"You must be careful when passing through this area!"
Chizuki flicked her tail, pointing toward the alluvial beach not far away.
"What's over there?" Shimamura walked behind Chizuki, curiously looking around.
They were already quite far from Higi Village. Since the distance between Yashiori Island and Kannazuka was relatively close, with a large stretch of beach connecting them, Chizuki often wandered from Yashiori Island to Kannazuka after completing her Daily Commissions.
"That's Nazuchi Beach," Chizuki explained the terrain there, then said seriously to Shimamura, "There are many Wandering Samurai there, so we must be careful not to be spotted. From now on, you must stay close to me. We'll rest after every short sprint, then continue."
"Any questions?" Chizuki added the last sentence like an order.
"None!" Shimamura replied enthusiastically.
"Then let's go." Just in case, Chizuki took out the Dull Blade from her system backpack. *
I've walked on thin ice all my life. Do you think we can make it to the end?* "Meow!" Chizuki ran quickly with Shimamura, nervously hiding behind a large boulder.
"I think we almost got spotted by a Specter just now," Chizuki finally sighed in relief after confirming there was no danger.
"What's that? A purple beach?! So pretty!" Shimamura, unable to grasp the urgency of the situation, was quickly distracted by other things.
"Don't go there!" Chizuki meowed, immediately stopping Shimamura. "That beach is purple because the Electro energy there is extremely dense. If ordinary people accidentally enter that area, their bodies won't be able to handle it."
For the first time, Chizuki was also drawn to such a sight. But after taking only a few steps, she felt noticeably uncomfortable. Her body's warning told her she couldn't go any further.
Even staying in this area was dangerous. "So where should we go now?" "Detour around this place. There's a large stretch of tidal flats ahead—that's where we're heading."
"Don't walk by the shore, take the side path." After advancing about a hundred or two hundred meters, Chizuki saw a small hill splitting the path ahead.
"There are many Monsters along the beach. It's dangerous to go that way." "Makes sense," Shimamura agreed.
"Is there someone over there?" Shimamura pointed to a small boy wearing a straw hat not far away.
"Huh? Seems like it." "Hello, have you seen a tanuki mask?" Shimamura decided to ask, thinking she might get some clues. The boy slowly turned around.
His face was covered by a white mask. But what sent chills down Shimamura's spine was that the mask had only one eye!
"Waaahhh!" Shimamura was terrified. Chizuki came over to check after hearing the scream. "Danroku, scaring people again?" Chizuki quickly understood what had happened upon seeing the boy's appearance.
Honestly, she had also been startled the first time she saw Danroku. No matter how you think about it, a normal person couldn't possibly have just one eye!
Then she gradually got to know the yokai living in Kannazuka.
The one-eyed boy Danro innocently spread his hands, speaking in a tone that genuinely suggested he had nothing to do with it: "Not me. She came over herself to ask questions. I just turned around, and she got scared by me."
"In a way, that is pretty scary," Chizuki somewhat agreed with this view.
"But I didn't see any tanuki mask," Danro shook his head. "Then have you seen a Karakasa-kozo?" After nodding to show she roughly understood, Chizuki asked another question.
"Tan Tan? I haven't seen her," Danro still shook his head. "Do you know when she might appear?"
"Maybe at night," Chizuki nodded thoughtfully as well. "So if we want to know the truth, we'll probably have to wait until evening."
From her initial speculation, Chizuki could roughly deduce this. "But wouldn't it be more dangerous at night?"
She glanced at Shimamura beside her at this point. "We have to send the child home first," she thought.
Chizuki, who bore the title of Fluffy Guardian Cat, absolutely couldn't bear to see a child get hurt. "Actually, I'm a magical kitty," she flicked her two tails and said in a cheerful tone.
"Eh? Really?" "Of course! Tomorrow I'll help you find the tanuki mask. I'll come find you tomorrow."
"What does Chizuki mean?" "It's getting dark. Shimamura has to go home. It wouldn't be good to worry the family.
" "Okay! Fluffy Guardian Cat. I'll listen to you!" Chizuki excitedly clenched her fists and said happily, "Then it's a promise! I'll go home now, but Chizuki has to help me find the tanuki mask tomorrow."
"Okay." "I want to pinky swear."
Chizuki: "??" "But I only have paws."
Chizuki slowly raised one of her front paws. "Fist bump. It's just as effective." "Okay," Shimamura extended her tiny fist. "I'll send the child home first and come back to find you later," she said to Danro before leaving.
After safely escorting the child home without incident, Chizuki hurried back to the vicinity of Kannazuka without delay. By then, it was already dark. "Uh... Did I not say earlier to wait for me here?"
Chizuki felt a pang of panic seeing the spot where Danro had stood now empty. Though as a Nekomata, she naturally had night vision. In the darkness, her emerald-green pupils glowed like little lanterns. From a distance, someone might mistake them for two will-o'-the-wisps floating in the air.
Why call them will-o'-the-wisps? Chizuki stepped on the damp sand, leaving shallow paw prints trailing behind her.
Not far away, green fluorescent fireflies fluttered their wings in the grass. The silvery moonlight spilled over the earth, stretching Chizuki's shadow long.
Her slightly twitching ears caught the rustling sounds from the bushes. A shadow seemed to flash by. But when Chizuki peeked over to look, there was no trace of anything there.
The sea breeze carried moist air, instantly dampening Chizuki's fur.
The sea breeze alternated with the land breeze.
When the land wind blew, a chill rose in the air. Chizuki turned her head stiffly, feeling her hair stand on end at that moment.