Chapter 292 — The Hidden Village Oni Sisters 1: A Fiery Night

──Rem slowly wakes up at a veranda bathed in pleasant sunlight.

It seemed like the light of the sun was so comfortable that she fell asleep while day dreaming. Rem rubs her sleepy eyes, wipes the drool she felt on her cheek with her sleeve, and she looked around.

She was a very young girl. She had on a white kimono, which was a native dress, and she wore Zoris1 on her feet. Even though the playful age was evident in her short, blue hair, she seemed to be squinting the eyes of her lovely face in a lonely way.

With her squinted eyes, she sees a familiar scenery. Rem suddenly notices the zabuton3 placed below her body. Rem, who had been sleeping, had an idea of who would do such a nice thing for her.

The person that came to mind was not by her side. When Rem jumped uneasily off the veranda, she scurried to the plaza in the middle of the village.

How long did she sleep? The sun above her head was still high, so she’d like to think that not a long time had passed, but she didn’t even have confidence in that judgement. She slowly begins to feel tears coming from her eyes.

[???: Oh, Rem-chan. You’re full of energy today again.]

[Rem: ──]

A woman’s voice stops Rem, who felt unease in her chest. When she turned around, she saw a lady in her prime, who lived next door. They lived in the same village, and they were the same race. It was a face Rem was familiar with for as long as she could remember, but──

[Rem: Ah……..]

Rem’s face flushes as she grumbles and looks down. Rem was feeling embarrassment and shame as she blushed, so she couldn’t respond. But, the woman didn’t notice that state of hers, and she said,

[???: It’s warm today, so playing outside does sound like fun. Children being lively makes me happy.]

[Rem: Um, um……]

[???: Oh yeah, is Ram-sama not with you today? That’s unusual.]

[Rem: ──]

Rem holds her breath shortly at the end of the seemingly friendly voice. The reason she did was because of the name she said──it was the name of her sister, which she said with an honorific attached. No doubt about it, that was the cause of Rem’s heart burning.

[???: Ram-sama is the Oni clan’s next chief, so if she isn’t taken care of…….]

[Rem: I, um………I…I’ll go…to…Onee-chan………erm….I’m sorry.]

Rem forcefully interrupts the conversation. Once she bowed her head while blushing, she ran away in a hurry. Rem’s sudden actions surprised the woman, but she waved Rem goodbye as she became distant and she said,

[???: Rem-chan, make sure to tell Ram-sama to return home before it gets daaaark.]

Then, she threw kindness at her that was not meant to be harmful at all.

While hearing the woman’s voice from behind, Rem’s eyes gradually become wet with tears. Rem gets disappointed with herself again and she starts to feel bad, and she forced herself to speed up as she closed her eyes.

[Rem: ────]

Rem makes it to the plaza, and she looks for a crowd. Her older sister was always surrounded by people. This meant that if there was a crowd, her sister would be there, and if there wasn’t, she wouldn’t be at that place.

So, her sister was nowhere in sight at this plaza that had no crowd. Rem’s feeling of hopelessness gets worse and worse.

She had to find her now. She had to look for where she was──

[???: ──Rem?]

Rem’s whole body shakes quietly in reaction to the voice that reached her ears and kept asking for her.

A pink haired little girl was looking at Rem, who turned around as if on demand. She had the same hairdo and clothes as Rem, and she had beautiful, light pink eyes. It was a girl who looked like she was full of dignity and self-confidence.

She was Rem’s other half, and the most respected and loved being in this generation──it was her older twin, Ram.

Ram stares at Rem, who had turned around, and when she gently touched her stiff cheeks, she said

[Ram: Rem, what happened? You look like you’re going to cry.]

[Rem: Because when I woke up, Onee-chan wasn’t there……]

Rem frantically shakes her head at her older sister as she implicitly asked who was cruel to her. She told her that it was just that she felt uneasy from not seeing Ram as she should’ve been with her before she fell asleep.

When Ram lowered her eyebrows in response to that reply, she gently hugged Rem, who looked lonely.

[Ram: Ah, I’m sorry. You looked like you were enjoying your sleep so much, so I’d feel bad for waking you up, Rem……..]

[Rem: I─it’s my fault for falling asleep. But please don’t leave me behind……..]

[Ram: You’re right, I won’t then. Next time I’ll call your name, Rem. But if you slept a little longer, I would’ve came back. ……..they probably would’ve been boring duties to Rem, anyway.]

Getting hugged and patted on the head gently, Rem closed her eyes in reaction to Ram’s kindness.

Rem understood what her older sister did after she left her behind while she was sleeping──actually, her duties at this time were Ram’s daily routine. This was just Rem forgetting about that and becoming uneasy on her own.

[Rem: How were…the…duties…….?]

[Ram: It was as boring as always. The reincarnation of an Oni God, the restoration of the race and all that…….it’s so stupid.]

[Rem: Is that so……?]

[Ram: I understand that the adults are desperate and that they have expectations in me. I know how outstanding I am. But we can’t go back in time…….those adults don’t understand that.]

[Rem: ──?]

