Chapter 86: Sitinge Mansion
Night had fallen.
The sky above Shibuya was black as ink, and the cold wind carried the first real bite of winter. It swept through the streets in restless waves, rattling bare branches and making the dim streetlights flicker as though the darkness were breathing around them.
On one such street, almost empty beneath the weak yellow lights, a young woman walked alone with a small travel bag.
Kurazaki Fuko tightened her coat around herself and let out a helpless sigh.
"Father really is careless as ever... Or maybe Grandmother's situation has him too distracted."
She looked down at the ticket information on her phone and muttered in exasperation, "Who buys a night ticket for the high-speed rail in this era?"
The station behind her had been almost deserted. Ever since the Supernatural Revival began, people had stopped treating the night as part of ordinary life. Hotels were reluctant to open their doors after dark. Shops closed early. Even taxis were rare unless they belonged to companies with official protection contracts.
"An entire train car to myself sounds luxurious in theory," Fuko grumbled, "but now where am I supposed to stay?"
She opened the map on her phone and searched for the White Fox Office.
A small blue dot appeared.
"Five or six kilometers... not too far."
Her expression softened slightly.
"I'll go to the White Fox Office first. Maybe Mr. Gin Tsumugi can let me stay there for the night. I can also tell Sora about Grandmother's condition."
She was none other than Kasugano Sora's cousin, Kurazaki Fuko, who had met Gin once before.
Judging from her words, she had come all the way from Kyoto to Shibuya to find Sora.
Fuko had just confirmed the route and was about to move when—
"Awoo... awoo..."
A strange cry drifted from the far end of the street.
It sounded like a fox.
And yet, it was wrong.
The sound was too hoarse, too wet, too twisted. It was neither beast nor human, crawling through the night like something that should never have learned how to breathe.
Fuko's expression immediately sharpened.
Then came a bitter smile.
"I just arrived in Shibuya, walked at night for a few minutes, and already ran into a yokai."
Her fingers slipped into her coat and pulled out several talismans.
"My luck is really something. Or has Shibuya's yokai population gotten so bad that they're practically walking around like stray cats?"
Although Fuko had not formally begun training in Onmyodo, she was no longer the same ordinary girl she had once been.
After the supernatural incident involving Sora, she had done everything she could to increase her chances of survival. She had practiced using the talismans she obtained through the Kaikain Clan and Kou. At the very least, dealing with common yokai was now within her ability.
But when the figure at the end of the street slowly emerged from the darkness, Fuko's eyes widened.
"What... is that?"
From a distance, it looked humanoid.
Its figure was small, almost like a young woman's.
But its body was covered in thick, long, grayish-yellow fur. Its face was that of a hideous fox. Its hunched posture, twitching limbs, and malformed silhouette made it look like something that had been forcibly blended between human and beast.
Its mouth was chewing on something.
Something wet.
Something red.
Fuko did not delude herself into thinking it was merely passing by.
The thing's eyes gleamed with bloodthirst and malice. It had already locked onto her.
"Of course," Fuko muttered, talismans tightening between her fingers. "Naturally, it's coming for me."
She decided to strike first.
With a flick of her wrist, she sent a talisman flying toward the fox-faced yokai.
"Awoo!"
The creature reacted before the talisman could activate.
Its body blurred.
Like a black shadow, it flashed forward at terrifying speed, and its claws sliced the talisman cleanly in two.
The torn paper fluttered uselessly through the air.
Without losing any momentum, the yokai charged straight at Fuko.
"Oh no—defense!"
Fuko's heart jumped.
She had not expected it to be so fast.
She slapped a defensive talisman onto herself. Spiritual light bloomed and formed a translucent shield in front of her.
Crack.
The yokai's claws struck the shield.
For one breath, the barrier held.
Then it shattered.
Bang!
The force of the impact blasted fragments of spiritual light outward. But that one breath had given Fuko just enough time.
She drew another talisman.
"Seal!"
The talisman shot out.
To her horror, it had no effect at all.
Some hidden power on the yokai's body crushed the spell before it could take hold.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
The yokai seemed enraged by her resistance. It roared again and again, its cries echoing through the quiet street.
In the nearby residential buildings, lights flickered on behind curtains. A few residents peeked out, saw the thing on the road, and immediately retreated. Curtains snapped shut. Doors locked. People hid beneath blankets, trembling, praying that the yokai would not notice them.
Before supernatural incidents and yokai, ordinary humans were this helpless.
"I miscalculated."
Fuko gritted her teeth.
The yokai stepped closer.
If she tried another talisman and failed, it would be on top of her. She still had a few trump cards, but the thought of the price she would have to pay made her hesitate.
And in that hesitation—
A paper crane entered her field of vision.
It flew through the night, white wings cutting across the darkness.
Immediately after, a solemn chant echoed in her ears.
"All things in the mortal world fall beneath my command. By the vow of my true Acala form, I make this great oath to subdue evil spirits and wicked ghosts. Swiftly, as the laws and decrees command!"
