落とし穴番外：夏の思い出を (Part2)
I tilted my head, unable to grasp the meaning behind Luna’s question, and as I began to answer, Taiki-kun interjected.
"Taizo-san. Those yokai are basically the type that harm people—the type that kill."
"……Ah!"
I see, now that he mentioned it, I remembered. I had simply been viewing their individual appearances as mere characteristics, but that was indeed the case.
"That’s how it is. ...Listen, Aslin, Firia. Basically, yokai are nature itself."
"“Fnyu, nature itself?”"
"You could call it a part of Japan’s fine culture, I suppose. Think of yokai as nature itself given form. It’s true that you can have friendly interactions with them. But, if you make one wrong move, they’ll bare their fangs immediately. For example, John might be happy to see a Kappa, but they possess immense strength and kill people by extracting their *shirikodama*—a fictional organ. You could call it a concept, I suppose. The level of danger is off the charts."
Indeed. Moreover, Kappa have that side to them where they pull on people's legs to drown them.
"In terms of physical strength, Aslin and the others probably wouldn't have a problem with a Kappa's power. But, it’s bad if they extract your *shirikodama*. That’s basically impossible to defend against. After all, they’re extracting something that isn't even there to begin with. And then there’s the 'Shadow Licker'—a terrifying ability where you die if your shadow is licked."
I recalled that there were indeed such legends.
"Monsters from outside of Japan can be scary in their own ways, but in the end, most of them cause death through brute force, physical attacks, or magic. But with Japanese yokai, once you perform a certain action, the result is inflicted upon you without question, so you can't just summon them carelessly."
"Mumu. Then, what about Zashiki-warashi-chan?"
"That’s right! If it’s a Zashiki-warashi, they bring happiness to the house they live in!"
As Aslin and the others said, I had thought that a Zashiki-warashi wouldn't be a problem at all, but for some reason, Luna’s expression remained grim.
"Ah, yeah. That’s true. But, that’s not the only ability a Zashiki-warashi has. If a Zashiki-warashi leaves a house, it falls into ruin. Do you know about that?"
"““……””"
Ah, I know that. I hadn't thought about it too deeply, but if this Weed were to fall into ruin, it wouldn't just end with a simple collapse. There is a high possibility that it would also drag down the nations involved in the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance.
"Also, once you have that kind of knowledge, you can't help but see them as special beings. Whether they have abilities or not, a Zashiki-warashi is just a child. They stay there simply because they feel comfortable and want to play. Besides, this is another world. I brought the ghosts because they agreed to come along, but yokai basically don't want to leave their local homes."
It is true that one often hears about "indigenous" yokai.
"I see. Yeah, it’s pitiful to force them to come here."
"Muu. That’s true. Then, aren't there any yokai who want to come here?"
"Well, let’s see. Actually, the Great Boss of the yokai is already here."
"Eh!? Really!"
"I want to meet them! The Great Boss of the yokai!"
"““……””"
The two of them were innocently delighted, but everyone else, including myself, had an idea of who that yokai was, so no one said a word.
"Right, then let’s call them. She might know some yokai that aren't harmful. Come forth!"
As Luna said this, a magic circle appeared at her feet, and from it emerged a red-haired young girl.
"What is it? Toto-sama? Kaka-sama?"
Yes, it was Shuten-doji, also known as Shuten-kun, who had been taken under the protection of Yuki-kun and the others. Nowadays, he spends his days peacefully in Weed with Yuki-kun’s children. However, he was indeed once a Great Oni said to have struck terror into the hearts of those in the capital.
"Ah, sorry, Shuten. By the way, were Sakura and the others surprised?"
"No. Luna-sama said she was taking me to see Toto-sama and Kaka-sama for a bit, so there was no problem."
I see, so she had properly asked for permission from Sakura-kun and the others. Since Luna is capable of such thoughtfulness, she usually... no, she does it on purpose, so there’s no helping it.
"So, Aslin-kaka-sama and Firia-kaka-sama, do you want to see yokai?"
"Yeah. I want to see cute ones like Shuten-chan."
"That’s right. It’s lonely with just Shuten. Is it okay to call friends?"
"““……””"
Ah, I see. While they certainly had curiosity about seeing yokai, this was likely their true intention as well.
"Hmm. I understand how you feel, Kaka-samas, but... yokai that wouldn't cause problems if brought here... I think *Tsukumogami* would be good, what do you think, Toto-sama?"
"Ah, *Tsukumogami*, huh? In that case, someone who wouldn't be a problem to use right now would be..."
And so, we began to consult on which *Tsukumogami* to summon.
Summer Memories: Yokai
I have never seen a snowman.