Chapter 44: Great Yokai - Sudama
"Good grief. I came because I was worried, and it seems things have gotten rather troublesome."
I woke up to the sound of Sudama’s voice.
"A fire this big—I haven’t seen one like it since Edo."
My body still won’t move. At the very least, my consciousness seems to have returned.
"And for it to be a fire caused by ayakashi. How pitiful. This is the human world, you know. Show some restraint."
In the distance, I heard Snow Fox’s "Whaaat!?" His reaction was far too exaggerated just for seeing a fox-eared loli shrine maiden. Judging by his laid-back tone, it didn’t sound serious, but clearly something surprising had happened.
"After living here a while, I realized there was no boss to keep order around these parts. That’s why it’s become so lawless. I thought it would be meddling to intervene, so I kept my hands off. But—if you’re going to lay hands on my precious Inori, then that’s a different story."
A deep, rumbling growl echoed, like a beast baring its fangs.
"Inori is mine. In my territory, raised by me. What do you think you’re doing? A punishment is in order."
She’s talking as if it’s only natural. But I have parents—my father’s still alive, for one. Then again, she did help raise me quite a bit, and if she claims that area as her domain, then she’s not entirely wrong.
"You know, back in the day I was quite the terror."
The mischievous voice grew higher and higher, as if she were ascending.
"From the time she was just a tiny baby, I’ve cherished Inori like my own child, and now you’ve gone and done this to her…"
Sudama laughs easily, gets angry quickly, and cries just as fast. Her emotions are straightforward, and she never hides what she feels.
But the voice I heard now carried no such emotions. From the words alone, I could sense resentment and reproach, but whether Sudama was angry or grieving, I couldn’t tell.
It was becoming less and less a human voice—no, I wasn’t sure if it ever had been.
"Oh, poor thing. I’d sooner lock her away somewhere, where no one could ever touch her, guarding her from everything and everyone."
Isn’t it a bit much to slap a yandere trait onto a fox-eared loli shrine maiden? Poisent Mist might just be so shocked he’ll get blown clean backwards.
"Now then. I’m not sure punishment alone will be enough."
I opened my eyes—or rather, I created new eyeballs. The originals had burned and melted. At last, I could see what was really happening.
"Perhaps it’s best if I just—"
A massive shadow loomed before me, and with a low, deliberate rumble, it roared:
"—DEVOUR YOU WHOLE."
This was no human voice. It was eerie, menacing—a voice belonging to something that preyed upon mankind. So it was true: once upon a time, she really had been a terror.
What happened to make her come to love humans so much? Or maybe, in the beginning, it was love in a different sense—culinary, perhaps. So you really were a man-eating monster once, huh, Granny Loli? You sure were wild.
"Sudama."
I forced myself to stand. I’d even managed to reconfigure my vocal cords enough to speak. That much, at least, I had recovered. Covering the raw flesh with skin as I went, I called out to her.
"It’s enough. I’m fine. Please, come back."
"Very well."
Her voice instantly shifted back, and Sudama returned to her usual playful loli persona. Ever-changing, ever-shifting—her confidence in transformation wasn’t just for show. In fact, her transformation speed was even faster than her appearance suggested.
Sudama had always declared that she favored humans.
But to Sudama, Hina was not human—she was an
Why she considered me within the bounds of “human,” even though I didn’t die after being burned, I couldn’t say. Was it just because of appearances?
At last, my eyelids had regenerated enough that I could give Sudama a wink.
"That other form of yours was pretty cool, you know."
"My, my. Still as much of a smooth-talker as ever. Don’t go spouting empty compliments, not unless it’s to me."
She had clearly seen right through me—my eyeballs hadn’t fully regenerated yet, so I could hardly see at all. All I’d managed to make out was that she was huge. What even was that form? Did she have a second phase? A final boss mode?
But that wasn’t what I needed to ask right now. Her little “Inori is mine” comment could wait for another time.
Hey, Sudama. If you ever turned into a villain, there’d be no stopping you.
From behind me, a coat was draped over my shoulders. Oversized—it must be Mio’s.
Now that I thought about it, Mio could liquefy his clothing too. He hadn’t been naked when Raiden struck him down.
I accepted it gratefully. After all, I was stark naked. No convenient “the body’s burned but the clothes survived” trope for me.
I closed the coat in front. Regenerating everything under it could wait until later.
With Sudama’s glowing eyes watching from behind, I turned to speak to Hina.
She was no longer setting fire to everything at random. The flames were gone; the world around us was nothing but ash.
"Hina."
"Ah… Inori-san."
Collapsed in tears, Hina lifted her face at the sound of my voice. Her spirit was broken, even the flames atop her head had gone out.
"Can you hear me?"
"I-I didn’t mean for any of that to happen…"
"I know. Even when we first met, you were the same. You’re not that kind of person."
Hina gave a bitter smile—a self-mocking one.
"No, Inori-san. I am that kind of person. Deep down, I want to burn everything to the ground."
"If you turn it all to ash, there’ll be nothing left to burn. Save a little for later."
"I was born from ash."
Ignoring my flippant remark, Hina began to speak.
It was just like the first time we met. Her story wandered in places, but she spoke freely about herself.
Maybe no one had ever listened to her before.
If so, then I would listen. If I wanted her to listen to me, I had to let Hina talk first.
She must have always been silenced, forced to swallow her words, bearing the cost alone.
But if you don’t raise your voice, no one will know you’re suffering. Before you curse the world for not helping, you have to cry out for someone to help you.
That’s what Mio once said—and he was right.
I wanted to hear Hina say it. I wanted to hear her ask for help.
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