Mob Yandere

[Part 3/6]

In other regions, people would only help if they were paid or forced, but in the Center region, things were different.

The nearby villagers were richer than others and didn't feel as much danger.

They saw youkai like bears or wolves, and were reluctant to offer help unless they got something in return.

It wasn't until they take some of the youkai bodies as payment that they finally agreed to help.

Even then, they insisted they wouldn't actually fight.

While I wasn't too surprised, since I expected this kind of behavior, I knew other families out on similar missions were probably having trouble.

...Maybe this is part of the plan to make sure no one helps surviving exorcists after a bad ending?

"...No, no, that would be against the rules, wouldn't it?"

"It's nothing..."

Inaba tilted his head at my muttering.

I quickly brushed it off and gave instructions to my servant companions to buy the necessary supplies.

The unwanted meat was to be burned, while the fur, organs, claws, teeth, and other useful parts would be peeled off by the villagers and hunters.

They would then sell them to us.

We had to make sure we didn't get ripped off, but they were showing us their price lists and abacuses to prove they were being fair.

It was a good attitude.

Just make sure we get a good price without them noticing.

"Still... it's possible, right?"

After Inaba left, I thought about it again.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed likely.

The Youkai Salvation Organization had clearly planned everything carefully, and even after their plan succeeded, they were clearly up to something else.

There were signs in different media that showed they had backup plans in place.

As far as I remember, after the 'Firefly of the Dark Night (Yamiyo no Hotaru)', there were several stories that either directly showed or hinted at the aftermath.

They all pointed to a bad ending.

The timeline ranged from shortly after to months or years later.

The media included drama CDs, bonus booklets for novels, short stories, PC novel bonuses, visual novels, and even collaboration characters from a mobile game, which seemed to be from the bad ending timeline.

The unofficial art by official artists and mentions by the production crew on social media gave clues about the setting.

The appearance of the corrupted "Purple Princess (Murasaki)" from the collaboration was a shock to fans in a different way.

The specs were low, though.

...Sadly, even in the same aftermath or dialogue, some contradictions appeared depending on the route, possibly because of different bad endings, or because of the unique nature of certain characters and environments.

But the one thing that was clear was that the future after the bad ending wasn't bright.

In just a few months, the city, including the Center region, was said to have turned into a place of corruption.

It was rumored that after the poison bird (Zhendu (chin doku)) broke free from its seal, it corrupted several countries before being defeated.

According to refugees protected by the Ako family, the Western region, which was guarded by the Ako family, had become one of the few safe places for humans, though it ended on an ominous note.

Survivors from the destroyed imperial court fled to the old capital, but were said to have no chance of fighting back...

The Youkai Salvation Organization destroyed the city in just a few days.

They almost completely wiped out the imperial court.

The Center region was lost to humanity in a short time.

It was all too well-planned.

Even after the city fell, there should have still been forces left in the Center region, but something clearly happened.

Something...

"...Iruka. What do you want?"

"Are you saying I shouldn't come if I don't have business?"

I asked, sensing a presence behind me, and got a casual response followed by a sharp sound.

It was the sound of biting into a cucumber with miso.

I knew both the cucumber and miso were bought from the local village.

I could tell that the contents of the gourd in their hands had been switched from water to alcohol.

"I just thought I'd take advantage of our break and tell you some stories I heard from Suzune."

"So you want pocket money as a reward?"

"Exactly."

"Idiot."

I pulled out a silver coin from my pocket and gave it to them, asking for the stories in return. The wolf girl, who checked the quality of the silver and confirmed it was real, sat beside me with a thud, settling down on the stone slab.

"Why are you lying down like that?"

"Are you telling me to sit on the ground? Eh?"

I clicked my tongue and tried to hold back. I had to control my irritation because of this bratty attitude. It was worth it, though.

"Yeah, well. First, about the third older brother..."

Iruka spoke in a teasing way, like it was someone else's business.

She started talking about Suzune's family. About her two older brothers.

I had been avoiding talking about Suzune or Yukine as much as possible.

I didn't want her to realize we were family.

I knew that would only bring misfortune to both of us.

But at the same time, I was curious about what was going on with our family.

This tied into the mess Iruka had caused recently.

The shadow of a man that flashed in Yukine's mind, knocking out our younger brother's jaw...

Well, I won't go into more details.

If his bones were broken, I'd make sure it didn't go unpunished, but it seems like there were no lasting effects.

Yukine gave her a long lecture, and that incident gave me a chance to learn more about Yukine's family.

It was unfortunate for our brother, but in a way, it worked out for me.

"By the way, that guy... Well, he was the smartest, I guess."

My third brother was the quickest thinker out of all the younger siblings. He was good at calculations, reading, and writing.

Despite his young age, he was wise and practical, though still a brat at times. When he messed up, he tried to cover it up with tricks. He should stop doing that.

"Suzune's getting along pretty well with him, huh? Cooking, cleaning, acting so helpful."

"That's surprising. They used to fight a lot."

It was common for younger siblings, especially ones close in age, to argue a lot, but people change, I guess.

"You have to grow up if you want to survive. The world's a tough place."

She chewed the last piece of cucumber and washed it down with alcohol. She burped loudly and wiped her mouth. She looked nothing like a lady.

"Still, not bad, huh? Even though he's a low-ranking official, he's getting noticed by the noble families. He could aim for a good marriage."

"He's the youngest of two sons and four daughters, right?"

"Well, his name's good enough. Would you rather be the son of a nameless farmer or the son-in-law of a noble family?"

"Yeah, right?"

In this world, there's no such thing as equality. Even being the lowest-ranked official, marrying a noble princess gives you status. His father was a local official, so if he was lucky, he could become a mid-level government official before retiring. He didn't seem too interested, though.

"He's got a soft side, but surprisingly some ambition too. I heard he complained to Suzune about wanting a richer family or a smart wife. Hah, he's a greedy one, trying to get a village girl while complaining about it."

"Do you think he's gonna get stabbed in the back?"

I couldn't help but worry about my little brother's future.

The way things were going, he was becoming like a protagonist in an adult game.

This world follows the same rules, so it wasn't something I could joke about.

He was smart but weak, and I was genuinely concerned.

A violent situation could happen.

I hoped he'd get away from the capital soon.

I didn't want to find out he was getting into trouble there, especially not with women.

I'd be so disappointed in him.

"..."

"...What's with that look?"

"It's nothing."

Iruka gave me a strange look, and I asked her, but she just shrugged and changed the subject. What was that look? What was she implying?

"What's going on..."

I thought about the second princess again, but that situation... well, that was different. Demons, blood mothers, daughter spiders, they were all completely different, so it was fine. Iruka, stop it. Don't try to make me guilty for something I didn't do.

"Hmm."