I was in a dark space. I could only make out some shapes here and there, but outside that I couldn't see. Nearly everything was pitch black.
The scent of Iron was prevalent as it overridden my sense of smell. Before I could even think about what to do, I ended up moving deeper into the darkness. My body is seemingly on autopilot.
I couldn't sense Caster near me, I was alone.
I don't know when it happened or how, but I came to a stop. There was a door in front of me, it had an outline which allowed it to stand out in the pitch black. Reaching out, I grabbed the ice cold handle.
There was a deep feeling in my chest as my hand gripped the handle of the door. Breathing became difficult as the sense of dread only increased in intensity.
I knew, I knew what was behind this door.
I knew, and yet...I wanted to open it.
My entire arm was tense. I couldn't even let go of the handle.
There was a whisper from behind me.
"You did this."
0-0-0-0-0
I shot up in bed, taking deep and mechanical breaths. My hand rested over my racing heart, which felt like it was trying to beat out of my chest.
Dammit….It happened again.
Dreams like these have kept recurring since a couple days ago. Sometimes it was bright, sometimes I was in a crowd, but I always ended up in front of that door.
Tamamo was still asleep next to me, so it might still be early. She wasn't woken up by my movements, so that was good.
I still felt tired, so I don't think I got much sleep. I looked at the clock and my thoughts were confirmed. It was 4 in the morning.
I took more deep breaths as my heart calmed down. Yet there was still that lingering feeling in my chest. Breathing was still difficult.
I looked to Cas- Tamamo, who was still sleeping peacefully next to me. She was still letting out light breaths while sleeping with a peaceful expression.
I was glad she was still asleep, seeing her look that peaceful put me at peace.
She really has done a lot for me.
I...really didn't want to lose her. The thought alone really hurt. It wasn't physical pain, but a familiar dread was piling up in my chest.
I needed to clear my head.
I got out of bed as gently as I could so that I wouldn't wake her up. She reacted to my leave as she made a complicated expression, whispering 'Stupid Goshujin' and tossed impatiently in bed.
"...Sorry." I whispered quietly. Seeing her sad expression hurt, but I just needed to clear my head.
I put on some sweats and a hoodie and walked out.
0-0-0-0-0
The city was quiet, which wasn't surprising since it was still so early in the morning. It was calming, and helped Yuto with his thoughts as he walked. Any unpleasant thought that crossed his mind disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
At least, most of them. Since waking up, the same thought kept reappearing no matter how much he pushed them away.
Am I really strong enough to protect her? Have I even changed since I got here?
He barely survived against that monster from the other night, and was only saved because Tamamo got there in time. If she hadn't showed up…
He stopped dead in his tracks.
What am I even doing alive? A new question crossed his mind. He was so willing to get Kunou out of there, and was willing to fight that thing alone… but why? There was a feeling that told him, if he tried something like that again, he would be dead for good.
No coming back this time.
Once that thought came to the surface, he felt something he hadn't felt in a while. He was scared.
He shook his head to clear those thoughts. Instead, he decided to put his thoughts elsewhere.
What do I even do now?
He wanted to try to live a normal life, but being in a family of magus, something like that was impossible. Even now, he was in a city full of youkai. Creatures that were thought to have been long gone in his own world. It was far from the normal he was used tol.
Thinking that, he remembered something.
'You don't have to live a normal life. Just live one that makes you smile.'
Those were Aunt Sakura's words when he asked about the matter.
One that makes me smile, huh? I don't even know how I want to live, let alone what makes me happy.
While he was thinking about that, he shook his head again. Letting all those thoughts and questions run away. Overthinking wouldn't help him.
He looked around, too lost in thought to realize that he was walking again. He was in the center of the city, near the training area.
After a pause, he walked over. He wasn't even sure if anyone was even there this early in the morning.
That was proven wrong as he heard a faint crack coming from inside. He put his hands on the doors and found they were unlocked. He just walked in, not thinking about possible consequences.
Would this be considered trespassing? He thought as he walked through the halls.
The lights were on, so he was able to follow the path he took the other day, and soon found himself at the entrance of the fortified building. The open courtyard looked like a normal dojo, except there was an open roof.
It was completely empty, except for Sarutomi, who was training with a dummy. Which looked like it had seen it's fair share of use.
