Meanwhile, the white spider had taken refuge on my head to avoid the mud. It was rubbing its belly with an expression like "I'm so full (＾ω＾)," it said with an emoji. I mean, seriously, what kind of spider uses emojis!? Don't mess with meeeeeee!!
"Tch, d*mn it!! There's no way it's going to end like this, for such a stupid reason!!"
I endure the triple pain of becoming a youkai, curse, and "black" with tears in my eyes as I stand up. Standing up, I struggle with the strong black mud that is sticky and resistant, sinking my lower body and moving forward with all my strength. The more I force myself to go forward, the more the 'black' is sticking to me, blocking my movement. It even climbs up my body like a slime, enveloping me like a mist. And I could feel it sucking something out of me.
Like it was chewing, and absorbing it.
"Sh*t!! That's gross!!"
I climb up, brush off the clinging thing, spit it out, and just keep going. I don't give a sh*t. There's no time for this...!!
How much time has passed? I finally make it there, bolstered by pain and anger.
The color of the girl who wears a dirty white and red-stained shrine maiden outfit stands out from the pure black surroundings like a line drawn around her. She's just sitting there, with her head down and her face pale, muttering something while looking down at the dying Iruka.
Meanwhile, the lower half of Iruka's body, which is being hugged, is submerged in "black," and the beast fur is slowly corroding. Tamaki does not seem to notice it. Ah, she's completely falling, isn't she?
"Miss!? Miss Tamaki!? Can you hear me!?"
First, I call her name. As expected, there was no response. Then I shakes her shoulders. While shaking them, I shout into her ear. Still no response. She just mumbled to herself.
"Hey! Wake up!! Do you want Iruka to die!?"
I shake the main character violently and shout loudly into her ear. I yell at her, then cry her out, and try to mention her family and hometown, but to no avail. Even threats were useless. I know that this is not simply because she is immersed in her own world.
"D*mn it, why are these things clinging to me...!?"
Being right next to the source of the spring, the "blackness" clings to me, trying to swallow me up. I try to push it away with my arms, but more "blackness" keeps climbing up. There's no end to it.
I click my tongue in frustration, and start to think. What should I do? Is there something, anything, I can do? I dig frantically in my brain for the scenarios and settings of the original story that I remember. I pull them out.
And then, I come up with one idea. A plan that's somewhat out of place in this crisis. A plan that's completely tone-deaf. But already more than half of my body is covered with blackness, and I can feel my body rapidly becoming heavy with a sense of futility and weariness... So, there are not many options.
Then...!
"If I'm going to die anyway, it doesn't matter!"
And I decided to let go of worrying about what would happen next. The action was immediate. And the next moment, my arms are wrapped around her...
* * *
Hotoya Tamaki had been having that dream since she was young.
It was a dream of herself as a boy who was an exorcist, traveling to various places. In that dream, she would have a lively expression, adventuring with various people, sometimes getting into danger, sometimes exterminating youkai, and sometimes helping others.
It is not that she dislikes adventure itself because of her natural disposition. She was also used to being called boyish, and understood that she was in fact curious and mischievous. In fact, she was even a little envious of herself in her dream, who had more freedom than her current condition did.
...Of course, she didn't particularly like it when she dreamt of failing to defeat youkai and being eaten by them.
Unfortunately, as it is with all dreams, the specifics fade rapidly upon waking. However, she remembered that it was a dream that was out of the ordinary and that it was very frightening. When she was young, it scared her so much that I would often run to my parents' bedroom in tears. Even now, when she wake up, she is drenched in sweat.
Perhaps one reason why she actively trained in martial arts despite being told that it was not very becoming of a young lady, was because of that fear from her dreams. Of course, there is also her natural disposition...
Because of such things, Tamaki, who had a strong emotional attachment to her family, found herself resonating with Iruka. In a way, Tamaki was envious of Iruka, who lived in the outside world and was as strong as any man, even though she was a woman. Above all, Iruka carried no burdens that Tamaki herself had to bear.
That's right, she is not free. She is the daughter of the Hotoya family that governs the village. Although her father overlooks her now, she will marry into some other family someday. She knows that it is inevitable, but she cannot accept it emotionally.
Even more so if she has a free-spirited friend right next to her.
But then, for the first time in her life, Tamaki felt a sense of danger to her life. That night, when her friend was taken away, she had a dream. It had been a long time since I had it. Another dream of herself.
It was the worst dream she had ever had. Perhaps it was because she had been attacked by a youkai during the day? Of all days, it had to be the day of the Harvest Festival when the village was attacked by youkai. There were some differences from reality, such as Suzune playing the role of a shrine maiden, but it did not matter. The dream was so vivid that just remembering the faces she knew made her feel nauseous.
Tamaki shook her head immediately and tried to forget that memory. Yes, it was a dream. It's only a bubble dream. What was there to worry about? Just as she thought so, she heard the news that a city close to the village had been attacked by youkai. Tamaki was worried about her friend, but she was just as worried about herself.
Come to think of it, her friend wasn't in her dream this morning... Besides, usually, the memory of a dream fades quickly, but today it was clear and it gave her an indescribable feeling of anxiety.
When a loud roar and animal cry echoed and her friend appeared with the aura of an animal, Tamaki couldn't help but be afraid of her. Her suspicion in her mind turned into a clear nightmare before her friend's scream, but that despair quickly gave her a sense of discomfort... She knew because she had spent a long time with her friend. She knew because she had envied her friend's freedom. She knew because of the subtle acting in her friend's attitude.
In the confusion of the scene, she chased after her friend, realizing that her actions were reckless, but it was too late to stop now. She was worried. Was her friend really betraying her? Or perhaps... she did this foolishness because she had some knowledge of martial arts. She thought that she could turn back if things really got dangerous.
