What are kami?
Kami is often translated in english to something like god. However, that is only part of the meaning of the word. Kami can refer to anything that others worship, not just gods. Examples include aspects of nature itself like the mountains and lakes. So a god would be a kami but a kami would not always be a god.
How about yokai?
They're creatures considered to be monsters and spirits that also encompass the unexplainable. What isn't understood at the time is labeled as the work of a yokai. Originating from that of Japanese myth.
Jack Frost, Kobold, and Lamia. Those are the demons that I had encountered. The gauntlet I had found automatically recorded demons that I had met which were the Kobold and Lamia. Excluding Jack Frost because I didn't have it when I had met it.
I believe that demons are really just an amalgamation of creatures from all sorts of mythology. Likely to include kami, yokai, and more traditional western demons based off of my own interpretation.
With all of those creatures I had seen so far it's either that humans had seen those demons and spread around their stories or because of the creation of myths by humans that those demons had been created.
From what I looked up online Jack Frost, besides being in an animated movie, is a creature of winter personified. Kobold is a creature of European myth that also shows up in countless video games as a mob monster. Lamia is a half snake woman who went insane when forced to eat her own children because of an affair and in turn continued to eat children. With some versions saying she also seduced young men and ate them later.
If there are Greek and European mythological demons, then it would stand to reason there are also demons from Japanese mythology. Looking further into my gauntlet it also lists the demon's history. The history of the Kobold and Lamia was already in the page on the gauntlet, I had just double checked online to see if it was consistent and it was.
The tech on the gauntlet also lists their weaknesses, strengths, and levels. What I mean by that is elements they're strong and weak to, and a number quantification of their strength.
And to specify I mean something like a level from an RPG or something. For example, the Kobold was Lvl 3 and the Lamia was Lvl 18. I didn't have any numbers for their stats though. So I can only gauge their vague strength rather than anything specific.
Honestly it probably was a good thing that the Lamia didn't feel like engaging in combat considering how much difficulty I had dealing with a Lvl 3.
Although there doesn't seem to be an equivalent for myself though. No matter where I looked I couldn't find anything that told me what my level is. Is it because this gauntlet wasn't originally mine? Something about humans that makes it more difficult to calculate? Or is it because of fluctuations of strength that humans sometimes seem to show in great stress? Like in that story where the mother was able to lift a car to save her child. I don't really know if that actually happened though.
Looking through my other apps I had also found the Harmonizer that was apparently activated with my battle with the Kobold. It had tuned up the wavelengths of the humans (me) in the surrounding area to take less damage and do more damage to demons. Although it apparently decreases effectiveness for the human the more they kill and assimilate the strength from demons.
Which also brings me to the Assimilation app. Once a demon is killed, their essence called 'Magatsuhi' is absorbed through the gauntlet which acts as the medium, and then it's spread throughout the body for it to become stronger. Also possible to take a defeated demon's skill which was the Bashattack I had pilfered from the Kobold.
I do seem to have a marginal increase in strength but it's a bit difficult to tell since it isn't like I have super human ability.
Why is it that the Harmonizer is less effective the more that is assimilated though? The gauntlet doesn't explain why. I don't have anything definitive but there is the correlation between gaining more strength through assimilation and the Harmonizer making it easier to fight demons. Both end up helping me kill demons. Eventually assimilation will help me more and more while the Harmonizer will lose effectiveness as I assimilate more.
What's the limit of the Harmonizer anyway? Would it make the power gap between something like a human with a strength of roughly level 5 and a level 50 demon small enough that the human could potentially win? Make it closer to something like a level 1 vs level 5? Or is such a big power gap impossible for the Harmonizer to bridge? Honestly I'm thinking more towards the app only marginally helping. It only affects a certain area and 'tunes' everyone to a similar wavelength, I doubt it can fix a huge strength gap. To believe so is to invite a false sense of safety, and with that could possibly come death from underestimating the opponent.
There's also the other apps that aren't exactly relevant to me currently seeing as how I don't have any demons and I don't have a portal to open.
