I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

There has never been a case where a mirror is the main element in [Tokyo Slayers].

The content of the novel is mostly about Yōkai appearing and the people who hunt them down to send them back.

As the title suggests, it was truly a story focused on action.

But in [Tokyo Slayers]…

Right, in other novels or manga, mirror might come up as a keyword. There’s often a setting where if it’s a mirror, there’s another world, or one gets trapped inside it, defying the basic laws of optics.

Perhaps, there might be such a setting in this novel as well.

“Ever since then, I’ve thought about it quite deeply.”

Without any particular recipient, Kagami calmly spoke in her usual manner as she walked towards the woman.

The woman took a step back, covering her face with her hand.

“The beings that came from over there need to make such a great effort to maintain their form in this world. So why are the beings created by you able to exist in that state?”

What could be heard was a monstrous sound.

It was a sound that made one wonder if a human could produce it. Such noises were emanating from the woman’s gaping mouth.

“Stop it! Stop!”

The atmosphere, which had been relaxed just moments earlier, crumbled as the woman shouted.

Kagami remained calm.

“Even if there was a way to summon strength, fundamentally, they exist ‘over here.’ Even if they can use Yōkai power, the body belongs to this world. Then what’s the reason they can exist outside the rules? Well, there’s only one, right? The power, like the beings we believe in.”

The sword made from the blood I have, or beings like the chis, which move like living creatures despite being clearly non-living. Those things exist in this world due to a power that is definitely beyond what an ordinary person knows.

But it’s also clearly a power ‘from here.’

“Then the conclusion is simple. The bodies you possess are merely broken things. Beings that no longer breathe. Right?”

“Shut up!”

“Since they need to maintain at least a minimal form to be usable and they must borrow the power of great beings to be stronger than ordinary people. That’s ingenious.”

Kagami glanced at Koko.

“Did you repurpose some of the failed products? Certainly, if it were you, I think you could do it. How you ‘joint’ them, how you made them controllable. There’s still a lot to uncover.”

Kagami looked back at the woman.

The woman seemed to be losing her strength. Now she had her behind on the floor.

“But beyond all of that, in the end, the essence is already a deceased being. What’s inside cannot originally exist in this world. Please return. I will show you the path you should be on.”

Gwaagh, you bastard, what kind of shrine maiden imitation…!

“Oh. Do you think I look like this because of my clothes?”

Kagami was dressed as she was when she was ordering at the bar.

…Certainly, it wasn’t the kind of appearance that would possess a mirror.

“But I am definitely a shrine maiden. My name is Kagami. It’s a mirror, isn’t it? A place where the God can temporarily stay.”

Once again, a strong light shone from the mirror.

It was an intense light that seemed like it could burn everything before it away.

And that was the end of what the light revealed.

*

What followed was also a scream.

However, it was different from the screams the woman had been making.

Well, if a corpse with a mouth torn all the way to its ears collapsed in front of you, even I would scream.

If only it could be thought of as a mere doll, but once one person started screaming and their gaze turned this way, it was all meaningless.

Fear spreads easily. A nearby person hears the screams, sees the cause, and screams again, and again…

But the number of passersby that stuck around after the train stopped drinking all night was certainly not as high as this street had been some hours earlier.

It was much darker now, and the foot traffic was definitely less.

That being said, it wasn’t a number that could just be overlooked.

“……”

Kagami quietly looked at the fallen woman’s corpse and pulled out a white cloth from somewhere to cover the mirror.

Just before covering it, the mirror glimpsed was just a mirror. It wasn’t the kind of glass that reflects perfectly with mercury over it.

It felt like looking at the surface of very well-polished metal.

For a while, we exchanged silent glances.

“……I guess I’ll have to wash my clothes.”

The first words out of Kagami were just that.

Certainly, my clothes were soaked in blood.

Since the school uniform was black, it just looked wet for now, but over time the bloodstains would probably stand out.

