Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Jin’s POV
   Well, it’s finally over. Jin doesn’t even have to go near the huge chunk of ball to know that the youkai is dead. If he’s still alive, he would be fighting his way out of it.

   Jin could have finished the fight in less than three seconds, and he would have done it in a better way than Kubo did. Then again, he guess that Kubo is still very new at this. Well, no matter. Time to take care of the Gashadokuros.

   According to the mythical tales, these giant skeletons can turn invisible. That would explain them appearing out of nowhere without him noticing. Well, not that it matters. What matters is that now that the three-headed, six-armed Ashura is dead, the skeletons are rattling their teeth in anger, eager to seek revenge for their fallen leader.

   Before they could move, Jin froze them all and encased them inside giant blocks of ice. He then mutters a few words. The blocks of ice crumble and turns into water vapor in an instant, even the Gashadokuros inside the ice cannot escape the same fate. Now that they’re taken care of, it’s time to check on Kubo and Rei-san.

   When Jin got there, Kubo is casting Heal on Rei-san’s back. A few seconds later, her wound have closed up completely. It’s like she was never injured to begin with. The only evidence that would betray this is the ripped part of her maid uniform.

   Kubo touches Balaraw which was on the ground and mutters some word. One second later, the scimitar disappears. Jin assumes that it was kept inside Kubo’s vault.

   “You and Reina can go home for the night.” he tells the masked man.

   “It’s fine. Really. I’m just going to drop off Reina at my place, then I’ll join back the fight.” Kubo insists.

   Jin shakes his head.

   “No. You go and call it a night too. To put it bluntly, you’re of no use if your hands can’t stop shaking.”

   Kubo lets out a dejected sigh.

   “I’m so sorry for being useless.” he apologizes.

   “Don’t be. More importantly, let’s get Reina back to your apartment so that she could lie down.”

   “Yes.”

   Kubo didn’t start walking straight away. Instead, he’s looking at the huge ball while looking hesitant.

   “Do you want to bury him?” Jin asks.

   “Um, is that okay?”

   “Of course it is. Even though you were enemies, there’s nothing wrong with showing respect by burying him.”

   “Then yes, I would like to bury him.”

   Kubo mutters some words, and the ball falls apart, exposing the youkai within.

   The Ashura is definitely dead, and there are multiple holes on his body, courtesy of Kubo’s Heat Ray. There are red blood coming out from all those holes.

   Kubo puts his hands together and closes his eyes, presumably offering prayers for the youkai. After a few seconds, his opens his eyes once more and starts to look around.

   “Where should I bury him?” he asks Jin.

   “Here will do.”

   Kubo was taken aback by that.

   “Here? You mean, right beneath the road? Is it appropriate?”

   Jin shrugs.

   “It’s the thought that counts. Besides, you need to take Reina back, remember? You don’t have much time to spare.”

   Bringing up Rei-san made Kubo lose his hesitancy. He looks at the corpse of the Ashura and bows at it.

   “Please forgive me for giving you an improper burial.” he whispers.

   Next, he mutters some words under his breath. When he’s done, a large hole opens up right next to the corpse. He then walks to the corpse, picks it up after casting Strengthen on himself before going inside the hole with it. When he jumps up of the hole, the corpse is nowhere to be seen. He completes the burial by sealing the hole with the ragtag of metallic objects that were used to encase the youkai.

   “I sure hope this won’t give the people who tried to fix the road a heart attack.” he mumbles.

   “No need to worry about them. I’ll report this to Sergeant Wakaba, and she’ll give them a heads-up.” Jin assures him. “Now go pick up Reina and let’s get moving already.”

   Kubo stares at him.

   “Who, me?”

   “Who else? You’re her master, remember?”

   The man got all flustered from that.

   “No no no, there’s no way I can do that! We’re not even going out!”

   “What’s that have to do with picking her up? Now stop being a wuss and do it already.”

   Kubo picked Rei-san up by using princess carry. He’s embarrassed to carry her, but has no qualms about doing a princess carry. Go figure.

   “Doing a princess carry decreases the chance of her body touching mine.” he argued.

   “Sure, sure. Now get a move on.”

   They walk in silence before Jin finally decides to open up a conversation.

   “So, where exactly is your apartment?” he asks.

   “It’s a ten minutes walk from the train station.”

   Jin remembered that the bookstore he, Aldenia and Nyri went to were quite close to the train station as well.

   “Must be nice to live in a convenient area.”

   “There’s not much difference since I don’t need to take the train. I only moved there because it’s close to my workplace.”

   A pause.

   “Or rather, my former workplace once my two weeks are up.”

   “Isn’t the rent at the place expensive, considering its location?”

   “It is, but my uncle owns the particular apartment unit. We get along really well, so he agreed to rent me that place at a reasonable price.”

   How nice of his uncle. Jin has never met any of his five uncles and aunts. Forget getting along, they have never even spoken to each other.

   Soon, the two of them pass by a crossroad. Lots of youkai corpses are seen, not to mention wrecked and/or burning vehicles and other destroyed properties. It’s like a war zone in here, which to be fair it is. Jin saw a stray youkai or two, and all of them lost their lives without knowing what hit them.

