The Stage Play

Kyoto, New Fushimi District, Joyful Animal Street. The amusement park during the Inari Festival was even more bustling than usual. Accompanied by cheerful music, numerous adorable animal mascots roamed through various parts of the park, surrounded by crowds of children. Within the park, attractions like the carousel and Ferris wheel operated amidst a cacophony of laughter.

However, the most eye-catching spectacle at this moment was undoubtedly the float parade. During the Inari Festival, the city-wide float parade would pass through Joyful Animal Street, attracting a massive wave of tourists to witness the event.

Under the watch of countless children and parents lining the roads, a line of floats moved slowly past. Many were designed with Inari themes, featuring various images of foxes and rice ears. Of course, there were many other themes as well, such as massive blooming flowers and speeding mechanical giants. What the spectators didn't know was that hidden within these colorful, gaudy floats was extreme danger. Inside the cardboard structures of one float, countless yokai lay in wait, staring hungrily at the shifting shadows of the living outside, ready to strike.

'Sss... hiss. So much fresh human meat. Juicy, delicious human meat.'

A thick, terrifying snake yokai coiled inside a rocket-shaped float, greedily flicking its tongue at the blurred figures moving outside. Its eyes were filled with hunger. Beside it were several of its kin, all staring at the humans outside the float with extreme avarice. These were yokai who craved the taste of human flesh and refused to undergo transformation—entities that had no place in the order currently constructed by Inari. They wandered the edges of the divine realm, severely dissatisfied with the current order of the Three Realms and wishing to create an ecosystem where yokai ruled over humans and could devour flesh at will. Thus, they had been recruited by Hagoromo Gitsune, who was being controlled by the Underworld's Dark Seimei, and became her loyal pawns.

These snake yokai had quietly slipped into the floats prepared for the parade the previous night. According to the plan, the snakes lurking within the floats would burst out when the time was right. Now, according to the precise biological clocks in their heads, that time had arrived.

"Sss! No more waiting! Eat every one of those humans! Hiss!"

Following the leader's command, the snake yokai opened their bloody maws wide. Their coiled bodies lunged out like springs, their sharp teeth snapping toward the fragile walls of the float. However, just as they made contact, the walls suddenly glowed with a dazzling golden light. The snake yokai atop the float were instantly electrocuted until they trembled, screaming as they were blasted back.

"Sss! Wh-what's going on?! Why is there a barrier here?!" The leader of the snake yokai cried out in shock, staring in disbelief. It never expected that the interior space of the float they had inhabited for half the day would have a barrier! When was this barrier set up?! They hadn't seen anyone come to make such arrangements! If any Onmyoji had placed a barrier on this vehicle, they would have noticed! Yet from last night until now, not a single person had approached. How could a barrier suddenly appear here? In their terror, the snake yokai wondered. Logically, setting up such a powerful barrier would take a lot of time; there was no reason for it to be set up silently around them! Unless...

A terrifying conclusion struck the snake leader: what if this float itself was covered in barriers before it was even placed there, and they had simply crawled into a pre-prepared trap? Realizing this, the snake leader felt a jolt of alarm. It immediately ordered the other snakes to break out in all directions, searching for an exit. But no matter where they struck, they were hit by the barrier and bounced back. Even the door they had closed behind them was sealed. The snakes realized that the walls surrounding them were a fortress of barriers; they were completely trapped! Aware that this was a trap, the snakes began to struggle with all their might, trying to escape this spellbound cage. But even after exhausting all their strength, they remained trapped. The float rocked and swayed, but because it had been soundproofed, their screams could not reach the outside. While the snakes were trapped and frantically trying to escape, new changes were happening outside.

By now, the float parade had entered a wide, open square. On the edge of the square stood a tall stage, where a host with a microphone was shouting to the audience.

"Now, the next activity is something we've never had in previous years! In the past, everyone could only see firework displays at night. But to increase the variety of this year's Inari Festival, we've specially arranged for daytime fireworks that can be enjoyed under the sun!"

A cat yokai girl disguised as a cat-girl spoke cheerfully on stage. Her words sparked a flurry of discussion among the audience. Clearly, many were hearing about a daytime firework project for the first time, and anticipation shone in their eyes.

