The return to the surface was uneventful as the demons and supernatural creatures left the three alone.
"What is next?" asked Bianca
"My next appointment isn't until tomorrow," answered Naruto, "so we have the rest of the day to ourselves."
"Matsue is known for its supernatural history," said Rachnera, "we could visit some castles or shrines."
"That sounds like a good idea," said Naruto in interest.
"I think the clan of spider-women are nearby too," added Rachnera.
Hiding among the building was a weasel demon, a spy sent by Raian, and he frowned when he saw the three foreigners survive Yomi and continue their way.
"The boss is not going like this," said the weasel demon.
Raian wasn't happy indeed as the blond foreigner was gaining more and more ground by the minute. He thought the various demons that call Yomi home could find the half-mortal delicious or the female demon in the group would go wild and kill the other two, but those hopes were unfulfilled in the end. Raian felt that the only way to get rid of the nuisance was to do it himself.
Naruto, Bianca, and Rachnera walked around and learned about the history of Matsue. Mastue is known for being the birthplace of the Japanese gods and a common battleground in several wars, both supernatural and mortal. The main tourist attraction was Matsue castle, a castle made from stone and wood that somehow managed to survive after a fire, flood, wars, and other natural disasters that would destroy other castles. Some rumor that the gods blessed the castle, while others believe demons protect it as the caste could use it in a rebellion.
"Wow, this place is amazing!" said Bianca looking at the modern interior of the castle.
"It is interesting," said Naruto, also looking around, "to think the exterior holds an antique look while the interior has modern conveniences."
"It is nice," commented Rachnera looking at the dark corners and ceiling, "I see plenty of space for the smaller Arachne people to make a cozy home."
"I agree," said Naruto, "spiders do favor dark and cool areas."
"Yeah," agreed Rachnera, "we can visit the Jorōgumo village after this?"
"Sure, you alright with that, Bianca," asked Naruto to the daughter of Hades.
"I'm alright with that," replied Bianca, "After hearing about them, I am curious about them."
"Then we can go there after we're done with Matsue Castle," said Naruto
"Yay!" exclaimed Rachnera, excited to see more spider-like demons.
"Hey, come back here!"
Naruto and his group looked behind them and saw a black-haired woman running towards their direction. The person yelling was a man dressed as a server, "you still owe us money!"
"Of course, we would run into her," whispered Naruto in despair and disappointment.
Naruto raised his hand and bound the woman's legs and arms, causing her to fall.
"Still sending your bills to the agency, Agent Smith," said Naruto knowing the runner personally.
"Thank you, young man; she owes me a lot of money for all the food and coffee she drank."
"How much, this time?" asked Naruto, cradling his face.
"She owes over one-hundred thousand yen!" exclaimed the server chasing Agent Smith.
"You never learn, do you, Smith? I once again have to bail you out." said Naruto, bringing out his checkbook and writing out a check, "you constantly skip work, complain you aren't paid enough and charge everything to the government as a 'business expense.' I'm surprised you haven't been sent to debtor's jail yet or have everything you own auctioned off to pay for your bills."
Agent Smith stood back up after Naruto removed the restraints and laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of her head.
"You should feel lucky when the young man decided to bail you out." Said the server to Smith as he walked away.
"Honey' Who is this woman," asked Rachnera, wondering what was happening.
"This is Agent Smith," said Naruto in a dull tone, "she makes sure monster/human relations are well, and nothing too catastrophic happens between the two sides. Unfortunately, she is poor at her job and only gets by coasting and mooching off others, including her own employers."
"I'm not that bad," said Smith in retaliation, "I had stopped plenty of incidences before they got out of hand."
"Smith, we caught you running away from a bill, and if I call your office right now, I imagine your subordinates are doing your paperwork for you," said Naruto in the same tone.
Agent Smith tried to refute this, but he hit her right on the head, and she really didn't want Naruto to call her office because Smith did, in fact, leave her squad with a mountain of paperwork to do.
"Anyone up for ice cream?" asked Agent Smith, hoping to change the topic
"I could go for some ice cream," commented Bianca, "I wonder how it compares to gelato?"
"As long as it's on the way to the village, then okay," said Rachnera
"I guess we're all in agreement, " said Naruto, "but you will need to get back to work afterward."
"Sure, sure," said Agent Smith, happy to avoid work for a while longer.
Naruto had more connection than Raian thought; both government and Godly entities were the blonde's clients. Raian couldn't attack Naruto near any agents, government buildings, or shrines unless he wanted to face retribution from powers higher than his. His best bet to get rid of Naruto was in a neighborhood his family-controlled, forcing any witnesses to stay quiet and not report anything they saw. Raian's plan was coming together, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Naruto's face when he took his final breath.
