In ancient times, people understood far less about the world than we do today. Whenever they encountered something they couldn't explain—something beyond sight, beyond touch—they treated it as a strange and fearsome creature.
All the unseen, untouchable, inexplicable beings were given a single name: chimimōryō—what we would now call yokai.
And in even older ages, natural disasters plagued the land. The harsh environment bred storms, quakes, and calamities of every kind.
Terrified by nature's destructive and creative power, humanity—so small and fragile—could do nothing but bow in awe.
These invisible, uncontrollable forces lay far beyond human understanding. Yet people always interpreted the supernatural in two opposing lights.
Benevolent, warm, radiant powers were worshipped as gods.
Dark, eerie, unsettling forces were feared as yokai.
But as the ages passed and technology crept into everyday life, people realized that ancient legends collapsed quickly under scientific scrutiny. How laughable the beliefs of their ancestors now seemed.
Even so… legends are born from life. Can every strange tale of the past truly be explained away by modern science?
Fukayomachi—an old district within Tokyo—was famous.As for why, we must look into its past.
They say that in the Edo era, this was the liveliest street around, glittering with lantern light from end to end. Perhaps that was why yokai were said to appear here often, leaving behind countless tales.
But now, in the present day, Fukayomachi is just an ordinary street. Weathered trees and sparse plants line the path. Moss clings to the narrow alleys and stone steps. Nothing remains of its former prosperity.
Instead, the crumbling surroundings make it painfully clear that the district has fallen far behind the modern world—completely overshadowed by Tokyo's brilliant neon glow.
With progress came forgetfulness; people abandoned their fear of yokai, replacing it with a curious fascination.
Tourists flocked to Fukayomachi hoping to encounter "real yokai."
The local government saw a chance to profit and chose not to modernize the area. They preserved its old-fashioned charm as much as possible.
But years passed. Visitors came and went. And never—not once—did anyone truly witness a yokai.
Gradually, the street lost its fame. Disappointed thrill-seekers spread the word, and the district sank into long-term neglect. Damp, dark, and half-abandoned, it became a no-man's-land.
The authorities seemed to have given up on the area entirely. Both environment and public safety deteriorated.
Now, aside from a few airheaded "yokai fanatics," even the locals have moved away.
On this particular morning, the entrance of an alley on Fukayomachi's main street held a crowd unlike anything seen in years. Police had cordoned off the area.
Reporters descended like vultures drawn by carrion, cameras snapping furiously.Even though officers tried to shield the scene, paparazzi always found an angle.
In this country, someone holding a camera is rarely harmless. If they couldn't find a respectable job, they were "photojournalists." If they wanted more cash, they could whip up an entire adult film in minutes with a few willing young ladies.
A teenage boy stared at a bicycle older than he was, frowning as he passed down the street he usually took to school.
Ding."Residual yokai energy detected in the air. As an aspiring sovereign of yokai, such insolent little monsters trespassing on your territory have angered you.Eliminate the yokai causing trouble in your domain and remind it of the consequences of angering a Great Yokai.Reward: 100 Human Reputation, 300 Yokai Reputation."
Hearing that electronic voice echo inside his head, Ren Kuroda once again resisted the urge to groan. Becoming this so-called "King of Yokai"? He had zero interest.
But the system insisted on shoving him in that direction whenever it could.
"So they crawled out again, huh? And it looks like… someone died this time."
He sighed heavily.
"What a pain. I thought getting isekai'd meant I could slack off and look cool, but this world's even more troublesome than my old one."
He muttered complaints, yet his feet carried him honestly toward the crowd.
Humans love watching chaos. No matter the country, no matter the world.
So long as they aren't the ones being watched.
Ren parked his ancient bicycle by the wall, carefully locked it, and squeezed into the cluster of onlookers.
"Hey! What are you pushing for? You think this is a pair of boobs—just squeeze hard enough and you get in?"
A middle-aged woman gave him a sharp glare—until she turned and actually saw his face. Her expression softened immediately.
Some things never change across worlds: people judge by looks.Ren gently rejected her attempt to give him her phone number and sighed. Being reborn was definitely a technical skill—his face alone probably shaved twenty years off life's difficulties.
Ren was not from this world. He was a traveler—someone who crossed over.
He arrived to find himself in the body of a teenage boy. Why he crossed over, how he crossed—both mysteries. Going back? Probably impossible.
But starting life anew, good-looking and surrounded by cute girls, Ren considered this a perfectly worthwhile trade.
He now bore the full name Kuroda Ren. His height and looks were top tier, and his face could only be described as absurdly handsome.
When he first arrived, it didn't take him long to accept reality.Years of reading novels and playing games had prepared him all too well for supernatural nonsense.
Besides, when you're this handsome, it's easy to slip into the role. Even his nervousness faded faster thanks to that.
He inherited tea-brown, slightly messy hair from his new mother, stood a clean one-eighty tall, and had striking features with a roguish charm. Compared to the long-legged "oppa" types of his previous world, he was leagues above.
He was still dirt poor—some things never changed—but even that wasn't a crisis. With his looks, worse came to worst, he could grit his teeth and do some bodyguard work… or tank-pushing gigs… and still make a living.
But after a few years, Ren realized something:
This world was not ordinary.
Here, humans existed—
But so did yokai.
Yes. Literally the yokai from folklore—ghosts, spirits, monsters—real and breathing.
And he himself wasn't fully human either.
He was—ahem—a half-yokai.
Reality was cruel, but he had no choice but to accept the truth.
This world was far more complicated than it looked. Just like the scene in front of him now.
In the dim alley, something lay sprawled on the ground, covered completely by a white sheet.
Ren could sense faint traces of yokai energy in the air—just as the system had claimed. A trespassing yokai had caused trouble on his turf.
These days, a transmigrator without a built-in cheat would be embarrassed to show his face.
Ren was no exception, though his system often exaggerated or rewrote his intentions.Still, he couldn't deny it—the system had made him stronger over the years.
"Hey! What are you doing so close? This isn't a place for students!"
A sharp voice startled him.Just as he was trying to get a closer look at the corpse, someone tugged on his pants.
He turned—and froze.
A strikingly pretty girl stood there, wearing a police uniform.Long, silky pink hair framed her face. Her figure was… distracting, to say the least. Even the uniform couldn't hide the curves that refused to obey the proportions of her petite, doll-like face.
Her shirt buttons looked like they were fighting for life itself. Ren half-wondered if a single stretch would make the top explode.
"Hey! Brat! I'm talking to you! Where do you think you're staring?"
"A-ah, I was looking at your… uh… I mean… looking at what's happening over there!"
Her proportions were so shocking that Ren had nearly blurted out he was "observing the balls"—as in sports, of course. Totally sports.
Although Ren was technically a high school student and she was clearly an adult, calling him a "brat" with that baby face of hers took some nerve.
Standing side by side, she actually looked more like the kid.
Not because Ren looked old—but because despite her… impressive figure… her face was undeniably that of a cute, tiny loli.
"Did you not hear what I said? You need to leave now. We're still investigating, and if you gawkers mess up the crime scene, I'll get chewed out by the captain again.
"And this isn't a place for students to wander around. Keep causing trouble and we'll haul you in as a suspect."
She pushed Ren away as she scolded him, though her appearance made her threats feel about as intimidating as a kitten.
"Suspect my ass. That person wasn't killed by any normal human.
"If I'm right, the corpse is in pieces, isn't it? Like it was bitten apart?"