Chapter 80: King NemuNemu ③

Sudama had sent word to meet at the entrance of Nemunemu Land.

By the time we stepped into the amusement park, Mio had already slipped away unnoticed.

That vanishing act was nothing new. Maybe this time he just wanted to save on admission fees.

The only problem was what Sudama actually considered the "entrance" to be. After clearing the baggage check and stepping through the gate, I spotted kids chattering noisily.

At the center was a pair of fox ears. Looked like she hadn’t gotten lost after all. A relief.

"Foxy! Do the fox call for us!"

"Can’t be helped. Here, kon-kon!"

Sudama raised both hands in a fox shape and let out an imitation cry that sounded nothing like a real fox.

The place burst into laughter. Damn. Just like a kids’ TV show.

The children’s hearts were already wrapped around her little finger.

"Inori!"

Sudama’s face lit up when she noticed me, and she came running right over.

The kids who had been flocking around her looked disappointed. Some even glared at me. Great, bright future ahead for them.

"Hey, Sudama. You’re fitting in so well here I thought you were part of the park staff."

"We can’t talk freely here. Come."

Without hesitation, Sudama grabbed my hand.

As she led me away, the kids she’d been entertaining all looked sad and frustrated.

Man, I feel like the villain here.

"Foxy, wait!"
"You’re leaving already?"

Sudama reached out to the sulking kids, patting each of their heads in turn.

"Forgive me. If fate allows, we shall meet again."

Finally, there was one kid who hadn’t come closer, just stood there with a gloomy face. Sudama went up to that one herself and patted their head.

The kid’s face lit up. Beaming, they waved us goodbye as we walked away.

…Way too generous with the fan service.

At this point, it was basically a meet-and-greet event.

I just hope none of these kids walk away with any strange fetishes because of this.

"So why an amusement park, seriously?"

Being pulled along by the hand, I asked.

Sudama was walking unusually fast, and I had to move my legs frantically to keep up.

"I heard this Nemunemu was thy friend?"

"Yeah, that’s true, but… why Nemunemu specifically?"

"They came to us. During the quarrel between Jin and Raiden, Nemunemu stepped in to mediate. I would have been too rough, so their help was welcome. But… was that not thy decision, Inori?"

"No, that wasn’t me."

I’ll just set aside the fact that Sudama thought she could forcefully step into the Ironclad and Raiden’s fight.

Nemunemu Land has a castle. Appropriately named Nemunemu Castle.

It stands at the center of the park, visible from anywhere inside.

But Nemunemu Castle isn’t an attraction. No public entry.

It’s only there as a backdrop for photos.

Why?

Because everyone believes "Nemunemu lives in Nemunemu Castle."

And in truth, during parades, plenty of Nemunemus do appear from its gates.

The dreamless types probably think of Nemunemu Castle as just a dressing room, office, or backroom.

Me? I prefer to believe it’s a real fortress inside. …Though, truth is, I’ve actually been inside.

Only as far as the entrance hall.

Nemunemu had offered to show me around, but I turned it down. Didn’t want to shatter my fortress theory.

Also, amusement park backrooms always feel like they’re full of things you really shouldn’t see.

So there we were, standing before Nemunemu Castle’s gates when they opened on their own from the inside.

No matter how many times I entered, it always made me tense up, but Sudama, unconcerned, pulled me straight in.

The instant we stepped inside, the noise of the outside world faded away.

A red carpet stretched straight ahead, flanked by two grand staircases rising symmetrically.

Light sparkled from a chandelier hanging overhead, illuminating the stone walls and the tapestries adorning them.

Our footsteps echoed sharply, like we’d wandered into a real castle.

Only the glowing green emergency exit signs in the corners reminded me this was still part of an amusement park.

Like a hotel lobby, desks and sofas had been placed around.

Back when I talked with Nemunemu—though of course, I was the only one actually speaking out loud—we often sat there.

