Before heading to the new Singularity, Dr. Roman suggested that they should rest first.
After all, every Singularity is dangerous, so they might as well enjoy a little downtime.
…Even so, at the cafeteria.
"Ugh, I'm so bored yaa~" Shuten sprawled on the table, reeking of alcohol.
Chaldea was practically empty. Most of the staff had died after the explosion, leaving the place eerily quiet, and there was barely anything for entertainment.
"Nura-chan, got anything fun to play with me~?" she said to Nura, who was sitting nearby.
"You're still too weak, Cú!"
"Agh! You jerk! Take this!"
The two were playing shogi. Cú Chulainn had never touched the game before, but Chaldea's boredom drove him to learn it to play with Nura.
And, well… it was more fun than he expected.
"Mooo! You guys have been playing this game for three hours straight!" Shuten sat up, stomping over and kicking the shogi board away.
"Aghh!! You jerk! I was in the middle of a game!!" Cú glared furiously at the drunken oni beside him.
Nura calmly sipped his tea, seemingly unbothered by the commotion.
"Nura-chan, Caster, do something! Like, brew some sake or whatever? I'm dying of boredom…"
"Just wait. We'll head to a new Singularity soon enough, and you can wreak havoc to your heart's content," Nura said, taking another sip of tea, only for Shuten to snatch the cup from him.
"Tea? Are you kidding me? Didn't we swear to always drink sake?"
"That was just for when we're partying."
"You broke your promise! Nura-chan broke his promise! Poor little me, boo-hoo," Shuten fake-cried, without a single tear in sight.
"Oh, and do you remember when I went to your territory to tell you to stop taking over villages under the Nura Clan's control?"
"Ohhh~ yeah, what about it?"
"You nodded like crazy, even spouting big promises about listening, only for that entire village to get obliterated, and then we ended up fighting for two days and two nights straight."
"Ahh, such a lovely memory. Seeing you so mad back then really got me all tingly~"
"You two really have a complicated relationship," Cú interjected.
"Yeah… Wanna hear the story? It'll kill some time."
"Sounds fun."
"Ahh, memories~"
***
"Supreme Lord! I beg you, don't go to Mount Ooe alone! That's the territory of those oni!!" A chibi crow tengu fluttered anxiously behind a man.
"Oh, Karasu, I appreciate your concern, but I'd rather meet her alone," the man said in a relaxed tone.
"Meet her alone?! HER?! I'd rather die than let you go meet that demon by yourself! That wretched fiend has killed so many humans under the Nura Clan's protection. What she's done is nothing short of spitting on our clan's honor!"
"You're talking too much."
"I have to talk too much, Supreme Lord! You've flirted with way too many women, causing no small amount of trouble for our clan, and those women are never normal! That oni in particular is on a whole other level! I'd estimate she's the most troublesome woman for the Nura Clan! So I'm begging you, please, stop flirting with every girl you meet on the road!!!!" Karasu Tengu wailed, trying to cling to the man to stop him.
"Haha, thanks, but life would be pretty dull if I didn't flirt. Teasing someone's fun, you know~" The man completely ignored the tengu's pleas. He really just did whatever he wanted.
From the past to now, he'd always been like this.
Sneaking into people's houses to drink their tea or mooch food.
Or even falling asleep somewhere random, making his retainers frantically search for him.
Karasu, Gyuki, and Yuki Onna worried the most (though, to be honest, all his retainers were equally anxious).
On top of that, Nura loved flirting with women, and it happened almost constantly! So many girls ended up pining for him…
Yuki Onna would bite her sleeve in frustration whenever she heard he'd gone off flirting again.
Luckily, his flirting was mostly playful teasing—Nura was never serious about it.
But trouble stemmed from this. The women Nura flirted with were often… unusual, including even onmyoji.
That's why his retainers had recently been keeping a close eye on him, hoping to prevent him from flirting with someone dangerous again.
This time, for some reason, Nura decided to head to Mount Ooe, home of the strongest oni, Shuten Douji.
His retainers had never met her, but judging by the heinous crimes she'd committed, their opinion of her was anything but favorable.
And yet, Nura was going there! Could it be… had Nura already flirted with Shuten Douji?!
After walking for a while, the two arrived at a magnificent palace, and as they got closer, they could hear the lively sounds of oni drinking and reveling inside.
"Wait here."
"What—Supreme Lord?! What the hell—"
Nura vanished instantly, leaving the tengu frozen in place.
"SUPREME LORD!!!"
Inside Shuten's palace…
The oni were merrily drinking, but their eyes remained sharp with maximum caution.
After all, the drunken woman could kill an oni with a flick of her hand if she felt like it, so they stayed on edge.
