Mob Yandere

[Part 2/4]

My whole body felt cold. My consciousness sank into the extreme cold darkness. It truly felt like 'death'...

(It's not that... scary, is it?)

For some reason, I was used to this feeling. I couldn't find it terrifying anymore. It felt almost like an old friend. My consciousness was rather...

(What about Mother... Shirona...?)

I wonder if mother and sister are safe? Did they manage to escape? That was my only worry, my only regret.

Family is a vital bond, where members support and help each other. This bond is especially significant for me, given the mother who treated me like her own child and the sister who looks up to me like a real brother.

'...Even if it's just a game?'

A sweet voice whispered in my ear. When I turned to look, I met emerald green eyes. Ignoring the feeling of falling, I saw myself reflected in her pupils.

I immediately argued back. No, it was precisely because of that... understanding the true nature of this situation meant I had to take action. I was sure it was my duty.

'You've never known a real family, have you? No, maybe that's why you crave it so desperately?'

The goddess or the evil mother tilted her head, pondering. She observed me and saw through to my essence. I didn't deny it. But it wasn't something I was happy to hear.

'As a mother, let me teach you. It's that kind of thinking that leads you to make mistakes over and over, you know? ...More importantly! Your family is right here, isn't it──Whoa!'

I punched the monster's face that was trying to welcome me with open arms. If I let myself get too close and buried my face in her ample chest, I knew I would be devoured like a praying mantis, not physically, but mentally. If I gave in, I'd never be able to return.

'But for now, you have no choice but to trust me... right, boy?'

"..."

I punched her in the face so hard that my fist sank in, yet she declared she was unharmed. It's a mental world, spiritual yet invasive.

'After all, mother is generous. Boy, if you wish, I'll hold back.'

"I can believe it, but I can't trust it."

At the proposal, which was accompanied by a smile, I frowned. My mother is honest to the end, but she doesn't know her limits. She measures people by God's standards, creating a fatal discrepancy. But...

"I need it for dressing, I guess."

A bitter decision weighed on me. Suddenly, I was enveloped by countless strands of green hair that invaded my consciousness, a sweet and horrible sensation.

'Let's leave everything to Mother, shall we?'

"Like hell I will."

At the same time that I spat out my words to the smiling face of the mother, my vision was swallowed up....

...

......

.........

"If I shoot this much, he's definitely not alive."

The hunter fired shot after shot with caution, using poison-laced bullets to target the skull, heart, and abdomen. After finishing, he lit a cigarette and spoke matter-of-factly. His tone wasn't complacent, but rather a stark truth born from experience.

Monsters aren't invincible; they're relatively weak against firearms. He used poison, aimed for vital points, and killed them persistently. Smoking calmed his mind, and he used a short, cheap pipe with a mosquito-repelling cigarette.

"Hmm... cunning monster. I wonder when it was hiding."

The hunter glances at the corpse, muttering to himself. Monsters disguising themselves as humans are common, but from an infant? Unlikely. Unless it's a Kappa, perhaps.

"Still, there must be two more types of footprints deceiving me. One is the fox-possesed one... and the other? Is there still a monster hiding?"

The hunter considers a possible story. The fox-possessed spirit, with no family, might have been the perfect partner to hide with. If so, the village's treatment of it was a bad move.

"Is it because of a curse or to keep up appearances that it hasn't been eaten?"

The hunter is unaware of the specifics of the fox-possessed spirit's curse. He knows the village tradition is to avoid contact. The cursed family line has dwindled to just a daughter and her weak, elderly mother. After the mother's death, the daughter is left to bear the burden of life and the curse alone.

The hunter could only watch his daughter from afar, feeling helpless...

"...I can't avoid shooting."

Amid all the chaos and sins now exposed, the wounds of that tumultuous time remained unhealed. Society would never forgive a woman's actions; it felt like a betrayal, akin to treason. If things went awry, the village could be affected too... The family's shame had to be erased──a decision made long ago.

Nothing could change now. The truth was inescapable. So, he resolved to act before she endured further pain and humiliation...

"Phew..."

He took a calming puff from his pipe, accepting reality. Next, he needed to plan his course of action. After finishing his smoke, he would pour oil from his water bottle onto the nearby corpse and set it ablaze. He would leave the proper disposal to those who followed and press on.

He steeled himself, reaffirming his determination. A sense of resolve settled in, and he felt a sense of conviction.

But then, a sudden, unexplainable sensation washed over him. "Hmm...?" he muttered, his brow furrowing in concern.

A shiver ran down his spine, as if an unseen gaze had touched him. The hunting dog's sudden bark and the hunter's swift reaction were perfectly in sync.

Then, the unthinkable happened. The eerie creature began to take shape, emerging from the skeleton's remains with an otherworldly force. The hunter's blood ran cold as he beheld the terrifying sight.

"A, ah..."

The hunter was stunned, unable to comprehend the horror. The creature had countless tentacles, eyes, and limbs, crawling around on the snowy ground like a monster.

"....!!!!"

The hunter's gaze snapped into focus, alerted by the dog's fierce barking. He swiftly dropped his pipe and grasped his matchlock gun.

The deafening roar pierced the air, like a knife slashing through eardrums. The gun fired, and the massive creature surged forward. There was no time to reload.

"This...!!?"

The hunter drew his wakizashi and swung it up. The tentacles wrapped around him, constricting his neck, wrists, and ankles.

"Damn, damn it!? Damn youuuuuu!!?"

The hunter desperately struggled, trying to resist the creature's deadly attack, but it was too powerful.

* * *

The white fox's ears trembled at the sound of the hunter's screams. The fresh blood splattered everywhere, painting the blue sky. The child had been knocked down without realizing what was happening.

"Eh...?"

The child's confused muttering. The immature mind couldn't understand what was happening. It took a moment for the child to realize that her mother was covering her with her body on the snowy ground.

"Mom...?'

The child understood the action, but not the meaning behind it. She called out to her mother, who was sweating and trembling in pain.

"Mom..."

"──You're a cunning fox possession, and a traitor to our village!"

The child's voice was drowned out by the villagers' harsh insults. The child looked up, slowly realizing the situation they were in.