If I wash it quickly before it dries, will it be alright?

“And you two.”

Turning her head to Kaoru and Izumi, who were sitting on the floor, Kagami said.

“I doubt you can go back in those clothes. Since the last train has already left, how about staying the night?”

At Kagami’s words, the two nodded.

Dazed, the two looked up at me with full of questions in their eyes.

About the current situation, and Kagami‘s sudden change in demeanor must have felt odd to them.

…Even in front of Yuka, who knew almost everything, I still acted like a train wreck of a mom who commits domestic violence.

Had she thought she couldn’t just overlook something as precious as that?

“Koto Ne.”

Koko, who had approached unnoticed, reached out her hand to me.

I held her hand and stood up. Although Koko’s body was frail and just like mine, she firmly supported my weight like a solid piece of wood when helping me up.

I carefully removed my hand from my neck.

…Good. There’s still some bleeding, but it wasn’t enough to make me faint from the blood spilled.

“Please just be satisfied with a shower for washing up. Just in case, I’ve prepared some blood packs, but I would rather not have you faint in the bathtub.”

“……”

I nodded while wrapping my injury again with my hand.

“Then let’s head in.”

Saying this, Kagami led the way back to the tavern.

I, Koko, Kaoru, and Izumi exchanged glances and followed behind her.

Four high school girls covered in blood entering a tavern.

If someone saw it, wouldn’t it be a sight more tragic than the corpse lying on the street?

…No, maybe that’s not true?

Turning back to the horrific sight of the corpse left in the middle of the road, I entered the store.

*

It was Koko* who helped me wash up.

“……”

And she also wrapped the bandage around my neck.

With the thin white bandage wrapped around my slender neck, there was even a white bandage tightly wrapped around my left wrist.

If someone unaware of that wound saw me, I’d look just like a high school girl who got beaten up. Like some impoverished heroine with an overly stimulating backstory.

In reality, I had just fought a Yōkai.

…

Adding the word ‘just’ doesn’t seem quite fitting.

Surprisingly, some of the clothes were baggy. Well, Kagami usually dressed modestly when visiting our home. She definitely wouldn’t wear clothes exposing her chest in daily life.

“……Let’s go.”

“Koto Ne, are you alright?”

As I tried to pull down my sleeves to hide the wounded areas as much as possible, Koko asked with a worried look.

I placed my hand on Koko’s shoulder and gently rubbed it.

“It’s alright.”

Even as I said that, Koko still had a worried expression on her face.

I was sincere.

I really was okay. In fact, I felt almost a little refreshed.

Of course, there were the issues with Kaoru and Izumi. The two of them had been dragged into this mess.

But still, I didn’t worry too much about Kaoru. When I was with Kaoru last time, my condition was much worse than it was now, but Kaoru managed to regain her original self quickly.

As for Izumi… Well, there’s no choice but to take care of that.

At the very least, just confirming that we learned something and that we could definitely counter Kosuzu was a major accomplishment.

After changing clothes and coming down with Koko, customers had almost all left.

Apparently, upon seeing four high school girls soaked in blood enter, everyone panicked and left.

Miki was still at the bar. Seeing her resting her chin and yawning with a dazed expression, it was clear she had her own issues.

…Or maybe it’s that she has lived such a distorted life that she wouldn’t even bat an eye at something like this.

“Kagami is over there~”

When Miki met my eyes, she pointed to a corner of the store with her finger.

Sitting in one of the spots that had emptied out was Kagami.

“……”

For some reason, I felt a little hesitant.

Miki was a complete stranger, but Kagami was at least considered my mother in a way. Even if it’s just on paper, the discomfort that comes from that title is substantial.

What daughter ever names her mother directly like that?

Not that I think there are any works like that out there.

“……So.”

Not wanting to show my awkwardness, I intentionally raised my voice slightly as I approached.

“You said you understood the situation, so what did you find out?”

“What should I start with?”

