Izumo Ryuya had to kill a bear—because it had come down the mountain and eaten people.
When a beast kills a human, humans will always seek revenge.
Cold wind swept up snowflakes and scraped through the deep-winter pines of Peach Mountain, producing a wailing sound like ghosts crying.
The world was covered in a killing white, swallowing nearly all other colors.
Ryuya was curled up on a thick pine branch weighed down by snow, his body almost blending into the trunk. Only the faint white breath leaving his lips showed he was there.
He had been lying in ambush for nearly two hours, yet his body remained as tense and flexible as a leopard's, the freezing cold seemingly powerless against his unnaturally strong physique.
"What lousy weather. Even my snot's about to freeze into icicles," he muttered silently, though his eyes never left the blurred, giant footprints at the edge of the clearing below, nor the freshly broken tree branch beside them.
The heavy snow hid many traces, but these clues were enough for him.
From the faint, almost undetectable animal smell in the air and the subtle signs left behind, he had found the den of the man-eating bear.
Heavy footsteps approached, accompanied by the crack of dry twigs.
A massive black bear with blood-red eyes lumbered forward, its coarse fur stained with dark, dried grime—more likely old blood.
Drool dripped from its jaws, carrying a foul stench.
Ryuya held his breath, his gaze turning sharp and icy. This was the beast that killed the Sato family.
He made no sound.
Like a melting shadow, he slid down from the tree, his landing leaving only the faintest mark in the snow. In his hand he held a hunting knife polished to a cold shine, the edge catching the pale light.
'Father, your knife is going to earn glory again today.'
The bear noticed nothing, strolling lazily, exposing its vulnerable rear flank.
'Now!'
Ryuya moved. Power exploded from his legs, his figure a blur as he closed the distance without a sound.
The instant the bear twitched its ear in alarm, the blade had already sliced through the air and stabbed deep into the soft joint of its hind leg.
A wet sound.
The blade sank all the way to the hilt.
A deafening roar shook the forest. The bear reared up, its red eyes locking onto the small figure that dared wound it. Rage surged from its body like a tangible force.
It rose and swung a massive paw, sending a gust of deadly wind toward Ryuya.
'Got one hit. Time to fall back.'
Ryuya made a quick judgment and retreated without hesitation. He leapt back just in time as the paw smashed into the snow, sending slush flying.
Blood poured from the bear's wounded leg, staining the snow like blooming red plum blossoms. An injured beast was more dangerous—but also easier to provoke and predict.
Ryuya began circling patiently.
He avoided close combat, weaving through trees, constantly shifting positions. He forced the bear to turn, chase, and swing—draining its strength, speeding its blood loss.
'Left foreleg is stiff… its turn radius is slowing… Good. I'll keep attacking from the right and make it spin more.'
His thoughts raced as he dodged through the violent swipes.
Gradually, the bear's roars grew ragged, its attacks losing their initial ferocity. Blood loss and exhaustion were taking their toll.
Finally, after one more furious but failed lunge, the bear's massive body paused, unable to immediately recover its stance. The wounded leg trembled, slowing it just enough—
Now!
Ryuya's eyes sharpened. His body, coiled like a compressed spring, released all at once.
He dashed straight in, ducked, slid under its guard, and entered the exposed gap beneath its jaw.
'Try not to eat people in your next life.'
With all his strength and momentum, Ryuya thrust his knife upward through the bear's soft lower jaw, driving it straight into its skull.
Another sickening sound.
The bear's roar cut off, replaced by a gurgling wheeze.
Its gigantic body convulsed violently before collapsing into the snow, sending powder exploding around it.
Panting heavily, Ryuya pulled out the knife and stepped back. Leaning against a tree trunk, he watched the huge body lose its remaining warmth.
He shook off the blood on the blade and whispered, "It's done… Sato-san, Akane-san, Kenta… your revenge is paid."
After resting, he gathered strong vines, tied up the massive corpse, and began dragging the hundreds-kilogram beast down the mountain toward Peach Village.
.....
When Ryuya appeared at the village entrance dragging the bear, the entire village erupted.
"Ryuya! He's back!"
"He really killed it!"
"Thank heavens! The menace is gone!"
"He's only fifteen… this is unbelievable!"
Villagers crowded around, staring at the corpse in shock, fear, and relief. But soon, joy was replaced by sorrow.
"It's the one… the one that killed the Sato family…" an old woman said, wiping her eyes.
At the mention of the Satos, the atmosphere darkened.