Someone still young like Rem could not understand much of what Ram was saying. Rem’s own sister who was the same age as her showed a level of wisdom that put adults to shame, and that made her feel worthless.

She was pathetic for not being able to understand how Ram felt with the constant troubles she had to face. The most painful thing for Rem was the unconditional love Ram gave to someone like herself.

[Ram: You don’t have to hurry, Rem. Rem, you can walk at your own pace. I’m an older sister, so I’ll wait for you, Rem.]

[Rem: Y…….yes.]

Rem accepts the security she felt from the hand caressing her back, and she gets wrapped in love that felt like it was going to melt.

Everyone in the village adored and respected Ram. But on the other hand, Ram didn’t open up to anyone in the village, and she thought that expectations and respect and such were troublesome.

The younger twin Rem was the only one Ram truly loved from the bottom of her heart.

It was the treasure that Rem was the most proud of, and at the same time, the most suffocating burden.

[Rem: ────]

But still, Rem hugged her sister back, making sure not to let go of that warmth.

For Ram, Rem was her lovable other half, and Rem felt the same way about her. Well, actually Ram was more than a half to Rem──

[Rem: …….Onee-chan?]

Rem lets out an uneasy sounding voice in response to Ram suddenly turning away and glaring at the opposite side of the village. Listening to her, Ram says this while looking over there.

[Ram: Someone’s entered the village. I’m gonna go check this out.]

[Rem: ──W─we should get hel…]

[Ram: I won’t be gone for long. Rem, you stay behind and……]

[Rem: I want to go! I’m going, too. Go with Onee-chan……!]

Since she was always getting left behind, her loneliness won over the fear of the unknown being. Ram pondered a little about Rem, who clung onto her, but as she immediately let out a sigh she said,

[Ram: Stay by my side. Okay?]

Ram gives that order, and they go to the the opposite side of the plaza──the entrance that connected the village and the mountain path, while holding hands. Rem felt anxiety now because of the outsider that came into the village while doing her best to run after Ram, who ran quickly.

If Ram was there, there wouldn’t be any problems. But still, she was worried about what she’d do if it was someone scary.

However, Ram arrived at the destination much faster than the worry hit Rem.

[Ram: ──Stop right there, swine. This is not a village you can just simply enter without permission.]

Ram blocks the village’s entrance, chest thrown out with confidence, and she declared that as she faced forward. Being out of breathe as she chased after her, Rem nervously took a look at the person behind her sister.

The one who was greeted by those two little Onis was a bald, old man that had on shabby clothes. However, that old person looked two times taller than the old people Rem knew about from common knowledge. Her eyes were not deceiving her. The old person really did have a strangely large constitution and a scary look.

[???: Oh, it’s the little Onis of this village. Back then there weren’t any children.]

At first the old man was surprised, but once he found out that he was dealing with kids, he immediately made a relieved look. However, Ram snorted her nose as she went “Huh” in response to that reaction, and she said,

[Ram: Bringing up outdated information and acting as if you know someone is a trite and poor trick. Rem, get back. I’m going to tear him apart.]

[???: You’re quite the aggressive kid! Isn’t your Oni blood showing a little too much!?]

[Ram: I am the reincarnation of an Oni God and a famous prodigy. Not very memorable for your last words, Giant.]

[???: Are you really going to say those sharp words after knowing that I’m a Giant………]

The old man responds to Ram’s harsh speaking by stroking his head in a troubled way. Watching their interaction closeby, Rem becomes flustered by the situation while being left out.

However, in contrast with Rem’s flustering, Ram and the old man ease up.

[Ram: So? Why is a Giant, whose tribe is close to extinction, at a hidden Oni village?]

[???: Hey you, a leader in extinction came to see you guys, Onis who are on the verge of extinction. Show some respect.]

[Ram: Acting all high and mighty just because you’re going to die first proves that old people are problematic.]

[???: You sure are a charmless girl…….you should learn from your sister behind you.]

Rem quickly hides behind Ram as the topic of the conversation suddenly switched to her. The old man makes a hurt expression because of that reaction, and Ram clicks her tongue loathingly.

[Ram: You deserve to die 1000 times for frightening my cute little sister.]

[???: Spare me from having it happen 1000 times. ──I came to see an old friend, Setanta. He should still be the chief. I haven’t heard of him dying, after all.]

[Ram: The Chief…….]

Setanta was the Oni clan chief, as well as an old person that was this hidden village’s mediator. He had grey hair, a large build, an awfully strong sense of intimidation, and he was someone Rem couldn’t deal with very well. Although, Ram and her parents were just about the only people she was fine with.

[Ram: What do you need from the chief? If you get the chief killed now, the role would be handed over to me and that would be troublesome, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t try that.]

[???: The jokes kids have these days are thrilling………still, doesn’t seem like you’re entirely lying.]

After dropping his shoulders dejectedly, the old man squinted his eyes to take a good look at Ram. Those eyes disturbed Ram, but he looked at Rem, as if done incidentally, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

In any case──,

[Ram: Fine. I will guide you to the chief’s residence. Even if you say you don’t need me to, I will go with you anyway.]

