Because My Parents Are Yokai (2)
The thunderous roar that had shaken the forest finally died down.
The situation was over. That nasty yokai could no longer be called an 8-cheok ghost. Its head and spine had been neatly ripped out from the top down by Eight-cheok Sis's hand.
Should I call it a 7-cheok ghost now?
"Hoo…."
Eight-cheok Sis approached me, lightly shaking the blood from her hand. Her gaze locked onto the small salt pouch in my hand.
"Little guy."
"Yeah?"
"That white salt… is it from the Holy Church by any chance?"
Holy Church.
The order that worships the goddess Capri-Sun. They wielded something called divine power to repel yokai, and their history supposedly outshone even the Great Yokai Council.
"That bitch earlier had tougher skin than I expected, but that melted her in one go…."
There was a hint of surprise in Sis's voice. She seemed wary of the power that had dissolved one of her own kind with just a handful.
I shook my head.
"Nah, probably not. No way my family would have something like that."
"Liar. It can't be ordinary salt. Nothing else explains it."
Sis shook her head, refusing to believe it.
But it is real. Did Mom get this from the Holy Church?
The one who told me to stay away from it the second I pulled it out?
To check, I lifted the salt pouch.
Sniff sniff.
It smelled normal. I dipped a finger in and tasted it—salty. Examining the pouch, I spotted some crude writing on the surface.
[Eat two, one dies—don't blame us. Thousand-Day Salt]
"It says Thousand-Day Salt…."
"…Thousand-Day Salt?"
Eight-cheok Sis's eyes went wide. She leaned in, inspecting the pouch as if she couldn't believe it. I'd never heard yokai could read, but I handed it over anyway.
I asked her as she examined it.
"Is 'Thousand-Day' another name for the Holy Church's salt?"
"No… not that…."
Guess it wasn't as plausible as I thought.
I pouted in disappointment.
"…No way, for real? The Thousand-Day Salt I know? The one from the sea?"
Sis muttered to herself. First I'd heard it came from the sea.
She hesitated, then touched the salt with her fingertip before reacting with disbelief.
"It's not Holy Church salt?"
"……Doesn't seem like it."
In the end, she handed the salt back and asked,
"Your parents didn't say anything about you carrying salt around?"
"They did. Why?"
"…Yeah, I figured. Unless it's a dire emergency, try not to pull it out. You've gotta listen to your parents."
Sis looked at me pleadingly. She wasn't wrong. I felt a bit down, like I'd done something bad.
"But you did good anyway. If it weren't for you, I might've been in real trouble."
Reading my expression, a long hand gently stroked my head. I accepted it quietly.
Her hand was sticky with blood, but it still felt nice.
A brief silence fell. Sis glanced back and forth between the nasty yokai's corpse and me.
"Hey, little guy."
"Yeah?"
"Um… that."
She hesitated, sneaking peeks at me before carefully opening her mouth.
"Can I eat it?"
Ah, dinner. I nodded.
I'd heard yokai were sensitive to prey. Especially if it was one of their own or not some ordinary human, but a knight or mage. Eating stronger beings raised their realm.
Maybe she thought she'd caught it thanks to me, so she was asking permission.
"Go ahead. I don't like meat anyway."
"For real? Even something this rare?"
She seemed to misunderstand for a second.
But I'm just a normal human.
I gained no benefits from eating it. Except an upset stomach, maybe. So I yielded happily.
"Yeah. I'm a vegetarian."
Being a vegetarian was convenient for excuses like this. After I declared it, my parents stopped forcing meat on me.
"Aah…."
Sis touched her cheek, looking touched.
"What a big-hearted kid."
I should've felt good about the praise, but the scene that followed killed that emotion rapidly.
Crunch, squelch, crack.
Sis approached the corpse without hesitation and started tearing into it. The sound of her chewing her own kind echoed through the forest.
Could I ever eat someone like that? No way in hell.
Better hurry to the Imperial Capital and live among people.
I pulled some wild strawberries from my backpack and munched on them.
As our meals wrapped up,
Fwoosh—!
A dazzling light suddenly burst from Sis's body.
"Huh?"
I rubbed my eyes in surprise and opened them again. A completely different being stood there.
The nearly 3-meter giant was gone. In its place was a tiny girl about chest-high to me. Her pale blue skin had some color now, and her torn mouth had become cherry-like lips.
If I had to compare… maybe 4-cheok?
Time to call her Four-cheok Sis now.
"…Sis?"
"Heehee, yeah. Surprised?"
She giggled and spun in place.
"Why'd you get so small?"
