When the Nurarihyon woke up, he was sitting on a chair at the edge of a long table on a grand dining room
Still dizzy, he shook his head and blinked a few times before taking in this new enviroment
The entire place was western style.
Fancy, decorated mostly in red and filled with luxury.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the place, a red carpet with golden details adorned the floor, the windows were covered by thick drapes and, in front of him, the table was filled with silverware and empty porcelain dishes.
At the table there were also another three chairs, identical to the one he was sitting at, also with dishes and silverware laid in front of them, however, no one was sitting there.
As the elderly youkai tried to make sense of his surroundings, a voice that almost made him jump out of the chair reached his ears
"Good morning, Mr. Nurarihyon"
His eyes went wide as he gulped down in terror
Just by hearing that voice he shivered, there was no way he was ever going to forget it for as long as he lived
It was the voice of the singer, the last voice he had heard at that god forsaken forest, the one that had captured him.
The Nurarihyon's body went stiff, was this another illusion? If he turned around would he see the same thing he saw at the forest? Was he brought to that place just to be tortured once again?
"Are you alright? It would be very bad for us if you were broken already"
His worries were soon put to rest as the face of a young man with long blue hair and cold eyes stretched behind his chair to meet him.
"A-are you..."
He said, glad he was finally able to see a human face, but still nervous about how he should refer to whoever that person was.
"If I'm the one that picked you up at the forest? Indeed, I am."
From fear, the Nurarihyon was quickly overtaken by anger, he wanted to shout, to demand that the boy answered why he had brought him there and what the hell he was.
But he took a deep breath, quickly dismissing the idea, offending that young man was the last thing he should do in this situation.
"I see... well, how may I call you?"
He asked calmly, his leader side taking charge
"People call me The Caretaker"
The nickname confused the Nurarihyon, but he nodded regardless
"Mr. Caretaker, then? Considering that I'm still alive I presume you want something from me?"
He wondered, already considering how he could manipulate this situation in his benefit.
However, the young man shook his head
"I won't be the one you will be talking with, she should be arriving soon enough"
The Caretaker said, pointing to the vacant chair at the other end of the table
The Nurarihyon raised his eyebrowns in surprise
"Oh... so this is a leader-to-leader talk?"
He innocently asked, but quickly regretted these words as the expression of his captor suddenly changed
From cold indifference, the young man's face suddenly twisted in a gleeful smile
The sudden rows of white teeth and raptured face made the Nurarihyon miss the indifferent young man from seconds ago
"You... you are about to meet the most fantastic woman alive, the most explendid being to ever exist in the universe"
The sudden rows of white teeth and raptured face made the Nurarihyon miss the indifferent young man from seconds ago
"... Make sure to be on your best behaviour"
The old youkai felt the young man's hands grip his shoulders
Suddenly, the young man raised his head towards a double-door at the end of the room and smiled.
"She's coming, be ready to witness her glory."
The Nurarihyon gulped, imagining who the hell was the one that could make this absolute terrifying person standing behind him become so enamoured
CLUNK
The sound of a door opening
Overtaken by curiosity, the Nurarihyon immediately turned to see who was the one he would be meeting
Only to be greeted by...
[Ah, hello! Sorry for the wait, I've been crazy busy lately]
... A girl?
"U-uh, hello?"
He politely greeted her, trying to push the confusion to the back of his head
The one who appeared was girl with short pink hair wearing a high-school uniform.
She took a sit at the chair opposite to him
[Mr. Nurarihyon, what a pleasure to finally meet you. I apologize for my friend bringing you here so abruptly, hope you are feeling well]
The elderly youkai quickly noticed that the girl's mouth did not move as she spoke
"Ah... yes, I'm quite alright, thank you..."
He answered, still confused
When the young man talked about "The most fantastic woman to ever exist" he was expecting, well... a woman.
Suddenly, the young girl in front of him smiled
[So you are surprised? Not what you were expecting?]
The Nurarihyon's eyes went wide, had that girl just...
[Read your mind?] - He heard her voice inside his head once again as the girl had a smirk, much to the youkai's dismay
[It's something I can do. So I'd watch what I think if I were you~]
She teasingly declared while pointing her index finger to her forehead
"A telepath..."
