[23]: Youkai-chan

Draconic Deus.

Earth.

Japan - Kyoto.

[***]

"Ah… Yoshino-chan must be tired from all the nighttime exercise… although, well, handling this body from time to time has its charm. Being a puppet can be boring sometimes."

A captivatingly beautiful girl walked through the streets of Kyoto, dressed in a long black dress that reached the ground.

A hat covered her head, shielding her from the sun, while in her left hand, she carried a rabbit-shaped puppet.

Her hair was white as snow, and her bright crimson red eyes contrasted with the delicacy of her face.

"Aiden-kun let me do whatever I wanted, since there's nothing really dangerous in Youkai territory… and the Shinto pantheon doesn't frequent Kyoto either…" Yoshinon thought, curiously observing everything around her.

She was Yoshinon, the alter ego of Yoshino, the blue-haired girl.

Sometimes, when she was bored, she would borrow Yoshino's body, and today was one of those days.

Yoshino was too tired, so Yoshinon took the opportunity to explore.

Yoshino and Yoshinon were the only ones among the <Divine Authorities> who could use their [Demon King] without consequences.

Yoshino controlled her body when summoning her [Angel] [Zadkiel], while Yoshinon, her alter ego, manifested and took control when using her [Demon King] [Astaroth].

Unlike Yoshino, who avoided fighting, Yoshinon had no problem with it.

She represented everything Yoshino wished to be: brave, strong, and skilled in combat.

For that reason, it was almost always Yoshinon who fought for Yoshino.

And to Yoshinon, Yoshino was more than a friend; she was like a sister, so she didn't hesitate to defend her whenever necessary.

This switch between them was clearly noticeable: while Yoshino had blue hair and blue eyes, Yoshinon had white hair and red eyes, completely inverted.

Moreover, she had absolute control over her reiryoku, allowing her to remain unnoticed by the Youkai, who, being sensitive to 'evil' energies, didn't find anything unusual about her presence.

"Hmm…" Yoshinon noticed an ice cream cart in the distance.

As she walked through the crowd, who looked at her with curiosity due to her charming appearance, she approached the cart.

There, a woman was selling ice cream to passersby. However, Yoshinon wasn't so interested in the ice cream.

'Youkai…'

The girl attending the cart was a Youkai, specifically a Nekomata, a catwoman.

Though she was obviously disguised as a human.

"Onee-san…"

"Oh, what a cute girl. What would you like to order?"

The Nekomata treated her kindly, like a little girl.

Yoshinon didn't bother to correct the misunderstanding.

"Could you give me a vanilla ice cream?"

"Of course, just a moment." The Nekomata hurriedly prepared the order. "Here you go, be careful as you walk, and don't wander alone so late… if possible, find your parents." She smiled kindly as she handed over the ice cream.

"Yes… thank you, Onee-san."

Yoshinon thanked her as she paid, licked her ice cream, and continued her stroll.

'Sweet…' she thought as she walked, enjoying her stroll through Kyoto.

In the distance, she saw a mix of Youkai: from Kitsune with their fox ears to monkeys that appeared to be a blend of humans and apes, like the descendants of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong.

There were also Ogres, Yuuki-onna, Kappa, Karasu Tengu, Nue, Nurahyon, Kamai Tachi, Ungaikyo, and an endless array of other creatures.

Yoshinon was fascinated, like a tourist observing how these beings coexisted with humans.

However, her curiosity about the Youkai dimension, which coexisted with Kyoto like a mirror, also tempted her.

Although she knew she could access it, she decided it wasn't the right time.

It wasn't that she couldn't; she simply didn't want to go without an invitation.

"Well… I think it's time to head back. Aiden-kun also wanted to visit the casinos in the United States, to see if he could find a way to get a meeting with the Phenex…" Yoshinon murmured to herself as she walked away.

As she returned to the motel where Aiden was staying, she noticed a 'human' girl running through the crowd in the distance.

She had blonde hair and eyes of the same color, and she seemed accustomed to moving in such a manner.

However, something else caught her attention:

Yoshinon also noticed several figures chasing the girl.

There was something that connected all those pursuers.

They were supernatural beings.

The girl, though she appeared human, was a high-ranking Youkai.

Yoshinon could feel she was different from the Youkais she had observed during the day.

The pursuers, on the other hand, included a variety of races: Youkais, demons, and fallen angels.

