11 May 2023
I love the way this chapter ends. I don’t know if it’s going to be the actual chapter break, but I really like this moment.
There is something about jorogumo and similar entities that I find fascinating. Maybe it’s something to do with the combination of beauty and death? …Maybe it’s best not to think too deeply on that.
The woman crept out of hiding, and Daiki took a couple steps toward her. “Are you alright?”
At the sight of someone else alive, the woman rushed over, tears freely flowing from her eyes. She threw her arms around Daiki. “I, I was so scared! Th-they came, and… and…”
Daiki pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Hey, it’s alright. You’re safe now. We…” He turned to his two companions. “We can take her back, right? Or one of us could.”
Fumito nodded, but Hanako said nothing. She just stared at the woman.
Daiki either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “See? Everything will be fine. Once we–”
He started as a sword entered his vision to press lightly against the woman’s neck. He and Fumito both cried with alarm and protested against Hanako, whose eyes were as steely as her sword, never wavering from the woman.
Without the slightest shift in her expression, Hanako told them, “I’m a bit disappointed. This place was just ransacked by yokai, and you immediately trust a pretty face just like that?”
The men’s eyes snapped to the woman, who tried to shake her head at them. Hanako glared at her. “You can drop the act; I can smell you. You’re a jorogumo.”
For the longest second of Daiki’s life, no one did anything. Then the woman smiled, far too wide to feel natural, and then shifted. Her hair changed to a glossy black, reminiscent of chitin. Three more pairs of eyes opened on her face, and hr clothes appeared new and fresh, cut in such a way as to entice men.
With one hand - the fingers of which were just a bit too long and spindly - the jorogumo pushed the sword away from her throat. “Very well. No more illusions.” She refocused on Daiki and bowed low. “A pleasure to meet you, good sir. I am called Mei.”