Still dressed as she was when working, Kagami looked at me and spoke.

“First, let’s talk about the people we prepared for you all. Actually, there were quite a few of our people in that area. Unfortunately, they were unable to act.”

“……Because we entered another world?”

“Correct. And I didn’t want to unnecessarily interfere with your plan.”

That made sense.

If there had been a few Yakuza uncles hiding in that alleyway, the woman with the torn mouth might not have appeared.

“Unfortunately, we only had one way to enter that area.”

“……That mirror.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

While nodding at my sword, Kagami continued, “With what’s ‘behind’ the mirror, we can block attacks from things ‘beyond’ the mirror. It’s a kind of portable barrier.”

“Does that mean the Yōkai got banished to the ‘beyond’ of the mirror?”

“Well, since it’s originally used to send the dead back. Or to summon them back.”

“……You can also summon them back?”

“Well, shouldn’t ‘spiritual’ items have that kind of function?”

“……”

“And all passageways are originally two-way. The Yōkai breaking through the barrier and those inside returning to their original world is just the fact that we originally belong here.”

Conversely, that means the Yōkai would return to where they were.

“What about the reason why things didn’t pour out from the mirror?”

“Finding a suddenly opened hole from the other side would be tough. For example, what if a hole suddenly appeared somewhere in this world? And it’s a hole so narrow that we can barely fit through. Could we immediately find that briefly opened hole and enter?”

It would be a bit of a stretch to assume beings on that side and this side have the same strength, but then again, if that side is called the ‘world,’ it would make sense.

Since they say in the afterlife, all the dead are there… That might change things, as well. Shouldn’t we think of the afterlife being incredibly vast?

“That’s why it’s not something you can keep open for long.”

I couldn’t help but nod at those words.

It allows the Yōkai’s nest to be too easily accessed, sending spirits or Yōkai back to the original world.

But conversely, if left open for too long, even they on that side could notice the hole.

When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.

“Of course, whether beings from there can act normally here is a separate matter. Usually, you’d just get a few pesky spirits or something.”

“Leaving it open suggests they could come out indefinitely, right? Moreover…”

“Considering what we saw today, it’s indeed a discussion that one shouldn’t leave it open aimlessly.”

“……Yeah.”

“Originally, souls generally can’t use the body unless they are their true owner. And besides, it’s already a dead body. That’s a story straight out of a fantasy novel. And… that’s why they are called Yōkai.”

Undead beings… are still Yōkai. In a world where there are things similar to the mysteries of the Cthulhu Mythos, it wouldn’t be strange to have plenty around.

“Then, what’s the necessity of the woman with the torn mouth?”

“Well, I don’t think it’s just pure bad taste.”

Kagami said, “Perhaps she was a being that was really akin to the original of the woman with the torn mouth. If you think of it that way, the story of Nukekubi nearly fits.”

“……So while they can take over a body from this side, they have to maintain the form of a being from that side?”

“It’s not a necessity per se, but it’s well-known that Yōkai often cling to strange habits. If we assume it’s the instinct to follow the familiar, what do you think?”

That seemed plausible.

“Spirits are the same. The tales of souls that can’t leave this world, clinging to one single thing. If they fundamentally resemble Yōkai, then this case is similar too.”

I nodded.

Then, there was a brief pause in the conversation.

“……What about the Yakuza uncles?”

“They are in front of the shop. Do you really think you can underestimate the police of Japan?”

“Why the police?”

“There are far too many people who saw a group of teenage girls covered in blood enter a tavern while leaving a gruesome corpse lying on the ground.”

“Ah.”

That makes sense.

Common sense says that if the police broke down the door within three minutes, it wouldn’t be unreasonable.

I heard sirens while water from the shower was dropping. I thought it was because of the corpse…

Right now, I felt a bit sorry for the uncles fighting with the police in front of the shop.

“By this point—”

Kagami was about to say something more when suddenly there was a loud crash from the second floor.

