The street slowly began to calm down.
Not completely.
Not peacefully.
Just… less chaotic.
The echoes of panic still lingered in the air like smoke after a fire. People whispered in hushed, trembling voices. Some clutched their phones, others their friends, and a few just stood frozen—trying to process what they had just witnessed.
A monster.
A chainsaw.
And someone who smiled through it all.
Rishiro casually walked forward, as if none of it mattered.
The chainsaw was still lodged into the ground a few steps away.
He reached it, gripped the handle, and pulled it out with a sharp metallic scrape. Without a second thought, he swung it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
Like it belonged there.
Like this was normal.
He took one step.
Then—
"IDIOT!"
Thud.
A fist slammed into his shoulder.
Rishiro flinched slightly.
"…Ow."
Maru stood in front of him, breathing hard, her eyes burning with frustration.
"Where the hell have you been?!" she snapped.
"You disappear for THREE MONTHS, stop answering messages, vanish like a ghost—"
Her voice rose.
"—and the FIRST thing you do when we see you again is THROW A CHAINSAW at the yokai leader?!"
Rishiro blinked slowly.
He tilted his head.
"In my defense…"
He paused for dramatic effect.
Then shrugged.
"…it was funny."
Silence.
A dangerous kind.
Daichi dragged his hand down his face, already tired.
"Bro…"
He exhaled.
"You just threatened what is basically the boss of the apocalypse."
Rishiro actually thought about it.
Genuinely.
"…When you say it like that…"
He nodded slightly.
"…it sounds irresponsible."
Maru looked like she was about to punch him again.
Hikari, however, said nothing.
She stood quietly beside them, her gaze fixed on Rishiro.
Careful.
Observing.
Her eyes traced his face—his expression, the way he stood, the way he spoke.
Something wasn't right.
"…You look different," she said softly.
Rishiro glanced at her.
A faint smile formed.
"Better haircut?"
She shook her head immediately.
"No."
A pause.
Then—
"You look like someone who has seen something terrible."
The air shifted.
For just a second.
Rishiro laughed.
Light.
Casual.
Almost convincing.
"Wow."
He scratched the back of his head.
"That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me today."
Maru clicked her tongue.
"Stop joking."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"What is going on?"
This time—
Rishiro didn't answer immediately.
He looked up.
The sky above them was still wrong.
That faint, unnatural message still shimmered between the clouds like a glitch in reality.
Then he spoke.
"The world changed."
Simple.
Direct.
He raised a hand and pointed upward.
"That message earlier?"
"That wasn't a prank."
His tone lost its playfulness.
"This place is under something called a Yokai Influence."
Daichi frowned.
"…Influence?"
Rishiro nodded.
"Think of it like this."
"Every region… every place… gets monsters based on the myths people believed in."
He paused.
Then smirked slightly.
"And Japan got yokai."
Maru groaned loudly.
"Great."
She rubbed her temples.
"Just great."
"Of all things."
She looked at him again.
"So what do we do?"
Rishiro didn't hesitate.
He shrugged.
"Simple."
A small grin formed.
"Don't die."
Before anyone could react—
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
A slow, deliberate applause echoed from behind them.
"Well…"
A calm voice followed.
"That was quite the performance."
The group turned.
A tall student stepped forward from the thinning crowd.
Clean clothes.
Expensive jacket.
A watch that definitely didn't belong to a normal student.
Confidence radiated from him.
Beside him stood a beautiful girl, holding his arm lightly. Behind them, several others followed—like a small, organized group.
Like followers.
"My name is Kenta Moriyama."
His voice was smooth.
Controlled.
His eyes scanned the group briefly—
Then stopped at Rishiro.
"You clearly know more than everyone else here."
He crossed his arms.
"The smart thing to do in a situation like this…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…is to form a strong team."
A pause.
Then—
"So join us."
Rishiro tilted his head.
"…Join you?"
Kenta nodded.
"You'd be useful."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Just certainty.
Rishiro actually thought about it.
For a moment.
"…Tempting."
Kenta's smile widened slightly.
"Right?"
Then—
Rishiro shrugged.
"But you probably wouldn't like having me on your team."
The smile faded.
"And why is that?"
Rishiro pointed at himself.
Casual.
Relaxed.
"Because every team needs honesty."
A brief pause.
Then—
He grinned.
"And I'm a liar."
Kenta blinked.
"…A liar?"
Rishiro nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh yeah."
"Professional one."
He leaned slightly closer.
Lowered his voice just enough.
"So what do you think?"
"Still want a liar on your team?"
Silence.
Kenta stared at him.
Studying him.
Measuring him.
Then—
His expression hardened.
"…Forget it."
He turned away.
"And you?"
His gaze moved to the others.
Maru crossed her arms immediately.
"No."
Daichi raised both hands slightly.
"I'm good."
Hikari shook her head gently.
"…I'll stay here."
Kenta didn't argue.
Didn't insist.
He just gave them one last cold look—
Then walked away with his group.
Confident.
Untouched.
As if nothing had shaken him.
Rishiro watched him leave.
Quietly.
Then—
Slowly—
He looked back at the sky.
The wind had changed.
It felt colder now.
Sharper.
Like something was coming.
And then—
He heard it.
In the distance.
At first faint.
Then clearer.
Footsteps.
Not one.
Not ten.
Hundreds.
Echoing through the city like a marching rhythm from something ancient.
Something unnatural.
Something inevitable.
Maru froze.
"…Do you hear that?"
Daichi swallowed.
"…Yeah."
Hikari's grip tightened slightly.
"…They're coming."
Rishiro smiled.
Not nervously.
Not fearfully.
But like someone who had been waiting for this.
He adjusted the chainsaw on his shoulder.
The metal glinted faintly under the dim sky.
"…Well."
A small breath escaped him.
"Looks like…"
His grin widened.
"…the parade of the hundred demons is about to begin."
End of Chapter 10