Somehow, The Countryside is Different: Route Ran 7

Somehow, The Countryside is Different: Route Ran 7

…

Commissioned by Shaderic and Arksoul

Wordcount: 5000

…

Youkai tend to be very arrogant when they deal with humans, since they tended to be stronger than them.

Those who believe in the mantra “the strong most protect the weak” can be counted on one hand.

Most of the time the strong just kick the week over and take what they want.

Personally, I thought that if everyone in the world gained superpowers, there’d be about a single hero for every two-dozen villains. The survival of civilization would depend on how weak that common superhuman was. If everyone was rocking some serious, overpowered bullshit, I’d count on Earth being destroyed in a few weeks.

What was I talking about again?

Right.

How to deal with powerful creatures who know that they’re better than you.

Honestly, I defaulted on being excessively, teeth-achingly polite.

I was honestly, initially surprised by how often it worked, especially with the stronger Youkai.

But the longer I worked as Yakumo’s only method of talking to other people without pissing them off, I came to a realization.

The strong, powerful Youkai weren’t the problem.

Those guys were content with what they had, and they barely raised a ruckus if they were informed of what was happening. Each and every single one of them was fine with the status quo, and would only really move if they could get rid of something that they didn’t particularly like. Remilia Scarlet, for example, has been fine with just staying in her mansion, having tea, and talking to people, despite being overpowered… because the status quo was acceptable to her.

She didn’t go out to cause anything strange or weird, because she didn’t need to do so.

She was living her best life, just like everyone else who didn’t cause any trouble.

In the end, the ones who caused the most trouble were the ones who weren’t content with their current situation, meaning that they were overpowered. They were the ones who were hungry for more territory, for more opportunities, and for more chances to stand above the rest of the world. Those too weak were picked on by them, while they did their best to sow chaos and confusion, so that they’d get a chance to get what they wanted.

Some played the long game others just lashed out the moment that they could, and a few had plans balanced between the two that were dangerous as hell.

Anyway, combine the mindsets of being “weak” and wanting more “strength” together…. And then add a weak human into the mix.

Yeah.

Humans tended to get lip-service from Youkai at best, unless they had a significantly stronger Youkai at their disposal.

This is the part where I tell you that I ran across the Youkai making problems in Chiba without Ran around.

Or, at least, it would be if I were a moron.

Of course, something like that would never happen!

I wasn’t an idiot who’d go looking for trouble on my own, and Ran wouldn’t let me do anything that stupid in the first place.

…

In all honestly, a part of me thought that Yukari was just messing around to get some free time with the whole Youkai-in-Chiba declaration. It was the sort of thing that she’d pull, since Ran and I kept an eye on her whenever we could. During summer, when we were both present, she complained a lot about not being able to doing anything she wanted… and I would put that fact down in my resume, if I could.

Babysitter of Yakumo Yukari every summer for a decade.

That should earn me a job anywhere I wanted.

Anyway, now, I had conclusive evidence that the last couple of weeks wasn’t some inane plot on Yukari’s end to pull off a few pranks behind our banks.

That evidence, of course, was the Youkai plaguing Chiba, because I did an amazing job.

Oh, fine.

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama did most of the footwork and research, but I deduced the next appearance location and ambushed the Youkai with Ran.

In terms of contribution to the mission, we were at least even!

“Hachiman-kun.” Ran’s soft works broke me out of my thoughts and I returned to reality.

The two of us stood before an old, dilapidated shrine. It was in a sorry state of affairs, but it was due to the fact that Chiba’s outskirts generally wasn’t visited and those coming in from the countryside settled down somewhere closer to the city’s center. As fa as Chiba was concerned, the place was a relic of the past that no one cared about, even though it’d make a ton of money if it was renovated and labeled as a world heritage site or something.

However, since it was abandoned and falling to disuse, a stray dog decided to make it her home… because what better place to call yours than a land where your would-be hunters should’ve been.

The place was dusty, dilapidated, and the floorboards creaked uneasily. The sliding doors had nearly no parchment on any of them, so the wind freely howled into the empty shrine bereft of any care and attention.