[???: You’re a cautious little oni, aren’t you. It’s not like……I don’t understand how you feel, though.]

[Ram: Rem, if you ever think this Giant is acting weird, let me know. I’ll kill him.]

[???: You’re gonna make me angry if you don’t cut this out now!]

[Rem: O─okay, got it. Let Onee-chan know, right?]

[???: This girl too!? What kind of manners have you been taught to welcome guests like this……]

Rem and Ram bring along the old man, who hung his head more out of defeat rather than shock, and they guided him to the chief’s residence──a wooden building in the deepest part of the village.

That place was called the “Chief’s Residence”, but there weren’t any big differences between the building and the other houses in the village.

However, there were only two people living in it, the chief and his wife, so it had enough space.

[Ram: Chief, I brought a large old man who claims he’s an acquaintance of yours. Is he really an acquaintance?]

[???: There you go again……]

Ram makes the old person frown, and she calls out from the building’s entrance. Then, after a short moment of silence, the door opens, and Setanta appeared with a stern face. Setanta stares at Ram and Rem, and then finally he sees the old person as he said,──

[Setanta: That’s a face that takes me back, Cromwell. Surprising to see you come here.]

[Cromwell: You haven’t changed……is what I’d like to say, but I can’t. You got old, too. You look as if your body got a size smaller.]

[Setanta: With your body, everyone around you looks like children……probably.]

They have a conversation that was like renewing friendship, and Setanta turned his attention to Rem and the others. When the grey elder stiffened his loose cheeks, he said,

[Setanta: Thanks a lot for guiding him, you two. He’s definitely someone I know. He’s called Cromwell of the Giants.]

[Cromwell: I don’t like that way of saying my name. I go by Rom now.]

[Ram: What a crude name change.]

[Rom: It just had to be done. If you said it would be easy to call me that, that is.]

The old man, who was formerly known as Giant and called himself Rom, lowered his eyebrows slightly and made that response. He seemed different from before, and he somehow gave off a feeling of deep affection, but nothing more than that could be understood.

[Setanta: You must’ve came a long way, Cromwell. Let’s talk inside. ──Also, Ram, you stay. Rem, you go home before her.]

[Rem: ──]

Setanta continued the conversation indifferently, while Rem held her breathe as she held onto Ram’s sleeve. Ram was going to carry a burden again with Rem being unable to help her.

But, Ram put her hand on Rem’s shaking fingers to cover them. And then she said,

[Ram: With all due respect, Chief, I think a young person like myself will only be a nuisance to a renewal of an old friendship. Besides, I promised to sprinkle the village’s fields after this.]

[Setanta: ……Hmph. Your true feelings?]

[Ram: Rem would feel lonely, and I don’t want to be shut in a room for old geezers.]

[────]

She gives a rejection with details that were too frank, and it makes even Setanta open his eyes wide. Rem was also surprised by her sister’s intense, sharp tongue, but Ram kept a composed expression.

[Rom: Haaahaha! You’ve lost, Setanta! Children have their own stubborn viewpoints. I’d feel sorry for making her tag along on our old people tea drinking, too. Just let her go.]

[Ram: Even the guest is saying these sort of things, so I’ll be excusing myself. ──Let’s go, Rem.]

[Rem: Eh….ah…okay, Onee-chan……]

Rem takes advantage of Rom’s words, who laughed wildly, and she took Rem’s hand as she quickly left that place. Following her sister who was walking fast, Rem looked back at the chief out of slight curiosity.

[Rem: Ee──]

Setanta’s glaring eyes make Rem regret looking back. She hurries up greatly to match the pace of Ram, and the sisters go far away from the residence.

[Ram: Rem, it’s fine now. The two of them entered the residence. Nobody is looking anymore.]

[Rem: ──Ah]

Rem calms down because of Ram’s voice, who stopped in the middle of returning to the village’s plaza. In response to her sister who was looking at her straight on with her light pink eyes, Rem said this while being slightly out of breathe:

[Rem: I wonder why that guest came to this village.]

[Ram: Who knows? He’s at least able to enter this village, so he’s definitely a worthless acquaintance of the chief. Which means that he probably has some very worthless things to do.]

[Rem: Doesn’t Onee-chan have a lot to do, too? Are you going to be busy?]

[Ram: If you think of it as the adults wanting to rely on me, I will be. It’s going to be a pain.]

Ram folds her arms, and she sighs with a mature expression that didn’t match her age. She was an older sister that took a cold attitude towards basically everything, but Rem understood the subtle differences of her sister.

This reaction of Ram was an attitude she would have when she was seriously shunning the fact that something was right before her eyes.

[Rem: Is there something I can do for Onee-chan?]

[Ram: Rem…….]

[Rem: If it’s something Onee-chan doesn’t like, then I want to help. I might not be able to do anything since it’s me…….but I want to be with you.]

Ram gazed in wonderment at Rem’s words, her facing down as she rubbed her fingers together. Then, immediately after, when Ram stood in front of Rem, she touched her forehead with her own as she said,

[Ram: It’s okay. Just having Rem care about me like that makes me 100 times stronger. I’m already this amazing, so with that, now I’m unstoppable.]