"Weren't demons and the Grigori supposed to be at war?" Yoshinon thought, recalling everything she had read on Supernatural.net and the basic information stored in [Rasiel].

Something didn't add up.

It was evident that something was out of place.

"A rebel group…?" she murmured as she watched the girl disappear into an alley.

The girl seemed to be heading toward one of the entrances to the Youkai dimension.

From her frightened expression and the intensity of her running, it was clear she was desperately fleeing.

Yoshinon didn't want to get involved in unnecessary problems.

Although she had fought for 100 years to protect a world, she never considered herself a heroine.

Her stance had always been neutral, caring only for those she loved.

And that girl was nothing more than a stranger.

Just as she was about to ignore the situation and walk away, the puppet on her left hand spoke:

"Yoshinon… help her…"

Yoshino, who was deeply asleep, had woken up and said those words.

"If my little sister asks me… how could I refuse?" Yoshinon calmly replied.

A few moments later, she disappeared from the spot in a flash of icy powder.

No one around her noticed what had just happened.

[*]

"Hah… ha… why are they chasing me?" Kunou muttered, panting as she ran at full speed.

Despite her young age, her lineage as the daughter of a Supreme-Class being granted her impressive agility.

But now she was alone.

She had escaped to play without informing her mother or the guards, and there was no one to protect her.

"Stop, you stupid girl!"

"Hurry up, pick up the pace! She's about to reach the barrier. If she does, she'll alert the Youkai police force, and we'll be finished!"

"We can't fail, or Kurotama-sama will kill us for our failure!"

Kunou heard the shouts of her pursuers, her face reflecting fear, but she didn't stop running.

The ordinary people passing by noticed nothing strange; in any case, they wouldn't have been able to help her.

'I can't let them catch me! If they do, I'll cause trouble for Oka-sama,' she thought desperately.

Although she didn't know exactly what they wanted, from their words, it was clear they intended to use her to attack her mother, the leader of the Youkais of Kyoto.

"Ha… ha… ha…" Her breathing was heavy as she pressed on.

'Why aren't there any Youkais on this path…?' she desperately wished to encounter someone who could help her.

Suddenly, Kunou noticed a barrier rising around her, covering about 30 square meters.

Her face turned pale, and her lips began to tremble.

"Oka-sama…" she murmured as she turned to face her pursuers, who approached with satisfied smiles.

"Now you can't escape, filthy Youkai…" said a fallen angel, spreading his black feathered wings.

"What did you say about Youkai, you damn crow?!" shouted one of the accompanying Youkai, offended.

"Shut up! Stop your nonsense and let's finish the task. If we fail, Kurotama-sama will kill us… or worse, he might offer us as a sacrifice."

A demon conjured a magic circle in his hand, aiming at Kunou.

"Yeah, yeah," said the fallen angel with disdain.

"Don't hurt her too much; we need her in decent condition. Although, if she's injured, it might make her mother come faster."

With a swift motion, a spear of light appeared in his hand.

—Flash!

The spear flew directly at Kunou, who barely managed to raise a simple barrier.

—Bang!

"Kyaaa!" Kunou staggered from the impact. Although the barrier didn't shatter, it cracked. Seconds later, a fiery flame rushed toward her.

—Clank!

This time, the barrier crumbled, and a simian-looking Youkai appeared in front of Kunou, throwing a punch straight at her stomach.

'Oka-sama!' she screamed in her mind, terrified.

—Bang!

But the blow never landed. Instead, she heard a soft voice.

"Hey, hey, Monkey, that's not very polite of you~."

Kunou opened her eyes in shock. In front of her, an unfamiliar girl had blocked the punch with a single finger while holding her hat with her other hand.

"—Who are you?!" the simian Youkai exclaimed, stepping back alarmed. But before he could react, a sharp sound cut through the air. Suddenly, he felt an icy chill in his abdomen.

—Slash!

Three claws of pure ice formed in the girl's right hand. With a casual movement, she slashed the Youkai in two from the waist. No blood, no organs—everything froze solid. The simian's body fell lifeless to the ground, his heart stopped.

"Honestly, I won't even bother mocking you, pursuers-san."

"—!!"

The remaining two, the fallen angel and the demon, froze in place, terrified as they watched their companion die in an instant.

Yoshinon took her straw hat and placed it delicately on Kunou's head.

"Maybe… you should cover your eyes, Youkai-san. Yoshinon can be pretty scary…" said Yoshino, the puppet.

