Chapter 26 — Shadows of Demons Everywhere
Asuka didn't alert anyone.
He simply stood up quietly and walked toward the back door of the bookshop without drawing attention.
Sliding the door open slightly, he felt the noisy wind of Sendai rushing in from outside. At the same time, he expanded his spiritual pressure further, letting his senses probe into the surrounding dark corners.
Cold… sticky…
The feeling was the same as that night.
"Another shadow… It's the same demon."
But had it noticed him?
It seemed extremely cautious—lingering here for only a moment before disappearing again.
Asuka adjusted the sword at his waist, silently piecing together a profile of the creature in his mind.
Sneaky.
Cowardly.
It relied on underhanded tricks to hunt.
And its prey wasn't healthy humans—but miserable people struggling at the very bottom of society.
Could it really be working for someone?
Do demons cooperate with humans?
He wasn't sure.
Arasaki-sensei had never taught him anything like that.
Just then—
A sudden commotion erupted from the front of the shop.
"Mr. Harada!"
"Good heavens! What happened to you?!"
"Quick! Miss Yuka—bring some clean cloth and water!"
Hearing the noise, Asuka's eyes sharpened, and he immediately turned back toward the front.
Inside the crowded room stood a middle-aged man covered in mud and grime. His knees were scraped and bleeding.
He looked around forty years old, with a square face and a broad mouth. At the moment he was leaning against the doorframe, gasping for breath. His hair was soaked with sweat, his lips bluish from the cold, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"It's nothing—I'm not dying yet!"
Clenching his fists angrily, he shouted to the gathered workers:
"These black-hearted capitalists tried to kill me again! First they sent a coal cart to run me down, then they tried to shove me into the river to drown me!"
He spat to the side, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Too bad for them! My life isn't so easy to take! If they think this is enough to kill Harada Tadakazu, they're dreaming!"
Though his voice trembled from exhaustion, the fire in his eyes only grew stronger.
"The more they do this, the more it proves they're afraid of our strength! Brothers—we cannot give up!"
"That's right! Those people are completely lawless!"
"Let's report them to the police—or the city hall!"
"What's the point?! They're all in the same pocket!"
"Then we fight them!"
"Exactly! Fight back!"
The workers, whose tempers had long been suppressed by the hardships of life, saw their pillar of support—Harada Tadakazu—become the target of an attack. At last, their anger erupted.
They waved their arms, shouting furiously. The roar of their voices nearly lifted the roof off the bookshop.
"Everyone, calm down! Please calm down!" Miss Yuka's anxious voice was swallowed by the rising tide of rage. "Don't fall into their trap! If we resort to violence, they'll have the perfect excuse to send in the military police. Once that happens, things will spiral completely out of control!"
A thin-looking student with determined eyes shook his head at her and spoke firmly.
"Sister Yuka, you're wrong! The weapon of criticism cannot replace the criticism of weapons! Only by standing together and confronting these black-hearted people head-on will they learn to fear us—and only then will they back down!"
"That's right! Let's go!"
The crowd's emotions surged toward chaos.
Yet Asuka's gaze remained cold and fixed on Harada Tadakazu's feet.
The space inside the shop was small. The dim yellow lamps cast overlapping shadows that tangled together across the floor.
Even so—
Asuka noticed something wrong.
Harada's shadow was fading.
"Those 'accidents'… were they arranged by humans—or tricks of a demon?"
Asuka wasn't certain. Without a word, he pushed through the crowd, his strong hands parting the shouting workers one by one.
"Harada Tadakazu. Come outside with me."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he walked straight up to Harada. Ignoring the heated atmosphere around him, he spoke with calm indifference.
Harada Tadakazu, already furious, was suddenly called out by this stranger. Seeing Asuka's cold gaze and strange attire, an unnamed anger flared within him.
"Who the hell are you, kid?!"
"What do you want? Did those bastards send you here? You trying something in my own place?!"
He glanced around nervously, looking for something he could use as a weapon. Several workers immediately gathered around him, their expressions hostile as they stared at Asuka.
Seeing the situation escalate, Asano Mori hurriedly forced his way through the crowd, spreading his arms between them.
"Wait! It's a misunderstanding! Brother Harada—it's me!"
"…You're the Asano boy? What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Asuka isn't a bad person! We just came from Marumori Village. We came to talk about my brother—and Fujikichi!"
"Fujikichi…"
Harada thought for a moment. He vaguely remembered that name—another worker who had needed help. His expression turned strange as he looked at the two of them.
He knew Asano Mori: the younger brother of one of the workers, a former military academy student who wasn't exactly welcomed anywhere.
As for Asuka—his overly young, expressionless face and the long sword hidden at his waist—Harada had no recollection of him at all.
"…What exactly do you want from me?"
Asano Mori looked toward Asuka.
Asuka stepped forward and spoke bluntly.
"Your problem is more serious than you think. Come outside. I'll show you."
"I don't have time for riddles!"
"No time? If you wait any longer, you won't have any time left at all."
Without waiting for another reply, Asuka simply turned and walked out of the bookshop.
Seeing his unwavering confidence, Harada felt uneasy—but Asano Mori's sincerity left him little choice. Muttering angrily, he followed outside and closed the door behind him.
Folding his arms, Harada stared at Asuka suspiciously.
"So? What's this about?"
Shing!
Asuka didn't answer.
His movement was lightning-fast.
Without warning, his left thumb pushed sharply against the sword guard—
Clang! The Nichirin blade burst from its sheath. His right hand swung the blade down in a fierce arc.
"What are you doing?!"
Harada's face went pale with shock. Thinking the young man had suddenly attacked him, he instinctively tried to dodge and shout for help.
The colorless Nichirin blade flashed with a chilling cold light—
But its target was not Harada.
Thunk—CRACK!
The hardened ground rang sharply as Asuka's blade plunged straight into the shadow at Harada's feet.
"SKREEEEE—!!!"
A scream—clearly not human—erupted from deep within the shadow beneath the ground.
Right before Harada's horrified eyes, the shadow pierced by the Nichirin blade twisted and boiled like a living thing.
A vague humanoid shape made entirely of flowing darkness was being dragged forcibly out of Harada's shadow, pinned in place by the blade.
It had no face—only a hollow void where one should be.
The creature writhed wildly, struggling to escape the sword that burned it like red-hot iron.
Harada froze stiff, like a fish caught in ice.
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
An icy chill shot up from the base of his spine straight to the crown of his head, freezing his thoughts completely.
"What happened, Brother Harada?!"
"You brat! What did you do to him?!"
The people inside the bookshop had heard the commotion and rushed outside.
They arrived just in time to see Harada standing stiff with shock—while Asuka held his sword pinned firmly in front of him.
Asuka's wrist didn't move an inch. His blade held the writhing shadow-demon down with unwavering force.
"See it clearly now?"
He paused, his gaze locked tightly onto the distorted shadow as his left hand rested on the hilt of his still-sheathed Asauchi.
"The one trying to kill you… isn't human."
"It's a demon."