[Rem: Onee-chan’s amazing…….]

[Ram: Yes, I am amazing. I mean, I am Rem’s Onee-chan.]

That was not really the basis for Ram being an Oni, being the next chief, and being called the “Reincarnation of an Oni God”. It was more the basis for her being proud of being Rem’s older sister.

That made Rem feel embarrassed, but it made her so happy that it seemed like her body was going to melt.

[Ram: Now, let’s go, Rem. I want to play with Rem all day today.]

[Rem: O─okay……but Onee-chan, the field watering…….]

[Ram: Ah, that. ──Yeah.]

Rem mentions pouring water to Ram, her smiling, and she immediately regrets it. However, when Ram squinted in reaction to that point, she looked towards where the village’s fields were. And then──

[────]

Ram produces wind, and the sand at her feet starts a spiral with her in the center. Next to Rem, who was surprised by the aftermath of that power, a white horn extended from Ram’s forehead as she had her eyes squinted.

Even Rem, her twin, was captivated by the beauty of that horn.

The tremendous power produced from Ram’s horn, who was respected and admired by every Oni, gushed out towards the field──to put it precisely, it gushed out not towards the field, but the stream next to it.

The stream’s water undulates wildly, bathing in the power of Ram’s eyes. Immediately after that, the force of the water current producing ripples rises towards the sky, and it came up to the surface right above the field like a serpent. And then the body of the water serpent explodes above the field as water scatters all over the field.

[Ram: ──Now my business is taken care of. Let’s go, Rem.]

The paranormal phenomenon finishes just like that. Rem nods at Ram’s words, who put away her horn.

The ability to shoot that much water from such a far range──that truly was the outstanding work of an Oni God. Rem and everyone in the village could not possibly try to imitate something like that.

Ram was special, and the fact that she had unreachable power was the greatest proof for that.

It was something Rem was proud of more than anything──

[Rem: Okay, Onee-chan.]

She takes her older sister’s hand, chasing after her as she ran ahead.

Even if Ram hurried and hurried, she would always care for Rem and match her pace.

──Rem was proud of that, but at the same time, it became a very strong thorn, and it pierced her chest.

2

Once it became the evening, Rem and Ram returned to the village, and they were covered in mud.

What these two carried with their hands, their white kimonos so dirty that they turned black, was a basket that had countless loot of yams.

The yams were buried in soil and connected by vines, and there were as much yams as the two of them could handle with their arms. Ram was in a good mood, having harvested more than 10 of them.

[Rem: Onee-chan, you look happy.]

[Ram: Well of course. It’s because we’ll be able to eat tons of Rem’s steamed potatoes if we have this much. That’s the best treat of all for me.]

She shows a big smile that she would seldom show, and Rem smiles at her sister, who showed an unusually childish smile.

The steamed potato Ram talked about was a simple dish Rem made by borrowing the kitchen from her mother, and it would only be made whenever they’d harvest yams like this. It wasn’t complex enough be called a dish, but Ram was happy with Rem’s steamed potato more than she was with anything else. The village would put their best efforts into making various things for Ram if she wished for it, and yet what Ram wanted was Rem’s steamed potato.

[Ram: Your seasoning is perfect. Rem is the only one who can make a steamed potato that would make me happy.]

[Rem: Ehehe……then I’ll try my best again today and steam them for Onee-chan.]

[Ram: Yes, steam a lot. I’ll be having seconds.]

Rem smiles at Ram, who declared her gluttony with a gallant expression, and she fixes the way she carried the basket filled with yams.

They return to the village from the mountain path like that, and they headed home────then, suddenly they stopped.

The reason being because there were two long shadows at the village’s entrance bathing in the setting sun.

[Ram: The chief and that Giant person?]

There were two people standing at the village entrance: Rom, who they guided to the residence a few hours ago, and Setanta, who greeted him. Once again, the two old people appear to have noticed Rem and Ram returning to the village, as one of them said,

[Setanta: ──Went to the potato fields in the mountains again I see.]

[Ram: Yes, as it is my only hobby. So, are you finished with your evil scheme?]

Ram’s remark to Setanta, who had a grim look, even had a bite in it. Rem could only feel uneasy about that blunt attitude as someone who was aware of how Ram had been harsh to Setanta lately.

However, a big, gigantic old person shaked his head in between the two who were about to cause a sense of insecurity.

[Rom: Can’t you stop being tense with a kid? It’s shameful. Besides, your opinion isn’t going to get you anywhere……it looks like she’s not convinced.]

[Setanta: That’s because she’s still young. Should she start to have self-awareness and pride, things will take care of themse……]

[Rom: You oughtn’t treat her like a kid only when it’s convenient. Plus, well, in my eyes, it looks like this girl’s nature has nothing to do with age and readiness.]

[Ram: ────]

Ram calmly answers Rom’s eyes, which seemed like they were seeing through her, with a wise expression of her own eyes. Rem understood that Setanta and Rom were talking about Ram, but she still couldn’t understand the details. But, Rem sensed that her sister resented it, and she held tight onto the basket of yams that she was carrying.

