amatsuki 86

amatsuki 86

125
Beni: If what that creature said was true...
Beni: Then there are countless ayakashi lurking in the mist...
Beni: All along the demon paths.
Beni: And those ayakashi may already have been driven mad.
Beni: Even if we defeat the Yakou, we may have to content with these other demons.
Beni: ...But it is the duty of the Onmyouryou to patrol these paths.
Text: [Chapter 86: Mixed Weeds]
Beni: You have our full support.
Toki: I know.  Thank you, Beni-san.
Toki: But...
Toki: You guys must be pretty shorthanded though, right?
Toki: I think I'll be okay from here on.
Toki: Somehow or another...

126
Beni: ...In that case, I must report back to the others.
Toki: Okay.
Toki: Be careful!
Beni: Rikugou-san...
Beni: Forgive me.
Beni: There's something I wish to say, but...
Beni: I can't seem to find the right words.
Toki: Beni-san...
Beni: It's not enough to simply wish you "good luck."
Beni: So I'll promise you this:
Beni: When you return, there will always be a place for you with us.

127
Toki: Thank you.
Text: [Chapter 86: Mixed Weeds]
Hashita: So...
Hashita: uh...

128
Hashita: How long is he going to stay like this?
Tsuyukusa: Chirp!
Bonten: Just don't touch it.
Demons: Lord of Heaven's Seat...
SFX: [*step*]
Demons: Soon we must return to the earth and begin the purification rites.
Demons: Regretably, we do not know what the Yakou and the Nue plan to do.
Demons: However...
Demons: We trust that you will be able to deal with them.
Bonten: ...Yeah.
Bonten: I don't know what else I *can* do, though.
Demons: Don't say that.
Demons: We creatures of the earth are powerless, so you have our deepest gratitude.
Demons: Even if it's hopeless...
Demons: This is your destiny.
Bonten: ...Destiny, huh?

129
Elder: Are you not the son of Byakuroku?
Demons: Great Elder!
Demons: Great Elder!
Elder: Now *he* was an unusual ayakashi.
Elder: Even by the standards of we great demons, he was strange.
Elder: Although he lived and raised his children in the forest, he chose to consort with humans.
Elder: Or perhaps he simply preferred not to associate with us?
Elder: And then his children, too, chose humans over their own kind.
SFX: [*ohohoho*]
Elder: Even if I live a thousand lifetimes, I'll never understand that.
Bonten: ......
Bonten: So what if Byakuroku liked humans?
Elder: I'm asking why *you* seem so fond of them.
Elder: Please don't misunderstand.  I'm not trying to belittle you.
Elder: Nor can I force you to do something
Elder: That you yourself don't wish to do.

130
Elder: Whether to associate with humans
Elder: Or not
Elder: Is your choice.
Elder: But on the path you have chosen,
Elder: You are nothing more than an tool.
Elder: You don't believe me?
Elder: Take that human, for instance.  No ayakashi wished such a fate upon him.
Elder: What happened to him was god's punishment.
Elder: And yet he lived.
Elder: That strange half-life
Elder: Was due to his own strength of will.
Elder: Don't blame yourself for the decisions of others.
Elder: Or you will be the one to suffer.

131
Elder: Don't be so egotistical.
Elder: You could stand to learn some discipline.
Elder: Or I'll have to pinch your cheeks.
Elder: I think I might enjoy that.
Toki: ...Whoa, so there are ayakashi like that too, huh?
Tree Spirit: Hm?
Toki: I guess it's hard to hear the truth.
Toki: Whether it's good or bad.

132
Tree Spirit: I guess it is!
Tree Spirit: But he's a tree spirit, so he's bound to be a little odd.
Tree Spirit: I think "determination" is something unique to humans, though.
Tree Spirit: We ayakashi live as one with nature, so our strength is in our adaptability.
Tree Spirit: But perhaps we are too hasty.
Tree Spirit: When a situation looks hopeless, we often give up.
Tree Spirit: We think to ourselves "perhaps my descendents will evolve to meet this challenge."
Tree Spirit: But humans...
Tree Spirit: Never give up on themselves.
Tree Spirit: It doesn't matter who you ask.
Tree Spirit: They will all say that there's nothing they can't do.
Tree Spirit: They're capable of great change.
Tree Spirit: Perhaps it's true that human desires will darken the world,
Tree Spirit: But humans have the power to change fate.

133
Tree Spirit: Or at least that's what I think.
Kon: Isn't that kind of terrifying?  We could screw up.
Tree Spirit: (ahaha) Terrifying?
Kon: Well, isn't it?
Toki: [Not really?]
Toki: [Hey, we can learn from experience!]
Kon: [Hahahahaha]
Tree Spirit: Tsuyukusa-san...
Tsuyukusa: *peep*
Tree Spirit: I know things may seem hard right now, but please try to get through it.
Tree Spirit: Everything's going to be alright.
Tree Spirit: Your ancestor and your adoptive father survived many hardships, too.
Tree Spirit: Nothing is impossible.

