The dense forest on the western shore of Lake Yogo was a land of complete darkness, where sunlight was completely blocked.
But that doesn't mean you can't see anything at all.
There are grasshoppers living there , and as usual, they emit a variety of colorful lights, illuminating the path ahead.行燈斑猫Andon Hanmyo
However, that light seems to be useless to Taishakutsukimo.
Her hooves scattered the lantern-spotted cats and trampled these insect-like monsters as she relentlessly traversed the dense jungle.
"Hey, where are you planning to go?"
Taishakutsukimo did not answer my question.
She continues running in silence, but her route is quite winding, with frequent left and right turns.
But that wasn't because the paths in the jungle were like that.
Judging from the description, it seems that Taishakutsukimo is precisely following the route to his destination.
In other words, a place that cannot be reached without passing through it.
And it seems my intuition was correct after all.
The dark forest vanishes completely and cleanly, as if the images in a slideshow had suddenly switched.
Instead, what appeared before me was—a square filled with a silvery-blue light.
And in the center of that space was a single willow tree with an unusually thick trunk.
Sparkling, glittering dust-like particles, resembling diamond dust, are swirling everywhere in the space.
But it was something that could never be grasped.
Even if you reach out and try to touch the dust, it will pass right through your hand and slip right past you.
It's there, yet it doesn't exist—a truly mysterious thing.
"Kyuooooon"
Indra cried.
Then she starts shaking me and urging me to get down.
As I followed her and stepped into this fantastical space, there was a pleasant crunching sound, like stepping on frost.
"Indra Moon... where is this...?"
"Kyuooooon"
"Hey, wait...!"
Taishakutsukimo left me behind and approached the willow tree.
Then, as I was about to chase after him, he turned around, stopped me with his eyes, and commanded me to "stay there."
The willow tree she approached seemed stranger the more she looked at it.
The tree is approximately 30 meters tall, and its trunk is probably 8 meters in diameter.
The bumpy bark has veins-like structures that pulsate and pulse.
The leaves falling from the thick branches were a bluish-silver color.枝垂Shida披針形Hishinkei
"It's... here..."
"W-what is it...?!"
A deep, lingering voice resonates, stirring the very core of one's being.
At that very moment—a sudden rumbling sound echoed through the ground.
I couldn't stand on the ground that was shaking violently.
A squelching, indescribable sound, like something moist being split open, hit my eardrums.
I was lying on the ground with my gaze lowered, but I was startled up by the resounding roar and raised my head.
"It's been a while... Auno, it's been a while."
The earth's pulsations have stopped, and the base of the giant willow tree is split wide open.
A fleshy, mucus-soaked hole, the color of indigo.
It was something raw and visceral, reminiscent of female genitalia—something that every living being has experienced.
"W-what is that..."
But that's not really a problem.
The problem is that something human-shaped is crawling out of the pulsating, glistening holes in the willow branches.
"I don't know... I don't know that."
A shadow rises sluggishly, enveloped in mucus, hissing and steaming.
It takes the form of a human, but what's standing before me is probably not human.
A mature female figure, entirely silvery blue in color.
Her hair was also a silvery-blue color, and it shimmered brightly.
She had a refined face, but unlike Ichihime and Haruhime, there was something about her that reminded me of someone else.人形doll
But what's most bizarre is the eyes.
The whites of the eyes, which are the whites of a human eye, glowed a fluorescent red, while the pupils shone with a golden light.
And those golden eyes are framed in black, emphasizing them.
But it was emotionless, and it just continued to stare at me.
"a..."
To my shame, all strength had completely drained from my waist, and I could barely even stand.
Or perhaps it was because they instinctively realized that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't win—or even escape.
"Explanation... What is this...?"
"Kyuooooon"
Indra cries.
Then, as I approached the humanoid figure that emerged from the willow tree, it cried out again.
"Yes... This is important..."
The eyes that had been fixed on Taishakutsukimo suddenly turned to me.
"Kyuooooon"
"I see... That's why I'm here..."
Nodding in response to each neigh, the human figure slowly stroked the smooth body of the Indra-colored horse.
But my eyes had caught it.
The humanoid hand, its fingers disappearing and becoming like a single tentacle. And then—
"If that's the case... then you should explain..."
—The tentacles pierced her.
All I could do was stare at the sight with my eyes wide open in utter astonishment.
The tentacles that pierced Taishakutsukimo's body pulsed and throbbed, releasing something into Taishakutsukimo's body with each pulse.
"With this... all of the shortfall is..."
In the midst of the fantastical scene, Taishakutsukimo's body, pierced by the tentacles of a humanoid figure, began to emit pure white steam and became semi-transparent.
"Ah... Taishaku, Tsukige..."
Something fell to the ground with a loud thud.
It was horse tack. It was the horse tack that Taishakutsukimo wore to carry me.
The moment he saw that, the fading outline of Taishakutsukimo burst apart.
The dispersed steam gathered and solidified—forming a single mass that gently descended to the earth.
First the left leg, then the bent right leg straightens out, and the figure stands up, balancing on both legs—what was once Taishakutsukimo.
In Tomokuni Village, I already know that she is a fox-horse.
Perhaps the humanoid figure's actions earlier have allowed them to accumulate enough energy for change.
The silhouette was depicted with slender, thin lines.
Her silvery-white hair, reaching almost to the back of her knees, floats gently in the air, and the blue-silver dust swirling in the atmosphere adds a fantastical touch.
I can't look at that face.
