3 June 2023
Mei is fascinating to me. I’m not 100% sure why. I wouldn’t call her “good” per se, but I don’t think she’s evil, either; that may be why. She doesn’t operate of the same framework as most humans. Also, as soon as I made the connection between the jorogumo myths and the way female spiders eat their mates, I couldn’t separate them anymore; the jorogumo may well be 100% sincere about loving and caring for their husband. Doesn’t change how things end up. Puts a curious spin on the whole thing. Still don’t know how her sub-plot plays out; I have ideas for a side story involving her kids a few decades in the future, after Hanako’s story is finished, but I don’t know who the father is, or if something changed to let the father survive. Not gonna worry about it yet.
Daiki wasn’t sure how to react. He looked again from Mei to Hanako, who’d lowered her sword down to her side, even if she hadn’t sheathed it.
Hanako, for her part, barely noticed him. “Were you part of the attack on this village? Are you with the yokai village?”
“Good heavens, no!” Mei looked repulsed at the thought. “No, I simply felt lonely, and assumed a bright young man eager to aid a girl in need would make a decent companion.”
It was too much for Daiki to keep up with. “So… you’re jus… looking for a boyfriend?”
“More or less.” Mei smiled, which unsettled Daiki more. It was very unnatural. Still, when he thought about it, she was quite beautiful, even with the extra eyes.
Right when he turned to ask Hanako if Mei could join them, however, she raised an eyebrow at him. “You do know that most female spiders devour their mates after the deed, right?”
The blood drained from Daiki’s and Fumito’s faces, and they stared at Mei. She shrugged. “Where else would we get the energy to lay all our eggs?”
Fumito went to heave up what little was left in his stomach, while Daiki swayed, on the verge of fainting. For her part, Hanako just studied the spider woman for several long moments. Then she sheathed her sword. “As long as you’re not with them, fine. Try not to make things too much harder for the people around her, alright?”
She moved to leave, but Mei called out. “And what about you, oni girl?”
“Sorry, not interested.”
Mei laughed. “That was not my intent, though I’ll not shy away should you change your mind. No, I mean, what do you hope to accomplish alongside these humans?”
Hanako moved to reply, but found she had nothing to say. The silence hung loud for several moments. Then Mei’s eyes softened. “Perhaps I will ask again, next we meet.” She turned to leave and called back, “If your next destination is Nanmoku, best hurry. I overheard an oni say they planned to begin their attack tomorrow, before i turned him into a snack.”
Hanako’s eyes went wide. She turned to her two companions. “Will you be alright on your own?”
Daiki blinked. “You can’t go after them on your own, can you? It’s still two days to Nanmoku!”
“On horseback, yes.” She turned to Fumito, who’d recovered some of his color. “I’ll let you decide if you are going back or following me, but be careful. Don’t talk to anyone on the roads; stay hidden as much as you can. Will you do that?”
Fumito nodded, and Hanako flashed him a quick smile. Then she took off, far faster than their horses could have gone. There was only the smallest chance it was even possible to make it in time, but she had to try.