Confrontation

I originally wanted to help him, but in the end, I ended up causing trouble for him?

What should I do now!

Having understood the crux of the matter, Miketsu felt extremely awkward looking at the scene before her.

I have to find a way to help him! Otherwise, I'll feel too guilty. Looking at Toga in the center of the area, Miketsu silently decided to lend him a hand.

But how should I help him? I can't directly intervene in Choyo-machi. All the spiritual power tools and skills I have would definitely expose me if I used them. Then, I might immediately be surrounded and beaten by a group of yokai who would mistake me for a spy sent by an Onmyoji. So, I must come up with a good plan.

Just as Miketsu was pondering how to help, the situation on site continued to unfold. After listening to Shushikai's words, Toga showed no outward reaction, instead, he smiled slightly and said,

“Oyakata-sama of Mount Nukazuka in Harima has posted a bounty for a white dog yokai. How do you confirm that I fit those characteristics, when you haven't even seen my true form?”

“Hmph, don't try to argue. If you weren't highly suspicious, I wouldn't have stopped you without reason.” Hearing Toga's words, Shushikai snorted coldly, then he looked at the skinny zombie dog being led nearby, which was still thrashing around.

“This is a Gaki Dog. It has an extremely keen sense of smell. It detected the unique scent of a dog yokai on you, which is why we surrounded you.”

“Woof woof woof...” Completely unfazed by being mentioned by Shushikai, the Gaki Dog continued to run around restlessly. Although it looked extremely thin, its strength was astonishing, so much so that the Gaki holding its leash struggled to keep it completely restrained, even showing signs of being dragged away.

“Settle down! I'll give you food when we get back!” Seeing the Gaki Dog's behavior, Shushikai kicked it, but this didn't calm it down; instead, it seemed to become even more frantic.

Seeing this, Miketsu suddenly had an idea. She quietly withdrew from the crowd of yokai and went to a secluded spot, whispering to Konkiku on her shoulder.

“Konkiku, I want to help that dog yokai.”

“You want to help that dog yokai? Why?” Hearing Miketsu's words, Konkiku asked, puzzled. In her impression, Lady Uka should be someone who dislikes trouble.

“I'll explain that to you later, right now I need your help.”

“No problem! Your will is my mission~” Konkiku agreed without hesitation, for an Inari fox, obeying the Inari Okami's command was natural.

“Alright, then in a moment, you will...”

Miketsu clearly explained her plan to Konkiku. After listening, Konkiku immediately jumped off Miketsu's shoulder and swiftly darted towards the Cat Izakaya.

Konkiku's small stature allowed her to weave freely among the feet of the observing yokai. Soon, she slipped through the door of the Cat Izakaya. The first thing she saw upon entering was the Cat Shop Owner standing at the doorway, pouting, hands on her hips, and stomping her feet.

“What in the world are they doing? So many people blocking the front, how are we supposed to do business? I say... hey, you stinky fox, you're here.” The Cat Shop Owner was angrily complaining about the crowd of yokai blocking her shop's entrance when she suddenly saw her friend's familiar figure dart in.

“No time to talk right now, I'm going to the kitchen first!” Completely ignoring the Cat Shop Owner, Konkiku darted straight towards the back kitchen.

“What are you going to the kitchen for? No stealing food!”

...

Seeing Konkiku enter the Cat Izakaya, Miketsu let out a slight breath. Given Konkiku's relationship with the Cat Shop Owner, there shouldn't be any problems on that end. Now, she still needed to do some preparatory work herself.

She had to subtly provide Toga with some information so he could cooperate with her actions later, and this first required attracting his attention. As she thought, Miketsu rummaged through her sleeve for a moment, finally pulling out a small pouch.

Good thing, even after changing clothes, this was still on me... after all, it contains money...

A faint smile appeared on her lips. Miketsu passed through the crowd of yokai and returned to the very front of the standoff. This time, she deliberately chose a spot behind Shushikai, directly opposite Toga.

Then Miketsu took out two fine white hairs from the small pouch. Miketsu had picked them up at the entrance of Shenmu Village. They belonged to Toga. Miketsu had originally thought that if she didn't encounter the yokai protecting the villagers that night, she would take these back to the Onmyoryo for identification. She never expected them to be useful here.

With a sigh, Miketsu moved aside the bandage on her hand, allowing her skin to directly touch the fine hairs. The hairs instantly charred black, and a thin wisp of black smoke and a barely perceptible burnt smell diffused into the air.

Alright, now let's see if your dog yokai sense of smell lives up to its reputation.

...

At this very moment, the situation between the two sides had reached a tense standoff.

“Even if I am a dog yokai, so what? Are you really so sure that I am the one from the bounty?” Toga continued, unhurriedly.

“That doesn't matter. The bounty also has other information, such as... this dog yokai's left forearm is injured. If you want to prove you're not the one from the bounty, then reveal your true form and let me take a good look at whether you have any injuries.” With a smile on his terrifying face, Shushikai said to Toga.

After hearing his words, Toga fell silent. He didn't respond to Shushikai's questioning, which instantly heightened the tension in the atmosphere.

“Transform then... why won't you transform? You only need to reveal your true form slightly to clear your name. Why won't you do something so simple!” Shushikai said loudly, triumphantly. At this moment, he seemed to have completely seen through Toga.

“Hmph, if you don't transform, then it seems you are the one... In that case, surrender obediently. Your resistance is useless. Oyakata-sama's yokai general is also in this town. Your outburst of yokai energy will directly attract him, and then you'll suffer even more!” Shushikai said fiercely. His Gaki subordinates all raised their claws menacingly, staring intently at Toga with hostile eyes.

Seeing this, Toga frowned. His two lowered hands slightly curved into claws, and sharp, long nails grew from his fingertips. Faced with the current situation, he could only fight back. Even if this might attract Oyakata's subordinates and put him in a more dangerous position, it was better than waiting to die.

He didn't really care about the group of Gaki opposite him; he just wanted to remain hidden as much as possible. If a conflict truly erupted, his yokai energy would very likely attract Oyakata's people, who were very familiar with his aura.

He really hadn't expected that after finally finding the Ghost Market, Oyakata's people had already arrived and even posted a bounty for him here.

Just as Toga was lamenting his bad luck and preparing to confront the Gaki head-on, his keen nose caught an unexpected scent.

Toga's eyes shifted, looking towards the direction the scent came from. Among the crowd of yokai opposite him, there was a mysterious figure completely shrouded in a black robe, who was currently staring at him with a single crimson eye beneath the hood.