Tokyo: Parasite

Chapter 424 194: Bear Spirit

Hokkaido.

It is still winter at the end of February, with frequent snowfall.

When the biting northwest wind brings in snow and wind, people don't even want to go out. They just want to curl up under the kotatsu, play with their mobile phones and eat oranges.

In a vast snowy forest with no human habitation, the snow on the treetops fell down and hit the head of a brown bear, which had many old scars on its body and was rubbing its back with tree bark.

It shook off the snow on its head and continued to scratch the itchy flesh behind it as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps it was because of the excessive movement that the old injury on its left forefoot suddenly started to ache.

That was the wound he got when he went to the ranch to look for food last fall. But the main problem now was not this, but hunger that made the muscles around the wound spasm unconsciously, and the burning sensation of the contraction of the stomach forced him to give up digging and scan the snowfield with his bloodshot eyes instead.

That's why it woke up from hibernation early.

It was of bad temper and frantically searched for food in the snow for a long time to replenish the energy consumed during the long hibernation, but unfortunately the harvest was very little.

Soon, a black-patterned fox standing motionless on the hill attracted its attention.

Even though its vision was blurred due to its awakening from hibernation, it could still distinguish the outline of the dark shadow trembling slightly. This discovery made its stomach twitch more violently, and its salivary glands secreted sticky liquid uncontrollably.

In the past, it generally would not have thought of targeting such small, agile animals, but now it is too hungry, and it is not against trying animals that are not on its menu, as long as they can move.

What’s more important is that the fox looked dull. In its slightly blurred vision, it had been standing motionless on the hill, as if it was frozen. Perhaps it was easy to catch.

Just think of it as a snack before heading to the human ranch.

The brown bear's simple brain thought simply, and its hunger instinct quickly drove it to slowly approach the fox.

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters
The fox, which is always known for its alertness, just stood there motionless, as if it was completely unaware of the danger coming from behind.

When there were only a few meters left, the brown bear could not wait to pounce suddenly, dived into the snow pile, and then swung around wildly, creating a large area of ​​misty snow.

After a while, it slowly half-raised its body, and there was nothing under its body or in its mouth.

It sniffed and explored carefully, but found that the fox was not caught by it. It was as if the fox had suddenly disappeared at the moment before it pounced.

"idiot."

It heard familiar words, which seemed to be the voices of the little skinny monkeys.

Looking back in the direction of the sound, I saw a skinny little monkey in black casual clothes and a black ghost mask standing on the treetop, and it didn't seem to be afraid of it.

Don't underestimate the power of bears!
"roll."

The ghost-faced fox threw a stone casually, which immediately made the brown bear dog, which had not screamed even after being shot, bark, and roll down the hill in panic, buried in the snow.

After driving away the ignorant brown bear, the ghost-faced fox sighed softly, took off the mask and turned it to the side of his face.

She carefully took the scroll out of her arms and spread it out between her crossed legs. The pattern on it was still clear.

"I've already traveled across most of Hokkaido, but where are the cubes I need to collect?"

"Or does this scroll contain any other clues that I haven't seen?"

Although I don't want to admit it, the fact is that the cultural level of them, the fox people, is really not high. But since this was given by the fake one, her literary accomplishment would have been taken into consideration.

It shouldn't be obscure.

But since it was bestowed by the number one faker in the world, it seems both difficult to understand and normal.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find anyone to help.
No, it seems that there really is one nearby.

Since she had traveled through most of Hokkaido, it was impossible that she had not been to Sapporo. In Sapporo, she found traces of another fox person, who should be one of Fox One to Fox Seven. The other person lived in a kendo hall that looked very historical, and had developed feelings for a human woman. Perhaps he could have some insights into the scroll.

But after thinking it over carefully, she gave up.

Since this thing was handed to her by the faker and even the Jade-faced Fox doesn't know about it, it's better not to tell anyone.

With determination, she was about to put away the scroll and continue her search.

But I saw that there seemed to be some faint words in the circle next to Hokkaido.

Winter Wind Howls
Cliff dragon scales (deep scars on cliff dragon scales)

Lang's Text (Secret Text of the Waves Book)
After using my mobile phone to translate it into words she could understand, I was overjoyed.

This is a riddle!
The content of this riddle obviously refers to the cliff edge by the sea. At least it is much better than her searching blindly, and the scope is narrowed down a lot at once.

And if it's just a riddle, it should be okay.

"Uh, so you came all the way to me just to ask me a riddle?"