[Rom: Anyway, my answer is final. I’m pretty worn-out.]

[Setanta: You sure have lost your energy, Cromwell. Or maybe I should say you don’t take the initiative anymore?]

[Rom: You should say that I’ve gotten old. You and I, it’s the same deal for both of us.]

Rom responds quietly to Setanta’s hateful sounding remark, and he turned his back on him.. Stepping hard on the ground, the old man sought to leave the village as he went down the mountain path.

As he passed through Rem and Ram’s side, he said,──

[Rom: Always be close sisters. Don’t forget that.]

Rom leaves just those words behind, passes through the mountain path without stopping, and he went out of sight. Watching that large back become distant, Rem said nothing in confusion. She just wanted either Ram or Setanta to move so that the situation could end quickly.

[Setanta: He may be like that, but he was once a warrior that worried about being a brother. …….Not a trace of his former self is left.]

However, in contrast with Rem’s wish, Setanta started talking about the old man that left. Rem couldn’t understand the details, but Ram snorted in response.

[Ram: Time changes people. The change is unavoidable, for better or worse.]

[Setanta: ……..He got involved with people too much for such a long time. He pandered that much to people he must’ve hated, so much that his anger faded overtime. A hopeless weakling.]

The grey elder grinds his teeth, and he spits towards the back that couldn’t be seen anymore. Seeing that anger, Rem remembers the words Rom said and the eyes he had when he left.

She felt like those eyes didn’t have the spineless weakness the chief was calling him out for. There was the emotion of treasuring someone in those eyes. That would definitely be the reason why he’d seem different from back then.

But, Rem didn’t even have a bit of the courage needed to say that out loud.

[Setanta: There’s not a chance I’ll see his face again. I feel relieved.]

[Ram: Congrats on losing one of the few friends you have. I’d like to celebrate by treating you with steamed potatoes. How about it?]

Rem gets startled by Ram, who held up a bunch of potatoes as she invited the chief to dinner. However, Ram wasn’t even serious. She knew what he’d say, so you could say it was a joke.

[Setanta: Unfortunately, I’m not in the mood for it. Perhaps another time.]

[Ram: Miss one chance to eat Rem’s steamed potatoes and you’ll never come across one again. Go and regret having declined this invitation for an eternity. Let’s go, Rem.]

[Rem: Um, okay, yes. Chief, excuse me.]

Continuing after Ram, who had a triumphant expression, Rem also bowed her head and left quickly. Afterwards, only the frowning chief remained, and Rem looked back at him over and over as she said “Is it really fine?”.

[Ram: Rem is so nice. It’s fine. A stupid adult just had his stupid plan belittled, that’s all.]

[Rem: Onee-chan, are you fine with it?]

[Ram: Yeah. I’m relieved that the stupid plan ended with a stupid conversation. In that respect, I’ll have to thank that old Giant for making fun of the stupid adult.]

She felt like she had been relatively bitter towards Rom until the end, but Ram had her own deep thoughts. Rem understood that, and she didn’t really try poke her nose into it.

If there was one thing that was on her mind, it would be──

[Rem: He said that person used to be scary…….he didn’t seem like it at all.]

[Ram: Yeah. The answer for the friction between Humans and Demi-humans was found through interaction. It was something like that, I suppose. In that case──]

[Rem: Onee-chan?]

With a curious look, Rem calls Ram, who stopped and went into deep thought. But there was still no reaction from Rem, her eyes closed. It was the first time the older sister didn’t notice Rem calling her.

[Rem: Onee-chan, Onee-chan]

[Ram: ──Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking for a bit.]

[Rem: Thinking? About what?]

[Ram: About eating the steamed potatoes Rem made, of course.]

Then, Ram’s stomach rumbled at the same time she said that. The stomach that sounded like the growling of a beast astonishes Rem, and Ram let her hear that sound with much pride as she said,

[Ram: It’s just like you hear it. Let’s get going. If we don’t hurry, my stomach will break and I’ll die.]

[Rem: O─okay. Got it. Let’s get going then, Onee-chan.]

Rem nods many times as she got overwhelmed by Ram appealing with a serious look. Afterwards, Rem was able to think of all sorts of ways to make the steamed potatoes efficiently while she hurried back home with her sister.

That was how Rem’s head was filled with steamed potatoes, and not once did she remember Ram seriously thinking about something.

And not once did Rem feel regret from it.

With that, she also completely forgot about the visitor that came to the Oni village, and the days went by.

The sun rises and the sun sets repeatedly without Ram, Rem, or any of the Onis changing.

And so, time went on──

3

──For Rem, that fateful night was too sudden.

[Rem: ……Onee-chan?]

Waking up at night alone, Rem let out her voice as she searched for her sister in the darkness.

Inside the room, she didn’t see Ram, who should’ve been sleeping right by her side.

The sisters shared a room, and they shared a bed as well as they’d sleep next to each other. No matter how many times Rem reached her hand out, she couldn’t find her sister’s body which would usually be in a place where she could feel her.

[Rem: Maybe……she went to the bathroom.]

Rem sits up in the darkness, and she ponders her sister’s absence.

