Chapter – 54
Child Yokai – Miki and Kon
When I went to the workshop,
I could see the yokai and a few hanging spirits inside.
It seemed the stage was going to be set up next to the workshop and the gallery.
When Mukai entered the room,
he saw a small demon and another tiny white fox.
They were busily stuffing something into a bag.
As Mukai watched,
the yokai approached.
“Mukai-san. I wanted to ask you something.”
“Before that… what are those little ones doing?”
“Oh, that’s Miki and Kon.”
The yokai looked back.
“They said they wanted to make something,
so they wanted some wood shavings.
I let them help while tidying up.”
“Wood shavings?”
“Yes, wood shavings.
Apparently it’s a trend among the little kids at the yokai facility.
You know, the artist who does wood-shaving art came to the salon, right?
They were teaching bouquet-making.
They seem to really enjoy it.
And they love the scent of cypress wood.
Pretty cheeky, huh?”
The yokai laughed.
“Wow…”
I was a little surprised by this unexpected turn of events.
“The lampshade in the Reaper’s room,
that’s made of wood shavings too.
Apparently, they asked that artist to make it.”
“So even while playing with Adachi,
he’s doing all kinds of things, huh?”
“Ahahaha.
Well, he is the Reaper after all.
So…”
The yokai began explaining.
“He’s worried about how big the stage should be.
If it’s a performance, it’s not just the participants—
everyone will come to watch.
The Reaper came by earlier and said he wants something like a theater.
He just says whatever he wants and leaves.”
“That guy acts on impulse, huh?
But if that’s the case,
we probably need at least a small hall.
And the stage will have to be a bit bigger too.”
“Hmmm… maybe I’ll expand the underworld space a little.”
“Can you do that?”
“I should be able to manage a bit.
Then we could fit about 150 people.”
“Then let’s do that.”
“Got it. I’ll draft the design.”
After saying that, the yokai returned to work.
I approached the cheerful little ones and spoke to them.
“You’re making wood-shaving art, right?”
“Mukai~!”
Miki laughed happily and hugged me.
The little demon that Saki had picked up was apparently around three years old in human terms,
and the facility let them do whatever they liked.
The Reaper gave Miki their name.
He named them Miki after the lucky escape from evil spirits, combining the number three and Saki’s name.
Miki was thrilled to have a name.
“And this little one is your friend?” I asked.
“Kon.”
The tiny white fox shyly looked down as it said its name.
“What a cute name.”
I smiled and sat down cross-legged between Miki and Kon.
Since Kon was a white fox, I assumed it was a familiar.
Miki sat on my lap and explained happily,
“Kon came with Saki-chan too.”
“I see.”
“The Reaper called the fox in the picture book,
and Kon has the same name,” Miki added with a grin.
“The Reaper reads picture books?” I asked.
“Yeah.
He also does coloring and puzzles,
but he cheats in games.”
“That’s harsh,” I said.
I looked at Miki and Kon and asked,
“When you finish the wood-shaving art,
will you show it to me?”
“Yeah.
Kon and I are going to make a cute bouquet. Right?”
“The Reaper’s making one too.
I’m not sure what it is though.”
The two of them giggled while looking at each other.
“I see,” I said, enjoying the scene.
The yokai approached again.
“Hey, once you pick up the shavings,
you’ll go to the workshop, right?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Miki got up from my lap and went to fetch the bag with Kon.
“Mukai-san, you’re popular with the little ones.
Including Adachi and Makino too.”
“If you call Adachi and the others ‘little ones,’ they’ll get mad,
so watch what you say,” I said with a wry smile and stood up.
“Hahaha,” the yokai laughed heartily.
Miki and Kon waved, saying, “See you!”
and left the room.
“They always end up making a mess while ‘helping clean,’”
The yokai sighed, looking at the scattered wood shavings.
“Well, they are children.”
“Kon… their parents are probably familiars,
but they somehow got lost,
and Saki-chan found them.
The Reaper said that if they were picked up in the central area,
their region is probably Ouji.
We don’t know their parents,
so we can’t just leave them alone.
Miki seems happy to have a friend
and is always with them.”
“I see.
Even yokai have a joyful childhood.”
“Of course.
Children are the same, whether human or yokai.”
The yokai said this with a smile and returned to work.
I stood up and left the workshop.
