"If you wish to find her, I am willing to use myself as bait," Hoderi said, bowing his head frankly. "Perhaps it is precisely because I was the one who ambushed her back then that she harbors a... hatred for me that far exceeds what she feels for normal yokai."
"Is that not simply the consequence of your own making?" Although Hoderi sounded pitiable, Sū ěr felt no sympathy. He even yawned before continuing. "I see. If the need arises, I will look for you... So, have the Oni officially joined Izumo now?"
"Indeed. However, many of our kin have chosen to live on their own in the wild. Given their strength, they usually won't face too much danger," Hoderi answered with certainty.
"Aren't you afraid of ending up like those slaughtered yokai? Being led onto that execution stage once you've outlived your usefulness..." Sū ěr was referring to the massacre that had just occurred, but Hoderi shook his head with conviction.
"It won't happen," Hoderi trusted his own judgment. "The power of our Oni tribe is far greater than those wretches. Moreover, coming from the underground together makes us more united than ordinary yokai. Such a thing will never happen to us."
But by doing this, aren't you cutting yourselves off from the rest of the yokai? The words got stuck in Sū ěr throat. After a few seconds, he swallowed them.
Why bother?
"Go on, then. I'm a bit tired," Sū ěr sighed and began to dismiss them. After the initial novelty wore off, the city felt like it was gradually becoming turbid, as if he were at the bottom of a swamp.
"Then we shall take our leave. Please, take care of your health." With another respectful bow, Hoderi led Shin out the door, hunched over. He even took Taiko, Shin current "partner," with him.
"Are you really that tired?" Think, who had been hidden since Hoderi entered, reappeared and massaged Sū ěr forehead.
"Yeah, pretty much," Sū ěr said, sounding drained. "I just really want to go back to a civilized society... Take you to see a movie or something. That's way more interesting than all this killing."
"Hehe, then you'll have to work hard, won't you? After all, with gods and yokai influencing things, it's still an unknown whether humans can ever reach the path you want to see~" Think said with a light laugh, not intending to mock him.
"Yeah, I know."
The impact of that massacre was far-reaching and heavy. Though it might not be recorded in history countless years from now, it was unavoidable for Izumo at this moment—the yokai were fleeing.
From those seven islands, from the entirety of Izumo City, from the forests surrounding it... even yokai could be frightened. Moreover, most yokai didn't possess great power; their massive bodies were only good for bullying weak humans. Thus, running away was a natural response.
Izumo City became much quieter. To be honest, occasionally going out and not seeing yokai walking normally while holding their own heads in their arms, or not hearing those uniquely yokai-style street cries, made Sū ěr feel a bit unaccustomed.
Actually, calling it "quiet" isn't quite accurate. The spots left by the yokai were quickly filled by humans, like wood glue filling the cracks in timber. Sū ěr never knew there were so many humans in Izumo. For the first time in hundreds of years, the city felt as if it had been occupied by humans.
Though this was merely an illusion. Of the seven islands tethered to the mainland by ropes, the largest was given over to the Oni. Beyond that, yokai still existed in Izumo, but those who hadn't left in these turbulent times were those immensely confident in their own strength—like the Flower Yokai in the shop next door.
Regarding the changes in Izumo after her battle, Kazami Yuuka merely raised an eyebrow and stopped caring. she went about her business as usual, completely unaffected.
Taiko's visits became less frequent. Now that the number of yokai outside the city had decreased, there was more work for him to do: gathering wild vegetables and fruits, stockpiling fuel for the winter, and occasionally being recruited for city construction.
"Why is everyone suddenly so full of hatred for the yokai? No one said a word before," Taiko said, looking confused as he poked the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks across from Sū ěr.
"Don't play with your food." Instead of answering, Sū ěr just flicked Taiko on the forehead as a reprimand. The rice in the boy's bowl had almost been mashed into paste.
"So, what do you think the reason is?" Unlike Sū ěr, who avoided the topic, Think asked Taiko with great interest. She didn't need to eat, but she floated in the air clutching a teacup.
The question was a bit too much for Taiko. He put down his chopsticks and clutched his head in frustration, but in the end, he couldn't come up with an answer.
That was normal. Given his knowledge, experience, and age, expecting him to say anything constructive was a tall order.
"I just feel like it's wrong!" The red-haired brat was incredibly firm on this one point, shouting it quite loudly.
"Fine, fine, it's wrong. Can you eat first?" Sū ěr urged dismissively, but this time Taiko didn't listen. Instead, he looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"What about you, Sir? Why do you think it is?" Taiko wanted to know.
"...To be honest, I don't really want to talk about it. Why are you suddenly obsessing over this today? Did something happen?" Sū ěr felt he had guessed the reason. "Did someone die?"
Likely right in front of the boy.
"...It was Brother Leaf [Yè zi]," Taiko answered in a low voice after being seen through by Sū ěr.
"Huh? Brother Leaf?" Sū ěr was a bit confused; he remembered Taiko didn't have any siblings.
"The yokai who gave you that—the good yokai!" Realizing Sū ěr wasn't remembering who he meant, Taiko anxiously pointed to the opposite wall. Hanging there was a beast-tooth ornament inlaid with polished gemstones.
"...Taiko, he didn't give it to me. I gave him something in exchange," Sū ěr looked at him and said seriously. "Even though he ran away at the time, I didn't forget. I even returned the things he left behind. So it wasn't a gift, understand?"
"...Ah, er, yeah... I understand," Taiko nodded vigorously.