“Mikurugi Ueshiyama Does Not Hesitate” Episode 2 [Entry for the 2024 Creative Awards, Manga Original Story Category]

“D-deployment, you say?”
“Naturally, it is to exterminate yokai.”
As if asking what on earth he was talking about, Mikurugi answered Yuji’s question and turned back toward Okuba.
“Okuba, can you display it on the screen?”
“Understood...”
At Okuba’s command, the wall of the room opened to reveal a monitor, and a map was projected onto it.
“There are about several dozen yokai signatures at the shopping mall in Niigata City...”
“What are their ranks?”
“Mostly Mizunoto-class... though some appear to be Mizunoe-class.”
“Hmm...”
Upon hearing Okuba’s report, Mikurugi thought for a brief moment before giving orders.
“Chikage, Maya, and Onigashima, follow me. Okuba and Mataza, you are on standby.”
“W-wait a second, Boss! Are you taking this guy too?”
Chikage pointed at Yuji and asked Mikurugi.
“Yes, it will serve as a substitute for new recruit training.”
“Is he actually going to be useful?”
“What was that?”
Yuji felt annoyed by Chikage’s tone. Mataza interjected.
“This man dodged Mikurugi’s attacks three, no, four times. That is something even with my physical abilities I could not do.”
“! Four times against the Boss’s sword!?”
“Hmph, how about that?”
Yuji showed a proud face to the astonished Chikage.
“...Though, Mikurugi was only using about seventy percent of her true strength.”
“W-what, 70 percent!? Even with that!?”
“No, it was more like 65 percent...”
“You’re being too picky about the details...”
Mataza was exasperated by Mikurugi showing such strange pride. Maya took a piece of candy and opened her mouth.
“Well, that part doesn’t really matter. If the training shows he has no potential, we will reconsider his enlistment, right?”
“...That is how it will be.”
“Anyway, let’s deploy.”
“Alright, move to the Transfer Room.”
“Transfer Room? Oh...”
Yuji hurriedly followed Mikurugi and the others, along with Mataza, as they left the room. The transfer room was near the operations room. When Yuji entered the room, he saw a large hexagonal pyramid-shaped mirrorplaced right in the center.
“This is... a-a mirror?”
“This is the transfer device. From this barracks, we can fly to anywhere in Niigata Prefecture, including Sado Island, and various places in northern Nagano Prefecture. Anywhere that has a mirror or something reflective, that is.”
“W-what kind of mechanism is that...?”
“I do not know the detailed mechanism myself.”
“Y-you don’t know...?”
“Regardless, you can head to the place you visualize... Maya.”
Maya answered Mikurugi’s question.
“Would the restroom at the shopping mall be suitable?”
“Alright! After you!”
“Honestly, you’re not a child... Sister, excuse me for going ahead.”
Chikage and Maya disappeared as if sucked into the hexagonal mirror, and Yuji was surprised.
“T-they vanished!?”
“Don’t space out, hurry up and follow.”
“O-oh, right...”
Mikurugi, who had given Yuji a firm push on the back, turned back to Mataza as if she had remembered something.
“Mataza, go bring that thing from the treasure vault.”
“! Are you going to use that?”
“It might become necessary. I will give you a signal if it does.”
“Understood, nya.”
“I’m counting on you. Alright, let’s go.”
“Whoa!? I told you not to push me!”
Yuji and Mikurugi were also sucked into the mirror.
“Ugh!”
“...What are you doing?”
Mikurugi stared coldly at Yuji, who had fallen flat on his face.
“W-where is this? Did we really warp?”
“This is the women’s restroom. Get out into the hallway immediately.”
When they got to the hallway, Chikage and Maya were waiting. Mikurugi asked.
“What is the situation?”
“The signatures are gradually getting stronger.”
“Luckily, it doesn’t look like they’ve caused any trouble yet.”
The two answered Mikurugi’s question while checking something that looked like a watch on their arms.
“What’s that? Is that a matching watch for the squad?”
“It is slightly different. Come to think of it, I hadn’t given you one yet. Take it.”
Mikurugi took out one identical to what she and the others were wearing from her pocket and tossed it lightly toward Yuji. Yuji caught it, looking confused.
“W-what is this?”
“It doesn’t have a specific name, but it is a portable ‘Yokai Radar’. It can detect yokai signatures. If there is a signature, an alarm will sound. It is essential equipment for members of the Yokai Extermination Squad. It can also be used as a watch and a communication device. As an aside, this is the latest version, and our own Okuba was involved in its development.”
