It was more than that. These strands of youki were actually intertwining, as if particles were entangling to fuse into a nascent form of energy—it was almost too soft.
Sū ěr couldn't help but be amazed.
They were worlds apart from the youkai in his impressions. Those youkai felt "wrong" just by existing; their very presence was a middle finger to the laws of nature.
Times had changed. Sū ěr realized this clearly now.
Perhaps during the vast stretch of time he had skipped, the youkai had evolved or changed themselves to survive, eventually becoming what they were now. Or perhaps they were simply a new breed that could adapt to this era.
Strolling through the courtyard, Sū ěr and Think went undetected. They looked for all the world like a pair of tourists at a scenic spot, peering around with curiosity.
The scene perfectly matched his expectations for a youkai nest. There were youkai of all shapes and sizes. There was a tiny one, barely reaching Sū ěr shin, running along the wooden engawa [veranda] clutching a bowl of rice. Its head was essentially a bundle of straw wrapping something, featuring a single, massive eye with a white iris on a black sclera, and it wore a tiny orange cloth shirt.
Then there was a large one—a birdman with a black avian head and two small wings on his back. A string of prayer beads hung around his neck, reminding Sū ěr of one of Japan's most famous youkai—a Daitengu? Or was it just called a Tengu?
"Hey!! Natto! Don't run on the corridor with that bowl!"
"Hahahaha!"
Right in front of Sū ěr and Think, a woman hurriedly slid open a shoji [sliding paper door] and leaned out to yell. The "Natto" she referred to was undoubtedly the tiny youkai that had just dashed past Sū ěr. At her shout, he didn't even look back, simply laughing as he rounded a corner and vanished.
"A human?" Sū ěr raised an eyebrow in surprise. The woman, dressed in a traditional kimono, possessed no youki whatsoever. Yet, she moved with total ease within this youkai nest, showing no discomfort. She even had the gall to scold a youkai... though her "fierceness" carried zero intimidation. If anything, it made her look quite charming.
"Ah—I tripped."
Stating the fact without emotion, the woman—who had rushed out with one hand on the shoji—took the corner too sharply and fell flat on the veranda. This triggered a massive commotion. A swarm of youkai poured out of the room. While their appearances challenged the limits of Sū ěr and Think imagination, they spoke with a gentleness that betrayed their monstrous looks as they comforted and helped the human woman up.
Before long, the tiny youkai named Natto was dragged back by another youkai who had rushed from the room. He was promptly scolded... but even then, any harsh words were intercepted by the human woman. In the end, she just gave the head of the kneeling, solemn-looking (presumably) Natto-youkai a little poke, and the matter was settled.
This "one big happy family" scene made Sū ěr feel like the world was glowing with a warm, orange hue. He could only knit his brows and, with his hands behind his back like an old man, bypassed the laughing group of youkai to head deeper into the manor.
It was classic and elegant. Even though some rooms revealed modern appliances when opened, they didn't ruin the unique charm of this ancient-meets-modern architecture. From the distance came the rhythmic clack of a shishi-odoshi [bamboo water fountain hitting stone]. It wasn't noisy; rather, it made the atmosphere more serene.
At the end of a corridor surrounded by bamboo sat two tall men. They were undoubtedly youkai, but they showed no abnormal limbs or features. One wore a sedge hat and monk's robes, while the other wore black monk's robes with a necklace made of skulls.
They were drinking. The noise from the other group of youkai was still a bit loud by the time it reached them, but they seemed not to notice. They continued to savor their sake with composed contentment, looking for all the world like they were enjoying their "youkai lives."
"...How are they any different from humans?"
After pausing for a moment beside the two drinking youkai, Sū ěr resumed his pace and voiced his confusion.
Yes, these youkai looked like youkai. They had red faces, fangs, and wings. Their heads could detach from their necks and be tucked under their arms; their hair could be longer than their bodies. But besides that?
If he closed his eyes and replaced their monstrous forms with ordinary humans, their instinctive reactions and actions were indistinguishable from those of common people. They cared for one another, were friendly, and played together...
These emotions weren't faked. Every bit was genuine.
Perhaps, aside from their looks, the only proof of their identity was the phenomena they caused when using their abilities—wind, fire, thunder, and lightning. But how was that any different from "superpowers"?
"Humans with superpowers"—that was Sū ěr verdict.
They were the polar opposite of the youkai in Sū ěr memories. The youkai in this courtyard were all... too soft.
After thinking it over, Sū ěr found that only this word felt accurate.
Compared to "beasts" like Yakumo Yukari or Kazami Yuuka, these youkai were like tigers that had shed their claws and fangs. They posed not the slightest threat. Was this the price they paid for surviving into the present?
Even someone who knew nothing about youkai could tell the difference. When one approached Yakumo Yukari or Kazami Yuuka—or even the minor youkai hawking wares in front of Sū ěr door in Izumo—the hair on one's arms would stand on end. Regardless of their strength, those youkai were like roaring bonfires of desire—the light of ambition.
But the youkai in this courtyard... it seemed they considered simply being alive a success.
"Youkai who have fallen to this extent... I suppose it's fine to call them human," Think agreed, shrugging. "Given their long lifespans, we might be able to find a youkai here who has lived long enough. If we do, many of our questions might finally be answered."
"Yeah. What exactly happened over all these years... Compared to the human myths passed down through generations in libraries, I'd much rather hear the myths told among youkai," Sū ěr sighed deeply.
They had reached the main house of the courtyard.