Nurarihyon had been turned down.
Turned down cleanly, directly, without even a token attempt at softening the blow.
But he didn't seem angry about it. He knew well enough that a man — a creature — with nothing to his name had no real grounds to complain when his recruitment pitch fell flat.
"Fine, then."
He let out a sigh, drew the pipe from his lips, and blew the ash off the tip.
"If you're not willing now, I won't press you."
"What do you mean, 'now'?"
Kōbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"I mean you'll be willing later."
That confident smile crept back onto Nurarihyon's face. "Once I become Lord of All Demons. Once my Night Parade of a Hundred Demons truly takes shape. When that day comes —"
"I'll come find you again."
"And by then, you'll know exactly how right a choice it was to join me."
Kōbe Hikaru looked at him.
This guy…
He really was something else in the confidence department.
"Suit yourself."
Kōbe Hikaru couldn't be bothered to argue.
"Then it's settled!"
Nurarihyon, however, lit up as though he'd just received a solemn vow, his grin broadening. "When the day comes that I am Lord of All Demons, I'll come find you."
"By then, my Night Parade will have hundreds of yokai marching in it — every single one of them a first-rate fighter."
"One look at that, and you'll be begging to join."
"You'd be my second-in-command — right hand of the Night Parade!"
"Brothers in arms, the two of us — lords of everything under heaven!"
Kōbe Hikaru: Who said anything about being brothers with you?
What a clown.
But beyond finding him ridiculous, Kōbe Hikaru didn't believe a word of it.
The Nurarihyon standing before him certainly looked confident — and he had real grounds for that confidence, no question. But Kōbe Hikaru rather thought he himself was someone with a certain… edge. Ahem. A certain edge as a demon.
Given enough time, he'd only keep getting stronger.
"Just you wait… Ghost Warrior, Kōbe Hikaru!"
With those parting words still hanging in the air, the Nurarihyon standing in the blazing midday light seemed to dissolve like ink washing from a page — fading, thinning, gone.
Had Kōbe Hikaru and Kikyō not both possessed keen Spirit Sight, they might never have noticed the manner of his leaving at all.
Appearing from nowhere and vanishing the same way — the innate nature of the Nurarihyon, on full display once more.
All that remained, at the last, was the echo of a young voice carrying through the air.
"Just you wait!"
Kōbe Hikaru stood where he was, staring at the empty space before him. Nothing moved but the grass and leaves swaying gently on either side of the path.
"He's gone?"
Kikyō's voice came from beside him.
"He's gone."
Kōbe Hikaru nodded.
"Did you ever consider joining him?"
"Why would I?"
Kōbe Hikaru returned the question with one of his own.
"All that talk about the Night Parade, Lord of All Demons — it does sound genuinely ambitious."
Kikyō said, "For a demon, perhaps that path would suit you better. Maybe it's where you truly belong."
The Ghost Warrior glanced sideways at the shrine maiden beside him — the one who sounded for all the world like she was offering sincere counsel, and yet somehow came across as saying the exact opposite of what she meant.
As if you'd let me be stronger than you, he thought.
"So what if it does?" he said aloud.
"I have my own business to take care of. I don't have time to go play conqueror of the world with him."
"And besides —"
He glanced at Kikyō.
"I already have a traveling companion."
Kikyō's movement stilled for just a moment.
A brief glimmer passed through those dark, dark eyes — and then it was gone.
"Then let's keep moving."
She asked nothing more, and showed not a flicker of doubt.
Kōbe Hikaru gave a quiet laugh and said nothing either.
The weight of Hiraikotsu pressed down on his shoulders from behind, heavy and solid — and somehow, that weight felt reassuring.
[Hiraikotsu: Affection 0 (Stranger)]
[It's still asleep. It has no interest in you.]
What a high-maintenance weapon.
Kōbe Hikaru grumbled inwardly.
He reached back and ran his hand over the massive boomerang, feeling the fierce, wild demon-qi thrumming beneath its surface.
