The Adventures of Mizukume-chan 4 - (Fateverse, Tamamo!SI)
Second Legend: The Most Glorious Saving of Lady Daini no Sanmi - 2 of 3
Today was the day of the exchange, and, after getting a bag with the requested supplies, Hime-chan and I started our trip to the described destination by the letter.
It wasn't far, and we arrived about a hour after leaving the temple. A lower-ground area that seemed connected to old mines. I was surprised that this would have been the place employed by a band of oni. Not much for the fact it lacked nearby animals to kill and consume, or even human settlements to subjugate and devour... it was the overall location. It was too exposed.
If there is something common in many stories is that Oni prefers elevated positions from which humans would struggle in assaulting. This place was far too easy to assault, which suggested this location was not picked for them to linger for long.
Why?
As we finally arrived to find the tiny camp in the middle of the zone, I was surprised to find quite the scene. Three oni were kneeling before a young girl. The little lady wore a somewhat familiar black dress and her hair was styled... like her mother's before retiring.
She looked like a mini Murasaki Shikibu.
The girl, Katako, was the one that spotted us first and... she squeaked something at the other oni, forcing them to stand up and retrieve their clubs.
"Mizu-chan... I think something's wrong."
"Very wrong," I added mirthfully. "I mean, since when do Oni wear shirts?"
That was actually a fair detail to notice since Oni had a tendency to not wear much on themselves unless they were reputable enough to warrant the extra garbment. The common Oni will only wear enough to cover their naked bits and... these three didn't look reputable enough to wear human clothes. Or appear less demonic and more humane compared to the rest.
"S-Stay away!" The ringleader spoke. "This place is- is not meant for other yokais."
The brothers nodded and I frowned at the duo.
"Yeah, and it is also not a place for human-kidnappers, you pricks. Free the girl, or I will give you a wedgie or two."
Surprise flashed at the trio and it was the girl that spoke up.
"T-They didn't kidnap me. They found me!"
"That's what a captor would say when they have hostages, you silly girl. Plus, your mama set up a request to have your dastardly kidnappers slain."
"M-Mama did!?" Katako squeaked in awe. "T-That's not possible. She is incredibly busy with her writings. Why would she bother-"
"With her remaining family, the last living memory of her husband, her daughter? Dunno, but she looked close to have a mental breakdown about the matter. Which is why she wrote a hugely-detailed request that demanded the finest slayers from the Imperial Capital to rescue her only beloved child."
My sass was hitting peak level, and I saw Katako bow her head with growing shame. And as I stared at her down, Kiyohime took this chance to play 'good cop' with the three Oni.
"So, what happened?"
The three brothers shared a look and then started to provide a bit of a backstory. They were the sons of an Oni that once lived in this domain but that settled with a human woman. After many struggles, the two ended up with three children who, as of now, became miners due to the ostracization they went through during their childhood and early adulthood.
They actually had the proper papers to show that they were given the job by a government's officer and were keen to compile papers to establish how many ores were retrieved each month. Then, one day, a certain girl was caught unconscious by the forest near the mining camp.
She was brought to the camp, sheltered, given food and water, and now... given a chance to-
"Make sure Mama finally remembers me!"
The outburst didn't seem to surprise the Oni, but it definitely left Hime-chan and I perplexed.
"She- She is always writing ever since dad died. Yes, I know! It hurts! But I am here too! What about me? How come she is the only one supposed to grieve? I want... I want her to notice me for once. I miss dad too..."
...
"You are still an idiot," I flatly stated, her frown hardening at my words but I wasn't done. "You were lucky that you were found by those good-willed fellows. But had you found other Oni, then you would have died."
"I-I know-"
"And this is not going to be a win for you either," I pressed harshly. "Your mother may be at fault, let's agree on this, but have you tried to reach out for her? Or were you unable to do so?"
Katako didn't answer. She was crying. She was around my age, so she was quite quick to have her flawed logic cracked. The plan was relatively simple, really: she created a fake hostage situation, had the miners act as some sort of 'actors' for her ploy and ultimately get her mother to capitulate.
Truth be told, Katako could have not thought of a better solution, not when her mother was releasing such a miasma of dark feelings. Humans may have a lesser grasp for this stuff when compared to the Yokais, but Katako was her mother's daughter and could see that Lady Murasaki was releasing such an oppressing aura.
And it added to her resentment towards her mother's coping mechanism: her writing. Hence why Katako had planned to completely deplete her mother's writing supplies so she would not only accept her value but also not have that other option to return to.
The plan was flawed because... it was planned by a child. Someone that has no full grasp of what is going on with her mother, and that she found resolution in just the tip of the iceberg that was Lady Murasaki's depression.
No one could fault her, but this excessive reaction was proof that the woman's current condition was bad enough that it was influencing others. After biding a good day to the miners and as we were making the trip back to the temple, I found myself carrying the young lady on my back.
Was she happy about it? No. Was she 'fine' with having lost this time around? Nope.
Still, I decided to use the overall hour to reach the temple to speak with the girl. And see what could be done to somewhat 'change' the status quo.
"So... do you like to write too?"
The question was initially met with silence. But then the girl huffed and spoke up as my twitchy ears got her out of her silent thinking.
"A-A bit. Not much like mom."
"Heh, fair. You're not meant to like everything your parents do."
"...Really?" Katako inquired with a curious tone.
"Yup. My parents are peasants. Pops used to be a warrior but he retired a long time ago."
Kiyohime turned to glance at us with intrigue, but remained quiet as it was Katako herself that broke the topic that was intriguing her the most.
"A kitsune man as a warrior? That's odd," Katako pointed out and I snorted.
"My dad is not a kitsune. Same for mom," I explained truthfully. "My parents found me in one of their fields. They told me I was 'glowing like a little sun' when they took me in."
"That's so cool! And so you grew up with human parents."
"Yup. The fields of Izumo are some of the prettiest, and my parents tend to some of those for the local lord." I continued to narrate.
"You could show me those. One day," Hime-chan pointed out, her voice showing some of her wonder at the idea.
"How about for the end of the year? I am sure my parents would mind having us for a few weeks there."
The greenette tensed up at this. "W-Would they mind that-"
"Nope. They didn't mind me, so they will not mind you. Trust me."
The snake-girl smiled at this and then, as if hitting me like a thunderbolt, I got a wild idea regarding Katako.
"By the way, Tako-chan, what do you think of drawing?"
"Hm? I like to draw."
"how about mixing writing and drawing?"
The girl on my back hummed thoughtfully. "How so?"
"See, I have this little idea I never had much of a chance to try myself since I am not good at drawing but..."
I smiled, holding back a giddy giggle at what I was about to do to this Japan.
"I call this blend of literature and art as 'Manga'."
AN
Thus Tako-chan became the first Mangaka in this world. Next time, the aftermath of the 'Legend' and then a bit of a goofier situation occurs to both Mizukume and Kiyohime as they both face... a fangirl.