Back from hibernation

Revenge, vengeance—there were thousands of ways to say it. It was his thirst for revenge that made Asahi make it this far. The day his parents died before his eyes; he could never forget about it. The day those darn yokai, who were a hundred times stronger than him, had burned down his entire village. 

'I will avenge my family' he thought to himself. Even if it meant making Yokai his friend just to turn his back on them, he didn't care. All he needed was their fall and the end of their existence. 

~

"Master, welcome home." The butler greeted him the moment he stepped inside his house. It was late at night, almost midnight. 

"The meeting was longer than expected. You should go back to sleep now." Asahi brushed off the butler and went to his room. He took out his futon and stripped off his clothes. It was too warm, so he only wore shorts. 

Asahi tossed and turned in his futon; his thoughts went back and forth between the words of Kuro and Kobayashi. How did Kuro know about Nezu? He was sure that most Yokai, too, followed the hierarchy. 

Nezu and Ryuu were the highest beings even in the Hidden Realm, and for Kuro to mention them so casually didn't settle well with him. Moreover, he wasn't sure how to use the Guardian's power. Was that something he had? Because he didn't want to. 

Nevertheless, although he wasn't keen on forming a bond with a yokai, as long as Kenji had fallen from grace, it was worth it. The way Ryuu had ripped off his hand, Asahi wished it was him, but still, the way that man faltered and cried. 

He deserved to be tortured more, but still, Asahi found it pleasurable. 

~

"You know, you are more evil than a villain," Asahi heard someone say near his ears. 

"Eh?" He groaned, turning to the other side. He could feel something heavy on his chest, but he couldn't care less. 

"Tsk tsk, youngsters of this generation are far lazier than in our days. Wake up now." Once again, someone spoke in his ear, and Asahi opened his eyelids slightly. The room was brightly lit, and the sunrays had reached every corner of the room. 

He raised his hand to rub his eyes, and in doing so, he found his fat cat on his chest. It had its cosmos-like black eyes gaze towards him. 

"Finally, you woke up. Master traitor. Who would have thought you would make a contract with me and that damn dragon?" 

"Um, he's useful, unlike a fat black cat," Asahi responded while using his arm support to stay upright. The cat jumped to the floor and now stayed at the side of the futon. 

"Fuck you. I had warned you about that mouse; it was you who had let your guard down." The cat angrily glared at him. 

"Yeah," Asahi admitted and stood up. While rubbing his eyes, he gazed at his smartphone. It was the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. He took a deep breath. Often, each year, he had his grandfather to help, but this year, he was all alone for the ghost festival. 

Asahi changed into a white shirt and black pants with a haroi over the shirt. He took out his prayer pendant and wore it on his neck, which was made of beaded stones and wood. It was barely eight a.m. in the morning. 

After freshening up, he headed to the empty kitchen. All the workers had taken three days off for the Bon Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival. It was already the third day of the festival, and yet, because of all these things, he had almost lost track of time.

'This is how Grandpa must've felt' he thought while taking out a few of the ingredients from the cabinets. He first poured water over the bowl of rice and let it soak while taking out the beef from the refrigerator. 

Pressing his fingers firmly, he hid his nails as he thinly sliced the beef meat. They were paper thin, the way his grandpa liked them. Then he washed his hands and washed the rice a few times as well. Once each grain was soaked, though, he added extra water and let it cook in the rice cooker. 

He took out another pot and let it heat on the stove. After swiftly slicing the onions, he added them to the stir-fry. Meanwhile, he took out another small bow and added the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and water to the pot as well. At the very end, he added the beef and let them stir-fry until the meat was no longer pink. 

Taking out three gyunabe pots, he started to add the rice and topped it with the beef stir-fry. He added three pairs of chopsticks, put them all on a tray, and walked outside to the porch. 

He spoke no words and simply placed the food, hoping the ancestral spirits would enjoy it. In only a few seconds, he could see a few ghosts and yokai hovering over it. Turning a blind eye to the sight, he simply closed the sliding door and headed inside. 

"Where's my lunch?" He could hear the sound of Kuro coming from inside the kitchen. 

"Why would you need that? Didn't you have the corpse already a few days ago?" Asahi was in a pensive mood. Unlike his usual demeanor, he was low in spirits. 

"I did, but that isn't enough for my recovery; moreover, this is the day both hell and heaven are let loose. As a Yokai, I ought to enjoy my day today." Kuro had a Cheshire cat grin on his face. 

In the meantime, Ashi took out another two gyunabe from the cabinet and placed the gyudon for both him and Kuro. At the sight of the food, Kuro had his lips sealed, and praying "Itadakimas" both started to devour the meal.