Hoichi with Ears [Episode 3] White Hands (4)

Blind Hoichi and the mute Miyo challenge the white hands

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Episode 3, Chapter 4: "Daytime Confirmation"

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The midday sun was beating down relentlessly from directly overhead.
However, the sea breeze had stopped, and it felt as if even the scent of the rocky shore had held its breath.
Two boats were heading toward the Boat-Hiding Rock.
Kuzo and Oe were in one boat, while Jubei and Heihachi were in the other.

"Hey, honestly... I think we should stop... I really do..."
Heihachi muttered to no one in particular, his hands trembling as he gripped the oar.
"Ajikichi was swallowed up before... and now even Oyone..."

"That is exactly why we must go and verify it."
Jubei's eyes remained fixed on where the boats were heading—the fissure in the rock.

At that moment, the scent of the tide suddenly vanished.
In its place, the scent of blood, thick and slimy, drifted on the wind and brushed against their noses.

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The Boat-Hiding Rock was shrouded in something like a shadow, despite it being daytime.
Black moss crawled over the surface of the rock, and the slime left behind after the tide receded drew white streaks.
It was as if something was lying in wait, perfectly still.

"Pull the rope, we're docking."
At Jubei's command, the boats were brought alongside the rock, and the men climbed onto the rocky shore one by one.

Kuzo went ahead with the rope, and Oe followed behind him.
"Hey, this is..."

What Oe had found was one straw sandal, wet and dried.
Next to it, the beads of a broken rosary were rolling in the waves.

"It's Sister's..."
Oe's voice trembled faintly.

"Over here too..."
Just as Jubei peered into the fissure in the rock—

"...Come here..."

A voice drifted on the wind.
A young woman's raspy whisper.

The four of them looked up.
From deep within the fissure—a white, beautiful woman's hand was reaching out.

It was not wet; it was soft, supple, and alluring, as if it had been extended from some distant mansion.
"What is that..."

Heihachi let out an involuntary gasp.
"Kuzo, get back!"

Before Jubei's shout could reach him, the white hand wrapped around Kuzo's ankle.
"Whoa, whoaaaa!"

Kuzo's body lifted for an instant and was slammed into the rock fissure.

There wasn't even a splash; in a single flash—he vanished.
"Damn it, Jubei! Get back, run!"

The moment Jubei reached to draw his short sword, another white hand extended from behind and tightened around his throat.

"Guh...!"
The hand squeezed gently, yet firmly, as if pushing the core of his life deep into his throat.

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That was when it happened.

Heihachi heard the sound of bubbles—"gurgle... gurgle..."—echoing from behind the rock.

He scanned his surroundings.
The boat, the rocky shore, the fissure, the white hands, and then—
—the rock was moving.

The fissure peeled back like lips, and white shadows, barely recognizable as faces, emerged one after another.

"No, nooooooo!"

Heihachi screamed and leaped back into the boat.

"I, I don't know! I don't know anything!!"
His hands, slick with sweat, slipped on the oars, and the boat spun around.

He felt the sensation of the boat floating on the sea slowly sinking, as if pulled by the waves.
From behind, he heard a woman's voice, indistinguishable from laughter or a cry.
"Come here... quickly... quickly..."

The white hands continued to reach out from the gaps in the rock.

However, their fingertips stopped just before touching him, swaying in the air.
The boat drifted away smoothly despite the lack of wind, and the white hands vanished from Heihachi's sight.

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By evening, when Heihachi returned to the village, his face was as pale as clay.

"The sandal... the hands... they were eaten, all of them..."
No matter what he was asked, he just kept repeating the same words while trembling.
In the bustling village square, someone muttered:

"Is this... the work of a demon...?"

◇

That was when it happened.

The wind stopped, and from the depths of the air, a "clink... clink..." sound resonated.
Everyone turned around.

There stood two shadows.
Standing in front was a young girl in ink-dyed robes, revealing her white skin.

She held a khakkhara staff in silence, and its rings were making the sound.
Walking right behind her was a young boy.

He carried a biwa on his back and his eyes were closed.
The girl took a step forward without a sound and stopped the boy.

Then, in a quiet voice—
"...This village is beginning to fill with resentment."

The voice was young, yet certain.

Everyone stood frozen, speechless.

As if they all knew that something had begun.

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