LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 9: Encounter
"Kobeni-chan, please wait here a bit. I'll be right back."
She nodded slowly and waved after him with a smile. After losing Yotsuba-sensei in the crowd of people, she then returned her focus to the smartphone in her hands. If you're asking if he bought it for her, then the answer would be negative.
Since she was technically back in time, smartphones were still new. She had no doubt her guardian would buy one for her in a heartbeat though. Kobeni glanced at the lock screen and had to bite back a silly grin. It was a candid picture of her and Sakuya-hime, specifically when she was having her afternoon nap yesterday.
It's kinda embarrassing, but she doesn't really mind using it as a lock screen.
'It's a rare item after all. Besides, I'm pretty cute myself, hehe...'
Other than a few more photos of similar nature, there was also contact information of both Sakuya-hime and Noa in the phone as well. She had no idea that Hime had a gaming channel of her own. Of course, she had never pressed subscribe faster.
If it's a decade into the future, her Sakuya-hime might actually become a popular Virtual YouTuber, especially with her elegant speech and alluring voice. However, the problem was that there was no way to convey all of the features and connotations of Kyoto dialect in English translation. The only silver lining was that Sakuya-hime didn't have much dialogue and screen time in the game to begin with.
Ah, wait. Couldn't she also be a vtuber this time around?
'Uwah. No, no. That's a bit much, isn't it...'
Still, if she wanted to gain influence, that's certainly one way to do it. It was also a good source of income, only that it will affect her schedule. It would be better to just form a talent agency after testing the waters a bit by debuting as a vtuber herself.
'N-No, let's not think about it anymore. This is too tempting...'
Kobeni shook her head. Her finger flicked through the list of video clips. For her, who technically went back in time, the entertainment in the two-thousands is rather boring. After spoiling another highly anticipated blockbuster for everybody on the internet, she decided to just relax and go through Sakuya-hime's channel instead.
She sighed as she heard the familiar voice through earbuds.
"Ahh, my Hime is so cute..."
Kobeni grinned as she rocked back and forth.
The atmosphere in the airport terminal was both lively and peaceful at the same time. The carefree chattering in her ears drowned out everything around her, turning it all into nothing but background noise. The aroma of freshly ground coffee made her look back down at the mug of thick and syrupy hot chocolate in her grasp.
It wasn't her first time waiting on someone at the airport's coffee shop. Kobeni stared at the empty seat on the other side of the table and sighed lightly. It was the first time 'he' spent it enjoying this hot chocolate without company, however.
"I wonder if 'she' will miss me..."
Kobeni exhaled through her nose. However, it was no longer important as that little play had already had its curtain call. Its main actor is already here, after all.
She took a sip of the hot chocolate and opened up a chat application. She touched the backpack on the table lightly and tapped her finger on the group chat. Other than her, there were two other participants. Sakuya-hime who prepared everything in this backpack for her, and Noa who delivered it at the ass crack of dawn.
She's grateful for everything, but she felt bad just taking it like this. She wanted to spend more time with them to make up for it, but she really needed to return.
In the short time of this trip, Kobeni already has Yotsuba-sensei and Sakuya-hime backing her up. Tsubaki-mama too, if she really thinks about it. She slept on this fact until late last night, unable to get any shut-eye until Yotsuba-sensei woke up and prepared a mug of warm milk for her. They're not that close, but last night...
He stayed with her until she fell asleep. It's what she imagined her father would do, especially on the sleepless nights she had to spend alone without her mother.
Kobeni held her flushed cheeks and murmured quietly.
"Uu, how embarrassing..."
Yotsuba-sensei didn't say anything in the morning. However, his bright smile was enough for Hijiri-san to look at him weirdly. She almost forgot that Yotsuba-sensei was also a father. Especially now that Iori-san's illness was no longer a pressing issue, it's highly likely that Mamoru-kun might gain a sibling or two in the future.