"Give me some time," he murmured quietly, "and I'll give you a proper bath."
Hiraikotsu did not respond.
But Kōbe Hikaru had the distinct sense that it was, perhaps, slightly less hostile than before.
Probably his imagination.
The two of them walked on.
The mountain path curved and wound ahead of them, flanked on both sides by dense, lush trees. Sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the canopy, scattering broken patches of light and shadow across the ground.
About half an hour passed.
Kōbe Hikaru spoke up suddenly.
"That Nurarihyon — what do you make of him?"
He'd been meaning to ask for a while now.
He knew Nurarihyon's future because he'd seen the story play out. But what about Kikyō?
"Nurarihyon," Kikyō said. "A yokai that excels at blending in — capable of appearing anywhere, at any time, and making every person present feel as though he simply belongs there."
"You told me that part already. That's not what I'm asking."
Kōbe Hikaru waved a hand. "I'm asking what you think of him as a person."
Kikyō was quiet for a moment.
"Enormously ambitious," she said. "But he doesn't seem like a wicked yokai."
"You think so too?"
"Mm."
Kikyō nodded.
"His demon-qi is thick, but it carries none of the resentment that clings to a creature that has slaughtered the innocent. There was no malice in it either — at least not while he stood before us just now. He harbored no ill intent in that moment."
"So…"
She paused briefly.
"If he truly does manage to build his Night Parade, it may not be such a bad thing."
Kōbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"You're in his corner?"
Kikyō's tone settled back into its usual cool composure. "In this age of chaos, demons run rampant and humans and yokai live side by side. If there were a presence capable of uniting the demon clans and keeping them in check, it might reduce a great deal of needless bloodshed."
Kōbe Hikaru laughed at that.
"Fair point," he said. "Though only if the one doing the uniting isn't a man-eating monster himself."
"Mm."
Kikyō nodded.
The two walked on.
The sun climbed higher, and with it the temperature.
Kōbe Hikaru looked around at the surrounding terrain.
"There should be a shrine up ahead," he said.
"How do you know?"
"It told me." Kōbe Hikaru held up a small, clean-scrubbed stone he'd picked up from the side of the road.
"…"
Kikyō offered no reply.
She had grown accustomed to this habit of his.
Strange as she still found it, she couldn't deny that his method of asking for directions was, without question, effective.
And indeed, as it turned out.
A quarter of an hour later, the outline of a shrine appeared on a hillside in the distance.
A vermilion torii gate blazed bright in the sunlight. Stone steps rose from the foot of the hill all the way to the summit, lined on both sides by tall, stately pines.
"Here we are."
Kōbe Hikaru stopped walking.
He looked at the shrine, then looked at himself — the wild shock of white hair, the plain gray hemp robe, and Hiraikotsu slung across his back, radiating demon-qi.
"I'll wait here," he said. "You go do the asking."
Kikyō glanced at him.
"Afraid of scaring people?"
"That, and this thing." Kōbe Hikaru replied. "My demon-qi is too dense. If there's a sensitive practitioner inside, spotting me could cause unnecessary trouble."
Kikyō nodded.
That was a valid concern.
"Then wait here."
She said, "I'll be back shortly."
Kikyō turned and walked toward the shrine.
The figure in white robes and red hakama stood out brilliantly against the sunlight, her black hair drifting softly in the breeze.
Kōbe Hikaru watched her go.
The shrine maiden climbed the stone steps, one by one, ascending steadily.
That slender figure grew smaller and smaller, until at last it disappeared behind the torii gate.
Kōbe Hikaru found a clean rock and sat down.
Then he slid Hiraikotsu off his back and laid it across his knees.
"All right. It's just the two of us now."
He addressed the enormous boomerang.
"Want to talk?"
[Hiraikotsu: It rolls over and goes back to sleep.]
Kōbe Hikaru: "..."
What an aloof piece of work.
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