In a way, the situation was the worst. She found her friend from the shade of a tree and saw her injured body, and without checking her friend's surroundings, she spoke out recklessly.
The moment she realized her fault and at the same time she was protected, Tamaki understood her foolishness. Everything was foolish, her actions, her inability to trust her friend, and the fact that it was all irreversible... That's when her mental exhaustion reached its peak.
If she had been a "boy," it might not have happened. Her anxieties about her future and envy might have been much smaller. The fact that it happened during puberty and on top of the unstable period that was specific to women was also a reason. The shock of realizing that it was clearly her own fault must have been significant. In any case, the accumulation of these burdens plunged her mental into the darkness at once.
"No... I-I didn't mean to... it's not like I intended to... No, that's not it... I'm not at fault! No... I never meant for this to happen..." Tamaki stuttered and stammered, her words a jumbled mess of denial and self-defense.
She denied and defended her actions while also trying to analyze them, but it all came out jumbled and without any significant content. Her eyes were devoid of any light as she continued to whisper like a mad person.
All she had was regret and excuses. The shock of despair has robbed her of her reason, and she was unable to even remain calm. She does not see what is going on around her now. Only her instincts were loyal, spreading the darkness that originated from Tamaki's desire to sink into her own world.
Now, the power that had awakened within her solely for the purpose of helping her loved ones had already transformed to fit her master's wishes, something much darker and more sinister.
The darkness, which is relentlessly squeezing and devouring the life around her, at the same time suppresses and confines Tamaki's mind and emotions, something her instincts had unconsciously done to protect her. To protect her heart.
Thus, the merciless black shadow of soul-devouring raged on, taking lives for the sake of Tamaki's desires. Just now, a delicious prey had been ensnared by the "black." The prey is forcing its way through the black, but to no avail. The "black" consumed its immense power without batting an eye.
At the same time, Tamaki hears a voice in her ear, but she couldn't hear it in her current state. Her body is shaken, but she couldn't feel it either. No, she doesn't want to feel.
After all, she was afraid. Afraid of being blamed for her mistakes, for her foolishness. She didn't want to hear anyone's voice or know anything. To protect her heart, she withdrew into a hard shell. Yes, that's right. Run away. Hide. Avoid. But then...
Squeeze!!
"Huh!?"
With a dumb voice, Tamaki's consciousness returns to reality at once. She felt a sudden sensation in a sensitive area of her still-developing body, and the hard sensation she felt in a place she rarely touched made her itch, and the tiny bit of pleasure was almost like an unexpected surprise to her psychological state. It was far more shocking than any words.
Then she looked at the man in front of her, fully aware of her surroundings.
"Huh!? Did you just react!!? Hey, answer me!! How is your condition!? Do you understand what I'm saying...!!!??" said the man in front of her, who demanded an answer, his voice rough and impatient
At the same time, Tamaki screamed and almost reflexively slammed her fist into his face as the man roughly and violently squeezed her chest, sending him reeling backwards. "Aaaaah!?"
Thus, the 'black' has faded away.
* * *
"Aaaaaaah!!!? Aaaaaaaaah!!!? You're the worst!! You pervert! Disgusting! Enemy of women! Die! Die, die, die, dieeee!"
"Ugh!? Igg!? Buho!?"
As soon as the surrounding 'black' vanished like a phantom, the main character, with tears in her eyes, screamed and unceasingly delivered a series of thank-you face-first strikes to me. Naturally, she ignored my screams, which sounded like a chicken's at the moment of being strangled. Hey, wait a minute... Even though she's a woman, each punch feels quite heavy?! And I'm only half transformed into a youkai too, okay...?!
As the chaos ensued, Botan's cold and indifferent voice whispered in my ear. 'No, before that, what are you doing in this situation?' Her tone held a slight contempt, unusual for her. But, I was just acting in a very rational way and it worked, didn't it...?
Anyway, the means by which I had brought Tamaki, who had clearly fallen into a double-peace ahegao, back from her dark side, wasn't motivated by any ulterior motive. I had my own ideas about what to do.
To solve this situation, I recalled the memories of the original work and related media in my brain. And one of the things I remembered was a bonus four-panel manga from the manga adaptation.
Although it was an omake manga that was completely devoted to gags or humor, there was also an explanation of the setting in a related chapter, and my actions were based on that reference.
Concentration is required to activate curse and supranatural abilities. Therefore, the "surprise breast grab" technique, which is a half-joke, was used to seal the opponent's technique just before it's activated. It is said that this technique is effective not only in inciting a sense of shame, but also because the nerves are sensitive in this part of the body. In the four panels, it was used on the youngest daughter of the Akō family and Shiro as victims.
...Well, honestly, if I could get that close in actual combat, I would just pierce my opponent chest and kill them, you know?
(One in eight, it was the right move to do!!)
To be honest, I couldn't find any other way, and that's why I used this method. If it had not worked, I would have been out of my wits. However, I didn't expect it to work... just like an eroge.
Well, anyway...
"Miss! Miss Tamaki! Please stop hitting me, this is not the time!" I tried to plea for mercy.
But it was interrupted by Tamaki's outraged voice. "Shut up! Shut up!" she exclaimed, her tone angry and full of venom. "I won't forgive you this time! You pervert! You..." But soon, after she finally understands the situation around her.
"Huh? What? Where am I... Why are you here too? What's that? What's wrong with your appearance? Huh? What? Oh no!? A snake!?"
Then she notices my deformity and the curse of the snake that binds me... and the snake extends its tongue to Tamaki with an attitude like 'Yo~!' She falls on her butt, astonished and disoriented.
