The Yokai Transformation Pills

Daytime in Tokyo was as peaceful as ever in Ukiyoe-cho. Inside the sprawling residence of the Nura Clan, various yokai were passing the time in their usual leisurely and carefree manner. Some sat in the shade of the trees, sipping tea and chatting. A serene atmosphere permeated the large house, which stood at the center of the yokai power structure in Tokyo.

By a massive rock somewhere in the courtyard, a young yokai girl named Yuki-onna, dressed in a white kimono and wrapped in a scarf, was squatting behind the stone. On top of the rock, directly in front of her, lay a small white object. Yuki-onna gazed at the little thing with a focused and serious expression. In her hand, she held a tiny, sharp ice pick. The tip of the pick was pressed against the white object, and she gripped it tightly with both hands.

Without a word, Yuki-onna suddenly applied force with both hands, pressing down with all her might. She seemed to be trying to use the ice pick to drill a hole through the small white object. However, things did not go smoothly. No matter how hard she stabbed or pressed, the small white object remained completely unaffected.

Finally, with a sharp crack, the tip of the ice pick shattered, unable to withstand the pressure. Cracks even appeared on the massive rock beneath, showing just how much force had been exerted. Yet, even such power could not move the white object a single hair's breadth; it remained completely unscathed, without even a scratch. Seeing this, a look of frustration appeared on Yuki-onna's face.

"Ah... failed again! Why is this thing so hard? I can't even make a single hole in it. It's probably even harder than steel!" Yuki-onna said, rubbing her forehead with a troubled expression. Her face was a clear display of confusion and bewilderment.

Just then, a young boy's voice spoke from behind her.

"Yuki-onna, what are you doing here?"

Hearing that voice, Yuki-onna immediately straightened up. The troubled expression on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a bright smile as she turned around to see Nura Rikuo slowly walking over from the pond.

"Young Lord! Why have you come here?"

"Well, I finished watering the Kappa and feeding the Kingyohime. I had nothing else to do, so when I saw you seemed to be working hard on something over here, I decided to take a look. You didn't look very happy just now. Is there a problem?" Rikuo asked with a tone of curiosity.

Yuki-onna thought for a moment and then held out her hand, palm up. Lying in her hand was that strange white object. Seeing it, Rikuo couldn't help but ask with a hint of confusion.

"This is..."

"It's a stone I picked up recently. At the time, I thought it looked quite pretty, a bit like a snowflake, so I was going to bring it back to make into a necklace. But I never expected this thing to be so surprisingly hard; no matter how much I drill, I can't pierce it," Yuki-onna replied. Hearing her words, the confusion in Rikuo's eyes deepened.

"Very hard?"

"Yes! Young Lord, let me tell you, this thing is super, super hard! I've tried all sorts of ways and I haven't been able to open it up at all; I haven't even left a scratch on it! Smashing, burning, freezing—nothing works! I even found a human's power drill to try and drill it, but it didn't even leave a mark!" Yuki-onna spoke quickly. Hearing her, Rikuo couldn't help but feel a bit like complaining in his heart.

'Using a power drill to make a hole in something smaller than a thumbnail... You're trying to drill it into dust. And Yuki-onna, where did you get a power drill? How do you even know how to use it?' Despite his inner thoughts, Rikuo shifted his gaze back to the strange little white object in Yuki-onna's hand.

"Can I have a look?"

"Of course! Here you go, Young Lord!"

As she spoke, Rikuo took the white object from Yuki-onna's hand. He held it and felt it for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly.

'This texture... it doesn't feel like stone or iron. It feels a bit more like bone...' After examining it for a while, a strange sensation arose in his heart.

'This feeling... it seems somewhat familiar...'

"Yuki-onna, where did you pick this up?" Rikuo asked directly. Yuki-onna blinked, then answered immediately.

"Um... about that... I picked it up two months ago at the site of the battle between our clan and the Shikoku yokai."

