After choosing a big adventure at Lupine's Bar

Natsume Takashi remembered the incredible thing before meeting the white snake.

When he was in the 5th grade of elementary school, he lived in a relative's house in Tokyo for a short period of more than 2 months. It was very close to his original home, and it only took about an hour to walk.

Whether it is the memory of the real home or parents has been blurred.

However, the body has memory.

Even if the brain forgets, the body remembers.

The unique smell of the street lingers on the tip of the nose.The aroma from the ramen restaurant at the intersection, the sweet aroma of sugar from the wagashi shop, the cherry blossoms in early spring, the cool spring breeze, the warm aroma of cooking smoke, the hands of parents and children, creating an atmosphere that cannot be interfered with.

This faint sense of familiarity made me anxious.

Not feeling sad or suffering.

I have long been used to not being trusted, no matter how hard I try, I can't get compliments, and I always live in the same house for 3 months.

It's just that, in this familiar and unfamiliar street, I felt that I never cared about it and never knew the name——

lonely.

"When will I become alone?"

"I really want to hurry up and live alone."

Natsume spends time sitting on a swing in the park.

He always spends it like this until the dinner time is almost over, and then he goes to his relatives' house.

Several children of the same age were playing shadow stepping in the park.

The light-haired child just swayed the swing lightly, tiptoed to the ground, and looked at them, with calm eyes in the same light color, without envy or sadness.

At this time, a teasing voice sounded in my ears, softly, with a somewhat dejected hoarse ending.

"That's probably impossible."

The owner of the voice was sitting on the swing beside him, turned his head to look at him, with a free and unrestrained smile on his face, the wind blew the dark red knot behind his head, and it was imprinted in Natsume's eyes full of surprise .

when……?

Since when has he been here?

"Human..." The light-haired boy couldn't help but laugh softly, stretched out his arm and rubbed Natsume's head, "It's impossible to live alone."

"Humans are a social animal and cannot be an island."

"As long as you are alive, you will inevitably have connections with others. In modern society, there is a clear division of labor, one link after another, even if you go to live in seclusion in the deep mountains and old forests alone."

Natsume thought about it and thought it made sense.

"Then what should I do..."

The suspicious big brother patted his head.

"Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Then you have to share everything with others, and nothing is entirely your own."

His slender and pale fingertips lightly touched the child's heart.

"Including, your life. This is no longer something that belongs to you alone."

"Because of this, there will be sadness, laughter, hatred, joy, happiness...and then there will be compassion for others."

"This is how a happy life is built. If you think about it this way, it's not a bad thing, right?"

Natsume's lips parted and then tightened, and she was about to say something, but was interrupted again.

"Ah, isn't this Natsume-kun? What are you talking to yourself?"

After a closer look, it was the aunt of the neighbor next door.

She covered her mouth with her fingers, with a confused look on her face, and at the same time, there was a subtle sense of repulsion and disgust.

For a moment, even breathing almost stopped.

My heart beat faster, and under the disappointment that I mistook youkai for humans again, I desperately searched for countermeasures to fool the past.

"I'm sorry, sorry, I chatted with him for a while. Recently, I see him sitting here alone after school every day, and he doesn't play with other children. I feel a little worried."

"I'm not a bad person."

"Ah... sorry, I didn't notice you just now..." She looked embarrassed as if she just saw a big living person beside her, and immediately found an excuse to leave.

"Don't play too late, your uncle, aunt and sister will be worried."

Deceiving.

They are not worried.

I wouldn't bother them until dinner time is better.

"Sorry, I thought you were..." Halfway through, Natsume realized something was wrong and stopped.

The other party crossed his legs, put his elbows on his legs, rested his chin on one hand, and said with a smirk, "You think I'm a monster?"

"Hey." Natsume was stunned.

"You...can you see it too?" This is a careful temptation with great courage.

"Hmm...is that so? Guess what? If you guess right, I'll treat you to taiyaki...do you like white or black stuffing?"

"Hack it... wait... no!" He realized that he seemed to be being tricked.

Completely run with this person.

"I like white stuffing, but I also want to eat black stuffing... You can share it with me later."

"...Is this the default and I will guess right?"

"No, no, if you guess wrong, I'll give you both, and you watch me eat."