"Yokai evolve into forms optimized for hunting as their realm rises. A big size just makes you a target."
It made sense. Anyone would let their guard down around that form.
"This is all thanks to you. I want to give you a gift as thanks."
She took off her wide-brimmed hat and placed it on my head.
The moment it touched me, it turned into a top hat. Checking my reflection in a puddle, it actually suited me pretty well.
"Whoa, cool."
"You smell way too sweet. The forest critters would go nuts. This'll mask it some."
I was touched by her thoughtfulness, I adjusted the hat. It was a bit big, but perfect for blocking the sun.
"Thanks, Sis."
"No biggie. It suits you well."
We started walking again. With our eye levels matched, talking was easier.
"But Sis."
"Yeah?"
"That bad guy earlier wasn't wearing a hat. Why were you?"
"Oh, that?"
She pressed a finger to her lips and winked at my question.
"It's a kind of constraint."
"Constraint?"
"Do you know my gimmick?"
I recalled it: relentlessly pursuing anyone who saw her face until death.
"Yeah."
"I get way stronger against humans who've seen my full face. But by constraining myself to hide it, I max out the effect when the condition's met."
Like the rulebook for rule yokai. Self-imposed penalties boost the payoff.
"Sounds complicated…."
"Heehee, any smart yokai uses it. It's good to remember. Like that one down there."
Sis pointed to a cliff below in the forest. An open clearing lay there.
"Whoa! People!"
I almost shouted in excitement. In the clearing below the cliff sat a rickety carriage and five or six people were resting.
But something was off. Their cheeks were sunken like they hadn't eaten in days, skin deathly pale. Like a group of severe anemia patients.
At the center, a girl in a fancy dress sat by the campfire. She looked like a noble lady, but seemed the frailest and gave off a weird vibe.
Then, the oldest-looking man approached her. I could make out his labored words from his lip movements.
"Isn't it time… to head back…?"
But the girl stared at him, eyes gleaming.
"I have to find my lost little brother. That's the job, right?"
The old man's eyes glazed over.
"Ah… right. If that's what you want, miss… we'll follow. Heh…."
He shuffled back to his spot and slumped down weakly.
"What's going on there?"
"That girl's a yokai too."
Four-cheok Sis clicked her tongue.
"Lannancy, right?"
"Yeah. The fairy yokai that inspires artists and poets? She sucks their life dry in exchange, dooming them to early graves."
Sis kept explaining.
"Normally they are too weak to handle even one person. But looks like she put a constraint on her already nonexistent life force, awakening her charm even further."
Amazing. Gaining new powers or strength through constraints.
Eyes fixed on the people, I asked Sis,
"Can only yokai and rule yokai use constraints?"
"Yep. That's why we're strong."
I smacked my lips in regret. I wish I could too.
I might try it sometime, just in case.
"Is it bothering you?"
Four-cheok Sis noticed me staring.
"Yeah. They are the first people I've seen since leaving the village."
She pondered, then peered into my eyes.
"Hmm… well, you didn't fall for me either, so you should be fine."
"You tried to charm me, Sis?"
"No, no. Anyway. Normally, butting into another's hunting ground is a taboo…."
Her lips curved up.
"But if I eat her too, then no yokai in this forest'll top me. I used to avoid head-on fights, but now? I think I can handle it."
She looked at me as she said it.
Sis agreed. Our interests aligned. I'd get to meet people; she'd boost her realm.
"But how do we get down this cliff? Going around'll take forever…."
It was pretty high.
Too sheer to climb. As I scanned for a path,
Grab.
Sis seized me.
"Hold on tight, then."
"Huh?"
Whoosh.
She scooped me up. Princess carry style.
A 120cm girl cradling a 14-year-old boy—it must of been quite the sight.
"Here we go!"
Thud—!
Sis leaped off the cliff without a second thought.
Weightlessness hit, wind whipping by my ears, then we landed light as feathers.
"Made it. Was it scary?"
Sis set me down and straightened my clothes.
"Not even a little. Your arms felt super secure."
"Aw, such a sweet talker."
"But won't they freak out? With us popping out of the dark woods at night."
"Nah. Who'd suspect kids like us? They're dumb enough to travel with a yokai."
I took her hand and pushed through the brush toward the group. My heart raced with anticipation of meeting new people.
The lookout spotted us. I waved and smiled. Four-cheok Sis did too.
"Hi there!"
"Hello."
The man narrowed his eyes at our greeting, then drew his sword.
"Yokai! Battle stations, everyone!"
Eh?
My gaze naturally shifted sideways. Four-cheok Sis desperately avoided my eyes.