Fingers hooked onto the edge of the mask, applying gentle pressure.
Click.
The crimson Oni mask fell away.
Moonlight spilled onto the face that had been hidden for three months.
It was a young face.
Looking about seventeen or eighteen, with regular features and clear-cut contours.
Although his skin was so pale it didn't look like that of a living person, that very paleness instead accentuated a sickly handsomeness.
His inverted black and white eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight, his scarlet pupils like two burning gemstones.
Paired with that long, pale hair...
"So handsome..."
Kaede had poked her head out from behind Kikyo at some point, her eyes sparkling.
"Big brother is so handsome!"
Kobe Hikaru: "..."
This contrast is too much, isn't it?
She was screaming in fear just a moment ago, and now she's become a fangirl?
A child's emotional shifts are truly unpredictable.
Kikyo was also looking at him.
Her cold, clear eyes seemed to hold a hint of unexpected surprise.
Perhaps she hadn't expected that hidden beneath this Oni mask was the face of a young boy.
"You..."
She started to speak, but swallowed her words.
What had she originally wanted to ask?
Did she want to ask who he was before he died?
Or why he had become an Oni Samurai at such a young age?
Did he die young...
But in the end, she asked nothing.
She simply withdrew her gaze and said to Kaede.
"It's getting late, you should go home."
"Eh—?"
Kaede pouted discontentedly: "But I still want to talk to the handsome big brother!"
"Your aunt and uncle will be worried." Although she was a younger sister, Kaede mostly lived with other people in the village.
"...Alright."
Kaede replied dejectedly.
But after walking a few steps, she turned back and waved at Kobe Hikaru.
"Big brother, can I see you again tomorrow?"
Kobe Hikaru glanced at Kikyo.
Kikyo did not speak.
"...Maybe."
He answered vaguely.
"It's a promise then! I'll come find you to play tomorrow!"
Kaede's voice gradually faded into the night wind.
Not until her figure disappeared below the stone steps did the Shrine Hall fall silent again.
Only Kobe Hikaru and Kikyo remained.
Two people.
One human.
One demon.
Staring at each other under the moonlight.
The night wind blew gently.
Below the stone steps, one could faintly hear Kaede's parents urging her to go home.
"Hurry up, hurry up! It's already dark and you're still out here running wild!"
"But that big brother is really so handsome..."
"What big brother? That's a demon! Stay away!"
"He's not a bad demon! He helped Kikyo-nee-san drive away the other demons! And when he stands with Kikyo-nee-san, they look just like a painting—very beautiful and a perfect match!"
Kobe Hikaru stood under the torii gate, hearing those conversations clearly.
The hearing of an Oni Samurai far exceeded that of an ordinary person; even from tens of yards away, those whispers sounded as if they were right beside his ears.
"It seems that little girl is quite protective of me."
He muttered.
A perfect match, huh... That sounded exactly like what he wanted, didn't it?
Kobe Hikaru was still holding the crimson Oni mask in his hand, not putting it back on.
Since he had already taken it off, there was no point in putting it back on, especially since he was tired of wearing it.
The feeling of not seeing the sun for three months was actually quite uncomfortable.
Although an Oni Samurai didn't actually need to breathe, the psychological stuffiness remained.
After all, he had only been a demon for three months, while he had been a human for nearly twenty years.
The habits and perceptions accumulated over twenty years were hard to change.
"Are you not going to put your mask back on?"
Kikyo's voice came from behind.
Kobe Hikaru turned around.
Under the moonlight, the shrine maiden stood on the stone steps in front of the Shrine Hall, looking down at him.
Her white robes were like snow, her red hakama like fire.
Her black hair draped over her shoulders, gently lifted by the night wind, occasionally brushing against the contour of her neck.
To be honest, from this angle, she was quite beautiful.
Kobe Hikaru withdrew his gaze and tucked the Oni mask into his waist.
"It's too stuffy wearing it."
He said: "Besides, my face won't scare you anyway."
Kikyo did not reply; she simply turned around and walked toward the Shrine Hall.
"Follow me."
Kobe Hikaru followed.
The doors of the Shrine Hall were open, and the interior was simply furnished.
In the center was a shrine altar, dedicated to an unknown deity.
In front of the altar was a low table with an incense burner, a candlestick, and several empty plates.
On both sides were sliding doors, which likely led to the inner sanctum.
Kikyo walked to the altar and knelt on a meditation cushion.
She didn't invite Kobe Hikaru to sit, but instead took some items from a nearby cabinet.
Incense sticks.
A candle.
And—a dish of rice.
A dish of pickles.
A bowl of clear water.
Kobe Hikaru watched as she placed these items one by one on the low table in front of the altar, her movements proficient, as if she had done it countless times.
Then she lit the incense, pressed her hands together, and chanted in a low voice.
It was some kind of prayer incantation; Kobe Hikaru didn't quite understand it, but he could feel the spiritual power fluctuations contained within it.
After finishing all this, Kikyo stood up and turned to look at Kobe Hikaru.
"This is for you."
Kobe Hikaru was stunned.
For me?
He looked at the dish of rice, the dish of pickles, the bowl of clear water, and the curling incense smoke.
This setup...
"Is this an offering?"
He asked.
Kikyo nodded.
Kobe Hikaru fell silent.
He had transmigrated three months ago, and although he had spent most of his time in the wilderness killing demons, he still understood some of the customs of this era.
Offerings were humanity's expression of awe and supplication toward gods and demons.
By offering food and incense, they sought to appease the gods and demons, praying for protection.
And for a demon, an offering was actually a source of power.
Incense was the embodiment of human faith.
When humans offered sacrifices to gods and demons with a pious heart, that piety would convert into a special kind of energy.
For a demon, this energy was like food to humans.
It could replenish demonic power and heal wounds.
Therefore, some demons would pretend to be gods to trick people into giving offerings, and some demons would even go so far as to truly protect human settlements and safeguard the commoners for the sake of these offerings.
"Are you giving an offering to me?"
Kobe Hikaru confirmed.
"Yes."
Kikyo's tone was calm.
"You helped this village, this is my thanks."
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