A strange sense of competitiveness arises.

For the first time since I can remember, I feel angry.

Originally, he would blurt out the word "youkai", so he wouldn't be able to relate to ordinary people who can't see... But given his character of teasing people, maybe he just said it casually?

I don't understand.

It's too difficult to understand.

He seldom communicated with others, and it was too difficult to meet people of this level all at once.

"...I think you can see monsters." Natsume hesitated, and said what he thought was the correct answer.

The unknown boy snapped his fingers, "Correct answer."

"But I must tell you something that may disappoint you first. I am not human."

There are no more ups and downs in life than this.

"...Monsters? But just now Auntie can see..." He fell silent as he spoke.

Because he thought that there are some powerful monsters that can let humans see themselves.

"No," the boy was still smiling, narrowing his pure black eyes, "I'm an artifact."

"Artifact?"

"Is this the first time I've heard of it?"

Summer nodded.

"Well...how should I explain it." He seemed distressed.

But this man really thinks that one out is one out.

He pointed to himself with his finger, "I am Mingyin."

Natsume took the new topic with difficulty, "Natsume, Natsume Takashi (Takashi)"

"Then, Tatyann, I'm going to buy taiyaki, just wait a moment."

"Uh-huh."

Expensive sauce?

What an embarrassing statement.

Neither of my parents ever called me that.

By the way, parents...

They have always called themselves "Guizhi" directly.

Why do I suddenly think of it now? Obviously, the memory of that time has been vague for a long time.

Is it because the atmosphere of this street is too nostalgic?

Natsume sat obediently on the swing, holding the iron chain, waiting for the agreed taiyaki.

"Come on, it's still hot, be careful." Mingyin handed him a piece of taiyaki, and sat down beside him with the other.

"thanks……"

……

"Bitting from the side is not easy to leak out."

"Hey, is that so...Thank you."

They sat on the swing like this, eating taiyaki bite by bite, silent until the sun went down and dusk came.

It's not that I haven't eaten Taiyaki, and my relatives will buy one for themselves, but I always feel...

I want to cry so much.

Gentle movements, natural exhortations, stroking the cool palm on the top of the head...

In the next second, the other party's act of destroying the atmosphere made him hold back his tears.

He suddenly tilted his entire upper body, moved his head in front of his hand, and snatched away the remaining tail with the stuffing in it.

Natsume was stupid.

"As expected, white stuffing is more delicious..." After swallowing it, he wiped off the crumbs around his mouth with his fingers, and commented lightly.

Then don't eat it!

Natsume wanted to yell like that, but he held back.

"So, Mr. Mingyin, have you figured out how to explain it, artifact."

"Huh?" The other party seemed to have just remembered such a thing, and suddenly didn't remember what he asked.

"Ah, that... I think it's easier for you to see it with your own eyes. After all, there are more bustling areas near Ginza..."

He looked at the sky, it was the time when day and night were handing over.

"Should be coming soon... Ah, we'll be there soon..." He sat up from the swing and waved to the distance.

"Night Fight!"

The blue-eyed boy in full tracksuit yelled in frustration as he ran for his life:

"You bastard! Why did you lose contact while I was working so hard!!! Since when did you become this uncute look! Give me back the cute Mingyin I used to be!"

"No, no, don't you think it's cute enough that I haven't switched jobs yet when we're about to be together for 13 years?"

Yato dodged the long-tongued attack of the frog-shaped monster behind him, stretched his hand aside, and made a false grip.

"Ming weapon!"

From the mid-air on the left side of Mingyin's waist and abdomen, dark red characters appeared, and then, the whole person turned into a ray of light, flying straight into Yato's hand, and manifested as a straight sword.

A black scabbard with a dark red tassel tied to the end of the handle.

Yato turned his wrist, and after he was out of the sheath, the bright sharp edge accompanied by a clear echo, split the monster with a hard-to-see from the middle, and killed it neatly.

After landing on the ground with a handsome posture on purpose, he sheathed the saber, opened his ice-blue eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Sharp weapon, reveal your form."

After the long knife turned into a human form again, he smiled at the children beside him and said, "It's amazing, right? I am a weapon, a weapon of gods."

"Who is this? Your illegitimate child?" Yato said as if his brain was short-circuited.