The Nurarihyon spoke, that wasn't on any of his plans
[Right you are, I'm an esper after all.]
"An esper..."
He said, his thoughts drifting back to the young espers he had met not too long ago
"Are you in anyway related to that boy?"
He asked, hopping that perhaps they were his allies.
But to his disappointment, the girl shook her head
[Oh no, Tatseyo and Ayumu have no idea what's going on here. And I would like it to stay this way]
The tone of her voice said it all.
That girl was not with Tatseyo.
And those two were not his allies.
The girl smiled
[By the way, I'm already an adult, I just use this uniform cause I think it's cute]
Kuriko said, tugging on the hem of her shirt
[But if you don't like it I can change, how about this one?]
Quickly, the clothes Kuriko was wearing changed, turning into a beautiful flower-patterned kimono
[Better? It matches your style]
The Nurarihyon gulped
Did that girl just shapeshifted or did she-
[Shapeshifting would be correct]
She answered, making the elderly youkai jump back once again, causing her to laugh
[You really should stop trying to hide your thoughts from me, don't worry, I'm not a scary woman, fufufufu~]
That laugh which only echoed inside his head made the Nurarihyon all the more uneasy
"I must say I'm sorry, but it's the first time I meet someone like you, miss...?
He asked, Kuriko leaned back on her chair
[Oh, of course, where are my manners?]
She raised a hand, a palm lifted upwards, her fingers pointing to the young man
[I am Kuriko Saiki, member of the Esper Community, the one behind you is my assistant, artist, confidant and overall better-half, Kouta Takegaki, but most just call him The Caretaker]
He attempted to swallow his nervousness and asked with a serious expression
"I see... Im pleased to meet you, but I may as well just ask: What exactly do you want from me?"
Despite the situation, he was much less afraid now.
While his situation didn't changed, being overpowered and trapped in an unknown place, that also helped him remember that if they wanted to hurt him or kill him, they would have done it already, and that somehow helped to calm him down.
They likely wanted something from him, so it was useless getting worked up before even knowing what that would be.
Kuriko's expression light up at his question
[Of course, of course, straight to business, right? But, if you don't mind, could we discuss it over dinner?]
Surprised, the Nurarihyon merely nodded
"Well... sure"
Kuriko smiled
[Excellent, things are always easier to solve in a full stomach]
She motioned to the young man standing behind him
[Kouta?]
The blue haired boy promptly nodded and silently walked out of the room.
It was then that the Nurarihyon noticed that the boy named Kouta didn't made a single sound as he left, his footsteps were completely silent.
As he pondered over that, he noticed the four chairs that were on the table
"So... will someone else be joining us?"
Kuriko shook her head
[There was supposed to be a fourth member tonight, but I believe he will not be joining]
The Nurarihyon looked at the empty chair, wondering who could it be
"Dinner is served"
He heard the young man speak and looked up, wondering when he had returned.
The Caretaker was pushing a cart with several trays in it, the dishes were all of traditional japanese cuisine
As The Nurarihyon watched the food being carefully laid at the table his stomach grumbled, not only the smell was fantastic, aside from a few, the dishes were all his favourite
[I believe this is your favorite menu?]
Again, the voice of the young woman resounded through his head as The Caretaker placed each of the items at the table
The youkai swallowed a lump of saliva and nodded
[Y-yes, how did you...?]
He wondered, there was no way that she had manage to do that just by reading his mind in the short time he had been there
[Fufufu, do not worry about that, just dig in]
After all the dishes had been laid at the table, the boy with blue hair took a seat at and began serving himself with the miso soup.
"W-well, alright..."
The Nurarihyon began to put a few items on his plate and bowl
As they ate away, his eyes went wide
It tasted fantastic!
Even as a youkai who had lived for hundreds of years, that was one of the best meals he had eaten in his life
He looked up from his plate to the young man, who carefully ate with elegance and even giving off a sense of care, as if the food would break if he was too rough with it.
[I believe he liked it quite a lot, congratulations Kouta, you never disappoint me]
The young man merely closed his eyes and Kuriko smiled as she continued to eat on her own
The Nurarihyon looked at the girl, when she was talking to him, she barely moved, but now that she was actively eating he could see that her movements were incredibly... precise?
