Chapter 17
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“Eh?”
I beg your pardon?
I wasn’t even talking. Did it show on my face?
“It doesn’t matter which one it is.”
“Eh? Eeeeh!?”
What’s going on? Could it be—
“The start of all psychic phenomena is the human mind. They will exist in every era as long as human will and thoughts exist.”
Dr. Tengo, can you hear me?
Could it be that you can read my thoughts?
“If you can believe that, then doesn’t it mean that you can also believe in ayakashi?”
Hey, doctor!
Can you hear me!?
“Nanakida.”
Dr. Tengo pressed the tip of his finger against my lips.
Words wouldn’t come out, but it didn’t calm my mind at all.
After all, the way I saw the world changed so suddenly.
The patients, Dr. Tengo, Chairman Takeru, and even Haruji the pharmacist.
All the people inside this restaurant, that idol, the old gentleman, and even the couple over there. I viewed everyone with suspicion except for myself.
“I’m a quarter amanojaku.” [1]
“Dr. Tengo… What are you saying?”
“In terms of genotyping, the blank codons of my DNA contain amanojaku sequences, so their power is also handed down to their descendants.”
So what are you trying to say?
“What I’m saying is my grandfather was an amanojaku.”
What does that mean?
“But I’m only a quarter amanojaku so I appear more human and can’t transform into a demon.”
“… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Hey A-chan,”
Haruji finished his champagne and continued,
“You see, my grandpa’s a zashiki-warashi.” [2]
“Zashi…?”
“So, it means I’m part zashiki-warashi.”
Amanojaku, zashiki-warashi…
Then what is Chairman Takeru?
Chairman Takeru noticed all eyes on him as he slowly tipped the contents of his wine glass.
“I have to say it too?”
“Take-san, you don’t want to say it even at this age?”
“I hate to say it, but my old man is the god of poverty.” [3]
God of poverty…
“I’m a half so if I’m not careful, I end up looking like a shabby old man and… Aaah, just thinking about it creeps me out!”
Then Sara who showed me her tails earlier is a—
“That child’s mother is a nine-tailed fox. She’s only reached the age where she can finally control her appearance through our herbal medicine, but until then she was hiding in a remote mountain village where her ancestors were and spent her days there trying to be invisible.” [4]
“About this herbal medicine… I’m sorry, but you lost me there.”
I tried to run away, but Dr. Tengo squeezed my hand again.
“Our ancestors could hardly survive in today’s civilized society. Darkness was illuminated by electricity, natural phenomena were unraveled and old beliefs were explained by science.”
And?
Apart from that, I don’t understand whatever you’ve been saying up to now.
Rather, I didn’t want to understand.
“And so, they adapted to their surroundings like humans and animals and passed on their genes.”
That’s it.
I’ve really had enough!
“I’m so sorry!”
“Nanakida?”
As I shook off my hand from his grip and stood, I saw Dr. Tengo give me a sad look.
“I’m really sorry! I know it’s selfish of me to do this, but… Please let me quit today!”
“Wait, Nanakida.”
“I promise I’ll forget everything! I’ve never seen nor heard anything, I won’t even tell a soul!”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Apart from what you’ve told me so far… I really won’t understand no matter what kind of explanation you give me!”
“This isn’t the only thing we wanted to tell you.”
“After all of this… you’re saying you still have more to say!?”
Dr. Tengo tried his best to speak calmly.
“You see, humans who don’t carry ayakashi blood are unable to read the clinic’s name as Ayakashi Clinic.”
“…Huh?”
“Only halves or quarters can read it as Ayakashi.”
My thought process suddenly cut off.
Akashiya, ayakashi—
I couldn’t understand what was being said to me anymore, and my thoughts became a mishmash of gestalt something.
“No, you definitely understand.”
“I don’t!”
“But weren’t you able to read it as Ayakashi Clinic?
“I didn’t read it!”
“But the name on the application sheet…”
“I didn’t write it!”
“People who are half or part ayakashi are all able to understand it at a glance. So why are you the only one who—”
I’m pretty sure I’m 100% human, you know?
Even if you say I might be half, quarter, or something else, you’re wrong.
Because I’m definitely—
“Human! I’m definitely human!”
I just wanted to run away from this world that suddenly turned inside out. With that in mind, I found myself running outside.
Translator’s Notes:
Because there’s so many ayakashi names I just couldn’t resist
[1] Amanojaku – is a prehistoric demon-like creature in Japanese folklore that has been recorded even before Japan had a written language. It is usually depicted as a kind of small oni and is thought to be able to provoke a person’s darkest desires and thus instigates them into perpetrating wicked deeds. It’s most popular appearance is in the fairytale Uriko-hime (melon princess). Reference [1] [2]
[2] Zashiki-warashi – are spirit-like beings told about mostly in the Iwate Prefecture.They are said to be yokai that live in parlors or storage rooms, and that perform pranks, and that people who see one would be visited with good fortune. Source
[3] God of poverty – or 貧乏神 (binbōgami), is a god who inhabits a human being or their house to bring misery and poverty. Generally, a binbōgami appears as a skinny, dirty old man, who wields both an uchiwa(fan) and a kendama in his hands and wears one broken geta on his foot. Source
[4] Nine-tailed fox – perhaps most commonly depicted in drama, games, manga, and anime, the 九尾の狐 (kyuubi no kitsune) is a powerful yokai commonly seen in Japan, China, and Korea. A normal fox is said to be able to turn into one, by gaining a tail each century of living and spiritual training. Records of the nine-tailed fox can be seen first in China. Source
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