Fukigen na Mononokean

You've made up your mind, then?

Yes.

Then I shall head to the Mononokean.

I'm sorry.

I wish I could go.

I heard the Mononokean has a new employee.

I was just thinking I'd like a chance to see his face.

Please be careful.

Oh?

I smell rain.

It will rain tonight.

If you say so, then it must be true.

Fuzzy!

Mystery 11 "The Purple Sun"

I'm so glad you're back to normal!

He's so happy, he's crying.

Stop being such a crybaby. It's annoying.

My tear ducts are so loose, I can't control them!

If Fuzzy is back to normal, then Yahiko must be, too.

Dad.

Zenko's dad!

What time do you kids think it is?

And what were you doing in this dark, deserted place?

He's really pissed! What should we say?

Huh?

Hold Fuzzy for a second.

What's wrong?

I just strained my back.

I didn't feel anything when I left the house...

Abeno?

Get away from there, Yahiko.

Aw, you found me.

Yahiko!

That was your doing, Yahiko?

Haruitsuki, not only am I back to normal, but I can also transform.

Let's play now!

That's right, you were giant, too. I forgot.

What?! Ashiya, you piss me off!

I hate you!

Sorry, sorry. Anyway, get off him.

No!

Don't give me that!

You have to get off him!

I'll carry you instead!

Not you! I want Haruitsuki!

Stop struggling! I'll drop you!

Kid, who are you talking to?

Oh, no!

Abeno-san...

Don't look at me.

The pain disappeared?

I've always talked to myself a lot...

I, um... wasn't talking to anyone just now.

Come to think of it, when I was stricken by the mysterious "laughing disease,"

So, well... Don't worry about it too much.

this kid showed up and...

Did you just cure my lower back pain?

Huh?

Can you cure high blood pressure, too?

You should get that one checked at the hospital.

Just "that one"? So you did cure my pain!

Shouldn't we help Hanae?

Huh?!

What should I do?

Didn't you?!

If I tell him it was yokai again, he'll think I'm kidding around!

Dad, actually...

Hanae can sense spirits.

He removed the ghost on your back.

Ghost?!

You can see ghosts?

A-And it was on my lower back?

Um... Yeah, it totally was!

And a really nasty one, too!

Dad can't sense spirits at all,

A n-nasty one?!

which makes him all the more freaked out by them.

Y-Yeah! Oh, but I got rid of it, so don't worry!

That's what my mom said.

I'm amazed he became a monk.

Come work at the temple.

What?!

Sometimes people come to the temple requesting exorcisms.

All right?

Wait a minute! Abeno-san!

Hanae's calling you.

Haruitsuki, let's play.

Not my problem.

Your name is Ashida, right?

It's Ashiya.

Huh? Zenko, what's going on?

That's unusual.

Did something good happen?

Yeah.

Just a little.

It's only a little, but I'm glad my dad and Hanae

are getting along better.

Anyway, what were you doing here with Zenko?

Um...

Are they?

Yeah.

It's raining.

Let's hurry home.

And Yahiko, I'm not playing with you.

Aww...

The rain doesn't seem like it's stopping anytime soon.

I'm glad we got back before it really started pouring.

That old man wouldn't let you go.

That wasn't my fault.

I wasn't expecting rain, so I didn't bring an umbrella.

It'd be great if you'd give me a lift home, Mononokean.

Okay, for 100 yen per trip.

You charge for that?

I'm just kidding ~

You have a guest.

A guest? We don't have any appointments today.

Go greet him.

Coming.

Welcome.

Hello.

It's raining a lot in the mundane world today, isn't it, Mononokean?

Okina-dono.

Abeno-san, get a towel and some warm tea.

Sorry to drop by unannounced.

Not at all.

I accidentally fell into a puddle while walking in the rain.

My, how terrible.

Abeno-dono, the skies won't clear up today.

Really?

Are you the new employee?

Yes. My name is Ashiya.

My name is Inogaratake Yuuhi Takino Okinagami.

What? "Kami"?

You're a god?!

I'm just an old yokai granted the excessive title of "god" by humans.

Call me Okina.

Okina-sama is worshiped at a shrine in the Mundane World.

Then have you always lived in the mundane world, Okina-sama?

I've selfishly requested to stay here.

Now then, that brings us to the matter at hand, Abeno-dono.

There's a yokai waiting for us near the shrine.

There must be some reason you didn't bring them here.

She can't use her eyes on her own.

Her eyes?

Okina-dono, what exactly does that mean?

She's able to see by taking the vision of humans

who can see yokai.

Humans just like yourself, Abeno-dono.

It's nothing to scowl about.

She only wants to be exorcised to the Underworld.

Forgive my indiscretion.

Besides, she only borrows a person's vision

for a couple of days, and then it's returned to them.

Then I humbly accept your request.

I told her we'll go once the skies clear.

For today, I'll just have another cup of tea before I leave.

You can stay as long as you'd like.

Really? Then perhaps I'll make myself at home a bit longer.

Those sound like Okina-sama's footsteps.

And...

There are two others.

Thanks for waiting.

You must be Abeno-dono of the Mononokean.

And you must be Tomori-dono, our client.

Yes. I appreciate your assistance.

Certainly.

I heard another person's footsteps.

It's his employee, Ashiya-dono.

I see. So you are...

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Ashiya-dono.

Tomori-dono, getting straight to the point,

there's not enough space here to open a portal to the Underworld.

Would it be possible for us to move somewhere else?

Very well.

I'll help you.

A human?

So you can see, Ashiya-dono?

It's been so long.

So there are still humans like you in the mundane world.

How long have you been unable to see?

Who knows? It's been quite a while.

Lately, I haven't met any humans who can see, either.

But I remember all the sights I've seen.

The mundane world is beautiful.

I love this world.

However, it's become difficult for me to stay here.

And I'm just a bit hopeful that, once I return to the Underworld,

I'll be able to see normally.

I see. So that's how it is.

He's glaring.

Um, Tomori-san, I'd like you to answer me honestly...

Before you go to the Underworld,

would you like to see this world one last time?

What?

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that.

Please don't worry about me, Ashiya-dono.

No, no! It's nothing like that at all!

It's just that if I didn't ask, I knew it would bother me later.

B-Bother?