"You really like your coffee," commented Naruto watching Agent Smith eating a coffee ice cream.
"Do you have to ask," said Smith finishing her cone, "so, you and your group are heading towards the Jorogumo village?"
"Yes, Rachnera is an Arachne and wants to see the Eastern equivalent to her people." Explained Naruto, "I don't have any appointments until tomorrow, and Bianca wants to see the sights."
"Well, if you need any protection, you know who to contact," said Smith getting up to leave.
"I'm glad you paid for your own cone," commented Naruto, "your wallet probably hasn't seen the light of day in weeks."
Naruto's answer was an awkward chuckle as she made her exit
"We will see her again," said Naruto in a knowing tone, "it's only a matter of time."
"Why do you deal with her in the first place?" asked Rachnera
"Because she may be lazy, but she has a high position in the government," said Naruto, "somehow. She's also persistent and won't leave me alone until I appease her, trust me, I tried that route, and it ended badly."
"So, you're trapped with no way out," commented Bianca in sympathy
"You hit it right on the nail," said Naruto, "and I am not her only victim; she also mooches off another young man. I don't know his name, but she calls him 'Honey,' and he's providing housing for five monster girls, and Papi is one of them."
"He must have a large home," commented Rachnera
"After several renovations, I'm sure it is," said Naruto
"How do you know this 'Honey' renovated his house?" asked Bianca
"I overheard Agent Smith's conversations when she interrupts meals in the past," answered Naruto
"She is relentless, isn't she," said Rachnera in surprise
"I swear, she follows me whenever I'm in Japan," said Naruto in disappear
"With how she behaves, I can believe that." commented Rachnera, "We should get to the village before it gets too dark."
"Agreed," said Naruto and Bianca
The Jorogumo is both a myth and a real animal. The monster's appearance reminded the people ,who survived of, the Golden Orb Spider due to their size and bright colors. The life of the Jorogumo monster starts as an ordinary spider. After four hundred years, it gains magical powers, allowing it to change its appearance and seduce young men for it to copulate with and then consume. They usually live solitary lives, but as time went by, it became harder to survive as other demons and hunters started to get clever, causing the Jorogumo species started to decline. The spider women noticed it became more difficult to kill them if they grouped and fought together; it was also easier to care for their young if they shared resources. Soon several Jorogumo villages started to pop up and occupied various districts, except Hokkaido due to being an island.
The Jorogumo village in Matsue was made in a forested area. Some of the houses were built in the trees, while others were made on the ground. The settlement didn't have a gate or even walls, making it seem easy to enter the village. Still, unseen by ordinary eyes, were tiny threads crisscrossing over the foliage, acting as a security system for the spider demons. In the past, men were seduced into the village and had their life force stolen, but that changed when the war between demons and humans stopped, and the party's made peace. In the current age, the Jorogumo still seduced men, but instead of stealing their life force, the men are used to increase the Jorogumo's population.
"So, these are the Jorogumo," said Bianca, seeing various women walking in the village, "I was expecting something different."
"That's the cultural difference for you," said Naruto, "their stories usually include them being beautiful women, making it easier to seduce men to their doom, quite different to Rachnera's people and how they resemble human-spider hybrids."
"I love their clothing," commented Rachnera, "t's always hard to find clothing that fits my lower abdomen."
"You like the clothes I make you," said Naruto, following Rachnera's comment
"I know, but having an authentic outfit is always nice," said Rachnera as some of the Jorogumo noticed them.
"I agree," said Naruto, "an original is better than a replica."
"Welcome to our village," said one of the Jorogumo, a woman standing 162 centimeters wearing a light blue kimono with a dark blue obi, "I'm surprised an Arachne would visit our humble village."
"Rachnera was curious and wanted to learn more about your culture," said Naruto, "the girl next to her is Bianca, and I'm Rachnera's husband, Naruto."
"Her husband?" asked the Jorogumo in confusion as the two looked relatively young.
"It's a long story," replied Naruto, "but to summarize, Rachnera was the princess of her people, and I washed up on their island. Her mother married us, but Rachnera helped me escape, and she wanted to see the world. All of this happened in a day."
"That does sound like a long and possible complicated story," said the Jorogumo in astonishment
"You wouldn't have an inn or hotel we can stay in, do you?" asked Bianca, feeling the day's stress coming over her.