The woman that I rescued last night I had left on the ground near where the now closed portal is. Called for an ambulance claiming to see a figure in the shadows carrying a woman. Observed the woman from within the hotel just in case anything else had happened. And luckily it was smooth sailing afterward.
"Hachiman!"
"Ah, Totsuka."
He cutely tilted his head, "What are you carrying? I didn't see you with that yesterday."
"Oh," I scratched the back of my head, "Well… I bought some souvenirs and a bag to help carry it."
Yes… a souvenir from a rather exotic place, given to me from someone who was no longer with us. I'll make sure to pray for you properly.
"Like a shinai? I can't really think of what else a long bag like that would carry."
"Who knows? You'll just have to keep guessing," I gave a smirk.
It would be a bit awkward and difficult to explain if I said it was a katana. That's one step above a bamboo sword and significantly more lethal. What else would someone put in a bag like this anyway?
Actually, is it even legal in Japan to have a real sword? If I had to guess, I'm leaning more towards illegal. Considering the ban on most guns and longer knives, and the fact that I'm underage with a weapon. I might even need a permit for a sword but that's just speculation.
Totsuka stared at my face and I could feel myself starting to warm up, "Oi, do you want to say something?"
"My bad," he gave a sheepish expression, "I didn't mean to stare, it's just that you seem better than yesterday."
Hoh? "In what way?"
He closed his eyes and brought his hand to his chin, humming as he thought. Oi Totsuka, be careful there. That sort of pose is too cute for us mere mortals to handle, "You seemed sort of unfocused at the time."
Hmm, well I was a bit out of it until I forcibly pulled myself together in the face of another life threatening situation. But I'm certainly more motivated and aware of my surroundings now, "There was just something on my mind at the time, I got over it."
Let's not let the recent events take over every aspect of my life. Don't want to spend the rest of my years fighting demons till I die. Instead I would much rather spend my life as a house husband and not spend the years as a corporate slave! To work is to lose! So I will deal with this demon business quickly and efficiently so I can get on with my life!
Totsuka seemed to accept my answer before Yuigahama shouted towards us, "You guys, come on! We still have places to go check out!"
Yeah, I suppose so.
As I went back to my group to go explore Kyoto with, I couldn't help but think of what a shitshow fulfilling the club requests would be. Tobe wants to confess to Ebina but the recipient of the confession doesn't want it to go through so that nothing in the group changes. After asking Tobe in the morning about the status with Yamato, it's been confirmed that he's still missing. The possibility of it being Yamato who was taken by the Lamia has increased. Whether I bring him back injured or he ends up dead, their group dynamics will inevitably change. With those complications it's likely that Tobe will no longer feel like confessing with such a depressing atmosphere.
Of course it could be someone else that I'm unaware of. I'll find out soon enough.
You know, after several near heart stopping situations I've been in, the haunted house really doesn't seem all that scary to me. The monsters weren't dangerous as they were people in costumes and it's generally safe since it's just entertainment. The darkness wasn't anything to worry about, unlike the actual darkness that comes out from the night as the sun sets. Specifically the demons that come about at night when they are difficult to see and hard to fight back against.
As the evening sky enveloped the area in shadows, it was time to head out of the hotel to get to my destination. I had made it to the first floor near the front entrance before…
"My fellow comrade Hachiman!"
My path was blocked, "Zaimokuza, what do you need?"
He posed with his hand over his face. Hey, you trying to pose like the Joestars? Sorry but I think that's impossible for you to do. If I had to give a rating I would say it's a -100/10, all the poses done by the Joestar bloodline are substantially better. They possess a flare that you just don't have. Oh, did I give a negative score? Oops, sorry. My bad. Teehee~.
"I, the blademaster general Yoshimitsu, have an important task for you to fulfill."
"I refuse."
"WHAT!?" he froze for a moment before slumping down onto the ground on all fours, "You have no desire to play cards with your master Hachiman? Your partner?"
