The Yasha’s Princess (1)

Mei stopped in her tracks, captivated by the brilliance of the garden carpeted in gleaming white pebbles.

(—No matter how many times I see it, it really is beautiful.)

Before she knew it, about half a month had passed since Ryoga brought Mei to the Otherworld.

She could only say “about half a month” because day and night in the Otherworld were not divided as clearly as they were in the human world, making it difficult to tell exactly how many days had passed. Apparently, the flow of time was slightly different as well.

For the first few days, she had woken in tears, terrified by the thought that her family might come to drag her back and tormented by guilt over having run away.

There had also been nights when the unfamiliar way of life and strange room unsettled her so much that she became consumed by the suspicion that perhaps she really had been deceived after all.

She could never return to the human world again. Although it had been her own decision, she would have been lying if she said she had never regretted making such a frightening choice.

Yet there was enough happiness here to make her forget all of that suffering.

“Princess, Princess!”

“Play with us! Play with us!”

“Just wait a little, okay? Let me put this away first.”

Mei’s expression softened at the sight of the tiny Aberrations rubbing against her feet as she stood in the corridor.

Their eagerness for her attention was so adorable that merely looking at them filled her heart.

“Wait for me. I just need to return this to the kitchen.”

Carrying the tray from breakfast, she hurried toward the kitchen. The Aberrations followed behind Mei like a flock of baby birds, and their endearing appearance made her smile helplessly.

“Thank you for breakfast.”

“My, my, Princess. You really didn’t have to bring that back yourself.”

A slender woman in a kimono hurried over and took the tray from Mei’s hands.

Her name was Aki, an Aberration who worked in Ryoga’s residence. She was in human form now, but apparently her true form resembled a spider.

“I keep telling you that you can just leave it where it is.”

“But I’m being fed here. At least let me help clean up.”

“You truly are an unusual person, Princess.”

Mei found herself smiling along with Aki’s bright laughter.

“Have you gotten used to living here?”

“Yes.”

The Otherworld was nothing like Mei had imagined. Rather than a desolate place resembling hell, it was far calmer, quieter, and more beautiful than the human world.

There was a mysterious garden that displayed the changing of all four seasons within a single day, along with vast grasslands stretching beyond sight. There were dazzlingly sunny days, rainy days, and even snowfall, yet strangely enough, she never felt either heat or cold.

This land was ruled by Ryoga, and Mei and the others lived in an enormous traditional Japanese residence at its center. It was so vast that she still had no idea how many rooms it contained.

Stranger still, she never got lost, but she had already given up questioning things like that.

“Good morning, Princess!”

“Good morning, Gen.”

A shaggy little creature resembling a kitten sprang lightly onto her shoulder.

This was the true form of the furball whose existence had changed the course of Mei’s life. Apparently, weak Aberrations often became even weaker when crossing between worlds.

The furball had never possessed a name, and because Mei found it inconvenient to address him without one, she had given him the name “Gen.” The way he had proudly gone around boasting about his new name to everyone was so adorable that merely remembering it made her smile.

“That’s not fair!”

“Princess, give us names too!”

The tiny Aberrations gathered around Mei’s feet, each resembling a different kind of animal, all protested at once. Like Gen when she had first met him, their forms were indistinct and their command of language was limited.

“I’m sorry. Ryoga-sama told me I mustn’t give out names without permission.”

At the mention of Ryoga’s name, the Aberrations exchanged resigned looks and quieted down.

When Mei had named Gen, Ryoga had warned her with a stern expression.

“Do not bestow names lightly. In this world, giving something a name is equivalent to sharing your life with it. That one was already attached to you, so there was no harm, but if you name something with malicious intentions, it could cost you your life.”

Mei had gone pale when he taught her that. The scenery was so beautiful that she had nearly forgotten, but it finally made her realize that the Otherworld existed outside the laws of humanity.

“If you all work harder, maybe Ryoga-sama will give you names someday. Now, stop clinging to the Princess forever and get to work!”

“Yes!”

The Aberrations responded obediently to Aki’s energetic command and scattered in different directions, though they looked reluctant to leave. Apparently, they handled all sorts of miscellaneous tasks around the residence.

“Princess, Master is calling for you.”

“All right. See you later, Aki-san.”

Mei bowed to Aki and left the kitchen.

As she walked down the long corridor and glanced toward the garden, she saw magnolia blossoms blooming on branches that had held cherry blossoms that morning. The ever-changing scenery reminded her every day that this was not the human world.

“Excuse me.”

“Come in.”

When Mei slid open the fusuma and entered the room, Ryoga was sitting cross-legged on the tatami, reading some kind of book.

No matter how many times she experienced it, she could never quite grow accustomed to the moment his beautiful face turned toward her.

(—He really is so beautiful.)

She had thought so from the moment they met, but Ryoga truly was an exceptionally beautiful oni. His presence alone was enough to make her hesitate even to remain at his side, and Mei became restless every time she saw him.

“Has anything changed?”

“Everyone has been very kind to me.”

“I see.”

When Ryoga smiled softly, Mei felt her heart make a strange sound in her chest.

“Sorry, but another injured one has arrived. I’d like you to treat him later.”

“Of course.”

Mei answered Ryoga brightly.

At first, after being brought to this residence, simply becoming accustomed to everything had taken all of Mei’s effort, but now she responded to Ryoga’s requests by using her healing power.

Many of Ryoga’s servants and other Aberrations who admired and followed him lived in this residence.

Gen and Aki had told her that, unlike other oni, Ryoga willingly protected weak, powerless Aberrations. He took them in as his servants and allowed them to live in his residence. Their injuries came from many different causes, including conflicts with other Aberrations and attacks by exorcists. Mei’s role was to heal those who had previously been forced to recover slowly over time.

Aberrations suffering from injuries both great and small recovered almost instantly under Mei’s treatment, and every one of them left expressing heartfelt gratitude.

“What sort of patient is it today?”

“A frog Aberration. A young woman might find him somewhat unpleasant to look at. Apparently, his mouth has become stuck open, and he can barely eat.”

Imagining the sight, Mei’s shoulders shook slightly with laughter.

“That’s fine. I’ll go heal him right away.”

“Yes, please. Ever since word spread that you—the ‘Princess’—are here, far more of them have been coming. Don’t overwork yourself.”

When Ryoga furrowed his brow apologetically, Mei hurriedly waved both hands.

“No! I’m perfectly fine. Please don’t make that face.”

If anything, she was worried that it was all right for her to live such a peaceful life.

Aki and the others who served in the residence prepared all of her meals, while cleaning and laundry were handled by the smaller Aberrations. Even when Mei offered to help, she was often told she did not need to do anything, leaving her with far too much idle time.

As if that were not enough, everyone constantly asked Mei whether there was anything she wanted them to do for her, to the point that she hardly knew how to respond.

She had thought she had been brought here to use her power, yet Ryoga showed no sign of ordering her to do anything.

Every day, he merely came to check on her and told her things like, “You need to eat more,” or, “Go to bed earlier,” fussing over her almost like a mother bird tending its chick.

Mei had begun healing others in the residence after encountering an Aberration she had once helped escape from the West Suo estate. The creature, which looked like a tiny daruma doll, had burst into tears and clung to her the instant it saw her.

“Princess, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to come back.”

The creature cried so intensely that Mei had been at a complete loss, while everyone nearby gathered around to see what was happening. Left with little choice, she explained what had happened, and the Aberrations were astonished.