In the afternoon hours, Tokyo basked in slanting sunlight as the sun slowly sank toward the west. Traffic surged along the roads, and pedestrians filled the sidewalks. In most places, the vast metropolis remained lively and bustling.
Yet in a quieter corner of the city, within a secluded park thick with trees, Nura Rihyon walked leisurely along a shaded path. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he looked just like an ordinary human old man enjoying a peaceful stroll.
Beside him, the tiny Natto-kozo followed as usual, chattering away.
“Peace and quiet is nice,” Rihyon said with satisfaction.
“At my age, this old man really likes calm places where he can rest.”
He gazed at the empty park and nodded approvingly.
If a fight breaks out here, it shouldn’t involve any innocent humans…
At that thought, Rihyon’s brows knit slightly, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
After turning a corner, a wide sandbox came into view. Several children were laughing and playing happily inside it.
“…There are children here?”
Rihyon’s expression grew serious as he watched them. After a brief moment of thought, he continued forward at an unhurried pace until he reached the edge of the sandbox.
“Hey now~ children over there, come here for a moment.”
Wearing a kindly smile, Rihyon waved to them. The children looked confused, exchanged glances, then trotted over.
“Grandpa, what is it?” one of them asked.
“Hehehe. Children, let Grandpa discuss something with you,” Rihyon said warmly.
“I’d like to enjoy some peace and quiet in this park. Would you mind going somewhere else to play?”
At his words, displeasure showed on several faces. The boy in front stepped forward and spoke firmly.
“No! Our teacher said the park belongs to everyone. Why should we leave just so you can be quiet? The sandbox is here for us to play in!”
The boy’s tone was righteous and resolute.
Rihyon chuckled.
“Well said, children. You’re right—the park belongs to everyone, not just an old man like me. I have no right to force you to leave.”
Then his smile turned subtly mysterious.
“However…”
He slipped a hand into his sleeve, rummaged for a moment, and produced a handful of brightly colored candies.
The children’s eyes lit up instantly.
“These candies are all for you,” Rihyon said cheerfully.
“If you go play somewhere else, alright?”
“Yes!”
“Okay!”
“Yay!”
The children erupted with excitement and rushed toward him.
“Slowly now, one at a time,” Rihyon laughed. “Don’t rush.”
One by one, he handed out candy. Each child left happily, eating their prize. Soon, only one small, pale hand remained outstretched.
After placing the final candy, Rihyon let out a breath of relief.
“Whew… that should be everyone—hm?”
He lifted his head.
And froze.
The sandbox was now completely empty of children. In their place stood a girl about fourteen or fifteen years old, with short black hair, delicate features, a shoulder bag slung across her body, and a high school uniform.
She stood inside the sandbox, calmly licking a lollipop.
“Mmm… Grandpa, your candy is really good,” she said contentedly.
“Do you have any more?”
As Miketsu spoke, savoring the candy she had obtained, Rihyon’s eyes widened.
“Y-you…?”
Beside him, Natto-kozo suddenly pointed forward and shouted:
“Ah! It’s that high school girl who made the Grand Commander suffer before!”
Believing himself hidden in the demon realm, the little yokai spoke loudly without restraint.
Miketsu pulled the lollipop from her mouth and smiled faintly.
“Oh? Aren’t you the old man from the ramen shop? What a coincidence—we meet again.”
“…When did you appear?” Rihyon asked gravely.
Miketsu tapped her chin, pretending to think.
“When did I appear… hmm… probably the moment I smelled free candy.”
She waved casually as she spoke.
Rihyon stared, stunned. Natto-kozo staggered back several steps, yelling in disbelief.
“W-what?! Appearing just by smelling free candy?! That’s terrifying!
That kind of ability—to instantly appear at places with free stuff—
It’s stronger than the Grand Commander’s hundreds of years of cultivation!”
“Could this be the true power of a rising star in the freeloading world?!
She’s just a human, yet she can do something this terrifying!”
Natto-kozo continued ranting. Rihyon’s mouth twitched slightly before he composed himself and laughed.
“Hehehe… I never expected to meet you again here, young lady. Quite the coincidence.
But you really tricked this old man back at the ramen shop. Isn’t that a bit disrespectful to an elder?”
Miketsu replied with the same calm smile.
“Elders deserve respect—but those who behave without dignity don’t qualify.
You’ve freeloaded plenty of noodles over the years, Grandpa.
Making you pay for one extra bowl was just compensation.”
“…In any case,” Rihyon said, changing the subject,
“I’d like to enjoy some peace here in the park. Could you leave for a while?”
Inwardly, his anxiety was growing.
He could clearly sense several streams of yokai aura trailing him from the streets into the park. They were closing in.
They’ve caught up…
The deliberately concealed auras could not fool his nose. From their faint hostility alone, Rihyon knew these were enemies. This park was about to become a battlefield.
He had deliberately come here to draw his pursuers away from crowds.
Miketsu must leave—now.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa,” Miketsu said lightly, licking her lollipop.
“I also want to rest in this park. Don’t worry—I’m very quiet. I won’t disturb your peace.”
Rihyon’s heart sank.
The surrounding auras had already encircled them, hiding nearby.
An ambush… damn it. It’s too late to send her away.
I’ll have to protect her once the fight starts.
He slipped a hand into his sleeve and gripped a concealed dagger.
“…Listen, young lady. If something unexpected happens later—”
“Unexpected?” Miketsu tilted her head.
“Oh, right! The weather forecast said it might rain today. I brought an umbrella.”
She casually pulled a folding umbrella from her bag.
“It’s not rain!” Rihyon hissed urgently.
“Just—stay close to me and watch your safety!”
He focused, senses sharpening.
Eight enemies. None from the Kanto region.
Three in the trees ahead. One behind the vending machine on the left.
One behind the phone booth on the right.
The remaining two are behind us—strongest killing intent from the rear right.
Despite his diminished strength, Rihyon’s perception as a great yokai remained intact.
The air in the park grew heavy, suffocating with killing intent.
In dense grass behind Rihyon, a tall figure in a black coat crouched silently, eyes fixed on the old man’s exposed back.
How careless, the black-clad yokai sneered inwardly.
Nura Rihyon… chatting with a human at a time like this? He’s practically asking to die.
A violent gale gathered silently in his palm.
As the wind blade formed, Rihyon felt the subtle fluctuation. His dagger slid halfway from its sheath.
Here it comes…
The assassin’s mouth split into a jagged grin.
The head of Nura Rihyon is mine!
—BOOM!!
Suddenly, beneath the crouching yokai’s backside, a fire hydrant exploded.
A column of high-pressure water blasted straight upward—directly between his legs.
“AAAH—WHAT THE—?!”
The force launched him screaming into the air, smashing him into a power transformer on a utility pole.
A blinding flash. A shriek of agony.
The charred body fell twitching at Rihyon’s feet.
Nearby, the broken hydrant continued spraying water skyward. The spray scattered into a curtain of rain that fell across the park.
Before the water reached them, Miketsu had already opened her umbrella.
She stepped forward and gently pulled the stunned Rihyon beneath it.
“See?” she said calmly.
“I told you it was going to rain today.”
Rate on N.U.
