Mob Yandere

[Part 1/4]

"That's good to hear. Ah, here we are. Here... Miss, I'm home."

The young man greets the innkeeper's daughter, who was cleaning the courtyard of the small but tidy inn. Yukine nods politely and enters the inn.

The daughter seems shocked to see Yukine, but Yukine is confused and tilts her head, wondering if she has done something wrong. Perhaps she should apologize later.

As these thoughts cross her mind, the two ascend to their room on the second floor. Yukine is slightly surprised to see the room, which is six parts orderly and four parts messy.

Considering the young man's usually meticulous nature, the state of the room hints at how busy his work must be. Yukine's fighting spirit is ignited, and she feels even more motivated to help.

"Cleaning can wait, tomorrow is fine too? ...You should eat and rest today."

"I understand. Can I use the kitchen? I want to heat up some stew."

"Just ask the landlady. She's probably preparing dinner now. ...Oh, I think there are some candy pieces in the storage room from the other day, so you can take those as a greeting gift."

It's not pleasant to lend the kitchen to others. Especially if they aren't even guests. He's not a bothersome person, but it's good to show some courtesy.

"I understand. I'll also check for any unnecessary items in the storage."

"Please don't."

"You're not good at throwing things away, right? Leave it to the experts."

"Ugh... I guess I have no choice."

Yukine knew well that, due to his upbringing, he was smart but also a bit stingy. He was meticulous and sensitive about his personal belongings, especially those that didn't involve socializing or profit, and he tended to accumulate unnecessary items.

So, it would be best for Yukine, who had experience as a maid, to just throw things away at times like this. He couldn't argue with the logic. It was surrender.

"Please separate valuables, gifts, and collectibles. I'll sell or throw away the unnecessary items from what's left, okay?"

"That's not a problem. I've already sorted that much out. I don't have any collectibles, so if you think anything besides valuables is unnecessary, feel free to throw it away. ...Yeah, that's fine."

He never had a hobby of collecting things. If he had that kind of money, he would have used it to support his family. He was sure that his older brother, the heir, would use it more wisely, and he actually needed the money.

So, he had some resistance, but he accepted Yukine's words. He had no choice but to accept.

"Well then, let's do that. Um, is it this way...?"

With his agreement, Yukine stepped into the storage room to look for the candy. Meanwhile, the young man was trying to deal with the leftover work he had brought into the borrowed room... when he heard a knock on the door and stopped.

"...?"

Was it the landlady, another servant, or a guest from the next room? Surely, it wasn't a thief at this hour. He hid a small knife in his pocket for self-defense and pulled the door open.

A beautiful person with a wolf-like smile appeared.

"...? Who are you?"

"Who? Well, that's obvious, isn't it?"

The young man was confused by the completely unfamiliar yet unusual guest. Meanwhile, the beast-like guest smiled back with a grin. It was the smile of a friendly carnivore. There were more presences behind her, which distracted him. It was a critical opening.

And then...

"I'm the infamous Ezo's Iruka, here to mess with my friends and kill some brats!!"

"Wha? Ugh!?"

Before the declaration and action, the young man tried to evade due to a bad feeling. His instincts were good, but it was too late. In front of Iruka's half-youkai physical abilities, even a moment of time meant nothing.

With a single blow, he was lightly sent flying through the air, crashing into the unmade futon in the room. Iruka had held back; it wasn't out of kindness. If dhe broke his neck and killed him, she wouldn't be able to enjoy him anymore. Iruka intended to teach this pretty boy a lesson.

"Wha!? What...!?"

The maid, hearing the noise and shouting from the storage room, rushed over. She ran to him and touched his body.

"Suzune (Yukine)! Are you okay!? Your body, you're still okay, right? Nothing has happened to you yet!?"

"Eh!? Eh!? Hyan!? Y-Your Highness!?"

With a desperate look, Tamaki frantically checks her body, while the maid girl shivers in confusion at her actions. She is completely lost, not understanding what is happening or why her master is here.

"Uwaaaah!?"

Suddenly, loud cries fill the room──screams, sobs. A completely unfamiliar child appears behind her two friends.

