As the two reached home, Gramps started cooking immediately. Knowing his grandson's cooking skills, it was either he cooked or nobody would be eating tonight, since he would rather starve than eat anything his grandson made.
Seeing that Gramps had gone to the kitchen, Rikuo decided to go to his room to change out of his uniform. Coming out in casual clothes, he went to the living room where Toma was lying on the sofa.
Sitting right next to Toma, Rikuo turned on the TV and switched to the news channel.
"Over the past few days, many reports have been made regarding stolen objects and missing individuals in areas around nightclubs. We suspect-"
*Skip*
"As seen here on the graph, we can observe a further decline-"
'I really am living through the Lost Decade. Even though I'm not an economist, I can see that with how things are going, this recession will last a couple more years.'
'Even though this is a different world, it seems that history will always repeat itself.'
Staring blankly at the television, Rikuo's thoughts wandered from the country's stagnant financial market to how best to invest the money he had saved up. Shaking his head to bring himself back to reality, Rikuo thought:
'Damn, when did I become such a geezer? Nowadays, I only watch the news and anything related to the current market.'
But it wasn't as though Rikuo had anything better to watch. After all, the shows currently being released were ones he had already seen, and being a person from the 2020s, his palate for entertainment surpassed anything currently on the market.
His current life was truly boring. Stuck in the past with entertainment that seemed ancient to him and plans to get rich that would take another decade or so to begin, he truly had nothing to do.
'The only entertainment I have are pranks, watching old Japanese movies I've never seen before, and collecting sword figurines.'
[A/N: I forgot to add his sword figurine collection when describing his room. My bad. I might re-edit that chapter for it.]
Switching to a new channel, he started watching a drama show. It was about a love triangle with a female protagonist, and as Rikuo began to watch it, so did Toma, who had just woken up after hearing the premise.
Now that he thought about it, Rikuo didn't actually know what gender Toma was. He had always assumed she was a girl since she was friendly and stayed with them after they had patched her up.
'If Toma really is a girl, I should probably get her spayed or whatever so we don't have kittens running around the house.'
Lifting Toma, Rikuo began to examine her. She looked at him blankly at first, but as his eyes wandered downward, Toma's eyes widened. Before Rikuo knew it, she was frantically trying to jump out of his hands, scratching him repeatedly until he finally let go.
*Hiss*
"Okay, my bad. I didn't know you were shy about these things but you are practically always naked but I guess a woman has her secrets."
Huffing, Toma walked away from him and headed toward Gramps in the kitchen, leaving Rikuo with scratches on his hands.
'Feisty'
Thinking that, Rikuo looked toward Gramps, who had just turned off the stove.
"Gramps, you finished cooking?"
"Yeah. How about you get up and help me serve it already?"
"Alright."
Getting up from the sofa, Rikuo went to the kitchen cupboards and took out four bowls and two plates. Since he could already smell what Gramps was cooking, he already knew that dinner tonight would be rice, miso soup, and mackerel.
Passing them to Gramps so he could portion the food out, Rikuo then brought everything to the table. Gramps took some of the mackerel he had cooked and shared it with Toma before grabbing a beer for himself and a drink for Rikuo.
""Itadakimasu!""
"Meow."
As everyone began to eat, their attention remained on the drama, which had just introduced a major plot twist.
************************
"I'm sorry, but I can't date either of you since I'm already in love with someone else."
"WHO?!"
The girl on the screen blushed and pointed at the man.
"I'm in love with your brother."
"WHAT?!"
It had already been a few minutes since the two had finished eating, but neither of them moved from their seats as the drama grew more and more outrageous. Their attention was now completely focused on this train wreck of a show.
At first, it had presented itself as a simple love triangle, but as it continued, the relationships became so complicated that everyone was either getting cuckolded or was about to be.
"Whoever directed or wrote this should never touch a script again."
"I completely agree. If I ever find the person who created this show, they're getting a beating."
Getting up from his seat, Gramps picked up the remote and turned off the television before another ridiculous program could come on.
"Well then, since that garbage is over, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
After washing the remaining dishes, Rikuo went to his room. Remembering the scroll that he had not been able to return to Kiyotsugu, he began looking around for it until he found it under his bed.
Looking at the scroll more closely, Rikuo grew curious and opened it. What he saw was exactly as Kiyotsugu had described: creatures that looked like doodles and badly handwritten words.
But as he examined the scroll, he failed to notice that a bit of blood from the scratches Toma had left on him seeped into the skin of the scroll and disappeared.
