"Big brother, big brother…"
Shaking the inert body of the golden-haired young man, the little girl who appears to be six or seven years old makes a cute pout when she notices his lack of reaction—but she was not going to give up! So she walks around the room and opens the windows.
When they are fully opened, they let the bright morning sunlight flood the entire room, forcing the young man's eyelids to open due to the sudden change in light that makes his new and improved senses sting.
"What's going on, Akemi?"
Recognizing the small figure standing in front of him, Asahiko half-squints his eyes, but that lingering drowsiness is erased by Akemi's sudden shout and her frog-like jump toward him.
"You did it, you really finished off that beast! Thank you, thank you, thank you, big brother!"
"Agh, you're heavy."
Jokingly letting himself fall back onto the futon when Akemi jumps on top of him, Asahiko moves his arms and legs erratically, as if he were being suffocated or crushed by her weight.
"Huh, really? Could it be because I ate too much yesterday?"
"It was a joke, you're still as light as a feather!"
"Ahh! Put me down, put me down!"
Grabbing her from under the shoulders in a flash of speed, Asahiko stands up with Akemi in his arms, then throws her up into the air several times, demonstrating how light she is.
Of course, Akemi's first reaction was not happiness at being light; instead, she flails her arms to the sides in an attempt to stop her fall. In the end, however, she understands it's a game and starts to enjoy it.
"Higher, even higher, big brother!"
"Hahaha, do you want to break through the roof?"
"Hmph, you're boring…"
Acting as if she were offended but still obeying Asahiko, Akemi's small figure slips free from his arms and plants her feet on the wooden floor.
That mismatch between her words and actions causes a smile to form on Asahiko's lips, the same smile accompanied by a couple of pats on Akemi's black hair.
"Hehehe, that's enough! Chief Izayoi is waiting for you for breakfast, so we have to go."
"Alright, alright, let me go fetch water from the well to wash my face."
"Wait here for a moment, big brother. I already left a basin of water outside the door."
Stopping Asahiko with her small hands, Akemi turns around in a blur of youthful energy and runs to the door, then comes back carrying a basin full of clean water.
The basin was obviously heavier than what Akemi could normally carry, causing her young face to turn a bright red and her movements to slow.
Even so, Asahiko does not go to help her; instead, he waits until she reaches him and pats her on the head for her effort, making a tired smile appear on Akemi's flushed face.
"Well done, Akemi. Now then, let's see what Izayoi needs."
"Um, let's go!"
…
In a room bathed in the warm morning sunlight coming in through a sliding door—which offers a view of Izayoi's residence garden—three human figures can be seen.
One of those figures is obviously Asahiko, who now has his golden hair tied into a high ponytail, is wearing clothes lent by Izayoi, and is looking at the "traditional" Japanese breakfast with a strange expression.
"What's wrong, big brother? Is there something you don't like?"
Tilting her head adorned with long, now-shiny black hair, Akemi fixes her brown eyes on Asahiko and pokes his shoulder with her pale finger, all in search of a quick answer from him.
"Not at all, I'm just not used to this kind of breakfast—it's so… peculiar."
"If you wish, I can order them to bring you something different, Lord Asahiko."
"That's unnecessary, Chief Izayoi. Besides, what's with this 'Lord Asahiko' (Asahiko-sama)?"
Responding to Akemi—who, having satisfied her curiosity, returned all her attention to the food—Asahiko is intercepted by the third figure, who is clearly the organizer of this breakfast.
Despite this, being the organizer and sitting at the head of the table, Izayoi shows clear respect toward Asahiko, who sits across from him.
"You deserve my respect and gratitude. No—the respect and gratitude of everyone who lives in this village, Lord Asahiko."
"Hahaha, it's still too early, Chief Izayoi. I haven't yet finished dealing with the danger the ogres represent, so I really don't deserve all that gratitude."
"But we have seen the corpse… Wait, are you thinking of killing his brother too?"
Slamming his hands on the table out of sheer surprise at his own thoughts, Izayoi shakes his head and calms himself, but when he looks up, he sees that Asahiko does not deny his words.
It's not that Asahiko has gone crazy; rather, during the fight with the ogre, it demonstrated through its words that it was merely a subordinate delivering food to its leader. That means the second ogre is stronger, more dangerous, and clearly has at least some intelligence to use subordinates.
"Yes, I'm going after him."
"But why? You've already fulfilled your promise to the girl, you've saved us, you've shown what you're capable of… So why go further?"