He couldn't find an accurate description for it, but it was like every movement she made was planned ahead, as if she didn't moved unless there was a need to.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes met his and he quickly returned to his food, reminding himself that she was probably aware of his thoughts right now
"Why don't you try the goya?"
The Nurarihyon looked at the carefully cut goya at his dish
While throwing them away is something only someone with a child's pickyness would do, that was still far from being a favorite of his.
Hesitantly, the elderly youkai took one towards his mouth and ate it.
Once again his eyes went wide
It was wonderful! Even that! The bitter Goya was like a tasty delicacy!
"H-h-how did you...?"
He said stupified, to which the Caretaker responded with his usual stoic expression
"Cooking is a form of art after all"
Kuriko giggled at this statement, one of the few times he heard her 'true voice'
"There is no better artist than you, Kouta"
The young man merely acknowledged with a nod, thanking the pink haired girl
As he ate, the Nurarihyon noticed that he had almost forgotten the reason why he was there
"So... what was this 'business' you wanted to talk about?"
The girl smiled
[Of course, of course]
She nodded
[You see, I work for the Esper Community, and despite the paying and benefits, we don't get vacations. It's such a tragedy]
The Nurarihyon raised an eyebrow a the girl threw a glance at her friend
[Me and Kouta have been planning a vacation in Kanto for a while, but the thing is... we need a guide]
From confusion, his expression changed to suspicion.
"What are you suggesting..."
Raising her eyes from the plates, Kuriko locked eyes with the Nurarihyon
[We would be delighted if you were to guide us through Kanto]
She declared with a smile
[Every single place.]
The last remark made the elderly youkai suspicion turned into certainty as he closed his eyes and answered it in a hushed tone
"You want me to take you to Urakanto..."
His expression turned sour as he stared back at Kuriko, her smile and politeness never fading
[Precisely, after all, who better to guide us through all of Kanto's hidden locations than the leader of the East faction?]
She continued eating, the Nurarihyon's eyes darted around the place, glaring at the girl, the boy next to her and the entire room.
There was not a single hint of antecipation in their manners, as if it was sure he would answer yes.
"Do I even have a choice?"
The pink haired girl looked at him once again, a slight smirk on her face
[Of course you do, I know there are plenty of ways in which I could force you to do as I ask, but I believe you will do it out of your own free will for one simple reason.]
Her voice suddenly stopped, the Nurarihyon frowned, waiting for what she would say
[If you don't help us get in, you will leave us with no choice aside from entering by force... just like in Kyoto]
!
Widened eyes were all the response that the elderly youkai could give at the moment he heard this, a surprise so big that he nearly chocked on his food.
Taking a sip of sake to push down the lump in his throat, the Nurarihyon stared at Kuriko, shocked like he hadn't been in years.
"Y-you... were you the one behind the Kyuubi's kidnapping?!"
A giggling sound echoed in the Nurarihyon's head, the girl dripping a sushi roll into soy sauce.
[You make it seem like I am more important than I am, but... perhaps you are correct, it could be said I was the one that made it possible]
The Nurarihyon frowned more, nervous sweat starting to drip from his large forehead
"Cao Cao, the Hero Faction... no, maybe all of the Khaos Brigade? Is it you?"
He asked, being one of the longest lived youkais, the Nurarihyon always suspected that Ophis was not the one calling the shots, but someone behind her, pulling the strings of the clueless Infinity God.
Again, the girl laughed a little
[Your words are flattering, but you overestimate me. No, I did not create the Khaos Brigade, nor the Hero Faction, so much as I... how should I put? Hijacked it?]
She answered with a smile, the Nurarihyon could only stare as hundreds of thoughts swarmed his head.
Hijacked? What did that meant? What this girl could possibly want with the Leylines from Kyoto and Kanto and what could she possibly win by killing Great Red?
Finally, the girl placed her hashi down and looked at the elderly youkai
[If you have any more questions, perhaps we could answer them while you guide us?]
She asked, glancing at him
The Nurarihyon gulped
There was only one answer to this question...
[Wonderful! Then let's finish this and get ready!]
Kuriko exclaimed cheerfully before the old youkai could even verbalize what he thought
All he could do was sigh
Out of the frying pan and into the fire...
Part 2
After dinner was finished, the girl stood up from her table
[Well, it's about time? Shall we?]
