Hoping that temple life would become even a little easier. Hoping to be able to repay even a little of the debt to Himejima who took in Kaigaku.
The medicine made with such intentions was receiving quite a good reputation in the village. It reached the point where people would come directly to the temple to buy the medicine even before Kaigaku went out to sell it.
Perhaps that was the problem.
"Get out!!"
A shout echoed. An incense burner thrown in anger rolled to my feet.
Why are children's voices so straight and sharp? I thought dazedly, facing the boy who glared at me with teary eyes.
The boy's name was Kenta. A boy with a crew cut, about the same age as Kaigaku.
Sayo clung to Kenta's clothes, desperately pleading, "Don't fight, stop it," but Kenta ignored her and stomped his feet loudly.
"If you're here, even the teacher gets insulted! They call him the head priest of a temple where monsters live!!"
The trigger was when villagers who came to the temple to buy medicine accidentally saw my appearance.
They saw me with white hair and red eyes and showed obvious displeasure, doubting Himejima's sanity for taking in such a thing. They hurled insults, saying not only my eyes but even my hair was strange.
Those words unfortunately reached Kenta's ears, leading to this.
"The teacher did nothing wrong! It's because of you... you're the reason!"
Kenta couldn't bear Himejima being insulted. And he couldn't forgive me, the cause of those insults.
Being criticized for my appearance was sad, but what was even sadder was that I had become accustomed to such things.
"Get out, get out!! Leave the temple right now!"
"......Yeah, I get it. Sorry."
Actually, I had planned to stay until the temple's situation improved a bit. I wanted to stay, but after hearing such words, there was no choice. I didn't want Himejima to be criticized because of me either.
Himejima, who is blind, received work through the goodwill of the villagers. If bad rumors spread and that work was cut off, no amount of apology would be enough.
This peaceful life must never be threatened.
"Tell Himejima to take good care of things in my place."
I was planning to leave someday anyway. The only thing weighing on my mind was Kaigaku, but that child was now fully a member of the temple.
This place had wisteria incense burning, so there was no need to worry about demon attacks. No problem at all. Even if I disappeared, the temple's tomorrow would be no different from usual.
"Kaigaku, you must get along well with the temple family."
Saying that, Meichiro patted my head.
"Live happily here."
He said with the most beautiful smile.
"Take care."
Those were the only parting words.
I knew Meichiro was wandering various places to find something. So, I was clearly prepared that he would leave this place someday.
Even so, this farewell was too sudden, leaving no sense of reality, let alone mental preparation.
I had been pondering whether to follow Meichiro or stay at the temple like this, but before I could make that decision, he left the temple.
The reason for the sudden farewell became clear shortly after.
He didn't leave. He was driven out. Kenta drove him out, they said. Because if there was a white-haired, red-eyed guy, the temple's and Himejima's reputation would suffer.
The moment I heard that, I could plainly see what that kind guy must have done, what his feelings were, as clear as the palm of my hand.
"Don't make me laugh, you bastard!!"
When I shouted with all my might, Kenta cried.
Why are you crying? Don't make me laugh. I'm the one who wants to cry, brother.
With angry steps, I ran down the corridor. Sayo followed, sobbing, "Wait...", "I don't want to fight...", but I ignored her and dashed into the room where the money was.
When we first came to this temple, Meichiro put all the money he had into this jar. Since then, all the money earned at the temple was also inside here.
That overly kind guy couldn't be clever enough to slyly steal travel expenses from this jar. It was obvious he left penniless. Don't make me laugh, how does he plan to live? Without me, he can't even go out to sell medicine!
Shouting that internally, I grabbed a handful of coins from the jar.
"Wait, Kaigaku! What are you doing?!"
Hearing the commotion, the temple children flocked in. Who cares?
"That's temple money! You can't steal it!"
"Shut up! This is money brother earned by selling medicine! It's our money!"
"Hey, Kaigaku! Where are you going? It's already night!"
"They said you shouldn't wander at night!"
"If you don't stop, I'll tell the teacher!!"
"Do as you like, you maggots!!"
Clutching the coins, I rushed out into the mountains as the sun set. Where could Meichiro be? He probably didn't go far.
"Brother, brother...!"
Muttering like a prayer the words I had been too shy to call him until now, I wandered through the mountains.
Dusk was engulfed by the darkness of night, and an owl's cry echoed eerily from somewhere. When I was with Meichiro, night wasn't scary.
Running along the mountain path searching for Meichiro until my straw sandals were covered in mud, I ended up encountering it.