"I appreciate your concern, Izayoi. But all I need from you is for you to take care of Akemi until I return—nothing more."
Speaking more sharply than he himself expected, to the point that he even slightly furrows his lip from the discomfort, Asahiko notices that Izayoi does not seem to take his words badly.
And that was true, because in Izayoi's mind, his words were merely a childish tantrum—something he had already witnessed many times throughout his long life.
"I understand. You can rest assured that I will take care of the girl."
"Thank you. You heard him, Akemi. Izayoi is in charge until I return, so don't do anything bad."
"I heard you, big brother."
Nibbling on the fish in her hand and ignoring Asahiko's words, the girl tries to wipe her hands on her clothes, but just then a flying cloth smacks into her face.
That cloth was obviously thrown by Asahiko—first because of Akemi's poor table manners, and second because of her lack of interest in the topic. Yes, a certain someone seems to be a bit resentful.
"Have manners at the table!"
"But I do! I'm eating everything on my plate!"
"Do you dare contradict me…? Big brother's pride!"
Scooping Akemi up into his arms with a quick movement, Asahiko twists his middle finger and knocks her on the scalp with the knuckle, making her eyes fill with tears.
Those tears were certainly fake, but they were still enough for Asahiko to let her go. Throughout all this, Izayoi remains silent, while a gentle smile spreads across his wrinkled features.
"That's enough, you two. We're at the table."
"Tsk, your words saved you."
"Hmph, as if that were true… Be very careful, big brother."
Blushing slightly as she speaks her true feelings, Akemi takes a few steps back when she sees Asahiko approach and stays out of his hugging range.
Asahiko only smiles at those childish actions, which he could easily overcome if he wanted to, but in the end he lets Akemi enjoy her momentary victory and sits back down to finish breakfast.
…
"Finally some fresh air! I was already tired of being inside the scabbard all day."
Spinning around Asahiko, who is walking through the middle of the forest near the village, Saya emerges from the scabbard with his arms wide open and bathes in the sunlight of midday.
These actions are immediately noticed by Asahiko—it is literally hard to overlook a flying, talking object—but he still keeps his head down. Why? Simple: to follow the tracks the ogre left the previous night.
"Ahem, ahem!"
Vibrating his vocal cords to attract Asahiko's attention, the small spirit stops all movement and stares at the young man. Asahiko ignores Saya completely, but when he notices that he keeps staring directly at him, he stops and opens his mouth.
"What is it, Saya?"
"Have you spoken with Souga while I was asleep—uh, repairing the seal?"
"With that arrogant dragon? No, he's been silent since last night… Though, why the question?"
Answering Saya's question seriously—since despite everything, he is still the expert on Clouded Fang—Asahiko fixes his blue eyes on the sword hanging from his belt.
"I see… Then why are you doing this? I'm sure you're not someone crazy about battles. You might even be the type who prefers to avoid them. At least, that's the impression your defensive and evasive sword style gives me."
"Haven't you heard it from inside the scabbard, Saya? I just want to do it. There's no deeper story."
"Give it another two hundred years and maybe you could fool me, young fox. From here I can notice the rapid beating of your heart, how your muscles contract unconsciously, and how you glance from time to time at Clouded Fang on your waist… Which is strange, considering what I just said."
Circling Asahiko once more with his small form—Asahiko staring off into nothing—Saya stops and begins stroking his beard while waiting for an answer.
Of course, while stroking his beard, Saya is not wasting time; in his mind, he analyzes Asahiko once again and reaches the same conclusion. He is more reactive than proactive in battle, so it seems unlikely that he would seek one out of his own will.
"…Have you ever felt it, Saya? That phantom itching sensation—like you have the word right on the tip of your tongue, that you can't remember something no matter how hard you think?"
"Anxiety?"
"Maybe, but also more primitive… An instinct that's been calling to me since last night, when all my physical capabilities increased. It's—it's—it's like I'm on the edge of something more… And it won't go away!"
Punching the tree beside him with his bare hand and piercing straight through it without suffering even a scratch, Asahiko slowly pulls his hand back from the trunk and stares at it with his blue eyes.
There is no wound, scratch, or even a single imperfection—just a clean, flawless hand that does not seem to be the same one that just pierced a tree straight through.
"Um… Maybe I—"
[Hahaha, are you going to offer him the same thing they did to Inu no Taisho's youngest son? You know he's not in the same situation—you have to accept it, he has to accept it!]
