Chapitre 18: The Ghost Festival
""HELP! MY DAUGHTER IS LOST!"
A woman started to shout amid the festival. Her voice was hoarse, and the crowd tied her voice down. The loudly beating drums and the cheers from the youngsters synchronized, and like a fish in the sea, the woman could only desperately wail.
Asahi pushed the toothpick inside the takoyaki ball and took a bite of it while lazily searching for the source of the voice.
Since it was the night of the ghost festival, also known as Obon, the ghosts lurked around the earth and ate all the food, searched for their loved ones, and sometimes even caused some mishaps.
"See that woman over there? She's worried, unlike her embarrassed husband. He is turning his head to the other side and having the shaved ice with his daughter." Kuro was amused, knowing that it was never a new occurrence. Parents had children they preferred, but he had not seen a father who wasn't even interested in the slightest regarding his lost daughter.
"Well, it seems like duty calls," Asahi muttered while taking out his Tanto from its sheath. It was sharp and well-kept. The black sheath had the copper figure of an oni's face.
"Look after the festival and make sure no one is harmed. I will look into the matter." Asahi murmured while the cat hopped out of Asahi's shoulder and landed in the cart's wooden space, which was just enough for Kuro to stay.
His gimlet eyes were staring at the festival. Brightly lit by the full moon, people enthusiastically shouted and cheered. The lanterns were lit, and many spiritual beings from the land of Yomi and the demon realm were let loose.
He trailed a group of ghosts. Their white silhouettes dragged on the floor despite their levitating bodies. Asahi could see a few worldly haunted ghosts too, which took the path he was on.
'Something is not right, he could feel. He had never seen such a large group of ghosts, yokai, and demons trail the same path. He had passed the matsuri's stalls and was not at the bottom of the hill. The path was lit with lanterns, and the stairs made up of stones were steep.
The path was uphill, and the more he walked, the more dangerous yokai's he could see. Yet those yokai weren't the least concerned by his presence, despite his high spiritual power. He tried raising his hands; he tried kicking their hinds, yet there was no reaction.
Apprehensive of the situation, Asahi continued to walk uphill. The loud drum beats and the cheers were faintly audible. As he was about to reach the top, he could see plenty of red lanterns, which created a glowing and bright atmosphere at the center of the hilltop.
'Eh?' he raised his head, and a gale of wind passed him. All the keyaki leaves flew along with them. Under the lights from the lantern, the leaves gave off an orangish color. From nowhere, a little girl, almost 12 years old, appeared before him with the brightest smile he had ever seen.
"Hehe, Oniisan. Would you like to play with me?" The girl picked up the leaf that was stuck on her head.
"Eh?" The sight was magical, but he had let his guard down. He could feel all the spirits going after her.
'Oh no!' he sprinted towards the girl. While the girl continued to smile, Asahi reached her side in just a few seconds and took out the sheath from his tanto. The very second, a ten-foot-tall body of an oni came into his view. It had a gray and malnourished body with horns like an ox, while its face was hidden by the Oni mask.
Asahi launched his attack on the Oni by striking his dagger towards the Oni's eyes. Unfortunately, its hands caught Ashai in the act. Its superhuman strength started to squeeze his body, but at that moment, he cut through its hands.
The tanto was short but sharp on both ends. It bled the oni, and he escaped the oni's grasp. Oni's were powerful, so before it used its illusions, Asahi pierced the oni's eyes and sturdily pressed them while using the tanto's hold to cut the oni's body in half.
The Oni aggressively started to shake and whaling, but the demon world was cruel as none of them helped. The blood got splattered on Asahi's kimono. At last, the Oni had fallen, and Asahi headed to the little girl, who was surrounded by the yokai and ghosts.
His hair was drenched in sweat; sweat dripped down his forehead and neck, while his cheeks and dress were stained in blood.
"Don't... don't you want to go back home?" He asked while still gasping for air. He had his hands pressed on his knees. His back was slightly hunched down.
The girl was interacting with the yokai and the spirits casually and kindly. She patted them on the back, and she even gave them a few candies she had in her pocket. Hearing Asahi's words, the girl's face paled.
Her eyes were wary, and her hands started trembling. "I don't. Dad doesn't like me."
Once he had stabilized his heart rate, Asahi took out a handkerchief from his pocket and whipped his face.
"But your mother is waiting for you." He whispered as he closed the gap between himself and the child. Eh? As the girl was about to look up, he gently hit her neck, making her fall unconscious that instant.
All the ghosts frowned. Asahi carried the child in his arms and started to run downhill. He could feel many spirits following him. The spirits were after the child. Since she had powers almost enough to bring a spirit to the hidden realm, they all surrounded and pestered her.
As he reached the base of the hill, the spirits had stopped following Asahi, and so he rushed towards the nearest bush and called out, "Kuro!"
That very instant, a giant black panther-like body jumped right under the bright full moon and landed on the ground.
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone