Please...
Please become... our Goddess of Wisdom.
Oh, it must be time already.
Okay, thanks.
Hello. It's been a while.
Uh... Who might you be?
You don't remember what the person who saved your life looked like?
I'm pretty sure I haven't been through any
life-threatening events in the last decade or so...
About two years ago, at this hospital...
Whoa, there...
Are you all right?
Uh, thank you. I guess you saved...
Oh, I'm so sorry!
In that case, as the one who saved your life,
all I ask is that you remember me for life.
Isn't that going a bit overboard?
Actually... I guess it is possible to die that way.
Okay, I'll remember you.
He reminds me of a goat.
Goats are skinny, spacey, and spend their whole lives
obliviously munching on grass, day in and day out.
But you can feel a bizarre sort of vitality in them.
Yes, one must never underestimate a goat.
It is an extremely agile creature
that has no problems living in highlands or even wastelands.
And depending on the breed, it may also have two powerful horns.
They're almost like demon horns.
Horns of undeniable sharpness...
Is this...
Is this what they mean by "love at first sight"?!
Oh, you're the girl from back then.
That girl wasn't wearing a beret, though...
Can you only tell girls apart by their hats?
Sorry. I'm not very good at remembering girls' faces.
And if I remember them too well, it makes Saki-san grumpy.
In that case, please try to remember it again.
My name is Iwanaga Kotoko.
That's written with the characters for "rock" and "eternity,"
then "koto," as in the musical instrument, and "child."
I'm now seventeen, and I'm quite lively.
Got it. I won't forget this time.
I'm sure... considering I heard that you and Saki-san broke up.
How did you know that?
What are you doing, Kuro-kun?
Saki-san.
Uh, she sort of saved my life.
So I saw.
I'm sorry for the trouble he caused.
And thank you.
Why are you the one apologizing?
Is she his older sister? Or another relative?
Actually, she could be his younger sister...
His name is Sakuragawa Kuro-kun.
He's a second-year at Homei University, and he's studying law.
He comes here often to visit his cousin, who's a long-term patient.
Is this cousin of his a somewhat tall woman?
Oh, that's not his cousin.
Her name is Saki-san. She's a year older than him and his girlfriend.
They've been dating since they were in high school.
Kuro-kun even decided to go to the same university she was attending.
And then, two years after our first encounter...
Apparently Kuro-kun and Saki-san are getting married after they graduate.
I heard they just met each other's parents recently.
They're going to get married any day now.
He's alone today?
Did Kuro-san and his girlfriend break up?
What? No way.
Come to think of it, he stopped talking about his girlfriend around February.
Actually... He hasn't really talked to anyone.
What is this hospital's policy on handling personal information, anyway?
They said they had no obligation to protect
a visitor's personal information.
Is that how it works?
It is rather shady.
They never did tell me
who your cousin is or why they're in the hospital, though.
You're better off not knowing.
The reasons people are hospitalized long-term aren't usually that amusing.
So...
In regard to you and Saki-san breaking up right before spring...
They really don't care about my privacy, do they?
Regardless, you're single now.
Have you given any thought to starting fresh by meeting someone new?
Could you get to the point?
Would you consider dating me with marriage in mind?
I've held this one-sided love for two years,
just waiting for this moment!
You're surprisingly direct, despite how you look.
And pretty persistent, too, if you waited two years...
You can always wait for fate.
I don't think I can legally go out with a middle schooler, though...
I told you! I'm seventeen and in high school!
I plan on applying to your university next year!
Do you have the memory of a chicken?!
Was it that funny?
Nah, it just made me feel weirdly happy.
A high school girl just asked me out. I guess I'm not a total lost cause.
I haven't felt this great in a while.
So, did Saki-san dump you?
It wasn't Saki-san's fault.
There was no way around it.
So... I don't think I can go out with anyone new for a while.
So what was it, exactly, that caused
such a pathetic fall that ended in a break-up?
At the end of last year, Saki-san and I went on a trip to Kyoto.
A trip together before marriage?! You promiscuous heathens!
What decade were you born in, anyway?
So, late one night, when we were walking along the Kamo River...
Those things that are said to show up on shorelines?
Yup. A kappa.
It wasn't a gataro, suiko, or hyosube?
You sure know your stuff.
Whatever it was, calling it a kappa seemed to fit best.
I just know that it wasn't a human or an animal.
But it was definitely some kind of moving, breathing life form.
The moment we realized that, it became something so terrifying
that it felt like all the rules of our world were about to crack.
But kappas aren't bad.
These days, they're very trendy creatures that can recommend good sushi or shrimp chips.
Well, the one I saw then seemed like it'd drag you into the river
and suck out all of your bodily fluids.
The next day, they actually found a body in the river near there.
It was ruled an accident, but what caused it is still unclear.
Saki-san is pretty brave,
and she doesn't believe in yokai or ghosts.
But she saw that thing and got so scared that she just clung to me, shaking.
And what happened after that?
Without a second look at Saki-san,
the coward just whimpered in fear and ran off like a scared rabbit.
Well, it was a kappa.
After that, she said she never knew I was that kind of person,
and things got awkward.
She was already planning to move away for her new job,
so she took that opportunity to break up.
And who could blame her?
I don't care if you believe me or not.
If you don't believe me,
then I'm just a crazy college kid who blames a kappa
for the fact that he got dumped.
Or...
Maybe I'm a college kid who went crazy from the shock of getting dumped.
Regardless, I'm not worthy to be your boyfriend.
My bus will be here soon.
We aren't done talking yet.
Please clarify the subject of your statement.
Who, exactly, left Saki-san there and ran off?
It wasn't you that ran off. It was the kappa, wasn't it?
The kappa saw you next to Saki-san, got scared, and ran away.
What an awful experience for that kappa,
just randomly running into you in the middle of the night.
It has my sympathy.
Saki-san saw that terrifying yokai run away
after seeing you, wondered who you really were, and got creeped out.
That's when she said she never knew you were that kind of person.
Isn't that right?
You're making one key mistake.
Kappas don't exist to begin with.
Even though you just said they did?
That was a lie.
As if I'm gonna tell another girl the truth about my break-up.
I'm only slightly acquainted with kappas,
but I'm quite knowledgeable about creatures similar to it.
This town, and even this hospital, has yokai, ayakashi, spectres,
and demons lurking everywhere.
In the shadows of the azaleas in this garden,
and from atop the dogwoods,
they are quietly observing us.
Most of them mean no harm,
but they do exist everywhere.
They see you and whisper to me...
"He's something different. He's... He's terrifying."
Who are you?
Why are you so sure these things exist?
When I was eleven,
I happened to be kidnapped for two weeks by these creatures.
Deep in the mountains where they took me, they implored me, the girl they kidnapped...
"Please become our Goddess of Wisdom."
Goddess of Wisdom?
Most of these creatures were of low intellect,
so they were looking for someone who could help them,
quell their fighting, and make peace among them.
Please, please, we beseech you.
So I replied...
Yes, I shall.
My Lady!
Ever since then, whenever they have problems or conflicts with one another,
they come from all over the country to ask me to mediate or come up with solutions.
That's hard to believe.
Indeed, it is.
In that case, why don't you go find a newspaper from around July six years ago?
You should be able to find an article about
a fifth-grade girl named Iwanaga Kotoko
who disappeared from this town and then, two weeks later,
was found napping on a park bench.
The little girl's left leg was severed, and her right eye had been gouged out.
Unsurprisingly, the culprit behind this incident was never caught.
Looks like it's time.
We'll continue this another day.
The doors are closing. Please be careful.
We are now departing.
One Eye, One Leg
My Lady! Are you hurt?!
Are you all right?!
I was so frightened that vile creature would try to eat you!
There's no need to worry. He didn't even lay a finger on me.
What could you possibly see in that smelly, terrifying monstrosity?!
I'm sure it's hard for all of you to imagine,
but to me, Kuro-san is quite the looker.
Erm, is there a possibility that your left eye was taken, too?
Would you like to be forcibly exorcised?
Oh, no! I still have so many Harlequin novels to read!
LOVE That Makes You Tremble with Excitement
I couldn't possibly move on to the afterlife yet!
Those are probably the last words I ever expected to hear from you.
But that creature I mentioned before is still at the library,
so I haven't been able to go there.
Please rid of that thing as soon as possible.
About that...
I might be able to take care of it tomorrow.
As long as Kuro-san helps me out, it shouldn't be too difficult.
In Japan's greatest literary work, the Kojiki,
there is a mention of a god named Kuebiko.
It cannot walk because it only has one leg,
but it is a god of wisdom with much knowledge of the world.
It also mentions that, at times, beings with only one eye
were also regarded as gods or something similar.
The kinds of gods that have either one leg or one eye
can be found in stories throughout the world.
The surface is rough, but it's been melted and hardened by some kind of acid.
We won't have to take any further measures.
Her right eye has been gouged out, but there's no pus or inflammation.
It's basically healed.
What in the world happened to this little girl?
So where were you these last two weeks, Kotoko-chan?
Were you with someone?
If there's anything you remember, would you mind telling me?
Does that mean the reason my left leg and right eye
were taken was to make me a god?
That's not a bad trade.
Yes, I don't really remember.
Criminal Investigation Begins in Missing Girl Case
Fifth Grader Iwanaga Kotoko-chan
Hello there. Did you finish doing your research?
Apparently, it's true that a little girl named Iwanaga Kotoko
was involved in some kind of incident six years ago.
But that's all I found.
There's no proof that you've become a god for these monsters and yokai.
Indeed. That could all just be a fantasy in my head.
If that's the case, then I'm just a girl who went crazy after being kidnapped
by some lunatic who messed with my body.
Whether you believe me or not is your choice.
But I may be the only one in this world who can truly understand you.
So you're saying those who ended up with either one eye or one leg
sometimes become a sacrifice to the gods?
Yes. A sacrifice to connect the people with the gods,
or in some cases, a priestess who can hear the voices of the gods.
My Lady!
Well, if it isn't a bake-danuki.
The library's barrier has been broken!
That's going to cause all kinds of trouble! Please hel—
My Lady, how many times did we ask you to stay away from this creature?!
Kuro-san, you shouldn't scare them like that.
I didn't even do anything...
But it certainly isn't good that the barrier was destroyed.
We must hurry.
Come with us, Kuro-san.
Huh?
Let's get rid of any doubts you may have by engaging in an actual battle.
Oh, I don't doubt anything after seeing monsters asking you for help.
I believe you. Bye.
Oh, don't be like that.
The yokai in the library is quite violent and evil.
There might be an article in tomorrow's paper about
a girl with one eye and one leg who was brutally murdered!
A tragic end for the girl who confessed her love for you,
even if you have no interest in her...
If it came to that, you wouldn't be able to escape your guilt, would you?
I thank you for your help,
but I'm not sure if I agree with how you're carrying me.
Isn't it the norm to carry me like a princess in these situations?
I'll admit, I have no idea what the norm would be in this kind of situation.
Um, are you all—
My Lady!
Calm down, Kuro-san. This is just the ghost of a fallen warrior
My Lady! I'm utterly powerless against the sheer violence of that thing!
That's quite enough.
The human world and the world of the ayakashi must maintain their balance.
I cannot allow those who disregard the—
Nice job running your big mouth, but what do we do now?
This is unexpected.
What?!
I should have been able
to contain a yokai like that after it took one look at you, but...
It's in such a panic that it can't see what's going on around it.
So you only wanted me for my body?
I was serious when I asked you out.
It hurt me deeply to go after your body like this on our first date.
Do you have some kind of plan? Any talismans or sutras you can use?
If it won't listen to me, we'll just have to use force.
Force?
Ah, yes... I definitely prefer being held this way.
I feel even closer to you now.
Now really isn't the time for that...
You have a point.
Let's flee for now.
Kuro-san, what are you doing?
We can do all the naughty things you want later...
That's not it. I can't have you doing anything reckless again.
Kuro-san, run—
Two years ago, and again now...
You have that same unfazed look on your face.
How can you be so indifferent when you're in danger?!
I don't appreciate hearing that from someone as reckless as you.
I thought you'd already figured it out.
Huh?
I guess my flesh really is poison to them.
Kuro-san... Who are you, really?
The ones asking for your wisdom won't tell you?
Everyone avoids talking about things that terrify them.
You're right.
If I were to use your words...
When I was eleven, I ate two different kinds of yokai flesh...
As much as I could eat.
To Be Continued
Preview
The Guardian Serpent of Tsukuna Swamp
asks me for help concerning a problem that's been keeping them up at night.
A murderer apparently disposed of a body in their swamp
but there's something about it that's bothering them.
Next time, "What the Guardian Serpent Heard."