Chapter 7: God Devourer
It was a familiar figure.
It was the same entity that had been watching Houzuki and Yuiru from behind while they explored the deep green swamp.
The multitude of arms, the white cloth, the cascading white hair—all spilling from its form as it extended its limbs from the shadow of the trees, beckoning to Houzuki and Yuiru while idly scratching at tree bark.
Ah, had the evil god been by their side from the start?
“What, do we…… What do we do……”
“Houzuki, isn’t this something to be happy about?”
Yuiru responded, a faint smile appearing on his face as he looked up at the grotesque form of the deity sprouting countless arms beneath the white cloth.
His reaction was unsettling, suggesting an eerie acceptance or perhaps a deeper understanding of the evil god’s nature.
“Grateful that the food has delivered itself. Maybe I should just eat it right now.”
“Are, are you sure you can eat it? Such a scary evil god……”
“There is nothing I cannnot eat, I think.”
“”You think.””
Yuiru, holding his silver knife, approached the white evil god, which was watching them intently.
From the worn white cloth, a multitude of arms surged toward Yuiru all at once.
Cold arms stretched out together, reaching to pull in the spirit eater, Yuiru Enen.
—Lonely, so lonely.
A raspy voice touched his ears.
—Lonely, so lonely.
The voice belonged to the evil god, seemingly broken by its own solitude.
The white evil god stretched its arms, attempting to grasp Yuiru’s arms, legs, head, and body, repeating the words “I’m lonely” over and over in a gravelly voice.
Even Yuiru, a spirit that devours other spirits, appeared potentially powerless before this evil god. As countless arms reached out and touched him, he looked up at the evil god and smiled.
Though his smile might have seemed like an acknowledgment of the evil god’s loneliness, to Houzuki, it appeared as if he was simply delighted at the prospect of a supreme meal right before him.
“Oshira-sama, I am honored.”
Yuiru declared, gripping his silver knife in a reverse hold.
“To think I would one day have the opportunity to feast upon a god as evil and delectable as you.”
He then plunged his knife into one of the evil god’s arms.
With a wet squelch, black mist erupted and bathed Yuiru, who exclaimed “Aha!” in a buoyant voice.
Seizing the arm that retracted in pain, the silver-haired, red-eyed high school student said, “Hold on, I’m going to savor this.”
He severed the arm, and with it in hand, Yuiru announced the beginning of his meal.
“I ta da ki ma su”
Yuiru stuffed the wildly thrashing arm and its frantically resisting fingers into his mouth.
Crunching bones and grinding flesh.
He tore through the skin with his teeth, chewing and savoring the taste, then swallowing with relish.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Crunch crunch, crunch.
Gulp, grind, grind.
Gulp, gulp, grind.
Not even the sinewy fibers could withstand his teeth, they were consumed despite their resistance.
“Mmm, mmm. The texture is like that of high-quality beef. The mist that bursts forth is like the broth of soy sauce, almost like sukiyaki.”
Yuiru delightedly devours the evil god’s arm.
Perhaps because it was an evil god, the flavor seemed more distinct than usual.
He described eating the god’s arm as akin to sukiyaki. If an evil god tasted like this, one might wonder what other ghosts might taste like.
No, what does it matter?
Yuiru was undeniably changing. Houzuki could easily notice it; he was definitely different.
“Even eating a god, what is up with him?”
Towako clung to Houzuki’s waist and spoke as if it were someone else’s concern.
“……True, I wonder what’s up with him? “
Houzuki was aware of Yuiru’s transformation.
But perhaps it was better to pretend not to notice. Acknowledging it might inevitably lead to a permanent parting from him.
☆
Ultimately, Yuiru did not finish consuming the evil god.
“I’m full.”
Yuiru burped.
After having consumed about half of the now motionless evil god, Yuiru gave up, claiming he was full—an unusual admission, as he typically complained of perpetual hunger, never seeming satisfied no matter how much he ate.
Evidently, devouring an evil god proved to be too much even for him, and leaving only half consumed was telling.
Houzuki looks at Yuiru with exasperation,
“You shouldn’t have eaten it in the first place.”
“True, even sukiyaki gets tiresome after a while. I’d like a change in flavor.”
“Is there such a thing as a flavor change?”
“Who knows?”
Yuiru’s cavalier remarks after consuming a malevolent deity seemed incredibly irresponsible, almost as if tempting fate.
“Well, I’ll just eat the rest when I get hungry at home.”
“Are you going to bring that home? Stop it.”
“Isn’t it fine? I’ll keep it outside properly.”
“Don’t you think eating an evil god that’s left outside is dirty?”
“It doesn’t catch anything like dust so it’s fine, no problem whatsoever.”
Yuiru, making a bizarre claim, started dragging the half-eaten evil god with a pleased look on his face. Does he really plan to take this evil god home?
Zuri, zuri.
Zuri, zuri.
The sound of an evil god being dragged falls in the quiet forest.
Houzuki is probably the only one who can hear it.
Will what the worried Otoya see a half-eaten evil god’s figure cruelly abandoned outside of Houzuki’s house? She can already imagine Yuiru being scolded.
“Hey, Yuiru.”
“What?”
Houzuki says to the silver-haired, red-eyed male student who looks back while dragging the evil god.
“What are you going to eat next?”
The answer to that question is
“Well, as long as it looks delicious, I’ll take it.”
――It was about three days later that Yuill declared, “Go chi sou sa ma de shi ta.” Seems it was a bit too big.
