The Night parade of One Hundred Demons (1)

Asahi opened his eyes; he could see the sparks of sunrays entering his dark room. His body no longer felt the pain. As he lowered his gaze towards his arms, the ugly scars and wounds had all been healed. 

'Is this what Kuro meant by illusion?'

He thought. Tanuki was one of the only yokai who could shapeshift. As the old saying went, Kinsetsu could shapeshift seven times, and yet Kabuki could shapeshift eight times, but unlike Kinestue, it often did it to play tricks. 

"Um, you seem better now, master." 

The sinister and deep voice of Kuro could be heard. Asahi's mind immediately let go of his thoughts and focused more on the present. 

"En." He agreed with Kuro. 

A gale of wind entered through the window, and with the wind appeared the body of the black furry cat. Unlike its previous appearance when Asahi had first adopted it, the cat had significantly grown. It had a healthier appearance, and its body had grown taller and stronger. 

"Have you given a thought to what I said yesterday, master?" 

"Yes," Asahi answered and stood from his seat while the cat lazily followed its master with its eyes. 

He went to his drawer and took out his kinetsu. It was a pipe passed down to him from his grandfather, and as he inhaled its smoke, Asahi could feel his mind become clearer. As the smoke disappeared in the air, he walked towards his seat and sat opposite Kuro. 

"I realized something important yesterday. My hatred for Yokai." Suddenly the room started to feel colder. Asahi's voice was cold and grim. Unlike a few minutes ago, his stature was more cunning, and his words were sharper. 

"I want to destroy them. They took my everything, and now it's time to return the favor," he implied while inhaling the smoke. As the nicotine entered his lungs, a strange sense of ease enveloped him. 

Meanwhile, Kuro observed its master. Was he speaking the truth? Did he have enough power to further his act? Will his intervention be enough? Kuro contemplated. Though he did have the powers, that did not mean it was enough to destroy the hidden realm. 

"Now now, master. Isn't that too broad of a spectrum? Destroying every Yokai? Haaha," Kuro scoffed at his words deliberately. Asahi lazily paid no heed to the cat while on the inside he raged with anger. 

"You see, master, the world of Yokai, known as "Kakurio," isn't a simple place. Us yokai and supernatural beings are far more dangerous than you think. So, destroying the entire population." 

"Why would I need to destroy the entire population when I could rather destroy the king? It's the equivalent either way," he grumbled. 

Kuro sighed internally. These youngsters were always hotheaded one way or another, he concluded. Always in a rush, always running away from the time. The ambitiousness was commendable, but even Kuro knew that destroying the king wasn't as easy as it sounded. 

"Do you even know where the king lives?" Kuro cross-questioned. 

"In the ocean," Asahi gave a deadpan answer, which made Kuro flabbergasted. How could a human know the relics and lore of the Kakurio? While Kuro's lips had turned bitter, they remained composed. 

While on the inside, Asahi rolled his eyes. Did the cat expect him to be fooled by the fake lore of the king? Well, fortunately, the books in monasteries were the original lore of Kakurio.

Unfortunately, many books regarding the hidden realm mentioned that the king lived among the yokai in the capital, which was partially true. Still, it was the king's conscience who produced the nectar of immortality. 

The actual king was the dragon, which lived in the ocean. After all, the prince of Kakurio was also the guardian of the human world. 

"Good to know. Then how about this master? I help you get into Kakurio, but in return, you must fulfill a promise."

"Eh?" 

The cat was slurry with its words. Cunning and right on time, it lured Asahi into its trap. Asahi examined the cat's narrow yet eager eyes. 

"Tell me about the promise first," Asahi implied while the cat grinned. 

"You just need to exchange your soul with the god on the upcoming night, Hyakki Yagao." 

Kuro could feel the chills as Asahi sharply stared at him. His hands were delicately holding the pipe, and the smoke filled the entire room. Though he was just a young teen, he had the aura of a dragon. 

"I shall think about it." 

With that said, Asahi got off his seat and walked away to get a fresh morning bath. The butler was already woken up, and the bath was prepared. 

Asahi soaked his body in warm water and thought about the cat's offer. It was a sweet offer, which was very beneficial, but there definitely was some hidden catch. 

'Why do I need to do the rituals of Miko?' 

Kuro had mentioned the kuchikamizaki ritual of Okinawa, where the Parade of Hundred Demons would also happen that year. Kuchikamizaki was an ancient tradition where sake was made using human saliva as the fermentation starter.

But the most important part was, how would he deceive people and choose the miko to perform the ritual? After all, he was no kinetsu.

"Master!" The butler knocked on the bathroom door with a shaky voice. 

"Yes?" Asahi immediately answered. 

"The Master of North Star Mansion had requested your presence immediately. You must head out now." 

"..." 

Why were they asking for his presence again?! He got up from his bath, and while having a thin towel around his torso, he entered his room, where Kuro was taking a sun bath. 

"You got a sexy figure, master." The cat commented, which made Asahi cringe his face. He rolled his eyes and walked to the closet to take out the most eccentric haori. The one that had the Oni's head speared by the katana on the back. 

He wore the black kimono while the cat lazily licked its paws. 

"Return quicker this time, master." With smug eyes, the cat bid its master farewell.