Ram would usually wake up earlier than Rem, and she would sleep later than Rem. Therefore, Rem never got to see her sister’s sleeping face. Should Rem wake up at night to pee, Ram would wake up with her as if she knew. However, that also was something that only happened in the same room.

Not once was she gone from the room leaving Rem behind like she was today.

[Rem: ────]

That makes Rem feel like something was off, and so she stepped on the floor barefoot when she removed the bed cover. She feels a strange uneasiness, and she reached for the door, feeling that she had to find Ram right away.

──That’s when she finally noticed it, although it was too late.

[Rem: ──Huh?]

An intoxicating, burnt smell, and strangely humid air that reached the skin to caress it. The heat that made her wet with sweat clearly did not match this hidden village’s climate, not to mention climate of the night.

──There was fire. Flames. Fire was produced outside the door, and it enveloped the building.

[Rem: It burns!]

She puts her hand on the door in panic, and she screams because of the hotness of the heated door. Rem tears up because of her own foolishness while her palm became red with a burn as she wondered why was she stupid like this.

If she had the time to think about this and that, then she had to meet up with her sister as soon as possible──.

[Rem: ──Aah]

She concentrates on her forehead and exhales, shaking slightly. Then, Rem starts sharpening her body’s five senses, and she perceives the world with every sense focused on her forehead.

A single white horn formed on her forehead that messed up her blue hair. Rem releases the power of an Oni, and when she raised her empowered foot, she kicked down the door without hesitation.

The next moment, flames of hell cross the corridor as if making fun of her, and Rem’s vision was dyed in red light.

The overwhelming amount of heat causes the strength of her horn to die down, and she starts to feel fear once again.

However, Rem uses all the strength she had to suppress that fear, and she stepped into the corridor with rising flames.

She looks into her parent’s bedroom at the front. The door to the room was wide open, and there was no sign of her parents. Of course, her sister wasn’t there, either. She stepped back immediately and went towards the living room. The flames raged relentlessly at the place where her family spent time together. The dining table, the hanging scroll, and the cupboard were all burning in flames. Flames even burst out from the kitchen, so heading over there would be suicide. There was no one in the house. That’s what she concluded.

[Rem: Whew!]

The flames in the entranceway were especially strong, so she needed the readiness to become burnt black to go through it.

Rem immediately crosses off the option to escape from the entranceway, and she strikes the burnt, fragile wall with her body to break through it. She bathes in the outside air, and she lifted her face while lying on the ground.

──Find Ram and meet up with her.

Whether it be a crisis or a regular day, Rem’s judgement was always the same. She would rely on her judgement to leave to the plaza and meet up with her sister. But the next moment, that thought froze.

[────]

Her cheeks stiffen in terror. Her eyes open wide, frozen in place. Rem stops moving, dumbfounded.

What she saw before her eyes was a never before seen collapsing of the scenery she was familiar with.

All the houses and the fields were engulfed in bright red flames, turning into ash. However, those weren’t the only things exposed to the fury of the flames. Not only were the Oni villages burning, but the Onis themselves as well.

In front of Rem, who came out of the house, there was a burning house next door. The woman living there was engulfed in flames, and she turned into a burnt black corpse. Her limbs were twisted. Her face was distorted from anguish, and she couldn’t even tell what it looked like when she was alive. Her mouth was wide open to cry for help.

The reason she was able to distinguish who this woman was, even when she was in this state, was solely because of the two horns protruding from the burnt corpse’s forehead. The two horns with slightly twisted ends facing inward.

Rem had an inferiority complex from having only one horn, so she had a habit of looking at other people’s horns in detail.

Thus, she was the only one who would never mistake one horn for another for her race in the village. And it became a pain that fell onto Rem. There couldn’t be any pain that would be harder to endure.

[────]

All over the village, there were her race’s burnt black corpses lying down.

If Rem saw the horns, she would immediately know who the burnt black corpse was. She immediately knew which burnt corpse was her father and which was her mother.

Her parents’ burnt corpses were on top of each other, and they collapsed trying to protect each other. It was a tragic demise since they fought against death until the very end. It was a visit from death in the midst of pain.

[Rem: ──Ah, u]

The death of her race, the death of parents, the repeated shock of death causes Rem to lose the strength in her hands and legs. The swirl of power produced on her forehead disperses. She breaks down, and at the same time, her horn pulls back into her skull.

What was happening? What the heck was this unbelievable situation──

[???: Ga… aaaahhh──!!]

Broken down, Rem hears a lively roar that kills the night.

The roar that sounded like a beast’s came from the blazing houses──she ran to the plaza from the deepest part of the village, and she saw a muscular, grey haired Oni.

The upper part of his Kinagashi”2 was open, and he was naked from the waist up; it was the grey elder Setanta. The grey elder had two large horns extended on his forehead, and he was swinging a sword with eyes of insanity colored in rage.

The sword was a decoration for the venue, and it was considered a super heavy object that only Setanta could handle. It had lost its sharpness for a long time, but it would still be appropriate to call this piece of iron a dangerous weapon as it was longer than two meters.

