The Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office (2)
Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff sniff. What a nice smell.
Stepping out of the Hidden World, I took in the mountain air and let out a pleased smile. With demonic energy overflowing, there was no need to fear humans, and unlike last time, there was no blue fox spirit threatening me. After two whole years since possessing this fox yokai body, I could finally enjoy the natural scenery of Jirisan with peace of mind.
Unlike the gloomy Hidden World, Jirisan’s nature was truly beautiful. The whole world was green. The chirping of birds, the fragrant mountain scent, and above all, the sun pouring down its brilliant light. This is what the human world is like. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
Swish swish. As my mood improved, the tail on my behind started wagging on its own as if it had a mind of its own. Twitch twitch. The fox ears on my head perked up too.
I can speak the human language. I act like a human and think like one. I couldn’t understand this biological reaction that made me express “I’m happy” with my entire body. Still, my mood was fantastic, so I hummed a little tune as I headed down the mountain.
I didn’t know exactly where the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office was, but if I just kept descending the mountain, they’d probably find me on their own. It had happened last time, after all.
As I followed the path down, something glinting in the sunlight caught my eye. A plastic bottle. Some conscienceless jerk had tossed it onto the mountain trail.
Had a hiker thrown it away? …No. Who in their right mind would risk their life climbing Jirisan when that blue fox spirit disaster roamed around? This was a different world from the one I remembered. It must have been dropped by one of the civil servants from the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office.
I picked up the plastic bottle. Not out of any noble desire to protect the environment, but simply because it bothered me.
After descending a few more minutes, a large building that could only be the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office finally came into view. The reason I assumed it was the office was simple: the radar. A massive radar sat on the roof.
It was the first human architecture I’d seen in two years. Thrilled, I dashed toward the building, my six tails wagging wildly.
That was when I heard human footsteps approaching from afar. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Over forty people—an entire platoon.
Were they heading off to war? No, they must have sensed my demonic energy and were coming to capture me. The sound of bullets being chambered—click, click—made it clear they had no intention of talking.
…It can’t be helped. I didn’t want to use violence if possible, but if they approached me with hostility first, I had no choice. I desperately needed information, so I’d have to get it through intimidation.
I gathered fox fire in my hand and prepared to face the humans. Standing still and waiting quietly, I finally came face to face with the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office staff.
As expected, they were fully armed, and—
“Huk…”
“Gasp…!”
“Whaaaaat?!”
The moment they saw my face they recoiled in shock. It looked like battle was unavoidable. Still, I had zero intention of killing or injuring them, so I used the smallest possible amount of demonic energy to hold the fox fire in my palm. I’d yield the first strike. It was the smallest courtesy I could offer.
“Mi… Mi… Mi…”
Someone was stuttering. What were they trying to say? You crazy bitch? You crazy bastard? Primitive yokai?
What finally tumbled from the human’s mouth was—
It was completely outside my expectations.
“What’s with that plastic bottle?”
“Ah, Miho-nim said she picked up some trash on her way here… and asked me to throw it away for her.”
“…Send it to the demonic energy detection department.”
“Eeeek… B-but Director, this is a precious plastic bottle that Miho-nim personally handed me! I was going to keep it as a family heirloom!”
“It’s an order.”
What a narrow-minded bald guy.
For some reason, Lee Han-ul, director of the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office, felt like he could hear the agent’s inner thoughts in his ear.
…Must be his imagination.
Lee Han-ul crossed his arms and observed the six-tailed fox yokai sitting obediently in the interrogation room beyond the glass wall. Her common name was “Miho.”
Indeed, her beauty was breathtaking no matter how many times he looked. It was an appearance that made it completely understandable why his subordinates had lost their hearts to her.
However, while the rest of the staff might be like that, Lee Han-ul was not so easily swayed. He had not reached the director’s seat through luck alone. He continued to suspect—and suspect again—the fox yokai before him.
Yet as if mocking his wariness, she was far more cooperative than he could have imagined. When he suggested a conversation, she had gladly accepted.
Tick. Tick tick. Tick tick tick tick.
Watching her repeatedly mash the fan button as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world, Lee Han-ul thought, For now, she appears to be a yokai with a good heart… or so it seems.
The way she politely used honorifics with everyone, the way she had picked up trash on the mountain path, and above all, the fact that she was the benefactor who had saved the lives of the civil servants stationed at this Jirisan branch.
Still, there were too many suspicious points to simply label her a good-natured yokai.
She shows no wariness. Any normal yokai would be cautious around humans.
A sense of incongruity. It felt like she was dealing with humans as if she herself were human. Was this too part of her cunning scheme?
He would only know for sure after speaking with her. Although Lee Han-ul desperately wanted to enter the interrogation room right away, as a capable civil servant he suppressed the urge.
To converse with her, he absolutely needed to have the force master Lee Ha-neul present. If she harbored ill intentions and tried to cast a bewitching spell on him, an ordinary person like Lee Han-ul would have no way to resist.
They could somehow handle up to Rank 4 yokai with advanced scientific technology, but the six-tailed fox yokai yawning inside the interrogation room as if bored was a great yokai estimated to be at least Rank 2. Frankly, if she decided to wipe out humanity, the entire staff of the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office would be annihilated in under a minute even if they all charged at once.
Therefore, he had to buy time until the force master Lee Ha-neul arrived. A force master should be able to resist a yokai’s wicked tricks with that mysterious power called Force Arts.
It was then.
Oh no. Emergency. If he upset her mood even slightly, the entire yokai hunter office might get blown away. Lee Han-ul wiped the cold sweat beading on his shining head with a towel and spoke into the microphone.
“It should take about thirty more minutes, so please wait just a little longer.”
“…Whew.”
“Yes, yes! Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“Ah, of course—”
Oh no. Second emergency. Lee Han-ul clapped a hand over his mouth.
Something to drink? If she were human he would have brought soda or coffee, but unfortunately she was a yokai—a fox yokai. What exactly did fox yokai drink? Human blood, perhaps?
He had no information. He was wondering whether he should ask the yokai fanatic, Grade 7 Kim Myung-ho, when the fox yokai inside the interrogation room seemed to realize something. She jumped up from her seat and exclaimed.
Lee Han-ul tensed at her sudden movement.
“…Pardon?”
Lee Han-ul asked back dumbly.
“…”
“Ah… understood. I’ll bring it right away!”
From Miho’s perspective it had obviously been a joke, but to Lee Han-ul it sounded like a deadly threat. He immediately ordered a subordinate to fetch cola.
But her demands didn’t stop there.
“We… probably do.”
He had no idea why she was making such random demands, but there was no time to ponder. To fulfill her requests, Lee Han-ul sprinted at full speed toward the convenience store five minutes away on foot, the few remaining strands of his hair whipping in the wind.