Mob Yandere

Chapter 113.3

chapter 113.3

[part 3/5]

noticing the shift in the atmosphere, tamaki became slightly frightened but still explained to us.

"can you tell me when it happened in terms of the timeline? was it before you met botan?"

'( ゚▽ ゚*) i guess that was during the haitei raoyue!'

"um... i think it was the third room i entered? yeah, it was a room i encountered well before meeting botan-san."

both botan and i seemed to have a suspicion after hearing her explanation.

"so, you encountered shishimai in 'mayoiga' shortly after getting lost, right?"

"y-yes, but..."

"what was the characteristic of the room where you got lost initially?"

"huh? um... it was an indoor room, similar to this one. it was a small study with a writing desk and cushions. there were hanging scrolls and a brazier too."

"...and there were no youkai or creatures of that kind?"

"no. but when i rushed out into the corridor to find an exit, i was attacked."

botan chimed in from the side and tamaki recalled the details of the situation and answered.

'i see, so you encountered that entity. hohoho, how ironic, as they say, the darkest place is right under the lighthouse.'

"is that sarcasm? ...well, it seems like you've found the clue, servant."

botan chuckled at hummingbird's cheerful laughter while i gave a strong nod, agreeing with the conclusion they reached through analyzing youkai psychology. i had also cross-referenced the information with the original work.

i see, so that's what happened. it makes sense that 'mayoiga' revealed shishimai asami as the hidden card at that moment.

"well then, shall i use this?"

saying so, botan leaned against the wall and took out a small compass. she then wrapped something around the red-painted tip of the needle.

"animal fur?"

"i managed to pluck some during the close combat."

tamaki tilted her head in confusion, and botan answered matter-of-factly. apparently, she had borrowed some of shishimai's mane-like hair during their battle when they entered the gate. it served as a catalyst for the curse of finding things... the needle of the compass, originally pointing north, was now indicating the direction shishimai had vanished to. the needle was slightly moving, suggesting that she was likely still on the move.

"...are we planning to pursue her?"

having grasped the rough direction of shishimai's whereabouts, tamaki looked up at me with a tense expression and asked. there was a sense of determination in her gaze. however...

"oh, no, we're not going after her."

"huh?"

'σ(; ゚д゚) huh!?'

tamaki was taken aback by my brief response, and even the spider-youkai seemed surprised. well, can't blame them.

"um, well... then, why did you use the 'curse of lost items'?"

"simply put, it's to go in the opposite direction. ...let's go. hey, why are you still patting your butt?!"

* * *

while cutting down the ittan-momen flying around from the bedding shelf one by one with teguruma and dagger, i retort so.

"flustered? what do you mean?"

"because the attacking youkai are obviously too many!!"

as i shout that, i fling a handful of pebbles with a slingshot at a blue-purple monster that seems to be lurking in the mansion, rushing at full speed from behind. the face with a strange expression had unnecessarily large eyes, making it easy to hit them dead on.

'gyaaaah!!?'

covering its face and screaming, it still charges, so i meet it head-on. we clash, it lunges, and just before it runs me over, i bend my body backward and use teguruma to cut off its legs. its shoddy figurine-like body loses balance and it crashes face-first into the floor. just to be sure, i go for its neck, aiming for the spinal cord to finish it off.

whether it was the stalker from the art club whom i kicked to death earlier or the blue, human-shaped deformity i just killed, i knew the original sources. they were supposed to be minions confined to specific rooms, not attacking randomly from everywhere.

"this guy... is probably hurriedly gathering youkai from the nearest room and throwing them in."

'( ́・ω・`) i feel like it's giving up.'

yeah, it must have panicked because we were advancing toward it. the attackers lacked unity, and they seemed to be a hastily assembled army that didn't even consider room compatibility or tactics.

(if they're trying to stall for time, we just need to keep pushing forward...!!)

as if emerging from the darkness, a slender, nanban black dress-wearing monster appears, and i bisect it with teguruma the moment it arrives. stepping over its remains, we continue to press forward. giving mayoiga even a second longer than necessary was not a wise move.

"tomobe-kun, the room next to us...!!"

'`(*>_<*)′ this stinks!!'

"wha!? what!?"

the protagonist and the spider warn me. before i can grasp their meaning, the sliding door and the wall are blown away, and it appears. a red-black mass of flesh, emitting a foul odor that fills the room. a face with sagging flesh reflected in my vision. and then, a fist, a backhand, is swung.

"go!!"

i swiftly kick up the pale-skinned member of the art club (no. 2) who was right next to me. with a wall-like slap, they turn into minced meat and embed into the wall. good job!!

"what...?"

"looks like another troublesome one. 'nuppeppo,' is it...!!"

'φ( ゚▽ ゚*) fluffy-fluffy!'

tamaki, who was cutting through the clinging feathered creatures, is dumbfounded, while botan grits her teeth. the flesh doll that appeared as if to block us from here was undoubtedly not an easy opponent for us at this moment.

'nuppeppo'... a youkai that is said to be the origin of the nopperabo in my previous life. its body resembles a wall with haphazardly attached limbs, making it appear somewhat unstable. unlike nopperabo, its face is not visible due to the sagging flesh, giving it an impression of an elderly person.

and... that putrid abomination twists its mouth upward. sadistically, it distorts its mouth.

"get lost!!"

feeling a visceral disgust, i immediately move to deal with it. cutting down the surrounding youkai, i swing teguruma grandly to take down the monster before me. but...

"uh-oh!? it stopped me!?"

'(○ ́・д・)ノ no way!?'

the spider's threads, which had severed several youkai, are blocked when they are about to cut a third of the thick body of the 'nuppeppo.' no, it's not that it stopped them, but rather...!?

(i see, it's like a blade disarm...!!)