Oi, you going to keep referring to yourself as my master? And as my partner at the same time? Make up your mind and never come talk to me again. Also sorry not sorry but if someone I had actually called master was constantly acting in such an embarrassing way than I would constantly be contemplating committing murder. In that case never refer to yourself as my master ever again unless you wish to be the accomplice or victim of such an event.
"I have a club task I need to accomplish," a lie that could be twisted into the truth. I was requested by Tobe to find Yamato. It may have been outside of club hours and not officially stated as a request for the service club but it's no lie that he had asked me for help. And it isn't like he could confirm it either way, he doesn't talk to Yukinoshita or Yuigahama at all.
"Hoh ho!" he raised back up into a standing position with his hands at his hips, "To think that you would be so devoted to such a sacred task, even when your club is prohibited by those in power."
Well… "The club had received a request before it was decided that clubs would be suspended for a while." The best kind of lies are the ones that are technically true. Wow! Aren't I the very example of the ideal truthful youth seeking teenager that populates schools, right?
Zaimokuza pushed his glasses up to simulate the trope in anime where the light is reflected off of the glasses. You tubby bastard, you think it's that easy to copy such a move? Think again! In spite of it's seemingly simple execution, it's actually needlessly more complicated than it's usually worth! First is the appropriate light source to actually shine on the glasses properly, second is positioning so that the light goes into the other person's eyes from the eyewear, and third is how you move the glasses so that it goes from no glare to glare! In fact the ones who usually do it correctly are the ones who do it by accident! There was only a slight amount of glare from your glasses when you tried, so give it up! "Impressive Hachiman, to be so dedicated to your task is commendable indeed! You even have gathered extra supplies for your treacherous journey!"
Ah yeah, the bag carrying the sword and the other bag with everything else I needed. That would be a bit awkward to explain, so instead I'll assume that your second sentence wasn't a veiled attempt to gather information about the weirdness of me having all these bags and instead was just a random comment on my appearance! How dare you! Or better yet, I could just not acknowledge the other sentence at all, "Anyway, I need to get going. I don't want to waste time that I could use for my free time after I finish the request."
I walked off down the hall as Zaimokuza shouted out his usual chuunibyou spiel that vaguely sounded like a 'bye'.
Once I entered the front lobby I paused for a second as I saw a teacher sitting on one of the couches. Oi, why is there someone watching the entrance when there wasn't anyone yesterday? Is there some reason? Did something happen that I was unaware of? Oh wait, is it because an injured woman was found just outside this hotel? I guess that really juiced up their paranoia.
After that surprise I continued on towards the vending machine to disguise the fact that I was attempting to leave at all.
Eh, I have a feeling that I'm going to have a long night so some caffeine would be nice.
I opened my can of Max Coffee and drank from it. Ah~, that refreshing and cold sweetness is impossible to beat. Now where do I leave from… Let's go through all potential exits, entrance, back door, and window. The entrance is only viable if I'm able to get the teacher to move, the back door I have no idea where it is or if there's also someone watching that area, and for the window it currently seems the most viable.
Of course it's also the most suspicious looking if anyone ends up seeing me and the fact that it's not guaranteed that it's a window that can be opened. Oh well, let's just get this over with. I chugged the rest of my Max Coffee and crushed the can. It was tossed towards a nearby trash can. I could almost feel the tears from having to rush my enjoyment of the sugary ambrosia, if only I could savor it more!
Minutes later I had found a window and exited the building. Let's hope that I checked thoroughly enough for cameras and other people who could have seen me. I headed towards the alley where I had found that portal the previous night.
Within the dark alleyway I opened up my bag to take out the gauntlet I had and equipped it on to my left arm, it automatically turning on to show a screen filled with apps. The long bag was opened up to take out the katana with the belt loop attached to it. It was then fitted to my side. I tossed the empty bag carrying the sword into the larger bag and zipped it up. The pack was now tossed over my shoulder to carry on my back.
