level_act44side_03_beg

Kami?

Yeah. I think all the funny stuff going on around Mitsukue has been tricks played by these kami-sama. And I'm looking for one of the many out there.

You don't believe me?

Oni are more familiar into monastery-type stuff.

Besides, I'm finding it hard to guess what sort of kami-sama would be so bored as to hop on a unicycle and curse my house.

Haha, sounds like most other Oni I know.

Why are you looking for this 'kami-sama'? Do you think one of them's cursed you?

The opposite, actually. Did me a solid once.

But one day, It just vanished.

Could it be the Wanyuudou?

Maybe? Can't say for sure. After all, I can't tell what the unicycling kami-sama looks like.

So, mind doing me a favor?

If you see the Wanyuudou, or are even... lucky enough to see Its actual form, help me check if It looks like this.

Moriuchi pulls out a ring of keys from his pocket, with a tiny keychain attached.

A maneki-neko? Isn't that a mascot Higashinese Felines created based on Feline Beast Stewards?

The kami-sama I met practically looks the same, apart from the size difference.

Hoshiguma-san, since you're no ghost, then I wager you're after this Wanyuudou to figure out what's up with your house, yeah?

Taishou, I never introduced myself to you.

Are you one of the Kinsekikai?

(Shakes head) Naw. Why would anyone from the Kinsekikai set up a yatai here?

An informant for the cops, then?

(Shakes head) Rather throw my life away.

An information broker.

(Does not nod or shake head)

Ha, I mean, what kind of intel guy would admit he's in the business?

But if you're in the business, then I don't think it's fair for you to ask me for help without offering anything in return.

Hah. What sort of reward would you like, Hoshiguma-san? If it's information, I can tell you all I know.

Don't worry about it. We can come back to that once I figure out what kind of information I'm after.

Anything that would cost you your life if you talked about it? Best to let me know beforehand. Last minute confessions won't get you any help from me.

No, if you really manage to find me a useful clue or two, nothing's off the table.

Deal?

Deal.

Alright. So, where should I go looking for that Wanyuudou? A shrine?

Don't forget, the city under us isn't called 'Nan'in Anzai Mitsukueooyashiro' for nothing. This is the Southern Court's De-Facto Capital Mitsukue Grand Shrine. You can't possibly want me to go on a whole pilgrimage route?

Of course not. Do you know where's the place locals call Kizuna Jinja, the shrine of bonds?

Heard a bit about that one.

Though, if you know exactly which one to go to, why haven't you gone yourself?

Kamigami are fickle beings. They'll willingly appear before some, but won't grace others, no matter what.

And you're part of that 'other' group?

Seems so, ever since that kami left me.

Taishou! My scooter's all busted! Help me fix it before the guys chasing me catch up!

EEK! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!

Still think I'm a ghost, huh?

Wait, so, you're not?

*Sigh*

Momoka? What's with the panic?

I'm being chased! I rode my scooter here and shook them off, but it broke down. Could you get it running again?

Who's after you?

It's... It's Mio-san...

Mio? Then you best be good and follow her home. Overstep your calorie count again?

No, she wants to... get rid of me!

My TV suddenly freaked out and started broadcasting scary stuff!

She was talking to Mifune-san! They said—Death or Oripathy! <i>Tasukete!</i>

Momoka starts to babble incoherently.

Moriuchi has no time to react before Hoshiguma walks over to the scooter.

Death? Oripathy? Momoka-san, did you offend them somehow?

All I did was to post one message, I wasn't planning anything or scheming with Tessai, nuh-uh!

Scheming with Tessai?

Let's see if this ride's fixable.

Why don't you go after the Wanyuudou first?

Playing dumb, information broker-san?

This is my second time scaring Momoka-san here. She's in a pinch now, so I should do what I can to even the score.

Momoka-san, I promise you as long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you.

<i>Sankyuu</i>...

—Someone's coming from Nita Street! Are they after me?

Kinsekikai outfits... seems to be the case.

Taishou! Ghost-san! Save me!

Ghost-san? Me?

Sorry, I still don't know your name...

That aside, your ride's back in action.

Hop on, and leave the rest to me.

Ghost-san!

Oh, so here you are, <i>Momo-cchi.</i>

Be a good girl and come on home with us, yeah? Play nice and we won't hurt you.

Wh-Where's Mio-san? I want to talk to her!

What'cha trying to do, huh? Negotiate with us?

For real, just be good and come on back with us. Then we'll forget everything that happened today. Keep running, and I can't say for sure that your pretty face won't have some new scars by the time we're done playing hide-and-seek.

Better worry about yourselves first.

And just who d'you think you are?