And now Setanta was swinging the piece of iron so smoothly as if it was part of his body because there was an opponent that deserved to be hit with a weapon and anger.

[────]

Rem saw a squirming shadow in her eyes.

The flaming light of the houses shines brightly on the vicinity, and countless corpses appear in her eyes. The only one living and moving was Setanta──no, around Setanta, it seemed as if there were black dressed beings merging into a shadow crawling about.

The shadow wrapped in black clothes from top to bottom was clinging onto Setanta as he went into a rampage. However, Setanta had the power of an Oni, who were known to be a match for a thousand, and among them, he was someone who stood out.

[Setanta: ──Meun!]

The wind slashing piece of iron catches the shadow from the front, and that might cuts the being in black clothes in half. Pieces of flesh scatter, and his opponent’s body becomes a dead body within an instant as Setanta jumped at his next prey.

Rem sees the chief’s brave fighting with her own eyes, and some strength returns to her legs. Among the corpses lying down, she didn’t see Ram, who she was looking for. This wasn’t the time to be devastated.

From what she’s seen, the black clothed beings’ abilities were no match for Setanta. While their attention was on the chief, Rem had to look for Ram──

[???: Che che che che che]

A sound suddenly slips into Rem’s ears as she tried to leave that place in a hurry.

It was a sequence of an unpleasant sound──it was similar to tongue clicking. Someone’s continuous tongue clicking arrives by the wind, and Rem’s eyes wander around as she wondered what it was.

And then, she saw this.

[────]

Setanta blew fire.

Fire blew from the grey elder’s mouth, nose, and ears, and his whole body was completely engulfed in deep crimson flames. Setanta drops his sword, holds onto his face, and he screams from the pain of having his internal organs burned.

However, the flames burn his screaming throat, and his voice was no more. The large fire evaporates his eyeballs, his tongue gets inflamed, and the grey elder Oni burned before her eyes. And then finally,

[???: Ho…rn]

The surrounding silhouettes throw the swords they had in their hands, which had the shape of a cross. They pierce Setanta’s whole body, being engulfed in flames, and they heartlessly end his life.

The burnt black grey elder gets struck with countless swords, and he stood still just for a moment. But, he couldn’t leave behind any words in that moment. The giant figure falls backward, and it never moved again.

Rem sees that tragic death with her very own eyes, and now her body lost its will to fight.

There was none of her moving race as far as the eye could see. What she did see were dead bodies…dead bodies, nothing but dead bodies. Either those, or the black shadows that made them into the dead bodies that they were.

[────]

Rem was surrounded by those black shadows before she knew it.

The black clothed beings point cross swords at Rem, which were the same type of swords that pierced Setanta. Rem wasn’t sure if she’d prefer getting burnt to death or getting stabbed to death.

She wasn’t sure, but her lips moved. Her hands and legs didn’t move, and her brain wasn’t working. However, even if her body and mind weren’t working, Rem knew who she should rely on.

Thus──

[Rem: Onee-chan.]

──The moment she said that out loud, a wind blew violently.

The wind equally caresses the flames burning the village, the clouds concealing the moon, and Rem’s bangs on her forehead. However, the results each of them had weren’t equal.

Cries of pain and blood spray rise, and the black clothed beings that surrounded Rem lose the strength in their bodies. It was a natural result from having lost the neck and up part of the body. The shadows become corpses, and Rem was now surrounded by fresh death.

And then, right next to Rem there was

[Ram: Rem! Rem! Are you hurt?! Anything at all!?]

The one who rushed over with a frantic look and embraced Rem’s sunken body was Ram. Horn out on her forehead, the older sister makes a tragic look with her face, which would usually be emotionless, and she hugged Rem, who was emotionally damaged.

Rem accepts Ram’s hug, and she felt awkward relief and happiness.

She was glad to be reunited with her older sister. Her relief was also natural. However, what was this feeling of happiness? She saw her parents, her race, and the death of the chief with her own eyes, and yet what she felt in her chest was──

[Rem: O─Onee-chan…….I…I……]

Her thoughts become white, and her consciousness turns off and on. The shock successively thrown at her was too intense for little Rem’s heart to handle. Seeking for an outlet for that shock, Rem clings onto her sister right next to her. Ram accepts Rem’s confusion, and she hugs her tightly. But──

[Ram: One after another…….]

Ram, who had been caressing Rem’s head to comfort her, speaks resentfully, and she looked back. Different black clothed beings appear again in her light pink eyes burning with passion, as if creeping out from shadows.

There were even more than the amount she had just wiped out. Just how many of them were crowded into this village? There was no room to hope for survivors.

That is why──

[Ram: I won’t let them lay a hand on Rem, no matter what. ──All of you here, suffer a swift death.]

The silent black clothed beings answer Ram’s stern verdict by drawing their cross swords at the same time. Ram confronts the silent insanity closing in, and the horn on her forehead shines even brighter.

Right after that, what developed before Rem’s eyes was a massacre created by overwhelming power.

[Ram: Ah, aaaah──!!]

