Tsubaki’s eyes widened.
Before I knew it, all the sounds of agony, the pleas for mercy, and the deranged laughter had fallen silent.
“…Me, walk your path?”
He asked suspiciously. I nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Yes, that’s right. I have chosen not to walk with you anymore. So now it’s your turn to choose. Now, what will you do?”
Tsubaki fell silent, crossing his now-empty arms as he fixed his gaze on me.
The silence was so deep it hurt my ears.
No one moved a muscle. I kept my hand outstretched and stared straight at him.
With his arms still crossed, Tsubaki finally spoke in a low voice.
“Miharu, you really do look right standing in the center of this scene.”
“I suppose so,” I nodded.
A place colored by anguish and pain, nothing suited someone like me better.
Tsubaki spread his arms wide.
“When you look around, what do you think? How does it feel to trample on those who oppressed you, to hear their screams?”
I placed a hand on my chest and answered proudly, raising my voice.
“It feels amazing. It’s so satisfying, it feels incredible.”
A smile rose naturally to my lips. It truly was enjoyable and that was the truth.
Tsubaki lowered his gaze. His long, beautiful eyelashes cast shadows across his cheeks.
“Even so—Miharu, you still don’t wish to walk with me?”
“That’s right. Because I’ve already come to know what’s truly beautiful.”
No matter what I might see from now on, that would never change. What shone brightest in my eyes had already been decided long ago.
Tsubaki glared at me.
“Do you remember? I once said I wanted to see the end of your passion.”
I remembered. Back then, I hadn’t known what I had awakened, nor what I truly was.
“…So this is that end?”
A cold light flashed in his eyes. His gaze shifted to something behind me, and then I heard a sound like a cat being stepped on followed by the heavy thud of something hitting the floor.
When I turned, I saw that Saiichi, who must have regained consciousness, had tried to attack me only to be swiftly struck down by Tsubaki. He lay face-down, his arm bent unnaturally, his body twitching faintly.
“What a tedious affair this has turned out to be.”
It seemed he had already lost all interest in everything within his sight. He looked down coldly at the heap of fallen oni and yokai, and with a flick of his hand, the silent onis suddenly began to scream again, their cries of pain far more agonized than before. They writhed and convulsed, even Karen and my parents were no exception. They were all seized by unimaginable torment, some begging to be killed.
As I stood there, stunned, Tsubaki spoke as though it were nothing.
“There’s no reason for me to remain here any longer. It would only be troublesome if they chased after me. I’ll consume everyone in this place and be on my way. After all, there’s a rather appetizing soul right before me.”
A thin smile curved his lips as he reached his hand toward me. But this time, it was not the gentle, almost tender gesture he had shown before. It was just a mechanical motion, like someone reaching for food.
I stepped back and shouted,
“You’re wrong!”
My clenched fists trembled as I cried out, my voice tearing at my throat.
“My life isn’t over! It will go on. Tomorrow, and the day after that! There’s no way this is the end!”
Tsubaki froze. I didn’t look away.
That’s right. No one had the right to decide when my story ended. My ending was mine alone to choose. Even if people insulted me, called me worthless, or trampled me underfoot, I had gritted my teeth and made it this far. I wouldn’t let it end here. Whatever unknowns lay ahead, I would face them all.
We glared at each other, sparks seeming to fly in the air between us.
Then, all at once, the tension drained from Tsubaki’s body. In the stillness that followed, he muttered quietly,
“…I see. So this is my punishment.”
He began to laugh softly, shoulders trembling. Then he stepped closer and gently took my hand.
“I can’t walk the same path as you, Miharu.”
Pulling my hand toward him, he embraced me lightly. I felt his body shake, and before I realized it, I had wrapped my arms around his back.
“…You were born from the same hatred that nourished me, and yet you’ve chosen a different path. Then live on. Cherish the heart that finds beauty in what is unbearably ordinary and worthless to me.”
Cool lips brushed against my ear.
“When your path one day crosses mine again—then I’ll kill you.”
His arms tightened around me. Somehow, I knew that this was the cycle of cause and effect, that retribution had finally come for the jaki. But I also understood that this choice was his own, and there was nothing I could do to change it.
So I simply held him back in silence.
However, there was certainly someone who could not remain silent.
“…What is this?”
The eerie voice that rumbled up from the depths of the earth made me turn my head.
It was my mother. Her hair was wild and tangled, her bloodshot eyes bulging in madness.
“Why? Why, why!? You’re an oni, Miharu! I raised you in hatred! Weren’t you torturing the onis a moment ago!? Kill them all! Kill them for me!”