Go, Momoka. I'll handle them.

I can't leave you here all by yourself!

Then keep the back seat empty for me.

*Indecipherable tongue-click* I don't care who you are, or the bluff you're trying to pull, <i>usero!</i>

Start the engine!

<i>Omae!</i> Don't think you're getting away!

Momoka revs the engine, and the one-horned Oni jumps onto the scooter's back seat as the yakuza's weapon swings through the air.

<i>Chikushou!</i> Fire! FIRE! Fill that pesky Oni and her ride with holes!

What do we do?!

Just keep riding as fast as you can. Leave everything else to me.

Momoka is unable to take in her words. She was already hyperventilating before, and her fear turns her into a sobbing mess.

But through her tears, she realizes the lack of crossbow bolts flying past her. She hears only the sound of metal crashing into metal behind her, and the dull thump of bodies hitting something.

She does not know what's going on behind, and can't let go of her worries, so she can only cry as she turns her head around—

Bolts, daggers, and desperate punks, all slamming into Ghost-san's shield.

The shield stands only half a person's height, but in the single-horned Oni's hands it is practically a wall behind her scooter.

I'm gonna turn!

Don't worry about me. You'd ridden this fast before?

OnlywhenfilminganditwasfakeIDON'THAVEACHOICEANYWAYS!

What did they teach you when you were filming?

C-Countersteer, then lean in...

Yeah, just do that.

Momoka wails even louder as she imagines failing to pull off a countersteer.

She can already picture a scenario in her head where she pushes too hard, sending Ghost-san and herself flying straight into the yakuza's hands—

AhhhhHHHHWHATEVER!!!

Sparks fly from the vehicle, but it still manages a thrilling turn around the corner.

Now going straight, Momoka bites her lip, and grips the throttle tightly. The tremendous velocity even blows her tears off her face into the breeze.

The clamor of their pursuers gradually fades away.

Where are you going? I'll make sure you get there safe and sound, before I head over to the shrine to help the Taishou out.

Did Moriuchi-san... ask you to do something?

To chase a kaidan I saw with my own eyes. A unicycle ridden by an invisible being. Told me to look for it at the shrine.

It appeared next to me in the middle of the night, and I chased it all the way to his yatai, before you came to us.

In the middle of the night... a k-kaidan...?

Scared? Then let's split up.

No, I'll go with you. I can't go home anymore, much less the agency...

There's... nowhere else for me to go.

I can't go with you?

You can. But keep your voice down, or you'll draw in those guys again. Done with all your screaming now? Does your throat hurt?

Not at all! I've had vocal training, you know! Even when I'm not on stage, I do as I'm taught to prevent damage to my vocal chords!

That so?

You're... back?

Just doing a bit of work... brought something back here.

Did Kinbee ask you to send me something again? I won't be able to use it, so go back and leave me to my work.

Hoshiguma's shield. 'Hannya', right?

You met her?

Even if I didn't, I've heard enough of her from you over the past few years.

Take that strange mask off your face.

Why do you care what I wear?

Didn't Kinbee tell you to put that on when you went over to his place?

I said you were too honest with your emotions, and lack the composure of a leader. All you did was throwing tantrums at home and scratching the shoji screen doors with your worthless bokutou.

He tells you to hide your emotions, and you put this on like a good boy? Do you even know what could be hiding inside that mask?

I don't care if it's rigged with bombs and blows up my face one day, it's none of your business.

<i>Omae!</i>

Leave. I want you and your lousy mask out of my sight.

Leave? Me? What about my mother?

What about her?

Today is the day she died, Chairman Tessai!

Today?!

You forgot everything. All you think about is your reopened forge.

That's no excuse for you to hang around with that viper Kinbee.

Viper? And how did Kaa-san die again? What did he do when she died? What did <i>you</i> do? If he's a viper, what does that make you?

Shut up—

What are Kaa-san and I to your Kinsekikai?!

Forget it, there's nothing for us to discuss.

I'm going in to pay my respects to her. Don't get in my way.

What—

What is it?

Mifune-san... showing up on TV after all these years?

That was a fun pachinko sesh! Tomorrow, I gotta run over to the shrine, so today... up the stairs to my room, and it's time to catch some Zs!

I lost seven thousand five hundred mon today. That means, for the rest of the month I still have...

Huh. Barely enough to get by.

Alright. Well, I should've asked Old Man Tessai for my pay for looking after the parlor.

As long as I don't think about how much I've lost, pachinko's always a fun time.

Face wash done, TV's on, terminal charging...

Huh?

News jacking? What's going on?

Wait, why's he—

Kichisei jumps up from her futon and stares at the screen in shock.

Kinbee?!