"We do," replied the Jorogumo, leading them into the village, "we have a lovely in the three of you can stay for the night. I can tell you more about our people as you relax."
"That sounds lovely," said Rachnera as she followed the spider demon, "I can tell you about my people."
While the three visitors were occupied, they didn't notice an older woman blend into the shadows of a house, raising her hand to reveal a small spider in her hand.
"Tell Master Raian that the pests he wants dead are at our village,"
The spider scurried into the foliage carrying her mistress's message while she cackled to herself.
"Soon, the ways of old will return. This new generation was foolish to abandon our tradition of feeding on the foolish men we catch and embrace this foolish idea of peace. They will soon learn that traditions are meant to be kept and denying such practices have dire consequences."
Rachnera listened as their Jorogumo Guide told them all about the history of the binding brides. The main difference was the origin of their species; one occurred naturally, while the other involved godly intervention. Athena cursed Rachnera's foremother because of her hubris of being a better weaver than the Goddess.
Arachnera gave birth to various children over the years; some were dedicated to tormenting the children of the Goddess that cursed their mother, but some decided to go to other lands and start their own families. One group settled on an island in the Sea of Monsters, starting not just a family but a kingdom. The force of time changed some of them to better fit their role in society, such as becoming bulkier but slow or becoming smaller and faster.
The Guide was surprised to learn that Rachnera was a princess of an entire kingdom and chose to leave it, if only temporarily, for the sake of her shotgun husband. She personally found Rachnera's determination romantic and reminded her of some of the Jorogumo tales her mother used to tell her.
"So, how do you fund your village?" asked Naruto, "Rachnera makes goods from her silk while I work as a tailor."
"We do the same thing," replied the Guide, "we mainly make kimonos or the occasional custom order."
"What a coincidence," commented Naruto, "then again, we are weavers by trade."
"Some of us are better than others," said the Guide, "some leave the village and go into the city to become housewives or try other ventures. We have a lot of success being musicians in the biwa."
"I don't see any fault in that," said Naruto.
"What's a biwa?" asked Bianca.
"It's a short-necked wooden lute that is played with a wooden stick called a bachi." Answered the Guide, "they're very popular for traditional musicians and can be used for storytelling."
"Interesting," said Bianca in interest.
"Maybe I should bring one home and try and play it." Said Rachnera, wanting to learn a new trade and impress her husband.
"I wouldn't oppose to it," said Naruto, "it might even liven up the cabin."
"We can get you one along with a couple of books to help you learn," said the Guide, excited for the couple and glad another monster wanted to expand their potential.
"Thank you," said Rachnera in excitement, "I can't wait.
"So, the foreigner and his group are the Jorogumo village," said Raian as he read the note, "I do have a few supporters there, but most of them are happy with foreign influences. Tell my spy to isolate the foreigner and his group so we can take them out quickly; the younger spider demons and their fire-breathing pets could prove to be a nuisance."
"At once," replied a lower-ranked gang member.
"Soon, that blonde foreigner will be gone, and Japan will get back to its glorious roots," said Raian, going back to planning.
The Guide brought Rachnera to a building where they store their instruments, letting Bianca and Naruto wander around the village as the third group member shopped. Bianca followed Naruto without wanting to be alone as he browsed the Jorogumo's wears.
"I can see why people want spider goods," said Naruto, running his hand along a blanket, "tough but soft to the touch."
"I agree," said Bianca, eyeing some sweaters and pajamas, "they also have wonderful heat retention."
"Yes, our silk competes with alpaca and fleece for quality." commented the shopkeeper
"Do you have any books on designs and techniques for weaving?" asked Naruto, wanting to learn and expand his business.
"I think we have some in the back." said the shopkeeper, going to the back of the shop.
The storekeeper returned and gave Naruto his requested books, and Naruto paid the demon the price amount, but a new smell caused Naruto to worry.
"Do you smell smoke?" asked Naruto to his group.
"It's probably one of the younger girl's pets," assured the shopkeeper, "they sometime can't control their flames and end up burning a house or two."
"But is it supposed to smell like roasting nuts?" continued Naruto
"Stage one is complete, moving onto stage two." said one of Raian's henchmen outside the city, "Alright, men, aim for the blonde and his group, subdue anyone that gets in your way."
"Yes, sir." replied the small group behind him as they moved toward the village
Back in the village, Naruto, Rachnera, and Bianca were being escorted away from the danger, the trio watching as multiple women ran with buckets of water to extinguish the flames.
