Chapter 2: Crimson Eyes in the Dark

The night was pitch black.
The moon was completely hidden behind thick clouds, not a sliver visible.

Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the silent village.

Then, one after another, shouts, cries, and wails of fear echoed through the night, accompanied by flickering firelight.

Shimizu Rika jolted awake from her sleep, sitting up abruptly.
The sliding door was yanked open.
Granny Sushi, wearing a sweatshirt and holding a paper-cut lightbulb, rushed in barefoot.
The orange glow illuminated her panicked face.

She pushed Rika into a large wooden chest, pulling a small jade fish from her chest and pressing it into Rika’s hands.
She exhaled deeply, trying to steady herself.

“This is the Genji family’s token.
If you survive, go to Heian-kyo… and your brother, if you can, find him.
Tell him, more than hatred, I want him to live well…”

Her eyes were filled with fear, sorrow, and uncertainty.

“Remember, don’t come out until there’s no sound at all.”

Before Rika could say anything, the lid of the chest slammed shut, plunging her into darkness.

What was happening?

The girl’s eyes brimmed with panic, her mind in chaos.

Suddenly, she noticed a faint light.
The old chest had a small hole.
Peering through it, she saw Granny Sushi grab a wooden pole used for drying clothes, her eyes burning with resolve.

The sliding door shattered, splintered wood raining into the room.

Rika clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a scream.

At the doorway stood a creature, child-sized, covered in fur like an ape.
It had one eye, one nostril, one mouth.
The eye took up half its face.
Its long, tangled hair, unwashed for centuries, was matted with grass.

Oddly, it wore a short, straight robe, tied at the waist with a hemp rope.

“What’s that shiny thing on your chest?”
The creature spoke in a human voice, blinking its single eye curiously.

A paper-cut lightbulb pinned to Granny Sushi’s collar glowed softly.

“Who are you?
Please leave my home.”
Granny Sushi’s voice trembled.

“Hey, answer my question first!”
The creature grumbled, annoyed.
“And if you want to know who I am, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

Granny Sushi didn’t answer, gripping the pole so tightly her knuckles whitened, her legs shaking.

“Guess you’re not sharing your name.
Fine, I’ll start!”
The creature raised its head proudly.
“I’m the mightiest yamajiji, one against eight!”

“Yamajiji?”
Granny Sushi’s lips paled with fear.
“How can such a thing exist?”

“Hmph, are you mocking me?”
The yamajiji’s lone eyebrow shot up.

Its voice was shrill, making Granny Sushi tremble harder.

The yamajiji seemed to relish her fear, lifting its chin.
“Ugh, all this talking’s made me hungry.”
It licked its lips with a long tongue.
“Your meat looks tough, but I’m starving, so I won’t be picky.”

It rubbed its sharp-clawed hands, its eye glowing red with hunger.
“It’s been so long since I’ve eaten human.
Too long, those dmn onmyouji, that dmn gate…”

Rika saw the yamajiji approach Granny Sushi.
In a panic, she shifted, her head bumping the chest, making a faint sound.

“Don’t move!”
Granny Sushi shouted sharply.
“Foolish sacrifices are pointless!”

The yamajiji paused, pointing at itself.
“You talking about me?
Think I can’t bite through you?”

Granny Sushi stared straight ahead, shouting,
“I despise useless sacrifices.
That’s not something a Shimizu would do!”

Rika’s nose stung, tears welling in her eyes.
She knew rushing out would only make her a snack for the monster.
But doing nothing, watching her grandmother be eaten, was unbearable.

“Live, no matter what, you must live.”
Granny Sushi raised the pole toward the yamajiji, legs trembling but gripping it tightly.

Tears streamed down Rika’s cheeks.
She closed her eyes, nodding slowly.
She couldn’t bear to look, covering her ears, biting her lip.

“You think that stick will save you?”
The yamajiji laughed, doubling over as if it heard a great joke.

Seconds later, its laughter stopped, a shadow crossing its eye.
“Humans are the worst.
So weak, yet they hog the best lands.
While we youkai are trapped in the cramped Asura Realm, eating roots and bark.
I’ll eat you all, every last one!”

It lunged past Granny Sushi like the wind, slashing with sharp claws.

Granny Sushi’s eyes widened, but a fine mist of blood—her own—clouded her vision.

Her head rolled onto the floor.
She staggered forward, then collapsed with a thud.

“Tch, too fragile.
How do humans even survive this long?”
The yamajiji sneered, tearing off an arm and tossing the sleeve aside.

Blood sprayed everywhere—floor, walls, ceiling—like a rain of blood indoors.