Logs, cache, hardware traces...

All traces clean.

From terminal placements to signal hijacking and the aftermath... the whole process took about... two hours?

Everything that had to be verified's done. The broadcast, linking to live monitors, and live subtitles. All okay.

There were minor glitches from signal fluctuations, but they weren't anything unmanageable. A little workaround here and there and it should be all good to go next time. <i>Kanpeki!</i>

I'm so tired. I wanna sleep.

Locking in for two hours straight is my limit. I'm so sleepy.

No, I can't sleep here. Even a Kinseki Channel employee taking a nap in here would be pretty suspicious.

I have to go back to that cramped and lousy office—

Huh? An interim broadcast?

Uh oh! I gotta hide!

Yes, I'm here. Let me test the machine...

What? No, I'm the only one in here.

Right, yes.

All's set in place. The broadcast can start at any time.

Mio-san? What a rare sight.

I recommend the chikuwa, but the burdenbeast tendons and fowlbeast eggs are must-tries too. If you fancy something lighter, may I suggest our daikon or konbu knots—

Don't play dumb, Moriuchi. Where's Momoka and the Ao-Oni?

How would I know?

Just give me a number. The Kinsekikai can afford it.

I only sell oden here. How could I possibly know where my customers go after filling their bellies?

An appropriate pushback is understandable, but an excessive defiance means refusal to cooperate.

No, no, I would never.

I don't get it, s'all. She's just a showgirl at your mercy, without any kin in the city. Where could she possibly run off to? What harm could she do to your Kinsekikai?

Are you trying to pull information out of me?

I wouldn't dare.

Mio-san, I'm sure you've known her for a long time, even longer than I've known her.

She got to know me because my oden's yummy, and I know all about the kaidan in the city. I only offered a few comforting words and to be honest, we're not that close at all.

But I can tell she's just a lost little lass being pushed around with no bad intentions. I'm sure you've spent way more time with her, so what say you?

I see you're insisting on your silence.

C'mon, let's not put it that way.

How about, helping me leave a good review for this spot? Something about this place being a rare gem, and a great bang for your buck.

Why not have some oden to appease your hunger and mood?

Chikuwa, tendon, egg, daikon, and konbu knot. One of each.

Mio-san, you...?

So you had no intention of giving me a free meal? I see how it is. Fine for Momoka, but not for me.

What? No! I just thought you'd never allow me the honor of serving you my humble cooking.

Here you go.

<i>Itadakimasu.</i>

She claps her hands and dips her head before her meal, then takes the chikuwa from the paper cup for a nibble.

It's hot—

The noise echoing down Nita Street suddenly dips in volume.

Pedestrians fall silent at the exact same moment, like fowlbeasts on a single tree suddenly stopping their chirping.

But the silence only lasts a few seconds before a uniform voice booms from every television screen on the street.

Good evening, citizens of Mitsukue.

I'm terribly sorry for taking up your time. I, Kouhei Mifune, have news to break to you all.

When's the last time your boss showed his face on a program?

More than a decade ago.

...The singer and actress Momoka Hanyuu, is currently missing.

I repeat, the whereabouts of popular singer and actress Momoka Hanyuu, who has a long-term contract with our company, are currently unknown.

According to reliable sources, Momoka-san's disappearance is closely linked to the kaidan tales circulating in the city.

We are still verifying how they are related to the situation, but we are certain of one thing, at the core of this strange incident is...

The 'Ao-Oni of Kinsekikai', the 'Single-horned Oni', among many more nicknames.

A female Oni with one horn, long green hair, of tall and sturdy build. Said to carry a large triangular shield.

She vanished two decades ago, spawning the myth that she was haunting the city as a vengeful spirit late at night, killing anyone who'd been connected with her.

Many attendees report seeing this individual at Momoka-san's concert.

As for whether she is truly a living being, a pretender, or a genuine ghost—we are as yet uncertain.

As the man responsible for the company Momoka-san is contracted to, I make a sincere appeal for the general public to contact us with any clues. You will be rewarded handsomely.

I'm sure Momoka-san also harbors hope that you will help her out of her plight...

Just... for that? To find Momoka and the Ao-Oni?

What did they even do to provoke Mifune?

None of your business.

I don't get it, Mio-san. Is this lass really worth your boss getting so worked up?

They've got Mifune casting such a wide net over the city, woven of every pair of eyes glued to the TV—

Moriuchi sees a flash of something.

A tantou.

In the same instant he lacked any time to respond, the short blade stabs into the wooden oden table.

If you choose to be silent, then it's best you stay silent. Not even a word. Remember this well.

It would be very sad to see your oden disappear from this city.