"What? Two months ago?" Rikuo was stunned. A lot of major events happened that night two months ago. Could this strange little thing really be related to those incidents?

Rikuo couldn't help but wonder. Just as he was about to say more, a man's voice interrupted him.

"Ah, Young Lord, so you were here. I've finally found you. And what a coincidence that Yuki-onna is here as well." From a corner of the building by the courtyard, a black-haired young man wearing a straw hat and monk's robes walked out slowly. He looked toward Rikuo and called out. Hearing him, Rikuo and Yuki-onna both turned their heads.

"Kurotabo? Do you need something from us?" Rikuo asked. Kurotabo replied with a slightly grave expression.

"The Grand Commander has summoned all middle-rank officers to the main hall. He says he has an important mission to assign. Young Lord, Yuki-onna, please come with me."

Pressing his hat down with one hand, Kurotabo spoke in a low voice. Hearing his words, Rikuo and Yuki-onna both frowned slightly, their expressions turning serious.

"Grandfather is suddenly summoning the middle-rank officers? What's this all about? Has something happened?" Rikuo asked solemnly.

Lately, Rihyon had basically stopped interfering in various affairs within the Nura Clan. He was consciously handing over control to Rikuo, often letting Rikuo act on his behalf rather than handling things personally. This sudden summons of the middle-rank officers resident at the main house caught Rikuo by surprise.

To reduce his own presence within the clan and give Rikuo more room to practice, Rihyon had recently given almost no orders to other members besides using the Haguro Group for intelligence collection. This sudden summons... could it be that something big had happened?

"I don't know yet. In any case, it should be clear once you get there, Young Lord. Please hurry; the other officers have already arrived," Kurotabo said again. After hearing this, Rikuo didn't hesitate.

"Let's go, Yuki-onna. Let's see what has happened." As Rikuo spoke, he handed the small white object back to Yuki-onna. She took it and tucked it back into her sleeve, then nodded.

"Yes! Young Lord!"

Inside the Nura Clan residence, in a wide and spacious hall, the elderly Rihyon sat upright beneath a large relief of the character for 'Fear,' puffing on a pipe. Seated before him were Headless Yokai, Kejoro, and Kurotabo—all middle-rank officers of the Nura Clan main house. They had gathered here in response to the Grand Commander's summons.

Looking at the many figures sitting in formal positions, Rihyon took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"I suppose you're all wondering why this old man who's about to retire and stop caring about things has suddenly summoned you young yokai today. You probably all had things Rikuo assigned you to do, and my interference might be a bit troublesome, perhaps even causing some of you to grumble in your hearts. But regardless, for now, I am still the Grand Commander of the Nura Clan. I hope you will still place my orders as the highest priority."

Looking at the subordinates before him, Rihyon spoke slowly through the smoke. The yokai officers below replied in unison.

"Yes! Grand Commander!"

Seeing their response, Rihyon nodded slightly and continued.

"Good. In that case, I won't beat around the bush. I've summoned you this time to give you a mission. Your objective is to find a way to turn a human into a yokai."

'Turn a human... into a yokai?' Hearing Rihyon's words, the yokai officers were perplexed. At that moment, Rihyon glanced at the chibi Karasu-tengu flying nearby. Understanding the look, Karasu-tengu nodded heavily.

"Yes, Grand Commander!" As he spoke, Karasu-tengu pulled out a scroll from behind him and unfurled it in mid-air. What was revealed upon it was a headshot of a cute human girl with short black hair.

"Fushimi Inaba, fourteen years old, a student at Fox Love High School... she is the Miko of the Mount Kagami-oboro Inari Shrine. She is the target of your operation!" Holding the scroll with the photo, Karasu-tengu spoke loudly. Looking at the girl on the scroll, the yokai officers whispered among themselves in confusion. For a moment, the hall grew a bit noisy.

Rihyon didn't pay much attention to their reactions, allowing them to discuss while he continued to smoke. Just then, a pale hand was lightly raised from the group below; it was Kejoro.