"Oh! If it isn't fresh meat." She responded to his presence without turning to look at him. "Bit early to simply pay me a visit, do you need something?"
"...I just...wanted to clear my head." He responded. He ended up walking in without putting much thought into it. So he didn't have any excuses.
A light hum escaped the youkai before she delivered a kick to the dummy, breaking it in half. "Shit. Now I need a new one."
She sighed and faced him. "You wouldn't have come here if that was it. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing anymore. I walked for a while." When he said that, he frowned at himself.
How long had he just gone along with everything? He has just gone with the flow since he woke up, getting caught up in a fight, being taken in by Yasaka, and now this. I don't want to keep going like this.
He thought back to what his Aunt Sakura used to tell him.
Live a life that makes me happy, huh? I don't know what kind of life that is, but I want to find it.
He walked over to the wall and grabbed a bokken which was hanging on the wall. It was light, yet fit well in his hands, like it belonged there.
The monkey youkai didn't take her eyes off him for a second. Keeping a neutral expression as she studied him until he picked up the bokken. To which she raised an eyebrow at.
"I want you to train me." He knew he was weak. It frustrated him, his own incompetence, His lack of ability, he simply wanted to ignore it. It wasn't that simple, and it frustrated him.
He was expecting her to say no, and tell him to leave. Instead-
"Sure." That was the response he got.
"Huh? That easy?" Yuto questioned.
"Like I said yesterday, my doors are open, and I don't go back on a deal. Though, I do have one compromise." She pointed her staff in front of her, in the middle of the open courtyard. "I want to see what you are actually capable of."
She wanted to fight? The human didn't have any complaints, so he stepped into the courtyard, right in front of the yokai.
He raised the bokken in more of a defensive stance. His knowledge of her was limited, so he didn't know how she fought, but he could tell… she was strong. That was the feeling he got from her.
"Don't regret this." Is all she said before she made her attack.
Her staff was a blur in the air. He hardly had any time to react. Relying on the kendo lessons which were beaten into him, the heterochromatic boy moved the fake weapon to his side, with his arm bracing the spine of the wooden sword. It was all Yuto could do to block the strike. The power behind it was enough to crack the bokken. His arms were shaking as the force went up his arms, it was a wonder he could keep his grip on the wooden sword.
He was sent skidding a couple feet back, but he quickly got his guard back up for the next attack. He couldn't comprehend how strong she would be, and now the bokken was cracked because of that.
"Oh? So you do know something, that makes this-" She spun the staff around, gaining momentum, and swung again. "More interesting!"
It was faster this time! The bokken would break, he would be left without a weapon.
He grit his teeth as the pseudo sword absorbed another strike. Instincts taking over, before the sword could break, he tilted the blade so the momentum of the staff would carry it down the edge.
...She was open! He swung, aiming for her head. It was an easy strike, one that aimed for an opening. It did not, however, take into account her speed and reflexes.
She sidestepped and spun her body, raising her foot for a kick.
The bokken once again absorbed the impact, and even more cracks ran along the edge.
This wood is really strong! If I was using a projection, it would have shattered by now!
It finally occurred to him that what was sparring with him wasn't a human. All the equipment here would be far more durable than it would be with humans. His worries lessened once he realized that.
Using the momentum of her kick he jumped back from his position in an attempt to gain some distance. The need to regather his thoughts and form some kind of plan.
Before his feet could even hit the ground, the youkai had already closed the distance and thrown her next attack. She had kept an amused expression the entire time. As if she couldn't understand how Yuto fought either, and the thought of learning began to entertain her.
Too fast!
He arched his back while in the air, the fist barely grazed his nose.
His balance was gone, and his feet weren't even touching the ground! If he fell on the ground, he loses. He could see the small smirk on Sarutomi's face as she realized this as well.
Thinking quickly, he thrust the tip of the wooden sword into the ground, stopping himself from falling. He straightened his back, ground his feet, and swung at her exposed shoulder.
The youkai's eyes widened in surprise as she hadn't expected him to recover. Because of that, her guard was down.
He would hit!
-MIsTeR.-
The image of a group of people rushed through his mind. Their forms altered and deformed, their crying voices distorted as they echoed.
His arm froze stiff. Every muscle and bone froze up as the bokken suddenly weighed a thousand pounds.
He could do nothing as a foot slammed into his chest. The power behind it was enough to knock the wind out of his lungs.