Kobeni took another sip and licked her lips. She played with an origami paper and scrolled through the conversation. Other than the usual back and forth, the two had spent their precious time explaining everything to her patiently in detail.
Chiefly, the fox mask in the backpack.
Sakuya-hime forbade her from using any other masks. It was a promise made with her well-being in mind, so she acquiesced to it easily enough. She was also taught briefly on how to make a mask. The process itself wasn't that hard, but it did require some skills and the amount of magic her small reserve couldn't supply yet.
She understood Sakuya-hime's reasons. She only wore it briefly, so they're not sure about the side effects yet. However, it would be bad if the mask somehow did seal away her emotion. A single mask alone was already a risk enough as it was.
The mask making process wasn't all that hard. Every single tool and material just needed to be saturated in a huge amount of magic. She also needed to focus her magic in her hands while she made the mask. It's not hard in theory, just that it's a hassle since she had no idea how to carve up a block of wood to begin with.
Still, it'd be hard to find good enough materials to top the blood of a nine-tailed fox and the blood of an unknown deity. She did have a list in her head, but carving up a dragon scale sounded troublesome. She'd rather watch cute things instead...
Speaking of cute things, her thoughts turned to the gigantic furball that was Noa's true form. She still remembered how tired Noa looked when they greeted each other this morning. Knowing whose fault it was that she hadn't gotten any rest, she gave Noa a reward in the form of a kiss on the cheek. She did take a selfie, but decided against showing it off to Sakuya-hime. She's not that cruel, after all.
Kobeni glanced around and looked back down at the screen.
Sakuya-hime hypothesized that other than illusion, she would be able to use foxfire as well when she put on the mask. If she could disguise herself like that, there was a high chance she would be able to use foxfire like Noa with some difficulties.
It didn't take her long to notice the mask held some secrets. If she was a normal six year old, she wouldn't have noticed it. Yotsuba-sensei took one look and smiled at her with an understanding look that she totally didn't understand. If she was truly a six year old, she would have let it go. However, after a closer look, she finally found an interesting magic array inscribed onto the inside of the mask.
It was interesting alright. She had no idea what it would do, but the answer popped up in her mind after staring at it for a while. Since she had received no education regarding magic, she shouldn't have known it. However, that wasn't the case...
She understood why they didn't tell her anything now.
If she knew she could cheat death once, there's no doubt she'd be as reckless as a shounen manga protagonist. That must be why they chose to stay silent. She had already seen death once in her last life. She would rather quit eating puddings than try courting trouble. Experiencing death once was already more than enough.
However, while she was thinking about her previous life, she was hit with a sudden realization. She had spent decades as a man, but now she could become a mother. This little fact meant she would be bleeding monthly in a few years...
"Oh, fuck."
Kobeni let out a little squeak as she slapped her mouth shut. After looking around to make sure that nobody heard it, she heaved a long sigh. Since her circle of friends consisted of only three guys and a dozen of women, she was forced to be equipped to deal with their needs. She knew quite a few recipes for salmon dishes.
'Ah, if I remember correctly...'
Sakuya-hime seemed to have stopped aging at around twelve years old. If her knowledge on female physiology is correct, then the chance of seeing the older girl with period cramp might not be zero. Ah, this might be bad. The thoughts of seeing a miserable and teary-eyed Sakuya-hime begging for some relief...
'Oh, no! I might have just flipped a weird switch!?'
Kobeni opened Youtube back up after reading through everything in the group chat. Noa had packed a lot of things into the backpack, but the thing that drew her eyes the most was a neat stack of origami papers. Sakuya-hime said that it was one of Shion-mama's hobbies. The mobile that hung over her crib was also origami.
Fun facts; these papers could also be used to make paper shikigami. It was one form of attack used by her in-game counterpart. Other than throwing shurikens to disrupt players, there was another attack that hailed her as the most difficult boss in the game. The big-ass flaming dragon still haunts players' dreams to this day.
