Chapter 6: Oshira-sama?
Before I knew it, I was alone in the depths of the forest.
A collapsed shrine, a torii gate covered in moss.
Standing all alone in a pitch-black forest where not even the moonlight could penetrate.
Maybe I was protecting the shrine, or perhaps I had taken over the collapsed temple.
It was unclear why I was here, but I couldn’t escape this dark forest. Something prevented me, always bringing me back to the front of this crumbling shrine.
—It’s lonely.
Even though I thought this, my solitude remained unresolved.
—It’s lonely.
So, I decided to drag someone else into this forest.
I pulled in every curious human who ventured near, dragging them into the forest, making them wander aimlessly, ensuring they could never escape.
Ah, but sometimes, some humans managed to escape. When that happened, there was nothing I could do but give up.
—Now I’m not lonely.
Come to think of it, why am I in this forest again?
☆
“You’re, here, you’re here, you’re here, you’re here you’re here yyyy” (TN: The 4 y’s are from “you”)
The headless, stark white figure said with a raspy voice, seemingly expressing joy. It shook its vacant, hollow-like head to show its happiness, but the sight was deeply unsettling.
Facing such a being might actually be less terrifying than being chased by a monster through the forest. The deity before them seemed to emanate a dangerous aura that was far more threatening.
Houzuki grabbed Yuiru’s shoulder and said,
“Yuiru, let’s go. I think it’s a bad idea to mess with a malevolent deity.”
“Ah, indeed. I underestimated this,”
Yuiru replied as he looked up at the densely leafed trees around them, then added,
“But it’s already too late.”
Houzuki too was drawn to look up. It might be more accurate to say that she was compelled to look up.
Because as soon as she saw what was there, she immediately regretted it, thinking, “I shouldn’t have looked.”
Something white was peering down.
It gazed upon the space around the shrine, a place guarded by the torii.
Within the grounds of the crumbling shrine where Houzuki, Yuiru, and Towako were, a headless figure covered in a stark white cloth was looking down at them. Its thin, branch-like arms dangled loosely, as if peering at the face of a small child.
“It looks like we’re surrounded. No matter how much we struggle, they seem intent on not letting us out of this forest.”
Yuiru shook off Houzuki’s arm that grabbed his shoulder and,
“You’re unmistakeably Oshira-sama, right?” (TN: He’s using the informal ‘you’, “omae” here.)
The headless pure white evil god shook her head up and down.
“Why are you targeting us?”
“I’m lonely.”
The white evil god spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I’m so lonely, I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely I’m so lonely “
In a hoarse voice, over and over again.
“Now I don’t feel lonely.”
Then she said happily.
How many people have been sacrificed so far, and how many people have been dragged into the forest?
Was the pure white evil god dragging all the people who ventured into the forest out of curiosity into the forest to drown out his loneliness? I don’t think that will alleviate the loneliness though.
Yuiru said, “I see,” and strode towards the white evil god.
“Then I’ll eat you right here and now. With this, you won’t be lonely anymore.”
He brandished his silver knife and plunged its blade into the white evil god.
Black mist erupted, accompanied by a ragged scream.
As the evil god thrashed in pain, Yuiru pinned it down and bit into its branch-like arm. He crushed bones, ground flesh, and tore skin, consuming the evil god’s arm.
“It’s quite salty, perhaps a flavor of its loneliness.”
Yuiru, who had been crunching on the evil god’s arm, suddenly stopped his feasting.
His red eyes scanned the area around the collapsed shrine, searching for something. After a brief look, he tossed aside the half-eaten evil god and returned to Houzuki and Towako.
Without explaining, the silver-haired, red-eyed high school student grabbed Houzuki’s arm and began leading them back the way they had come. Leaving behind the immense white evil god peering into the grounds of the collapsed shrine, they quickly made their way toward the entrance of the forest.
“Wait, Yuiru. What’s going on?”
“That’s not Oshira-sama, it’s just a wedge.”
Yuiru replied with a click of his tongue and said,
“The headless white one is a human pillar, a sacrifice. The huge shadow looming over the shrine was something watching to ensure the human pillar functioned properly. The real Oshira-sama only appears if someone integral to the shrine as a wedge is lost.”
“What? You mean?”
Yuiru had eaten the white figure earlier. Though much was left uneaten, the fact remained that it had been damaged.
“If the human pillar is damaged, the real Oshira-sama will appear.”
一From where, though?
Gasa. (TN:Rustle)
The nearby bushes shook.
Something white was visible.
It looked like a piece of fabric. It was slightly yellowed and dirty, but one could still make out that it was indeed white cloth.
Gasa, gasa.
Parting the vegetation, it revealed itself in front of Houzuki and Yuiru.
Nuuー…
The white cloth seen through the gaps in the bushes lifted.
From beneath the stark white cloth, bushy white hair spilled out, and numerous arms dangled loosely. The number of arms was countless.
Standing on the ground with the strength of its arms, like a centipede, it wriggled its multitude of arms. This white entity looked down upon Houzuki, Yuiru and Towako.
Ah, so this was the form of the evil god .
With the loss of its wedge, the evil god now began to move.