Ever since Gensokyo started handling most of the Youkai, shrines no longer needed to be outposts for users of magic. They just became places of worship for the public, which the local governments didn’t need to support any longer. Naturally, without them being necessary anymore, most people who tended to shrines packed up and went ahead to do other things with their lives that didn’t involve fighting Youkai.

Unfortunately, that meant that Youkai outside the Barrier were big fish that needed to get handled, even if they were feral children who didn’t know how the world worked.

Such was the case for Chiba’s Youkai.

Who was the very definition of “scruffy.”

“Yo.” I raised in hand in greeting while entering the temple. Ran was already inside and she’d restrained the Youkai. Thankfully, a climactic battle was avoided, since we got the drop on the Youkai. She led us right to her home after one of the talismans stuck to her. “Name’s Hikigaya Hachiman. My girlfriend’s name is Yakumo Ran. We’re here to stop you from doing anything stupid. You’re welcome.”

The Inugami was eying Ran and growling at her. Ran had a low growl going that informed me that she wasn’t pleased with the current circumstances.

Dogs and foxes rarely got along.

Inside Gensokyo, where there were rules, it was fine since everyone knew better.

Here, though?

Instincts were coming into play… but I had a counter for that.

I took very, very gently… gave Ran’s backside a squeeze.

The desired effect was achieved in an instant.

Angry Ran turned into Horny Ran.

“Hachiman~… you’ll pay for that later.” I didn’t need her to say anything. My hips and back were already aching. My efforts to build up some muscle to support myself was slow going, but it was slowly getting better. “Hmm.”

Having secured my girlfriend’s instinct via her other, stronger instinct, I went ahead and dealt with the growling Inugami.

No.

Not by molesting her.

I spritzed her with a water bottle.

“!!!” The Inugami yelped in surprise and reared away from the spritzes of water. I was tempted to make a joke about washing a dog, but I repressed that instinct. It was fine to neutralize violence in a silly way before engaging in diplomacy, but it wasn’t good to mock someone’s circumstances. Well… unless they were the type to easily get pissed off. Then, I’d just insult them until Ran could beat them up with a smile. “S-stop that!”

“Stop growling and acting tough. I have four bottles of water. This isn’t going to stop anytime soon.”

The Inugami growled for a few seconds, but between the spritzes of water and Ran’s barrier surrounding her, the dirty creature with rough, tangled hair decided to accept how things were and sat on her haunches.

Instead of, y’know, standing up or sitting on the floor like a normal person.

“This girl’s more feral than I thought.”

“Indeed.” Ran agreed with my whispered words. There was some pity in her eyes regarding the girl now. “She is also lacking an eye, Hachiman.”

That piece of information raised my eyebrow rather quickly.

What the hell could do that to a Youkai outside of Gensokyo.

“Mah name ish Homura!” There was a slur to her words that didn’t come from being drunk or having a lisp. She simply didn’t have any practice speaking. “I… paid all debts! Stop chasing me! I live for self now!”

Huh.

Well.

Those words took this whole situation to a rather fucked up level.

Ran was so surprised that she stopped clinging to me, and ceased burying as much of my arm into her chest as she could.

Without my practice in talking to obstinate, powerful creatures, I would’ve been tempted to pursue other dialogue options besides the most obvious one. My inner nerd was telling me gather information and see what options I could unlock.

My inner nerd would die in seconds in Gensokyo by wasting someone’s time.

When talking to Youkai it was best to be direct.

“Not interested in that. Don’t care about your debt. I just don’t want you in Chiba city, risking people’s lives, so I’m taking you somewhere else.” I laid out the situation in words that couldn’t be misconstrued with a witness. It would’ve been better if the Inugami had a witness of her own, but I was ready to put my words into writing and have us all sign it. “Gensokyo is where all Youkai live now. I don’t know what your circumstances are out here and I don’t care. You’re going to Gensokyo no matter what.”

Oh, right.

Another important rule when dealing with Youkai is to know when you’re the one in power and using that power. It was the same as leaving money unused to wither away: a waste of a valuable resource that could be used.