"Guh!" He was sent sprawled over, his arms over his lungs as he gasped for air.
"Not bad. You actually have some good moves. Your swing was too wide though. Even if you didn't hesitate, I still would have blocked it." He grunted as she poked his ribs, a rush of pain shot throughout his side.
"Looks like I broke a few ribs. Sorry about that."
"You're fine." Yuto groaned.
She stood up and walked over to the closet not far from the door. After a couple seconds of rummaging around, she walked back with a bottle of water. "Drink up. The water was blessed by a god, it should alleviate the pain." She passed him the bottle, which sparkled unnaturally.
Once he took a sip, she continued.
"That said, you didn't do half bad. I put quite a bit of power behind those attacks, the fact the bokken didn't break shows you at least know how to deflect an attack. You lack initiative, however. If you had made the first move then you might have caught me off guard. You seem to know some Kendo, I would say that saved you." She stated proudly, like a teacher talking about how her student passed a hard test. Truthfully, she wasn't expecting him to have those reflexes. If he had made the first move…
"An Aunt taught me." A certain brown haired hyperactive tiger popped into his head. Though the thought quickly dispersed as he grabbed his ribs again. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"
"I held back enough." She shrugged innocently. How much did she pull her punches? She was as strong as a servant. Though a servant's base stats didn't mean much. Their strength lies in the noble phantasm.
Even saying that, she could probably beat some of the servants from my war if she played her cards right. Assassin definitely would have had trouble with her.
"I wouldn't complain too much if I were you, you asked for this."
"I know." I groaned as I stood up and stretched. There was a dull throb in my torso, though the water was helping greatly.
"I should ask, do you use any magic? Or perhaps a Sacred Gear?"
"Magecraft, but yes. Why do you ask?" He corrected it out of habit. So many times had he called it magic and so many had Aunt Rin hammered it in the correct term.
"Because I have some other trainees who fight up front and use magic. What can you do?"
"I can make swords." The human said plainly. Simply answering what he thought was a harmless question.
"...What?"
"My magecraft allows me to produce a sword by doing the entire smithing process in my head." I told half the truth. While I could produce swords from thought, the process was done within my reality marble and were brought into the outside world from there.
I flinched as a sharp pain echoed in my chest. I took a deep breath and it disappeared quickly.
She nodded and waved her hand, telling him to continue.
"I can't control the amount of mana I take in though, so I end up overloading my body and the product becomes unstable as well. Also, if I want my magecraft to get stronger, then I would need to practice smithing as the product is determined by my understanding of the process."
After saying that, he remembered the shed that used to be Dad's Workshop. Aunt Rin had it turned into my makeshift forge since Dad was gone most of the time. Dad was also surprised, considering the shed was his home away from home. That was a fun birthday.
"I know other spells as well, but they would just be unstable due to my lack of control."
If he were to count the number of spells he knows from theory, then It would be alteration, Gandr, and structural grasping. Though he cared little for the last one.
Most of them were low level spells, so the theory behind them was easy enough. Though, even saying that, there were some struggles to learn even that much. Luckily he remembered the theory behind them.
There were spells he knew; such as 'projection', reinforcement, and bounded fields.
While his experience with the first two were lacking, he had the most experience with Bounded Fields due to working on them so much with his Aunt Rin. Though, because his attribute was similar to his Father, he had more potential with the former two spells.
"Sounds overly complicated for you, but I think I got the gist of it." Complicated? That was the oversimplified version.
She hummed in thought as she held her chin, "With that in mind, there are 2 things I want you to accomplish. The first is to get better at your control. You can work on that however you want, as long as you don't injure yourself." When she said that, the human grabbed his chest in mild discomfort. His expression didn't change, but there was something painful in his eyes.
"What is it?" She asked.
"...Is it alright if I don't?"
"No. Whatever the circumstance is, it shouldn't be something that slows you down. If you have the power, then you should master it." She said sternly, which he nodded timidly to.
"As for the second, I know someone who won't mind taking you in as long as you prove your worth. It is a bit early, so come back later and I'll introduce you to him."
"Um, I should probably mention that I also act as Kunou's bodyguard."
"Thought that was Sekkai?"
"Sitter."
"That makes more sense." She tapped my head with her staff. "I will tell Yasaka I am taking you in. Due to what happened, the princess is currently on lockdown. You will have some time to yourself. Though your schedule will be a pain to figure out." She explained, whispering the last part.
