Mob Yandere

[Part 1/4]

It's well-known in the area that the Onitsuki family, a prestigious clan of exorcists from the Northern region, has 2 daughters. Along with this, there are all sorts of mixed rumors and speculations swirling around.

The second daughter of Onitsuki has been a hot topic among the people of the capital and the nobles, especially since she participated in the last Joraku (visiting the capital). Both of her parents come from noble backgrounds, and she excels in everything──dancing, singing, writing, and the arts. She's overflowing with talent. She became even more famous after solving the trouble with the shape-shifting fox and receiving rewards and an official title from the imperial court. Her strong ties with the Tachibana trading company mean she has access to a huge amount of money. And above all, her beauty──her figure is still striking even when wrapped in traditional clothing. Some say she can be a bit arrogant, but that's just part of her charm.

With her noble lineage, status, talent, wealth, beauty, and fame, the general public sees Onitsuki's second daughter as a beloved daughter of heaven who has it all.

No woman would envy her, and no man would not desire her. Everyone wants to be like her, and everyone wishes to have her under their control, to tease and make her cry. It seemed like a natural thought.

...But what about the first daughter? In truth, not many know about her. A big reason is that she didn't participate in the last Joraku. She's been holed up in the Northern region, fulfilling her duties for a long time. There are all sorts of rumors floating around beneath the surface.

Some say she's a cursed princess born from a lowly concubine.

Others say she's uneducated, like a wild woman.

Some claim she's an old maid with no suitors because of this.

These rumors were meant to belittle the first daughter. They suggested she was inferior to her sister. They looked down on her as unfit to be the head of the Onitsuki family. Some spread these rumors out of amusement, others out of jealousy towards the Onitsuki family, or perhaps to catch the attention of the second daughter. There might even be gossip from the Aoi faction.

While harsh insults were thrown around, there were also plenty of voices praising her.

She's the princess who's deeply loved by her father, the head of the family.

They say she's strong and reliable, a skilled warrior with talent in exorcism.

With her raven-black hair shining, she's a dignified and dependable beauty.

Not just the head of the family, but also backed by the head of the Hidden Group, she's the rightful heir who can even command dragons.

Especially after the recent Tengu incident, those who accompanied her praised her highly. Compared to her proud and moody younger sister, she's disciplined, understands reason, and is willing to sacrifice herself for the cause, impressing everyone with her brave and beautiful presence.

This princess now attends a ceremony at the imperial court with the head of family instead of her younger sister. How should one view this? How can they get close to the Onitsuki family? Can they win one of the princesses as a wife? Or become a favored son-in-law? Everyone is curious...

"...So, at this ceremony, everyone will be watching you closely. They'll measure your abilities, your depth, and your worth."

"Yes."

The setting is a dojo at the Oumi yashiki estate. It's a conversation between Onitsuki Sumire and Onitsuki Hina, who have changed into their dance costumes. The stepmother carefully explained how the stepdaughter is perceived. Hina listened quietly, nodding in understanding.

"Don't let them look down on you. But don't let them fear you either. Aim to appear elegant, beautiful, sincere, and pure... at least try to present yourself that way."

Especially for the ceremony, her role is to dance and sing praises for the emperor, for Fusō, and to honor the blessings of the Spiritual Vein. There can be no mistakes...

"...But there's no need to feel overly pressured. You're just one of many participants in the ceremony. You're not a master of the art. This ceremony is mainly a formal event to reinforce the authority of the imperial court. While mistakes aren't allowed, perfection isn't expected either. As long as you perform the minimum required actions, no one will blame you."

The second princess is just a bit unusual, and as long as you can handle the basics, you won't be laughed at. In fact, Sumire herself felt the same way when she attended that ceremony long ago. The guests, who were scared of the girl rumored to be a sword maniac, felt completely at ease seeing the adorable young princess gracefully carry out the traditional ceremony. They even discussed whether to welcome her as a lady and a daughter-in-law. ...But that became pointless the next day when she easily cut down a thief in Gai-Kyou (Outer Area).

"...Above all, with your dignified beauty, a little clumsiness is just a minor detail."

Now, Onitsuki Hina, who gives off a slightly sharp coldness... The head lady evaluates the girl's appearance before her. Though she lacks some emotional nuance, her well-defined features inherited from her mother and her beautiful black hair seem to enhance the charm of Onitsuki Hina.

"Especially that white outfit really makes your hair color stand out. Hehe, it has a nice texture. Is this also a blessing from your special abilities?"

Sumire gently strokes Hina's smooth, shiny long black hair. The first princess's hair reflects light, giving it a glossy look. The texture of her hair, which feels completely free of damage, can't be explained by regular care.

'Annihilation'... that which denies even events and concepts heals Onitsuki Hina's wounds, and perhaps it also applies to her hair's condition. Maybe it's because of her personality, but despite having much more exposure to sunlight than her sister, her skin is still too pale, which might be influenced by that.

"...Excuse me, but could you please stop touching my hair?"

