'...!!'
"You're in my way!"
I cut the 'Gedou' in half, severing their path with my Teguruma. I swept them away. I didn't have to kill them. If I could temporarily immobilize them, if I could buy some time...
"...!!"
'Uuuuggh!!!!'
"Don't come near!"
I scattered the 'Migawari-shari' to stop the 'Gedou' from swarming that person. I generously scattered two portions. The monsters immediately shifted their focus to the scattered rice grains, changing their target. And in that moment, I reached that person. Ah, d*mn it! I wished it was just a mistaken identity!
"You idiot. Of all places, why did you have to end up in this room...?!"
I unintentionally shouted out insults. I grimaced under my mask, spitting out my words with a trembling voice. Looking at the bloodied Omen mask, I screamed.
In front of my eyes, the gruesome remains of Kashiwagi, torn apart all over their body, were scattered...
* * *
"Haa!"
In the dimly lit cave, Shishimai danced. She twirled. She brandished her naginata as if performing a dance.
The blade, enveloped in a fierce spiritual energy, effortlessly sliced through the centipedes. She then punched the face of a rat yokai approaching from the shadow of the centipedes.
'Kiki!?'
With a scream, the rat flew forcefully and slammed against the wall, turning into a red stain.
'Hisss!'
"You're exposed!"
As a mole burst out from underground behind her, Shishimai immediately countered by striking the mole's snout with a heel drop. Its skull caved in, and its neck bone snapped. The mole died in an awkward position.
'Bwuuuoohh!'
"Take this!"
The last centipede, vertically split in half, lunged at the lion-like girl. However, a storm of fire released from her naginata incinerated the centipede. It writhed in agony while being charred.
"Die already, you pests!"
Despite their tough exoskeletons, the exposed flesh was vulnerable, easily burned to a crisp. In the end, only the shell remained after incinerating everything from the inside.
"Haa, haa, haa... Hah! Take that, you d*mn monsters!"
'Kikikikiki!'
"Ugh?! What the...?!"
"Tamaki?!"
Shishimai turned around at that scream. And she witnessed Tamaki struggling against a youkai.
Facing her was a group of three spider crickets, each with a physique resembling a large dog. Tamaki swiftly dodged their attacks, parrying with her sword and launching counterattacks. Her swordsmanship, honed by Sumire, had already taken down two of them.
However, she was struggling against the third one, which was already injured. Tamaki's stamina and concentration were starting to waver, and her movements lacked vigor.
"This is getting annoying!"
Shishimai dashed forward, accompanied by her shout. Combining her spiritual power with youkai strength, enhanced physical abilities, and her natural leg strength, she soared through the air, piercing through it.
'Kikikikiki... Gii?!'
The outcome was decided in an instant. The spider cricket that leaped toward Tamaki's throat was immediately reduced to dust as her naginata struck it. Relaxing her stance, Shishimai turned her gaze towards Tamaki and posed a question.
"...Are you injured?"
"Uh, no. Thank you. You saved me...!!"
Tamaki, momentarily dumbfounded by the person who came to her aid, quickly regained her composure and showed a heartfelt smile of gratitude. Shishimai Asami wore an indescribable expression in response.
"Isn't it... kind of difficult for you?"
"Huh?"
"Don't you have any thoughts about my appearance?"
"W-Well, maybe you're injured somewhere...!?"
"Ah, I see it's going that way..."
As Tamaki hurriedly searched for injuries, Shishimai sighed in exasperation. And then, without hesitation, she flicked her tail and slapped Tamaki's face.
"Whoa?!"
"Don't worry, I'm not injured."
"R-Really?! But then, why...?"
"You seriously believe that? If it were an act, it would be too unbelievable."
Declaring so with a disgruntled expression, Shishimai flaunted her animal ears and tail.
"These aren't mere decorations, you know? And of course, they're not curse-tools. They're a part of me, understand? I'm a half-youkai."
"Uh, yeah...?"
"Don't you have any thoughts about that?"
"Why...?"
Knowing it may be rude, Tamaki responded to the question with another question.