Honestly, folding an origami dragon wasn't even that hard. However, it might be a side effect of having her other self's memories. Her small and pudgy fingers glided over the paper like it was nothing. Not before long, there was a dragon on her palm.
The origami dragon in her hand lit up in a bright red flame. It moved its body a bit experimentally before turning around and looked up at her. Its official classification should be wyvern rather than dragon; specifically Nargacuga from Monster Hunter series. She didn't expect to finish it in under an hour, but surprise-surprise...
'Is it talent or experience, I wonder...'
She set it down onto the table and watched it frolic around absentmindedly. Her reserve was indeed as big as Sakuya-hime had said, but her output was severely limited by her underdeveloped physiology. Hence, the reason why this thing still looked like an origami dragon, and not an actual dragon like in the game.
Kobeni drew her magic back after a while, extinguishing the flame.
"You shouldn't be doing that in public, girlie."
That was an oddly familiar voice. It was low and slightly gravelly, but distinctive enough for her to realize who it belonged to. Kobeni looked up at the speaker and froze. His sharp eyes stared back at her behind his aviator sunglasses. She couldn't see them directly, but they still remind her of black glass marbles; dark and hollow.
Combined that with a biker look and black hair styled in faux hawk...
This person, did he win a genetic lottery?
"Can I sit here? Other tables are already occupied, so..."
Kobeni lowered her gaze at a steaming cup and a plate of croque madame on the tray he's carrying. She briefly glanced around and noticed there was literally no seat available. Seeing as he had no other choices, she smiled and answered meekly.
What? It's not everyday you get to see a cutie like this!?
"P-Please."
"Oh? You're Japanese!"
His accented English turned into a perfect Japanese in an instant. Her tablemate flashed her a toothy grin before starting on his breakfast with enthusiasm. Kobeni could only smile lightly as her worry dissipated. Seeing as he's not interested in conversation, she returned to the paper shuriken she was folding—
"Hey, Ojou-chan? Where did you get that mask?"
Her hands froze at his questions.
Kobeni looked at the mask that poked out of the backpack. Her red eyes then stared into his black eyes unflinchingly. His lips twisted into an amused smile as she slowly and smoothly pulled the bag into her lap without breaking eye contact.
"Someone important gave it to me. Unfortunately, it's not for sale."
He outright laughed at her thinly veiled suspicion.
"Aww, don't make that face, Ojou-chan. It makes you look adorable rather than threatening, you know? Hm, if you're already here with the mask, then that means she must have already heard the news, huh? I hope she's not shutting herself inside again like when that Tsuchimikado boy went to war without her consent."
Kobeni blinked slowly. So something like that happened.
"If you know Hime, then you must know about my mother, right?"
He nodded and took off his sunglasses.
"We're drinking buddies."
If he's a friend, then it should be alright...
"My name's Thana. Nice to meet you, Ojou-chan."
"Eh? You're Thai?"
Oji-san— Onii-san? Hm, what should she call him?
The other party shook his head and answered with a bright smile.
"Since we're in Thailand, I decided to use a Thai-ish name?"
Oh, that smugness. He's kinda cute.
"I'm Hiiragi Kobeni. Nice to meet you, Onii-san."
"Ghk! O-Onii-san!?"
Uwah, another weird person appeared...
Kobeni could only offer a dry smile at the person who's clutching his chest with a pained smile. Seeing her reaction, he just laughed and plucked the phone from her grasp. However, she didn't even have the chance to voice her displeasure when he handed it back to her. Suspicious, she started checking for any tampering.
"It's alright. I only just added my contact information."
Kobeni frowned at that.
"If that's the case, you could've just asked..."
He only grinned.
"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself. You look so similar to Shion that I just— I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. It's not only those close to her that suffer from this loss, after all. Have you gone through her stuff yet? There's this ledger full of names, you see. I'm not going to ask for it, but... Do you know of its significance?"
She thought back to the hardcover ledger she found in the box.
"Is it like an IOU?"