It wasn’t the sound of something rolling down… Rather, it was just Kaoru stepping down hurriedly, stomping on the stairs.

As if competing with the track team, the incredibly fast Kaoru ran down and bowed at a 90-degree angle the instant she made eye contact with me.

“I’m sorry!”

And she apologized vigorously.

For a moment, I was too shocked to even process what was happening, but Kaoru continued speaking.

“I was there and was in the way!”

…Well, yeah.

After all, her toss of a pomade can toward the woman’s head must have turned her gaze away from me.

If she hadn’t done that, I would’ve been much worse off. It would’ve likely happened to Koko too.

Besides, if it weren’t for Kaoru and Izumi, maybe that woman wouldn’t have even appeared.

What her exact fixation was isn’t easy to understand even now. Since seeing Kagami and Izumi, she definitely wasn’t a ‘lone woman.’

Perhaps it was to watch someone terrified of seeing their own face.

Having been through all kinds of experiences, Miki was completely unfazed, and so perhaps she had no interest.

But explaining why Koko and I entered that nest in the midst of all that was a bit tougher. After all, the only reason we were there was that we were with Kaoru and Izumi.

Oh, could it be that she was targeting Kagami?

I looked at Kagami. She still wore her usual meaningful smile, making it hard to read her thoughts.

But considering the place she appeared and that the woman with the torn mouth was created similarly to Nukekubi, it just seemed to fit.

Wait a minute.

If it’s using a vengeful spirit, does that mean Kosuzu… also has something like a mirror?

“I’m so sorry!”

Hearing that voice, I turned my head again and found Izumi bowing deeply at me.

“I forced my way in without knowing what kind of place it was!”

“……”

This person… has a really strong mentality.

Usually, the cliché would be for someone to scream at me as a monster and run away, right?

“No, it’s fine, both of you.”

I replied.

“In the end, we’re all okay. Perhaps it was our presence that allowed us to escape from that situation.”

Looking back, it was probably true that if I hadn’t shown up, the two of them would’ve just been in danger.

Kaoru casually flipped through a magazine and had come here without thinking, and Izumi just followed behind her.

They likely wouldn’t even be able to believe that creepy rumors were real.

If I hadn’t been here, the two would have probably ended up as the very first victims in this place.

“……From now on, don’t just follow whatever that magazine says.”

“Ah.”

Kaoru quickly raised her head at my words, but upon seeing my plodding gaze, her expression deflated like a punctured balloon.

“……Phew.”

I sighed and leaned back against the couch again.

I wonder if the battle between the police and the Yakuza is still going on outside?

How long will it take to get in? Ideally, I want to rest peacefully during that time.

“Oh, by the way.”

“Koto Ne?”

When I suddenly stood up, Koko also got up to follow. I smiled at her and turned to head directly to Miki.

Then I sat down at the counter, facing her.

“Uh-huh~?”

Miki, who had been nodding off, woke up with a start at my presence.

“Could you give me your number?”

“Number~?”

Still a bit sleepy, Miki took my phone and typed in her number.

“……Do you have any family? Like siblings or something?”

I asked, as she was entering her number. I didn’t specifically say older sister, as I was afraid she’d catch on.

To say that she was missing… It’s closer to running away, really.

After all this, there’s the chance she might have had a big fight with her older sister, or perhaps she doesn’t want to face her.

Or she might have gotten wrapped up in something even bigger.

“Uh-huh?”

Miki looked at me.

She stared for a while, then handed me her phone with her number typed in.

“Nope, there’s no one~”

So, no one, huh?

Anyway, I decided to keep the number as is.

Lies can be told as easily as breathing. Especially in this situation.

As I returned toward Kaoru and Izumi, who were looking at me with puzzled expressions—

Bang!

“Everybody freeze! Police here!”

I froze at the loud voice announcing the influx of police, my body halting in fright.

…It seems like it’s going to be a long night.

Well, I expected as much.

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