She asked, her calm expression never fading
The boy stood next to her, perfectly still untill he slightly moved his head to glance at the Nurarihyon
Nervous and completely cornered, the elderly youkai nodded hesitantly
"How are we going to-"
The Nurarihyon tried to ask, but before he could finish his sentence, the scenario around them had already changed
!
"W-what?"
He looked around, dazzed and confused, but just after a few seconds, he recognized where they were.
How couldn't he? After all, this place was where he had spent a good ammount of his long life in.
"Kanto..."
He said, a mix of surprise and anguish in his voice
The girl giggled as he looked around
[As beautiful as always, huh?]
When he looked at the duo again, the pink haired lady was extending a hand to him
"So.. please show us the best of Kanto, Mr. tour guide."
She smiled, a chill ran down the Nurarihyon's spine
"Understood, let's get going then..."
He stated, turning his back and walking in the direction of the gate that would lead these two to their objetive
Urakanto.
However, he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder
When he turned around, the girl was smilling at him
[Why are you in such a hurry?]
The Nurarihyon raised an eyebrown in confusion as he saw the blue haired boy pull out a map and begin to look through it
[It's not every day that you get the Nurarihyon himself to guide you through Kanto]
She motioned to the other side of the street, opposite to where he was heading towards.
[Let's enjoy a time off, shall we?]
The Nurarihyon raised an eyebrown, confused, but followed along the two young espers.
"What in the wolrd is going on..."
Part 3
It was so... normal
During the 'tour', the Nurarihyon guided them through all the sights he knew, however, he couldn't help but admire how normal they acted
Kuriko would take pictures, giggle as she spoke with her mind and hand the boy things she had picked out from stores and stalls
'Taken' being a key-word, maybe the girl was using some sort of illusion technique, but the fact was that no one around them seemed to notice the presence of the trio.
For the Nurarihyon this was normal, he could use his power to blend in any crowd, human or otherwise, but he surely wasn't using his powers on the two and much more than blending in, it was like they did not exist
She would take things from stores and no one would stop her, she took food right out people's hands and they didn't react at all.
Unlike the girl, the boy did not speak once, contempt in doing whatever the pink haired girl asked, from holding bags to eating things she offered.
Whatever that girl was doing, it was leagues above what the Nurarihyon himself could do and that only made him more aware of his position.
At no moment he was shackled, cuffed or otherwise restricted
Sometimes the boy and the girl would even walk several feet away from him and he would stand alone untill he catched up with them, with plenty of room to escape.
But that was a mere fantasy, the Nurarihyon could tell very well
There was no opening for him to escape
No matter how off-guard they looked, he knew any attempt to escape would be useless at best
... And fatal at worst.
He merely followed the young espers, occasionally telling the story of whatever places they visited
However, they never got close to the Temples and Shrines
Curious, the Nurarihyon asked the reason
"Your illusion powers are quite strong, I believe whatever youkais may be inside, they would be fooled by you"
This caused Kuriko to smile and giggle
[You really overestimate me] - She said
[My powers aren't absolute Mr. Nurarihyon, if there's even a slight chance that a spirit or shrine deity would be able to see through them, it would end quite badly... I believe you understand]
She gave him a warm smile, but to the Nurarihyon it caused nothing but cold dread
Behind that smile was a clear meaning...
She would kill them, anyone that saw her would die.
He gulped and nodded
"I understand, thank you for being considerate"
He could only thank her. There was no doubt in his mind that if this girl and her friend wanted, they could easily kill every single inhuman in Kanto that same night.
[Fufufu, you're welcome]
She answered, quickly teleporting them away towards the next destination.
When they were done with a place, Kuriko would quickly teleport them to the next place on her plan.
That made the trip much faster, but still, there was only so much they could in one night.
But the night... it just didn't seem to end.
The Nurarihyon would look at the sky, waiting the whole time for the first beams of sunlight shining through the sky
But hours upon hours passed and not a sign of daylight appeared.
"What is going on... ?" - He mumbled
Was this another illusion or was that girl doing something beyond even his comprehension?
Eventually, Kuriko touched his shoulder
[Don't worry, Mr Nurarihyon]
She gave him a reassuring smile
[We have all the time in the world]
He tried to supress a frown
That was their pattern throughout the entire region, from Gunma to Tochigi, from Ibaraki to Chiba, untill finally...
