From the moment Ryu sat down and saw that silver wig, he had already guessed the owner's true identity. Until just now, he had felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Master Obiko, or simply [Obiko], was a ghostly monster from the Tiga worldview, much like the Sukuna Demon. However, compared to the Sukuna Demon—that "defeated samurai"—Obiko was far less dangerous.
Just as he said: He was born here and raised here.
He was a local yōkai who hadn't accumulated any grudges. He was more like a mountain spirit, a tanuki, or a fox. Perhaps at some point in the past, he had even served as a mountain god~
He liked the darkness and detested sunlight. He excelled at various pranks and often appeared at night to bring "surprises" to those who enjoyed night walks.
Obiko didn't eat humans or intentionally harm them; he simply liked to frolic with his friends.
...But that was in the past. With the changing of the times, everything Obiko was familiar with had scattered with the wind. All he saw and heard were strange, cold, new things.
It was as if he had been abandoned in the twenty-first century by the deceased villagers. Only by going to the graveyard could he find the familiar darkness and tranquility.
—And even most of the graveyards had been relocated, leaving only a patch at the foot of the mountain.
In this world lit up by electric lights and neon signs, he gradually had no place to settle down.
Actually, he had thought about leaving this place and finding a new forest to live in, but every time, he would just sulk, just like he did with Chika earlier.
Unable to let go, unable to forget... Time is truly a cruel existence for long-lived species~
Ryu wasn't worried about Obiko losing control. Without external interference, he would at most cause a ruckus for a while, leave behind an urban legend, and then silently depart, returning to the darkness of the earth.
—But that would be too much of a pity!
Although his combat power couldn't compare to the Sukuna Demon, the good thing was that he had never been sealed. Obiko was a great yōkai in his prime, and likely the strongest single biological entity Ryu had seen so far.
(Excluding Demons; the Winged Lion is essentially a "Black Grail," so it's hard to say if it counts as a living creature.)
The Ultra-series worldview had a lot of black technology for controlling monsters or simply borrowing their power, but Ryu didn't plan to develop in that direction—the risk was too high!
With human strength and spirit, it was difficult to master life forms of too high a level. Situations involving loss of control, corruption, and self-destruction were commonplace. Although Ryu had confidence in himself, there was no need to gamble.
Before having an Ultraman or a force of equivalent level to hold the fort, utilizing the power of monsters was still too risky~
However, the good thing about Obiko was that he could be communicated with!
I helped you protect the village and retrieve the tranquility of the past. In the future, if some blind alien hillbillies come to invade Earth, even if you don't do it for the sake of our friendship, you should at least breathe some fire or something to protect your hometown, right?
He might not count as a very powerful monster (after all, he wasn't the type skilled in combat), but he was definitely worth the investment!
"I already know Master Obiko's story."
After listening to Obiko's narration, which obviously had quite a bit of embellishment added, Ryu nodded. "However, having just a story won't do. It's best if we can collect some corroborating evidence."
"Do you mean eyewitnesses?" Obiko asked earnestly for advice.
"No, mere testimony will be considered a deliberately manufactured urban legend. The most persuasive things are shrines and cultural artifacts."
"A shrine..." Obiko scratched his bald head. "That might be difficult to handle... Whether we can find one is a problem, and even if we find it, I'm afraid it won't look like a shrine anymore."
"We can directly build an antique-style shrine. That's not a problem. So-called 'cultural heritage' doesn't just depend on age, but also on the story inside."
"Story?"
"The gimmick!"
Ryu pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had thought of a good idea.
"I know a very large, very prosperous shrine that enshrines a demon-exorcising ronin named Nishikida Kagetatsu. Let's do a collaboration with it!"
"Collaboration?"
"We add elements of Nishikida Kagetatsu into Master Obiko's legend, then invite a few Shinto priests and monks to endorse it, and get a few artifacts. Wouldn't that immediately make it high-class?"
"Oh, oh, that sounds feasible! But... would the Nishikida Shrine agree?"
"Leave it to me. I will work hard to sleep-suade their manager!"
—Ruri clung even tighter, her ample bosom rubbing against Ryu's arm~
Sigh, it looks like I have to sell my body for the great cause of saving the world again!
"Oh my~! This really... leaves me speechless!"
Obiko was as happy as a child; the gloomy and eerie atmosphere from before was swept away.
"So we can apply now?"
"...Of course. If Master Obiko can appear in front of people and cause a commotion, the effect will definitely be better—the Loch Ness Monster became famous back in the day with just a single photo."
Ryu shook his head and sighed with regret after speaking: "But when it comes down to it, it's just a folk legend. Master Obiko is just a fictional character, right?"
"Hehe~"
The boss didn't speak but looked at Ryu with a meaningful expression.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, it's just that the more I look at you, the more I like you, haha~"
Obiko smiled and began to pack up his things. He had gained a lot tonight and needed to hurry back to write these things down.
"Right, I still have many things I might need to consult you about... I wonder how to contact you?"
"Me?"
Ryu mused, "I don't give my mobile number to people easily... But if you are willing to keep it confidential, it would be fine."
He used his phone's memo to write down the digits and let the shop owner memorize them carefully. Then he reached out a hand. The maid, who had long since been sitting upright waiting at the side, took a tablet out of her bag, quickly pulled up a non-disclosure agreement template, and filled in the date.
"Here you go, Lord Ryu."
"Good." Ryu habitually leaned in, wanting to give Ruri a kiss, but suddenly remembering the current occasion, he couldn't help but feel a burst of awkwardness. Fortunately, his movements weren't large, and no one noticed.
"Sign this contract."
"A contract?"
Obiko held the tablet gingerly, hesitating for a split second before starting, then immediately felt it was ridiculous:
The laws of the human world can't govern me anyway, so why worry so much!
He cheerfully took the tablet and, using that short stick that looked like a magic wand, scribbled a few strokes on it with a flourish.
When Ryu took it back, the entire screen was occupied by a single Chinese character—
[Hiko].
At the same time, a marvelous feeling surfaced in Ryu's heart. Obiko also looked thoughtful. Looking at each other, they felt even more congenial than before, wishing they could chat for another few hours.
But Obiko didn't delay any longer. Instead, he happily packed up the stall to see the guests off. He was in a rush to go put what he had heard into practice; he didn't have that much leisure time to play this game of house.
"Tonight was truly happy... I'm very glad to have met you, Little Brother Ryu~"
The boss turned his head, looking for the first time at the black cat sitting quietly in the darkness: "And you too, little kitty~"
"..."
"Haha, so happy, so happy~"
Obiko knocked on the pot lid, and a massive amount of smoke instantly spewed out from inside, momentarily obscuring everyone's vision.
"Little Brother Ryu, I've remembered your words. Then, starting from now, I'll leave behind the first eyewitness for 'Master Obiko,' haha!"
Bang!
The entire cart vanished instantly~
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