The Yasha King’s Beloved (2)

There had been no reports of oni appearing anywhere for the past several years. That was how exceedingly rare they were. If they managed to kill one, they would undoubtedly gain fame overnight.

“Father, you think that’s a good idea too, right?”

“…Yes. Yes, of course. As expected of you, Io!”

As if his furious outburst from moments earlier had never happened, Shiro’s eyes now shone with excitement. He had probably been blinded by the unimaginable honor of becoming an oni slayer.

(—Disgusting.)

He truly was a pathetic man. Just thinking that he himself had been born from this man’s flesh and blood made Io sick. His mother Sayuri was no different. The moment she learned that Mei had disappeared, she had begun weeping endlessly despite having abused her for years.

The sight of her pitying Mei and calling her poor thing was grotesque.

Sayuri was not truly worried about Mei at all. She was simply intoxicated by the role of a grieving mother who had lost her daughter.

“Let’s rescue my sister. A life that ends with her trapped by an oni would be far too pitiful.”

“You really are such a good boy, always thinking of your sister. If only Mei were even a little more like you…”

Perhaps it took a special kind of talent to praise Io while never missing an opportunity to belittle Mei at the same time.

After discussing the next steps with the exorcists, Io left the tatami room.

Only once he entered his own room did he finally let out a long breath. The room, furnished with only the bare essentials, felt strangely cold. A small assortment of study materials sat on the desk.

When he opened the top drawer, he found the flower hair ornament that had once adorned Mei’s hair. It had been warped into an ugly shape after he crushed it in his hand, and he toyed with it now, pressing down on it with the tips of his fingers.

(—I won’t let you be the only one who escapes this house, Sister.)

Because Io had been recognized for the talent he was born with, he had never possessed any freedom. He had been forced to train almost every day and had made it this far without ever experiencing ordinary pleasures.

Even at school, all he ever did was watch his classmates from a distance as they laughed over popular music and books.

He had given up on his parents, who cared only about chasing their own desires, a long time ago. He had neither trust, faith, nor respect for them. All that remained was ugly hatred.

The reason Io had been able to endure the pain and loneliness was because Mei had been there.

His older sister, more miserable than even he was. Mei, unloved and unacknowledged by anyone, had been the one existence that supported Io’s heart. He never wanted to become like her. If he ever fell that low, it would be over.

And yet, at the same time, she had seemed dazzling to him.

No matter how badly she was abused, Mei’s eyes remained gentle. The concern in her voice and expression whenever she worried about Io was different from that of their parents or anyone else. He knew it came from the heart.

His pitiful, unfortunate other half.

He had decided that one day, once he rose high enough, he would drive their parents out and make his sister his alone.

He would bind her to his side and make her devote herself only to him.

And yet.

“Damn it…”

Back then, he should have dragged Mei home by force when she tried to go and help Sakuma.

When the hand he reached out had grasped nothing but air, he should have run back without fearing the oni.

“I’ll definitely save you, Sister.”

Mei was surely being held captive by the oni.

She had probably been treated terribly. Her captor was an oni, after all. Perhaps by now, some part of her body had already been lost.

(—That wouldn’t be so bad either.)

If Mei fell from being merely defective to being completely broken, everyone would surely despise her even more than they already did. And then, truly, Io would be the only person she had left.

“Heh.”

With a twisted smile, Io firmly shut the drawer.

Mei learned that Ryoga would be away from the house for about three days at noon, exactly three days before Rakshasa Day.

Even though she had been avoiding him herself, she noticed that she could no longer sense Ryoga’s presence and ended up asking Gen where he was.

Apparently, he had suddenly decided to leave around dawn.

He had apparently wandered away from the residence like that several times before, so no one around them seemed particularly surprised.

“He said he’ll be back on the day of the festival.”

From the concerned look Gen gave her, Mei could tell that he hoped she would go to the festival together with Ryoga once he returned.

In the end, Mei still had not managed to speak properly with Ryoga, and she continued to make Gen and the others worry about her.

From their perspective, there was no reason for them to care about Mei when she must have appeared to be neglecting Ryoga, their master. And yet they still showed her such kindness, and that alone made her happy.

“Then we’ll be able to go to the festival together.”

“Yes!”

Gen’s expression immediately brightened, and Mei smiled at him.

(—Perhaps enough time has passed.)

Her chest still ached whenever she thought of Ryoga.

Even so, ironically enough, Mei’s heart had long since become accustomed to pain and sadness. After spending her life unloved and abused by her family and those around her, some part of her heart had likely been worn away.

Even the pain of her first love going unfulfilled was gradually becoming something she could accept. Perhaps that was because she knew Ryoga would remain kind to her, even if they could never become people who loved and were loved by one another.

(—I’m sure I’ll be all right now. Yes. I’m sure.)

Murmuring the words inwardly as though convincing herself, Mei resolved to face forward.

“Princess, would you like to go to the woods behind the house later?”

The woods behind the residence were connected to the estate grounds, and Mei had visited them several times before.

Like the garden, they were a mysterious place where the four seasons shifted over short periods of time, and they were abundant with wild vegetables, nuts, berries, and other mountain foods.

“I’d love to.”

There had been few Aberrations requiring major treatment lately, so Mei had not been particularly busy either.

She felt her spirits lift slightly at the thought that going outside might make for a pleasant change of pace.

Accompanied by Gen, Kyo, and several smaller Aberrations, Mei left the residence.

One section of the woods was a bamboo grove, and the gentle rustling of the leaves in the wind sounded pleasantly through the air.

“We’re going to cut down a few stalks of bamboo, so please stay back, Princess. Gen, don’t take your eyes off her.”

“I know!”

Keeping some distance from Kyo as he efficiently cut down the bamboo, Mei decided to gather mushrooms and other things with Gen and the smaller Aberrations.

“Princess, Princess.”

The Aberrations that still could not speak properly called out to Mei like young children struggling with their words.

Responding gently to each of them, Mei gradually filled the basket in her arms.

(—This must be what happiness is.)

Wanting anything more would simply be greedy. She would cherish the place where she had finally found a home.

Mei quietly held that thought close to her heart.

“…………?”

Thinking she had heard a strange sound somewhere in the distance, Mei stopped what she was doing.

Gen and the other Aberrations did not appear to have noticed it and remained absorbed in gathering wild vegetables.

Thinking she might have imagined it, Mei lowered her gaze to the ground again, but she could still hear something.

“…Hey, Gen. Don’t you hear something?”

“Huh?”

When she finally asked, Gen fluttered his small ears and turned his head as though searching their surroundings.

“I don’t hear anything…”

Even so, he seemed to sense that something was wrong from Mei’s behavior. He suspiciously scanned the area for her. The other Aberrations followed Mei and Gen’s example and began looking around as well.

“I hear sound.”

Among the small Aberrations, a little frog that was relatively intelligent suddenly stopped moving and stared intently into the depths of the woods.

Mei turned her gaze in the same direction.

There should have been nothing there, and yet for some reason she could not look away. A restless unease stirred deep inside her. She felt sweat slowly bead across her forehead and run down her temple.

“…!”

A thin fissure suddenly appeared before her eyes. It was an eerie-colored tear, like a fresh wound moments before blood burst from it. Behind her, she heard Gen and Kyo shouting something.

“Gyaa!”

“!!”

What emerged from the fissure was a human arm.

Without the slightest hesitation, the arm seized the frog directly in front of the fissure in a crushing grip. Then it dragged the frog straight inside.

“No!”

Almost entirely on instinct, Mei reached out toward the frog. Her momentum carried her hand into the fissure, and she felt someone firmly seize it from the other side.

“—Found you.”