Chapter 122. The Strange Kintarou

Chapter 122. The Strange Kintarou

[Hearing Usui no Sadamitsu describe Kintarou, no specific image of an oni emerges in your mind.]

[Your intuition tells you—things might not be as simple as Usui no Sadamitsu describes.]

[You decide to investigate the matter yourself.]

"Sadamitsu, where is he now?"

"I have temporarily locked him in a cage," Usui no Sadamitsu answered honestly. "I didn't dare let him appear on the streets of Heian-kyo."

"Then take me to see him now."

"Yes, foster father."

[Under Usui no Sadamitsu's guidance, you pass through bustling streets and arrive at a rather secluded place.]

[You see the Kintarou that Ushi no Sadamitsu mentioned.]

There was no denying it—

Usui no Sadamitsu wasn't wrong in calling this person an oni.

Before you, locked in a cage, was a burly man with golden hair and blue eyes.

He was shirtless, exposing a heavily scarred upper body covered in wounds, making him look terrifying.

His face was so fierce that an ordinary person would shudder at a mere glance.

By human standards, his existence was no different from an oni.

But—

Looking at him, Ian was certain of one thing.

Not an oni.

This one called Kintarou was not an oni.

"Foster father? Foster father! Foster father?!"

Usui no Sadamitsu called out three times before pulling Ian out of his thoughts.

"Foster father, what's wrong?"

"Ahem." Ian cleared his throat. "Nothing."

"Sadamitsu, where did you capture him?"

"This…"

Hearing his father's question, Usui no Sadamitsu pondered for a moment before answering.

"I received a report that a Yama-uba who ate humans had appeared in the mountains."

"After dealing with it, I saw this man—at the time, he was still sleeping under a tree."

"..."

The answer made sense, but it was entirely unexpected.

After all, judging by his appearance, he didn't seem like someone easy to deal with. If not for such an unexpected situation, capturing him and bringing him back would have been nearly impossible.

Ian thought for a moment, then continued asking:

"Then, Sadamitsu, did anything unusual happen on the way back?"

"Reporting to foster father."

Usui no Sadamitsu glanced at Kintarou in the cage, his expression somewhat peculiar.

"Nothing unusual happened."

"If I had to say something—"

"He doesn't seem to have realized that I captured him… Sometimes, he even smiles at me."

"This…"

[You notice that the Kintarou before you is somewhat strange.]

[You feel the need to dig deeper into this matter.]

[You decide to spend some time speaking privately with Kintarou.]

"Sadamitsu, step back for now."

"I want to speak with him alone."

Although he still had many doubts, Usui no Sadamitsu knew he had no right to oppose Ian.

"Understood, foster father."

He bid farewell and left.

The surroundings immediately fell silent, leaving only Ian and Kintarou in the cage.

Following his instincts, Ian wanted to speak with the burly man before him—a person captured from a mountain said to be infested with yokai. There had to be something worth investigating.

But he quickly realized that this method was ineffective.

Because no matter what he said, the other party only responded with a somewhat naive smile.

And perhaps, just as Sadamitsu had said—

Kintarou was completely unaware that he had been captured.

In this situation, how could he communicate with him?

[You decide not to waste time for now.]

[You know you should look for another approach.]

[You recount the incident to Minamoto no Raikou.]

Nighttime.

"Eh?"

Minamoto no Raikou, resting beside Ian, looked a bit surprised.

"Sadamitsu brought back someone who can't communicate?"

"That's right…"

Ian gazed up at the sky above, and in his mind, the image of Kintarou's naive, silly smile surfaced once again.

He felt a headache coming on.

"No matter what I ask, he only responds with the same action… It's truly strange."

"This…"

Hearing Ian say this, Minamoto no Raikou furrowed her brows, beginning to think seriously.

Very quickly, she came up with an idea.

"Then, Danna-sama—"

"Would you like to try communicating with him from a different perspective?"

"A different perspective?"

Ian turned to look at his wife.

"My lady, what do you mean?"

