didn't come back to life. They have a corpse for a body! But they're not just corpses like zombies. They have souls and are equal to humans, right?"

Connor, "If they try to keep their humanity. You have to keep in mind that Heaven and Hell both exist on an astral plane of existence. If the person's soul has been to Heaven, they can. If they've been to Hell however, they might become something far worse. It really depends on how hard you try."

"But they're different from humans, an existence of a completely different nature. Shiki...That's good. That has a nice ring to it! The motif is from Genesis in the Bible, right?"

"Cain and Abel...The story about the older brother Cain killing his younger brother Abel out of fear."

Seishin, "Sunako...There's something I wanted to ask you, too, when I see you the next time."

"What is it?"

"Are you Abel?"

She swiftly approached Seishin from behind, preparing to bite him, only to be stopped by what he said next.

"I think...you're shiki."

After retracting her fangs, "You're indeed a romantic."

She and Connor both left.

Connor, "I knew you weren't human from day one, Sunako."

Sunako, "Well then..."

"Luckily for you, my target isn't shiki."

Next day, Afternoon:

Ikumi was gathering the few people who did believe her to expose Kanemasa. Dr. Ozaki had to intervene.

Ikumi, "Recently, you've been examining the patients who died, haven't you?!"

Ozaki, "Yeah."

"You know something, don't you? In front of everyone, say it...expose the okiagari's secret!"

"I'm not hiding anything, Ikumi."

"Don't lie, you quack!"

"It's true that I haven't been able to save many lives. I have no choice but to accept you calling me that. But I've never written the cause of death as okiagari on the death certificates."

"You're one of the village leaders, and yet you still won't do anything?!"

"I'm trying my best."

"Humph! You can just keep making excuses. I will save this village. I will drag the Kanemasa people out, I will expose the truth about them to the sunlight!"

"Okiagari is just a superstition passed down in the village. If the Kanemasa's...No, if Mr. Kirishiki goes along with your prank, I'll at least check his pulse to see if he's alive or not."

He was about to walk back in, when she stopped him.

"Oh yeah? Then come with me. See their true identity with your own eyes!"

He turned around.

Kanemasa:

Ikumi was banging on the gates with her fist, demanding the Kirishikis to come outside.

"Come out! I know who you really are! Okiagari! Open the door!"

Her attention was caught by Tatsumi, who came through a side door.

"Excuse me...What is this fuss about?"

Ikumi drew her paper flails, and ran at him, screaming.

"Hiyaaaaaahhhh!"

"Yaahhahaaaaah!"

Tatsumi ran back inside.

"S-Scary!"

"Wait up! It's no use hiding!"

Ikumi began whipping her flails left and right.

"I'll expose your true identity! Be prepared! Gyeeeeeeehhhhh!"

The gate opened, and standing behind it were Mr. Kirishiki and Tatsumi.

"Now, show yourselves!"

Mr. Yuuki was in the crowd, he noticed Dr. Ozaki approaching.

Mr. Kirishiki, "Just what is going on? You all suddenly barge in and shout absurdities about us. Is that what passes for manners in this village? Forgive me for saying so, but I, Seishiro Kirishiki...am shocked!"

Everyone was in awe at the sight of him. Ikumi was confused.

"Wh-Why is he able to come out in the sun?" But she simply shook it off. "Being able to come outside during the day doesn't mean he isn't okiagari!"

She then put a talisman on him.

"Be gone!"

"What is this for?"

Ikumi was baffled, the charm wasn't working on him.

"I-I won't be fooled! Where are your wife and child?!"

He oriented his head to a window.

"They're over there. My wife and daughter have a serious illness that compromises their immune system. I apologize for not being able to bring them down here."

"You're trying to trick us, aren't you?!"

Dr. Ozaki approached. "You are a doctor in this village, right? Do you agree with her?"

Ozaki, "No. I'm sorry, Mr. Kirishiki. In this village, we bury our dead, so there's a legend about okiagari, the dead who come back to life. It seems like Ikumi thought that you guys are okiagari."

"Do I look dead to you?"

"No. Forgive me for asking this, but may I examine you to confirm it? If I do, I think Ikumi will accept it."

Everyone in the crowd nodded, just so they could get Ikumi to shut up.

"Sure."

Ozaki checked Mr. Kirishiki's outstretched arm for telltale signs of being alive; they were all present; he was, indeed, human.

"Ikumi, there's no doubt that Mr. Kirishiki is alive."

Everyone in the crowd bought that okiagari weren't real. Then Connor came up to her; he was one of many who heard her shouting, and he heard everything Dr. Ozaki said.

"Ikumi," he whispered, "you can't accuse someone of being something without solid evidence." and then walked away.

Night time:

Ikumi was furious; no one believed her now.

"Dammit! Why doesn't everyone get it?! It's so obvious that those people are okiagari!"

Suddenly, a young woman—possibly in her twenties—was banging on her door, crying "Help, Ikumi! Help! My house...! My family is being attacked by okiagari!"

"What?!"

"You were right! Help! Please hurry!"

Tamae, "Mom..."

Ikumi ignored her daughter, and ran out the door, "Leave it to me! Where's your house?!"

"The other side of Sannohashi Bridge."

Tamae, "Mom!" She then noticed something as the young woman left; she stopped crying completely—as if it were fake."

Sannohashi Bridge:

Ikumi, "I'll get you..."

She was then shot in the head—the shooter was the buccaneer from Ookawa's shop, Cervantes de Leon; a wraith.

The young woman stopped at the site, before turning to Cervantes.

"It was under control, you know."

The pirate simply laughed, "Haha! Believe me, lassie, I have me own reasons, too!"

He then put away his sword/gun hybrid. "Ye might need ta clean that up, now."

That's right, Cervantes killed Ikumi. Didn't see that one coming, did you.

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