I brought up my gauntlet to the Portal App and opened it. The Demonic Kyoto portal showed up. Demonic huh? It brings me to a demonic or some alternate version of Kyoto? Doesn't matter that much right now though. One of my worries vanished as I was relieved that I could still access the portal after a day but another of my worries just intensified as I dreaded the life threatening situations I'm likely putting myself through again.
I took a deep breath through my nose and held it for a moment, I briefly reflected about the situation, and then slowly exhaled through my mouth.
This is going to suck, "It's now or never," I tapped on the 'Reopen' button.
I ducked under a fireball from the demon with green skin and a giant wallet.
"Gauntlet Analyze the demon!"
A screen popped up detailing the status of the attacking demon. Thank you for having voice control, for it makes life so much easier.
It's name is Melchom, level is 5, it's weaknesses are Force and Ice, and it resists fire.
I may not have elemental attacks but I do have these nifty gems. Or rather 'stones' based on their name.
With the Analyze app, it is able to manually scan items and tell me what they are. Along with a side benefit of it automatically scanning any demons I encounter and saving the data acquired. As well as pulling up that data when I ask for an analysis when fighting. Thanks to Analyze, I was able to actually tell what the hell those glowing gems I found from the dead demon summoner were.
Some of them were Life Stones, able to partially recover the user from injuries. I crushed one in my hands last night after making sure everyone else in the room was still asleep and it healed me. My ribs still ache a bit but they're much better now and the cut on my cheek is gone. I'll save the rest of them for when I really need it.
The other gems or rather 'stones' are called Zan and Bufu Stones, able to use force and ice magic. Whatever force is, although my first thought was Star Wars. But it might just be something like a hard push?
Since realizing their more volatile nature I more carefully handled them when I put it back in the bag. And now in this current fight I took them out once again.
A glowing green rock with almost runic like lines running across the surface that are difficult to spot. Well this is a bit of a conundrum, to throw or crush… I'm not sure about the mechanics of this one. Do I crush it in my hand so that the magic is sent away from me? Or would doing so centralize the magic on myself?
Screw it, throwing it is less likely for it to kill me.
As the Melchom seemed to be preparing another blast of fire I chucked the Zan Stone on the ground next to it. I was worried it might not break from me throwing it but it seemed to be an unnecessary worry.
The Stone blew up in a small tornado of green like energy which threw the demon back. It landed on it's back twitching. So I'm guessing Zan is like wind or something?
I drew the sword and decided to test out something, with two hands on the blade I spoke the word, "Bash." An almost invisible energy started from my gauntlet then flowed into the katana.
The Melchom recovered from it's stun state as it began rising from it's position, but it was too slow as I slammed the blade into the demon's body. The demon forced back onto the ground, the blow killing it.
…It didn't cut it. So Bash makes my attacks blunt? Increase attack power but it won't be able to cut. Useful against armor and when extra power is needed I guess.
Hmm, do weaknesses also stun the enemy along with dealing extra damage? I'm not sure but that seemed to have been the case in this situation. Not enough cases to really confirm.
≪The 'Agi' skill has been assimilated.≫
So this skill is the fireball?
I held out my hand with the gauntlet, "Agi."
A fireball shot out of my hand towards where I had aimed, colliding with the floor before dissipating.
An excitement welled up within me at the sight. It might not have been that flashy but me doing any kind of magic brought up fantasies deep within my mind that I thought long buried and gone. I reigned in my enthusiasm as it wasn't the time and more importantly because I'm not a chuuni! I won't let myself fall back into that state again. Well, probably any male influenced by modern media would get excited by something like this.
I focused on the condition of my body to check for any injuries I may have missed in my adrenalized state. I don't see or feel anything but… there seems to be an almost minor feeling of fatigue. Just not in the traditional sense. It's something more, how do you say it, mental? Or maybe spiritual. Well I don't really know what something spiritual would even feel like. That just sounds like something that could be the case in some fantasy story.
The logical answer is either that I'm imagining it or Agi uses some sort of energy from me. Like MP in video games or something. With that thought, what about Bash? It's not exactly like magic, but a skill focusing on a physical attack. There's no demons around me so I can spare a moment to experiment.