A resource that other people noticed you had and thought you were stupid for not using, too.

Yeah.

Dealing with Youkai was complicated as hell.

The Inugami reacted well to my words.

She cowered in the space that she was sealed, not knowing what I was saying, but unable to refuse. Her too-large, smelly jacket barely shifted as she shivered, because of her small frame. When I took a moment to look at her hands, past the claws that she had out, I noticed that there were scars on her wrists from scars and that her hands were bonier and leaner than they should’ve been.

There was a lot to unpack about her circumstances, but that could all wait until later.

“I… I won’t be kept again!” With a roar, the Inugami leaped forward and tried to attack. Ran’s barrier stopped her instantly. Nothing crazy like zapping her, of course. Ran set it up so that she just bounced off the barrier without finding any purchase on it. My girlfriend might’ve had instinctual, negative reactions to the Inugami, but she’d thought ahead of the kid nevertheless. “No! I won’t let you take me away!”

If I were some Shonen protagonist, I’d reach out for the Youkai, or do something stupid like try and hold her within the Barrier.

But I wasn’t a protagonist.

I was a young human man who had some power backing him who was dealing with a Youkai who wouldn’t listen.

The right course of action was simple.

“Knock her out and call Yukari, Ran. We’ll figure things out after handling her situation.”

“Yes. I agree. That would be for the best, Hachiman-kun.”

My girlfriend raised her hand towards the Inugami and soon enough the kid fell asleep in the Barrier.

While Ran contacted Yukari, I looked at my phone and found it filled with messages that I needed to read and answer from Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, Orimoto, and Komachi.

The first two were angry that I went ahead without them, Orimoto told me to be safe, and Komachi begged for me to not make her an aunt before she reached high school.

I had a lot of questions for Komachi’s statement, since I didn’t know how the Hell she realized what I was doing with Ran… but pushed them all aside for the present.

There were no emergencies on their end, so I could focus fully on the situation at hand.

No.

I definitely wasn’t running away.

I was prioritizing on the situation at hand and performing my duties correctly.

Source: me.

…

Yukari arrived and surprisingly didn’t look like an SSR hobo, but instead in her usual purple-and-white outfit complete with her silly hat.

“Oh, goodness. She’s worse off than I thought.” I had to give Yukari credit though, she focused on the feral, starved Inugami instead of focusing on something useless. Wait. She didn’t even greet me. Did I just call myself useless? “Poor thing.”

“You know who she is, Yukari-sama?” Ran spoke up with a frown. She had both her hands in her sleeves and adopted her usual form of dress, which was also purple and white with a silly hat. However, she was my girlfriend, so I found the colors and the hat amazing on her. Yes, I’m biased. You would be too, if you had a girlfriend. “I did not recognize her scent at all.”

“No, I do not, but I know that the human underworld sometimes finds itself with one or two Youkai.” Yukari bypassed the Barrier Ran erected with ease and took a seat next to the sleeping kid. She brushed aside the girl’s wild, matted hair and revealed her face. Her cheekbones were prominent, her missing eye was covered by a black patch, and there were some bruises on her face that made my blood boil. “Blood rises from time to time, and Youkai are born from humans through some circumstance or another. It looks like this child was born to great misfortune.”

Ran took a moment, but followed her summoner into the Barrier.

I stayed outside of it like any sane, normal human and watched. It wasn’t like I had the ability to heal people. The most I could do was make a few talismans ahead of time and run away from fights. It was a pretty good set of skills for my chosen profession.

Not dangerous enough to make people want to fight me.

Not weak enough to be picked off before Ran could do something.

In other words, perfect for a diplomat.

Still, though, I could do more than just sit around and watch them help the Inugami out. It wasn’t like the girl was going to tell us her life story anytime soon.

“I’ll go grab some food for the kid and some clothes.” I’d spotted a thrift store on our way here and there was a convenience store nearby. “Do you guys want anything?”

“No, thank you, Hachiman-kun.”

“Steamed pork bun, Hachiman-kun.”

“You’re getting whatever’s on sale.”

“Hachiman, don’t be a meanie!”

“I refuse.”