"Speak," Rihyon said softly, seeing her hand. Kejoro directly voiced her question.

"Well then, Grand Commander, what did this girl do? Why do we need to turn her into a yokai?"

"She didn't do anything. There are deep-seated reasons for turning her into a yokai that you aren't yet permitted to know. I cannot tell you the specific cause," Rihyon replied slowly while puffing on his pipe. At this time, Headless Yokai also raised his hand. Rihyon nodded for him to speak as well.

"Well, Grand Commander, turning a human into a yokai is no simple task. Aside from a few rare yokai with such innate abilities, only some precious secret techniques or treasures can do it. We... don't seem to have such a capability here..." As he spoke, Headless Yokai glanced at his colleagues. Turning a human into a yokai was indeed not an easy feat, and none of the yokai present possessed that power.

"Heh, you don't need to worry about that. Bring them here," Rihyon ordered with a gentle wave of his hand. Following his voice, another Karasu-tengu flew up holding an exquisite treasure box, placing it respectfully before Rihyon.

Then, under many curious gazes, Rihyon opened the box. Inside was a piece of ornate silk, and lying upon the silk were several small vials with stoppers. The vials were very delicate, no larger than a thumb. Each bottle had a small label on it, and each label bore a single character.

"Rabbit," "Dog," "Cat," "Tanuki," "Oni"... these were the words on the labels. Looking at the vials, the yokai below were filled with curiosity. Kejoro spoke up immediately.

"These are..."

"These are Yokai Transformation Pills. They are miraculous pills containing the concentrated essence of a specific type of yokai's demonic power. After a human takes one, it will corrupt the human body and transform them into a yokai of the corresponding race—for example, a dog yokai, a cat yokai, or an oni."

Rihyon spoke slowly after taking another puff of his pipe. Hearing his words, the yokai below showed expressions of amazement. Rikuo, standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up.

"A medicine that can turn a human into a yokai... does such a miraculous thing really exist in this world?"

"Heh, of course it does. The world is vast; there are many things you haven't seen yet. You haven't even fully figured out your own grandfather," Rihyon remarked with a sense of nostalgia.

"These Yokai Transformation Pills are products of Mayubayashi Forest, a sacred ground of medicine and poison in the demon realm. Our Zen-ichi also came from there. The Zen Clan has been supreme in both medicine and poison since ancient times; almost all the various spirit pills or peerless toxins circulating in the demon realm come from their hands. These pills were commissioned by me many years ago, and I went through great, great hardship and paid an enormous price to have the leader of the Zen Clan make them. They were originally meant for a great purpose... but in the end, it was a pity."

As he reached the end, Rihyon let out a sigh. Hearing this sigh, Rikuo's heart tightened; he had a rough idea of what his grandfather's "great purpose" had been.

These pills were most likely prepared for his human grandmother, Sakura-hime. To allow her to freely choose her yokai form, his grandfather had commissioned so many types. But in the end, his grandmother had refused to become a yokai, and so these pills had remained perfectly preserved.

And now, what motive had made his grandfather bring these pills out again? Who exactly was this Fushimi Inaba?

For a moment, Rikuo fell into deep thought. At that point, Kurotabo spoke up.

"In other words, Grand Commander, you need us to have that human girl ingest these pills."

"Hmm... yes. However, you cannot use force to make her do so," Rihyon answered affirmatively. But his words surprised the yokai present once again.

"No force? Why?"

'Because you probably can't win... and if you really cause some mishap for her, how will I explain it to the General?' Rihyon thought this in his heart, but he offered a different explanation out loud.

"Because she is a Miko of Inari. Even if she's only a Miko of a branch shrine, she is still one of Inari's people. Therefore, in this operation, you cannot have any direct confrontation with her. You must use other means to get her to ingest these pills. Just swallowing a single pill will do."

Rihyon spoke slowly. He then picked up a bottle with a label that read "Fox."