Chapter 24: That Must Be a Legendary Blade, Sir
Kirisaki Yuko had lied to the foreign samurai yesterday.
She had told him everything was fine.
But in reality, villagers from the neighboring settlement had gone missing recently.
There were even rumors of gnawed human remains found deep in the mountains.
People said a man-eating bear had come down from the peaks.
However, since the hunters from her own village always returned safely, everyone preferred to treat it as a "distant horror story"—something to whisper about after dinner, shake their heads over, and then forget.
But for Yuko, it was different.
Her younger sister lived in Nogi Village, the very place where people were disappearing. And her sister was due to give birth any day now.
Anxious, she had told her husband, a hunter, about her fears.
He had frowned and told her not to talk about it.
He wasn't unaware of the "Bear Calamity." He just didn't want to discuss it with his wife.
In rural villages where superstition ran deep, people believed in Kotodama (spirit of words)—that speaking of misfortune would invite it into your home. If you talk about the monster, it will come knocking at night.
He planned to go and pick up his sister-in-law in a few days himself. Until then, it was better not to mention such ominous things.
So when Natsuya appeared, Yuko, like the other villagers, instinctively hid the truth about the neighboring village.
Even though a voice in her heart whispered: That might not be a bear, or bandits...
She was afraid that admitting the anomaly would drag her into something terrifying, or that the samurai would pester her endlessly, shattering her peaceful life.
But early the next morning, she saw the young samurai still at the village entrance, meticulously checking for clues.
The focus in his eyes was completely different from the lazy, bureaucratic officials she had seen before.
That, combined with her worry for her sister, finally tipped the scales.
"Whether it's a bear, a bandit, or something else... please, go take a look." She lowered her head, gripping the hem of her kimono. "My sister is about to give birth. If you are nearby, perhaps she will be safer."
Even just having a samurai patrolling the area would give her some peace of mind. Especially since he was a "Secret Police Officer" from the big city.
Natsuya thanked her and immediately asked for details about the "Bear Calamity."
Plot threads unlocked.
It's definitely not a normal bear. It has to be a demon.
Unfortunately, Yuko didn't know much. She rarely left the village, and her information came from overhearing her husband and the other women gossiping.
When Natsuya asked to speak to her husband, she looked troubled. She didn't want to cause trouble for him.
But her hesitation crumbled under Natsuya's next "Persuasion Check."
Natsuya whispered softly, "Madam... you wouldn't want your sister to run into that bear, would you?"
She froze. Finally, she led him to her husband.
Kirisaki Kuro was a sturdy, muscular middle-aged man.
When he saw his wife bring a strange young man into their home, his face darkened instantly.
Only after Yuko explained that this was a "Samurai" investigating the bear attacks did his expression soften slightly. But the suspicion in his eyes remained.
Even when his wife mentioned the "Special Police" identity, Kuro was unimpressed.
In his eyes, city police were just useless bureaucrats who only knew how to posture. They came to the countryside to go through the motions and steal credit.
Have they ever hunted a bear?
Thinking they can hunt a man-eater with just a few swords? Dream on.
"A bear isn't something a brat with a sword can handle," Kuro said, crossing his arms with the arrogance of a veteran hunter.
Natsuya didn't argue. He simply turned sideways and drew his sword.
Flash.
The massive boulder sitting next to the hunter's house was split cleanly in two. The cut surface was as smooth as a mirror.
Kuro's words died in his throat.
The next second, he bowed deeply, his attitude doing a complete 180-degree flip.
"SAMURAI-SAMA! I AM TRULY SORRY! I HAVE EYES BUT COULD NOT SEE MT. FUJI!"
Bow. Apologize. Beg for forgiveness.
Seamless combo.
Are the Tokyo Police... really this terrifying nowadays?
What else could he say? The kid just cut a rock in half like it was tofu. And he only drew one sword.
If he used all three...
Kuro shuddered, feeling a chill on the back of his neck.
"It's Special Service Section 9," Natsuya corrected calmly.
"HAI! Senior Agent of the Tokyo Public Security Special Service Section 9: Demon Suppression Unit! Please forgive this lowly one's rudeness!"
Actually, I preferred your rebellious attitude just now. Can you switch back?
Thoughts aside, Natsuya didn't make things difficult for him. He sheathed his sword and asked for details.
"Sir, it is true that no one has gone missing in our village. But over the ridge to the east, in Nogi Village... things have been bad."
Kuro lowered his voice.
"At first, it was just a tenant farmer who went out alone and never came back. But a few days later, an old man living alone on the mountain disappeared too."
"His solid oak door... was torn to shreds. But looking at the claw marks, it wasn't any bear native to these mountains."
"A few of us hunters grouped up to search the mountain..."
He paused, glancing at Yuko inside the house. Only after his wife got the hint and went to make tea did he continue, his adam's apple bobbing nervously as he recalled the gruesome scene.
"It definitely wasn't bandits."
"The body... wasn't just eaten. It was torn into pieces. Intestines dragged all over the ground."
"Like... like livestock ravaged by wild dogs."
He closed his eyes. The dead, staring eyes frozen in terror and pain still haunted him.
"We waited there until the sun went down. But the bear never showed up."
"Even though we didn't see it, I'm certain. It's a rogue bear that has tasted human flesh and gone mad."
"Only a bear that has eaten humans would actively approach a village and attack people."
A look of hatred crossed the hunter's face. "I don't know where it came from, or how many people it's killed."
"Maybe it's a Demon?" Natsuya suggested.
"A Demon? Like an Oni from the folklore?" Kuro blinked, then laughed nervously. "Sir, please don't joke. Those are just stories to scare children."
Natsuya shrugged. "Not exactly the same. Just treat it as... a 'Bear Demon' that has become a Youkai."
The hunter wanted to argue that youkai didn't exist.
But then he remembered Natsuya's sword strike—a strike so powerful it belonged in a legend.
He opened his mouth, then closed it.
Could it be... the old tales about Shuten-doji and the Mountain Hags are real?
Does that mean this 'Special Section 9' is actually a secret government agency dedicated to hunting monsters?!
Kuro felt like he had stumbled upon a massive state secret.
His gaze drifted to the three Nichirin Swords at Natsuya's waist.
Maybe those three swords are legendary demon-slaying blades, just like the Dojigiri Yasutsuna!
After getting the location of Nogi Village, Natsuya declined Kuro's offer to guide him.
With Shiro the crow on his shoulder, he turned and walked into the deepening twilight.
The hunter couple watched him leave from their doorway.
"That Samurai-sama is incredible..." Kuro muttered, stroking the mirror-smooth surface of the sliced rock.
If I hit this with an axe, the blade would chip. How did he cut it so smoothly?
"Tokyo's Demon Suppression Unit... if we ever see a monster again, I know who to pray to."
"Yuko! Go kill the fattest hen in the coop."
"When the Sir comes back tonight, we must treat him to a feast!"
However, the woman stared at Natsuya's retreating back as he vanished into the forest.
She whispered, "Kuro... I have a feeling that Sir won't be coming back."
"NANI?! You mean he can't defeat the monster?!"
"Idiot! I mean after he kills the Bear Demon, he will just leave!"