Chapter Text
Record
This is a record based on a paper from a man who is believed to be an aide of the Shishikusas found in the town, and the testimony of a merchant who came to the castle town after the incident.
Many corrections have been made for clarity.
Furthermore, the young lady in the man’s record is presumed to be the only daughter of the Shishikusa clan, and she is described as such in the same record.
May 2nd
The daimyo complain that the performances are boring.
May 4th
This is conveyed to the Shishikusas at a meeting at a teahouse in town.
May 7th
A performance to dissect a geisha is held at the theatre owned by the Shishikusas.
May 10th
A girl from the Kitsune clan is kidnapped outside the castle town.
On the same day, someone goes missing in the castle town.
May 13th
The Kitsune girl is handed over to the Shishikusas.
May 14th
A yōkai-like person is witnessed in the castle town.
Many people go missing on the same day.
May 15th
The Kitsune girl is dissected.
She is still alive at this time.
She is being held in the theatre’s basement.
May 16th
The Kitsune girl dies.
May 17th
The girl’s remains are buried at a Shinto shrine on the outskirts of town.
Many abnormal phenomena happen at this time.
Several of the daimyo who were present go missing.
May 18th
An aide of the Shishikusa clan is attacked and severely injured.
At the same time, the only daughter of the Shishikusa clan is kidnapped.
May 19th
The Shishikusa’s daughter is found within the castle town early in the morning.
On the same day, the castle town, as well as the Shishikusa mansion, is put on high alert.
The daughter is guarded inside the mansion from this day forward.
May 21st
A servant of the Shishikusas goes missing.
A large amount of bloodstains are found in the kitchen.
May 23rd
The missing servant is found in the storeroom of the Shishikusa courtyard.
Her remains are in terrible condition.
May 26th
A birthday party is held for the daughter.
A relative goes missing on this day.
On the same day, the head of the Shishikusa clan and his wife are killed.
At the same time, the missing relative’s remains are found in the Shishikusa daughter’s room.
The daughter is missing at this time.
May 27th
A large amount of blood stains are found everywhere in the castle town on this day.
Many go missing at the same time.
Late at night on the same day, the Shishikusa daughter is witnessed at the theatre owned by the Shishikusa clan.
May 28th
The remains of dozens of the town’s daimyo are discovered in the theatre.
The Shishikusa daughter is nowhere to be found.
May 30th
A merchant who came to deliver goods enters the castle town.
At this time, the incident comes to light.
No survivors.
Hundreds of people missing.
Total death toll unknown.
The castle town is blockaded on this day.
June 1st
The Kitsune girl is spotted at a dry riverbed near the castle town.
ーPrologueー
The old era of Japan... it isn’t remembered that clearly. Was it at the height of the Sengoku period, or even earlier than that? Back then, there were many sightings of unearthly beings, which are now called yōkai. However, the truth is clear. In the future Japan, they are worshipped as yōkai and gods, but in those days, they were commonplace.
This is the story of what happened in a castle town during that time.
The castle was reigned by a certain military commander. The commander was incredibly strong, so the castle, and the town surrounding it, were never targeted.
However, one day, there was an incident in which the people of the castle town were massacred. Most of the people found were in horrible condition, it was a cruel sight to see. Incidentally, about 80% of the town’s residents were never found. It’s scary to think that it all happened overnight. What’s more surprising is that not only the people, but the livestock went missing. Just what on earth happened in this town?
It’s a chilly spring dawn. The faint scent of straw can be smelled as the town begins to function.
People gradually begin to move. Running around in the morning town is an endearing young lady. The girl’s name is Mai. The only daughter of the Shishikusa clan. Most of this town’s commerce is controlled by the Shishikusa clan. They’re very familiar with the ins and outs of the place, and most people in the town know it.
“Oh, Mai-chan. Good morning.”
“Good morning, ma’am!”
She skips forward, waving cheerfully. She’s a sociable and cute girl. Everyone in the town loves her. But this is mainly because she’s the only daughter of the Shishikusa clan.