"Ibaraki~ come drink with me!"
"Of course, Onee! Let's clink glasses and wish for your brightest smile!"
"Yaa~ you're so embarrassing, Ibaraki, never shy with words~"
After downing the sake from her dish, Shuten went to pour more but found her gourd empty.
"Eh? All gone?"
At those words, the nearby oni froze in terror.
"Oh well, no big deal. We've got plenty of ingredients~"
Slash!
An oni dropped dead instantly, making the others sweat profusely.
"Use his bones to brew more sake~"
"Y-Yes!!"
Things continued like this until Ibaraki stopped drinking and warily glanced somewhere.
"Hoh? An uninvited guest, and an ayakashi no less? Pretty bold." Ibaraki stared at an empty spot, confusing the other oni.
Then, a cloud of black smoke dissipated, revealing a yokai holding a large gourd.
"Oh! Nura-chan! Long time no see!"
"Hey there, Shu-chan and Ibara-chan."
"Don't call me so familiarly, ayakashi!" Ibaraki glared at Nura, gripping her weapon tightly.
"Oh, here, a gift for you—cotton candy from a village under my clan's control." Nura handed Ibaraki the treat.
"…"
She stared at it, then at Nura's face, then back at the cotton candy, drooling slightly.
"Don't refuse it. It's an apology for intruding without permission."
"Who said I'd refuse?!" She snatched the candy, leaving the other oni dumbfounded.
Since when was a brutal oni… so cute?!
"Heyy~ why does only Ibaraki get a gift? Where's mine?" Shuten demanded. Nura just smiled and sat down.
"This is my favorite sake, something we spent a long time perfecting. I call it Sakura Blossom Sake."
"Ohh~ nice name, Nura-chan. I'm curious how it tastes, fufu~"
"I hope you're not disappointed, Shu-chan. I came here just to share a drink with you. Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you stopped raiding the towns and villages under my control. My retainers really hate you right now."
"You'd have to ask Ibaraki about that~ Though I've gone out a few times myself and taken some bones."
"Haha, still as vicious as ever, huh?"
Nura poured sake into both their dishes, and they locked eyes.
They drank at the same time and set their dishes down.
"Fufu~ such sweet sake. Though I still prefer bone-brewed."
"Glad you like it, Shu-chan."
They stared at each other for a moment, then laughed.
The oni could hardly believe it.
Though Shuten Douji always smiled, her smiles usually came from sake or twisted pleasures, steeped in desire.
But this time was different. Her smile had no trace of that—it was genuine, pure, almost as if she'd sobered up and was beaming naturally.
"Hahh~ Hey, Nura-chan."
"Hm?"
"I've got a question I'm curious about… Do you have someone you love?"
"?!!!" The oni gaped at Shuten's question.
"Haha, not right now. Why do you ask?"
"Why not stay here? Live with me, drink with me, sleep with me, kill with me, die with me."
"And… do that with me?"
…Unbelievable.
"Thanks, but I'll pass—"
A sword pressed against Nura's throat.
"Agree," Ibaraki said coldly, staring him down.
Normally, a woman's family might object unless certain conditions were met.
But these were oni, and Ibaraki was a special case.
She wanted to see Shuten smile, even though they weren't blood-related.
And since Nura always brought out Shuten's most genuine smile… plus, he'd given her cotton candy, which scored him major points with Ibaraki.
(If affection were on a 100-point scale, Ibaraki's fondness for Nura was around 70, roughly equivalent to a level 5 bond with a Master.)
So she wouldn't accept Nura's refusal. Bringing another yokai to live on Mount Ooe was already a rare privilege, and for Nura to be offered Shuten's hand in marriage showed just how highly he was regarded.
But…
"Haha, calm down, ladies. I know what I'm saying~" Nura said lightly, as if he didn't care much.
"Don't dodge the question, Nura-chan. Unless you answer, don't dream of leaving~"
"What if I reject your feelings?"
"Fufu~ then I'll try brewing sake from your bones and savor every piece of your flesh. Sounds delightful, doesn't it~"
Calling her a yandere wouldn't be far off…
"Haha, that kind of affection might be too much for me—"
Slash!
A cut sliced through the palace.
Of course, Nura dodged, though a few strands of his hair were clipped in the process.
"I'll give you one more chance, Nura-chan~ I'm a merciful oni, after all."
Nura smiled. He'd anticipated this outcome but hadn't expected her to be this serious.
"Well, guess there's no helping it."
Nura drew his sword, grinning at Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji.
"Shu-chan, Ibara-chan. If you two can beat me, maybe I'll marry Shu-chan. It might not be so bad, but I value my freedom more."
And so, another battle began between Nurarihyon and Shuten Douji.