"Well, looks like a brat with nothing to eat."
My eyes met a demon with two horns.
Kenta shouted to get out, and after Meichiro left the temple, Kaigaku got angry.
Hearing the series of circumstances sobbed out by Sayo, Sachie, the oldest among them, was furious to the point her hair stood on end.
"Did you think the teacher would be happy if you did such a thing?!"
"Sniff, I'm sorry~~!!"
I could understand Kenta's feelings as he shed tears. He couldn't bear their protector and benefactor, Teacher Himejima, being spoken ill of.
"But Kenta, you should have been angry at the people who insulted that child and Himejima, not at Meichiro. Meichiro did nothing wrong."
When Kazuma, the second oldest after Himejima at the temple, admonished him like that, Kenta seemed to realize his mistake and burst into even louder tears.
The other children also drooped their shoulders and looked glum, saying, "We said too harsh things to Kaigaku..."
"I'm going to look for Kaigaku and Meichiro now!"
"Me too! They probably haven't gone far...?"
"Let's tell the teacher and ask for help searching."
"No!"
The one who stopped the children was Sachie.
"We can't tell the teacher. He's already tired from working all day, we can't cause him unnecessary worry. Let's keep this a secret."
"Then what about Meichiro and Kaigaku? Just leave them be?!"
"We'll go look for them! But secretly after the teacher falls asleep. Got it?"
Both Meichiro and Kaigaku were still children. Moreover, the mountain path at night is hard to walk. Hoping they were resting somewhere, the children decided to split up and search for the two.
"If the teacher looks for them, tell him they're sleeping. When night comes, we'll search ourselves, and tell the teacher everything tomorrow morning."
Sachie quickly gave instructions and went back to prepare dinner. The children acted as usual so that Himejima wouldn't notice the two's absence.
"What do we do, the incense is almost out."
"If we light it, it'll go out soon."
"Where are the new ones?"
"Meichiro made them, right?"
Previously, they bought incense from the village, but after Meichiro came, they used what he made. Recently, lighting the incense was mainly Kaigaku's responsibility, so the children didn't know where the new incense was stored.
Teacher Himejima might know, but they hesitated, afraid it would raise suspicion if they asked why they weren't asking Meichiro or Kaigaku.
"Just one night should be fine, right?"
"It'll be fine. Demons are just superstition anyway."
"Right. When Meichiro and Kaigaku return, we can ask them then."
"......Will Kaigaku forgive me if I apologize?"
"I need to apologize to Meichiro too. I said harsh things telling him to get out..."
"It's okaaay!"
The one who spoke brightly to the dejected children was the youngest, Sayo.
"Meichiro and Kaigaku are super, super kind!"
The pure-hearted girl smiled with an innocent smile.
As if there was nothing scary in this world.
"Let's make a deal. If you listen to me, I'll spare your life."
The demon said. Fixing its gaze on me as I trembled and collapsed with weak legs, it made that proposal with a disgusting smile.
"There's a temple over there, right?"
To not antagonize the demon before me, I could only nod my head.
"I want to meet the white-haired, red-eyed one living there."
"......Meichiro?"
"I don't know names. Just heard rumors in the village. That a white-haired, red-eyed one is at the temple."
Just from the way it licked its lips, I could tell it intended to eat Meichiro.
"But there, they burn wisteria incense, so demons like me can't get close."
Until hearing that, I thought wisteria incense repelling demons was a baseless superstition. But seeing it click its tongue in disgust, wisteria incense seemed to be a smell demons genuinely hate.
"So, brat, you extinguish the wisteria incense. To let me enter the temple."
If I shook my head here, I would die.
I don't want to die. I don't want to be eaten. That kind of ending is unacceptable even in death.
"Ah, okay... then you'll spare me...?"
"Yeah. I like brats who understand well."
Whipping my legs that wouldn't stop trembling, I took step by step toward the temple. The demon followed a few steps behind, as if watching me.
I didn't shake off the demon and run. Even if my feet were fast enough, there was no guarantee I could escape from an unknown monster.
Moreover, the demon's target was Meichiro. But Meichiro had already left the temple, so he wasn't where I was heading. For Meichiro's safety, I deliberately aimed for the temple where brother wasn't.
"Hey, brat. How many people are in the temple?"
"......Eight children, one adult."
"Right, of course! If I can eat that many, a brat like you with no appeal won't even whet my appetite!"
