"Konaki-Jiji! How did Asakusa-kun end up with that kind of parasitic spirit?"
Ryo adjusted his glasses, squinting intently at the strange yokai clinging to Jin.
"Huh? What kind of yokai is that?" Ayame asked, peeking out from behind Ryo. The fierce wind generated by the two raging yokai in front of them made her retreat further into his shadow.
"A spirit of a child who died tragically or couldn't find peace. They grow into old men because of their envy toward the people they latch onto—that's why they look like that," Ryo explained with curiosity and unease. "Most Konaki-Jiji are found in forests or mountains, places where abandoned infants like them usually die." He had only read about them online, but seeing one in person sent shivers down his spine.
"Then why is it stuck to Jin?!" Ayame asked her worry for their friend deepening. Jin already looked like he was losing his grip on reality.
"I have no idea—AHHH!" Ryo shrieked as a blinding yellow aura erupted from Jin's back. His eyes widened in horror as he saw veins bulging unnaturally from Jin's arms, spreading rapidly across his body. In mere seconds, his muscles swelled, his limbs thickened, and his entire frame expanded like he had just taken a decade's worth of protein shakes.
He no longer looked like a fifteen-year-old. No—Jin now resembled a professional bodybuilder straight out of a fitness magazine. His uniform strained against his newfound bulk before finally giving in with a loud rip, leaving his chest fully exposed.
Up on the riverbank, where joggers and office workers were passing by, a few people slowed their pace to gawk at the bizarre scene unfolding below.
"Uh... what the hell are those students doing?"
"Did that scrawny kid just strip in broad daylight?" One of the onlookers snickered while another group chuckled at the absurdity of it all.
"Prepare yourself, you old geezer!" Konaki-Jiji bellowed, pointing a gnarled finger. "Crush him, brother!"
Jin moved.
Too fast.
Ryo's breath hitched as Jin vanished from his line of sight, his speed too overwhelming to track. Even their enemy, yokai, barely had time to react before the possessed boy lunged forward.
Jin's speed was unreal—no longer human. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the yokai, gripping its face with his bare hands. And in less than a second—BOOM!—he slammed its head into the ground with enough force to crack the earth beneath them.
"You've been acting like a bully all this time!" Konaki-Jiji sneered before repeatedly smashing the yokai's head into the dirt. He was so focused on his revenge that he didn't notice the creature's hair slithering toward Jin's legs like living vines. In an instant, the strands coiled tightly around his limbs, lifting him into the air.
And then—WHAM!
The yokai swung Jin like a ragdoll, slamming him against the ground.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.
Over and over again.
"AAAAAH! WHAT DO WE DO?!" Ayame shrieked, watching helplessly as Jin got thrashed. Even Ryo was at a loss, and this was way beyond anything he had read about. He had zero knowledge or training in handling situations like this.
All he wanted was to make easy money by dealing with ghosts, but now he was stuck in this mess?!
Meanwhile, a few passersby, completely unaware of the supernatural chaos, slowed their steps and raised an eyebrow at the bizarre sight.
"Uh... is that guy doing gymnastics?"
"Is this some kind of extreme training?"
Luckily, most of them were too busy rushing home, trying to avoid the strong winds and the brewing storm in the sky.
Unfortunately for Jin, nobody seemed to notice he was on the verge of death from getting his skull repeatedly smashed into the ground.
"Wait—I need my talismans!" Ryo bolted toward his tent. If not for the heavy supplies weighing it down, the strong winds would've blown it away already. He dove inside, rummaging frantically through his belongings until he pulled out a massive stack of red talismans, nearly as thick as a dictionary.
"Ugh, seriously?! I just bought these!" Ryo groaned, knowing full well he'd have to burn through all of them just to deal with this mess.
Without wasting another second, he sprinted back to the fight.
Ayame was desperately trying to distract the yokai, but it refused to let go of Jin.
"Silence, woman!" the yokai roared, tightening its grip. "I'll deal with you after I finish off this old man!"
Jin, meanwhile, was still flailing midair, wrapped in the creature's hair like a human burrito. The strands had coiled not only around his body but also around Konaki-Jiji's neck, slowly choking the life out of them both.
Both Jin and Konaki-Jiji screamed in agony, their voices merging in perfect harmony—like a duet of pure suffering. It was as if their bodies had fused together, and separating them would mean death for both.