Her face is turned away from me—towards the humanoid figure that crawled out of the willow tree, which appears to be a monster.
But even just looking at her from behind, you can tell something.
Taishakutsukimo—no, perhaps it would be more accurate to call her Yoriko now.
Despite her demure demeanor and the fact that she is not wearing any clothes, she exudes an overwhelming beauty.
It was very violent.
While Ichihime possesses a gentleness that embraces everything, hers is characterized by a cold, sternness that seems to dominate and subjugate everything.
"It's been a long time... La Reine, La Reine Debotet."
The humanoid figure spoke. With the utmost intimacy.
I noticed that the latter part of his pronunciation was extremely fluent.
And then I learned that "La raine de beauté" is what is known as a French adjective.
Alternatively, I knew, having suffered from chuunibyou (eighth-grade syndrome), that it was an expression used to address a good-looking friend with respect and affection.
"You... I'm so happy you're coming..."
"yes"
The humanoid figure approached Yoriko and embraced her.
Then they press their right cheek against each other's and kiss, and repeat the process once more.
It's not that difficult to realize that this is a customary practice known as "biz" in the world I used to come from.
"You... you'll help people again..."
"I agree"
"Just that much... a win, really..."
"Probably. That's precisely why—"
Saying that, Yoriko suddenly turned around.
Her silvery bangs swayed, and a single strand of golden hair bounced and danced.
It was a beauty that was almost cold and unsettling.
It's as if a sculptor, who pursued perfection and poured his soul into shattering marble, left behind a work of art that accompanied his own death...
But only her light green eyes, floating in her ivory-white, beautiful skin, shone upon me with a gentle, loving light.
"I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to keep this person alive."
◆
Before I knew it, there before me was Taishakutsukimo—and an overwhelmingly beautiful woman.
She was, of course, completely naked, and was bending over, reaching out her hand to me.
It wasn't that; it was a hand with five fingers attached together, like a human's.蹄hooves
"It's Taishakutsukimo... right?"
"Yes, that's right. In this form, you used to call me 'Yoriko'."
Yoriko narrowed her light green eyes.
Her height, by my estimate, is about 160 centimeters—right in between the heights of Ichihime and Haruhime.
And like Ichihime, she possesses proportions that could be described as artistic.
However, unlike Ichihime, Yoriko's chest is not particularly large.
Perhaps the best way to describe it would be that he has a streamlined, truly lean physique.
It's as if the smooth, supple body of the horse Taishakutsukimo, as it was when it lived, has been directly transferred into human form...
"Um... well..."
And I couldn't take Yoriko's outstretched hand.
So much information was flooding my mind, and I couldn't process it all.
The fact that Taishakutsukige pierced the human figure. And then the silhouette of Taishakutsukige suddenly burst open and transformed into the shape of Yoriko.
Or perhaps, the humanoid figures have been continuously observing me—and us.
How can we systematically understand that...?
My mind was a jumbled mess, a constant jumble of conflicting thoughts.
"It's confusing, isn't it? It can't be helped."
Yoriko let out a small sigh and smiled.
Then she bends down, pulls me into an embrace, and gently strokes the back of my head.
She was like a mother or older sister trying to calm down a flustered child.
A sweet, gentle scent wafts from her chest, slowly calming my heart.
"Where am I?"
I lifted my face from Yoriko's chest and looked around.
"And that tree...? That thing that looks like a human...? Why did it bring me here...?"
"Please calm down. That said, it's understandable that you would have such questions, since I brought you here so suddenly. I apologize."妾Warawa
Yoriko's words were extremely polite.
Or perhaps, they were excessively polite.
It's like the Japanese spoken by someone who has just started learning the language.
"First, I need to answer your question. This is the land of Hagoromo Yanagi. As you can see, Hagoromo Yanagi is a monster in the form of a tree. However, its will will be represented by the woman standing there."羽衣柳Hagoromo willow
"Hagoromo Yanagi…?"
"Yes. This is also a guide to take you to your destination. This is merely a transit point. However, to get here, you must follow a set route."
In this world, she's the first person to speak to me as an equal.
It was so refreshing. No, that's precisely why...it makes me remember the world I came from.
"You too, come this way."
"Why... do I need that...?"
"Would you come?"
As Yoriko said this, a woman with silvery-blue hair approached, claiming to be speaking on behalf of Hagoromo Yanagi.
"Princess Hagoromo Yanagi, this is Lord Asai Nagamasa. He is my ex-husband—"
"I know that much...it's too late now..."
"—This person came from a place different from this world."
"What?! Is that really true...?"
The princess of the feathered willow tree, with her red and golden eyes wide open, murmured as she intently observed me.
"If...then it's okay..."
"Nagamasa-san, this is the 'Princess of Hagoromo Yanagi.' As I mentioned earlier, she will be speaking on behalf of Hagoromo Yanagi. Communication with Hagoromo Yanagi will take place through the princess."
Saying this, Yoriko spoke to the blue-silver humanoid figure that served as the interface for Hagoromo Yanagi.
"I will take Nagamasa-san to the Water God. We need an explanation for the strange changes happening to Nagamasa-san's body."
"I understand the circumstances... and so..."
The crack at the base of the star willow tree rumbled and sloshed further, spreading horizontally and vertically.
The hole, filled with slimy mucus, pulsates, luring whatever might enter deeper and deeper inside.
"Keep going...and there's something you'll need ahead..."
Without knowing what was happening, I was led by Yoriko, who took my hand, towards that crack.