Now, though, Jin sat slumped on a sofa, shaking his leg in irritation, looking like he was ready to kill.

And in the corner of the stone wall stood D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E., motionless.

I guess my worries weren’t unfounded.

The majestic castle suddenly looked like a haunted house.

Good thing we were in an area off-limits to the public.

"Alright, we’ve reached a place where we can talk properly."

Sudama let go of my hand and faced me.

"Now then, I ask you—what is this scent?"

At first, I had no idea what she meant. But then it clicked. Was she saying I smelled like dog food or something?

Like when you pet a stray cat and your house cat gets jealous?

But this wasn’t some trivial matter.

Sudama’s murderous intent was real.

She deals with Jin on a regular basis. You can tell in an instant whether someone’s trying to kill or not.

"Whose filthy bones have tainted it—no, no. Speak not. I can track it by scent alone. I shall hunt. Shall a token of the head be necessary?"

"Wait. Sudama, wait."

I called out to calm her as her fur bristled.

After a moment, Sudama stared at me with wide, dilated eyes, then opened her mouth and let out a long sigh.

Her bright red tongue and sharp teeth glinted in the light.

"Such courage in my Inori… truly. I look away for but a moment, and this is the result. Do not scatter thy charms so freely."

In an instant, my whole body felt like it was on fire.

"Whoa—!? What the hell are you doing!?"

Blue flames. They reminded me of the Inferna’s wild emotions.

Yet strangely, there was no heat.

Sudama explained it as if it were nothing.

"This is purification. Water or fire are best for cleansing."

"Sudama…! You… what the hell…!"

The flames vanished almost as quickly as they’d come, but my heart pounded like a drum.

Hardly surprising—I had nearly been roasted alive not long ago.

"My apologies. Did I frighten thee? My immaturity blinded me to thy plight, Inori."

"If that’s enough for you… fine, I guess…"

Seriously, fire should be strictly banned in an amusement park. I swallowed a mountain of complaints.

Technically, she had seen me nearly burned to death.

But right now, Sudama’s emotions were tilted off balance. Best not to provoke her.

She tilted her ears forward and sulked.

"Sorry…"

"It’s fine, I forgive you. I’ll make sure the dogs don’t lick me next time."

"Good resolve."

Sudama nodded, satisfied, then said:

"I just remembered something I must do. As for the details of why we came, another shall tell thee."

"Fine, but… don’t kill anyone, okay? You won’t. Right?"

"Yes. No… kill… ing."

Sudama smiled sweetly, though her pupils were slitted like a predator’s.

"They shall merely be dealt with in the proper way when words fail."

Cracking her finger joints, she looked more than ready.

When I had introduced D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. to her, Sudama’s immediate idea of “handling yokai who lack wit” was simple:

"First, teach them the hierarchy by beating them into it."

…Bless you, strange dog.

Unless something was truly evil, Sudama would handle it herself. She had that nurturing streak.

"Don’t overdo it."

I called out to her back as she left.

Now came the hard part: figuring out why these guys were here. None of them could communicate like normal people.

Jin’s every word curdled into insults, and D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.… was D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.

Nemunemu wasn’t around, and even if they were, all they could do was gestures.

…Maybe I should’ve stopped Sudama after all.

Ah, whatever. One thing at a time.

"Jin, you got something to tell me?"

"…"

"Fine if not. Found a new place to live. Wanna move in?"

"Huh?"

Jin made a bizarre, almost comical noise, staring at me like I’d lost my mind.

Expected. No need to flinch.

I repeated myself.

"Move in?"

"…If it’s spacious."

Jin muttered this while looking away.

Maybe this was tsundere warmth peeking through. Or maybe just grudging, since he did destroy his house.

I can’t really handle Jin myself, but nobody else can either.

Would be nice if someone else could puncture that murderous aura with a sharp joke now and then.

"Next time you destroy a house, can you make it a transformable combination robot and show me?"

"Die."

Well… that flop landed hard.