Chapter 22

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When they came to the point where they were out of sight, Shouma let go of the Tofu Boy’s hand.

“I’m sorry. I used you as an excuse.”

“It’s okay.”

The Tofu Boy shook his head while he replied. It was cute and calming. All the while, they entered an alleyway far from the crowd, where Shouma suddenly called out to the empty space.

“Subaru”

At that moment, a small firework-like thing scattered in the air and Subaru came flying out of thin air. Then the kaii positioned itself onto Shouma’s shoulder which became its usual resting place.

“What’s the matter?”

“As gratitude for saving me the other day, I thought we could go around the festival together.”

“Huh? Is it okay?”

“Yes, Tendou-san has been quite generous. Tofu Boy, you also wanted to come to the festival, right?”

When Shouma called out to him, the Tofu Boy nodded his head so hard he thought his neck would be torn off.

His puffy cheeks were painted bright red. He was rather happy.

“Well, let’s go. Where do you want to go first?”

“Yakitori!”

“Ba-ball scooping!”

At the sound of these two cheerful voices, Shouma laughed with his shoulders shaking.

As they passed around the yakitori, takoyaki, yakisoba stands, the ball scooping and target shooting, the curtain of night began to fall.

The hanging lanterns were lit up, and the atmosphere of the festival rose with it as well. A local musical performance band began to play on the stage which was set up in the park.

The three of them sat side by side on a nearby bench.

“It’s nice to be a human.” slipped out from the Tofu Boy.

“Why do you think that?”

“Isn’t it always fun?”

“I can see that! In spite of all the complaints and what others say, it truly seems enjoyable!”

Subaru raised his voice in agreement.

The voice of the kaii was loud but no one on the street seemed to think that a small flying squirrel sitting on a bench was making such a bluster.

“From my point of view, the kaii can be more free and do what they fancy. There is even a song about that like ’There is no school, no exams or anything’.”

“True that there are no schools, exams or anything, but I don’t want a Sport Festival in the graveyard either.” [1]

As expected of a kaii that was a rival of the Ittan-momen. Subaru must have checked out the anime.

“We don’t have much stronger relationships with each other.”

“Well, we don’t have any kind of union. Although there was a kaii who held festivals, those had a more ritual-like sense to them.”

“There once used to be a union, though.” [2]

It seemed Subaru had never heard of it before, so the small kaii and Shouma both blinked at each other.

“There was a gathering that was organized by a kaii called the Nurarihyon. We didn’t do anything in particular, we just relaxed and spent time together. Some of the kaii used it as a place to exchange information. I’ve been there once or twice myself. My father and mother went a little more often.”

“Nurarihyon?” [3]

Another unknown kaii. If this was the case, Shouma regretted a little that he should have watched that anime when he was in Elementary School.

The Tofu Boy, who had been reminiscing, pinched his face.

“Ah, I remember now! That Nurarihyon, is exactly like you Shouma-san!”

“Huh?”

“It’s not just the face but also your aura. When I’m around Nurarihyon… how to say, I feel relaxed and at ease.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course!”

The Tofu Boy was proud of himself, but somehow Shouma couldn’t feel so delighted to be honest.

There was something about the appearance of the kaii that made them incompatible with people. It was okay to be told that one’s atmosphere resembles them but it might be better if one’s face does not look like them.

The Tofu Boy narrowed his eyes as he watched the hustle and bustle of the festival.

“I wanted to go to the festival with my father. I also wished to watch the fireworks together with him, and visit all these stands…” said the Tofu Boy, sounding sad.

Shouma didn’t know how old the boy was, but he guessed that no matter what part of the world one belongs to, kaii or human, children long to be with their parents.

“Hey, do you have any idea why the Mikoshi Nyuudo hasn’t shown up yet?”

They have been looking for almost a week now, but there have been zero firsthand sightings of the giant kaii.

According to Tendou, since the Mikoshi Nyuudou is a rather famous kaii it doesn’t have to appear in front of people often enough to worry much about disappearing.

However, since the child is looking for the parent, the parent should also be looking for the child.

“My dad is extremely shy. He’s not very good at looking people in the eye or talking to them…”

“And yet, it’s a kaii that grows when people take a look at it?”

The Tofu Boy shook his head as soon as Subaru pressed the matter.

“Because he is shy, he’ll grow bigger. When getting bigger he doesn’t have to make eye contact…”

“What a difficult man.”

“That’s what my mom said.”

“You have a mother too?”

As Subaru shouted in surprise, some kind of ’presence’ passed them over by the crowd. Shouma stood up without thinking.

“That’s…”

For some reason, he clearly understood that the thing which passed them was not a human.

“Tofu Boy, Subaru, Would you mind keeping me company for a moment?”

The two didn’t seem to notice the presence earlier, and while questioning expressions were written on their faces, they nodded.

They hurriedly stood up and Shouma began to follow the mysterious presence.

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Translator’s Notes:

[1] “Ghost don’t have school or tests or anything” and “Sport Festivals in the graveyard at night” are some of the lyrics from the intro of Gegege no Kitarou

[2] The author makes a reference here to Hyakkiyagyou 百鬼夜行 aka the ’Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ which was an event where all of the yokai paraded through the streets of Kyoto at night.

[3] 滑瓢’slippery gourd’ This yokai can be considered the leader and most powerful of all yokai, it can change its appearance but it mostly resembles a wrinkled old man with a gourd shaped head. Nurarihyon is one of the leaders of the Night Parade of one Hundred Demons (example)

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