   “Um, can I ask you something?” Kubo asks as they walked in complete silence for a while.

   “Yeah?”

   “How did you felt when you made your first kill?”

   There was a pause that lasted a single second before Jin could answer that question. And here he thought he already got over it. He guess that the kill traumatized him more than he thought.

   “I felt so sick I ended up puking out my lunch that I ate a few hours ago.” he confesses honestly.

   Kubo stopped walking and stares at Jin with his jaws dropped. Even with his mask on, Jin could tell that Kubo is putting on a shocked expression.

   “Does that mean that you were disgusted by it?”

   “...What are you trying to imply here?”

   Kubo lets out a loud gasp. He would probably bow frantically if he wasn’t carrying Rei-san.

   “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it that way! What I meant to ask is, were you traumatized by the first killing you did?”

   Jin shrugs.

   “Is that so surprising? I used to be a normal high school kid like everyone else, you know?”

   Kubo realized that he has stopped walking, so he picked up the pace.

   “Who or what did you kill, exactly?” he asks as they walk.

   “It was an orc.” Jin recalls. “A large group of them were being a pain by constantly raiding a village, so I was sent to take them out while they’re inside their cave.”

   “What happened in the end?”

   “I annihilated them all without much of an issue.”

   He pauses.

   “Well, all the undigested breakfast and lunch I ate was puked out, but that’s besides the point.”

   “Did you have, um, nightmares after that?”

   “Surprisingly, no. My hands won’t stop shaking for weeks, though.”

   “And you had to stop your quests and missions for a while?”

   “Nope. I just continued with it like I had no issues.”

   “But, why? Weren’t you traumatized? Or was it because someone forced you to?”

   “I certainly was traumatized, but no one forced me to do any of the things I didn’t want to. I continued because I figured that the fastest way to overcome the trauma is to get used to it.”

   “You mean to tell me that you got used to killing?”

   “Like I said, it’s so that I could overcome the trauma. Or tried to. This is something you can never get used to.”

   Jin points at Kubo.

   “Make sure to engrave the feeling you had when you murdered that Ashura for the rest of your life. How his last moment was, how he looked when he died, leave no details behind. The moment you start thinking that taking lives is as easy as breathing, think of the youkai. Otherwise, you’ll get used to killing.” he warns.

   “Um, isn’t it a good thing if I got used to killing? I mean, I might have to do lots of those in the future.”

   “No, it’s not a good thing. If you got used to killing, you’re just a few steps away from being a homicidal maniac who enjoys taking lives for the heck of it. Do you want to end up like one?”

   Kubo shakes his head vigorously.

   “Then never, ever get used to killing, and remember to feel guilty every time you were done.”

   “I, I understand.”

   He’s looking thoughtfully at Rei-san. He’s probably thinking that he has caused her hands to be covered with blood too.

   “Stop thinking about it. Whether you like it or not, it’s already happened. Rather than feeling guilty all the time, make sure that the two of you survive no matter what.” Jin tells him.

   Kubo merely sighs and continues to walk.

   Eventually, Kubo stops walking.

   “We’re almost at my apartment. I feel that I need a detour in order to shake off those who happened to see us, and a quiet alley for us to drop our disguise.” he tells Jin.

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   Oh good, he’s using his brain now.

   “You do that. I’ll head back to the battlefield.”

   “Um, are you sure that I can take a break for the rest of the night?”

   “I’m sure. Don’t worry about it. The two of you aren’t the only ones who’re fighting anyway. Just recover from your trauma quickly since we might need you for the next fight.”

   “Right. Thank you for tonight and good night.”

   “Yeah. Good night.”

   Now that Kubo and Rei-san are taken care of, it’s time to check on Date Jr.. He did tell her to take it slow, but he doubts that she took his advise to heart since she has a weird sense of duty to purge the city of its invaders.

   “Worry not, I shall take down each and every one of those evil-doers!” she assured him fiercely right before Jin had to split up with her in order to deal with the Gashadokuros.

   …Well, this is worrying.

   “Before you go, I need you to promise me something.”

   “What is it?”

   “While you’re fighting the youkais, never, ever think that you’re on the side of justice.”

   She tilted her head in confusion. She was probably doing that since Jin can’t see her expression while she’s wearing her mask.

   “Aren’t we?”

   Jin is so glad that he decided to have this talk with her.

   “Look, this is a war. There are no good or bad side.”

   “But, they were the ones who started this war! We’re repelling them out of self-defence!” she insisted.

   “And that makes killing them okay?”

   Thankfully, she hesitated at that.

   “Again, this is a war where neither side is at fault. We don’t know their motive, but I’m pretty sure that they have a good reason for attacking us. At least, a reason that they themselves find justifiable. We could argue that we’re killing those from their side out of self-defence until our tongues fall off, but it still doesn’t change the fact that just as they’re trying to kill us, we’re trying to kill them too. Don’t ever think that we’re the ones on the higher side of the moral ground.”

   “...I understand.”

   “Good. Now be careful and don’t go killing-happy, or you’ll seriously lose yourself.”

