It Became a Time-Stop Slit-Eye

26. Her smile was beautiful.

Turning—tumbling—

A street where only pale moonlight and pitch-black darkness remain.

There is no one on the street, probably because it is in a deserted area.

It was just the two of us when we left school, but when we went home, we were alone.

After forcibly holding the blonde boy, Eris, shouting that he would not take the poison—the antidote, he parted right away.

“Hmm, are you shy? I don’t know why you refuse my thoughtful gift.”

Eris has a bad personality, and even her eyes are not good.

It’s a miraculous potion that could kill the two of you, but you refuse to take it.

The long scuffle ended only after I told him to do a toxicity test if he didn’t believe me.

“I’m the one doing the good things, so why do I have to apologize? … “

The grumbling Eris and the pouty Kenichi.

I shook my head sadly at the miserable situation of having to take care of two children.

It would be great if all the children were cheerful Hotaru, or at least Sento.

Reality doesn’t go the way you think.

Disappointed, I looked up at the sad night sky and vowed to torment Kenichi until tonight.

—Kwoaaa……

Again, I pulled out the dagger in my sleeve.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

If I, who is kind-hearted, responsible, and capable, won’t do it, who the hell will?

My shoulders are very heavy.

There are many burdens to live in a world that will virtually perish without me.

You must nurture dissatisfied protagonists and defeat monsters in the city.

It’s fun to live such a busy life, but sometimes it makes me feel sad.

“It would be great if we could change the souls of Sawako-san and Eris-san.”

Well, that’s a ridiculous joke.

Wise and straightforward, I straightened my dagger with a crooked smile.

Even a little saddened heart.

─Whoaaa!

Once I got everything right, I swung my dagger at the screaming monster.

Suddenly—!

Today, too, the darkness of the city was cut.

***

“A singular object?”

Sento Sawamura asked with a puzzled expression.

It was a time to learn the common sense of yokai, which is essential to know along with witchcraft in class.

Her gaze narrowed away from her master’s massive chest to her benevolent face.

“I thought there would be different types of youkai too…… “

Shi Hei Lin, the shaman who has been acting as Sento’s mentor for the past few days, nodded her head.

“Yes, just as humans have different birth and innate characteristics, so do youkai. If a human is conceived in the womb of its mother, a yōkai is born with the soul of an animal and the heart of a human.”

A monster in the form of a cow is born in the place where the spirits of cows and cruel thoughts (殘念) coalesce, and a monster in the form of a cow appears where the fish dies.

When Sento heard that there were yokai in the form of insects such as praying mantises and ants, she distorted her expression in physiological discomfort, but she felt a little strange.

‘…… Then there are also cockroach monsters?’

Ugh, cancel the strange feeling.

Goosebumps went all over her body, from her head up to Sento who recalled the vague form.

Of course, that doesn’t happen just because a few die, but at least thousands to tens of thousands must die before such a youkai is conceived.

It is said that this is also true for highly intelligent animals such as cows, dogs, and cats, and insect-type monsters are rare.

“Youkai are caused by intense human emotions and desires, and are their staple food. It’s not that animals don’t have hearts. It’s just that there is no clear resentment and hatred like humans.”

Shi Hei Lin shrugged her shoulders with her smile.

Looking at the figure of such a teacher, Sento thought that she was somehow similar to Shiki, which was rude.

Is it because I watched it for a long time?

Then, a thought suddenly popped into Sento’s head, and asked her while tilting her head.

“Uh, I don’t know because I haven’t met yet…… Then most of youkai are in human form?”

It is said that animals die tens of thousands of times to accumulate grudges, but human grudges accumulate quickly.

Especially if it is a city. The number of deaths is high, and the reasons for dying are different.

If he didn’t die while enjoying his life, the regrets of life would have been as great.

After Sento woke up, he was always at the Shihei family’s mansion in the evenings when the yokai appeared, so he had never seen a yokai.

So, she imagined a monster in human form walking around like a zombie in the evening, but she was unfortunately wrong.

“Whoops, it’s not as good as insects, but youkai in full human form are rare.”

“Huh? Why?”

At the unexpected answer, Sento widened her eyes.

Her teacher, Xi Hei Lin, smiled kindly and corrected her pupil’s common misconception.

“As much as it is a grudge after death, the emotions are so intense that it cannot maintain its original form and is often deformed, and most of all, the human form does not live long.”

The reason was simple and clear.

“Because it’s stock.”

Sangjok (同族相殘).

Human form youkai are beings that arise from the unity of human emotions and souls.

