"Seven days?" Nurarihyon looked at Araragi and pondered.
"Yes—please!" Araragi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Recalling the manga he'd read, he prostrated himself on the ground. "Please make me stronger!!!"
Sū ěr: "..."
The feeling of watching a shonen manga play out in real life was getting stronger. Pre-battle training, the "make me stronger" line... was this a live-action Jump series?
And Araragi, you're playing along too well!
"Well, it's not that I'm unwilling, but seven days isn't enough to teach much," Nurarihyon said, rubbing his chin. He had to be clear. "Whether it's fist-fighting or swordsmanship, these aren't skills you can master overnight."
"For an ordinary human, picking up a sharp blade is enough to kill another human. But for us non-humans, picking up a sword without knowing the technique is no different from picking up a toothpick. It might even make you weaker by getting in your way."
"Don't worry, I know that," Sū ěr nodded. "But more important than sword or fist are power, speed, and reaction time."
"Don't let his gloomy look fool you. You know what a vampire is?" Sū ěr patted Araragi shoulder. "The one who turned him is the strongest vampire in the world. His potential might exceed your imagination."
"The strongest vampire? Mmm, the King of Oddities from the Far West?" Even Nurarihyon had heard of Kiss-shot's name. He looked enlightened.
That made things much easier. Even if Nurarihyon hadn't fought her, other vampires had appeared in Japan, and he knew something of these Western demons.
A thrall is always weaker than its creator, and the older and more ancient the lineage, the stronger the vampire. If this boy's master was that King of Oddities... it explained why he looked so green yet felt so threatening.
Plus, this wouldn't be a bad thing for Rikuo.
"Fine," Nurarihyon nodded. "In seven days, right? Leave it to me. But let's be clear: a total transformation in seven days is impossible. Understand?"
"Of course. Just teach him how to show his fangs and bite," Sū ěr grinned, a look that made Araragi hair stand on end. "Isn't there a saying? If you want to hit someone, you have to learn to take a hit first... Teach him how to find an opening to counter-attack while he's being beaten."
"Don't worry, a vampire's regeneration is incredible. Honestly, if you put him in the sun, I suspect his self-healing might outpace the rate at which the sun burns him."
Araragi: "..."
"I see... then I can rest easy," Nurarihyon's eyes lit up, as if looking at a perfect punching bag—uh, unpolished jade. "Training alone is boring. I'll have Rikuo help. He's my grandson, very easy to get along with. Don't be afraid."
'Saying that makes me more afraid!!!'
Araragi sense of impending doom grew. He began to wonder if choosing Sū ěr for "special training" was a mistake—and did he just outsource me? Is this an outsourcing contract?!
Despite the fear in the boy who had been a normal human a month ago, neither Sū ěr nor Nurarihyon saw him try to back out. They silently gave him a point for that.
No matter the reason for his resolve, only those with the grit to stand their ground can succeed.
So, enjoy the beating.
Nurarihyon waved over his yōkai companion, Karasu-Tengu, to go find Rikuo Nura. Araragi watched the bird-headed, winged being curiously. Now that's what a yōkai should look like. Just a long head is way too weird.
"Speaking of which, your lineage is basically the Lord of Pandemonium [Chimimoryo], right?" Sū ěr rubbed his chin. "Doesn't that mean you control a lot of territory and yōkai?"
"It's not 'basically.' Nutanurarihyon is the Lord of Pandemonium," Nurarihyon said irritably. "Did something happen?"
"Mmm. I got some intel from an Oddity Specialist. Starting a few months ago, have you noticed anything weird? Like an increase in yōkai, them getting stronger—or more bloodthirsty? Something completely different from the last century or two."
"More bloodthirsty?" Nurarihyon gave Sū ěr a strange look. "Not really. But spiritual power has increased. The Onmyōji have grown much stronger because of it, and many small yōkai have come crying to us for protection, which has actually increased the Nura Clan's numbers."
"Nothing else?"
"If I had to say... mmm... Gyūki mentioned something interesting when he returned. I don't know if it's what you're looking for," the smile vanished from Nurarihyon's face. "Atavistic yōkai seem to be increasing."
"Atavism? Yōkai can do that?" Sū ěr was surprised.
"Of course. Especially those with bloodline legacies. And here's the anomaly: according to Gyūki, deep in the sea of trees at the foot of Mt. Fuji where no one goes, yōkai that should have been extinct have appeared," Nurarihyon said solemnly. "It's not that modern yōkai are showing ancestral traits—it's that their ancestors are literally appearing there."
"And the era these extinct yōkai represent is constantly regressing. Ten years, fifty, a hundred, two hundred..."