"Well, I guess next one is... Saitama"
Just as he said that, he noticed the pink haired girl turning towards him, eyes wide like a wild animal caught in the headlights of an incoming car.
[What did you say?]
He heard her voice and immediately jumped back, had he said something innapropriate?
"I said, Saitama, the Saitama prefecture, shouldn't it be our next stop?"
Kuriko quickly breathed out, almost as in... relieve?
[Ah, right, the prefecture... of course]
The boy placed a hand on her shoulder
[Thank you, Kouta. Yes, I'm fine, don't worry]
She said, despite the boy haven't said anything.
[Let's go, shall we?]
Kuriko asked, dismissing the situation and moving on
"U-understood..."
The Nurarihyon answered
He was getting more and more nervous the closer they got to the end of the girl's little tour of Kanto, afraid of when she would finally have enough and make him take her to Urakanto.
But eventually, no matter how much he tried to stall, it came the time.
The girl's laughs stopped and she looked at the Nurarihyon, like a snake looking at a frog
"So, tour guide... lead the way"
She still smiled, but in a much more threatning manner
The Nurarihyon swallowed, no more words were needed, he knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Yes... let's go"
The elder youkai guided the duo to a toori gate that was different from any other they've seem , because this one didn't seemed to lead anywhere
It was simply a single toori in a clean patch of land
When Kuriko looked at that, she smiled
[I see, so this is the entrance to Urakanto... a secret path for leaders only, I pressume?]
The Nurarihyon nodded, there were other portals throughout Kanto, but that one was only for the faction's VIPs, to come in and out unnoticed
"This way no one will know our presence"
His answer got an approving nod from Kuriko
[Good thinking, we wouldn't want to cause a fuss after all]
She giggled, the Nurarihyon merely closed his eyes and sighed, activating the toori with his youjutsu
Kuriko's eyes seemed to shine as she saw the portal open up
"Lead the way" - She gleefully stated
The elderly youkai nodded and walk through the portal followed by the two espers
Once inside, Kuriko was more excited than ever
They had arrived inside a traditional japanese temple, decorated top to bottom with luxury, treasures and pieces of japanese art.
Kuriko looked around, her eyes glimmering.
[Incredible...]
The pink haired girl was quick to notice a window and rushed to it.
"Wait! Miss-"
The Nurarihyon tried to stop her, but it was too late, she had already reached and opened the windows, looking outside
Her smile only broadned.
[Kouta... you gotta see this]
Just as the youkai heard this in his head, the boy was already walking towards the window to gaze at what his companion was looking at.
He stood beside her and only gave a single nod.
Despite haven't said anything, the girl talked as if answering him
[It's more than that, it's literally out of this world]
Urakanto was built like a traditional japanese town from the shogunate period, however, there were still many differences, made to fit it's youkai inhabitants
Even from a window this far high, Kuriko's eyes could see the signs for foods that humans could never eat, such as fish grilled in lava, huge doors in stablishments for the taller inhumans to pass and even signalization high in the air for the youkais that flew around could see
Kuriko's giggles echoed through their heads as she turned around to her blue haired friend
[It would make quite a painting, wouldn't it?]
Again, all the boy did was nod in agreement as he pulled a small notepad from his pockets and made a few notes on it, or were it scribbles? The Nurarihyon couldn't tell
"Y-you shouldn't get so close to the window, you might be seem"
He said worried, but Kuriko just shook her head
"You'd be surprised at how little detail people keep in their heads while going through their daily lifes, even if someone saw us up here, they wouldn't be able to describe us"
She took a deep breath of the town, still gazing down bellow
[It's amazing, with all I've seem in my life there's still things that impress me. The universe... its trully beautiful]
The boy looked at her, some concern in his eyes
[I'm fine, thank you Kouta]
She took a hand towards his hair and caressed it
There was a strange glimmer in her eyes
Longing? Love?
He wondered, the girl left her hand out of the boy's head and closed the window
"But enough sightseeing for now"
She turned to the Nurarihyon
"I would like to visit the Inner Sanctum, the centerpiece"
The Nurarihyon closed his eyes
"So that's what you wanted to see... of course, I should have guessed"
Her interest was at the center of Urakanto.
