Welfare

Four days until the full moon starts its wane in the skies. The hahakigami crew, a bunch of brooms yōkai, were busy cleaning up the office at night. Daija and Nurarihyon had requested a Baku, a dream eating yōkai, and an amabie for Isuki, who was turning in agony. 

They gathered around an ailing Isuki who was not getting any better or worse. 

I stared out of the window into the tall glittering lights of fellow neighbouring concrete buildings against the greyish navy blue skies. Yōkai were all out and about. How much has the world changed? 

"Nurarihyon, while I only hold knowledge about our fellow kind in Asia, we have to plan in case more of these other types enter Japan. Or a lot, like Isuki here, will be at risk…"

Japan was an isolated group of islands from the world until people started making trips via boats from the nearby continent and now planes from faraway four corners of the world. Instead of travelling for months, they had the convenience of traveling no more than one day to Japan from the furthest point on Earth.

Along with the early travelers and migrants, their native deities and yōkai tailed along, like those in Buddhism and Hinduism. Spiritual wars have evolved from local gods against local gods, to a free for all in both our mortal and supernatural realms.

 'There's much more to this world and even the universe' - Arahabaki's words echoed in my head. The great unknown was troubling. 

"We can purge them each time they enter," Nurarihyon said. 

Daija shook his head. "We can't interfere with operations in Narita, Haneda, Osaka and Fukuoka airports. The ferrying of humans will never stop, the world is smaller now. Covid-19 is just a reprieve for us to plan."

"I agree. Look at Buddhism and their gods. They have assimilated with us enough to access Kakuriyo. History will repeat itself. An inevitability that cannot be avoided. There're already gods and yōkai in other religions that haven't figured a way to enter our realm yet. Last thing we need is for disruption in our lives," I pointed out. 

Unlike the fate of the Emishi gods, the old Yamato religion and Buddhism got along well, unlike the bloody wars of religions in other continents like the Crusades in the Middle East by the Europeans, as we had learnt on the Internet. Buddhism has Taishakuten, Benzaiten, Bishamonten and the many other gods along with their yōkai who were naturalised.

Saved for the Nichiren exorcists, that old migrant religions gave us minor problems. 

The only ones who warred were the humans using religion as a shield for their political ambitions like the Soga-Mononobe conflict in the mid 550s or the Isshi incident between the Nakatomi and Soga clans in 645. 

Everyone with royal princely blood wanted to be Emperor way back then. Those power struggles did not affect the relationship between the old gods and the new, or us, the yōkai. 

However, these new religions and cults, which kept popping up with the odd foreign yōkai, worried me. Isuki's suffering could be inflicted on us, if we let down our guard. 

Japan is rapidly depopulating and belief is fading in the old gods. Migration is inevitable - history will repeat itself. 

Millennia ago, it was new migrants from the main continent against the Emishi, and the new victors became the old. Even Emishi gods like Arahabaki and the Mishakuji are rare. There will be a time when the old victors will be displaced again. 

Complacency has infected every yōkai with the firm belief that some dumbass exported manga or anime would ensure our survival. Even Arahabaki had laughed at it when I showed him the manga and a game about him. 

"I am not proposing a purge, I propose that we learn about them and compile all the knowledge for our fellow inhabitants of Kakuriyo. Just in case," I said. 

"So shall we convene the grand council of the Daiyōkai?" Nurarihyon asked. 

"ISUKI ISUKI…"

The agitated call of the amabie distracted us. Isuki was writhing in agony. Something odd was going on. A small swarm of something blackish burst forth from his wounds. And then sudden vanished. 

"His wounds are regenerating," Daija quickly went over to Isuki's side.

All of us heaved a sigh of relief. The greenish yōkai aura had stopped leaking from Isuki's wounds when I walked up to check. The wounds were sealing as Isuki's eyes opened. A bright merry sparkle had returned to the once dull eyes.

"I feel so much better now," he declared as the amabie jumped around with the Baku in joy.

If only a video camera could capture all of us in this office, it would have looked like a fantasy film. Alas, the amabie and the Baku won't show up. Just all of us in human form and perhaps the wispy shape of a relieved looking Kyoko.

My iPhone beeped a few times on the table. 

Snatching it off my table, it was Akane reporting in with a message and a video on Line. 

[Akane: We have finished filming for YouTube. You can see if it is cool or more copy editing is necessary.]

Clever. This will get any monitoring government agency off our back if Akane's words were trustworthy on fully devouring the target.

A video clip was attached in the next Line message. Tapping on it revealed a smiling Akane with her victim cocooned up to his neck in her messy yellowish silk. He was hanging from a beam, swinging around as he tried to struggle.

The background showed graffitied walls and large rusting window frame. This is perhaps an isolated and dilapidated concrete building in the middle of nowhere, judging by the trees and undergrowth outside.

Is this even in Tokyo? If not, how did she get out him out of Tokyo?

His mouth was moving as though shouting for help.

Giving a small v-sign, the sadistic jorogumo winked and disappeared to the side of the camera. Then a shiny, slender, hairy leg came into the scene, like a tease.

My tongue slowly licked my lips and my lips curved up at that video playing as Daija nudged. "What's so amusing?"

"Look at this." I showed him the video and Daija started coughing loudly.

Nurarihyon sidled up for a look out of curiosity. The sound was off. Akane's victims never stood a chance once she bonded them with that tough spider silk.

I could spot the slim pedipalps on her head and those blackish eyes. Then she jumped onto her helpless victim. Nurarihyon also jumped and Daija turned away. The cocoon wiggled a little more and then it stopped.

Spider yōkai venom liquified its victims. None of us have ever witnessed the grisly method of how it worked until today. A gory sight of her once yellowish web had turned a gory reddish brown.

"Sound?" I asked.

"NO!" Daija and Nurarihyon were unanimous in their answer.

We continued watching the glorious yet horrific and strange sight of her slowly feeding.

"Fast forward," Nurarihyon urged me.

I pressed on the fast forward video.

All three of us grimaced as she guzzled down half of her target's body.

"Heh… ok, enough," Daija said with Nurarihyon, looking green with unease.

Both of them turned away from the video.

"I lost my appetite tonight," Daija muttered.

"Back to our earlier conversation. When shall we convene the grand council?" Nurarihyon asked, eager to change the topic. 

I glanced at Isuki, who was now sitting up and talking to the other yōkai, who entered the room. Isuki gave me a wave in which a nod was returned. He is once again the old Isuki I know.

"As soon as possible," I said to Nurarihyon. "I have staff welfare to look after."