   “I shall be watching my behaviour at all times.” she promised.

   And now back to the present. Jin takes out his phone to call her. She picked up the call after it rang several times.

   “Hello?”

   “Where are you right now?”

   “At the park right next to the river. I have found and evacuated some civilians who were hiding inside the toilet.”

   “Any youkais there?”

   “There were several, but I have eliminated them all.”

   “I’m heading over there right now, so stay there until I arrive.”

   “Understood.”

   It didn’t take long for Jin to fly to the park mentioned by Date Jr.. When he got there, he sees the corpses of several youkais of different shapes and sizes.

   “Over here, Silver Wolf!”

   Jin looks towards the direction where the sound came from. Date Jr. is standing several hundred meters away from him while waving her hand. He walks to her immediately.

   “Are you hurt?” he asks upon seeing blood on her clothes.

   “Not at all. I have a few light injuries here and there, but they’re nothing too serious.” she reports.

   “That’s good. And? Did you remember what I told you right before we split up?”

   “Of course. I didn’t harbor any malicious thoughts on the youkais as I was, ahem, taking care of them.”

   “Just to be sure, I need to take a look at your eyes. Follow me into the toilet.”

   “Understood.”

   Date Jr. starts to follow Jin, but stops at the entrance of the toilet.

   “...Am I supposed to follow you to the male’s side?” she asks him.

   “Well, duh. You don’t seriously expect me to go to the lady’s side, do you?”

   “But there’s no way I can go to the gentleman’s side, either!” she protests.

   “Let’s face it. It’s not as morally wrong if a girl enters the guy’s side of the toilet.”

   She follows him into the male’s toilet while grumbling softly.

   Once inside, Jin locked the door just in case someone decides to rush in unannounced. Next, he checks all the cubicles. None of them are occupied. When the cost is finally clear, he gestures Date Jr. to remove her mask. She obliges obediently.

   Jin peers at her eyes. Fortunately, her eyes are not gleaming with a murderous light.

   “You don’t have the eyes of a homicidal maniac.” he tells her.

   She sighs in relief.

   “Now let’s get out of here. It would be bad if someone happens to pass by and sees us coming out of here.”

   “You were the one who wanted me to come in here with you.” she reminds him a bit grumpily.

   “Yes, because it’s a really good idea for you to show your face while you’re out in the open.”

   The park is still quiet in an eerie way when they came out of the toilet, and no one has passed by at all. Jin assumes that those who were planning to do so has already evacuated to a safe place.

   “I need to ask. I have killed those youkais quite a while ago. Will there any changes in my eyes even if some time have passed.” Date Jr. asks Jin.

   “Trust me, they will. When I was at Ifezan, I met quite a lot of bloodthirsty maniacs who succumbed to their murderous desires. Their eyes were always shining with a murderous glee, as if they can’t wait for their next kill.”

   Jin notices her trembling slightly.

   “...Look, I hate to frighten you, but this needs to be said. If you’re serious about protecting this city, you need to prevent yourself from going over to the dark side. And that means no giving yourself a green light for killing while thinking that you have a valid reason, ever.”

   “I, I understand. I truly do.”

   Jin sighs.

   “Seeing how shaken you are, I don’t think you should participate in tonight’s fight anymore. You’re dismissed.” he says to her.

   She bows at him apologetically.

   “My apologies for not being able to of use to you.”

   He waved the apology away.

   “Don’t be. We all start out that way, after all. Now go home and take a good night’s rest.”

   “Understood. Please excuse me.”

   Jin waits patiently until she’s well out of his sight until he flies towards the air and almost rams into Estyshana, who chose the exact moment to pass by.

   “Hey, watch it!” she yells.

   “Sorry.” he apologizes.

   She looks downwards.

   “What were you doing down there?” she asks curiously. “Oh, that’s a toilet. You needed to go?”

   Now Jin is torn apart. He would feel bad if he lies here, but he doesn’t want to tell the truth either since she would definitely get jealous. The saving grace came in the form of a phone call. It’s Sergeant Wakaba.

   “I need to answer this. Sergeant Wakaba is calling me.” he tells the demon.

   “Sure. Go ahead.”

   “Hello?”

   “Where are you right now, Silver Wolf?” came the voice of the elder Wakaba from the other side of the phone.

   “At the park. The spot several hundred feet above it, to be exact.”

   “There are still lots of youkais spotted around the city. We need you to come and help us with them!”

   “I’m heading right over.”

   Estyshana pokes his armor with her index finger while pointing at herself.

   “...Correction, we’re heading right over.”

   “Are you with someone right now?”

   “I’ll give you a hint. It’s the freeloader at your house.”

   “Ah, I was wondering where she went when I left the house. And now I can’t decide whether I should be gleeful that the two of you are together, or be curious as to why she’s helping out in the first place.”

   “Do you even have the time for either of those things?”

   “I guess that I don’t. Please head to the National Bank. We’re at somewhere nearby.”

   “Roger that.”

   “So, more trouble?” she asks him once he puts away his phone.

   “Yup.”

   “Lead the way, then.”

   Wordlessly, Jin flies towards the designated area with Estyshana right behind him.

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