My heart pounded. It was scary, feeling like it would burst through my chest, and sticky sweat wouldn't stop. But that wasn't from guilt over selling out the temple people to the demon.
I intended to trick this demon.
The demon hates wisteria incense. So, it couldn't get close to the temple where the incense was burning. By pretending to extinguish the incense and escaping into the area of the scent where the demon couldn't reach, the demon wouldn't be able to lay a hand on me or the temple people.
......Thinking about Kenta driving out Meichiro made me feel conflicted, but that didn't mean he deserved to die.
I liked Himejima. I liked that person who took in me and Meichiro as much as Meichiro did.
I didn't want him to experience danger. I didn't want to damage that space where Meichiro relaxed and smiled, saying "How happy." Because I was happy too.
Moreover, even if I survived by sacrificing the temple people, I didn't think I could face Meichiro properly.
If I return to the temple, I'll explain the situation to Himejima and ask him to help search for Meichiro together.
Until this point, I believed without doubt that my plan would succeed.
But.
"......What, the incense isn't burning today."
In front of the temple where no incense smell wafted, my head went blank. My heart beat violently as if crushing my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
But that wasn't just because the wisteria incense wasn't burning. I wanted to believe the scene unfolding before my eyes was an illusion.
The temple was as peaceful as always, and cheerful shadows were cast on the sliding doors. Even without me or Meichiro, those guys were so ordinarily happy it made me laugh.
Seeing that scene, my chest tightened. My stomach twisted and I felt nauseous.
They were fine without me.
Even if Meichiro disappeared, Himejima was unaffected.
I believed. I believed, I believed. Surely, they would search for us.
Or, was I wrong to believe on my own? Did I lack the eye to see people? Was I just one of the many who, even if disappeared, wouldn't change anything, not special, not irreplaceable?
Leaving me standing there wanting to scream from betrayal, the demon stepped into the temple.
The start of the tragedy was instantaneous. Screams erupted. Blood splattered on the sliding doors.
I turned my back on all of it and fled into the night mountains.
I did nothing wrong.
Kenta who drove out Meichiro is bad.
Himejima who didn't search for us is bad.
The guys who didn't properly burn the wisteria incense are bad.
Meichiro who left without taking me is also bad.
All, everyone else is bad. I was just unlucky. That's the only bad thing.
I blamed everything on others. Afraid of hearing that I should have died alone when meeting the demon.
Running through blurred vision. Now, there's nowhere to go. Even Meichiro, whom I so wanted to meet, I never want to see again.
I don't think I can face him properly anymore.
·
·
·
"Did you hear? That temple story."
"Heard it, heard it. The one where the monk killed the children, right."
"They say the scene was blood-stained. Like hell."
"The surviving child is too scared to speak now."
"That murderer guy is shouting 'a demon did it'."
"While being a demon himself."
"Definitely. He should be executed soon."
Escaping through the whispering rumors, I left the village.
Where to go? Somewhere far, very far. Far enough to escape from this creaking in my chest.
Even if some happiness comes in the future, even if there are kind encounters——
My heart will never be filled again.
Inside the prison cell where only death awaited, Himejima Gyomei simply sat.
Even in a dazed state, not breaking his proper sitting posture might have been due to habits ingrained as the head priest.
A demon appeared at the temple. Four died first. Trying to protect the remaining children, but three didn't listen and ran outside, ultimately meeting death. The only one left alive was little Sayo, who followed Himejima's words.
To protect that one unbroken life, Himejima Gyomei was desperate.
He swung his fist at the existence that emitted an ugly aura, taking human form and speaking human words, yet never to be called human. With that one thought of protecting Sayo.
For the first time in his life, he hit someone. The power was overwhelming, and the demon, perhaps judging it couldn't easily win, whispered close to Himejima's neck in a mocking voice.
"I made a deal with that brat. That guy sold out you temple people to save himself."
It was probably the demon's cunning scheme to shake Himejima and mentally break this unexpectedly resilient man.
As per the demon's scheme, Himejima fell into despair. But even while sinking in despair, he continued hitting the demon beyond anger.
As if to crush the fact of being betrayed by a child he lived with like family— again and again, and again, and again.
At dawn, the demon vanished like an illusion. The villagers who rushed in late were frightened by the temple's devastation, feared the blood-stained man, and due to confused Sayo's testimony, Himejima Gyomei was imprisoned as a murderer.
'......Who extinguished the wisteria incense? Who brought the demon to the temple?'
Inside the closed prison cell, he thought only of that.
Meichiro.
Kaigaku.
Who sold us out?
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