Not wanting to forget it again, Rikuo placed the scroll on his desk. Turning off the light, he went to sleep early, preparing for his P.E. class tomorrow.
**********************
As the lights of the Nura residence all went out, a man silently watched from a neighboring rooftop. That man was Hachihei, the same person Rikuo considered a perverted shotacon. Not wanting to be impatient, Hachihei waited another hour to ensure everyone was truly asleep before jumping down into the Nura's yard.
Reaching the entrance of the house, he used unnatural strength to twist the doorknob, breaking it before quietly entering as the cold winds of the night entered along side him.
*********************
Before Hachihei had even broken into the Nura residence, Rikuo was already in deep asleep and was trapped within another nightmare.
Unlike the previous one, where he had been running through a forest, this time he found himself in a swamp.
*Slither*
He could barely see anything as he trudged through the swamp which made slithering sounds each time he step as if parting for him to move through. There were no stars or moon in the sky, as though a great blanket covered everything above.
Rikuo could barely move his feet enough to take a step as if something halted his movement and he could feel mosquitoes biting him as he forced himself onward.
But as he continued marching, he noticed a light in the distance, as if beckoning him over Rikuo walked towards the light in the distance.
************************
After entering the house, Hachihei could sense an even larger amount of miasma than what he had felt from the boy earlier that today.
'It's definitely here.'
Using his sharp senses, Hachihei followed the source of the miasma until he arrived at Rikuo's room.
Opening the door, he saw that the entire room was filled with it. The dark energy drifted into the hallway as he left the door open.
But more importantly, the thing that caught his attention was the scroll resting on the desk.
Walking over, Hachihei picked up the scroll and carefully examined it, running his fingers along its skin and edges.
'This was really made from the skin of a powerful yokai.'
Yet as he continued analyzing it, he noticed something strange. A thin string of miasma connected the scroll to the sleeping boy on the bed.
Hachihei's eyes narrowed.
'That should not be possible.'
'An Osore no Gu should not be able to bond with a human, especially a child whose mind is still fragile.'
'Who or rather, what are you?'
Looking at Rikuo, who now wore a grimace in his sleep, Hachihei fell into thought.
******************************
Elsewhere in the house, Gramps slowly sat up in bed.
For the past few days, all he had been doing was sleeping, and honestly, he was getting tired of being tired. So he decided to waste time until he truly felt tired
'Maybe I'll have a beer and work on some pottery until I actually feel sleepy.'
Getting out of bed, he slipped on his sandals and headed toward the kitchen.
But as he entered the hallway, he froze.
The front door was open.
His expression immediately darkened. Alarm bells rang in his mind. Years spent in the yakuza had taught him to trust his instincts, and right now, those instincts were screaming that someone had broken into his house.
Quietly moving toward the wall, he took down one of the decorative katanas—a shirasaya—hanging there.
It lacked a proper hilt and wasn't intended for immediate combat, but it was still better than being completely unarmed.
With careful steps, he began searching the house.
**********************
Back in Rikuo's room, Hachihei looked between the scroll and the sleeping child with a string of miasma connecting the two.
The scroll had already bonded with someone.
Which meant there was only one way to break the bond immediately and retrieve it for his lord
The boy had to die.
Slowly, he raised his hand and it began to change.
His fingers lengthened, his skin split apart, and an insect-like scythe emerged from his arm, resembling that of a praying mantis.
The sharp blade hovered over Rikuo ready to strike and end him there.
**************************************
Rikuo kept marching toward the light as the mosquitoes continued biting him. Every step forward demanded all of his strength.
As he drew closer, he noticed movement beneath the surface of the swamp. It swirled endlessly, as though the swamp itself was alive and crawling over itself.
Even though he was still far from the source of the light, its glow illuminated his surroundings nut what he saw made his breath catch.
The swirling swamp was not mud.
It was spiders. Thousands upon thousands of spiders climbing over one another, moving toward him. The mosquitoes he had thought were biting him were actually spiders crawling through his hair and across his back.
But what terrified Rikuo the most was the gigantic spider looming above the light source on the distant wall.
He had been unable to see it before, blinded by the light and the distance.
Now, however, its shape was unmistakable. Right massive hairy legs, a swollen abdomen and eight crimson eyes, all fixed directly upon him.
Rikuo wanted to scream bur no sound came out.
It was as though his voice had already been stolen.
Immediately, he tried to turn and run, but the countless spiders beneath his feet slowed him to a crawl.
BOOM!
The impact of something enormous landing echoed throughout the nightmare.
