"In other words, ancient yōkai are manifesting?" Sū ěr grew serious. He realized the gravity of the situation.
"Yes. That's a more accurate way to put it. Gyūki agrees with your judgment. Ancient yōkai are appearing, though the progression of the 'eras' is still relatively slow," Nurarihyon refilled the tea.
"Their conversations with Gyūki proved it."
Sū ěr knew what that meant. These yōkai weren't being born out of thin air; they arrived with their own experiences and knowledge.
A silence fell. This news was worse than Sū ěr had expected—Oshino hadn't been lying; the situation was more severe than he'd said.
Modern yōkai, unable to hide in barriers and forced to interbreed and live among humans, were no longer purebreds. Their power had weakened to the point where they had to rely on "Fear" [Osore] to overlap their power with others for protection.
But ancient yōkai didn't play around. They believed in raw power—the kind of power that could move mountains and part seas. For a modern yōkai, even a Lord of Pandemonium using overlapping power, such feats were nearly impossible.
More importantly, to ancient yōkai, humans weren't beings they could talk to as equals.
But modern humans?
Technology had armed them. Guns, bombs, missiles—one reason yōkai hid in barriers was because humans were getting stronger. What happens when modern humans suddenly face a race that views them as food or playthings?
The entities they thought were fiction suddenly become reality, and the hidden races within their society can no longer hide.
"You know, yōkai are generally split into two types: animals that became monsters, and those born from human fear and imagination," Nurarihyon sighed. "Most of the latter, created by human dread over the centuries, have faded as technology grew. Those that survived have little power."
"But even those yōkai that vanished from history are showing signs of regression and revival in Nura Clan territory. Some small yōkai have even witnessed them being reborn."
Sū ěr remained silent, rubbing the porcelain cup with his thumb. He was pondering the cause and worrying—the only good news was that, according to Nurarihyon, the era these yōkai represented wasn't too distant yet, and the growth was slow.
Is it because of me?
Because of me, Think, and Jibril.
Sū ěr just wanted a peaceful life, but his simple wish was always being interrupted.
"I see. I'll travel around and investigate," Sū ěr sighed. "Give me a Nura Clan token. I don't want to kill some idiot who doesn't recognize me and then have to explain it to you."
"Of course. Here, take this waist tag. It has my demonic aura in it," Nurarihyon agreed, unfastening a dark brown tag from his waist.
"One more thing: if you meet a yōkai who doesn't back down even after seeing this, or one committing atrocities... please don't hold back for the sake of the Nura Clan," Nurarihyon said sternly, pulling his hand back.
"...You won't be heartbroken?"
"Don't be silly. The Nura Clan has always led the yōkai through chivalry."
Nurarihyon shook his head at Sū ěr joke.
A breeze blew through the leaves, and the night air felt cooler.
BON!
"Gramps, you called?"
The man, the tree, the sound of the shishi-odoshi—Araragi was startled by the sudden noise. Looking up, he saw a handsome guy in a blue haori sitting coolly on a tree branch by the pavilion.
He was truly handsome; even Araragi had to admit it. And the long hair visible as he turned his head—wait?
Oh, so it's the back of the head.
Truly, the hairstyle made a difference. With hair, even that long back of the head didn't look out of place.
Araragi realized who this was: the grandson, Rikuo, the "sparring partner" for the next seven days.
...The guy who was going to beat him up.
Araragi friendly smile became forced. He looked toward Nurarihyon and Sū ěr for help, but they weren't surprised; they had clearly sensed Rikuo's arrival long ago.
Like them, Rikuo was familiar with Sū ěr, but it was his first time seeing Araragi. His yōkai instincts, like his grandfather's, picked up on the power within the black-haired man immediately.
"Sit, Rikuo," Nurarihyon ordered. "For the next seven days, you will be his opponent for special training. Put aside unnecessary matters and focus."
"...Understood." Nurarihyon's rare serious tone told Rikuo there was more to this, so he agreed.
"Um, hello. My name is Koyomi Araragi. I'm a... vampire," Araragi said after some hesitation. Even though he viewed himself as human with a human heart, he was talking to a yōkai. A legendary being. In this situation, he felt it was only polite to be honest about his current biological race.
"Though my heart is still human."
Araragi added the line, and a weight felt like it had been lifted from his chest.