"It could be used like that, yes. In order to form a master-shikigami bond, both parties have to exchange their true names in a ritual, you see. So technically, the owner of those names, they're pseudo-shikigami bound to Shion's whim. Since the contracts are not finalized, she cannot order them around. However, the opposite also holds true. So long as she still has their names, they can't mess with her."
Kobeni looked up from the screen. If he said it like that...
"Did Mama get Onii-san's name as well?"
He shook his head.
"No, she didn't. If Shion couldn't bind Sakuya, I doubt she could bind me. It was her last-ditch effort at freedom. Sakuya was bound to this land, you see. The safest way for her to break free from the contract would be submitting her life to someone."
It might sound barbaric; but if the owner disagrees, any contracts imposed upon the slave can be terminated. It was a pretty good plan until one little fact was taken into consideration. Sakuya-hime had eaten the flesh of a deity; Ichor ran in her veins.
Who on earth would be strong enough to bind a god?
"You should find shelter, Ojou-chan. It's gonna rain pretty soon."
The sound of rumbling thunder that followed made her frown. It seemed like their flight back would be delayed even further with the storm brewing overhead. Maybe this was why Yotsuba-sensei and Hijiri-san disappeared to who-knows-where?
Even though they have a private jet, they still have to wait, huh?
"But wait, aren't we inside—"
Her words trailed off as she turned to look at the empty chair.
Kobeni blinked and looked around for any sign of him.
"Huh, spooky..."
She shrugged and turned her attention back to the phone. Curious about the new contact, she opened the contact list and proceeded to choke on her spit. There were only six names in here; hers, Yotsuba-sensei, Hijiri-san, Sakuya-hime, Noa...
Her lips twitched at the newly added contact.
'Thanatos'
"Thai-ish name, my cute ass..."
She hid her face and screeched mentally.
It was either Fate playing cruel joke, or her short exchange with the personification of death, but Kobeni had no idea of the incoming danger until its long shadow was casted over her. A moment later, only silence reigned supreme in this busy airport.
Kobeni felt chills run down her spine and looked up.
It was then that she saw it. Right outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a sight she would never forget. The only thing her red eyes focused on was the massive figure of a four meter tall giant with green skin. Its thundering roar drowned out even the rumbling cloud up above. The instant it raised its axe, she knew its name.
Only one Yaksha was associated with axe and thunder...
Ramasura...
"Is my life on Hard Mode?"
Kobeni sighed dejectedly and began packing up. It's no use panicking as it would only decrease her chance of survival. With everything packed, she downed the rest of her hot chocolate and decided to head outside into the chaos in a calm manner.
Hm? Last Boss? Are you crazy? She's only six, you know?
Picking a fight with a minor deity like that is a fast track to afterlife yo!
Boom! Rumble!
The deafening boom of the thunder was accompanied by the shattering of the huge window. The lightning strike was so close that the impact sent everyone sprawling on the floor. In the midst of the chaos, she had already forgotten which direction her guardian had gone. There's no way she's going to just wait there for him though.
"Hard Mode? This is Lunatic Mode, damn it..."
She had no idea why Ramasura would appear randomly like this. Of course, she didn't plan on asking him either. Kobeni glanced around and decided that the safest place right now would be the restroom hidden in one corner of the terminal. Since it was out of the way, she doubted Ramasura would come this way in his state.
There's no way she's going to pick a fight with him.
It's not even her problem!
Kobeni heaved a sigh when she finally got inside. She was only a little girl, hiding like this was the best option. Ramasura should be the security team's problem and not hers. She's not delusional enough to go out there and fight against a minor deity like him. There should be someone who could subjugate a threat like that, right?
Thanatos wasn't there because of the casualties, was he?
She suddenly went weak in the knees and slid down against the door.
If she went out there...
Kobeni recalled what her other self said clearly.
'Some lives were longer than a decade, while some were shorter than half a day…"
Unlike the protagonist, she doubted she had any plot armor.