Yuto blinked as she said that. So Yasaka gave him that responsibility knowing he would have free time? Perhaps she wanted him to become acquainted with the area? Well, whatever the reason, it didn't matter. She had the power to put him in a more precarious situation, there wouldn't have been a choice otherwise.
"Well, now that that is decided, do you wanna keep going or do you wanna go back and get more sleep." She said, pointing to the sky which was starting to turn orange from the rising sun.
He stood up, and raised the bokken again.
"Let's keep going."
0-0-0-0-0
I groaned as I layed helplessly on the couch in my room. Most of my body was sore and even moving a finger hurt.
In the hour of sparring I had, I was unable to hit her even once. She easily dodged me every time I got close, with the few exceptions she had to block. Eventually, she decided I had enough when she accidentally fractured my arm.
By then, other people were starting to fill in, so I was sent home. Saru-sensei wanted to keep me as a surprise from her other pupils. Whether she wanted to actually surprise them or annoy them was beyond me.
Once I got back to the small room, I found that Tamamo had already made breakfast. She looked like she was expecting me.
Well, considering that I have had those dreams for a couple of days, she was probably expecting me to return. Though this was the first time I actually left the room. So I returned to her looking a little worried. Until she saw my scratches and bruises, then she quickly got annoyed with me.
"So why exactly did you go to the one person who was most susceptible to cause a fight?" She asked as she froze a bag of water for me.
"I wasn't exactly thinking, but I feel it was the right decision." I remembered what Sarutomi said a couple days ago. That monster was nothing special in the grand scheme of things, and I still struggled with it.
"Leave it to you to make a rash decision. And here I thought you would have improved with that."
"I'm surprised you aren't more annoyed."
She shot me a look before leaning over me and flicked my forehead. "While I am annoyed, I know you enough to know you wouldn't make needless decisions. Now would you make rash ones, absolutely. But I trust your judgment." She spoke her mind.
She let out a sigh before smiling. "That being said, how bad was it? Your nightmare, I mean."
She has known for a couple days about the dream. Once she figured out the reason, she started to press the matter. She has been gentle on approaching the matter, so she hasn't forced me to talk about it.
"No, It was the same. I just decided to clear my head, and it was my choice that I asked Sarutomi to train me." It was my choice to be trained. But what exactly was my reason again?
I looked at Tamamo, who was sitting on the armrest. She was smiling as she scrolled through the tv channels.
The image of the door flashed through my head, and the feeling of dread did as well. …It hurts.
I don't have an exact answer, but I still spoke my mind. "I want to get stronger. That's how I feel."
"Well that would explain why you went to the monkey. She wouldn't be a trainer if she was shit at her job." She shrugged before looking at me curiously, "But she doesn't know about your circuits, so she won't be able to help you in that regard." Oh, right. Because of the nature of this world, I doubt the humans of this world developed magic circuits.
In all honesty, I was still hesitant to use my circuits. My whole life, they were killing me. Slowly and very painfully. Just thinking about it makes me anxious. It wouldn't be weird to say they hurt me just as much as they helped me.
When she said that I would have to train my control, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It felt like I was dying again. Though that wasn't what I was scared of exactly.
"I'm in no rush to get used to my circuits. I haven't even touched my journal yet. So at best, the only spell I could perform properly in a worst case scenario is Projection. But it won't matter if I can't swing a sword properly." My magecraft and sword skills were mediocre at best.
"But, I also know that if I don't change, then you will continue to carry my burden." I was weak. That is what I know, but wanted to ignore. If I continued to ignore it, then would I be able to protect her?
"I don't mind carrying your burden, because I feel as though you need someone to lean on. Besides, you have to carry my burden as well. I think that is quite lovely."
Tamamo hummed as she thought for a second. "Well, if you want, I can help you get used to your circuits."
"Huh?" This is the first time she brought up something like this. So I was caught off guard by her statement.
Noticing my expression, she continued. "I can take out the excess mana from your system if I have physical contact with you. Though it would take a while, it would also speed up the process."
...Hah? Since when is that a thing?!
Actually, looking back, she did offer something like that before I got into that fight with that monster. She was being serious? I just chalked it up to her messing around.
