Mob Yandere

[Part 3/4]

"...It's raw meat, right? I think it'll spoil quickly?"

"Yes! That's why I thought I'd serve this for dinner and cook it myself! Haha, don't worry!"

The head of the family responds with a lot of goodwill to my somewhat hesitant question. Tamaki, unfortunately, seems to have no way out. It would be incredibly rude to escape from a homemade meal prepared by the head of the family.

...By the way, the deep-fried sparrow seasoned with rock salt was actually pretty good. Yes.

* * *

"Sigh... I'm tired."

After finishing a reception, a drinking party, and dinner with the head of the Juuyaku family, the town magistrate, and even the innkeeper, I stood outside, letting the night breeze hit me. Tamaki is probably resting her tired body in her room right now.

If I were still just a servant, I would have been eating with just my family, drinking cheap alcohol, playing hanafuda or sugoroku, and before I knew it, I would have fallen asleep. ...Well, I guess we're taking turns on guard duty, right? In any case, I feel mentally relaxed.

I shrug my shoulders and sigh at the impermanence of the world. Then, I gather my thoughts and look down at the town.

...The tow was lively even in the middle of the night. Maybe it was because it was near the district border in the center region. The gates were closed, but inside the fences, nearly a hundred inns, row houses, and stalls were lit up by bonfires and lanterns, and people were still bustling about.

"Such a luxury."

In the capital, Shiro'oku, or even in the town, it costs a lot to fill the night with light using so much oil and firewood. Besides, there was also the chance that the light could attract youkai. This was a luxury that was unimaginable back in my hometown. It was common to sleep at sunset and wake up at sunrise, so even though I was used to the scene before me now, it still felt extravagant and wasteful.

Maybe it was because I felt alienated in the bright, lively atmosphere...

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"..."

Trying to escape the light, I headed to the back of the inn.

It was much darker and quieter back there, probably because it was in the shadows. There were no signs of people. It seemed like the workers and maids had finished their jobs and left. I stepped into the area where the storehouse, garden, and chicken coop were located.

"Where are you, where are you... alright, alright. It's you, isn't it?"

In one corner of the stable filled with chestnut horses, I spotted a particularly large blue horse that had pushed the others aside to claim its space. I approached it carefully to avoid getting kicked. This was the special horse I received from the young lady Tachibana. My partner.

"You're not being a good boy, are you? Still the same little troublemaker, huh?"

'Brrrrrrrr!!'

As I scratched its mane, the blue horse looked at me and snorted. It had an attitude that seemed to say, "Come on, do more of that!♡ Do more of that!♡" From its behavior, it was easy to imagine that it had pushed away the others to get a comfortable spot for itself. This horse understood that it was one of the bigger and stronger ones in the horse world.

"Don't thrash around, don't thrash around. Geez, you're such a handful, aren't you?"

Its arrogant and haughty attitude is annoying, but since it's my important partner, I have to put up with it. I gently stroke its back to calm it down, then I pick up a bundle of hay from the feed bucket and offer it by hand, letting it eat. The horse eagerly devours the hay. Sometimes it gets a bit nervous, so I have to feed it directly like this. Even during battles with youkai, it waits in a safe spot and doesn't run away, but it can be sensitive in strange ways.

...And as I watch the horse eating the grass, I can't help but think about my own fate.

"Horse, huh..."

Looking back at my hazy memories, I realized that, from what I've heard from others, my non-human form is quite similar to that of a horse.

My partner is a large horse, much bigger than the local breed, due to its foreign origins. However, when I transformed, I felt it was definitely even bigger than that. Plus, it wouldn't be satisfied with just hay like this one in front of me.

(If it's just grass, I could hide deep in the mountains after everything is over, but...)

Even if I stopped being human, if I didn't have to crave human flesh, it wouldn't be the worst idea to lock myself away somewhere unreachable and wait to decay unnoticed. In reality, I'm still desperately seeking it, and even in a state close to a horse youkai, I'm still relatively stable. Looking back at past cases, if my reason boiled over, I'd end up like a lump of meat.

...I've thought about this many times, but I don't even want to imagine what's happening under my skin. The feeling of gradually being replaced by something that mimics me is horrifying. And the fact that I haven't gone insane from it is probably a sign that my brain cells are being replaced, and my mind is being eroded.

Ah, this is bad. I'm not a drug addict, but I find myself wanting some comfort. I crave the drugs...

"Pills, if I remember correctly..."

"Oh? This is unusual. A fine horse, isn't it? But... are you taking care of it yourself and not relying on the workers?"

"..."

A high, lively voice that sounded a bit raspy echoed from behind me. I stopped reaching for my talisman and turned around. There stood the head of the Juuyaku family, whom I had entertained during dinner...

"It has a bit of a difficult personality. If I don't remember your face, you might get thrown off."

"That's quite a challenge. But still, it's a splendid steed. Well done."

His confident figure approached, casually staring at the horse. With a pure and unpretentious demeanor, I missed the chance to criticize the action.

"...This is one of the horses I received from the Tachibana trading company. Look at this beautiful blue coat. Thanks to that, even someone like me has been allowed to borrow it."

"Please, stop with the modesty. I often hear good things about you from Advisor-dono and the head of the Hidden Group. Those 2 wouldn't give a prized horse to a lowly servant just because of its color. Considering your current success, shouldn't you think you were expected to achieve this?"

"I think you might be overestimating me."

Inside, I was feeling uneasy. I was used to being looked down upon, but being praised so much by someone senior was rare, and I didn't know how to react. To make matters worse, this was right before I was about to take my medicine, so I was a bit flustered trying to cover up the situation. My head was in a mess.

"Hmm. ...Then, Household Member Coordinator-dono. Let me apologize first, shall I?"

"Apologize? For what?"

"For this."

...So, I was slow to react to the next action.

"...Huh? What!?"

Right after, I was knocked back by a direct hit to my face. To be precise, I took a step back the moment I recognized the impact. It was just a momentary relief. My face felt like it had exploded.

"W-What!?"

"Ha!"

"Ugh!?"

A hand chop was swung without giving me a chance to respond. I quickly swiped from the side to deflect it. It was heavy! Was it enhanced with spiritual power...!?

"Ha! Ha! Hyaah!!"

"Head of the family!? W-What the...!?"

Juuyaku Ichishen ignored my attempts to talk to him and suddenly swung his fist with incredible speed. The air was filled with the sound of slicing as he launched a series of rapid punches. He threw a chop, then a backhand strike. Elbow jabs, palm hits, and upward swipes followed in quick succession. Ichishen's diverse techniques, honed for practical fighting, demonstrated his exceptional martial arts skills, typical of the Juuyaku family.

"Ugh, oof...!?"

I respond after strengthening my spiritual power, but I'm pushed into a defensive position. I never expected to be in a fight like this. My senses are slipping away, so I barely manage to react at the last moment, but it feels like walking a tightrope. I'm being pushed back, pushed back, and pushed back...

"Your feet are wide open!"

"Don't underestimate me!"

I predict that the head of the family is focusing on my upper body, so I counter with a kick. I slip past a sweep and go for a roundhouse kick. Oh, I got caught.

"Take that!"

"Whoa!?"