Barely turning his head, Rikuo saw that the colossal spider had descended from the wall and now stood among the sea of crawling bodies.
It continued staring at him.
Every step Rikuo took, the creature mirrored with one of its own.
As if toying with him.
As if to tell him that no matter how far he ran, it would always reach him first.
Fear gripped Rikuo's heart.
He could hear the pounding of his blood, feel the strain in his muscles, and sense every desperate breath leaving his lungs.
His mind could take no more.
Already covered in spiders that bit and crawled across his body while the gigantic monstrosity watched him, something inside him finally broke.
He ran.
Using every ounce of strength in his legs.
Yet his speed was no greater than an ordinary walk as the spiders around his feet dragged him down.
The massive abomination began moving as well.
It took only four steps and it was already thirty meters away.
Then the worst thing possible happened Rikuo tripped. He wanted to scream, but opening his mouth would only invite the creatures surrounding him inside.
Desperately, he tried to push himself back up. But all his hands found were spiders.
And they bit him in return.
As he sank deeper into the crawling mass, his vision became completely obscured.
The giant spider now stood directly above him, gazing down upon its prey.
As though it had finally grown tired of the game, it slowly raised one of its enormous legs.
Then it brought it crashing down toward Rikuo's head.
*Splash.*
**************************************
Just as the blade descended, Rikuo suddenly shot upright in bed.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
He awoke from the nightmare screaming, startled by the sudden movement, Hachihei instinctively swung.
The mantis claw barely missed Rikuo entirely only taking a few strains of hair and pierced straight through the pillow beside him.
*THUNK!*
For a brief moment, both of them froze.
Rikuo stared at the enormous mantis claw, larger than his own head, sticking out of his pillow.
Then he slowly looked upward.
The man standing over him was the same creepy guy who had been staring at him earlier that morning.
"What the hell?!"
Rikuo screamed again and leaped off the bed.
Without a second thought, he bolted toward the door, narrowly dodging Hachihei's next strike at his legs.
Hearing the scream echo throughout the house, Gramps rushed toward Rikuo's room.
But as he turned the corner, he saw Rikuo burst into the hallway and run straight toward him.
"Gramps!"
"Rikuo!"
"RUN!"
Rikuo quickly moved to his side.
"There's a pervert with a weapon in my room!"
Before Gramps could ask any questions, footsteps echoed from within.
A figure slowly emerged.
Hachihei stepped into the hallway.
Both of his arms had transformed into grotesque, mantis-like claws.
Silence fell over the house.
*Sigh.*
"I was hoping to do this quietly, since this is a decent neighborhood."
Not wanting to remain completely unarmed, Rikuo grabbed the second decorative katana hanging nearby.
"Unfortunately, things are going to get a bit noisy tonight."
Hachihei moved first.
One of his insect limbs shot forward toward Rikuo.
Seeing the attack, Gramps shoved Rikuo aside and swung the shirasaya.
*CLANG!*
Steel and claw collided.
The impact sent a violent shock from Gramps's arm all the way through his spine, but he wasn't finished. Stepping forward, he kicked Hachihei backward.
"Run!" Gramps shouted as the two retreated out of the hallway.
Hachihei attacked again.
This time, the strike completely destroyed the divider separating the living room from the kitchen which the two ran too.
Wood exploded outward, and fragments scattered across the floor.
Seeing what the intruder had done, Rikuo was stunned.
'How the hell are we supposed to stop something that can do that?'
We need to escape.
That was the only thought left in his mind.
"Outside!" Gramps shouted.
The two immediately rushed through the side door leading into the yard.
Hachihei followed, his attacks tore through everything in his path.
Doors shattered.
Wood splintered.
The walls of the old house groaned beneath the assault.
Hachihei stepped onto the veranda, the shadow of the roof covering his face and leaving only his glowing red eyes visible beneath the moonlight.
Both of his mantis claws were extended outward.
Their sharp edges gleamed under the pale night sky.
Rikuo tightened his grip on the decorative katana.
Both his and Gramps's hearts pounded.
Behind them stood the storeroom.
Ahead of them stood a monster.
At that very moment, Rikuo realized that this world he had found himself in truly did have the supernatural.
[A/N: This chapter was a ass to write since light went away removing half of what i wrote and i had to rewrite everything from rikuo's dream if i had more time i would have been more graphic of the spiders but i am to tired also i want to clarify that the mc does watch shows too but only new shows he has never seen before i could not write it in since i did not want to make his inner dialogue long
if you see any error tell me so i can fix it bye]