“Arashi, are you okay?”
“Yes, no problems here.”
She immediately checked on how Arashi was doing, but he seemed just fine.
“Well, in that case, good.”
“I apologize. Thank you for saving me.”
Arashi licked Hana’s cheek to express his gratitude. Hana returned the favor by reassuringly petting his head before asking for answers.
“How in the world did you end up like that?”
Arashi looked troubled as he responded.
“Yes, about that…”
He seemed hesitant to talk, like a child expecting a parent to scold him over causing some mischief.
“Out with it. What did you do?”
“I was out on a walk when I heard the sad cries of some animals, so I headed over. When I arrived, I found an abandoned building that was teeming with the grieving hearts and souls of slain animals.”
“Like the dog-slaughtering incident from a while back?”
That tragedy was one she couldn’t forget, no matter how much she would have liked to. Hana’s, Miyabi’s, and Aoi’s expressions all grew grim; just remembering it made them feel sick to their stomachs.
“It was similar, but just a tad different. This was calculated and performed with clear malice.”
“What do you mean?”
“They were in the process of conjuring a curse by forcing the animals to fight and kill one another, with the last one left standing to be killed by a practitioner.”
Hana had been lying down as she listened, but this made her shoot straight up.
“Huh?! A curse?!”
“Yes. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, that was a curse. But I took notice of it before it was completed and freed the surviving animals. There were some who had sadly lost their lives and left only their wills behind, which I took into my own body. Everything was fine up to this point.”
“After the massive headache you dragged home? Doesn’t sound too ‘fine’ to me.”
Hana was exasperated.
“It wasn’t a large enough amount to turn me into a tatarigami, so it should have been no problem. And I was cautious, as I had realized it was a form of curse the moment I noticed what was happening. However, the curse was more powerful than I’d anticipated, and I unwittingly allowed it into my body. It may have been incomplete, but it latched on to me by way of the vengeful wills of the animals and took on a life of its own.”
Arashi’s ears drooped as he mourned his mistake.
“I was so desperate to protect the souls within me from the curse that I couldn’t move. I was hoping I could handle it myself and not bother you, but it was difficult to fend off the curse while protecting those poor animals… My apologies…”
Hana understood the order of events. This gentle god had once again tried to help those weak, defenseless little animals. It was hard to be mad at him when she knew the selflessness in his heart. Hana lived life by putting herself first, so Arashi’s self-sacrificing nature was far from anything she could emulate. But that didn’t mean she didn’t understand him.
Hana sighed, feeling this couldn’t have gone any other way.
“I swear, trying to save those animals even after knowing it’s a curse? That’s just like you…”
Hana ruffled Arashi’s fur as she stroked his head. His fluffy coat was getting disheveled, but Arashi didn’t complain and continued to sulk.
“You came out safe and sound, so everything’s all right. I forgive you. But in the future, if this ever happens again, make sure you talk with me about it first. Okay?”
“I understand.”
“Being an inugami doesn’t mean you’re all-powerful. Miyabi’s more of an expert at purifying the wills left by negative emotions than you are.”
“Yes, please allow me to handle those.”
Miyabi flashed a soothing smile.
Arashi was a deity whose inhuman power sent shivers down the spine of even Obsidian-rank practitioners like Saku, but everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. It was the same when he nearly became a tatarigami; Arashi could take in the wills of those who died with spite, hatred, or other negative emotions in their hearts, but he couldn’t purify them the way a practitioner or Miyabi could. Still, Arashi couldn’t bear to look the other way, even with the knowledge that continuing to take them in would turn him into a tatarigami.
This god sure did make you worry. Hana was going to have to keep her eye on him so he wouldn’t become a tatarigami during her lifetime.
“If anything, Arashi, I’m amazed you managed to survive all this time without me.”
His habit of picking up trouble whenever he found the chance had to be bad for his health.
“I apologize…”
Arashi’s shoulders were slumped from start to finish.
“I already told you, it’s okay. Just make sure to ask me next time, all right?”
“Absolutely.”
Reassured by Arashi’s firm reply, Hana decided to leave the subject at that. But just then she gasped.
“Oh, crap…”
“Is something the matter?”
Miyabi seemed puzzled by Hana’s sudden look of fear. She had just realized a truth that she’d much rather not have.
“You said that thing I just took out was a curse, right?”
“Yes. It might have been incomplete, but it was undoubtedly a curse.”
Hana cradled her head upon hearing Arashi’s confident confirmation.
“That curse stuff is info that only gets taught to Association-affiliated practitioners at Third Color or higher. If Saku finds out that I took one on, he’s gonna be pissed!”
And not just Saku. Mio was certain to be incensed.
Curses were just that dangerous. The fact that an incomplete one was enough to harm an inugami like Arashi made that clear. And yet, despite having zero knowledge about them, Hana had just dispelled one by instinct alone. It was an otherwise unthinkable feat, but Hana had managed a hack job based on her past experience.
“Let’s not tell Saku about this. I’ll be in for much more than a lecture.”
“That’s fine by me.” Miyabi chuckled.
“The rest of you keep quiet, too.”
“But of course. This was my fault to begin with.”
Arashi nodded, so Aoi and Azuha followed with their responses.
“Understood.”
“Goootcha, Master.”
It was a sickening sensation different from both shades and vengeful wills. Hana decided to at least take it optimistically; it never hurt to learn something new.