"Immovable Binding Technique!"
The ground beneath the yokai flashed.
More than a dozen chains formed from spiritual power erupted from the street, locking around the creature's limbs, neck, and torso.
The fox-faced yokai slammed forward, only to be dragged back violently.
It roared.
It struggled.
It clawed at the chains until sparks of spiritual light scattered, but it could not move even half a step.
"Long time no see, Miss Fuko."
A familiar voice came from behind her.
Having survived the ordeal, Fuko turned in surprise.
Several familiar figures came into view.
"Sora! Miss Kotoko! And..."
Her gaze stopped on the silver-haired young man standing beside them.
"Are you... Mr. Gin Tsumugi?"
She had grown somewhat familiar with Iwanaga Kotoko over the past few days through calls with Sora.
But when she saw Gin, she could not help hesitating.
Just like Ogiso Setsuna and Touma Kazusa earlier, Fuko found the change in him too great.
His face, his bearing, even the quiet refinement of his presence—everything had been transformed to the point of near unreality.
"It's me," Gin said with a faint smile.
"It really is you..."
Fuko stared at him in disbelief.
Then, as though he had already practiced it too many times, Gin gave his explanation.
His Onmyodo training had advanced.
His appearance had changed as a result.
Whether others believed it was not something he cared to control.
"Sis," Sora said, floating in front of Fuko in her ghost state. "Why did you suddenly come to Shibuya? And at night?"
"It's all because of my foolish father."
The moment Fuko mentioned the matter, her expression filled with complaints.
If Gin had not intervened just now, she truly would have been in danger. Counting this time, he had already saved her twice.
She glanced at him again.
With his current appearance and temperament, Gin Tsumugi was practically the standard image of an ideal lover in every woman's heart.
Fuko found herself dazed for a second.
"Sis?"
Sora called out again.
"Ah..."
Fuko snapped back to herself. A faint blush rose on her cheeks, but she quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her chest.
Then she turned serious.
"Sora, I came to Shibuya mainly to pick you up. We can talk about the details later. Now clearly isn't the time."
Her gaze shifted to the bound monster.
It was still trapped by the Immovable Binding Technique, its fox face twisted with rage, its claws scraping furiously against the spiritual chains.
"It really is a fox curse," Kotoko said gravely. "It twists people in the direction of a fox and turns them into something half-human, half-yokai."
"As expected," Gin said calmly.
The fox fur they had previously found in room 405 and at the house where Ogiso Setsuna and Touma Kazusa lived had already pointed toward this conclusion.
What needed to be done now was to obtain useful information from Kuda Mai, who had been transformed by the curse into this non-human thing.
But looking at her current state—roaring, clawing, completely devoid of reason—ordinary questioning was impossible.
They needed a special method to make her "speak."
"What exactly is that?" Fuko asked Sora in a low voice.
"It's part of a supernatural incident the White Fox Office is handling," Sora replied.
She then gave Fuko a concise explanation of the grotesque tree spirit incident.
The fox curse.
The root system spreading deep beneath Shibuya.
The Wedding Dress Tree.
The sacred tree in Yayo Town.
Even though Fuko only heard the tip of the iceberg, a chill ran through her.
She had not expected that such a terrifying supernatural event was brewing beneath Shibuya's surface. Even more, it was connected to the grotesque tree spirit she had once seen in Minato Ward.
Fortunately, Gin had discovered it in time.
Otherwise, if this incident had fully erupted, there was no telling how many people would have been dragged in and devoured.
And she, in her terrible luck, had almost become disposable nutrients the moment she arrived in Shibuya.
For the second time.
Meanwhile, Gin stepped forward.
He placed his right hand against Kuda Mai's forehead.
Wisps of spiritual power clung to his palm. The fox head, which had been thrashing and roaring, gradually quieted.
Then Gin began to chant.
The mantra was strange.
Dark.
Heavy with the aura of death.
"Homage to the Earth Realm, the Palace, the Supreme."
"By the hand of mighty ghosts and gods, sweep away the shadows of evil ghosts and vengeful spirits."
"If you are a soul wandering in darkness, awaken and revive after the passage of time."
"Heaven and Earth, profound and dark. Dispel the cursed aura of the enemy."
"Swiftly, as the laws and decrees command."
"True Words of the Dead."
As his voice continued, the surrounding temperature dropped by several degrees.
Faint wails seemed to rise from the empty street.
For a moment, the whole road felt like it had become a ghost street, suspended between the living world and the dead.
"The True Words of the Dead..." Fuko said softly, surprised. "A mantra that can awaken the consciousness of the deceased. Mr. Gin even knows such a niche spell?"
Although she had not formally entered the world of Onmyodo, her knowledge and insight were not poor.
At that moment, Kuda Mai's bloodthirsty eyes gradually cleared.
She looked down at her hands, now covered in thick fox fur.