"Furthermore, this daytime firework display is linked with the float parade! I wonder if anyone noticed, but the fireworks have already arrived on our floats! You want to know where they are? Hehe~ everyone, please look over there!"

Speaking joyfully, the cat girl pointed into the distance. The crowd followed her finger toward an empty space cordoned off by railings, where a rocket launch pad had appeared at some point. One of the floats from the parade began to slowly break away from the line, driving toward the cordoned area and straight for the launch pad.

"That's right! This Inari No. 7 rocket float is exactly the firework for our daytime show! Have you guessed it yet? These are rocket-shaped fireworks! They really can launch into the sky! Everyone will get to witness a rocket launch here today—isn't that amazing!" the cat-girl host shouted from the stage.

Hearing her words, the many children and even adults in the crowd began to cheer excitedly. Rocket-shaped fireworks! Launched live on the spot! This immediately piqued the interest of the audience, especially the children, who jumped for joy and begged their parents to lift them up so they could see the launch pad more clearly. Meanwhile, inside the rocket float where the snake yokai were trapped, a pre-hidden player began to sound. The voice of the cat-girl host introducing the rocket fireworks filtered inside. At that moment, the snakes finally understood what the thing trapping them was for—and what was about to happen. After a moment of silence, the snakes suddenly began to attack like madmen, desperately striking the barriers in an attempt to break out. But the pre-prepared cage was even sturdier than they imagined; no matter how they struck, it was useless. As the snake yokai made their final struggle, the float reached the launch pad. Pre-set mechanical arms moved the rocket firework from the float onto the pad, and the float slowly drove away. The staff retreated, leaving only the rocket firework on the launch pad.

"Everyone~ the rocket is ready for launch! Now, let's count down together!" On the stage, the cat girl waved her hands and called out to the crowd. The crowd, especially the children, cheered in response. Then, the energetic cat girl began to lead the countdown.

"Alright, everyone start with me! Three! Two! One!"

Amidst the eager unison of the audience, the "engine" of the rocket firework spewed forth roaring flames. The rocket rose slowly before the crowd's eyes, then accelerated toward the heavens. Inside, amidst the heart-wrenching screams of the snake yokai, it reached high altitude in an instant.

"Stop it!"

"Boom!!!"

Accompanied by a thunderous explosion, a massive flower of fire bloomed at the peak of the Kyoto sky. The brilliant light was clearly visible even in the daytime. The audience below erupted into cheers at the massive, dazzling firework, while the snakes inside the rocket were completely consumed by the explosion amidst their screams.

Watching the blooming firework, the cat girl on stage smiled. She then moved the microphone away and spoke in a low voice to a hidden mic pinned to her collar.

"Joyful Animal Street, threat point No. 24... cleared."

"Ohh~ fireworks! Can we see fireworks during the day for the Inari Festival?" Somewhere on a forest path in the Joyful Animal Street amusement park, Hayakawa Rin spoke curiously as she watched the massive burst in the sky. Beside her, Miketsu responded calmly.

"We didn't have them in previous years. The daytime firework project seems to have been a temporary addition for this year."

"Oh! It's new for this year? Then I'm really lucky! It's my first time at the Inari Festival and I get to see something they didn't have before!" Hearing Miketsu's words, Hayakawa Rin spoke with some excitement. Miketsu smiled and nodded in response.

"Yes, this year's Inari Festival is indeed quite different from previous years. You've come at the right time, Rin."

"I see! It seems my luck is pretty good!" Hayakawa Rin said happily. At that moment, a burst of high-spirited electronic music sounded ahead.

"Ah, the play up ahead is about to start! Inaba, hurry! Let's go see!" Saying this, Hayakawa Rin ran toward a massive fairytale-style stage theater where many people were gathered. Miketsu continued to follow her with a smile. As they passed, a large poster on a nearby utility pole caught the eye, depicting a warrior in handsome Western-style armor facing a minotaur monster. Beside the fairytale-style stage, countless children and parents were gathered as an audience, focused on the performance. Before them on the large stage, a backdrop of burning ruins had been set up, and combat music blared from the speakers, making the atmosphere tense and intense. On the stage, the play had reached its final climax. Before the ruined backdrop, the knight hero in silver armor faced a ferocious minotaur monster clad in tattered plate armor.