In reality, for Tamaki, the person in front of her was a reliable companion. She couldn't explore this dangerous labyrinth alone... From the moment of their first encounter, she was faced with a life-threatening situation, and Shishimai Asami became her trustworthy guide.
Being a half-youkai didn't bother her at all. Tamaki had almost no prejudice against half-youkai to begin with. She had first encountered half-youkai half a year ago, before even seeing a youkai. She became friends with a half-youkai before encountering youkai. The ears, sharp claws, and the beastly tail growing from Shishimai didn't concern her.
...However, Tamaki hadn't fully grasped that it was considered an unorthodox way of thinking in this world, not just as words, but as an actual understanding.
"You're exasperating... Are you naturally clueless? A sheltered girl?"
Shishimai sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time in this short period. She couldn't help but feel a significant difference in values when faced with the attitude of this girl in front of her, one that didn't match that of a family member or an exorcist.
The prejudice against mixed-blood individuals was still strong, and those who were even remotely impure were immediately dealt with. Although it had decreased, it was still a reality that the imperial court itself treated half-youkai with appropriate caution.
As someone who was born as a half-youkai, she had also received corresponding treatment due to the impure factors flowing in her blood. Perhaps, the current situation they found themselves in was also a result of that. And yet, this young girl...
(Is she genuinely unaffected...? Is she being serious? Is this a joke? The household member of that Onitsuki?)
The keen senses of a beast-like half-youkai conveyed that the swordswoman in front of her wasn't putting on an act. Moreover, considering that she was a household of the Onitsuki family, a prestigious exorcist lineage from the Northern region, Shishimai felt both shocked and perplexed by the unexpected attitude of this girl who didn't fit the typical mold of an exorcist.
"Haha... I haven't fulfilled my exorcist duties much yet. In fact, I became a household because my hometown was attacked by youkai. That's what led me here. So, in terms of experience, it's only been about six months."
"I see. You're a complete novice. But even so, you're too unguarded, and you lack resolve and self-awareness."
Shishimai knew that there were rare cases where someone discovered their exorcist talent after their hometown was destroyed, leading them to become a household and walk the path of exorcism. It wasn't an astonishing revelation. It wasn't an unheard-of situation where someone only realized their spiritual power, family, and friends were destroyed. However, even considering that, the attitude of this girl...
"Yeah, in my case, my hometown wasn't destroyed... I guess I was lucky."
Tamaki, hiding a small part of the story, sincerely and carefully explained. She spoke of her friend's devotion, the grand deeds of her benefactor, and their great achievements.
"What? That's impossible... Are you really talking about a servant?"
With a smile on her face, Tamaki's explanation made Shishimai furrow her brows and purse her lips, clearly skeptical. She even wondered if Tamaki was being deceived by an illusion created by a youkai or if her memories had been tampered with.
From Shishimai's perspective, the actions described by Tamaki regarding the servant were abnormal. They were unusual. She couldn't help but wonder if the servant was involved with the Hidden Group, pretending to be a servant.
...Or perhaps, judging by the peculiar treatment, the servant might be seen as a pawn in the power dynamics of internal political struggles within a prominent household like the Onitsuki family. Nevertheless, she decided it wouldn't be wise to delve into the affairs of others. While listening to Tamaki's words, Shishimai kept that in mind.
"Yeah, Tomobe-kun is truly dependable! He's my heartfelt benefactor!"
Meanwhile, Tamaki, without sensing the underlying meaning of Shishimai's words, simply put her hand over her chest and praised her benefactor without hesitation. It was a pure expression, devoid of any concerns or shame.
It was the kind of words one would expect from a good-natured, naive person.
"...Huff, I'm amazed."
With her eyes widened for a moment, followed by a shrug of her shoulders, Shishimai commented Tamaki's carefree statement. Then she turned on her heel, directing her gaze deeper into the cave.
"...We wasted quite a bit of time here. Let's stop chatting and move on, shall we? This damp place, let's get out of here quickly... Wha-!?"
"Shishimai-san? Wait...!? Huh, it's coming!?"