Fox One was speechless when he looked at the fox man in front of him who called himself Fox Two, Fox Three, Fox Six, and Fox Seven's friend.

You came all this way just for a riddle?
".At the same time, I also invite you to live in the Fox Village." The Ghost-Faced Fox said calmly, this was a temporary statement she made to cover up.

Fox's face looked a little conflicted.

“Snacks are here!”

Outside the door, Arima Shinka came into the reception room holding tea and snacks.

The Ghost-faced Fox did not disguise herself as an ordinary person in front of this woman. Since she already knew the existence of Fox One, there was no need for her to disguise herself. She was just an ordinary person. If she did anything that was detrimental to them, the fox people, it would be easy to deal with.

"Come, please have some tea first. This cream sandwich biscuit is a specialty here. Try it." Fox gestured with his hand.

The ghost-faced fox ate a few of them politely.

Yes, she is actually polite.

She wasn't someone who existed simply to cause trouble.

".Actually, I plan to go to Fox Village in March to visit Fox Two and see how you are living. But, I will still come back because I have found my home here."

Kitsuneichi and Arima Shinka sat side by side, held each other's hands with firm gazes, and looked at each other affectionately.

The ghost-faced fox drank two more sips of tea, and the cream became a bit too sweet.

It would be fine if she didn't accept the invitation, but she is not the Jade-faced Fox who wants to pack up all the fox people in the world and stuff them into the Fox Village like collecting stamps.

What's more, she was just asking along the way, and her main purpose was still the riddle.

"Riddle? Why not use AI to check it out?"

Arima Shinka asked curiously.

"Ah?" Fox One and Ghost-faced Fox, two traditional illiterates, looked at her in confusion.

Arima Shinka smiled and took out her cell phone, then typed in the haiku she had just written and added the restriction of Hokkaido.

Soon, the search results appeared row by row.

"Sounkyo, Shiretoko Peninsula, Cape Kamui, and Cape Erimo are all places that fit the riddle better. Among them, the AI ​​recommends the cliff coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula and Cape Erimo." Arima Koka showed the results to the two primitive men.

Fox nodded, not quite understanding.

Ghost-faced Fox frowned, "Very impressive. Is this free?"

“You search.”

Soon, Ghost-Faced Fox downloaded the AI ​​system and tried asking a few questions, all of which received good answers. Her eyes gradually brightened.

"Thank you! Now that I have the answer, I will leave. However, I hope you will not tell anyone about my visit, including when you go to Fox Village in March. Don't tell them either."

"Okay, why don't you stay two more days? There are actually quite a lot of activities here in winter, even though the Ice and Snow Festival is over." "I've been here... for too long." The ghost-faced fox shook his head, jumped towards the door, and disappeared.

Arima Kokoro sighed, "It's so convenient, Chaofan, just like a knight, wandering around the world."

"call"

Kitsune sighed and broke out in a cold sweat, scaring Arima next to him so much that he took out a handkerchief to wipe it for him: "What's wrong with you?"

"She's dangerous."

"Yeah, really? I seem pretty easygoing."

"She is always on guard. If there is anything wrong with us, she will definitely take action."

"It's really dangerous. Chaofan is like a monster, taking human life lightly." Arima Shinka sighed capriciously.

"."

The departing Fox looked at the distances and they seemed to be about the same, with Cape Erimo at the southeast end and the Shiretoko Peninsula at the northeast end, both being two corners. But if you really want to compare, Cape Erimo is closer.

After deciding on the destination, the Ghost-faced Fox set off in person.

She completed the journey of more than 100 kilometers in just one day.

Unfortunately, she didn't find anything at Cape Erimo. She walked around with the scroll for a long time, but there was no response. She didn't see any dragon scales or anything like that. In the end, she could only put away the scroll and head towards Shiretoko Peninsula.

This time she didn't run, she was exhausted, so she chose to disguise herself as a human, hitchhiking, slowly approaching her destination, and finally boarded a tourist bus, which was heading to the Shiretoko Peninsula. After all, it was known as Japan's last secret place and was also a world heritage site, making it a good tourist destination.

The ghost-faced fox listened carefully to the guide's introduction, and the more he listened, the more he felt that the place the riddle referred to was here.

Winter is very cold and windy, corresponding to "the winter wind howls"

Glacial erosion and volcanic activity on the coast have created a series of steep cliffs, corresponding to the "dragon scales on the cliffs".