"This is the end! Minotaur Demon King! I shall defeat you here and rescue the princess!" The valiant silver-armored hero pointed his sword at the monster and made a loud declaration. The ugly, massive monster let out a low laugh.

"Hahaha... what a pity, Warrior of Pure Love. You actually rejected my invitation, even though my ideology is the true path of this world! Your eyes have been clouded by the crooked ways of the kingdom. In that case, I can only defeat you here!"

The monster, named the Minotaur Demon King, spoke slowly as it exhaled white mist. Though it had the appearance of a monster, its movements and expressions were lifelike, causing many in the audience to marvel at the realism of the costume and the actor's skill.

In reality, however, the Minotaur Demon King standing on stage was not an actor in a suit, but a genuine yokai.

'Hmph! I'll play along for a few more lines, you lowly human actor. The time is almost here. Soon, I won't have to act anymore. Just obediently take my axe and die a miserable death! Be cleaved in two before your human compatriots! And then, they will face the same fate as you!' standing on the stage, the monster thought to itself. Indeed, it was one of the vicious yokai that had slipped into the amusement park, planning to go on a killing spree. This yokai was a Goshinki, a species with a minotaur's appearance that could read people's inner thoughts. Since many yokai liked eating children, it had originally planned to slip into the park to feast.

To bypass Inari's strict monitoring of the demon realm, many yokai planning trouble used strange treasures and arts to enter the human realm to commit crimes. This meant they needed to find suitable disguises to avoid being caught by humans before they acted. The Goshinki wanted to slip in to eat children, but because its image couldn't be made cute and furry, it couldn't pretend to be an animal mascot. By pure chance, it had encountered amusement park staff looking for a missing actor outside the park. The staff had actually mistaken it for the actor playing the Minotaur Demon King! Thus, the Goshinki had gone along with it and entered the play's stage with a sinister smile.

Relying on its mind-reading ability, the Goshinki read the entire script directly from the director's mind and had cooperated up to this point. The Goshinki planned to act until the very end of the final performance. According to the script, it was about to engage in the final battle with the Warrior of Pure Love. It intended to use its yokai strength in this fight, defying the script to publicly slaughter the Warrior of Pure Love! Then, amidst the screams of terror, it would indulge in a slaughter!

"No more deceptive words! Minotaur Demon King! Go to hell along with your crooked theories!"

On the stage, the Warrior of Pure Love raised his long sword and charged forward. Seeing this, the Goshinki playing the Minotaur Demon King let out a cruel laugh.

"Is that so! Then come, Warrior of Pure Love! This is your end!" Speaking, the Goshinki stepped forward and swung its heavy axe toward the warrior. This swing was infused with the strength and speed of a yokai, impossible for an ordinary human to handle. In the next second, the Warrior of Pure Love should have been cleaved in half, armor and all! Facing the incoming giant axe, the Warrior of Pure Love's expression hardened. He tilted his body, dodging the Goshinki's axe by a hair's breadth with a skill unattainable by normal men. Then, seizing the opening, he stepped forward and raised his sword high before the Goshinki's shocked eyes.

'What... how could a mere mortal—'

"Face your judgment! Minotaur Demon King!"

"Pure! Love! Holy! Sword!"

Accompanied by the shout, the silver long sword turned into a flash of lightning and pierced the heart directly. The Goshinki's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What... this is... Demon... you, you are..."

With a whispered word of disbelief, the Goshinki clutched its chest and slowly collapsed. The Warrior of Pure Love looked at the fallen monster and gazed into the distance. At that moment, the narrator's voice sounded.

"And so, the Warrior of Pure Love overcame countless trials and finally defeated his nemesis, the Minotaur Demon King. He rescued the princess and returned to the kingdom, where they married under the King's witness and lived happily ever after."

Amidst a round of applause from the audience, the curtains slowly closed. The Warrior of Pure Love looked at the lifeless Goshinki before him, removed the mind-shielding amulet from around his neck, and picked up a walkie-talkie to speak slowly.

"Joyful Animal Street, threat point No. 26... successfully excluded."