This happened a few years ago. A group of samurai happened to stop by the castle town for a rest. They seemed to be strutting through the town looking for a fight. At that time, a small Mai hit a samurai’s foot. The samurai taunted her and made her cry. They took her ball away, and she fell and skinned her knee while trying to get it back. With a sideways glance at the girl crying on the ground, he kicked the ball far away, and the samurai left gracefully. The townspeople couldn’t say anything to the samurai, and could only turn a blind eye to it.
To the group of samurai, it was just play. There was no big reason for it.
The next day, it had already happened. Three of the samurai that stayed in the town were gone.
The one who teased the girl the day before had his severed head displayed, with his body nowhere to be found. The other two went missing.
The rest of them immediately fled the castle town.
There’s a phenomenon in this castle town where if one angers or inconveniences the Shishikusas, an incident will occur. However, no one ever mentions this. Of course, they don’t want to get themselves involved in an incident by spreading bad rumours.
“Good morning, sir!”
“Oh, good morning. You’re lovely today, aren’t you.”
“Yup!”
The girl was energetically running around town today as well. The incident will occur around 10 years from this time.
One - The Incident
The cold had finally settled down and the season with the pleasant morning glow had come. The best teahouse in town is reserved for today. The town’s executives gather there and hold a briefing about things like trades and stocks. To do business in this town, one must pay money to a man named Shishikusa. This isn’t made public, of course. This “Shishikusa” is essentially the most powerful person in this town. It’s said that government officials would bow their heads before this man as they pass by.
The Shishikusa clan.
This clan has been protecting this castle town from the shadows for generations. Even the castle’s supreme commander is no match for them.
From the beginning, the family lineage worked behind the scenes as a clan, and occasionally did work for the government. Therefore, there’s an abundance of rules and private matters among the seniors of this castle town, but the size and number of people in the clan is unknown, so if you speak poorly of them, you can never know where the Shishikusa clan will hear it from.
Nowadays, they control most of the town’s commerce, and purchases must be reported to them in detail.
And at the end of today’s meeting, this topic was brought up.
“Oh, by the way, there seems to be a lot of complaints from the daimyo recently.”
“Complaints?”
“Yes, I hear they’re getting tired of the geisha dances and gambling.”
“I see. So basically, they want something new to satisfy themselves?”
“No, I don’t think they’ve said that much, but...”
“Alright, fine. Let’s gather the daimyo in the near future and ask what they want us to do.”
The Shishikusa head was angered for a moment, and the room became tense, but the day ended without a hitch.
10-20 minutes passed, and the meeting ended without any major topics being brought up. The town’s executives emerged from the teahouse one after the other so they wouldn’t pile up.
Thus, the town’s commerce continued to function.
Two - The Kitsune Girl
This happens outside the castle town. Occasionally, the horse-drawn carriages of merchants pass by, but people do not. In this era, no matter what happens to you, you can’t complain about it unless it happened somewhere in the castle town. Whether you’re attacked by bandits, killed, or kidnapped. Even the government office turns a blind eye to what goes on outside their town. In the dangerous lands outside the castle town, a young lady plays alone in a dry riverbed.
Whitish grey hair with youthful features. She sings a song to herself while gazing at her reflection on the water’s surface. Three men happen to pass by behind this girl.
“Oi, look at that.”
“Oh! It’s a little girl!”
“She’ll make us real good money.”
Yes, these guys are the so-called bandits. They’re the type of people that make a living by doing dirty work, whether that be kidnapping or cleaning.
“Got the rope?”
“Yeah.”
“Oi, wait a minute.”
“What is it?”
“Look at her hair.”
“It’s white, what of it?”
“Dumbass, who has grey hair at that age?”
“Oh, right...”
“Oh shit, she’s from the Kitsune clan, no doubt about it!”
“Are you serious?!”
The man swiftly hid the rope in his hands behind him.
“I heard that clan has yōkai blood.”
“They’re involved with gods and stuff, right?”
“Oi, let’s get outta here.”
“Hey!”
And so the men went on their way - pulling a large, rattling cart behind them.
The girl continues looking at the river.
“...That’s a relief.”
The girl dropped the pebbles she was holding into the river with a smile on her face. She then stands up and begins to walk. She hums a tune with a spring in her step.
“Hmhm hmm~ Oh, Mrs. Fox, don’t bring an umbrella, quickly, knit my feelings together~”
And the girl disappeared into the forest.