One of the main power spots of the youkai region
[Fufufu, you got me]
Still, the Nurarihyon frowned a little, confused
"But... why?"
He still wondered, the Leylines of Kanto and Kyoto, what this girl could possibly want from them?
The girl just smiled
[You will see for yourself, I believe you will like it]
Again, confusion took over his mind, but, with no way to avoid it, he simply gestured for them to follow him
"It's this way..."
He guided them through the hallways of the great temple, Kuriko looked around, admiring every single piece of decoration
Untill the three stopped
The Nurarihyon's eyes went wide, his heart suddenly beating like a jackhammer
"Someone is here..." - He said
There shouldn't be anyone at this temple now, not with the meeting taking place in another city, all servants were realocated temporarily.
He turned around to look at the young boy and girl
Kuriko smiled at him, tapping his shoulder
[Get rid of it]
Her voice was calm and cold, the Nurarihyon didn't even spoke, merely nodding and walking towards the direction of the presence
As he got closer he saw the silloute of a humanoid being with cat ears and a tail
A nekomata...? What is one of them doing here?
Once the nekomata saw him, her dark ears twitched and her tail stood up as she exclaimed
"N-Nurarihyon-sama! W-what are you doing here?"
The elderly youkai tilted his head
"I could ask you the same thing, what are you doing in the inner temple?"
The cat youkai answered energetically
"M-Magari-sama, we didn't got any news from her, we heard that she had been captured along with Retsuza-dono and Kumowatari-dono, b-but it's not the time for this!"
She quickly shook her head and pointed to the door
"You gotta go to the center of the town! Everyone is gathering there to discuss the situation! There are teams looking for you everywhere, that's why I'm here. They will be thrilled to see you are okay, sir!"
The Nurarihyon chuckled, not only the energetic attitude of the young youkai was refreshing, but hearing how worried his followers were made him feel happy.
As a boss, he wished to go and calm their minds... but he couldn't
Not untill the two people glaring at him this very moment were satisfied.
"Everything is alright, child, please go tell everyone to be calm and to not approach this temple untill I'm done with the things I need to attend to."
Confused, the youkai girl stared at the Nurarihyon
"W-what? B-but sir..."
"Don't worry, soon everything will be explained, just please-"
Before he could finish telling the girl, the young nekomata's eyes became glazed over and she stared forward with a vacant expression
"Dear? Are you okay?"
[You were taking too long, so we decided to speed things up]
The esper duo walked in, the Nurarihyon looked back at the nekomata, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, she fell to the ground, uncounscious
"W-what did you do to her?" - He asked, worried
[Don't worry, she'll just be out of it for while]
Kuriko extended a glance at the passed out youkai
[Fortunately for her, she didn't saw us]
The Nurarihyon looked at the nekomata with pitty, poor girl, didn't even noticed how close to death she was.
After scanning the whole place to make sure no one else was around, the trio made their way to the most inner part of the temple, where it's power spot lied
A small shrine with an incantation circle beneath, surrounded by pillars, toori and paper seals
The Nurarihyon pointed towards it
"Here we are"
Kuriko walked in it's direction, a broad smile on her face
[Do you see it Kouta? Can you sense this? This is a center of convergence for all Leylines of Kanto, using this one can manipulate all the ki used to maintain the balance of the whole region]
She entered the shrine, the Caretaker and the Nurarihyon following right behind her
"So... what do you intend to do now?"
Nervously, the Nurarihyon asked
The Leylines were a powerful asset, if manipulated by the right youkai and the correct magic they could be strong enough to summon even a being like Great Red into this world
If the safety of Kanto and it's youkais weren't at stake, there was absolutely no chance he would have guided them there with so little resistance.
But now that they were here, he needed to know what that girl was planning
The girl turned back to the Nurarihyon and raised a finger
[You will see, Kouta, please make sure you and Mr. Nurarihyon stand back]
The Caretaker simply nodded, grabbed the Nurarihyon by his soulders and said the first thing that came out of his mouth ever since the dinning room
"Observe, Mr. Nurarihyon, you are about to be privileged with a most glorious sight."
