I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

There was no sound, no light, no life.

This was a world of nothingness.

Run... run... run...

The taste of blood and rust clogged her throat. The cold air cutting into her lungs felt like tiny blades, and her legs felt as heavy as lead.

There was no safe place. Malice surrounded her completely.

Shadows with jagged claws morphed into bloodthirsty beasts, lunging at her relentlessly. Each time, they tore away chunks of her flesh. The agony of losing her flesh and blood piece by piece was excruciating.

An exhaustion that stemmed from the depths of her soul begged her to stop, to rest. Yet the terror of death pushed her legs forward in a blind, desperate escape.

Her heart screamed for salvation.

Someone—anyone—please save me.

Be it a god, a yokai, or a human of great power...

Though she had grown independent from years of living alone, she was still just a child at heart.

The walls she had built to protect her vulnerability were fragile at best.

"Eek!"

She let out a cry of terror as she tripped and fell.

Falling while running for her life—she dared not imagine what that would mean.

The looming beast was like death incarnate, its crimson eyes chilling her to the bone.

She wanted to get up, but her legs refused to move.

She wanted to scream, but all that came out was a choking sob.

Low growls rumbled like a grim bell tolling her demise.

Between life and death, there was a vast abyss of terror.

Every vein, every nerve, every cell in her body screamed in agony.

The shadowy beast closed in, growing from the height of a man to a towering ten meters. Its overwhelming malice felt like it would crush her fragile soul.

She could do nothing but watch as the beast raised its massive claw and brought it down upon her.

Someone... save me!

Her silent plea for help reached the ears of a certain newcomer to this world.

And so, a divine miracle unfolded before her very eyes.

In the void, a pure, immaculate white line appeared.

The endless shadows and the titanic beast shattered like illusions the moment the "white line" emerged.

Then, that line split the heavens from the earth.

In an instant, flowers and grass sprouted beneath her feet, and the darkness above her gave way to a vast, open sky.

The danger and fear were gone, replaced by confusion and relief.

"Well now, did I just hear someone crying for help?"

A figure shrouded in a mist-like haze appeared before the girl, their features unclear.

The voice carried a strange warmth, dispelling her lingering fears.

"Ah, I see. A nightmare, was it? I know that feeling all too well—the unreasonable helplessness."

The figure knelt and placed a hand on the dazed girl's head, gently ruffling her hair.

The voice grew even softer, as soothing as sunlight on an early spring day.

"Rest easy now. Dream of hot sukiyaki or basking in the sun on a warm afternoon. There's no need to be afraid... because I'll stay right here by your side."

---

When the girl woke, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.

The polished wooden floor beneath her gleamed with cleanliness, and she was lying on a thick futon. A warm, heavy blanket covered her.

"Ah, you're awake?"

The tengu girl's awakening did not escape Kiichi Kiichi Hōgen's notice. After all, she had remained by the girl's side since healing her.

The girl, her golden eyes still foggy with confusion, turned toward the voice.

There, framed by white hair cascading like a waterfall, stood a striking figure.

That voice... it was familiar. It belonged to the person who had chased away the terrifying beasts in her dream.

This sleep... it might have been the most peaceful she'd ever experienced. When she woke, the exhaustion and pain were gone, as if they'd never existed.

But she still remembered the monsters.

Her last memory was falling off the cliff after being attacked—losing her weapon, her arm...

Tentatively, the girl raised her right hand, flexing her fingers.

It moved perfectly. Even the wings on her back, torn apart by the creatures, seemed whole again.

Were the monsters... everything that happened... just a dream?

If only it had been a dream...

The tengu girl looked back at Kiichi Hōgen, her golden eyes filled with confusion.

"Was it... you who saved me, big sister?"

For the first time, she took a closer look at her savior.

The most striking feature was her snow-white hair, paired with horns that clearly marked her as non-human. Her playful smile suggested a carefree demeanor, but her golden eyes carried an unsettling detachment. She wore light red armor, more ornamental than practical, with decorations resembling crow feathers on her shoulders.

Yet beyond these visible traits, the girl felt an inexplicable kinship—a strange urge to throw herself into this woman's arms and seek comfort.

"That's right, little one. It was me who caught you when you fell from the cliff," Kiichi said with a grin. "Oh, and by the way, I took care of that little puppy that hurt you. Consider it avenged."

"P-puppy?"

The tengu girl's brain froze for a moment. She couldn't reconcile the terrifying creature she remembered with the term "puppy."

In her confusion, she forgot the most important thing—she owed this person her gratitude.

"Thank you..."

"You must be hungry after sleeping for so long," Kiichi interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Wait right here! While my special tengu feast takes a bit of time and I'm low on ingredients, I can whip up something simple in no time. Ga-ga-ga!"

Before the girl could fully express her thanks, Kiichi swept out of the room like a gust of wind, leaving her alone and bewildered.

It felt as if a small raincloud had formed above the girl's head, lightly drizzling.

Her slightly chubby, youthful face fell into visible disappointment.

But then...

"Tengu?"

Though Kiichi's words had been fast, the tengu girl had caught that one word.

And the inexplicable sense of closeness she felt toward Kiichi...

For the first time, the tengu girl realized that she wasn't alone—there was another tengu in the world besides her.

---

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Here's to more adventures and endless inspiration~ 🎵