"Though those barbarians, the Tsuchigumo, are also called dwarves, in truth, the subjects of Izumo and Yamato are hardly taller than them—to say nothing of their features," Yakumo Yukari said, a contemptuous smirk playing on her lips. "Therefore, Your Excellency, if you seek to find 'humans' akin to yourself, you may find that the only ones you can ultimately encounter are... people like you and me?"
As she reached the end of her sentence, Yukari finger tapped lightly back and forth between Sū ěr and herself. Her beautiful face wore an expression of keen anticipation; she had already imagined the look that would cross the face of this stubborn male yōkai, who persisted in his obstinacy over such trivial matters, once she uttered those words.
"I still have things to do. Chatting with you was pleasant; let's talk again next time. Goodbye." With a cold snort in his heart, Sū ěr chose to turn and leave without a moment's hesitation.
It was no feigned departure. He strode away decisively, bypassing Yakumo Yukari in a heartbeat. Yet, just as the two were nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, Yukari—who had maintained a friendly, smiling facade since her appearance—suddenly struck.
There was no great tempest, merely a palm passing through the empty air. It looked less like an attack and more like a casual stretch. But the moment her palm descended, her perennially calm expression finally vanished.
Leaves falling from the trees froze in mid-air, but it was not time itself that had stopped. Even the constant, crisp chirping of insects vanished from his ears. It felt as though a stone had been forcibly thrust into a cup already filled to the brim with water, yet not a single drop was permitted to spill. It was an oppressive sensation rising from the depths of the heart—a feeling that the very space they occupied was bloating under the pressure of this squeeze.
For Yakumo Yukari, with her specialized abilities, this sensation was more palpable than for any other being. It was the primary reason her complexion shifted so abruptly—the nature of this sudden anomaly was not merely due to the pillar of light soaring into the heavens.
As if to dye the daylight in a different hue, shimmering points of light, like fireflies startled in a night forest, scattered in a rain of crystalline green radiance.
The smile on her face vanished entirely, replaced by the most primal essence of a yōkai: killing intent. The rhythm of her malevolence was almost impossible to conceal. Wisps of black miasma radiated from her body, and the space behind her tore open. Those crimson eyes gazed out once more, but this time, the gaze was no longer mechanical; it was unadulterated evil.
The proud curve of her lips tore away all pretenses of civility and kindness. To her, methods did not matter, slaughter did not matter; everything would be trampled underfoot. This was the true Yakumo Yukari—the leader who attracted other yōkai with her grand ambitions, matching the proclamation she had just made.
Devouring bone and drinking blood, she commanded equal parts reverence and terror from the yōkai who followed her, as if she intended to annihilate all life.
This soaring black miasma was the manifestation of her yōki [demonic energy], blocking the scattered green lights before her. With a somber face, Yukari raised her right hand. Upon it was half a scorched palm print, etched deep into the bone. Even the transformed flesh had been burned to charcoal. With Yukari discernment, there was no doubt this partial print belonged to a woman, and its owner required no guessing—she was standing right before her.
A translucent body, composed of flowing ribbons of light down to the finest detail, where even a single strand of hair was flawless. Though it was a body formed of illusory energy, when the renewed breeze blew past, those strands of hair swayed in the wind. Without a doubt, at first glance, Yukari confirmed that the source of that alien sensation was this bizarre 'soul body' before her.
'Soul body' was merely a proxy term Yukari used in her haste, drawing from concepts she knew to describe this unknown entity. At the very least, a normal soul would never have the ability to forcibly shove aside intangible, formless concepts.
The ethereal half-body emerged from the male yōkai, bound to him like a chain. From the moment she appeared, she radiated energy as bright and dazzling as a bonfire in the dark. It was indescribable, yet Yukari did not doubt for a moment the lethality this unknown energy could inflict.
Was this still yōki? Surely, it must be?
"Please don't touch my lover so recklessly... alright?" A lazy, full-bodied voice spoke, sounding like someone stretching after just waking up, yet it was piercingly clear. The translucent soul body stared into Yukari eyes and said, "He's a bit shy about such 'passionate' touching from a stranger he's meeting for the first time~"
"Ah? Is that so? I feel like I'm no different than usual, actually."
Unfortunately, following Think majestic attempt to push back with her aura, Sū ěr poked his head out and uttered words that completely undercut her momentum.
"...You, honestly, could you at least wait until I finish negotiating with her before speaking? Don't you think you're ruining the atmosphere?" Turning slightly with a mix of helplessness and playfulness, Think looked at Sū ěr and sighed.
It seemed the dignity of Lord Flügel was entirely lost here.
"..."
Yukari did not respond to the banter between the two yōkai—or rather, at this point, she wasn't even sure if they could be classified as two yōkai. Her injured hand remained raised. With a solemn expression, she looked back and forth between Think and Sū ěr several times before her face suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
"Of course~ that is only right~," Yukari said airily, the fingers of her uninjured hand lightly touching the wound. "It was just a joke~"
As she spoke those nonchalant words, her fingers slid across the surface of the injury.
Whatever methods the blonde yōkai used were invisible, but Sū ěr and Think saw that as Yukari finger moved, the gruesome injury vanished inch by inch until it was gone entirely.
"...Oh my~ so it was just a joke~," the translucent Think said, lightly tapping her forehead as if realizing something, her voice dripping with fake concern. "I almost misunderstood. You aren't hurt, are you?"
"No need to worry. It wasn't a difficult problem to solve, hoho~"
"Hohoho~"
The two women continued to smile falsely at each other, but Sū ěr knew this had nothing to do with humor, nor was anything that had just happened a joke.
In the world of yōkai, strength was the only currency that mattered.
Whether it was Yukari sudden strike or Think counterattack, both were simply following that cold, cruel principle.
—Even if Think was not a yōkai.