Twice, three times. Four times, five times... Hina's words to her stepmother, who kept stroking her hair, were quite calm. It wasn't a plea or a request. It felt more like a duty-bound demand to the listener.

"...Oh, I'm sorry! That was indeed rude of me. Please forgive me?"

Sumire responded without showing any discomfort, at least on the surface. She withdrew her hand as requested.

"Hair is a woman's life. A precious treasure. It's not like I'm braiding it or decorating it, so it's not good to touch it so casually, right? That's something only a husband should do, I suppose?"

Smiling, Sumire speaks. Her light eyes gaze intently at her stepdaughter. There's something indescribably oppressive and terrifying about her gentle smile. However... Hina shows no signs of fear or unease in the reflection of lady's droopy eyes.

It was a given. And Hina's thoughts were on him. Her hair belongs to her husband? Of course, right? It's obvious and clear that every single strand of her hair is his.

Hina remembers. She remembers how he would pat her head and praise her countless times. She remembers asking him to braid her hair and put in hair ornaments. It was a daily routine for him to wash her hair in the bath. His hands have touched this hair countless times long ago. This beautiful hair is dedicated to him.

That's right. It's his possession. Every day, she would let him bury his face in this fragrant hair soaked in perfume. If he loves her from behind, she would offer her hair like reins. She would let him entwine and capture this hair with his strength and love. It was her duty to mix and soak every single strand in the murkiness of that love. She would receive his love from the top of her head, laughing mischievously as if she were completely immersed. She would gently kiss his love, as if to tease and nibble at it... that was a decision made. It was reason and logic. It was the everyday life she should have with him.

Therefore, she feels nothing from the words spoken by the woman in front of her. No one would be shaken if told the sky is blue, right?

"Can we continue with the practice?"

So, Hina casually brushed it off. She sought only what was necessary from her stepmother, who held no affection or hatred. The movements and dances required for the ritual, the singing lessons... it was all incredibly bothersome, but it couldn't be helped. That was her father's wish.

...Well, it's fine. She could use it when she's with him. She could use it to care for him when he comes back from a night of working in the fields. They would soak together, dance wildly, and sing crazily. It would be a way to soothe his tiredness from the day. Thinking of it that way made her feel motivated about this silly hassle.

"That's a good mindset. ...Then, from now on, I will teach you every single movement carefully. So you can grow to be a fitting princess, okay?"

Hina didn't care at all about her stepmother's seemingly meaningful compliments. All that filled her heart was her love for someone, and everything that stood in her way was just something to be annihilated. Even if it was her passionate stepmother right in front of her, that didn't change anything. She wasn't scared at all.

Because Hina believed. She believed that her closest, strongest, and most trustworthy ally would support her pure love journey with him.

From the bottom of her heart, she believed without a doubt...

* * *

Deep in the forest, we kept moving forward. Since our first encounter, we hadn't run into any youkai, but the creepy presence was slowly, yet surely, getting stronger.

"Not a good sign."

If it were a lowly youkai, it would've bolted the moment it sensed us, but the lack of any such behavior was proof that a more intelligent higher being was controlling them. Thinking back, the ones we met on the outskirts were all disguised too. They might have been scouts or something. Did we make the wrong choice?

"The sun's setting. Turning back... seems impossible."

I pulled out my compass. The needle spun around happily, going round and round. Then I looked around. The eerily uniform deep forest made it impossible to tell which direction we had come from. I checked the map. When did the terrain start to seem off? When I asked the others, they said they had lost their sense of direction too.

Originally, we planned to head to an abandoned relay station from long ago, but now...

"Did we get tricked by a fox or a tanuki?"

"Yeah, it's probably better not to move around too much."

"Right. The ground's bad. The night forest is dangerous."

As I sighed, the two girls companions shared their thoughts. I agreed, and we started preparing to camp out together.

"You two gather firewood. I'll handle the fire... Do we have any rations?"

For now, I confirmed that we have dinner for tonight. The two of them gathered some branches around and started a fire. Before I knew it, the surroundings were painted black like a pitch-dark night. I guess we made it just in time. If the campfire had been any later, we would've been working in total darkness.

"...Shall we eat?"

"After that, should we take off our clothes?"

"Should we mess around and get things ready?"

"That's not gonna happen, you two."

After calmly responding to my companions' words, I started boiling water. I poured water from the flask into the iron pot. I roughly tossed in some dried rice and boiled it. It's miso porridge. I sprinkled some shichimi (7 spice) on it and divided it into portions.

"Mmm. Smells good."

"Yeah, miso is the best when you're tired, right?"

"Hurry up and eat, you two. We need to save our energy until dawn."

""Huh?""

"What are you surprised about?"

Even in this situation, I was somewhat impressed by their determination to focus on the task at hand as I slurped the miso porridge. Ah, the strong salty flavor and the well-mixed herbs for nourishment seeped into my body. It made me happy for a moment.

"Haah, haah. Phew... It's warming me up."

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