“I refuse,” Masamichi replied, trying to keep his voice from trembling and doing his best to keep his reply short.
However, his fear must have been obvious to Kagiroi. The specter tilted his head curiously and asked teasingly, “Why?”
After bruising his elbow hard from the fall off the bench, Masamichi finally began to regain feeling in his numb right hand.
He pushed off the ground with his right hand to prop himself up, and although he was still sitting on his bottom, he managed to regain his balance.
His answer to Kagiroi’s question was clear. Despite the fact that he was overcome with anger and fear, his words showed no signs of hesitation.
“I’m Shino’s servant.”
“Are you saying you prefer Shino to me? I’m far superior to him in power and status as a specter, not to mention fame and wealth. Surely, you must have ambitions. Be honest with yourself. Oh, are you worried about your contract with Shino? There’s no need for concern. I’ll end that for you, nice and clean.”
The fingers of Masamichi’s right hand dug into the cold soil.
“I don’t want you to end my contract with Shino at all! I don’t want anyone to end it.”
“No? Geez, you really are devoted to him, aren’t you? I thought you were cute like a puppy, but when you’re that single-minded…”
Kagiroi’s sneer deepened.
His usually noble-looking face was twisted into a fierce and cruel expression that revealed the demon’s true nature.
“…it’s annoying. Really annoying. You’re exactly the way he was a thousand years ago.”
Kagiroi spat out the words with a look of disgust, the corner of his mouth high up to the middle of his cheek.
“‘He’?”
“Shino. He used to wag his tail and follow his master, Tokifuyu Tatsumi, around…and in the end, Tokifuyu betrayed him and sealed him in a jar, isn’t that right? That’s what masters are like. Maybe you shouldn’t trust Shino too much, either.”
Masamichi’s heart was still seething with anger, but he felt a slight sense of discomfort at how Kagiroi spoke and furrowed his brow.
“…Mr. Kagiroi…”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“You had a master, too, didn’t you? I heard that Tokifuyu defeated him, and he was arrested, then killed by the Imperial Court.”
“Hmm, so you know about that. Who told you…? Of course, Shino did. He’s more talkative than I thought.”
Looking a little irritated, Kagiroi carelessly crossed his long legs, then rested his chin on his knees and stared at Masamichi.
“So what?”
Masamichi worked up his courage and asked, “Mr. Kagiroi… You killed Tokifuyu to avenge your master, didn’t you? Then in the same way that Shino liked Tokifuyu and I like Shino, you… Whoa!”
Masamichi yelped and was unable to finish asking his question.
Kagiroi had suddenly lifted his head, seized Masamichi by the collar, and drawn him closer.
After having his chi sucked out, Masamichi still didn’t have much strength in his legs. Kagiroi effortlessly lifted his body with one hand as if he was holding a pair of chopsticks, hoisting him up until their noses almost touched.
“M-Mr. K-Kagiroi—”
Masamichi’s collar dug into his neck, and he struggled to breathe as he tried to push Kagiroi’s hand away.
But there was no way he could compete with a specter’s strength, and his face quickly turned red.
“You aren’t going to say something silly, like I must have liked Gentetsu Izumo…are you? If you had, your head would have been cut off your body and rolling around someplace by now. Be glad that I was kind enough to stop at the last minute.”
“But…”
“That was not revenge, servant. Don’t get the wrong idea. Humans have a bad habit of wanting to create a beautiful story out of everything, but I did not kill that detestable spiritual medium for revenge.”
“…Then… Oh.”
“You’re wondering why I killed him? Because if Tokifuyu Tatsumi remained alive, he’d do things that were none of his business. So to remove future concerns, I… Oh, never mind, it doesn’t matter. Look, I never even thought of Gentetsu as my master. Remember that much if you value your life.”
With that, Kagiroi suddenly let go of Masamichi.
The specter released Masamichi’s collar as if flicking his hand to brush off some dust. Kagiroi looked down at him as the young man sprawled at his feet, coughing. Then Kagiroi spoke in a voice that no longer hid his contempt.
“What should I do? I never thought you would turn down my invitation. Perhaps I should kill this foolish puppy and eat you here and now.”
Masamichi was still wheezing, and he trembled when he heard those terrible words.
“No, that would be boring. The pain of losing a human servant would only last for a moment, no matter how much the master may like him. That wouldn’t be punishment enough. I must pay him back for the shame he caused me, overwhelming me with his power and making a fool out of me a thousand years ago.”
“What…are you saying?”
“Let me see. I am recovering, and this is only a preliminary inspection, so I wouldn’t want to do anything too rough,” Kagiroi said, though he had already tormented Masamichi very roughly.
“But…although it’s my fault for underestimating the two of you and letting my guard down, I won’t be able to rest if I don’t punish you and Shino. Perhaps I’ll get back at him for setting up this annoyingly humanlike barrier with a little something I’ve learned from the human world.”
“Get back at him by doing what?”
Masamichi was starting to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen he’d experienced and the incessant coughing. Any attempt at escaping would have been pointless, but he hated that he could barely move.
He gritted his teeth, looked up at Kagiroi, and saw that the man’s eyes were changing from dark to a flaming red—the crimson of a specter.
His pupils, which had been wide, narrowed, and his red eyes were fixed on Masamichi.
“Heh-heh. It’s almost Christmas and New Year’s, the time when humans become excited about their meager holidays. I’ll join the festivities and get back at him with a cute style of harassment. And, servant, as your present, I will give you time.”
“T-time?”
“Time to reconsider. If you switch to my side, Shino will be furious. That fury is what I would like to see on his face. So…think carefully and make a wise decision. A foolish puppy should really choose a smart owner.”
With that, Kagiroi reached toward Masamichi’s face again.
Masamichi squeezed his eyes shut and tensed his body, expecting to be hurt again.
But he felt neither pain nor suffering.
After a short period of silence, Masamichi heard a low-pitched melody.
He thought it was the playing of a musical instrument, opened his eyes, and realized it was Kagiroi’s voice.
Kagiroi was stretching out his right index and middle fingers in front of Masamichi’s face and quietly murmuring.
It was a strange chant with an odd pitch, and he couldn’t even tell if it was in Japanese.
What on earth is Kagiroi doing…? Is he…casting a spell? What kind of spell? What’s he going to do to me?
He couldn’t get away, and Kagiroi wasn’t willing to take no for an answer, so the only thing Masamichi could do was accept the consequences. But it was too bizarre. He didn’t even have room to be scared.
He wanted to break eye contact at least, but Kagiroi’s eyes were like burning flames, holding on to Masamichi’s gaze, unwilling to let go.
What should I do…?
As Kagiroi continued his chant, he suddenly extended his left hand and grabbed the top of Masamichi’s head. It was lightning-quick, like a snake pouncing on a frog.
“…!!”
A dazzling light burst inside Masamichi’s head.
It pierced his third eye, which should have been asleep beneath his skin, and a tremendous pain ran from his forehead through his entire body.
Unable to scream, Masamichi convulsed violently before he lost consciousness…