134
Tree Spirit: Right now, our new branches may be small and weak, but we'll grow.
Tree Spirit: And I'm sure we'll meet again!
Imayou: Woof!
Utsubushi: Well, it looks like the mist is starting to dissipate.
Utsubushi: What a relief!  I was worried about flying into it.
Utsubushi: [Thank goodness!]
Hashita: You're a pretty smart bird, huh?
Utsubushi: Compared to you, anyway! (hmph!)
Hashita: Uh, so why were all of those bird dudes bowing to me?
Tengu: [It's been a long time, sir.]
Utsubushi: [Because they think you're me!!]
SFX: [*gaah!*]
Hashita: [Haha, I guess so.]
Toki: Oh, right...

135
Toki: I almost forgot.  We haven't figured out what to do about Hashita-san yet...
Toki: [What are we going to do...?]
Kon: ......
Utsubushi: Is what he said true?  Are you really a human from the other world?
Toki: Yeah.
Toki: He's a friend of mine.  He used to be a police detective.
Kon: A detective?
Toki: Oh!
Toki: Right, you wouldn't know that word.
Toki: [Hmm...]
Toki: A detective is...
Toki: Um...
Kon: Sheesh, you don't have to define every word!  I'm not stupid.
Kon: [*huff*]
SFX: [*fidget*]

SFX: [*sigh*]
Toki: ......
Toki: ...I wonder if Kon's memories of the real world are still inside him somewhere?
Toki: Even though they were overwritten...
Toki: Maybe he's like Ginshu-san, and there's still a part of "Shinonome" in "Kon."
Toki: I wonder...

136
Toki: [But...]
Toki: [If the old Shinonome comes back,]
Toki: [Then...]
Toki: [What happens to this Kon?]
Toki: [Is he like Utsubushi-san,]
Toki: [With two separate consciousnesses attached to one body?]
Toki: [Or is he like Ginshu-san and Byakuroku-san,]
Toki: [Where one consciousness forced the other one out?]
Toki: [What is Kon?]
Kon: Toki?
SFX: [*shock*]

137
Kon: Are you okay?
Toki: I... uh...
Toki: It's...
Toki: It's nothing.
SFX: [*grab*]
Toki: [I'm overthinking it.]
Bonten: Hey, Rikugou!
Toki: Huh?
Bonten: We've got to wait for Tsuyukusa to recover,
Bonten: So we might as well take a break.

138
Toki: Oh,
Toki: Okay.
Toki: I wonder how long it will take before Tsuyukusa can be moved?
Tsuyukusa: Peep~~~~~~
Bonten: Well...
Bonten: It's never happened before,
Bonten: But it can't take that long, right?
Bonten: Although...
Bonten: If we move him before he's stable, he might just be a blob of jelly or something.
SFX: [*hmm*]
SFX: [*ooze ooze*]
Tsuyukusa: Tokiiii...
Toki: GAH!
Toki: [I'M SO SORRY, TSUYUKUSAAAA!!!]
Toki: [Uwaaaaaaah!!]
SFX: [*hahaha*]
Bonten: I was just joking.
Bonten: But now that I think about it,
Bonten: That jellyfish was created as a reflection of you when we faced the mermaid and those crab things.
Bonten: An ayakashi with the power to make things like would have to be able to see everything about you.
Bonten: And then essetially recreate you.
Bonten: I initialy thought that the jellyfish was just an empty shell that anchored Tsuyukusa's soul by way of the seal that Rikugou drew,
Bonten: But it can't be that simple.

139
Toki: [So...]
Text: [Crab Thing +]
Text: [Me (copy of my consciousness)]
Text: [-> Jellyfish]
Text: [Jellyfish]
Text: [+ Tsuyukusa]
Text: [= Some Kind Of Weird Hybrid]
Toki/Tsuyukusa: [Haha!]
Bonten: That's not exactly what I had in mind.
Bonten: Let me explain.
Bonten: I think the seal actually overwrote your information with his.
Text: [The Jellyfish Copy of Toki < Tsuyukusa's Soul]
Text: [-> Overwrite and Delete]
Text: [-> Install]
Bonten: But who knows?  Maybe he'll have access to all of Rikugou's thoughts?
Toki: EH!?
SFX: [*shock*]
Toki: Wait, what!?
Toki: This is so embarassing!
SFX: [*waaaah!*]
Toki: Isn't this some kind of privacy infringement!?
SFX: [*noooooo*]
Kon: And how is this different from normal?
SFX: [*gaaaaaah*]
Toki: [Okay, let's look at all of your secrets and see how you like it!!]
SFX: [*gaaaaah*]
Kon: [No way.]
SFX: [*shake shake*]
Bonten: Haha...
Bonten: Hahahaha!