She's only a kid...
Kobeni pushed the fear back and forced herself to stand up. Her shaky hands pushed the door open just a little to take a peek outside. It was like lifting the load off her shoulder, seeing the airport security push Ramasura back. Although her relief was short-lived as the yaksha raised his axe up high once again.
In this world, humans can triumph over gods.
However, it's not everyone...
Boom!
That's why she had to pick up her jaw when one of the security guards swatted the axe away like it was nothing. She even forgot to breathe when that same person scaled Ramasura's body and delivered a kick that pushed the yaksha onto his back.
"Uwah, that's awesome. Holy shit, is that nii-san playable?"
In such a serious situation, she let out a giggle.
She was the Last Boss, sure. But this world was not a game anymore. Everyone has their own life and their feelings. This was no longer a story of one person, but of everyone. So when the problems piled up in front of her, it didn't have to be her to deal with it. Just like that person who kicked the yaksha out of the building.
While they did indeed draw Ramasura's attention away from the passengers in the building, it didn't mean they could do more than that. When faced with a disaster of that level, they could only buy some time for the backups to arrive from the Exorcism Bureau. Watching from this far, she knew their purpose was to keep the casualties to as low as possible. It'd be like a fox in the henhouse otherwise.
Kobeni cursed to herself quietly and stepped back from the door.
"That's because it's not a game."
She could only pray there was nobody under the debris...
"Since it's not a game, if someone actually dies—"
A wave of nausea rushed her inside one of the stalls. After emptying her stomach into the bowl, she weakly flushed it and fell into a crouch on the floor. A bundle of toilet paper was used to wipe her mouth, another was used to wipe her tears.
Kobeni unlocked the phone and locked it again. Its black screen reflected her scowl back at her. There was no signal. To think that a minor deity could do something like this, as expected of the one responsible for the creation of thunder in these parts.
However, if there's no signal, then what about reinforcements? Just how long will those security guards be able to survive against a minor deity like Ramasura?
She gritted her teeth and curled into a tiny ball.
"I can't do it..."
Tears began to flow down her face once more.
She envied those protagonists.
It didn't matter how hopeless the situation had become, they would always have enough courage to stand back up again and again. She wasn't like them, not at all. Both of her arms tightened around herself as she bit back a sob. Sitting there on the ground in the middle of a thunderstorm, she was just a six year old little girl.
She's not the Protagonist. Not the Last Boss. Not anything...
She's just a little girl scared out of her mind.
It was the backpack falling with a thud that pulled her out of downward spiral.
Since she ran away from the coffee shop in a hurry, the backpack wasn't closed properly and its contents spilled onto the tiled floor. Kobeni stared blankly. There was a thermos full of the Water of Life, an external hard drive full of Harunori-san's digitized research data, a stack of origami papers, and last but not least—
The mask seemed to glow in the restroom's dim light.
She cradled it in her hands, her fingertip tracing its pattern.
"Mama, what should I do?"
What could she do that everyone else couldn't?
Kobeni looked down at her chest and paused. The wooden magatama had warmed up almost uncomfortably on her skin, as if it was trying to say something.
"Ouka-chan..."
She coughed out a laugh.
"I can't do it. The opponent's a yaksha, you know?"
As if admonishing, the wooden pendant heated up until she had to pluck it up by the leather cord. Her red eyes widened when a pale pinkish flame lit up and spread across her hand. Only when she realized it didn't harm her did she calmed down.
It was the same pink as the petals of cherry blossoms...
"O-Ouka-chan?"
The flame flickered in response.
The warmth in her chest spread out to every inch of her body. Kobeni clenched her fist tightly before laughing as the flame engulfed her whole arm. The magic from the pendant filled her up until overflowing. She feels so giddy like never before.
Her eyes shone brightly as she stared at the mask in the dim light.
"A little girl like me would just be a hindrance, but..."
The little overlord smirked.
"A yaksha versus a youko, huh? This might be fun, hehe—"