Hanging on the wall was indeed the ornament Sū ěr had traded from that timid yokai when he and Think first arrived in Izumo. Since he had actually given something in return, it could never be called a gift—or a robbery.
After playing with that tooth ornament for a while, Sū ěr had hung it on the wall as decoration and hadn't taken it down since. But that wasn't the point.
"That yokai? He's dead?" Sū ěr frowned. "I thought he would have left Izumo long ago."
The massacre was undoubtedly a very clear signal. Given that yokai's cowardice and alertness, he should have fled immediately.
"Brother Leaf did leave early. But because he left in such a hurry, he didn't take his treasure. He tried to sneak back to get it... and then he was caught," Taiko suddenly looked dejected. "Right in front of me."
"...And then?" Sū ěr had already guessed what happened before Taiko even finished, but he sighed and asked anyway.
"A man dies for wealth, a bird for food" [Rén wéi cái sǐ, niǎo wéi shí wáng]—an old truth.
"...Dead," Taiko's eyes were filled more with bewilderment than fear. "They pierced his bones with chains and stuck bamboo skewers into his body... but why?"
"The butcher uncle traded things with Brother Leaf before. And Grandma Mizutori [Shuǐ qǔ]—Brother Leaf used to bring her herbs... Everyone knew each other. Why did it turn out like this..." Clutching his head in pain again, Taiko couldn't understand what had happened to those familiar people.
"Grandma Mizutori even smiled and asked if I wanted... if I wanted... to join in..."
"But she was so terrifying. I was so scared, really scared... so I ran away... I didn't even dare look back..."
"Brother Leaf... it felt like he was still looking at me..."
The red-haired child seemed possessed by a nightmare, murmuring incessantly, even crying in his pain.
Flick!
Not until Sū ěr gave his forehead a sharp flick did Taiko snap back to reality.
"Do you know why, Sir?" Clutching his forehead, Taiko looked at him with hope.
"...Because the gods want them to hate," Sū ěr finally answered, opening his mouth.
"Then why do the gods want them to hate?"
"Because the gods want this city to belong only to the gods... and perhaps humans."
"But the Oni are still here, aren't they?"
"They are an exception."
"Why are they an exception?"
"An exception is an exception. You'll understand later... or it doesn't matter if you don't."
"Can't it be now?"
"No."
With no intention of coddling the child, Sū ěr answered Taiko's rapid-fire questions in the most cold and concise manner.
"I see..." Taiko nodded, though it was unclear what he had understood. He then couldn't help but ask, "But can't we just talk it out and live separately?"
"The gods, the yokai, and us," Taiko counted on his fingers. "If being together causes hatred, can't we just explain things clearly and live apart?"
Sū ěr felt a sudden sense of gratification; he could see that Taiko believed his explanation without a shred of doubt.
"The yokai wouldn't be willing," Sū ěr sighed. "Before you were born—even before your grandfather was born—the yokai had already moved into this city... They were also the masters who built it."
Taiko remained silent, while Sū ěr pondered an interesting point he had just discovered.
His explanation seemed to have shifted the child's feelings toward the gods. It was no longer the awe of the past; it was more like a desire to avoid them. He was the first human Sū ěr had met who spoke of wanting to stay away from the gods—perhaps the boy hadn't even realized it himself.
"You want humans to leave too?" Think laughed even more happily. She took over for Sū ěr and asked the question Taiko might not have noticed. "Just as you said, to live separately?"
"...I don't know why the gods want to do this... but, but this is really... sad... it makes me want to cry." Taiko felt guilty, even though the target of his guilt was the gods he spoke of.
"Is it really not possible? We... humans?" Having spent so much time around Sū ěr, Taiko naturally knew the terms yokai and gods used for his kind. His hopeful gaze sparkled even more.
"That's right. Humans simply cannot."
Without a moment's hesitation, Sū ěr crushed Taiko's fantasy. He answered calmly, without anger or emphasis.
"Without the protection of gods or even yokai, humans cannot survive in this world. You've thought of this yourself, haven't you?" Sū ěr continued. "As soon as you go a bit further from Izumo, the wilds are filled with countless yokai and ghosts wanting to devour your flesh. And the untamed wilderness, the poisonous insects, the snakes—how would you deal with them?"
"..." Taiko didn't speak; he seemed to grow even sadder.
"Even if humans have many bones and little meat, you are still a delicious meal to those savage yokai... Have you forgotten your friends who died?"
Sū ěr spoke quickly. He was referring to Taiko's playmates who had ventured into remote areas away from Izumo to pick more wild fruits or vegetables and never returned. This was something Taiko had already experienced many times.
Beautiful wishes must have the right soil to keep from being extinguished.
In this world, filled with incorporeal ghosts and man-eating yokai born from beasts and insects, humans couldn't live in caves like Riku's world. For these yokai, dark and damp caves were their true homes.
The settlements in the previous world had only survived with great difficulty because no other races cared about them. But in this world, there were things everywhere that cared about humans.
"...I haven't," Taiko shook his head vigorously, as if the motion could prove his resolve not to forget. But finally, he looked up, unwilling to concede. "Is there really no way?"
"None."
"But, Sir, don't you always say you're human too? If you led us, we could survive in the wild, couldn't we?" Suddenly remembering Sū ěr past words, Taiko excitedly held his rice bowl high and shouted, "Right?!"
"..."
No matter the time, the words of a child are always hard to parry.