I left Yukari and Ran to do their thing while I went off to get some things to bribe the kid with.

Some say that trust couldn’t be gained through bribery.

I agreed, but bribery was useful for getting high-and-mighty people to lower their guard.

It was hard to be angry at a person who brought you gifts just to speak with you, after all.

…

Minutes after my return to the shrine, the Inugami was scarfing down fried chicken, pork buns, and instant ramen with gusto while clad in a baggy tracksuit. Cleaning her up took some magic and a lot of hand wipes, but now she looked far less feral than she used to.

Yeah, she just looked like a mistreated, malnourished kid instead.

“Muuu, Homura-chan, leave some for me.” Yukari was already acting familiar with the kid and took the girl’s growls in stride as she ate with her. The kid was very protective of her food and eyed the communal stuff of unhealthy junk in the center of the circle like it was hers. “This sort of food doesn’t exist in Gensokyo, you know? I don’t get to eat it that often.”

Unfortunately for Yukari, she underestimated the kid’s ability to read the room and answer back.

“Homura doesn’t get to eatsh at all!” With that firm declaration, the Inugami swiped some food from the center that was directed towards Yukari. Ran couldn’t help but laugh, and even though that drew Homura’s attention, the Inugami soon blushed and looked away. That’s right, girl. My girlfriend’s impossible to be angry at, especially when Yukari and I are present. Two pieces of shit make a normal person shine like crazy. “Homura will be eatshing more!”

“Gah.”

I ignored Yukari’s sudden defeat in favor of taking another sip of my MAX coffee. For a moment, as the wonderful sweetness of my favorite beverage filled my mouth, I was able to forget the bitterness of the world. Unfortunately, MAX coffee was not perfect and could remain in my mouth forever without turning my body into a sugar-filled mess. I enjoyed what I could in moderation and allowed the bitterness of the world to return after my beloved sip.

Ran was glaring at the can when I put it down.

Whoops, she noticed.

Tee-hee.

“So, what’s your story? What sorts of messes did you go through?” I debated on trying to handle Homura with kiddy gloves, given her youth and circumstances. However, since I knew that I’d just fuck that up, I decided to just address the issue directly. That was how I was used to doing things, so I believed that it would be best for me to use my experience properly. “Where’d you come from and what your circumstances?”

“Cir… circumstances?” Homura’s brow furrowed at that word, but before she could get angry, I explained the definition. “Ah. My story!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Thankfully, I finished drinking my coffee before Homura answered, because I would’ve spat it out.

“Mother and father left Homura with debt. I paid off with eye and other things I didn’t need! Homura is now free!” In the back of my mind, I was aware that the possibility existed. However, when I heard it stated by the Inugami, I was still incredibly surprised. Both Ran and Yukari were surprised too… but the sudden silence from those two was incredibly worrying. “Yakuza-man said they were worth lots and I had spares, so I gave them! Now the Yakuza don’t bother me anymore!”

Wow.

This was some incredibly dark stuff.

Dark stuff that was making two very, very powerful Youkai pissed.

Thankfully, I had some experience in making Ran and Yukari listen to me when they’re pissed off.

Though it took a lot of willpower, I managed to bring my hands together in a resounding clap that drew everyone’s attention.

“So, you’re not at fault. You’ve been taken advantage of and this whole mess is because of other people.” Homura didn’t get it quickly, but soon enough she was slowly nodding along with my words. This part of the conversation was no longer for her sake. It was all about focusing Yukari and Ran’s anger at the right targets. “Can you tell me which city you lived in? The names of the Yakuza that contacted you?”

Yeah, there was no way to get rid of Yukari and Ran’s rage via peaceful methods, so I had to go with another approach.

I didn’t particularly find it appealing… but the Yakuza were fair game at this point for all the fucked-up shit that they did to the Inugami.

Personally, I wouldn’t kill anyone, but I wasn’t going to let two powerful Youkai run lose against the Yakuza. At the very least, I was going to concentrate the damage to a specific point and make sure that only those directly connected to Homura were destroyed.

