Mob Yandere

[Part 3/3]

The blue demon knew it well—

The eyes of a man who didn't believe in "forbidden moves," who saw fights as do-or-die.

Nostalgic... and annoying.

The blue demon clenched Ichishen's fist tighter—

Crack...!

Bone creaked under the pressure.

"Hey, cut it out! You trying to kill him?"

"If someone's dying, I'd prefer it's just you, thanks."

From behind the blue demon—where no one should've been—someone spoke.

Ichishen turned—

—and in a blink, they were there.

One was a kyuubi (nine-tailed fox), leaning on a parasol with a hand to her cheek, looking amused.

The other? A hebi no kami (snake god), tails sprawled out like a throne, smirking.

"Well now... things got interesting. I'm impressed."

Foxes? Masters of illusions.

Snakes? Born for stealth.

These weren't some random thugs.

They oozed Shinki (divine energy).

Calamity youkai.

Or worse.

Ichishen clenched his jaw.

They broke into the Juuyaku family's fortress—undetected.

Shame burned in his chest.

Even with their full force... could his family even take down one of them?

'What's with that face? Don't go acting like you tried. That trap of yours was a joke.'

It was like the blue demon was reading his mind.

Letting go of Ichishen's fist, she stepped back—twice—raising her guard.

Even now, he didn't drop his guard.

Because he knew—

He couldn't kill her.

But she could.

That tension... that crazy calm in the face of monsters?

Infuriating.

'Geez... Demons are all hotheads. Makes talking a pain.'

Then—

A hummingbird shikigami flitted down, landing neatly on Botan's head.

'Juuyaku Ichishen-dono, right? Been a while.'

Ichishen sighed.

"Elder Matsuhige... It has. Tea?"

'No need. I'd rather not risk you poisoning me.'

"Fair enough."

He glanced at the monsters.

"Didn't expect you to be rolling with this crew... bit surprising."

'Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not here making friends.'

"Yeah? Takes guts though... I wouldn't share a room with these guys for five minutes."

He meant it.

The youki (demonic aura) pouring off them was suffocating.

He couldn't believe anyone could stand it.

'Reckless, huh? Hoho... How modest.'

'Personally, I think it's crazier to live near these guys. Doesn't seem sane at all.'@@novelbin@@

The shikigami let out a cheerful laugh, brushing off the tension.

The blue demon shot a glare at the iron box, cursing under her breath.

Honestly, no one could blame her.

The kyuubi (fox), hebi no kami (snake), and even Botan silently agreed.

Everyone felt it—the weight of the thing sealed inside.

Even standing on the same ground as it seemed insane.

Capturing or sealing it? Unthinkable.

"When we found it, it was already pretty weak. It's not resisting or trying to break free. Honestly, holding it isn't that hard... or maybe it just thinks it can leave whenever it wants." 𝐑αɴo͍𝔟ĚⱾ

'So that's what the mechanism is for...?'

"Actually,the mechanism was set up because of it."

Back in the day, this kind of sealing device wasn't unusual—

—but now it was banned.

The modern court preferred saving money over risking the aftermath of using something like this.

That's why the Juuyaku family secretly moved the Spiritual Vein—

—insurance against whatever was sealed inside.

'No point in debating which came first—the chicken or the egg. The thing's gonna work, right?'

"Of course. Just look at those brutes' reactions. Should be obvious."

'Heh. Sounds like a compliment.'

'Even if a monkey compliments me, it means nothing, you know?'

Despite the demon's gruffness, the fox—a creature steeped in curses—urging calm was proof the mechanism was solid.

Yet, neither the fox nor the snake seemed pleased.

Their lack of action said enough.

'Anyway, we should get back on track. You're wondering why we're here, right?'

Ichishen nodded, noting the monsters were still calm enough to talk.

'There are two reasons, One from me... and one from those over there.'

The blue demon sighed.

'I just need the guy inside to sign this and be done. If they drag this out, my favorites might get ruined.'

She held up a high-quality scroll—

—stolen straight from the Juuyaku warehouse.

Even from a glance, the ink pulsed with shinki (divine energy).

This was no ordinary contract.

"...And what about your reason, Matsuhige-dono?"

He didn't answer right away—part strategy, part pride.

Then—whoosh!

The demon's wind strike grazed his ear—blood splattered—

—but that was it.

She wouldn't kill him.

And she knew he wouldn't lose a limb for this.

The fox and snake muttered curses at her recklessness—

—one slip-up and the mechanism might trigger accidentally.

'...I'm getting old. I'll let my granddaughter handle the details.'

"Understood. And... the content?"

'Hmm...'

And then Matsuhige laid out his request.

Botan stood there, barely believing what she heard.

The whole situation was absurd—

She had only come because her grandfather asked.

She'd invaded Juuyaku territory expecting a fight—

—and honestly? None of this made sense.

Her ambush had failed.

Without the demons stepping in, she might've died.

But now?

Now was her chance to reset, prepare for round two, and press her case.

That's what she expected—

—until Ichishen spoke.

"Very well. I'll accept."

"...Huh!?"

Botan froze, speechless.

It took her a few beats to process.

Wait—seriously?

After all that, especially now that she'd set foot in this fortress and observed so many things.... he's just agreeing?!

Unbelievable.

"Why...?"

"Why? That's strange. No—actually, it's perfectly logical. And more than that... it's a great honor."

Ichishen answered her unspoken doubts with a carefree smile.

And he meant it.

This request—this opportunity—was a blessing in disguise.

His sheer delight only deepened Botan's confusion.

'Hey—?'

"Hmm. Right. Let's handle your request first."

The hebi no kami (snake god) and kyuubi (nine-tailed fox) seemed indifferent—

—but the impatient blue demon was clearly done waiting.

Ichishen acknowledged the silent pressure and reached into his robes.

He pulled out—

—a vine doll.

It was a compact hybrid of a straw doll—small, delicate, but intricately woven.

In its tiny hand, it held a key.

The puppet twitched—

Then sprang to life.

It scurried across the floor—

—leapt onto the metal chest—

—and climbed up with practiced ease.

One click.

Two.

The locks unlatched and clattered to the ground.

The sound echoed in the heavy silence.

Click.

The third lock fell away—

—BANG!

The peephole cover burst open—

—and worms spilled out, writhing!

'Wha—!?'

The vine puppet struggled—only for a moment.

Then it was swallowed, dragged down into the squirming mass.

The sound that followed— crunch-crunch—like someone biting into pickles—

—was unsettling.

Silence fell.

A suffocating stillness blanketed the room.

An icy chill crept in, coiling like a shadow.

And then—

—from beyond the darkness—

'Oh my, oh my! So many precious children here! And—oh! My darling grandchild too! Hehehe, come give grandma a big hug, won't you?♪'

Emerging from the depths of the chest—

—the fallen mother goddess spoke in a cheerful, drawn-out tone—

—completely at odds with the ominous atmosphere.