“I-it’s surprisingly high-tech... wait a second.”
“Is there something bothering you? I will tell you in advance, I cannot answer if you ask about the detailed mechanism, because I have absolutely no idea how it works.”
Yuji muttered, exasperated by Mikurugi, who was puffing out her chest for some reason.
“You’re using something you don’t even understand...? N-no, that’s not it. I’m a half-yokai, right? Wouldn’t the alarm go off for me?”
“Ah, I can understand the logic behind that much. This radar is designed to react to yokai whose yokai power has gone out of control, or to yokai that harbor malice toward humans. In other words, Onigashima, you are currently a ‘good’ yokai. Isn’t that right, Maya?”
“I think calling you a ‘good’ yokai might be slightly misleading... but I believe that is generally the correct understanding. As you said earlier, Sister, it seems he is able to control his yokai power.”
“You’re a lucky bastard... I was planning on taking you out right here if you went out of control...”
“Stop it, Chikage. I will not allow you to act on your own.”
“I’m just joking, just joking.”
Chikage winked and shrugged her shoulders. Mikurugi cleared her throat and gave instructions.
“Is this the third floor...? Maya, take the first floor. Chikage, take the second. I and Onigashima will patrol the third and fourth floors. If there are any changes, report back immediately. Operation start!”
““Understood!””
Watching Chikage and the others run off, Mikurugi turned back to Yuji.
“Now then, we are going too.”
“A-are we going to wander around the shopping mall in this outfit!?”
Yuji asked, grabbing his uniform dramatically.
“You are a person who worries about trivial things.”
“No, I think it’s natural to worry!”
“If you act with confidence, there will be no problem. People aren’t looking at you as much as you think they are anyway.”
“That might be true, but... what about the sword!?”
Yuji pointed at the sword Mikurugi had at her left hip. Mikurugi paused for a moment before answering.
“This is... well, that, um, I heard from Okuba, though I forgot the title of the work... you can just play it off by saying it’s a cos...play of a female swordsman who always carries her father’s memento sword that appears in some manga.”
“That doesn’t cover it up at all!”
“Regardless, let’s go. We’ll start with this floor.”
Yuji followed Mikurugi, muttering to himself, as she started walking. When they reached the sales floor, alarm sounds rang out from both of their radars.
“Whoa, it went off! Wait, the alarm won’t stop!?”
“There are quite a few of them. If the alarm sound is annoying, press the button on the top left. You can stop the sound and switch it to vibration.”
“L-like this...? It won’t stop shaking. It’s just a small vibration, though.”
“Whether it’s sound or vibration, it is designed to be proportional to the yokai power the yokai possesses. There are exceptions, though. In this case, they are low-class yokai.”
“Low-class?”
“Yokai are divided into ten types: Kou, Otsu, Hei, Tei, Bo, Ki, Kou, Shin, Jin, and Ki. International standards use the alphabet, but in Japan, these are the terms used.”
“Ah, like the ‘hard to distinguish between Kou and Otsu’ saying... It’s actually hard to remember.”
“You will remember it naturally.”
“Is that really okay?”
“More importantly...”
Mikurugi crouched down and began to burn incense she had taken from a pouch in her pocket.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Well, just watch...”
“! W-what is this!?”
As the smoke filled the air, a purple space expanded around Yuji and the others. The items in the store and the customers inside this space appeared transparent. Mikurugi explained to Yuji, who could not hide his confusion.
“To explain it very simply... the world where humans live is called the ‘Utsushiyo’ (The Manifest World), and the world where yokai live is called the ‘Kakuriyo’ (The Hidden World). Where we are standing right now is the ‘Hazamayo’ (The Interstitial World) that exists between them. We Yokai Exterminators often fight yokai in this Interstitial World. Ordinary humans cannot perceive or enter this space. They simply pass by as so-called invisible people.”
“In other words, everyone other than us who can clearly perceive our existence here is...”
“You’re surprisingly quick on the uptake. That’s right, they’re yokai. Oh, they’ve arrived.”
“Hm!?”
When Yuji turned around, there were several spiders walking on the floor that were slightly larger than normal.
“The smaller ones are Mizunoto-class, the larger ones are Mizunoe-class. Roughly twenty of them. Alright, I’ll leave this to you.”
“Ehh!?”
Yuji was bewildered by the sudden order.