So, with that in mind, I did my best to create a list, compound information, and create the beginnings of a plan to assuage the rage of my employer and my girlfriend.

Man, I was going to have nightmares about transcribing information that’ll lead to a lot of dead people, but that was how things went when mundane people interacted badly with the supernatural.

Unless you’re willing to serve them, or can do what you want and get away with it, you shouldn’t interact with Youkai at all.

…

While Yukari and Ran went to deal with issues, I had Chen to help me out with the new kid.

It was just a precaution, since Homura decided to settle down after being fed, but preventing an issue was always better than having to solve one.

Especially when an issue could result in my untimely demise.

Typically, Yukari was more than happy to help me stay alive, but she’d hesitated before bringing Chen along. My employer only hesitated for a second, but I took notice of it, so I immediately asked Chen what was going on in Gensokyo because of Yukari when the two left.

I had to distract Homura with a few more snacks while Chen gave me a rundown on Gensokyo’s current state.

And, I had to buy a bit more, before I started asking questions and clarifications.

“What about the Human Village? Did something happen there?” Yukari’s antics typically focused on key individuals in Gensokyo handling each other, or getting handled by her. This time she seemed better prepared and called in a few people that she’d been helping along. By helping, of course, I mean applying pressure to until they either break or get better. “The fairies? The other shrines?”

“The Humans are fine. They’ve been staying in their village and they only go out to check on their fields.” Naturally, Chen wasn’t all that familiar with the backbreaking labor involved in agriculture, especially when it didn’t involve any tractors. A lot of the elderly in the Human village had bad backs. It was a miserable existence. Farming in games was nothing like farming in real life. Personally, I thought you just had to plant something and let it grow, but I received a strong, harsh education on that when I stayed in the Human Village for a while. “The fairies are in their sanctuaries… and the other shrines aren’t… around? Is that bad?”

I had to take a moment to breath, but I managed to answer without screaming.

“Yes. It’s very bad.” The other shrines in Gensokyo weren’t operated by human beings. They were operated by actual Kami. In times of crisis, Kami typically involved themselves for the sake of becoming better known. If the villagers are staying in their village, they’re not giving an offering, and if they’re not giving offerings the Kami gets angry. “They’re going to be a problem in the summer… for me, because they know how to leverage Yukari being a moron against me.”

The problem with Kami was that they understood how humans worked and interacted with them a fair amount. They coupled that fact with their innate, overpowered nature and didn’t hesitate to be both overpowered and underhanded. In short, they were broken characters that were a pain to deal with in the world of diplomacy. They knew how to be clever and conniving, while also having the power to get what they want.

They were going to be so annoying when I came back.

I needed bug Yukari for funds to bribe them with just so I could show up and not be shot down.

I took a deep breath, shook my head, and decided that I’d done enough responsible things for the day.

“Alright, I’m too tired to keep going for the day, so let’s just watch something.” I didn’t have a television in my roof officially, but unofficially Ran and Yukari worked together to modify my room. It was practically a studio or a hotel room. Most of the furniture came from the Human Village. Carved, wooden stuff that should cost hundreds of thousands of Yen, while all the electronics were refurbished things that Yukari picked up from junkyards all over Japan. I had to disinfect them, and they were technically company assets, but I wasn’t turning down a DVD player and a TV, even if they were a bit old. “What do you guys want to watch?”

Chen took her seat on my lap without hesitation, but Homura hesitated as she munched on some toast with bread and jam. She looked quite cute after getting fixed up, even though she was still missing a few bits and pieces, unless Yukari and Ran found them.

Youkai were simply weird when it came to things like biology.

“…Watch TV? Am I allowed?” Homura’s speech improved a little, but it was due to Chen taking up teaching her since they met. The black-haired Inugami spoke slowly, but the growling accent to her words was practically gone. Anyway, she looked at the TV with distrust in her eyes. “I’ve never been allowed before.”

This was the part where I felt incredible rage for her sake, but since that was already being dealt with by Ran and Yukari, I chose the path of progress.

