Chapter 88 88: Not Running Anymore

— — — — — — "It's probably because of some deep-rooted bond between you and the cherry blossom tree," Veyron said thoughtfully, glancing at Yuyuko and the tree. "During its transformation into a yokai... the two ended up becoming... hmm..." Midoriko watched the girl and the tree, then searched for the right word. "A single entity?" "My father... I'm sure you've heard about what happened to him," Yuyuko said after a pause, her voice soft. "Ever since he passed away under this tree, the blossoms have grown more vibrant—regardless of the season. Even now, when cherry trees shouldn't be blooming at all, this one is in full bloom." (IMAGE of the cherry blossom tree.) "At first, many people came—some because they admired my father's reputation and wanted to pay their respects... others just to see the tree he once called the most beautiful he'd ever seen. But most of them... the moment they laid eyes on it, they fell under its spell. And many chose to end their lives beneath it." "That's when I started to realize... the tree and I had become connected somehow." "You shouldn't blame yourself," Midoriko said gently. "Those people didn't die because of you. That's the tree's power after becoming a yokai—it draws living beings toward death." "Ooh! Same thing Yukari said a few days ago," Yuyuko thought. Yuyuko's eyes flickered slightly. "So... is there any way to seal it or purify it?" "...I might have an idea," Midoriko said slowly, eyeing the ghostly cherry tree. "It could be very difficult... or surprisingly simple." "Really? What do we need to do?" Yuyuko's voice was urgent. "Is there anything I can help with?" "Hmm... don't rush. I'm not sure yet. I need to talk it over with him first." Midoriko frowned a little, then nodded toward Veyron. "Miss Yuyuko, if you've got anything important to take care of, you might want to handle that first. Either way, once we've figured things out, we'll let you know." "Alright, then I'll leave it to you two." Yuyuko bowed politely, then dug up a sealed jar of cherry blossom wine from under the tree. She cradled it in her arms and headed back toward the courtyard. Once she was gone, Midoriko looked over at Veyron. "You noticed it too, right?" "Yeah. The simple way would be to use her connection with the tree—bind her life to it and seal it for good. Let the tree die when she does." That was the method recorded in Veyron's memories—the way the yokai cherry blossom tree, later known as the Saigyou Ayakashi, had been sealed. In the future, Yuyuko would become a ghost because she used her life to bind and seal the tree, stopping it from blooming those cursed blossoms that lured people to their deaths for the next thousand years. "But something tells me that's not the method you're aiming for, is it?" Veyron asked. "Letting the tree keep growing would be dangerous, sure. But sacrificing an innocent girl who got caught up in this by accident? That's not the kind of exorcism I believe in," Midoriko replied. Even though they'd only known each other a few months—and spent even less time together—he already understood her that well. Midoriko couldn't help but smile a little. So, if sacrificing Yuyuko was off the table... That meant they'd have to go with the hard way. Midoriko turned her gaze toward the cherry tree. It wasn't a great yokai by normal standards, and yet it radiated a pressure that felt even more dangerous than some of the actual big ones she'd fought before. She wasn't even sure if her purification techniques would work on something like this—something that shouldn't exist, yet had somehow gained control over death itself. "If you don't have a solid plan, want to test mine out first?" Veyron suddenly offered. Snap! Midoriko turned her head just in time to see him snap his fingers. A flickering flame, black and white, danced at his fingertip. From that flame, she could sense a deathly aura—one purer and more terrifying than anything the demon tree gave off. Midoriko's eyes narrowed instinctively. — — — Back at the courtyard, in the tatami room... Yukari broke the seal on the wine jar and poured herself a small cup of sakura-infused liquor. She had barely taken a sip when Yuyuko mentioned what the shrine maiden in the front garden had said—that it "might be very hard, or it might be very simple." Yukari froze mid-sip. Earlier, when Yuyuko described a pair—a noble-looking young man and a rather young-looking shrine maiden—who'd shown up to deal with the tree, Yukari had just thought to herself, "Ah, here come two more clueless mortals, walking straight into death's arms." But now... As young as that shrine maiden looked, maybe... just maybe... she actually had the skills to back it up. Yuyuko, ever sharp, noticed the subtle shift in Yukari's expression. "... Did you already think of a way to deal with it?" Yuyuko asked curiously. "Do I really look like I'm in any shape to handle that monster tree?" Yukari muttered, tugging down the collar of her kimono to show the thick bandages wrapped around her shoulder. "Oh—right, I completely forgot," Yuyuko said quickly, apologizing. "Sorry, sorry. It's just... when Midoriko said she might have a way to deal with it, I kind of got caught up in the moment and forgot you're still injured." She snuck a glance at Yukari's face and, seeing she wasn't angry, hesitated for just a moment before cautiously asking, "Still... since you've apparently already come up with a plan, do you mind telling me what it is? That way, if Midoriko and Veyron share their own ideas later, I can compare the two—" Pffft "Cough, cough—wait, who did you say?!" Yukari choked on her drink, eyes widening. "Midoriko, of course. The shrine maiden who said it might be really easy or really difficult," Yuyuko answered. "I meant the other one." "Oh—Veyron?" Just hearing that name made Yukari feel like her wounds were throbbing all over again. "...Tell me something. Was there a snow-white dog with them?" "Huh? How'd you know?" "Of course I know." Yukari thought bitterly. That damn mutt had been carrying Veyron on its back, chasing her across half the country for over a month. "You didn't... mention me to them, did you?" Yukari asked cautiously. "Of course not," Yuyuko shook her head. "I mean, you don't seem like a bad yokai to me, but let's be honest—most people don't exactly have a great opinion of 'yokais' to begin with. And one of those two is a shrine maiden..." In that moment, Yukari's first instinct was to run. But she stopped herself. Even if Yuyuko hadn't told them about her, with the way Veyron could lock onto her presence from miles away, there was no way he hadn't already noticed. They were already inside the Saigyouji mansion now—unless that tree outside was doing a really good job distracting him, he was probably already aware she was here. She took a moment to check her condition. The black flames of death were still slowly burning away at her soul. The fire embedded in her wound gnawed at her with constant pain. And the foreign spiritual energy Veyron had forced into her body—thanks to the rushed escape—was now interfering with her ability to use her own powers smoothly. It had been over a month since that whole mess started. Yukari knew by now: if Veyron had really wanted to kill her, he could've done it ages ago—back at the sunflower fields, for instance. No, he'd been toying with her. Like a cat playing with a half-dead mouse. Yukari lifted the sake jar to her lips and took a long, heavy swig. Whatever his reason—whether he genuinely wasn't planning to kill her or just wanted to get bored first—she was done running. She'd had enough of being hunted like an animal with no way out. "...Yukari," Yuyuko said gently, "did something... happen between you and Veyron?" "You could say that." Yukari nodded. "But don't worry. Whatever's going on between me and him won't affect you." "That guy doesn't think like anyone else I've ever met. His sense of logic is completely out of sync with basically every major culture in this world. If I'd realized that earlier... maybe we could've actually been friends." "As for that shrine maiden Midoriko—I haven't met her before, but I've heard stories about how she handles things." "So when it comes to the tree outside... yeah. You can trust those two." . . .