“I tuwned into a twee... Gwuu’s weawwy become GWUUT!”
Veilach glanced at Mephisto as if asking what “Gwuut” was supposed to mean, but Mephisto was just as clueless.
“Myu-myu.” (She’s probabwy hawf asweep. Just pat hew.)
“Pii!”
The two, knowing nothing, just gently patted her in vague consolation, but sadly, it didn’t comfort Guru at all.
'Gotta find Daddychann!'
Guru threw the monk’s robes over her head like a bonnet and tied the chin straps into a bow.
She had to hide the fact she’d become Gwuut—no one could find out.
With the sprout hidden and only her face poking out, she sprang to her feet.
'Daddychann gonna yank da snow bunny out for suwe!'
And just as she stepped outside in her quest to return from Gwuut to human—
Tutututututututu—
“Huh?”
It was the whirring of helicopter rotors.
Above Yeonhamsa’s temple pavilion, a door swung open from the aircraft, and a wire ladder dangled down.
One by one, armed special forces troops descended onto the temple grounds.
The last person down wore a formal suit.
Guru hid behind a column.
The loud commotion brought out bleary-eyed temple-stay guests, and the monks of Yeonhamsa were also hurrying over.
“Who are you?! This is a sacred place honoring Buddha! What is the meaning of this, without notice?!”
The suited man shot a glance at the monk, then issued orders to his unit.
[“Proceed as swiftly and efficiently as possible.”]
[“Understood.”]
Japanese.
The moment the order was given, the special forces dispersed with practiced speed.
The air turned tense, and murmurs rippled through the gathering crowd.
“What’s going on this late at night?”
“Are they Japanese special ops or something?”
“Did they come to arrest that hot yakuza guy?”
Even Guru could think of only one Japanese person connected to all this—Sabbuu.
She began sprinting in search of Jurim and Kazuki.
“Huff! Hah! Huff!”
Panting hard with each breath, Guru rounded the corner of the pavilion following Mephisto’s guidance—and came upon the open wooden platform.
Something was happening there.
Special forces stood in formation, aiming assault rifles, while the suited man stepped forward.
[“Hunter Amakusa Kazuki. I am Yamauka Shun, officer of the Public Security Bureau. I’m here to escort you. Please come with us.”]
Kazuki casually scratched his ear.
[“I didn’t caww no taxi. Who you escortin’, and fow what?”]
Yamauka Shun continued as if he knew everything Kazuki had been planning.
[“Your life belongs to Japan.”]
Hoo—Kazuki exhaled onto his ear-scratching finger and gave a crooked smile.
'So they’ve been watching me all this time?'
Not even allowed to choose when to die—worse than a dog on a leash.
Maybe it was because he was too valuable, they couldn’t allow him to escape even through death.
And yet they’d let him roam the world supposedly seeking exorcists?
Suddenly, a chilling truth stabbed through Kazuki’s mind like a shard of glass.
...Could it be Takahashi knew that true exorcism was impossible?
If not, he never would’ve let him travel the world so freely in search of one.
This was a man who said even Kazuki’s life belonged to the state.
He remembered now—Takahashi’s bloodline traced back to an onmyoji family that had survived since the Heian period (794–1185).
Masters of predicting fate, repelling spirits, curing illness, and warding curses with incantations.
That was why they could delay the curse’s progress.
And if they could delay it—
Then of course, onmyoji would also be capable of casting the curse itself.
'Played me. Like a total fool.'
Burning anger dyed his vision black, but Kazuki gritted his teeth and forced a smile.
[“Hey, taxi man. Tell PM Takahashi he’s taken this too far. I just got a brand new reason not to go back.”]
[“I am Officer Yamauka Shun of the Public Security Bureau. You can tell him yourself.”]
As Yamauka’s hand closed on the air, a heavy sword handle materialized in it.
Unlike the gemstone-inlaid hilt, the blade was stark white and razor-sharp, bearing the unique emblem of the [Amakusa Series].
A first-generation Amakusa model—
Tsurugi “Kagehira” (S+).
[“Wowww, ya even bwought out my baby in fwont of me. That’s wude~”]
Kazuki grinned widely at the expressionless Yamauka and summoned his mana.
[“Well if you gonna come at me wike dat, I feew stubborn too.”]
Space cracked open like a zipper, revealing a dark subspace.
[“Go ahead, twy n’ take me.”]
From within the dark void, gleaming edges emerged. Yamauka took a stance, sensing danger.
Countless blades pierced through the dark, aimed at Yamauka and his squad.
[“If ya can, dat is.”]
The blades were razor-sharp—filled with menace.
Failed prototypes of the [Amakusa Series].
But precisely those were proof they could have been S-Rank masterpieces.
Yamauka’s expression stiffened.
'He had this kind of firepower...?'
Had he intentionally concealed his combat capability, pretending to be a mere crafter?
This was why non-government Hunters were so dangerous.
Yamauka calmed his nerves and focused.
He trusted his weapon.
One of only four masterpieces ever made: Kagehira.
As if responding to his resolve, the mana stone embedded in Kagehira began absorbing his energy.
The swirling mana flared—
Fwooooosh—!
“Cease this at once!”
Monk Hyeongak finally intervened to stop the clash.
He didn’t know what was going on, but he couldn’t allow high-ranked Hunters to fight in a temple filled with civilians.
So many people would be caught in the crossfire.
But before he could act further, Kazuki was already about to launch the first strike to counter Kagehira.
He had already lost his rationality to rage.
“Master Amakusa, stop this!”
“Sabbuuu!”
Following the monk’s call, a small voice shouted out.
'Gwuu?'
The child, her head tightly wrapped in monk robes, ran up, only to be scooped into the arms of the unit captain blocking civilians.
Clatter clatter clatter!
Clang!
The moment the girl appeared, the willpower driving the prototype Amakusa blades vanished, and they fell uselessly to the ground.
“Gwuu-channnn!”
“Sabbuuuuhh...!”
Held in the captain’s arms, Guru reached out.
Kazuki snarled.
[“Let her go. Unless you want an international incident.”]
[“Comply peacefully, and we’ll release her.”]
[“Don’t even twy to bwaggin’. Yoo kno who she is, don’t ya?”]
There was no way Public Security, with access to global intel, didn’t know who the child was.
Yamauka finally nodded and raised a hand to stop the captain.
As the confused soldier released her, Guru ran straight to Kazuki with todododo steps.
“Sabbuuu...”
Kazuki glanced behind her at the civilians who had witnessed the standoff.
How could he have let it go this far? Had he really lost control in his anger?
He’d nearly dragged Guru into it too.
Right now, he was the dangerous one to her. He had to leave before he caused real harm.
Kazuki crouched down to meet her eyes and smiled.
“Gwuu-channn, go inside fow a bit. Sabbuu gotta go to Japan wif dese uncies fow a sec.”
“J-Japan?”
“Uh-huh. Sabbuu got a big job to do, weawwy fast.”
“Wha... what job...?”
“It’s stuff Gwuu-channn don’t gotta kno. Sowwy. I’ww expwain watew... Okay? Go on in now?”
Guru lowered her gaze and looked around.
The tension still hadn’t faded.
They’d brought in helicopters.
They’d come armed to the teeth.
She stared at Kazuki’s awkwardly smiling face.
The taut atmosphere, the perilous situation—
It all filled the child with a strange sense of wrongness.
'Sabbuu is a wiaw...'
She could tell—something bad was going to happen to him.
But adults never explained things to kids properly...
So there was only one way to find out.
[Registering ‘Amakusa Kazuki’ as Caregiver.]

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