"Tsk, welcome, Souga. Why don't you explain your brilliant plan?"
Brushing the remaining dust from his hand and calming his breathing, still agitated by emotion, Asahiko speaks with no hope that a good idea will come from Souga, who is communicating from the gem in Clouded Fang.
This sudden interest worries Saya, because even though the question is full of sarcasm, it is still directed at Souga, whom he considers a deceitful serpent.
[Simple. You just have to fight. What you're feeling now is your bloodline awakening—something that happens to everyone in childhood… It doesn't matter, you just have to let it out.]
"You said it yourself, Souga. That normally happens in childhood. Asahiko is already a young fox."
[Do you forget that I tried to steal his body? When I did, I could feel that enormous power sleeping, sealed, unrefined… But now it's awakening, bubbling under his skin as it senses the atmosphere filled with energy.]
Using the fact that he nearly stole Asahiko's body to win the argument, Souga presents himself as a competent speaker and even uses metaphors in his words.
Such things matter little to Asahiko, who seems lost in thought, which he then tries to cast aside with a sigh as he continues his journey, following where the tracks lead.
Thanks to that journey, Asahiko gradually gets deeper into the forest—and into his thoughts—until, at a certain point in the afternoon, he stops and shares his first true glance in hours with Saya.
"There's too much silence."
"Indeed, and there's also more negative energy around here… As if something—or someone—had killed quite a few living beings."
"I suppose that's why the ogre went to the village several times. It no longer had any food source nearby."
Confirming that assumption between them—Asahiko with his heightened senses and Saya with his mysterious spiritual abilities—both fall silent before moving forward again.
The path ahead gradually begins to clear, not because they leave the forest, but because they enter an area with fewer trees and slightly rocky terrain.
They investigate that area for quite some time, since the previously visible tracks no longer exist, until, after a strategy of mutual assistance between Asahiko's enhanced senses and Saya's spiritual arts, they manage to find a cave.
That place is devoid of all animal or plant life, so much so that the cave looks like a hole carved directly into the rock, and the only noteworthy thing is the mountain of white bones outside.
"What a disgusting stench… And are those snoring sounds?"
"I don't have senses as powerful as yours, but if you felt it, then he—"
"Gahhh!"
Roaring from inside the cave with bestial power that seems to shake the ground, the rocks forming the cave truly begin to tremble under the weight of something enormous, and from within emerges a fleshy monster.
Calling it a "fleshy monster" is not a bad idea, because that thing doesn't even look like an ogre. Its height certainly exceeds three meters, but it is hunched over, with an enormous fat belly and the rest of its body bony. It seems to try to grab a tree trunk as a weapon, but its long, bony arms fail to generate much force, and its small legs can barely move it.
Aside from those traits that truly make it unfit for survival, the ogre has embedded in its stomach a pinkish shard that glows with its own energy—so much so that even a novice like Asahiko can notice it.
"That thing is a—"
"Watch out!"
Jumping at Saya's warning as he enters the scabbard of Clouded Fang so as not to interfere in the fight, Asahiko lands easily on a more distant rock and looks toward where he had been moments before.
There, the ground is melted by a repugnant liquid, which gives off a nauseating smell and contains visible remains of animals.
"Gastric acid—could you be any more disgusting?"
"Gahh!"
"That was rhetorical."
Slamming his large belly several times with his long, bony arm under Asahiko's disgusted gaze, the ogre fires several shots of gastric acid toward him.
They do not even reach halfway before Asahiko simply steps out of their path, but this time instead of moving backward, he leaps forward, drawing closer and closer to the large ogre and unsheathing Clouded Fang.
Seeing such a dangerous approach toward its body, the ogre stops firing gastric acid and tries to lift the trunk with its hand to fight, but failing that, it simply extends that arm toward Asahiko.
A very bad choice, because Asahiko simply lowers his center of mass and calmly passes beneath the extended arm. While passing underneath, he also takes the opportunity to deliver an upward slash, severing that arm from the body.
"Ahhhggg!"
"Be quiet."
Kicking the ogre's fat belly while it clutches its severed arm, Asahiko launches himself upward using it as a platform and, with a swing of Clouded Fang, separates the head from the enormous body.
It falls to the ground behind the ogre with a dull thud, followed by the sound of Asahiko landing—his face wearing a strange, cloud expression, as if he were expecting something more.
[What's wrong, hasn't that itching disappeared?]
