"No, it’s just…" Benimaru took a sip from the soup bowl, pausing like he wanted to phrase it carefully. " I thought we were more like family or something."
Eh…
Somehow, he managed to make me feel like the guilty one.
"Oh, ah, yeah," I stumbled, my eyes darting away, "we are family! So, uh, how did you awaken to your flame ability again?"
"Ah, the awakening…" he said slowly, placing his bowl aside. "It was quite the ordeal. Felt like being skinned alive."
"So you already knew how it felt being skinned alive?!" I cringed hard, hugging my knees.
"The awakening had slowly begun after Gojo finished with us," Benimaru continued, his eyes steady on the half-empty bowl before him. "You were almost dead, so maybe you didn’t feel the pain of awakening."
Idiot. The pain of dying is probably worse. Not to mention I’ve died twice already.
But surprisingly, we had a proper chat this time, without the usual dissing or exchanging barbed words like before.
Alright, hold on; why did we always fight in the first place…?
Ah, right, I remember now: he’s hotter than Scott Peterson.
Somehow, our conversation drifted back to that crushing defeat from five years ago.
"I... found it hard to forgive myself," he admitted, putting down his chopsticks. "Seeing my sister get impaled by thousands of needles... I couldn’t forgive myself for a long while."
I rested my hand on his shoulder. "But it’s alright now, isn’t it? You’re both here together, alive and well, and that’s what truly counts."
"I suppose..." His voice softened, though his expression hardened again. "But it made me come to terms with myself. I would burn the entire world for Rei. I’d eliminate anyone in my way, and I’d climb the highest mountain if it meant keeping her safe."
Scary?!
He finally revealed a glimpse of humanity, but of course he had to morph into a devil at the last second!
"But..." His cheeks went faintly scarlet. "For you guys, I might burn just Tokyo... or maybe Japan. But Rei is like my—"
"Dork!" I pulled him into a half-hug. "Just say you care about us too. We love you as well..."
“…Yeah”
“…”
……Okay!! This is the perfect moment for planting seeds of evil!
Now that he’s blushing like a middle schooler, I’ll just sneak in my recommendation, hastily.
"Ahem... uh, Benimaru-chan, about your boss..."
"What about Najimi?" A croaky voice responded.
"Ah, so her name’s Najimi-sama? What a beautiful na—wait?! What the hell are you doing here… Oni-baba?!"
Beside me sat Onibara herself, calmly sipping from a porcelain cup of tea... and right beside her was the chief!
She even tried to mimic Benimaru’s voice, but her croakiness gave her away immediately.
"Good afternoon, Enma-sama!" I greeted the Chief quickly, bowing at once.
The others followed suit, offering their own greetings.
Okay, seriously, how in the world does she always appear out of nowhere? Does it have something to do with those eerie void powers of hers?
{Answer: Most likely, since even the physical visuals of her movement remain concealed.}
Oni-baba indeed.
And more importantly—
"Onibara-sama..." I bent forward politely on the mat, keeping my tone formal, "how come you’ve reverted back to your dried-up, antique self again?"
"Why?" she smirked, her wrinkled lips curling. "Did you fall in love with my youthful appearance, miss slutty degenerate?"
Mhm. As mouthy as ever, that hag.
"I prefer this form," she went on coolly. "It does wonders in planting wrong speculations in the minds of my foes. Didn’t you see what happened with yourself?"
Terrifying old hag! How in the world does she think she can hide such an overwhelming aura behind that frail, elderly shell?!
Anyone who still thinks she’s weak after meeting her physically must be either a clueless buffoon, or an absolute monster themselves.
"Forgive our intrusion," the Chief spoke evenly, his presence alone commanding the air.
"Ah, no, don’t worry about it, Enma-sama!" I bowed again, nearly folding myself in half. "It’s a great honor to sit upon the same mat as you."
And then—of course, because she has no shame—Shizuka casually crawled over and laid her head on Enma’s lap.
Onibara’s expression twisted in pure dissatisfaction.
"Sorry I couldn’t take you to heaven that night, Enma-chan," Shizuka purred, rubbing his chin with all the subtlety of a drunk cat.
"No, please, forgive my wife for her violence then," Enma replied with that thin smile of his. "Your doctrines were indeed wonderful, and I believe I did far better in pleasing her sexually that night."
Rei’s face went bright red, almost steaming. "Oi! Shizuka, what are you teaching our Chief?!"
Onibara, of course, remained quiet.
She sat there, angrily twirling her tea cup, probably calculating the exact moment she’d throw it at Shizuka’s skull.
And actually, does her tea ever finish?
It’s been sloshing in that same cup since I first met her. Eternal tea might be part of her void powers.
Anyway, the chief had apparently come to apologize on Onibara’s behalf: since, you know, she literally tried to erase me from the face of the earth and all.
"I assure you," he continued, voice smooth and formal, "you shall be handsomely compensated for the damages incurred."
"Ah, you don’t have to, Enma-sama," I waved dismissively.
It’s not like I didn’t also want to murder your wife at some point, too. "I didn’t think much about it. Truly, no need for compensation. Actually, I disrespected her first. As my superior, I should have behaved with more restraint."
"Is that so?" Onibara’s single terrifying eye snapped open, cutting through the air like a blade. "I was the one who recommended the compensation. I should not have done that to you. I’m... I’m truly sorry, I got carried away—so please, accept the compensation as an apology."
Eh…?
Is it me, or is Onibara being nice right now?
Shucks, if she’s this apologetic, they really don’t have to beat themselves up over it.
"No, I refuse to accept the compensation..." I smiled warmly at her, trying to sound noble, "I already have a great leader in you. What more reward could I possibly need?"
"Sou? Then don’t come crying to me later."
…What...?