"That's terrible! This is awful!? Why!? Why did you abandon me!?"

"What's going on!? What happened!?"

"Look, it's the young man who works at Ise's place."

"It's all girls here. Is this some love mess?"

"Stop it, stop it. If the innkeeper's daughter hears you, she'll cry!"

"No, she's already here and crying, right?"

Abandoned? Who? What? Yukine's mind becomes even more chaotic from the sudden accusations. Even some neighbors and workers from the inn have gathered. A few are saying things like, "Make it a good boat!" or "There's nothing in the belly, right?" but there's no need to worry about that.

"Um... what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Suzune? But this was necessary. It was a tough decision to protect your life. I didn't want to make it such a big deal..."

Tamaki hugs her maid friend tightly, her face full of sorrow. It's like a mother bird desperately trying to protect her chicks from a predator.

"Hey? I could understand if you were fooling around with someone else, but this is just too much, right?"

"Ugh...?"

Iruka grabs the collar of the young man who is bleeding from his nose and scolds him. The young man looks at Iruka, his face showing confusion layered with more confusion.

"W-What? Fooling around...?"

"Why are you answering with a question? Huh? Is my friend, or even a kid, just a money tree to you? I'll break your front teeth and sell your glasses, you hear me!?"

"Whoa, hey!? Stop...!?"

Angered by the young man's attitude, Iruka shakes him roughly while still holding his collar. This rough action has a strong effect on the young man, who is not good at handling rough situations compared to his brothers.

"Iruka, please stop! I'm begging you! Don't be violent!?"

"Of course, I won't! Even if I get caught, I won't feel satisfied until I make him understand!! You'll agree if you hear the story!! He's a terrible scammer and a leech!!?"

Iruka clearly rejects Yukine's plea to stop. Tamaki agrees this time and is ready to use her position to the fullest if necessary. For both of them, saving Yukine is the top priority.

"A leech, a scammer...!? Iruka, that kind of talk is going too far!? Please take that back!"

"Not a chance!!"

Yukine raises her voice in protest against Iruka's harsh words. Iruka immediately refuses. The young child earlier continues to cry loudly. Onlookers shout things like, "Blow that pretty face away!!" It's complete chaos.

"I don't know who you are, but I've decided to punish anyone who hurts my friend on behalf of the brother! Got it!?"

The bold and heroic declaration drew applause and cheers from the onlookers, who were thrilled to see someone standing up for themselves. However, most of them didn't fully understand the situation; they were just happy to see someone successful getting burned in a love affair.

"No, I don't need your posturing... Iruka! Stop insulting my big brother and using violence against him! It's getting old!"

"Be quiet, Suzune! I... wait, brother?"

"Big brother?"

"Dear Brother?"

Iruka, Tamaki, and the young ladies all ruminated on Suzune's words. Even the onlookers who had gathered to watch fell silent, exchanging glances with one another.

"That person is the third son! My blood-related brother! He's my real brother! Who did you think I was meeting?!"

Everyone present averted their gaze, feeling awkward and uncomfortable, after Yukine's declaration of anger and shame.

* * *

'...So, even over there, you haven't found or recovered it yet?'

The voice trembled with an infinite frustration that could not be contained.

"Yes, the boundary was destroyed immediately after we closed off the flow of spiritual energy from the Spiritual Vein. There are no traces to be found during our subsequent searches."

'You make it sound like it's not your fault!! As if you have no responsibility in this...'

In a bookstore transformed into an otherworldly space somewhere in the outer area of the capital, a peacock perched on a desk unleashes a venomous anger at the store's resident. The resident, however, filtered out the unnecessary parts of the peacock's rant, focusing only on the essence of the conversation. The old man found the talk tedious.

...Just in case, a yawning cat youkai was waiting on top of the bookshelf, and a bear youkai stood by, showing off. There was a puppy sitting on top of the bear's head, acting like it owned the place, but that was ignored. Why is this shit dog acting so superior?

'You do understand what kind of being it is, don't you?! A threat that, if mishandled, could spell ruin for Onitsuki. I expect you to search without slacking! Or else, or else...!!'

"..."