The small pride on Ryuya's face faded, replaced by heaviness. Again, the horrific scene he saw three days earlier surfaced in his mind—
The crude wooden house was torn open, the cold wind sweeping snow inside, unable to disperse the suffocating stench of blood and faint rot.
Sato, the father, lay just inside the doorway, his sturdy farmer's arms ripped clean off and tossed aside.
His chest and abdomen were torn open, organs spilled out and frozen onto the floor. Blood splatters had dried on the walls and ceiling like dark ink strokes.
Akane and little Kenta were found in the inner room. Akane's half-face and neck had been chewed away, exposing white bone.
One arm was missing. Kenta, still so small, had been torn in half. His tiny hand lay several steps away from his body.
The furniture was smashed to splinters, buried under frozen blood and shredded cloth. It was not just killing—more like a deliberate, malicious destruction.
Standing at the doorway then, Ryuya felt cold rush from his feet to the top of his head.
His stomach churned.
He had seen animal attacks before, but never anything so brutal… so filled with a twisted sense of torture.
Only the three-year-old daughter, Mei, had survived by hiding inside a grain jar—found unconscious from terror.
The village elder, Genji, said they needed to wait for officials. But Ryuya couldn't.
Thinking of Sato's warm roasted sweet potatoes, Akane mending his clothes, and little Kenta calling him "Ryuya-nii," he clenched his fists.
If we wait for officials to slowly make their way here, who knows how many more people that beast will kill? A bear that has tasted human flesh isn't a normal bear anymore.
Keeping that thought to himself, he smiled reassuringly at Genji. "Don't worry, Grandpa Genji. I'll just take a look in the mountains. I'll be fine."
He took his father's knife and bow and rushed into the snow-covered forest.
...
Returning to the present, Ryuya inhaled deeply and spoke loudly to the gathered crowd.
"Everyone, it's over! The bear is dead! Its meat, hide, bones—take whatever you need! Trade me rice, salt, cloth, anything!"
He began butchering the animal with practiced hands. Ever since his parents died, Ryuya had survived using his father's hunting tools.
"Grandma Yamada, you feel the cold easily. Take this hide and use it as bedding." He handed a thick bearskin to the elderly woman who still wore thin clothing despite the winter chill.
"Oh no, I can't accept this, Ryuya, you need it more…" she protested.
"I'm young, I've got energy! You take it!" Ryuya flashed a grin, revealing his small canine teeth. "Consider it from me on behalf of Sato-san."
He cut several chunks of meat and handed them to families with many children. "Suzuki-san, Inoue-san, take this home and make soup for the kids."
"This is too much, Ryuya…"
"I can't finish it alone! It'll go bad!"
With the bear's gallbladder and prime cuts, he traded medicinal herbs and a small pouch of money from the village doctor. "Doctor, please keep helping the villagers when someone gets sick."
"You're a good kid," the doctor said, patting his shoulder.
Ryuya kept only bones and scraps for himself to cure later.
Watching him give away the most valuable parts, the villagers couldn't help but feel moved. Some brought rice, some clean cloth, others homemade wine.
"Ryuya, you live alone. Keep more for yourself," Genji said.
Wiping his knife clean, Ryuya looked up with the same bright smile. "I'll be fine! I eat plenty, but not that much. Besides, Sato-san always said mountain folk must help each other to survive."
"It's just me at home. Feeding myself is easy."
The commotion lasted until evening. As the village quieted and smoke rose from chimneys, it seemed life had returned to normal.
But the doubt in Ryuya's heart resurfaced once the noise faded.
He did not go home. Instead, he walked again to the ruin of the Sato house. The wind moaned through broken windows.
Leaning against the cold doorway, his brows furrowed as he replayed the bear fight and the scene inside the house.
'No… it still doesn't add up…'
He recalled the overlooked details.
Sato's severed arm—it wasn't just torn. Near the shoulder, part of it had a clean cut. Sharp, precise—far too clean for claws or teeth. More like… the work of a blade.
And Akane and Kenta's wounds were too scattered, too purposeless. Many weren't even near vital spots animals usually attack. A hungry bear kills and eats by instinct—efficiently.
But this… this was madness. Pleasure. Cruelty.
The bear had likely stumbled upon the carnage afterward, attracted by the blood.
A chilling realization crawled up Ryuya's spine.
Can a bear use a knife? Obviously not.
Which meant the true killer was something far crueler, far smarter… far more like human.
He looked toward the dark, endless forest of Peach Mountain, growing ominous under the twilight.
Things aren't over yet.
The wind and snow picked up again, swallowing the boy's whisper and his rising unease into the night.