ocean-life Chapter 274 The Legend of the Heart Offering? So it was you who did it!
Chapter 274 The Legend of the Heart Offering? So it was you who did it!
The girls were discussing the start of the school year and the cultural festival that would follow, and the boys were naturally having a similar discussion.
For example, Yu Ishigami's back-to-school anxiety is even more severe than Chika Fujiwara's.
"Yes, school starts soon after we get back from our trip..." Yu Ishigami lowered his head, looking as if he had aged decades.
Shirogane Miyuki didn't know how to comfort her.
All Natsume could do was hand Ishigami a cup of tea, hoping to calm him down.
"Thank you... but you good students would never understand! The fear we average students feel when facing the start of the school year!"
Yu Ishigami clutched his head, "The holidays are over and school starts again right away! Whew—this feeling is like..."
"It's like someone who's run out of oxygen while diving, trying to swim to the surface just as their body is about to reach its limit, only to be forcefully pulled back underwater!"
Miyuki Shirogane: "Stop talking, Ishigami! I understand your despair and suffocation! But think about it, there's still the cultural festival after school starts, isn't there?"
Yu Ishigami's eyes widened. "Thinking back... I didn't do a single one of my holiday assignments!!"
The diver who had just been pulled back underwater was suddenly struck by a boulder called "Operation".
Miyuki Shirogane: "..."
Natsume: "...Speaking of which, where's Ling-ge?"
Shirogane Miyuki shook his head. "I'm not sure. He's probably still sleeping in his room."
.....
Tokyo, Cloud Cat Cafe.
"Great...great demons! Two of them!"
Masaki Liuhu (a cat café employee) quietly served plates to her boss and the powerful demon who had suddenly appeared today.
"Uchiha-kun, long time no see. I really didn't expect that you could bring Kujira over after just one trip around the sea. He's the guy I've invited so many times without success."
Nurarihyon's eyes held a hint of envy. You see, any group of yokai can only be called an organization if it has at least one member with the fighting power of a great yokai.
The Nura Clan was known as the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. Although it wasn't as exaggerated as having a hundred great demons, it still had at least ten of them.
However, after hundreds of years, the current leader of the Nura Clan is nothing more than a figurehead lord of demons and monsters.
So Nurarihyon invited Kujira from the ocean more than once, but unexpectedly, this kid succeeded!
"Kujira, didn't you say you wouldn't join any monster organizations...? Wait! So you joined the human side, right?!"
Jingming silently sipped his tea, but his eyes were fixed on the various cats in the cat café.
"Don't misunderstand, I haven't joined or become anyone's subordinate. My relationship with Uchiha-kun is more of a cooperative one."
The old fox sighed. "Never mind, another cup of coffee, please."
Masaki Ryukyu nodded, then was stopped by Uchiha Ryo.
"Mr. Nura, this is not a place for you to freeload. Besides, as the biggest yokai leader in the Tokyo area, what are you doing in my little place?"
"Hehehe..."
The old man, who had lived for countless years, scratched the strange head protruding from the back of his head. "This isn't the Edo period, the age of monsters. I'm just here as a tourist to have some coffee."
Nurarihyon stroked the cat that had suddenly jumped onto his lap.
"You see, the little guy likes me quite a bit."
It wasn't just Nura Rihan who was loved by cats; at the same time, Kujira also had a group of cats hanging on him.
A powerful demon as a cat tree? Even Uchiha Ryo didn't dare to think that way, but the cat did indeed like the two powerful demons very much.
Having only met Nurarihyon once, or even just sparred with him once, Ryo Uchiha could understand him, since Nurarihyon's ability was the Mirror of Still Water, which allowed him to merge with nature.
Cats are naturally shy, so they are hesitant to get close to strangers. But Nura Rihan has almost no living presence in the eyes of cats, so isn't he just a moving cat tree?
As for Whale Ocean....
Holy crap! No way?! Yanyun-chan, how did you train these cats? Or what are you feeding them?! They even dare to get so close to a whale!
Yanyunjiang said, "What's wrong with me using the power of the tailed beast to go fishing in the sea in order to save on excessive cat food consumption?"
"Never mind, I was just passing by today when I sensed the demonic aura coming in. See you next time, Uchiha-kun."
"I don't think I'll have any further contact with the Nura Clan."
Rihan Nura waved his hand. "Well, aren't you from the Shuchiin Academy, the one with the human side? Actually, I go to the Shuchiin Honshin Festival every year."
"Offering a heartfelt sacrifice?"
"Huh? You, a student of Shuchiin Academy, don't know this legend? Tsk tsk tsk~"
Uchiha Ryo resisted the urge to leave Nurarihyon alive and give him a beating, but still asked with some curiosity, "You, a demon who has lived for so many years, are still interested in our human legends?"
"Legend has it... Kid, want to hear a story?"
"Then let's listen to it."
Rihan Nura gestured for Ryukyu Masaki to refill his coffee. "It's a long story..."
Uchiha Ryo pulled up a chair and sat down. "Then let's get straight to the point."
"Well, that was a long, long time ago."
Get to the point.
"....."
Nurarihyon also wanted to teach this brat a lesson, but it seemed he couldn't beat him, so he decided to continue talking.
Four hundred years ago, the Hagoromo-Gitsune of Kyoto wreaked havoc on the human world, and her favorite food was the heart of a young woman. At that time, Hagoromo-Gitsune's faction dispatched a large number of yokai to search for women with innate spiritual power or exceptionally high yokai power.
Because consuming such a heart would greatly increase Hagoromo Gitsune's demonic power, they sought out the daughter of the local lord.
However, the young and handsome Nurarihyon happened to take a liking to this human woman, so the Nurarihyon Clan naturally engaged in a deadly battle with Hagoromo Gitsune's side.
Finally, with the help of the human Onmyoji Hidemoto Hanakain, Hagoromo Gitsune was successfully sealed, but Nurarihyon's heart was stolen.
Fearing that Uchiha Ryo wouldn't believe him, the old man in front of him even pulled open his clothes, revealing the wound on his heart.
"Otherwise, how could a great demon born of nature, Nurarihyon, possibly be so old? If I hadn't lost my heart, I would only be considered middle-aged now!"
Nurarihyon said dismissively.
"But you humans are really interesting. That battle took place in the city lord's mansion. I guess some humans saw something and then made up a story about the Fulfillment of the Heart."
Good heavens, the Hōshin-sai tradition that has continued in Shuchiin to this day was actually created by this monster in front of us.
"Hmph, how about that? Aren't I amazing? Four hundred years ago, I was at the peak of a great demon! If it weren't for Hagoromo Gitsune's sneak attack and the theft of my heart..."
Uchiha Ryo chuckled. "Just a nine-tailed fox... Is that so strong?"