Chapter 183-4

Chapter 183-4

[Part 4/4]

'Phew... So? What about you?'

The black fox let out a small, satisfied sigh, as if it had enjoyed tormenting me. Then, looking down at me again, it asked with a wicked grin, as if it were about to enjoy a meal.

"Me?"

'You're the tragic white fox, right? What will you do? Will you hide away like your mother? Ah, or were you a brother who never existed in the first place? Then maybe it's better to just treat you as if you never existed?'

"Ah. So that's it..."

This time, I fell silent for a moment. I organized my thoughts, built my reasoning... and then I made my request.

"Ah. Please erase my memories. and... I'd appreciate it if you could kill me like you did before."

I felt the atmosphere freeze at my words. ...Maybe it was just my arrogance.

'...are you serious?'

"Yeah, is it funny? You saw it too, right? So you should understand... my danger."

Whether I existed in history or not isn't a big deal as long as the white fox's memories are erased. The real issue is my body itself.

Becoming a monster and going on a rampage──whether that was originally a trait of this body's owner is hard to tell because of the relationship between this technique and the Youbo mother's powers. It's likely that the influence of my spirit inside and the unreasonable divine power of the Youbo mother made it so. Probably.

That's fine. But if this body is still alive after the technique ends, or if the corpse itself remains, the danger of this body, which likely holds a part of the Youbo mother's power, goes without saying. The mother might overlook it, but I can't.

"I'd be happy if you could dispose of it completely... Or are you going to eat it?"

'Could it be that the influence of that earth goddess is in the meat? No way. I see, it's definitely dangerous if we leave it alone.'

The black fox showed full agreement with my concern. It's not a kappa, but this body is now a kind of biohazard waste. Who knows what kind of disaster could happen if we just leave it there?

'So, we should process everything, including the shells lying around, right? alright, I'll take care of it. ...Hey, peeking exorcists? You're okay with that too, right?'

That call was probably directed at the hidden hummingbird... Botan. and even without a response, I understood, as did the black fox, what she was thinking. How the exorcists would judge this situation.

Then, a sound of fingers snapping echoed. Along with that, my huge molting mark left on the snow ignited. By the way, the stupid spider was still fighting an unseen rival further away. So useless.

...Speaking of which, how does that guy's existence fit into all this? Well, considering the Youbo mother case, divine beings might have various exceptions. Higher divine beings are said to exist as points, lines, and surfaces in the world. Yeah, I don't get what that means.

'Oh, how beautiful. I was just planning to lightly roast it, but it's burning surprisingly well. Well then, it's about time...'

As I thought about that, the black fox glanced at the blazing pile of meat before looking down at me with a cruel smile. She stepped on me, showing her dominance. A youkai-like light shone in her eyes, and I felt my body getting hotter, a sign of human spontaneous combustion.

"Stop...!!"

"!?"

"Please! Just having you here is enough! That was all I wanted!! After losing my family... being cursed and lonely, you were my family!! So!!"

This might have been the first time I heard my mother's raw, honest feelings. I was surprised by the rough words coming from my usually gentle and quiet mother.

"I'm the one who's grateful! I was abandoned! You brought me back to life! You supported me! So, you are my family! Because we're family...!! Kyaa!?"

In the middle of her plea, she screamed as a tail caught her and threw her away. The black fox looked exasperated.

"I don't really like scenes like this, you know?"

"Ha ha, my bad... I didn't expect you to care about the atmosphere so much."

Accepting the accusing gaze, I raised my hands and waited for "that." Indeed, I wouldn't want to watch a tearful exchange with someone I was about to kill.

"No, please! Don't leave me!! I don't want to be alone! Please don't leave me...!!?"

My mother was shouting and struggling through the snow, trying to reach me. In tears, Ine ran towards me. I couldn't bear to watch that heartbreaking scene.

Having her family taken away for no reason, and losing her hometown and home alone, thinking about her fate made it even worse...

"Please live strong. Please live long." It was just a selfish thought in my heart. I was a terrible son──no, I was like a son killer to others.

"...Come on, just kill me already."

"Yeah. Go ahead and do it?"

"Huh?"

It happened suddenly. I tilted my head at the black fox's strange response, and then I was flying through the air. With only my upper body, I was slowly falling to the ground, my insides spilling out, and in my view, I saw it.

The shocked expression of the adult white fox who had seen me torn apart. The black fox behind her, smiling cruelly.

"Oh, so that's how it is..."

Understanding it, I was slammed to the ground, and the intense pain shot through me, making it impossible to scream. In the distance, the white fox, covered in my bright red blood, was running towards me, eyes wide and half-crazed.

The youkai fox is cruel. It's wicked. There's no way she would simply grant my wishes. It seemed to have been as malicious as possible without breaking its promise. Maybe she used an illusion.

(Well, maybe she will burn the body and alter things later, though...)

In front of me, turning into a lump of flesh, the white fox was crying loudly. I couldn't understand her words; the pain would eventually end. I would endure it and apologize. To my sister, who had to witness this, to my mother, and to the owner of this body, whom I had let die without permission.

"I'm sorry, big brother... I'm sorry?"

...I didn't know if the words I spun reached anyone just before my consciousness faded away.

Fan art: Here is Botan, crawling around the neck, by Xin. It probably has its tail wagging: here

This one is Kissing Princess. It seems like it's sticking out its tongue : Illustration