It’s power is weak as it was just conceived, but it’s a wonderful food that fills the souls of other youkai.

That’s how easy it was to be targeted by the same youkai, and the shaman also gave top priority to eradicating humanoid objects.

The bigger the vessel of the soul, the higher the peak of strength, but the biggest reason was different.

Shihei Rin looked at his pupil with a smile but a cold gaze and muttered.

“Humans eat humans. The same goes for becoming a youkai.”

It eats living humans, and it also eats monsters created by human desires.

Because he was born the most and died the most, there were countless grudges accumulated at that destination.

“The monster that evolved through repeated fratricide is a unique individual.”

A collection of human grudges and desires after death.

“I am a vengeful ghost.”

***

‘I’m sorry.’

He always knew how to laugh cheerfully.

Sawako Tachibana, walking her dark streets, remembered the bitter face she used to talk to me. She

She never had the corner of her mouth come down. She thought she would be pleasantly rejected this time, but the answer came back more serious than she thought.

‘It’s not that I hate you.’

When he said that, he didn’t even laugh, but rather said it with a sad expression.

A very unexpected person.

She called me separately and asked for an answer, but why are you apologizing?

I thought for a moment that there was no need to say such a thing, or that I should comfort him in reverse, but I gave up because it was absurd that someone who had just been kicked would do that.

Her heart ached because she did too.

“Ah, I hate it.”

I heard that you won’t get hurt if you don’t expect it in the first place.

She thought that she might be rejected, but even if she was determined, the difference was painful.

She smiled bitterly, just like the person I liked.

…… Confess, I shouldn’t have said it.

I sent a letter so I wouldn’t regret it, and I spoke my mind, but in the end, all that remained in my heart was the pain of a new love affair.

‘…… It would be awkward if we run into each other in class now.’

It would be nice if we could just be friends.

Like Kenichi-san, who usually hangs out with the class, and Sento and Ichinose-san, the class presidents.

If I were a man, I would have exercised with you…… No, then I wouldn’t have liked it in the first place.

“Haa… ….”

Girl A, Sawako, sighed deeply and forced her to take heavy steps.

Today, for some reason, I wandered around the streets because I didn’t want to go straight into the house, but in the end, the only place the 17-year-old high school girl could return to was her family’s home.

I still have regrets, but I will have to go back soon.

‘If I were a little prettier, would they have accepted me?’

Tachibana Sawako was an ordinary female student who was numerous in Tokyo.

If only she had a special corner somewhere.

If she had an attractive side even if it wasn’t her appearance, would he have accepted it…….

“Eight, Sawako! Let’s go home now!”

Thoughts ran through her head, but Sawako Tachibana struggled to shake off her depressed mood with a smile.

If you go tomorrow looking haggard, you will look like a person frustrated by a broken heart.

Already kicked, but I didn’t want to look like that.

Encouraging her, she lifted her head and looked in front of her, who had only been looking at her bottom all along.

“Hi, little girl.”

There was a beauty who wondered how great it would be if this could happen.

Perhaps because of the moonlight, a clear and mysterious figure even in a dark street……

The beautiful woman suddenly bent over and caressed Sawako’s face.

Sawako’s pupils trembled.

The beauty said with a seductive smile.

“Don’t you want to be special?”

Even his voice sounded like jade marbles rolling.

***

Ichimaru Shiki suddenly looked at the night sky.

When the red moon hidden by the clouds was invisible, the crescent moon was the only one that emitted light.

The moon looked down at him with a smile in the black ink.

“The moon is pretty.”

Your smile was so beautiful…….

An empty alley.

The narrow-eyed man standing in front of the barrier shook his head slowly with a wry smile.

It’s useless lingering.

“Everyone has their own life.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve given up on genuine laughter.

The only thing left inside was stubbornness and forward progress, dotted with pretty lies.

Shiki laughed and muttered.

“Let’s go.”

It’s time to go home.

***

“Kenichi!”

I hear the voice of the self-appointed master.

Kooung! Cooong! As if nervous at the dull footsteps, the boy firmly gripped the magic sword in his hand.

Kenichi saw a monster made entirely of muscle mass running toward him.

‘…… Is that a creature, not a human or an animal?’

To be honest, I don’t want to fight.

It’s been a long time since I gained strength, and honestly, I didn’t even want to fight the strange creature.

However, it seemed that the self-proclaimed teacher would not tolerate such behavior.

“Oh, are you not going to move?!”

As expected.

Kenichi closed his eyes tightly.

He opened his eyes soon after and swung his sword vigorously with a determined expression.