"I'll…consider it. For now, I want to see what Saru-sensei has in mind for me. She told me to try meditating, maybe it would help with my worries."
Tamamo nodded and didn't press further.
I stretched my arms and felt my muscles strain.
I sighed. "You know, I have to keep reminding myself that this is the age of god. I thought…"
"Thought that it would be more adventurous?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. She looked cute.
"Yeah. I thought it would be more "fantastical." Like there would be dragons flying everywhere, or every person had magic of some kind."
"So being surrounded by Youkai and getting your ass kicked by a monkey aren't 'fantastical' enough for you?" She asked with a teasing smile.
"Ha Ha. But in all seriousness, I feel like I am already getting used to this place. The Yokai aren't as surprising anymore, even though I try to learn what kind they are, and I know most of the city by now too. It feels…normal."
"That isn't to say that most of my excitement is gone, just that it has died down." I explained. Tamamo hummed.
I knew it would be a matter of time until I wouldn't be surprised anymore. It could be that I grew up in a Magus family, so the supernatural world isn't that surprising to me. Though there were still prospects of it that surprised me.
I yawned and shifted my position to try to get more comfortable on the couch.
Without a word, she lifted my head up so that I was now laying on her lap. I tiled my head so that I could see her face, all I could make out was the edge of a smile.
…Her thighs are really soft.
Before I knew it, I had already fallen asleep. Tamamo smiled comfortably as I closed my eyes.
0-0-0-0-0
It was later in the afternoon, I was walking up a stone pathway on the outside of the city. It was a pathway surrounded by nature, so there were plenty of trees which gave off an amazing atmosphere.
I returned to the dojo like I was instructed too and found Saru-sensei talking with a dog youkai. She had me introduce myself to the youkai before we left. That way there would be less confusion when I started training officially with them. Though She would be my sensei, I would still be trained with other trainee's she has taken in.
Saru-sensei walked forward enthusiastically. She had also gotten permission from Yasaka to train me. Her previous offer hasn't changed, according to her.
"We're here." We arrived in front of a stone building. Over the door was a wooden board with an anvil carved into it. As well as a river that ran behind it.
Even the building didn't look out of place. Actually, it looked as though it was carved from a single massive rock.
"So this place is the forge?"
"Yep. Ippo can be a real stickler at times, especially when he hits a bump in his work. I told him ahead of time we would be coming."
So he was expecting us, that would make this easier. Is what I thought, though that was quickly squashed by Saru-sensei.
Without warning, she raised her foot and kicked open the door. A heavy dust swept away from the force as she walked inside. "Long time no see!"
There was a fumbling noise down the hall, where an orange light illuminated a figure as they hobbled towards us with a metal crutch. Once they crossed into the hall, I was able to make out his figure more clearly.
He had a figure similar to a human, except they were missing one leg. There were some metal attachments in some places on his shoulder, a support for his arms, as well as a metal helmet that covered all but one eye on his face.
"The hell is wrong with you, Monkey? I was in the middle of something." His voice was incredibly gruff, and sounded very annoyed.
"I brought the one I told you about." She said briskly as she motioned to me.
His one eye glanced at me and he let out a huff, "He doesn't look like much. Kinda skinny." He said impatiently.
"He is full of surprises. Besides, he said that getting better at being a smith would help him get stronger. So, as his sensei, it is my responsibility to ensure he gets stronger." She explained. She hasn't even known me that long yet she was willing to speak up for me?
He looked at Saru-sensei annoyed, but she shot him a look I haven't seen on her yet.
"Fine. I'll take him in," He quickly accepted. "I hate seeing incomplete work. As long as you are useful, then I don't care."
He looked at Saru-sensei, "You decide his schedule. I have work to do." He started to hobble back but Saru-sensei grabbed his shoulder. Her grip was dead strong, not letting the one legged youkai move even an inch.
"You WILL teach him properly." A very serious expression formed on her face.
Her only response was a grunt and a nod before she released her grip and he started to head back to the main room.
"Then he can start by helping me move some materials. For obvious reasons I struggle to do so." He motioned to the stacks of metal and boxes that were neatly stacked by the door.
"R-right!"
I initially thought the new youkai gruff, Listening to his instructions on handling care of the materials, as well as storage locations. I noticed his voice had a slight metallic sound to it. Was it caused by the metal helmet? Or was it how he actually sounded?