Her voice came out hoarse and broken, like an old radio struggling through static.
"I... became a fox... because of the curse..."
Her shoulders trembled.
"Just like Father and Mother... Mother... I became a monster..."
"There isn't much of your soul left," Gin said. "The True Words of the Dead can only restore your former consciousness for a short time."
His tone became firm, almost commanding.
"I ask. You answer. Don't waste time."
"Mm."
Kuda Mai seemed to understand her situation and did not refuse.
Then she noticed Kotoko standing nearby.
Iwanaga Kotoko had been quite famous at Houjuo High School. It was not strange for Kuda Mai to recognize her.
If Gin's appearance had not changed so drastically, perhaps Kuda Mai would have recognized him as well. Back then, his reputation at Houjuo had been even greater than Kotoko's.
"First," Gin said, releasing the seal on one of his talismans and taking out the hairpin Kuda Mai had once buried in the park area of Houjuo High School, "tell me what happened to you."
He held the hairpin where she could see it.
"Especially regarding this."
The moment Kuda Mai saw the hairpin, pain flooded her expression.
This thing was the source of everything that happened to her family.
If not for this hairpin, perhaps none of it would have occurred.
"I was born in Yayo Town," she began in a trembling voice. "Our family was better off than most, but Father always wanted me to enter Houjuo High School."
"To raise the tuition, Father had no choice but to steal from the temple while he was on guard duty."
Piece by piece, Kuda Mai recounted what had happened to her.
Much of it matched the information Gin and Kotoko had obtained from the drunkard in Yayo Town.
Kuda Mai's father had stolen two hairpins from the Goddess Temple.
He was the first to suffer the curse.
Whether the curse spread through contact or whether the hairpins themselves carried it, Kuda Mai's mother was afflicted next.
Finally, Kuda Mai, who returned from Houjuo High School, was also caught by it.
"I thought that as long as I stayed far away, the fox curse wouldn't reach me."
Kuda Mai's voice became more painful.
"But I was wrong."
"It wasn't that I didn't go mad. It was slower for me."
"My temper got worse. I became irritable. I started envying my friends over tiny things. I hated them. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't stop..."
Gin listened quietly.
Then he asked the question that had troubled him for a long time.
"How did you find the Wedding Dress Tree sealed beneath Mingao Lake? And how did you know the method to summon and control it?"
"The Wedding Dress Tree summoned me."
Kuda Mai's voice was faint.
"It sensed the hairpin on me and guided me step by step."
"It told me that as long as I paid the price, I could bring retribution upon the friends I envied."
Her expression twisted.
"I didn't expect it to go out of control in the end. Even I became prey..."
As Kuda Mai continued, Kotoko and Sora both frowned.
This was different from the White Fox Office's previous deductions.
Had their conclusions been wrong?
"After that," Kuda Mai said, "I was controlled by the curse. Everything was blurry. I only remember occasionally returning to room 405..."
A moment later, she finished her account.
A deep look passed through Gin's eyes.
He lowered his gaze toward Kuda Mai.
"It is unexpectedly logical," he said. "Reasonable too. It explains nearly all the doubts I had before."
Then his tone changed.
"But I don't believe it."
The moment he finished speaking, Gin moved.
With lightning speed, he slapped a talisman onto Kuda Mai's forehead.
Kuda Mai's eyes instantly became vacant.
"Kuda Mai," Gin asked sharply, "where are your parents now?"
At first, there was no answer.
Then Kuda Mai's expression twisted violently.
The consciousness awakened by the True Words of the Dead seemed to collapse, and her body began to revert to primitive instinct.
Yet at the final moment, she struggled to open her mouth.
"...Sitinge... Mansion..."
Before she could say more, something inside her seemed to snap.
It was as though she had touched a taboo.
Her body began melting.
Rapidly.
Like a snow sculpture under harsh morning sunlight, Kuda Mai dissolved before their eyes. Fur, skin, bone, and flesh all collapsed into red liquid.
Within a few breaths, she had become a pool of blood on the street.
"Clever," Gin said calmly. "A restriction was placed inside Kuda Mai beforehand."
He had already suspected something like this.
That was precisely why he had acted suddenly.
"Kotoko. Sora."
Gin turned around, his voice steady and sharp.
"Mobilize every force available from the Shibuya Ward authorities and the Onmyo Bureau branch. Surround Sitinge Mansion immediately."
His eyes narrowed.
"The main vein of the grotesque tree spirit should be there. If you discover any unusual movements or Yokai, suppress them at once."
"We understand."
Kotoko and Sora moved immediately.
They both knew the gravity of the situation.
If they could not uproot this in one strike, the result might become a disaster that engulfed all of Shibuya.
Gin closed his eyes.
His spirit-sight spread to its limit.
Then, from the west, an abnormal presence rose.
Gin opened his eyes.
"The rat hiding behind all of this..."
His voice was quiet.
"I've caught you."
The next instant, his figure vanished with Uho.
.....
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