"I'm guessing this is a regular occurrence," remarked Naruto
"It happens about once a month," answered the shopkeeper, "the younger spiders get excited and shoot their flames."
"Spiders can shoot fire," said Bianca in confusion
"The ones under the Jumogoro's command can," said Naruto, "mythology can get weird at times, especially when visiting other cultures."
"After a while, you get used to it," said Rachnera trying to comfort the young demigoddess, "I was surprised too when I found out. I wanted to take one back to the camp, but Honey said no."
"The other campers would panic and try to kill it," said Naruto, "especially my siblings."
"I know, but they're so cute," said Rachnera showing her feminine side.
"I also like my shop to not be on fire," commented Naruto, "since it's also our home."
"There is that too," said Rachnera too, "I least I'll have memories of them."
"Maybe we can come back in a few years and get a spider them," said Naruto, "when we're not located mere feet from the camp."
"I know you would give in," said Rachnera hugging Naruto, unintentionally sandwiching Naruto in her breasts
'Remain calm and breathe,' thought Naruto as he tried to control his hormones.
Naruto was saved from further embarrassment when an arrow landed a few feet away from his feet.
"There's the target! Get them!" yelled the leader of the attack
"Run!" yelled Naruto as he grabbed Bianca and Rachnera's hands.
The group of three managed to make it to the outskirts of the village before being met with a second invading force. Both forces stood still, not knowing what should happen next. Naruto knew he could escape, but Bianca might have a more challenging time as she was still new to the supernatural world and combat.
"When You see an opening," whispered Naruto to his two companions, "run; I'll catch up later back at the hotel."
"Okay," agreed Bianca, having the least amount of experience in combat
"Be careful honey," replied Rachnera, looking for an opening.
Naruto waited until he saw his opponent make the first time, a second passed before the blonde tailor saw an opponent's foot twitch and Naruto made his move. Using his demigod abilities, Naruto reduced the density of the ground and sent it out in a wave to disrupt the enemies' formation and to give his group the chance to escape.
"Go!" exclaimed Naruto, making sure his allies escaped.
"Make sure you get back safely," said Rachnera grabbing Bianca and running from the battleground, "we need to make sure your bloodline continues."
"How old is this kid?" asked one of the attacking monsters
"I don't know," replied one of the monsters in confusion, "but he somehow managed to score an attractive spider girl, so maybe he just looks young."
"You guys know I can hear you, right," commented Naruto overhearing the monsters talking about him.
When Bianca first learned she was the daughter of a Greek god, she was skeptical, but after the last few days, she started to believe. How else could she explain why a spider woman was dragging her away from a horde of monsters wanting to attack her?
"I think we're nearing the city," said Rachnera seeing the metal structures and the sound of cars.
"What is going on?" asked Bianca in a panic, "who are those people?"
"I don't know, but they seem to have something against Honey," answered Rachnera.
"Can't we do anything," asked Bianca.
"Not unless you know how to fight," said Rachnera.
"I know some fencing, but that's about it," said Bianca.
"We should get you a sword soon, then," said Rachnera when they reached the city's edge, "we should be safe now. All we need to do is wait for Naruto to come back."
"Hopefully, he'll be okay," said Bianca, taking in deep breaths
"He should be, as this isn't the first time he was forced to fight," replied Rachnera
"So, looks like we have some stragglers," said a demon with three other demons trailing behind him, "and some good-looking ones."
"Bianca, stay behind me," said Rachnera pushing the daughter of Hades behind her, "Honey taught me a few things while we were at camp."
The four demons chuckled as the thought of a spider-woman defeating them was laughable, but they were quickly silenced when they found themselves cocooned in strong silk.
"What happened?" asked one of the surprised demons.
"I think we were defeated," answered the second demon, while the other two walked Rachnera and Bianca retreat further into the city.
"They may be cannon fodder, but they made up for that in numbers," said Naruto looking for any survivors from his battle, "hopefully, that was the last of them."
The fight wasn't difficult by skill but in terms of numbers. Naruto's specialty lay in fighting multiple opponents, but he had his limits, and the Jorogumo won't actual fighters, more like ambushers and trappers. The defeated lay unconscious and bundled in silk.
"I hope I can catch up to Rachnera and Bianca," said Naruto looking in the direction the two women ran off.
"We'll deal with the ruffians while you reunite with your comrades," said one of the adult Jorogumo commanding other spider-woman on where to put the bundles.
"I think they went back to the city," hypothesized Naruto, "but other than that, I have no clue."
"Then I can only wish you luck," said the adult Jorogumo, "I hope you and your friends find safety."
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