They took a few steps back as the pink haired girl raised her hands into the air
"W-what is she going to-"
BRRRUMMMMMMM
Suddenly, the temple started to shake
The girl was enveloped in a white aura and Nurarihyon's eyes went wide
"T-the Leylines? Is she... manipulating them?"
He said, absolutely incredulous
The energy of the Leylines of Kyoto enveloped the room
Sweat poured all over the Nurarihyon's face as his breath started to get quick and erratic
That girl... she was no youkai, she was no witch
How the hell was she manipulating all of Kanto's ki by herself?
What the hell was she?
The light surrounding Kuriko started to get brighter and the Nurarihyon tried to cover his eyes, but quickly had his hands pulled down by the boy standing behind him
"Don't avert your gaze!"
The boy said, almost with anger in his voice
"This is a divine sight, look, it's like a Bodhisattva. No, even a Bodhisattva can't compete with the beauty of my muse"
The Nurarihyon was forced to watch as the temple shook more and more and a huge ball of ki started to gather into the girl's hand
Eventually, he heard her voice, again only inside his head
[Yes, I understand it.]
The Nurarihyon frowned when he heard this.
Gradually, a warp in space appeared behind her, slowly turning into a portal
"What is she doing?!"
He asked, nervous as the portal got bigger
The Nurarihyon swallowed hard as he waited to see what was going to come out of it
Kuriko's smile broadened
Quickly, the girl clapped her hands and the portal disappeared
The temple also stopped shaking and the Leylines returned to their normal state
All the Nurarihyon could do was stare in awe as Kuriko closed her hand, a ball of light disappearing inside of it
[That's enough... for now]
She said, satisfied while stepping out of the shrine
"Y-you... what are you?"
The elder youkai asked, nervous and scared at what he had just saw
Kuriko giggled
[If I told, you wouldn't believe it]
Confused, the Nurarihyon stared at the shrine, despite being nothing wrong, he knew something definitely happened
"What have you done? What will happen to Kanto?"
He asked worried, wondering what sort of chaos that girl would cause
But in response, Kuriko just shook her head
[Nothing.]
That was all she said
The Nurarihyon frowned
"Nothing? What do you mean 'nothing'?"
Kuriko looked at him
[Exactly what it means, nothing. Kanto and Urakanto will change in nothing, I haven't done anything to the Leylines, well, nothing permanent at least. ]
She shrugged, the Nurarihyon raised an eyebrow
"So that's it? The end? Was this all you wanted?"
He said, doubtful that the girl's actions would end with just that
A smile formed again on her lips and she closed her eyes while nodding
[Indeed, you are quite perceptive, there is one thing that will change...]
He heard her statement, a sense of dread starting to take him over
[Tell me, Mr. Nurarihyon, have you ever played a Visual Novel?]
She asked, slowly approaching the elderly youkai, he tilted his weird head
"A visual... novel? You mean one of those games the younglings use to play?"
He answered, Kuriko answered with a nod
"Indeed, have you ever played one?"
The Nurarihyon shook his head
"Can't say I have... why?"
He asked, wondering where she was going with that conversation
[Well, in Visual Novels, the focus is not the gameplay, but the story. Usually there will come a point in the narrative that the protagonist, or rather the player, will have to make a choice and depending on what he selects, the story will change.]
She then extended her two open hands
[It can be something simple as to where the protagonist will spend his free time, to major decisions like who the protagonist should save.]
"Where are you going with that?"
He asked, a bit annoyed
[The thing is, I can see the future and that makes my life a bit like a Visual Novel that you play while knowing where certain decisions will lead you to.]
"You can see... the future?" - The Nurarihyon asked in a dazze, what the hell was he dealing with?
Then Kuriko turned the palms of her hand towards her
[All the time. And you see, it's never so simple as these games make it seem. It's much more than just making a single choice. Every decision you make affects the outcome you will get. It's not just deciding whether to stay home or go out, it's also about deciding what you will wear outside, where will you go, if you will walk or take the bus, what streets will you take or where you will sit at the bus. Do you understand that?]
She asked while putting her arms down, the Nurarihyon was confused, but nodded
"I... guess so"
Kuriko sighed as she continued
[At everytime I have to see hundreds of possibilities within hundreds of possibilities, for every door that I walk through there are thousands that close themselves, for every choice I make there are thousands that I don't. That means every decision I take weighs on me immensely.]
