Sitting on the roof of the Ninomaru Palace, Hikigaya had a Coke in one hand and a KFC chicken wing in the other, munching away happily.
As far as his eyes could see, from the lawn in front of the Ninomaru Palace to the walls of Nijo Castle, and even beyond those walls, it was a world boiling with demonic energy. Yokai flew freely in the sky, while those on the ground walked side-by-side with humans, cruising everywhere. Every single one of them entered the scenic areas for fun without buying a ticket, and they would grab a skewer from a roadside stall without paying, and no one would ever know—ordinary people couldn't notice them anyway.
The cost of living for yokai was truly low, which made Hikigaya suspect that the various types of takeout the yokai delivered to him every day were all "dine-and-dash" als. Yesterday he had eaten Kaiseki cuisine, which was likely swiped straight from a kitchen. It must be said here that Hikigaya still preferred food with strong flavors; he decided he wanted to eat Kobe beef for lunch tomorrow. The Seven-Herb Tofu hotpot he had two nights ago was a bit bland, though the taste was acceptable. He figured he'd just have so herring soba for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Finishing the last chicken wing, he tossed the bone aside carelessly, not bothering to see if it hit a yokai. After gulping down his Coke, Hikigaya beckoned to the Nekomata waiting obediently nearby, letting her give him a massage. This Nekomata's technique was becoming increasingly professional; Hikigaya found it quite comfortable, so he shifted into an Arhat side-lying posture, propping his head with one hand and resting the other on his knee, squinting his eyes as he looked out toward the city.
"Kidomaru," Hikigaya called out to the master of this place.
Kidomaru was the leader of the Kyoto yokai. A thousand years ago, he had served Tamamo-no-Mae, and after that, his master beca Abe no Seii. He was the true master of Nijo Castle. Although Nijo Castle started with the craftsmanship of human artisans, the yokai had built another, deeper layer of it. In essence, it was constructed from demonic power. As the leader of the Kyoto yokai, Kidomaru needed only a thought to transform the castle. Among the Kyoto yokai, its true na was Rasho—Ra representing Rakshasa.
Since the establishnt of Heian-kyo, human sorcerers and yokai had used various thods to occupy the spiritual fields here. As an old veteran of Kyoto, Nijo Castle was Kidomaru's proudest masterpiece. This old yokai was also the most formal among the group under Hagoromo Gitsune's command, and the only one who addressed Hikigaya as "Your Majesty." Though a yokai, he strictly adhered to the loyalty and righteousness admired by ancient Japanese society, acting more like a samurai than any human warrior. Because of this, he was obsessed with the grand vision painted by Abe no Seii and had been unable to extricate himself ever since.
"Your Majesty, Rakshasa King." Kidomaru erged from the roof, appearing as an old man dressed as an ancient swordsman.
The look in his eyes as he watched Hikigaya was very peculiar. It wasn't hostility, nor was it pure respect, but rather a tangled ss of many things. Even though Hikigaya possessed the Eye of Horus, he had absolutely no desire to unravel such complexity—he had no interest in understanding a thousand years' worth of "Chunibyo" (eight-grader syndro) delusions. However, chatting when he had nothing better to do was perfectly fine.
"I say, Kidomaru," Hikigaya yawned. "Aren't you tired of being so serious all day long?"
"Your Majesty is joking," the oldest Chunibyo yokai in all of Japan said stiffly. "Our long-cherished wish is about to be realized; I am not tired at all."
"Oh? And what kind of wish is that?"
"Naturally, it is to restore the balance of this world," Kidomaru declared with a full dose of Chunibyo without hesitation. "Only in this way can humans and yokai coexist harmoniously. Soone once said, 'This city of Yin and Yang can continue forever.' But for a thousand years, fools who lost the guidance of the wise and barbaric yokai who lost their education have wreaked havoc in this city. To end this chaotic era, the wise one must return to the world."
At this point, his gaze darkened, and his voice grew low: "Lord Hagoromo Gitsune is powerful and beautiful enough, and only she can lead us to achieve this. As for the Lady Tamamo-no-Mae of back then, if I may be blunt, she did not have such capacity."
"In short, you think Hagoromo Gitsune isn't smart enough, and Tamamo-no-Mae simply had no brains?" Hikigaya was amused. This pretentious old man sure knew how to spin a yarn. Abe no Seii was quite skilled at brainwashing yokai with his rhetoric.
However, based on the implications of these words, the original Abe no Seii likely wanted to be a living god of Heian-kyo, ruling over all humans and yokai there. So, upgrading his plan, did he now want to rule over all humans and yokai in Japan and establish a new "harmonious" society dominated by yokai?
"So, Kidomaru, do you think your thousand-year wish can deal with ?"
The mont these words were spoken, the Nekomata who had been tremblingly giving him a massage froze in terror, and half of Kidomaru's demonic face erged. Hikigaya, anwhile, just stared at Kidomaru with a profound gaze...
"I cannot answer Your Majesty's question."
"It doesn't matter if your wish is crushed to death by ?"
"Correct. As long as I am alive, I will continue to wait."
Quite stubborn! But not in an annoying way.
"Kidomaru, you... you're really a yokai that's quite like a human," Hikigaya closed his eyes. "I'm going to nap for a bit; go about your business."
"Understood..." Kidomaru's face returned to its human form. He looked at Hikigaya carefully, confirming that Hikigaya indeed did not intend to ask more questions. He took the Nekomata with him and quietly withdrew.
For the Nekomata, she felt herself wrapped in Kidomaru's power and was instantly returned to the space known as "Rashomon." This was a city gate, with yokai perched in every corner. For the yokai, inside this gate was Rasho, and outside was Nijo Castle—Nijo Castle was the wall of Rasho, and Rashomon was the only gate.
Kidomaru released the Nekomata from his restraint, waved her away, and sat down cross-legged at the entrance of Rashomon. The feeling of talking to Hikigaya reminded him of his true master, Abe no Seii. But the comparison between the two was like Hagoromo Gitsune and Tamamo-no-Mae; it was a case of "birds of a feather."
Even after nine reincarnations, Hagoromo Gitsune's strength was only comparable to Tamamo-no-Mae, but Tamamo-no-Mae did not think about the future of yokai in her heart; she wouldn't ponder how to handle the relationship with humans to best suit the yokai. And Hikigaya Hachiman, as the Rakshasa King, was stronger than Abe no Seii—the kind of strength that couldn't even be chased—yet Hikigaya Hachiman similarly would not think about such questions.
Kidomaru felt that except for Abe no Seii, no one would truly think about this problem. Only Abe no Seii, as the child of a human and a fox, would do so. It was such a pity; they were clearly both natural-born rulers...
But Kidomaru decided to trust his master, just as he had a thousand years ago—constant and unwavering trust. A thousand years ago, Abe no Seii discovered a place that could resist the laws of aging, sickness, and death, and finally found a way to perfect the Art of Returning the Soul. Thus, he died with peace of mind, returning to the darkness to wait for the completion of his next reincarnation. Just like his mother, yet surpassing his mother.
Kidomaru believed that Abe no Seii would surely succeed.
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