The Wandering Ronin's Wanderings (Part 2): The 'Gimme-Gimme' Yokai of Crow Forest [Volume 1] | Rewritten Version

I am Watari, a wandering ronin. I have traveled through many forests so far. Starting from Owl Forest, then Seal Forest, and even Crow Forest—I suppose this vagabond journey has lasted about ten years now.

Just two months ago, I arrived at this White Heron Forest. Just the other day, I published a story in the kawaraban newspaper about a zashiki-warashi I encountered in White Heron Forest. It seems that article was extremely well-received.
It became the talk of the town that a yokai had appeared in White Heron Forest as well. People were saying they wanted to hear more stories about yokai.
Because of that, the publisher of the kawaraban asked me to write another article about yokai. I have piles of material on yokai.
"But, what a pain."
I muttered while looking up at the blue sky from the veranda, puffing on my pipe.
I heard a chirping sound. When I looked, several sparrows were perched on the pine tree in the garden. The trail of smoke rising into the sky grew thinner little by little, and the tobacco leaves had turned completely to ash.
"Oh no, this is the last of the leaves."
I opened my backpack and peered inside. After confirming there were no tobacco leaves, I dumped the ash from my pipe into the unlit brazier.
"—Well, I guess I'll have to write one more yokai story to earn tobacco money."
I took out paper and a brush from my scarred writing box. The brush was a 'kaichu-fude,' a portable type where a short brush and ink are combined.
"I'm glad I bought paper before buying leaves."
I'll write about that 'gimme-gimme' yokai I met in Crow Forest.
I placed my master's keepsake pipe and the paper on the writing desk and began to move my brush.

At that time, a terrible epidemic was attacking the town. People were terrified of the disease, which would kill you if you caught it, and they shut themselves up in their houses.
I thought this was the time to start a business, so I set up shop in a large town in Crow Forest.
Long ago, I had learned how to use a mechanical box powered by electricity at a temple school. By using the glass window of the mechanical box, one could talk without meeting in person. I formulated a plan to start a business with this.
If I prepared several mechanical boxes and rented them out, couldn't I teach people how to use them without meeting face-to-face? Then there would be no worry of catching the epidemic. I schemed that I could kill two birds with one stone through rental fees and gratuities.
(Learning from a yokai wasn't entirely bad. This isn't sorcery, after all.)
First, I rented a corner of a tenement house and thought up a slogan for the shop.

"I will teach you how to use a mechanical box powered by electricity. By peering through the glass window, you can talk to anyone without meeting them. A mechanical box brought from the Southern Barbarians. No need for a brush; writing characters is free and easy. It is faster and smarter than an abacus, and perhaps rivals a hermit. It can even draw pictures that are as good as, or better than, those of popular artists. It will surely be of use to you." I put up this sign and gathered followers.

The 'technique' for the slogan on the sign was a skill I learned from my master.
By the way, a 'follower' is someone who exchanged a written promise to watch over me. Followers receive news about this shop on a priority basis.
My followers increased in the blink of an eye, becoming a large group of about two hundred people in two months. Of course, there was a zashiki-warashi among them, too.
However, these followers were troublesome. There were those who would come and ask for money every single day.
They started sending me letters saying things like, "I have a good scroll, would you like to buy it?" or "I have a wonderful master of money-making. If you pay a commission, I will introduce you." Even though I said my master was enough for me. Some would approach me like a friend, and just when I thought they were good people, they would end by saying, "I have a money-making scheme, won't you join in?"
I brushed those people off appropriately and quietly started my business.
My first disciple was a young girl named Oume.
Followers first send their own portrait, called an 'icon.' I chose the cutest girl among those icons.
While talking through the glass window of the mechanical box, I taught her various things, and this Oume was indeed a cute girl, just like her icon.
I wanted to meet her in person and see her face so badly that I didn't care about the deadly disease.

And then, one evening, I saw it.
It was on my way back from the public bath for the first time in a while. I saw a woman throwing a letter into my shop. I hid in the shadows in a panic. And then, I peeked from the shadows to get a good look at the woman's face.
"What, isn't that Oume?"
The real Oume was more of a stunning beauty than just cute when seen in person. I wrapped a hand towel around my mouth and leaned out from the shadows to speak to the woman.
The moment I was about to say, "O... Oume...", Oume's beautiful face rolled off.
Beneath the beautiful face, there was only a smooth, featureless face with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Oume hurriedly picked up the fallen face and, while looking around, stuck it back onto her head.
To think, a noppera-bo (faceless ghost) was wearing a mask with the same face as her icon. I turned on my heels in surprise and retreated into the shadows.
Thud (Oh no!)
I fell on my backside from the momentum. Oume turned around, noticing the noise. I reflexively pretended to be a stray cat and meowed, "Meow." Then Oume tilted her head, went back to normal, and left. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Man, my best clothes got dirty."
When I stood up, I brushed the mud off my hakama.
I was curious about Oume's identity, so I secretly followed her.

To be continued in The 'Gimme-Gimme' Yokai of Crow Forest [Volume 2]

I am presenting a rewritten version of a work I submitted to the Creative Awards last year.
It was on a different account, but I decided to move it here to organize things. This is the first novel I wrote after becoming an adult, but I would be happy if you read it.

*Some names have been changed.