Kioko's POV
I was sure that their hypothesis was false, and that a separate culprit, which can be a normal human, was responsible for the kidnappings of the two Takada Sake employees. That thought ran through my mind tonight.
Later at dinner time, I ate dinner at a nearby restaurant in the city, before going home on foot to my apartment home west of the city center. Daily, I would only walk to and from work on foot since the distance between it and my home is short and reasonable enough to discourage me from driving my car, which I would only use for long-distance travels like trips. Tonight was quiet, with a clear night sky. The streets are empty, except for the major, city, and busy ones. As I trekked through the streets, a faint noise buzzed through my ears, prompting me to stop and look around my surroundings. I did so, but I saw nothing.
Thinking that I was just hearing things, I shrugged it off and continued walking. Then, I heard some noises, which consisted of grunting and growling, coming from behind me. So, I stopped walking again and turned around, only to be surprised to see what I was seeing: an ogre-like figure who was standing whilst looking drunk and holding a traditional, Japanese-style canteen of an alcoholic drink.
"Hey…beauty…" he uttered towards me.
Hearing that, I was shocked, thinking that I was just seeing and hearing things. "No way…he is not…human?"
But then, the figure charged at me. "Come here, young beauty!"
Because of that, I turned back and started sprinting towards home.
The running was fast, but the figure was getting closer and closer.
I was desperate to get to safety.
But, just as I was about to reach for the stairs of my apartment home, it grabbed me around my waist. This startled and terrified me a lot. "Please…let me go…you're not real!" I tried to hold on to my belief about the supernatural, but it didn't offer me comfort like before.
"So beautiful and young…" the figure uttered as its smell of wine permeated from its mouth, "…from now on, you will be my slave…"
Smelling that, I was disgusted and about to puke my dinner meal. "So…gross…" my mind cried out for help.
But then, something struck the figure, causing it to let go of me and fall to the ground. Upon hearing that, I turned around, only to see a figure, in black and dark grey clothing and…a grey eye that was in flames? That figure appeared to be a boy because of his physical look and age.
"W-Who are you?" I asked him.
"Are you okay, ma'am?" the boy put down his weapon, which was more like a scythe.
"Yes, I'm fine. Your eye…it's burning…"
"Oh, that? Don't worry, it's normal for me, but I am perfectly fine nevertheless."
"Are you sure?"
The boy then nodded. "Yes, be careful out there. Yokai can roam the streets at this time."
"What? How can you be sure those things still exist?"
"Hey, you felt that Yokai grabbed your waist, right?" the boy pointed at the figure he had just struck.
I looked at it and back at him. "Yes."
"Then it is real and you're not hallucinating."
"Okay."
The ogre-like figure was about to get up when the boy struck him with his scythe, sending him to hit a wall of another building on my left.
"Thanks, it's about to get up and try to grab me, I guessed," I said to him.
"You're welcome, citizen," the boy responded as he rested the handle of the scythe on his right shoulder. "You should go inside for your safety."
"Okay, I will."
With that, the boy turned back and walked away.
"W-Wait! What's your name?" I asked him for any information about him.
But he didn't listen and just continued walking away until he disappeared into the shadows of the night.
Seeing that, I felt as if I was being protected by a supernatural being, before turning back to open the door of my apartment unit with my key. Once I did that, I opened the door and went in, before shutting it. But, who was that person anyway?
Hoshi's POV (Kuro's POV)
At a fountain in the city, I reverted back to Hoshi and looked at Kuro in the reflecting waters of the fountain. The lamp posts nearby provided the lighting for the reflection on the water. "That yokai…" I said to him, "…he is similar to the one we read at the family library."
"Yes, it was indeed, Shuten Dōji," replied Kuro back as he folded his arms while looking at me back.
"Is that so?"
He then nodded. "Yes, I'm sure of it."
Hearing that, I sighed in relief. "Good thing we saved Kioko-san from being Shuten Dōji's next victim."
"Yes, our decision is the right one, my friend."
"Aww…thanks a lot, Kuro-kun."
Kuro was a bit annoyed at my expression and response. "You're too soft, aren't you, Hoshi-kun?"
"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself."
He then sighed in mild annoyance. "Whatever, let's continue patrolling around the city for any yokai like Shuten Dōji before we go back home at 12 midnight."
"Okay! Let's do it!"
And so, with that, Kuro disappeared from the reflection on the water, and together, we continued patrolling the city streets and alleyways until midnight.