"This is bad. Jin's case is way more serious than I thought," Ryo muttered. "That Konaki-Jiji has been attached to him for too long." Judging by the creature's enormous head, it had already drained a massive amount of Jin's energy.
Without wasting a second, Ryo sprinted toward the fight—only to trip over his own feet in his rush. His entire stack of red talismans flew from his hands, scattering into the whirlwind of energy surrounding them.
"AAAAAH! MY TALISMANS!" Ryo howled, absolutely livid. He was this close to punching himself out of sheer frustration. But as he watched the talismans dance in the air, he noticed something else—the yokai's hair was floating around too.
The fierce winds generated by the battle had sent strands of the creature's long, cursed hair whipping wildly in every direction.
Ryo glanced at his hands. Then, back at the airborne talismans. Then, at the flying strands of hair.
And just like that—an idea hit him.
"JIN! CAN YOU STILL FIGHT?!" he yelled.
No response.
Jin was completely unresponsive, his body still under Konaki-Jiji's control.
"Sheet!" Ryo cursed, realizing his plan relied on Jin following orders—which was currently not happening.
"Okame-kun! What do you need? I'll help!" Ayame called out.
That's when it hit him—Ayame could hit both the living and the dead.
She had knocked Matsuhito-san out cold before. If she could wake Jin up with a solid punch, then maybe—just maybe—his plan could still work.
"You need to wake Jin up! Punch him as hard as you can! He needs to hold that yokai in place!" Ryo shouted.
Ayame didn't hesitate.
With a determined nod, she sprinted toward Jin, clenched her fist, and threw a punch with everything she had.
WHAM!
The yokai barely had time to react before Ayame's fist connected.
"Hah! Are you cross-eyed or just plain stupid?! Why are you hitting your own teammate?!" the yokai cackled, still struggling to pry Konaki-Jiji off Jin's back.
"You're the idiot! Jin was my target all along! Now WAKE UP, JIN!"
With one brutal punch to the head, Jin felt like his skull had cracked open.
His eyes snapped wide in shock. "THE FXCK?! What the hell is going on?! AAAAAH!! What's this thing on my back?!" he screamed, flailing as he looked down at himself.
"Oh wow—is this my body?!" He ran his hands over his newly bulked-up physique, completely distracted.
"Quit admiring yourself and GRAB THE YOKAI! Don't let go, and FIGHT BACK!" Ayame shouted. And just for good measure, she turned and landed a solid punch on the yokai's face.
BAM!
"Bullseye!" Jin commented with a smirk.
"Eeeck!" Ryo recoiled at the sheer force of Ayame's punch as the yokai staggered backward, dazed.
"This is your chance, Jin!" Ayame yelled.
Without hesitation, Jin yanked the yokai's hair free from his body and untangled the strands wrapped around Konaki-Jiji's neck. Then, with a firm grip on both of the yokai's arms, he bent backward and—BOOM!
A full-on WWE SUPLEX!
The yokai's eyes rolled back, dazed from the impact.
That was Ryo's cue.
He pressed one talisman against his chest, released all the talismans that were left in his hand, and let them get swept up by the swirling wind around them. In one commanding chant—
"RED SEAL RELEASE!"
The talismans burst into flames, instantly setting the yokai's hair ablaze.
A fire tornado erupted around them, its scorching winds consuming every strand of the cursed hair. Ayame remained unharmed by the flames, but Jin instinctively leaped back to avoid getting roasted.
As the fire burned through its fuel, it slowly died down, leaving only scattered embers drifting through the air. The yokai's long, menacing locks had been reduced to ash.
All that remained were a few shriveled, singed strands clinging to its head.
The yokai ran its hands over its now completely bald scalp.
"AAAHH! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?!" it shrieked, falling to its knees, sobbing over the ashes of its once-flowing hair.
"You'll pay for this! I SWEAR I'LL—"
Ryo and Ayame both froze mid-step, their mouths hanging open in shock.
Konaki-Jiji suddenly unhinged its jaw, stretched its mouth impossibly wide—
—AND SWALLOWED THE YOKAI WHOLE.
First, the head.
Then, the arms.
Then, the entire body.
And with one big gulp—it was gone.