Magical beasts—these creatures were once referred to as yokai or strange phenomena.
They emerged as disasters that caused severe damage to society, and the mechanism of their occurrence was understood. The earth’s surface has atmospheric pressure differences due to qi (energy), and these differences result in fluctuations in the earth’s pressure along the flow of qi, creating regions of yin and yang. Magical beasts are more likely to manifest in these areas of yin atmospheric pressure.
Nowadays, technology has advanced to the point where it is possible to monitor atmospheric pressure and predict the appearance of magical beasts based on the movements of qi, known as earth veins. Additionally, emergency alerts can now be issued by detecting the qi emitted when they appear.
“What? But according to today’s forecast, it was supposed to be safe!”
“That’s why AI forecasts can’t be trusted. Throwing a shoe to predict the outcome would be more accurate.”
“No, it wouldn’t. That definitely wouldn’t work.”
Grabbing Himari’s arm, I pulled her close to the wall of the building. The next moment, a crowd of people rushed past the spot where we had just been standing, flowing like a raging river.
If we had stayed there carelessly, we’d have been in serious trouble by now.
A wave of panic spread through the crowd, with shouts for calm drowned out by screams and people calling out for loved ones.
“Sorry, I let my guard down. Thanks.”
“Be more aware of your surroundings. Now, come this way.”
Shin Nosuke led her in the direction with fewer people.
There was an evacuation shelter for situations like this, but it would be overcrowded anyway. Rather than wasting time heading to a place they might not get into, they decided it was better to hide somewhere.
“Even with the emergency alert out, it doesn’t mean they’ll actually come ou—oh, there it is.”
In the direction Himari was pointing, beyond the fleeing crowds, the head of a white creature was visible. It resembled a dog, except its head was positioned well above a person’s height.
“Is that… an Inukami?”
“That’s a medium-sized beast in animal form. This place is dangerous. We’d better get out of here.”
“But wait!”
Himari looked at the people scattering in all directions.
At the next intersection, the Inukami attacked someone. It pounced, biting its victim and tossing them into the air, higher than the traffic light, before devouring them. It was pure slaughter.
Shin Nosuke instinctively took a step forward but stopped, frowning.
“I get what you’re thinking, but… we should run.”
“But you could handle a magical beast, right?”
“You’re asking for the impossible. No way I could manage that.”
At the same intersection, a mother was running towards her child who had fallen. The Inukami was charging at them.
“Damn it!”
Shin Nosuke threw the soda can he’d been holding in an underhand pitch. What should have been a light toss flew like a bullet and hit the Inukami’s head, a hundred meters away.
Thrown off balance by the unexpected hit, the Inukami stumbled and fell.
“Looks like you handled that just fine.”
Watching this impossible throw as if it were natural, Himari sighed in relief as the mother and child managed to escape. Shin Nosuke tapped his sister on the head.
“That’s about all I can do. Besides, look—the samurai are here.”
The samurai from the talk show earlier came rushing over, attacking the Inukami.
There are several ways to combat magical beasts, but the most reliable and effective method has remained unchanged through time—the extermination by samurai.
“Let’s go. We’ll leave this to them and get out of here.”
With that, Shin Nosuke and Himari began to run.
“This place…”
Shin Nosuke looked up at the building in front of him with a grim expression.
It was owned by a troublesome client he worked with. He didn’t want to go near it, but having been summoned there numerous times, he was familiar with the layout.
“No choice. Let’s go in.”
“It’s locked with an electronic lock. Do you know the password?”
“A password? Of course I do.”
Shin Nosuke drew the sword at his side, still sheathed, and struck the glass entrance door with the butt of the scabbard.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Himari asked, worried. Technically, it was property damage.
“Better than wandering around outside. Watch your step.”
“I can walk by myself!”
The glass shards scattered everywhere. Shin Nosuke tried to carry Himari to avoid injury, but she refused, so he stepped inside alone. It was dark and quiet, likely because people had evacuated or the building was unoccupied. Either way, it appeared empty.
There was a reception desk directly ahead and a door leading to a hallway on the left.
“Let’s head further in.”
Shin Nosuke led Himari deeper into the building, toward the office where he’d often been summoned and yelled at. If they made it through this magical beast ordeal, he’d likely have to return here again.
“Are you tired? Take a seat on the sofa and rest for a bit.”
“Thanks. You should sit down too.”
They sat together on the reception sofa and allowed themselves a moment to relax.
Himari took out her phone, apparently posting their situation on social media and gathering information.
“Hey, there’s a lot of information coming out around here.”
Shin Nosuke gave her a skeptical look—not at Himari but at the reliability of social media information. People often posted exaggerated or false information for views, and it was a never-ending problem.
“I have followers I trust. This info is reliable.”
“All right, then. Better to stay put here than run around blindly.”
They decided to wait in the room, also taking it as a chance to rest. The only sound was the hum of the air conditioning. It was quiet enough that they couldn’t hear anything from outside—until a high-pitched shattering noise came from the entrance.
“…!”
The moment they both stood up, the door they had entered through was blasted open. The head of the white beast poked through—it was undoubtedly the Inukami.
“Do that thing from earlier!” Himari urged.
“Stop asking the impossible!”
“Then defeat it!”
“That’s even more impossible. Run! Head to the back!”
The Inukami was temporarily stuck in the door but withdrew its head and replaced it with its forepaw, clearly targeting them.
Feeling the air pressure from its movements, they escaped through a door at the back, just as the Inukami forced its way into the building. They sprinted down the corridor—then heard the sound of a window breaking nearby.
“Whoa! Over here too?”
“Here too? Just great!”
Through the shattered window, another white paw reached in, claws curved sharply, scraping through the air and gripping the window frame, cracking the wall. Behind them, the Inukami they’d just escaped from was still thrashing against the door.
“Don’t stop! To the back!”
Shin Nosuke grabbed Himari’s hand, and they raced down the hall. The Inukami, in pursuit, wreaked havoc within the building, but they couldn’t worry about that right now.
