Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi: A Nekomanta's Story

Akayashi Can Live In Peace With Humans

IZUMI'S POV

Three days have passed since I came to the Hidden Realm, Aoi and I have become good friends since we started working together at the eatery. Aoi taught me some recipes that Ichigo and Mom haven't taught me and I also showed Aoi how Ichigo made some of the meals that we sometimes had back in the Apparent Realm. 

I just finished making my favourite snack which is taiyaki. I took the tray out of the oven and then Ginji smelt the sweetness of the Taiyaki and he said to me.

"Wow, they look and smell nice."

"Well, it's thanks to Onee-chan's teachings, of course, go ahead and try and one, it's freshly made out of the oven."

Ginji took one of the Taiyaki and he took a bite of it. Ginji's eyes widen and he smiled brightly when he tasted it.

"Wow! this is really sweet!"

"I've used sweet bean paste and chocolate sauce, they were the only fillings that I was able to use in the kitchen."

"It still tastes sweet, are you going to use these for the menu?"

"Thinking about it, but, I want Aoi and Suzuran to have some as well, where is she anyway?"

"Last time I saw her, she and Akatsuki made some dumplings for Suzuran and she's gone off to see her."

"In that case, I'll take a couple of these to her and Suzuran right now besides, I can't leave you to eat them all."

I said as I took a few Taiyaki into a small bag and then I headed to Suzuran's room. Once I got there, Suzuran was telling Aoi how the dumplings she made for her reminded her of the time when Shiro saved her and Akatsuki. I opened the sliding door and I said to them.

"Pardon the interruption, I've made some Taiyaki, want some?"

"Sure, what about you Suzuran?"

Suzuran nodded her head. Aoi and Suzuran tried some and they smiled when they tasted them.

"Wow, this is really good! the sweet bean paste isn't like the ones you buy in the shops."

"I pretty much handmade the paste myself, Onee-chan and Okaa-san taught me how to make it."

AOI'S POV

Izumi ate the tail of the Taiyaki and she smiled a little after she talked about how her sister and her mother taught her how to cook. I watched Izumi eat the Taiyaki at the tail first and I thought to myself.

'Half demon or not, she really is like a cat seeing as how she starts eating at the tail of the fish first.'

"Something wrong?"

"Uh no, not at all."

I said as I ate more of the Taiyaki and I loved the taste of the sweet bean paste. Suzuran smiled when she tried the Taiyaki and she said to Izumi.

"This is really good Izumi-chan, you really were taught by the best."

"Arigato, Suzuran."

"Don't you feel a little homesick, Izumi-chan? I mean you were born and raised in the apparent realm after all."

Izumi licked her fingers like a cat would and she then said to us.

"A little, I came here so sudden and I never got the chance to say goodbye to my friends or my bandmates, I just wish I could turn back time and never stayed long at that club where our gig was taking place, I should have refused it and stuck to practising and came home straight away."

Izumi lowered her head sadly and her ears and tails went down sadly. Suzuran smiled at her Izumi and she said to her.

"Don't be sad Izumi, I'll be heading back to the apparent realm soon, so why don't you come back with me and say goodbye to your friends properly?"

Izumi's ear perked up when Suzuran said this and she smiled at her.

"I would love that, Suzuran, maybe when we're back there, you can listen to me and my bandmates one last time before I can come back here."

"That sounds great, Izumi-chan!"

Suzuran said happily and I then asked her.

"So are you guys just starting out as a band or what?"

"Not really, we've been a band for a year now and we were popular in junior high until we graduated and now we've either got jobs or we're going to high school, I decided not to go to high school, too boring if you asked me I was glad to be out of there so I decided to stick to street performances, it makes me easy money and everybody loves my singing."

Izumi said with a proud smile.

IZUMI'S POV

"Are you really good Izumi-chan?"

Aoi asked me and I nodded my head.

"You wait until I get my guitar back from the apparent realm, I'll sing the night away to entertain some of the demons around here."

I said with a cocky smirk on my face. Aoi giggled at my proud look and she said to me.

"You seem to be proud of yourself whenever you're talking about singing or playing an instrument."

"What can I say? I was planning to become a professional singer back in the apparent realm but, even some ambitions for half-demons like me had to come crashing down someday."

I looked out of the window as the sun began to set.

"In a way, I had hoped that I could become an inspiration to some other half breeds like me, to have some kind of goal in life rather than just eat a random human all the time, we're not as bad as the humans made us out to be, sure our horns or demon ears and tails sometimes give it away and then a human becomes afraid of us but, I sometimes wish there weren't at times when they have to be scared of us, we also want to live in peace with the humans without having the need to hide our true identities."

Suzuran and Aoi looked at me surprised. I blushed a little and I then giggled a little.

"Gomen, I said something stupid and too idealistic didn't I?"

"Oh no, it's not a bad thing to say, in fact, I agree with your opinion, Izumi-chan."

I looked at Suzuran surprised and she then said to me.

"I know exactly how you feel, especially when Akatsuki and I were taken in by Shiro-sama, that was an example that Akayashi can live in peace with humans if they were to see us."

I smiled at Suzuran and my tails to wag happily. I thought to myself as we chatted some more.

'This feels nice...chatting with friends like this, makes me feel like the suffering I went through a few days ago didn't happen, somehow, being here in Tenjin-ya, meeting new friends and seeing familiar faces here, it brings me new happiness.'