"Think about it." Minamoto no Raikou lay on her pillow, looking directly at her husband.

"You want to communicate with him, but he only responds with a silly smile."

"That means this method isn't effective."

"But attracting attention isn't limited to using words… If you use something appealing enough and show it to him, it should have a similar effect."

"If you do that, perhaps you'll be able to talk with him?"

Minamoto no Raikou's words immediately enlightened Ian.

"My lady, you make a good point."

"But this sounds like trying to coax a child."

"Danna-sama, you're right."

Minamoto no Raikou didn't hide her thoughts at all.

"In fact, this is something I've learned in the process of becoming a mother."

"Danna-sama, you once said—"

'I am the eldest daughter of the Genji clan's main branch, I must never be weak.'

"So—"

"Whether as a 'wife' or a 'mother,' I am doing my best to fulfill my role."

["Strange Couple" has been upgraded to "Strange Couple+": You realize that taking care of you as a 'mother' has seemingly become one of Minamoto no Raikou's spiritual pillars.]

[She finds great joy in it.]

[Because of this, her life has gained much more meaning.]

[You feel that this isn't necessarily a bad thing.]

[Following Minamoto no Raikou's suggestion, you decide to use an object to capture Kintarou's attention.]

To be fair—

If Kintarou were truly a yokai, Ian wouldn't have such a headache.

Because the birth of yokai is often deeply connected to the "grudges" they cling to.

As long as one can uncover that "grudge," there is no fear of being unable to kill a yokai, nor any concern about finding a way to communicate with them.

But the problem lay in the fact that Kintarou only looked like a yokai or an oni.

The methods an Onmyoji like him was proficient in were completely inapplicable to this man.

So—

To maximize the possibility of communication,

Ian prepared many eye-catching items.

Jade, antiques, famous paintings, and so on.

All of them were things that could easily capture the attention of an ordinary person.

Ian displayed each item in front of Kintarou, attempting to use this method to initiate communication.

But things weren't as easy as he imagined.

Objects that held strong allure for ordinary people seemed to mean nothing to Kintarou.

He simply watched Ian move through the items one by one, then let out a silly laugh.

There was no malice in him.

But for a Grand Onmyoji, this was truly something difficult to accept.

Ian realized that the person before him seemed to have some mental abnormality—perhaps even less awareness than a child.

Was he going to fail once again?

Just as Ian was thinking that, the situation suddenly changed.

The last item he had prepared—a block of gold.

Originally, Ian hadn't intended to bring it.

He had simply thought, "It wouldn't hurt to bring it along," so he carried it with the rest.

But—

Ian quickly noticed that Kintarou was interested in it.

Wherever Ian moved the gold, Kintarou's eyes followed.

Realizing this, the Grand Onmyoji tentatively asked.

"Do you want it?"

"Umu!" Kintarou responded like that.

[This is the first time you've seen Kintarou give a different answer.]

[You realize that Minamoto no Raikou's thinking is correct.]

[She is indeed very skilled at thinking from the perspective of a 'mother'—this can also be considered an interesting surprise.]

[You hand the gold ingot to Kintarou.]

[You notice that his gaze toward you has changed.]

[But when it comes to your questions, he still doesn't seem good at answering.]

[You decide to try again, ordering more gold to be brought.]

[But Kintarou refuses to take any more.]

[You find yourself at an impasse once again.]

[You decide to ask Minamoto no Raikou again.]

"He's not taking the gold anymore?"

Minamoto no Raikou rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head in thought, and asked.

"Umu, he clearly took the first one, but after that, he won't accept any more."

Ian felt a headache coming on.

For him, communicating with others was already a troublesome matter.

Now, this trouble had become even more complicated.

"In that case—"

Minamoto no Raikou dragged out her voice.

"Could it be that he's just very polite?"

"Po... polite?"

Ian heard from his wife a perspective he had never considered before.

"What do you mean?"

"Danna-sama, think about it." Minamoto no Raikou explained.

"If Kintarou's mental state is only at the level of a child, then you can't use an adult's perspective to understand his thoughts."

