Mob Yandere

[Part 4/4]

'Phew... So? What about you?'

The black fox let out a small, satisfied sigh, as if it had enjoyed tormenting me. Then, looking down at me again, it asked with a wicked grin, as if it were about to enjoy a meal.

"Me?"

'You're the tragic white fox, right? What will you do? Will you hide away like your mother? Ah, or were you a brother who never existed in the first place? Then maybe it's better to just treat you as if you never existed?'

"Ah. So that's it..."

This time, I fell silent for a moment. I organized my thoughts, built my reasoning... and then I made my request.

"Ah. Please erase my memories. and... I'd appreciate it if you could kill me like you did before."

I felt the atmosphere freeze at my words. ...Maybe it was just my arrogance.

"Yeah, is it funny? You saw it too, right? So you should understand... my danger."

Whether I existed in history or not isn't a big deal as long as the white fox's memories are erased. The real issue is my body itself.

Becoming a monster and going on a rampage──whether that was originally a trait of this body's owner is hard to tell because of the relationship between this technique and the Youbo mother's powers. It's likely that the influence of my spirit inside and the unreasonable divine power of the Youbo mother made it so. Probably.

That's fine. But if this body is still alive after the technique ends, or if the corpse itself remains, the danger of this body, which likely holds a part of the Youbo mother's power, goes without saying. The mother might overlook it, but I can't.

"I'd be happy if you could dispose of it completely... Or are you going to eat it?"

'Could it be that the influence of that earth goddess is in the meat? No way. I see, it's definitely dangerous if we leave it alone.'

The black fox showed full agreement with my concern. It's not a kappa, but this body is now a kind of biohazard waste. Who knows what kind of disaster could happen if we just leave it there?

'So, we should process everything, including the shells lying around, right? alright, I'll take care of it. ...Hey, peeking exorcists? You're okay with that too, right?'

That call was probably directed at the hidden hummingbird... Botan. and even without a response, I understood, as did the black fox, what she was thinking. How the exorcists would judge this situation.

Then, a sound of fingers snapping echoed. Along with that, my huge molting mark left on the snow ignited. By the way, the stupid spider was still fighting an unseen rival further away. So useless.

...Speaking of which, how does that guy's existence fit into all this? Well, considering the Youbo mother case, divine beings might have various exceptions. Higher divine beings are said to exist as points, lines, and surfaces in the world. Yeah, I don't get what that means.

'Oh, how beautiful. I was just planning to lightly roast it, but it's burning surprisingly well. Well then, it's about time...'

As I thought about that, the black fox glanced at the blazing pile of meat before looking down at me with a cruel smile. She stepped on me, showing her dominance. A youkai-like light shone in her eyes, and I felt my body getting hotter, a sign of human spontaneous combustion.

"Stop...!!"

"!?"

"Tch!?"

A scream broke through. Instantly, the flames in my vision vanished due to the fox's technique. I realized the presence surrounding me.

The sight of the lustful princess, no, the mother, in the form of Ine with a light burn on her back... She hugged me, trying to protect her child while trembling with fear. She looked up at the black fox, directing her hostility towards her.

'... What do you think you're doing?'

"Princess, what are you...?"

The fox and I shared the same question: doubt. We were both confused about the meaning of her actions.

"Hahaha! That's... what I want to know. My body just moves on its own. I have to protect him. My son, you know?"

She pretended as if she couldn't control her emotions. Then she looked at my face and felt relief that I was alive. She had a completely motherly expression.

(Is she being influenced by the mother of the person she's acting as...?)

I understood the strange behavior of the Magical Rod's TS version. It seemed like an impulsive action from the rice, pulled along by the princess's spirit. I felt sorry for the lustful princess, forced to act against her nature. And... I apologized to my mother.

"Mother..."

"I'm not your mother... I'm your mother, right? No, I'm not? I'm not?"

The princess was confused by everything happening. Putting that aside, I spoke to her. To my mother. To the mother of this body. To Ine.

"Being unfilial... is a bit different. I can't say I'm the owner of this body."

It was like murder. If I had done a better job, the owner of this body might have survived. We might have been able to escape together somewhere. But it was too late now.

"I'm so sorry about your son..."

"Please stop saying that. ... I don't want to hear such words from my child."

It was probably the princess who spoke the first half, and the mother who spoke the second half. Her strained smile was distorted, and she was filled with despair. The helpless she understood everything.

"I'm sorry for making decisions on my own and leaving you behind... I know it seems ungrateful. But this is the best choice I can make right now. You understand, right...?"

"I don't want to understand. ...Please don't apologize? Just having both of you here is enough for me. Okay? Just the 3 of us, right?"

My mother's painful plea was simple but too fragile to be called delicate.

"Thank you for picking me up and raising me. I truly... appreciate it. On behalf of the owner of this body, I give my heartfelt thanks."

I sincerely apologize for deciding fate on my own and causing someone who had no right to die. I know I'll be hated for this. I wouldn't accept such a story either if I were in her shoes. Naturally, she shouted.

"Stop! Don't say things like that!"

Shaking her head in denial, she spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Please! Just having you here is enough! That was all I wanted!! After losing my family... being cursed and lonely, you were my family!! So!!"

This might have been the first time I heard my mother's raw, honest feelings. I was surprised by the rough words coming from my usually gentle and quiet mother.

"I'm the one who's grateful! I was abandoned! You brought me back to life! You supported me! So, you are my family! Because we're family...!! Kyaa!?"

In the middle of her plea, she screamed as a tail caught her and threw her away. The black fox looked exasperated.

"I don't really like scenes like this, you know?"

"Ha ha, my bad... I didn't expect you to care about the atmosphere so much."

Accepting the accusing gaze, I raised my hands and waited for "that." Indeed, I wouldn't want to watch a tearful exchange with someone I was about to kill.

"No, please! Don't leave me!! I don't want to be alone! Please don't leave me...!!?"

My mother was shouting and struggling through the snow, trying to reach me. In tears, Ine ran towards me. I couldn't bear to watch that heartbreaking scene.

Having her family taken away for no reason, and losing her hometown and home alone, thinking about her fate made it even worse...

"Please live strong. Please live long." It was just a selfish thought in my heart. I was a terrible son──no, I was like a son killer to others.

"...Come on, just kill me already."

"Yeah. Go ahead and do it?"

"Huh?"

It happened suddenly. I tilted my head at the black fox's strange response, and then I was flying through the air. With only my upper body, I was slowly falling to the ground, my insides spilling out, and in my view, I saw it.

The shocked expression of the adult white fox who had seen me torn apart. The black fox behind her, smiling cruelly.

"Oh, so that's how it is..."

Understanding it, I was slammed to the ground, and the intense pain shot through me, making it impossible to scream. In the distance, the white fox, covered in my bright red blood, was running towards me, eyes wide and half-crazed.

The youkai fox is cruel. It's wicked. There's no way she would simply grant my wishes. It seemed to have been as malicious as possible without breaking its promise. Maybe she used an illusion.

(Well, maybe she will burn the body and alter things later, though...)

In front of me, turning into a lump of flesh, the white fox was crying loudly. I couldn't understand her words; the pain would eventually end. I would endure it and apologize. To my sister, who had to witness this, to my mother, and to the owner of this body, whom I had let die without permission.

"I'm sorry, big brother... I'm sorry?"

...I didn't know if the words I spun reached anyone just before my consciousness faded away.

Fan art: Here is Botan, crawling around the neck, by Xin. It probably has its tail wagging: here

This one is Kissing Princess. It seems like it's sticking out its tongue : Illustration