"You're joking—this isn't even—what the hell!"
Covering himself with the flat of Clouded Fang, Asahiko is dragged across the ground, making half a circle around the ogre, until his feet finally lose traction and he is sent flying.
During that shove, the culprit is reflected in his blue pupils: it is not a new enemy, but the ogre's very own corpse, which has just struck him with its left arm and sent him flying.
But the strangest—and most terrifying—things do not end there. From the severed neck, bubbles of flesh appear and another head grows back. The same happens with the right arm that Asahiko had cut earlier, leaving the ogre once again in perfect condition.
"Tss… Is that even possible?"
[It's not something any ogre could do. That regeneration has already surpassed its species entirely.]
"Solution, oh mighty dragon?"
[Obviously, cut it again and again until it can no longer regenerate.]
Giving the textbook answer before falling silent, Souga makes his presence clear while also showing his lack of interest in taking action.
That does not bother Asahiko; instead, it makes a predatory smile subtly spread across his face as he grips the hilt more firmly—the hilt that vibrates under his powerful grasp.
"Ready?"
"Gahhh!"
"I think so!"
Shattering the ground with his powerful push, Asahiko launches himself forward at maximum speed, his entire body working in unison with the sole purpose of victory, thus gaining control of his new senses without even realizing it.
Observing that clear improvement, the ogre nevertheless extends its right arm to strike—but this time, halfway through, the arm swells with flesh and its speed increases severalfold in an instant.
The collision between flesh, bone, and iron is silent but brutal, resulting in the ogre's arm being split in half and Asahiko being pushed back several steps.
"Gahh!"
"Predictable!"
Leaping to the side to dodge the gastric acid shots fired as a follow-up to the previous blow, Asahiko opens his eyes as he sees the right arm beginning to regenerate and propels himself forward with a powerful step.
Of course, the ogre tries to stop him with a swing of its left arm, but that direct and obvious attack is avoided with a jump by Asahiko, who then leaps again from that limb onto the ogre's fat belly.
Now face to face with that enormous mass of fat—the strangest thing on the bony ogre—Asahiko does not hold back and delivers multiple bloody slashes with Clouded Fang into the huge belly. As a result, massive amounts of fetid blood pour over Asahiko and the surroundings, yet he continues cutting until he is finally knocked away by the ogre's hand.
"You've lost strength, haven't you… You can't regenerate anymore?"
"Gah…"
"Too bad. I suppose the belly really was your weakness."
Shaking Clouded Fang, now bathed in a reddish hue—whether from the ogre's blood or something else—Asahiko carefully walks toward the beast, which is slowly bleeding out.
Surprisingly, the ogre does not try to attack. Instead, it extends its bony arms toward a freshly cut piece of flesh from its belly, the same one that glows with a pink tone coming from the shard embedded there.
"That's not going to happen."
Cutting the ogre's outstretched hand with a simple sword motion, Asahiko raises an eyebrow as he notices the reddish color on Clouded Fang's blade intensify. In the end, he ignores it and takes the pink-glowing shard.
The moment his hand comes into contact with the pink shard, Asahiko's entire body begins to tremble uncontrollably, while the air around him vibrates violently. Clouded Fang no longer glows red; instead, a bloody liquid drips from its blade onto the ground.
[Ohh, I can feel it—I can feel his blood!]
"Drop that thing right now, Asahiko!"
[Hahaha, sooner or later this was going to happen anyway. Let the little—]
"Silence, Souga! You must let it go, Asahiko. That thing only—"
While the two of them try to sway Asahiko's actions one way or another with words, he is simply beyond such things—so much so that his mind and body feel completely freed from any "itching" or worry that once afflicted him.
Because of this, he unconsciously brings the fragment in front of his chest as if praying, then closes his eyes and follows his new instincts. This causes the barrier that once held him back—and that gave rise to his "itching"—to disappear, releasing an enormous amount of spiritual energy that tries to materialize into seven golden fox tails. In the end, however, only one becomes solid.
[A seven-tailed fox?]
"…Truly unexpected, although perhaps it's simply his bloodline being too pure?"
[Maybe…]
Returning to their conversation, now focused on Asahiko's changes, both spiritual beings fall silent and observe him in different ways. Asahiko now has a golden tail swaying behind him and a pair of fox ears atop his head.
These new appendages are not made of flesh and bone, but are constructs of pure energy, making them a display of power, aesthetic beauty, and strategic utility.