"He took the first gold ingot because he thought it was your way of showing friendship."

"But after that, he stopped taking them, because he thought it would be impolite."

"..."

At first, it sounded strange, but after thinking about it carefully, Ian realized that it made sense.

This was Minamoto no Raikou's unique way of thinking.

But if that was the case, a new problem arose.

"My lady, then what should I do next?"

Ian continued to ask.

"Hmm… if that's the case."

Minamoto no Raikou looked at the man beside her.

"I think, Danna-sama probably needs to make him perceive that the two of you are the same kind of people."

"The same kind of people?"

"That's right." Minamoto no Raikou nodded. "As long as he accepts you, then the conversation can continue."

"As for how to do that specifically—"

"I think if you also take a gold ingot and say that it belongs to you, it might work."

"..."

"Danna-sama, what's with that look? Is my idea still too strange?"

"No." Ian shook his head.

"My lady makes a lot of sense."

"It's just that I feel your understanding of 'motherhood' surpasses my imagination a bit."

"Of course."

Minamoto no Raikou responded with pride.

"Because I promised Danna-sama that I wouldn't be weak… so I'll do my best to be the best I can be."

"I hope that one day—"

"As a mother, I also hope to receive Danna-sama's love."

"In that case, my lady, you've already done that."

"R-really?"

"Yes."

Ian took Minamoto no Raikou's hand and gently placed it on a burning hot spot.

"Whether as a 'wife' or a 'mother,' my desire remains the same."

"In that case—"

Minamoto no Raikou's hand applied slight pressure, then began to move up and down.

"Let 'Oka-san' see what you need."

[The two of you spent a night that cannot be described in words.]

[Minamoto no Raikou received great satisfaction in your embrace.]

[The marital bond between you two has always been praised.]

[But you have not forgotten your mission.]

[Following Minamoto no Raikou's idea, you begin to act.]

[You take a gold ingot similar to the one you previously gave and step forward in front of him.]

Ian's presence no longer made Kintarou resist as much as before.

The burly man had been released from his cage—although those around him still remained cautious, his range of movement had expanded significantly.

Clutching the gold ingot tightly in his hands, he blankly watched as Ian slowly approached.

The Grand Onmyoji took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, then crouched down and did exactly as Minamoto no Raikou had instructed—he held out the gold ingot in front of Kintarou.

Smiling, he spoke in the friendliest tone he could muster:

"This time, it's not for you."

"This is mine—I'm just like you, I also have a gold ingot."

[You said exactly what Minamoto no Raikou said.]

[You awaited his reaction.]

[And your expectation was not in vain.]

[Sure enough, Kintarou had a new reaction.]

"Awesome!"

"You have one, I have one too."

As he said this, Kintarou cheerfully swung the gold ingot he had been holding toward Ian.

"Everyone has one!"

Although Kintarou's appearance was fierce—so much so that even when he spoke, he could still come across as intimidating—

Ian could sense that he was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart that "both he and Ian had gold."

In some ways—

He was actually quite straightforward.

Ian's impression of Kintarou improved slightly.

"That's right, we all have gold now."

"So, can we talk now?"

"Of course, hehe, of course!"

Kintarou grinned, a mix of friendliness and ferocity, then patted the grass beside him.

"Sit down, sit down!"

"..."

Realizing that this was Kintarou's way of showing goodwill, Ian had initially planned to invite him elsewhere, but in the end, he changed his plan and sat down on the grass beside him.

However—

What happened next was beyond Ian's expectations.

The moment he sat down, Kintarou hugged his gold ingot tightly and excitedly exclaimed beside the Grand Onmyoji:

"Sparkly!"

"So beautiful!"

"I want to show it to her too!"

"..."

It was a simple statement, but Ian immediately picked up on the hidden meaning behind it.

"Her?"

"Kintarou, who are you talking about—"

Before Ian could even finish his question, Kintarou eagerly responded:

"Douji!"

"Something this beautiful, I want Douji to see it too!"

"Do you have a way to help me?"