Ram roars, jumping right and left with her small body, and she fatally gouges the black clothed beings’ bodies with her own nails. Their heads, faces, and chests get torn up like paper, and the black clothed beings fall mercilessly before the unbelievable difference in power.

It was astounding physical strength──however, that wasn’t the only secret of Ram’s terrifying strength.

Ram swings her hand, pulverizing the black clothed being with a blow. Her light pink eyes trace the sky, and wind cuts down the black clothed being above her eyes. The black clothed being meets its end by the blade of the wind within an instant, and a corpse was left on the ground.

An overwhelmingly strong body, and magic usage that was so enormous that it seemed as if the world was in the palm of her hand. It was the demonstration of Ram’s true abilities, who was said to be the reincarnation of an Oni God once considered to be the strongest out of the Oni clan.

Every time there was a crushing sound, there was another dead corpse with a broken skull. The attacks from Ram, who transformed into a violent machine, did not stop. The people jumping out in front of the Oni God were basically volunteering to suicide. She smashes and cuts all the shadows that continued to jump at her, and it wouldn’t be long until the battle was over.

Over there──

[???: Che che che che che]

She hears that tongue clicking again.

That unpleasant sound makes Rem come back to her senses, as she was in a trance.

Being in the middle of the battlefield of the clashing between Ram and the black clothed beings, Rem couldn’t tell where that sound came from. She didn’t have the slightest clue.

However, Ram didn’t worry about that sound. It looked like she didn’t even notice. That was frightening.

What happened earlier? What happened after this tongue clicking? ──Setanta burned. That’s what happened.

[Rem: Onee……..]

[Ram: Remm!!]

Within an instant, Rem’s vision becomes dyed in red, and her body was trapped in explosive flames──no, it wasn’t explosive flames she was trapped in; it was Ram’s chest that held her after she jumped in just before.

The blast that came from behind tosses the Oni sisters, and they get blown away like that. Rem feels dizzy, her internal organs are jumbled, and her face was dirty with tears and saliva. And as for Ram──

[Ram: You people…….]

Breathing hard, Ram had an angry look while having raising her bloody knee.

Her white Kimono was torn into pieces, and the intense bleeding was creating a pool of blood at her feet. Her delicate body had a painful laceration──however, the wound heals within an instant in response to the radiance of Ram’s horn. The regenerating flesh emits extremely hot heat, and the wound generated red steam.

Taking all the mana in the atmosphere and changing it into power to fight was a special characteristic of the Oni’s horn. Ram had an outstanding horn, so she could easily heal non-fatal wounds.

However, it was never something that could help with pain and fatigue.

[Ram: ────]

Ram checks if she could still feel with her feet, and she steps forward to attack the enemy again. But, that one step gets repelled by the generating explosive flames, and Ram was sent flying backward as she let out cries of pain.

Seeing her sister lying down right beside her, Rem opens her eyes wide, and immediately after, she hears a voice.

[???: Little Oni sisters, off again, huh. ……..Actually, not exactly.]

It was low and hoarse tone, but it was filled with smoky sort of excitement.

It felt like the voice loved this scenery. It felt like the voice had affection for this scenery. It felt like the voice climaxed because of this scenery.

──In the village engulfed in flames, a backlit black shadow appeared.

Rem couldn’t see the person’s face from where she was. But, he was at a different place than all the other countless shadows, and she understood that it was the worst reality for the present situation.

[Rem: ……Onee-chan?]

[Ram: Ple─ease…….Rem, anything but Rem……..]

Lying down

next to her, Ram crawls and she hugs Rem, who sunk down to the floor, to cling onto her shoulder. And then the older sister desperately pushes Rem’s face into her chest, and her voice shook as she faced the dark shadow.

It was a voice that sounded like it was begging, or perhaps asking for forgiveness, and it made Rem dumbfounded.

She never imagined Ram who was always full of confidence, always dignified, and who was always the strongest, most noble, most splendid twin sister in the world, begging like that.

And so, as for the person who the older sister made that clinging wish to──

[???: Such beautiful sisterly love. That makes it perfect. I was just about to check if Oni siblings smelled different burnt.]

[Ram: ──]

Ram bites her teeth so hard that she could’ve broken them, and she stands up as she faces the voice. However, she was hugging Rem, had injuries, and was distant. Even the reincarnation of an Oni God, Ram, couldn’t take that one step.

He shoots steel from his raised arm, and it was aimed right towards Rem, who was in Ram’s chest. Realizing that, Ram opens her arms, and she stands in front of her beloved sister to block her.

Protected by that small back, Rem only opened her eyes wide while feeling powerless.

And then──

[ ────]

There was a shrill sound, and blood spray and broken white splinters fell down.

A scream, and someone’s laughter. White light flew through the red sky in the midst of that noise.

It was a white horn. The beautiful, most noble, precious horn of an Oni. The horn of Ram, the Oni clan’s hope.

Her own life, the village engulfed in flames, and her sister screaming as she wiped the tears of blood she had from the pain, none of that was left in Rem’s mind at this time.

She was only broken from the cruelty, and she stared at the blown off horn──

[Rem: Aah──]

──Rem lets out a shaky sigh, and the rest did not remain in her memory.