140
SFX: [*huh?*]
Utsubushi: You actually made Bonten laugh!
SFX: [*flap flap*]
Utsubushi: And he's been stuffy and mopey ever since he was little!
Utsubushi: I've worried about him so much...
Toki: [Uh...]
Utsubushi: [But now, somehow, I've been reduced to comic relief...]
SFX: [*flap flap*
Hashita: Uh, maybe he's just relieved, you know?
Utsubushi: Toki,
Utsubushi: Thank you.
Toki: Huh?
Utsubushi: I've been supporting Bon for a long time, but one thing I could never do was make him laugh.
Hashita: Yeah, thanks.
Toki: Utsubushi-san...
Toki: Hashita-san....

141
Bonten: What the hell kind of "support" is this!?
SFX: [*glare glare glare*]
SFX: [*grr grr grrrrr*]
SFX: [*doom doom doom*]
Bonten: Just shut your damned mouths!!
Bonten: What do two bird-brains know, anyway?
Hashita: But I'm a human!!
Bonten: I don't know what the hell you are!!
Toki: The first time I met him...
Toki: I thought he seemed like someone who had suffered a lot.
Kon: Huh?

142
Bonten: [??]
Toki: Maybe I'm just a coward, but...
Toki: I'm afraid of hurting people, and I'm afraid of being hurt.
Toki: If I'm like a shield, then he's like a sword.
Toki: [This guy looks like he's been through a lot.]
Toki: A sword can hurt others, but it can also hurt the person using it.
Toki: Some people are like that, too.
Bonten: [So you think you can go through life without hurting anyone, huh?]
Toki: [You want to use me?]
Toki: I think he's definitely like a sword.
Toki: It's hard to get close to people like him...
Toki: Because you're always afraid of getting hurt.
Glasses Guy: [By senior year, you'll forget all about us.]
Toki: [Long time no see, Hashita-san!]
Toki: [Back then, I never had trouble getting along with people.  I'd just delete the old friends and overwrite them with new ones.]
Toki: But if you don't have any relationships with people, you don't grow.
Toki: I understand that now.
Toki: I'm kinda jealous of him, actually.
Toki: Bonten's really good at making enemies.
Toki: But somehow he's not actually scary.
Toki: I guess I envy the way he draws people to him.

143
Kon: So you wanna make enemies,
Kon: Huh?
SFX: [*hehe*]
SFX: [*haha...*]
Toki: Uh...
Kon: We could fight over girls.
SFX: [*leer*]
Toki: No way!!!
Kon: Well, I guess you already have a rival in that department.
Toki: ...Yeah.
Toki: I guess.
Toki: Should I be grateful or something...?
Text: [It's his first time having a rival.]
SFX: [*grumble*]
Kon: Man, you guys really don't get along, huh?
Toki: Not really.
Toki: [Don't look at me like that!]
Toki: But the next time I see him, maybe I'll give him a piece of my mind...
Toki: That's what Bonten would do, right?

144
SFX: [*glow glow*]
SFX: [*step step*]
Kanzou: Damn it...
Kanzou: Where are you, Inugami?
SFX: [*huff huff*]
Kanzou: Kuchiha!!
Kanzou: Come on!!
SFX: [*glow*]
Kanzou: Let's go back!!
Inugami: Back to where?
SFX: [*shock*]
Kanzou: !

145
Kanzou: ......
Kanzou: No way...
Kanzou: ...!?
Kanzou: !
SFX: [*ahaha aha*]
SFX: [*woohoo!*]

146
SFX: [*throw throw*]
SFX: [*bwahahaha*]
SFX: [*hahaha*]
SFX: [*creak*]
Kanzou: !!
Kanzou: Kuchi...
Kanzou: ha...
SFX: [*shock*]
Kanzou: Wh...
Kanzou: What the fuck!?
Inugami: You want to go back?
Kanzou: !

147
Inugami: Back to where?
Inugami: Back to when she was yours?
Inugami: Or...
Inugami: Back to before I made you mine?
Kanzou: ......
Kanzou: Can I really...
Kanzou: Go back?
SFX: [*bite*]

148
Kuchiha: Bounce,
Kuchiha: bounce,
Kuchiha: bounce.
SFX: [*spin spin*]
Kuchiha: Bounce, bounce.
SFX: [*spin spin*]
Inugami: Then, shall we
Inugami: Rewind time?
SFX: [*surprise*]
SFX: [*bounce bounce*]
SFX: [*spin spin spin*]
Kuchiha: Grandpa,
Kuchiha: You're late!