As I used the skill with just my hand, I noticed that it used up a little bit of my physical stamina. It's not using up the same resource as the Agi. I hadn't noticed yesterday because I was already dead tired.
I would be in a bit more of a hurry if I knew where the hell that Lamia had gone. Doesn't help that I have some doubts about being able to kill it. The strongest thing I killed so far was that level 5 Melchom, in comparison the Lamia is over 3 times stronger with it being level 18.
"Hee! We meet again ho!"
Startled, I turned around with my gun drawn. After a moment to register what I'm seeing, I lowered my weapon, "I wasn't expecting to see you again, especially so soon."
Jack Frost raised it's hand in greeting, "Nice to see you hee healthy ho."
"And it's thanks to you helping me with that Kobold," while I may be mildly uncomfortable dealing with a demon so up close, I'm fairly sure Jack Frost won't attack me. Considering that earlier effort in saving me with it apparently being a 'defender of the innocent' as it called itself from the first time we met. It also helps that it looks like a lovable mascot from a children's cartoon. Makes it look a lot less threatening compared to its actual power.
Let me tell you, I'm the very epitome of the innocent. I do my homework, usually get to class on time, no criminal record, and I hold back the urge to take revenge on those that have wronged me in the past. What? If those reasons don't make me innocent then I don't know what will.
"What are you doing here anyway ho? It's dangerous!"
I simply nod, "I know, I nearly died again just yesterday. However…" eyes narrowed, "A Lamia has most likely taken one of my classmates and I intend to find him."
"Hee Ho! If that's the case I'll join you! Such a noble and heroic purpose. As a fellow hero of justice ho, I will help you!"
"Wait what?" I was not expecting that for some reason. From what little I've seen of this guy, it does seem to have a penchant for helping humans.
"Yeah ho! I noticed the COMP you have on your wrist so you will be able to summon me," it pointed to where I was wearing the gauntlet. COMP? Is that what this thing is called?
"Summon you? But you're right here."
How the heck would this work? Please don't be so vague and specify what you're talking about. That would be much appreciated, you walking rotund snowman.
"I don't know the specifics myself hee but you'll figure it out ho. I'm Jack Frost of the Fairy Race, I will be with you on your quest to help others! Hee ho." The snowman glowed brightly before turning into a ball of light, it was still for a moment before it launched towards the gauntlet. The device absorbing it into itself.
≪Demon Negotiation successful. The contract with Fairy Jack Frost is in effect.≫
The screen on the COMP changes to a status screen for Jack Frost, showing all of its information like it's skills, level, and history. A picture of the demon on the top left of the screen.
…Well, at least I know how demon summoners get demons now.
A/N
Word Count: 4208
Date Posted: September 18, 2021
This chapter took longer than usual to type out. Late by like a month compared to previous chapters. Reasons being: Nothing really substantial.
School started again but I still had free time, I just didn't use it for writing.
Not as much of a fan of this chapter because of all the exposition regarding the gauntlet and the mechanics of how some of this stuff works.
The cover image for this story is drawn by me. You can find it in Pixiv and Twitter under the name GoldenFestival.
Also the story trailers for SMT V got me more hyped up for the game than the gameplay trailer. Probably because the gameplay was about what I expected with some extra bells and whistles including extra nice looking graphics. The story is harder to guess in comparison.
I changed the robotic voice coming from the COMP to have brackets instead of italics from this chapter onwards.
Edit (September 21, 2021): Added line breaks because I forgot the Fanfiction website deleted them upon chapter upload. Also added brackets because I didn't realize that this website also deleted them upon upload. Also also, changed Kobold line to have the proper level that was stated in previous paragraph.
Edit (Same day as previous one): Turns out that brackets can't appear in chapters unlike line breaks. Seriously, what's with that? So instead I changed it to ≪≫ after I recalled seeing it in other stories. So I just used a LaTeX editor I used for a previous class to create that symbol and than copy it on to here. Hopefully last edit.