I learned shortly after entering the forge that my new teacher named Ippo was from the race of youkai called Ippon-Datara. I had read some books with my Aunt Rin, also called the one legged bellows. Though he didn't look anything more like the illustrations from my world.
It took a couple hours to move everything. I was instructed where each new tool was meant to go and where the metal was meant to be stored. The metals took the longest to organize since they weren't labeled.
Some of the metals were weird though, they were either glowing or give off strange vibes.
After I had finished, I was told by Saru-sensei that my schedule would be determined in a couple days, though I would still have free time.
I was also told I would be compensated for working on certain projects with Ippo-sensei. So now I had a job as a Blacksmith's apprentice as well as Kunou's sitter. That took care of the Job problem I had.
Well, I was now closer to getting accustomed to this world. I couldn't help but feel, however, that things were just getting started.
0-0-0-0-0
A yawn escaped Saru-sensei as she walked through the castle of her boss.
She had recently finished her day off with training her other students. Some of them had real potential, when they weren't hot headed, and that's coming from her. It will be a real pain introducing them to Yuto.
While the monkey youkai did work with her compatriots, she mainly took in special cases. That is, those that take her interest.
Especially Yuto. There was something almost…inhuman about him. He looked human, and his aura was mostly human. But there was a Draconic presence to him as well. It was incredibly diluted, but still there.
It would explain his strength. While he couldn't land a single good hit on her, as she blocked or dodged them, the few times she blocked she could tell there was a lot of power behind them. His reaction time alone must come from, most likely, fighting opponents faster than him.
Though, she still didn't know what other tricks he had up his sleeves. He did mention that he knew other spells. The one he mentioned was a massive boon.
She didn't know yet what kind of limitations he possessed, but if he could make special swords then that would give an edge to his allies. Though it wouldn't matter if he couldn't swing it properly.
He seemed hesitant when she told him to work on his control over his magic, or magecraft, whatever. It wasn't fear, more hesitance than anything else.
The youkai couldn't understand why he wouldn't want to master his abilities. Humans were frail, with a few exceptions she met, and they all relied on technique or trickery to come out on top.
But he was different. There was something about him that put her on edge. It wasn't his inhuman aura, she was used to that.
If she were to pin a thought, then it would be that wide strike. While the strike itself was obvious, there was a look he had in his eyes that told her he was aiming to kill. A little far for a spar, but he seemed to correct himself quickly. The intent to kill was replaced by something akin to fear.
Was he afraid of killing? No, that's not it. He fought the stray and there was blood splattered near the portal that wasn't his.
Whatever it is, it didn't matter right now. She could work on it with him later.
She pushed open the doors to the meeting room, where Yasaka was seated in her usual seat at the front of the table.
It didn't take Saru but a second to notice the Tea and bags under her eyes. She was honestly surprised her boss wasn't drinking coffee, as she had taken a liking to it when it started to actually taste good. The tea was probably to calm her down. She believed that the Eastern faction were looking into that small energy surge. They most likely found out about the human and his Kitsune companion and were asking questions.
"Yo boss, I see you have been doing well. Like the new look."
The Kyuubi snorted, "Funny. I just finished talking with that old man. I forgot how much of a pain he can be." She sighed, as did the monkey.
"What did he have to say? Something like this wouldn't be enough to get his attention."
"Apparently, a group of humans have been causing trouble in some of his territories. One of them has the ability to teleport, at first glance anyway. The timing matches up with Yuto's appearance."
"And you think he is a part of their group?"
"Don't know. He hasn't talked about his past, and neither has Tamamo, so I can't say. Though…I trust he isn't."
"At least we agree on that."
"I heard you took him in. Did you already test him?"
"He passed with flying colors. Some things that need to be worked on, but outside that, he has some real potential. Even more than Shuta."
Yasaka raised a curious eyebrow. "That so?"
"I believe so." Saru shrugged, "Anyway, how long do you intend on keeping him in lockdown? Kid is antsy, from what I could tell. It would be better if he could move around with more freedom."
"...I was thinking of telling him soon. I feel it would be best. He hasn't made any attempts to get close to me or get any info out of anyone. Nor have I felt any animosity from him. Though I want confirmation first, it is only a matter of time until Nurarihyon decides to pay a personal visit."
The monkey nodded. "Don't need to tell me twice. I fully intend to make him shine, that old man won't know what hit him."