The waves are very big and keep hitting the cliff face, which corresponds to the "Secret Code of Waves"

This is definitely the one! No mistake!
"Ah."

A disdainful snort came from behind.

The voice was very small. Ghost-Faced Fox turned his head slightly and saw a young man who was looking at the tour guide with hatred, but he soon noticed Ghost-Faced Fox's gaze, forced a smile, lowered his hat, and stopped moving.

The Ghost-Faced Fox didn't care about this little episode. The destination was not far away. As soon as she arrived at the station, she would get off and leave.

The car arrived safely at a place called Rausu. The ghost-faced fox looked at the endless forest and white snow, found a deserted place, and set out on the journey to find the "dragon scales".

"."

The young man got off the car, his eyes flickering, and was about to walk towards the center of Rausu Town, but stopped and looked in the direction where the ghost-faced fox disappeared with a look of surprise and doubt.

Although he didn't see it, he felt the disappearance of the Ghost-faced Fox.

"She is extraordinary?"

The man frowned and thought about it, then decided to take action.

After all, he had waited for this day for too long.

He was not waiting for himself, but for the entire Ainu people.

"Dr. Kuroda, let's start with you. It's time to pay your debt."

He murmured so, broke away from the group of tourists, and walked briskly on the snow, heading in a certain direction.

Kuroda family.

If you walk into this home, you will be shocked by the treasures in the house.

From the imperial gifts of the Meiji era to various cultural items of the Ainu people, every display shelf is filled with items. It is almost a small museum of Ainu cultural items. There is even a skeleton and a worn animal skin inside.

Legend has it that he was an Ainu leader who fought hard against the colonial officials. Unfortunately, no one remembers his name.

However, in order to intimidate the rebels, the colonial officials skinned him alive and dismembered his bones for public display.

It was not until later, under pressure from public opinion, that the exhibition was changed from public to secret. But it was obvious that no one had any interest in the so-called Ainu culture. Even the ethnic group itself was on the brink of extinction, like a candle swaying in the wind and rain.

It's just confusing. Why would such a family with such a long history develop in such a small place instead of in a prosperous urban area?

Perhaps only the head of this family knows.

"No, I won't leave. I live well here. This is the place where our ancestors won glory. What past tense?! You look down on our ancestors after two years of studying, right?! I tell you, you must come back in the future, come back here, and guard against those barbarians with evil intentions! Bullshit, don't I know if they are threatening or not? Don't think they are few in number, but um? It seems like they have guests. I'll hang up first. If you dare to act on your own, I will cut off your living expenses."

After hanging up the phone, Kuroda Masao, who was nearly seventy years old, snorted with full energy, which did not seem like a man of this age at all.

"who is it."

The wind and snow blew into his eyes, and his gaze was fixed.

The door was opened.

Don't you come by yourself?
He put his hand on the knife rack beside him, picked up the family heirloom samurai sword, and slowly walked towards the door.

He looked carefully and found that the door lock was broken by being penetrated directly, but the sound he just heard was very small.

It either means that the other party has the means to cover it up, or that he slowly used force to slowly break the door lock before getting in.

But this is metal.

Looking at the distorted shape above, he shook his head and looked outside. There was snow and wind, no one, not even footprints.

He called the local sheriff.

"I suspect there's a thief in my house."

"Mr. Kuroda, are you okay? Please try to keep yourself safe. We will get there as soon as possible." The sheriff on the other end of the phone was obviously a little anxious.

"it is good."

Having said that, it is clear that Kuroda has no intention of hiding for safety.

Instead, he drew his samurai sword, looked at every corner very carefully, and walked in step by step, following the blowing snowflakes.

Soon, he saw a young man standing in front of the skeleton, touching the display glass and saying nothing.

"Little brother, do you know that you are trespassing?"

Kuroda had a gloomy expression on his face and looked around to see if he had any accomplices.

"His name is Iomante, which means bear spirit. He is an Ainu village chief who is said to be able to communicate with the bear god."

The man's words sounded incomprehensible to Kuroda.

He didn't care about the name of the trophy, he only cared that it was the honor of his family.

"Let go of your hand, turn around and let me see your face and body!" Kuroda did not follow the man's thoughts, but shouted orders.

The man ran his fingertips across the glass window, applying a little force, and cracks appeared on the glass.

"court death!"

Kuroda cursed angrily, unable to tolerate the other party's disrespect any longer, and swung his sword.

Clang!
(End of this chapter)