Rika kept her eyes shut tight, nails digging into her palms.
The crunching sounds of chewing filled her ears.

“So fragrant, really so fragrant.”

The voice was chillingly clear in the darkness.

The stench of blood flooded her nose, the sounds and smells sharpening her senses.
Her grief turned to terror.

“Crunch, crunch.”

“Smack, smack.”

She bit her teeth, curling into a ball, struggling to keep still.
If the monster heard her, she’d be dead.

To stay silent, she pressed her sleeve over her mouth and nose, breathing faintly.

After what felt like forever, the village’s screams continued, but the room was silent.

Had it left?
She opened her eyes but didn’t move.

After waiting longer, she peered through the chest’s hole.
The dim room was empty except for a pool of blood.

Had it really gone?
Unsure, she pressed her eye closer to the hole.

“What are you looking for?”
A sinister voice came from above.

She looked up, heart racing.
Something dripped onto her face in the dark chest.

She screamed, shoving the lid open, scrambling out on all fours, stumbling to the corner.

It was the yamajiji’s drool.

Somehow, it had silently slipped its face through the lid, watching her.

The yamajiji eyed her greedily.
“A little girl hiding here.
Oh, I’m hungry again.”

Its stomach gurgled, and it licked its claws, approaching Rika.

Her legs felt weak.
She knew she had to run, but her limbs refused, glued to the floor.

Stand up, run!

Her mind screamed, but her body, paralyzed by fear, wouldn’t obey.
She could only watch as the creature’s claws flashed toward her slender neck.

Hot, foul breath hit her face.
Rika trembled, struggling to stand against the wall.

She wasn’t dead yet; there was still a chance.
Kick its groin—even a youkai should have a weak spot.

“Humans are so fragile.”
The yamajiji sighed, licking its lips, slowly tightening its grip, ready to crush her like it did Granny Sushi.

“Who’s fragile?”
A clear voice rang from the doorway.
A blinding light flooded the room.
Rika felt the claws on her neck release, a strange wail melting into the light.
She shielded her eyes, turning away to avoid being blinded.

The air fell silent, as quiet as the chest had been.

Rika cautiously parted her fingers, peeking through.
A handsome, refined face appeared, its long, elegant phoenix eyes reflecting her own.

She blinked slowly, never having seen such striking single-fold eyelids.
Clear pupils, gracefully upturned eye corners, both spirited and alluring.

Under the bright moonlight, the boy wore a loose white hunting robe, a complex blue emblem embroidered on his chest.
He smiled, ruffling her hair.
“Scared?
It’s okay now.”

His voice was like a clear stream flowing down a spring mountain, carrying fallen cherry petals, crisp yet casual.

Rika froze, confused, and asked timidly,
“Was that the yamajiji?
Are you here to eat me?”

The boy glanced at her, surprised, a sly smile curling his lips.
“I’m human, like you.
As for eating you, I’ll think about it.”

Human?
Rika blinked, looking around.

“Looking for this?”
The boy picked up the small jade fish from the blood-soaked floor and handed it to her.

It was the betrothal token Granny Sushi had given her, dropped while fleeing the yamajiji.

Everything had happened so fast—monsters flooding the village, Granny Sushi eaten by the yamajiji.
It felt unreal.

Her eyes clouded as she took the fish, a wave of sorrow spreading through her.
She crouched, sobbing.

The boy’s calm, elegant demeanor faltered.
“Hey, don’t cry!”

But it didn’t help; she kept sobbing.

“We need to leave, or more youkai will come, and we won’t get out.”

She still cried.

“How about this?
Like it?”
The boy produced a fox-shaped rattle, giving it a gentle shake.
It made a pleasant sound.

She kept crying.

“I’m not human—I’m a great youkai.”
His voice turned fierce.

Her sobs stopped.
She looked up, tears streaking her face.
“A great youkai?
Are you a yamajiji too?”

“I’m not a yamajiji.”
The boy’s forehead creased with exasperation.

“A big yamajiji?”

“No!”
He looked speechless, then crouched to meet her eyes, saying earnestly,
“I’m terrible at comforting girls.
I’m Abe Seimei, an onmyouji.
I was passing through and saw youkai, so I came.
That yamajiji is dead, but if you keep crying, you’ll attract worse than yamajiji.”

Her crying stopped.
Seimei let out a relieved breath.

Facing a girl’s tears for the first time, he thought they were tougher than any youkai.

“Abe… Seimei?”
Rika’s eyes flickered with disbelief, murmuring softly.

“Hm?”
Seimei’s lips curved into a teasing smile.
“Am I already that famous?”

Rika: “…”

Probably just a coincidence of names…