Chapter 6: At the Tengu Village — The Inter????or —

Soft sunlight before noon bathed Aiha’s residence in the Tengu village.
On the veranda, Aiha sat with calm composure.
Her black feathers swayed gently, a cool, untroubled smile on his lips.
At her side, Suzuran, bearing white feathers, stood quietly in attendance.

Just then, two oni stepped inside.
They were Homuramaru and Sekiren.

Aiha slowly narrowed her eyes and glanced toward Homuramaru.
“So that one is the current bearer. Hmph… he has quite an insolent look about him.”

After only a cursory exchange of greetings with Sekiren, her gaze was fixed straight on Homuramaru.

Homuramaru stepped forward quietly, one pace ahead.
“I am Homuramaru, the current Shuten-dōji.
I have come to decide who is the strongest.”
With that declaration, he silently took his stance, readying the Shu in his hands.

Aiha’s smile deepened, and as she took her staff in hand, she rose smoothly to her feet.
“Very well. I will face you without jintsūriki.”

The two stood facing one another and took their stances.

In terms of build, Homuramaru was the larger by a step, yet the wings spreading gently across Aiha’s back as she faced him radiated a distinctive pressure all on their own.

Homuramaru edged forward inch by inch, slowly raised the Shu above his head.
Aiha did not move a single step from where she stood, keeping her stance as she watched Homuramaru closely.
As if she were measuring something.

At last, Homuramaru’s movement came to a complete halt.

—The very next instant, a furious assault began.

He drove in sharply and swung the Shu.
Heavy strikes rained down on Aiha in rapid succession—yet Aiha, a faint smile still on her lips, calmly and precisely turned each of them aside.

Gradually, Homuramaru’s skin began to darken, spreading little by little.
The oni’s battle instinct was starting to surface.

His power and precision rose even further, and his attacks grew ever more ferocious.
Yet—Aiha did not falter.

There were many chances to counterattack.
And yet, somehow, her hand would not move.
Before she realized it, the moment had slipped away.

That sense of unease quietly swelled within Aiha.

…There’s something here. The suspicious part is… the staff?

A single hypothesis crossed her mind.
To confirm it, she needed a brief moment—and careful judgment.

Homuramaru’s wide, overcommitted strike— that was the long-awaited “chance.”

With all her strength, Aiha batted the Shu sharply aside.
Without pause, she raised her staff high—then slowly swung it upward, mirroring Homuramaru’s stance.

Homuramaru’s eyes locked onto his prey.
Not missing the opening in Aiha’s guard, the Shu was driven hard into her side.

Even as her face twisted in pain, Aiha’s hands had already seized hold of Homuramaru’s Shu.

—At that instant, a dry clatter rang out a beat later.
Aiha’s staff fell to the ground, a moment after.

“Hah!”

Putting her full force into it, Aiha used her body as the axis and swung the Shu around.
Homuramaru also braced himself, but could not resist; he was thrown back and sent tumbling across the ground.

“As expected of one who bears the name Shuten-dōji. …That might have broken a bone.”
With a cool expression, Aiha murmured this and lowered her gaze to the Shu in her hands.

…JJust a regular staff? …Did I misjudge it? …

That was the moment.

A dull impact struck her cheek. Homuramaru’s fist had landed with perfect accuracy.
Then he seized her hair and yanked her in—his knee drove straight into her face.

Aiha staggered back, retreating two steps, then three.
A follow-up kick came rushing in, aimed straight at her head—!

Sekiren and Suzuran moved to stop it—but they were too late.

The next instant, Aiha’s body was airborne.
—Still gripping Homuramaru’s kicking leg.

“…Impressive. You managed to reach me in that single instant.”
She brushed her fingers lightly over her bruised cheek.

Even as she admired him, she plunged straight down from the air.
Homuramaru’s body was slammed into the ground with full momentum.

A heavy thud—the earth groaned, and the air shuddered.
The impact was so powerful that even Sekiren’s eyes went wide, as the oni’s body sank into the ground.

Just like that, Homuramaru lost consciousness.

Aiha lightly wiped the blood seeping from her cheek and turned a smile toward Sekiren and Suzuran as they rushed over.

“—I still have a long way to go in my training.”

She picked up the Shu that had fallen at her feet from the impact of the blow and lowered her gaze.
A brief silence.
Then, Aiha felt a shiver run over her skin.
Looking down at the Shu in her hand, she murmured quietly.

“…How dull.”

The next instant, she slammed it down onto the ground without ceremony and snapped it in two by sheer force.
Witnessing the scene, Sekiren and Suzuran were left speechless.

Turning to the two of them, Aiha spoke in her usual tone.

“Suzu, we’ve got firewood. It’s time to eat.”

With a satisfied smile, Aiha headed back inside the residence.