Edogawa Nishiguchi Ayakashi Clinic - Chapter 19
He could read it.
He read it as Ayakashi.
There’s no doubt about it.
Akatsu-kun is definitely an ayakashi.
“Ah, well… I just quit, actually.”
“Ah, so it wasn’t that place.”
“Y-yeah… I, I need to go shopping for a bit, so…”
Seeing me back away, Akatsu-kun stood up.
Has Akatsu-kun always been this tall?
“Azuki, you’ve been acting really weird since earlier.”
“Sorry. I’m really sorry but…”
Akatsu-kun’s facial features, including his eyes and nose, began to blur.
As he inched closer, his tailor-made clothes began to distort.
At that moment, I knew I had to get away from this place as fast as I could.
But even though I thought about it, my body seized up and refused to move.
“I don’t get it. Even if you have such a strong affinity, you’re human, aren’t you?”
“Stop! Don’t come any closer!”
“That’s why, Azuki—”
The thing that stood before me now was supposedly Akatsu-kun.
In contrast with his body, his head was hugely warped and distorted while his suit was somehow replaced with a haori hakama.
Meanwhile, the handsome, English gentleman-like face melted away and was replaced by the face of an old man with a huge beard and bushy white eyebrows.
Dr. Tengo’s face flashed at the back of my mind.
…The ayakashi adapted to their surroundings like humans and animals did and passed on their genes…
“—won’t you become my family?”
The terror I felt now was quite unlike the fear that one felt during sleep paralysis.
Unlike sleep paralysis, you would be unable to move first before that desperate fear sets in.
But my body simply lost all its energy as that never-before-seen, oddly shaped old man loomed over me.
My vision distorted, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head.
I felt myself about to collapse, but I couldn’t muster up the strength to prevent it.
“Nanakida, are you alright?”
I heard a gentle voice say just as I fell.
A fragrant warmth enveloped me as I was supported from behind.
Looking up, I saw the familiar bespectacled gaze of that man clad in those mass-produced clothes.
“Dr. Tengo…”
Compared to his usual expression, his gaze was sharp as he looked ahead at “the thing” I previously knew as Akatsu-kun.
But rather than cool, his gaze was chilling.
“What did you do to my woman?”[1]
I felt the strength in his grip as he placed me behind him.
It hurt a bit, but it felt kinda good.
Wait a minute.
Dr. Tengo, what did you just say?
“You… are an amanojaku? A quarter, if I’m not mistaken. Your blood is so thin, you’re almost no different than a human.”
“And you’re a nurarihyon— a full-blood, even. What are you doing in this town?”[2]
“If you know I’m a full-blood, then hand the girl over to me.”
“Look for someone else.”
“For a quarter like you to defy a full-blood… It’s as if you human-like creatures are looking down on your origins.”
“I’m just telling you to return to your Hollywood actor disguise and look for someone else.”
“But you don’t have a valid reason to hold onto the girl either, don’t you?”
“You’ll know about it once I eat you.”
“Why you little…”
Hey, back up a little.
Dr. Tengo didn’t just say those words, right?
That I was his woman?
D-did he actually mean something by it?
What does it mean, what does it mean!?
Oh no, I’m totally worked up.
But I’m really thankful he arrived just as this old geezer was about to do something to me.
He probably just said it in the heat of the moment.
“Are you nervous, Nanakida?”
“I-I didn’t even say anything!”
Dr. Tengo’s shoulders relaxed as he let out a sigh.
“Hey. Were you listening to what I told you at the welcome party earlier?
“Yes, I was!”
“Do you remember what I told you?”
“Uh, well… you told me I could just eat the appetizer directly from the renge.”
“No, not that one. The one I told you about our ancestors being unable to survive in today’s society so they have to pass on their genes to their offspring.”
“I’ve had enough of that already, so can’t you just please go ‘bam!’ and drive that geezer away?”
“What do you mean by ‘go bam’?”
“Aren’t you guys some sort of ayakashi hunters?”
“No, I’m a doctor.”
“But didn’t you come save me?”
“No, I was on my way home.”
Ah, he looked away.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] “What did you do to my woman?”
Tweaked this for readability. But in case you’re curious, the original was 「なにをしてくれた、大事な女性/人に」(Nani wo shite kureta, daiji na josei/hito ni) which literally translates into “What did you do to my precious woman/person?”
[2] Nurarihyon
Appearance wise, this ayakashi is no different from your average old man if you could ignore their elongated and gourd-shaped head. They are usually dressed in elegant clothing— often a splendid silk kimono or the rich robes of a Buddhist abbot—and carry themselves in the quiet manner of a sophisticated gentleman.
It would usually show up on evenings when a household is extremely busy and slip into the house, unnoticed by anyone. It would act as if it were the master of the house, helping itself to the family’s luxuries such as fine teas and tobacco. Its power is so great that even the real owners of the house can do nothing to stop it. In fact, even after they finally notice its presence, the owners believe the nurarihyon to actually be the rightful master of the house! Source
