Chapter 90

One diaper change later, we were on a boat leaving Hokkaido and heading for Aomori, once there we would travel to- "Why are we heading there?" Retsu's voice cut through my thoughts, and I glanced over at her. She was seated across from me, wearing a white sundress patterned with light purple flowers, looking calm as ever despite the rocking waves. Baby Eri was nestled in her blue onesie, fast asleep in her arms.

"We're going there because it's the least populated prefecture in Japan." I replied, keeping my response brief as Retsu raised an eyebrow. "With fewer people, it should mean that the Youkai there aren't part of the major factions in Kyoto. They're probably just rogues or members of a few smaller clans."

She hummed thoughtfully, her gaze unreadable as she looked down at Eri. "I see. So far, I don't regret coming with you." She met my gaze with a smile I always found comforting. "What's the plan once we arrive?"

I sighed, looking out at the water. "First, I need to get my strength back. Then I'll see if I can draw the attention of Azazel, the Governor General of Grigori." Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her tilting her head, so I continued. "He knows something about my cursed blade, Muramasa, and perhaps about Trihexa as well."

She hummed, nodding. "How strong would you say some of these individuals are?"

Thinking of Sirzechs Lucifer, I turned to her with a serious expression. "The current Lucifer, Sirzechs, is rumored to be as powerful as, if not stronger than, the Original Lucifer. And that's not counting his Power of Destruction." I paused, seeing the confusion on her face, and tried to clarify. "While I'm not certain about the Original's strength, I do know that Serafall Leviathan, another of the leaders, is said to be capable of destroying Japan many times over." I grimaced, remembering other details. 'And that's not even counting the time she supposedly froze part of the Underworld.' I wasn't aware of how large the area was, but even if Retsu and I were to face her together, there was a strong chance we'd be overwhelmed.

Retsu hummed and looked back down to Eri. 

"Anyway, if we keep a low profile, we shouldn't run into anyone like that just yet." I added, turning back to the water. But just as the silence settled, Retsu spoke, her voice dry.

"Didn't you break into a restricted area and get caught?"

Once we arrived in Aomori, I accidentally ran my fist into a person's head as they turned around to open their car door. "Do you even know how to drive?" I asked Retsu while holding Eri. Retsu turned the car on and put it in reverse as she spoke. "Yes, just because I spent most of my time in the Soul Society doesn't mean I didn't go down to the living world."

As she said that, I held Eri closer to myself, and my head smacked into the dashboard. "Hmm~ seems like I put too much into that." 'Oh really?' I thought while checking to see if the now-laughing Eri was hurt, fortunately she wasn't. My head smacked into the headrest as Retsu shifted into drive and stomped on the gas.

"There we go. Are you okay, Ryou-san?" I let out a groan as I turned to her. "Peachy." Retsu, who had been looking at me while driving, turned back to face the road and stepped on the brakes. My head left a dent as I smashed into the dashboard again.

Raising my head, I heard people beeping at us and turned to Retsu, who wore a calm smile. "Retsu, I'm driving." Her smile faded a bit, but I pushed the still-laughing Eri into her arms, then opened the door and walked back toward the car that had stopped beeping as I approached.

Looking at the driver, who started yelling and cursing at me. Just as I was about to rip him out of the car, I stopped, feeling veins bulge in my forehead. "Make it up to me by letting me have a round with that bitch of yours!" More veins throbbed as he continued. "Hey, since that baby will probably grow into a beauty like your woman, how about se—ACK!"

I broke through the window, grabbed his face, and squashed it. "Feel better, Ryou-san?" Retsu spoke from the other side of the car. I hummed, opened the car door, and shoved the headless body into the back seat before getting in myself. "I feel better. Now watch how a true professional drives."

I smirked as I saw that the car was automatic. 'Heh, what a bitch.' I put the car in drive and drove off toward our fifteen-hour destination, Tottori.

The drive was quiet once baby Eri had stopped laughing and fell asleep after a feed. We stopped a few times for me to eat and to refuel. Retsu had pushed the headless body out as we drove so we wouldn't have to deal with the smell in the car. Right now however, Retsu and Eri were asleep while I drove under the stars. I glanced over at their sleeping forms, taking in the surreal sight. 'I can't believe I'm back home, back with a daughter.'

I shifted my focus back to the road, reminding myself of what needed to be done. 'I can think about family later. Focus on why we're headed to Tottori, Ryou.' I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes. Tottori served more than just a place to lay low and gather strength, it was also the next location for the Hyakki Yagyō, also known as the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

How did I know? Youkai that were after me had found us before we left, and after dealing with them and interrogating them, I managed to extract information about any events taking place in Japan. Since Honjo Masamune didn't cut I got a lot of crying, but I eventually got my answers, one of which was about the Hyakki Yagyō.

The reason I wanted to be around when it started was for a few reasons, one of them being weapons. I needed a sword that could cut and withstand my strength. While I hadn't broken the Odachi and Wakizashi during the brief usage I had of them, it was only because I wasn't at my full strength. However, that presented another problem, I didn't know of any other swords that could contend with Muramasa. Azazel had mentioned that the demonic sword Gram was around the level of Muramasa, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get my hands on it.

I sighed as I pulled out a bar of food to snack on. There was one thing I could try that might bring Muramasa back, but I wasn't sure if it would work or what the risks would be. I wasn't certain how many Youkai would actually be attending, even with the event being called the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. However, I was sure of one thing, while most Youkai weren't inherently evil, many were malevolent spirits. In theory, if I killed hundreds or even thousands of these malevolent Youkai, I could draw Muramasa out from wherever he was hidden within my soul.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter at the thought, I looked over to Eri and Retsu again and steeled myself. 'Ryou, The greatest strength often comes at the cost of one's humanity.'