She tore free from my father’s grasp and lunged at me, but Tsubaki stepped in front of me and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
“Let me go! Why won’t anything go right!? You are my daughter, Miharu! Why won’t you listen to me!?”
“Mother.”
My voice came out calm, so calm it startled even me. My mother froze, eyes locking on mine.
I smiled gently, from the depths of my heart.
“Thank you for raising me this way. Because of you, I learned how to inflict pain on others, and I came to understand it too. Now I could kill every oni in my sight if I wanted to.”
“Then…”
I strode up to her and whispered in her ear,
“But too bad for you, because I won’t kill onis just for your sake.”
My mother screamed. I turned my gaze to my father, who stood frozen mid-motion with his hand half-extended toward her.
“Father. Look at the state your wife is in."
“H-hic…”
He began to shake uncontrollably. Truly, he was a man who could accomplish nothing.
"Seventeen years ago, when the woman you loved was hurt, what did you do?"
“I-I thought… that… if raising you that way made her feel better, then… since you weren't really my child anyway… I-I’m sorry!”
He fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the floor. I resisted the urge to stomp on his head and clicked my tongue instead.
“What you should have done was hold your wounded wife silently in your arms. …How utterly pathetic.”
I turned my back on them. My mother, released from Tsubaki’s grasp, broke down sobbing and clung to my father. That was the last time I ever spoke to my parents.
“Loki.”
I called out to the master of the Domeki clan, who was trying to rise. He flinched violently and looked up at me, trembling.
“W-what is it?”
“You’re Karen’s groom, aren’t you? Then you’ll take responsibility for what your bride has done.”
“What do you mean?”
He tilted his head genuinely puzzled, and I frowned.
“Karen ordered onis to fire my friend’s parents. You’ll restore them to their positions immediately.”
“Why should I—”
“You want me to repeat myself?”
“Forgive my rudeness. I’ll see to it at once.”
Loki bowed obediently. I looked down at Karen, lying motionless beside him.
Her face was twisted, blood still streaming from her nose. Somehow, parting without a single word between us felt fitting for sisters like us.
I turned toward the exit, then looked back one last time.
Tsubaki was standing there, framed by a room full of onis and yokais writhing in pain, his eyes locked on mine.
I smiled softly. With a gentle voice, I said farewell.
“Farewell, Tsubaki.”
“Farewell, Miharu.”
And with that, I left the Domeki estate behind.
◆◆◆
When I stepped through the gates and wondered what to do next, I heard someone calling my name from across the road.
“Miharu—!”
Even though it had only been a short while, the voice sounded so nostalgic it brought tears to my eyes.
The moment I saw the familiar figure running toward me, my legs moved on their own.
“Nao!”
I threw my arms around her, nearly knocking us both off balance before steadying our footing.
“Nao, your parents—”
“Huh? How did you know? This morning they suddenly got fired, but just now, on the way here, we got a call saying it was a mistake and they’ve been reinstated! Seriously, can you believe that?”
“T-that’s… such a relief…”
It seemed Loki had acted quickly. I sighed in relief.
“But Miharu, what happened to your hair and eyes!? Are you hurt!?”
Nao gripped my shoulders, staring up at me with concern. I scratched my cheek with a finger and said,
“Sorry. I’m… not human anymore.”
“What!?”
"Perhaps I won't be able to age along with you, Nao. But..."
“I don’t care about that!”
Nao shouted, tears welling in her eyes.
“As long as you’re still you, Miharu, that’s all that matters! If you’re not hurt, if you’re okay… that’s enough for me!”
She hiccuped through her sobs. The tears falling from her eyes caught the light before landing softly on the ground, and I thought they were truly beautiful.
“Nao, thank you. I’m safe, and I came back in one piece.”
“Thank goodness… thank goodness you’re okay…”
Nao wiped her face with her arm.
“Honestly! I told you to call me every day, but you stopped halfway through!”
“S-sorry.”
“I was worried sick! You’re telling me everything that happened, okay? I’m not letting you go until you do!”
“It’s a long story, you know?”
“Even better! I’ve got the whole day and tomorrow off!”
Nao’s face lit up with a radiant smile. For the first time in my life, I found myself looking forward to tomorrow.
◆◆◆
—And so, my story, born from hatred and spun around the oni’s bride, came to its end.
But life went on, weaving new stories as it did. I would never meet another oni again before I died.
That was fine.
That was how it should be.
Because I knew the path ahead would shine dazzlingly bright in my eyes.