She said and raised two fingers
[Right now I see hundreds of futures in front of me, each of them depends on the choices I will make within a decision I'll have to take right now.]
When she said this, the Nurarihyon gulped.
"And what decision is that?" - He said, catching on
Kuriko pointed at him
[Right now, I could just brainwash you to forget what happened and leave you here while me and Kouta leave, or...]
She pulled her finger back
[I could kill you right here, right now]
The Nurarihyon shuddered, visibly, a cold chill running down his spine as Kuriko finished her monologue with a quote that was like an ultimatum.
[Guess which of these options doesn't lead to any possibility of us ever being found?]
He closed his eyes, trying to maintain his composure
"I see... so this is it?"
The great youkai answered, his body shaking
He was terrified, but could not show it, if these were his last moments, he wouldn't let them be tainted by fear.
"Truly, this is not how I wished my life would end"
Kuriko nodded
[I know, but rejoice! I have decided to give you a reward for your cooperation]
The girl giggled slightly
[You didn't even thought about escaping, truly surprising, if you even had considered the possibility, I would have destroyed your legs and taken one of your arms off~]
The Nurarihyon laughed, so it seems his decision to go along was correct, not that it mattered now
"And what rewards is that?"
He asked, with a sarcastic laugh
Kuriko approached him and placed her hands on the wrinkled face of the youkai
Her thumbs went to his eyelids as she gently closed them
[Shhh... just close your eyes]
Confused, the Nurarihyon closed them, but to his surprise, instead of darkness, he found himself surrounded by light
"What is... this?"
Suddenly, Nurarihyon saw the faces of his friends and followers
"Boss!"
"Nurarihyon-sama!"
"How are you doing, boss?"
Retsuza, Kumowatari, Magari as well as hundreds of other youkais he had met in his life and those who followed him
He remembered of his youth, when he was still a young youkai many centuries ago.
The friends he made
Battles he fought
The ones they lost
Laughs they shared
Tears they shed
Loves he lived.
A smile was drawn onto the Nurarihyon's face
"It's... beautiful"
It was so splendid that he didn't even noticed the moment his heart stopped beating.
Slowly, Kuriko placed his body on the ground
[It's done]
She said, crossing the Nurarihyon's arms in front of his chest
[A merciful death, surrounded by your loved ones, a suitable reward]
The pink haired girl glanced at the lifeless body of the youkai
(Your mercy is truly boundless, my muse)
She heard the Caretaker think and nodded
[I guess you can say it's a weakness of mine~] - She answered cheerfully
During this whole time, he had not bothered to say a word, only thinking about he wanted to say, knowing Kuriko would hear it
(Are you going to dispose of him?)
Kouta asked, but Kuriko shook her head
[No, if we get rid of the body they will try to investigate what happened. Better to leave them suspecting each other for a while]
The blue haired boy nodded
(I see, did you get what you were looking for?)
Kuriko turned to him with a smile
[Have I ever not?]
The space in front of them started to shift and from one of the red toriis in the temple, a portal opened.
[The ki system of the Kanto youkais is now ours]
Kouta smiled, a rare instance of that ever happening
(As expected, your plan is going smoothly)
The pink haired girl agreed
[There is nothing left for us here, lets return already, that Cao Cao tends to do whatever the hell he wants when we're not around]
The Caretaker nodded and motioned to the portal
(Ladies first)
He said and Kuriko smiled
Before stepping inside, her face lighten up as if she remembered something
[By the way...]
She took a 100 yen coin in her hand and held it between two fingers
[Wanna make a bet on who will be next?]
The Caretaker blinked a few times and reached into his pocket, pulling out another 100 yen coin
(Understood)
Kuriko smiled before stepping into the portal
[Let's see if those useful idiots at the Khaos Brigade can surprise us and resist the Calamity they will help me unleash]
She then flipped the coin in her hand
[Or if they will become another sacrifice in our glorious mission]
A giggled escaped her lips
[I see the bad moon rising
I see trouble on the way
I see hurricanes and lightning
I see bad times today~]
Afterword: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm so happy to see that people liked the last chapter, specially the twist at the end. Now Kuriko's plan is starting to bear fruits and the Nurarihyon was the first victim of it, what will happen next? Well, please stay tuned for more!