“Yep. Most people are. You were treated like shit, so we’ll have to change that.” I patted the seat next to us and Chen nodded at my words with approval. I debated on asking her what she wanted to watch, but decided against it since it was unlikely that I would be doing more than putting her on the spot. I elected to simply activate the DVD player and have it spin up the first Precure movie. Bright, flashing colors. Girls fighting for justice and honest values. The perfect movie for a Youkai rising above feral living. “You can eat on the sofa too. Just be sure to clean up whatever mess you make.”

“Y-yesh!” Homura’s little slurring returned as she hurried, but Chen didn’t make note of it. The girl was excited and happy, so it was only natural that she’d trip over her words. Besides, she could practice speaking after the movie. Now was the time for entertainment and relaxation. Oh, and eating, I guess. The girl couldn’t get enough of toast, butter, and jam. “I will!”

As the Inugami gathered her toaster, a loaf of sliced bread, butter, and jam to sit beside me, Chen looked up at.

“Ran will be jealous. You need to prepare yourself.” Chen’s words sent a shiver down my spine. I was just taking care of a kid that had a hard life. A kid that Ran went out of her way to avenge. Logically, Ran should be very approving of my actions… but I couldn’t argue the point. “Perhaps, you should be eating some of that toast as well.”

I really wanted to argue with Chen, but I recalled all the times that Ran met with any female in my life that wasn’t related to me.

The first time she met Yuigahama and Yukinoshita we got together and crossed the line several times over.

The first time she met Orimoto, I barely survived.

That time a waitress was a little nicer to me than usual… that time with the shopkeeper who smiled at me… that time with the grocery cashier who nodded at me and not at her…

And, now, I was taking care of and looking after a near-feral Inugami who snuggled up to me without any hesitation with her tail wagging to and fro.

Yeah.

I decided it was time to carb-load.

…

I rehydrated with practiced caution and deliberate slowness. Too much water at once would leave me puking it out. Though my thirst was immense, it would only get worse if I started vomiting while I was severely dehydrated.

After a few refreshing sips, I took a seat and started eating some generic calorie bars. The taste was bland and I was sure that they were stale, but I wasn’t going to leave my room after Komachi’s panicked texts earlier in the day.

I wasn’t going to make my sister worry about the circumstances of my relationship—

“Hachiman-kun.”

I dropped my food due to my surprise, but it fell through a gap in the floor, and landed softly atop my room’s mini fridge.

Yukari looked at me with a serious gaze as she walked through a gap.

There was the lightest of blushes on her face as the scent of the room hit her, and as she took in my and Ran’s circumstances, but she recomposed herself.

“I want you to start researching—

“Nope. I refuse. I’m not doing that. Nuh-uh.” Yukari tried the whole going-still-and-becoming menacing thing, but I crossed my arms and glared at her. “I’m a normal, human being Yukari. Maybe, I’ll consider going after the Yakuza when I’m stronger and less likely to die, but right now I won’t be able to do a thing no matter how much money you give me.”

Ran had been satisfied with her little bout of housecleaning, but Yukari hadn’t been.

I’d expected her to come around and talk to me about the hidden underbelly of humanity, but I had to admit her reaction now was beyond my expectations.

The situation really messed with her more than I thought… especially since she was practically trembling with rage at my refusal.

I moved to deescalate the situation instinctively.

“Look. I can’t do anything right now, but I’m interested in keeping humans alive. When I’m older and more capable, I’ll help find Youkai like Homura and bring them in. Right now, though… I’m just a teenager, Yukari-sama.” Yukari deflated when I addressed her with respect. She knew that I was serious whenever I addressed her formally, as my employer instead of a friend. “I want to help, but I’d be risking my life more than I already do, against people worse than Youkai, and I’ll risk my family and friends if I do… so, please, can you wait until I’m stronger and more mature?”

I was begging, plain and simple, but that was what I had to do.

Logical appeasement.

Sarcasm.

Biting wit.

Those were worthless her and now… and only begging had any effect.

And, in the end, it barely worked for my kind-hearted, nice boss too.

Yukari said nothing before fading away into the darkness between dimensions.

Man.

I thought today was going to be a lot simpler than it ended up being.

Jokes on me for being optimistic, I guess.