"Yoshino-chan calling me scary? That's too much, isn't it?" Yoshinon replied with a crooked smile.

"But she's just a little girl… It's not nice for her to see these things. At least make it less violent…"

Kunou watched the scene in silence. It was surreal: a white-haired girl conversing with a puppet, completely ignoring the pursuers after instantly killing one of them.

"Well, it'd be better if you didn't watch, Youkai-chan," Yoshinon said to Kunou.

Kunou, still paralyzed by fear, could only nod stiffly.

"All right, now… what should I do with you two?" Yoshinon asked as she slowly advanced toward the pursuers, the icy claw gleaming in her right hand.

Her gaze narrowed, and her red eyes glowed with a murderous intensity that made the two men tremble.

"Aren't you going to talk?" she asked softly but chillingly.

"Please, forgive us!" the two screamed, pleading.

"We were just following orders, please don't kill us!"

Yoshinon raised her claw slightly, and the two reacted immediately.

"Nooooo!"

Without thinking, they fled in terror, forgetting even that they had wings.

"This is a bit funny..." thought Yoshinon with a smirk.

"Yoshinon..." whispered Yoshino, speechless.

"Cough, cough. I'll finish them now," said Yoshinon as if it were a simple task.

—Stomp!

—Shhhhht!

She struck the ground forcefully, and a path of ice stretched toward the pursuers, freezing them in an instant.

She turned calmly toward Kunou.

"Well, Youkai-chan, I left those two alive. Take them to your people or something..."

She looked up at the sky, where the barrier was starting to crack.

—Clank!

The barrier shattered completely, and a group of Youkai led by a majestic Kitsune woman appeared from the heights.

Yasaka, the leader of the Youkai of Kyoto, descended quickly, enveloping Kunou in a hug upon seeing her unharmed.

Yoshinon, watching the scene, shrugged.

"Don't go out alone again, it's dangerous, Youkai-chan!" yelled Yoshinon, waving her hand as the ice claw vanished into icy dust.

"Be careful..." added Yoshino, the puppet.

Yasaka's voice broke the moment.

"Who are you?" she asked seriously, taking a defensive stance.

The group of Youkai surrounded Yoshinon with their weapons raised, ready to act.

"Hmm... how rude,"

Yoshinon pouted.

"That's a normal reaction..." Yoshino commented calmly.

"I guess... Well, bye-bye," said Yoshinon indifferently.

She waved her hand, and her body faded into ice dust, disappearing completely.

"Find her right now!" ordered Yasaka in an authoritative tone.

"No, Oka-sama! She was the one who helped me!" Kunou intervened quickly, explaining everything that had happened to her mother while tears fell down her face.

Yasaka listened carefully, in silence, while her gaze shifted toward the two ice sculptures in the distance.

"There are the prisoners. They might have information about this case. No matter what methods you use... get all the information you can," ordered the Kyuubi with cold determination.

Finally, she embraced Kunou with relief.

"I'm glad you're safe, Kunou. Don't run away again, do you see how dangerous it is?"

"Yes... I'm sorry, Oka-sama..." murmured Kunou with regret.

"We should thank that girl if we see her again."

"Yes!" Kunou replied with renewed enthusiasm.

With those words, mother and daughter returned to the Youkai dimension, while the police began to interrogate the frozen pursuers.

[*]

Later that night, while the girls were busy with their things inside the motel room, Aiden suddenly blurted out:

"We're going to Las Vegas."

An absolute silence filled the room.

Twelve pairs of eyes stared at him, incredulous at the unexpected declaration.

Aiden knew the trip was necessary.

According to what he had read in [Rasiel], his ticket to the negotiations with the Phenex was there.

Apparently, it was a celebration night for their engagement... or something like that.

[***]

End of the chapter.

(•_•)

A/N:

Here's an extra chapter.

I know some of you are going to criticize certain dialogues, so let's clear something up before we start:

Yoshino is 95 years old in this fanfic.

Yes, her original form is that of a child, but she can perfectly transform into an adult, as you see here:

[Image]

So, please, spare me the negative comments about it.

I uploaded this extra chapter because I managed to finish it after resolving some personal matters.

However, there won't be a chapter tomorrow.

Not only because it's not due, but because it's not even written, and tomorrow I'll be completely busy.

Anyway, thank you so much for the support of the Interlude chapter.

I'm glad to know that you liked it a lot.

Thanks for reading~!

*