Hoichi with Ears [Prologue] ②

Hoichi and the capable monk, a Kamakura horror spectacle!!

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"Hoichi with Ears" Prologue Part 4

──Pok... pok...

The sound echoed quietly, as if slicing through the murky air.

Some of the vengeful spirits recoiled in fear at the sound. One of the shadows, nearly transformed into a demon, covered its ears and roared.

"Stop it, that sound..."

But the sound did not stop.

Pok... pok... pok...

It was both the source of terror and a sign of salvation. There were no footsteps from the monk. He had simply, quietly, and surely appeared on the scene.

His expression could not be seen beneath his hat. Yet, there was no hesitation or fear in his stance.

The wooden fish (mokugyo) he held was making sound even though no one was striking it.

──Pok, pok, pok.

That wooden fish held the power of the Buddha. From the moment it began to ring, the presence of the vengeful spirits grew restless, and the transformation of the demon stopped. No, it was retreating.

The monk's lips moved.

"Namu Myoho Renge Kyo..."

The sutra, a low resonance that seemed to shake the earth, dissolved into the air.

Hoichi remained seated where he was, clutching his biwa to his chest. Though bewildered by the strange silence, he still tried to fulfill his duty.

"──At Dan-no-ura, Emperor Antoku..."

But his voice was trembling slightly.

◇

The vengeful spirits were groaning.

"It is not over yet... our memories are still..."

"Our anger, from being cut down in battle and sinking into the waves...!"

But even that was drowned out by the voice of the sutra.

"Illuminating the long night of ignorance is the lamp of the Lotus Sutra. Crossing the river of delusion is the bridge of truth..."

An especially dense shadow appeared at the monk's feet. It was one who had already turned into a demon.

──A grotesque creature with horns was crawling up from behind Hoichi.

Hoichi did not notice. He could not see, and he was focused solely on his biwa. But he felt something cold crawling up his back.

(Something... behind me...)

Just as he was about to shrink away──.

A wind blew.

With a swish, sleeves danced, and the air rang out.

And then, without a sound, the shadow vanished.

◇

Hoichi strained his ears slightly.

──There was a sound of something dancing. It was not the sound of clashing swords. But it was certainly the sound of robes fluttering, like someone dancing on a stage.

"...Monk...? Were you dancing just now?"

Hoichi asked quietly.

A voice returned from beneath the hat.

"I was not dancing. I am one who serves the Buddha; I do not take lives."

"But... I can tell. Even if I cannot see, I can feel it with my ears. That sound was..."

"That was likely the sound of the sutra showing you a dance. It was an illusion."

Saying this, the monk listened to the wooden fish again.

Pok... pok...

The shadows had already all vanished. The warriors who had been around Hoichi, and the demon, were no longer there. Only the cold night air drifted like an echo.

"Hoichi with Ears" Prologue Part 5

The night was far too quiet.

The wind had stopped, and even the sound of insects had ceased in the hall, where Hoichi sat alone, clutching his biwa, holding his breath.

──Until just a moment ago, there was certainly "something" in this place.

The groans clinging to his ears, the trembling rustle of robes, and the cold presence creeping up his back. Memories of the otherworld that he could not forget even if he tried.

But now, only the voice of the Buddha remained.

Pok... pok...

The sound of the wooden fish echoed as if wrapping around the air.

Hoichi slowly sat up and turned toward the monk by feel.

"...Monk, those people from earlier..."

"They have attained enlightenment. It is all due to the protection of the Buddha."

The monk said this and tilted his hat slightly. There was no agitation whatsoever in his voice.

"However... I was terrified. Even though I could not see their forms, those hands... those claws... crawling up my back..."

Hoichi's lips trembled slightly.

"It was as if... they were demons..."

"They are demons."

The monk's voice resonated, slightly lower.

"Vengeful spirits drawn to the darkness of the human world are swallowed by evil thoughts and turn into demons. They grow horns, grow claws, and devour people. They are the children of hell, born of regret and obsession."

"...Did I call them? The sound of the biwa... it drew them in..."

To Hoichi's question, the monk nodded briefly.

"Your biwa harbors stories. It uses the voice to draw in human thoughts. That is why it is both a tool of the Buddha and a gate that invites evil."

"Then, I am..."

As Hoichi closed his mouth, the monk suddenly softened his tone.

"You are a storyteller and a guide. It is not a sin. The Buddha simply used your voice to call forth lost souls."

Pok... pok...

The sound of the wooden fish continued.

Hoichi slowly stroked the strings of his biwa. The usual tension had returned to them. Beyond the terror of the night, the sound was clear, and the resonance had deepened.

"Monk... I feel as though... I saw something, just a little."

"What did you see?"

"Not the form of a demon... but deep within it, there was certainly a voice crying."

"......"

The monk did not answer.

He simply walked quietly to the back of the hall and sat down, holding the wooden fish.

And──he began to chant the sutra once more.

"Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo..."

Pok... pok...

The voice and the sound soaked deep into Hoichi's chest.

◇

The night was finally beginning to break.

Faint morning light shone through the lattice of the hall. In the twilight, Hoichi's face relaxed slightly.

Even though he could not see the light, there was a certain warmth in his heart.

"Hoichi with Ears" Prologue Part 6

"Then, shall we go?"

By the time the monk said this, the morning light had already filled the temple grounds.

The leaves of the trees were wet with morning dew, and occasionally, a bird chirped softly. The sounds of daily life──but to Hoichi, they felt like the resonance of a different world.

"Go... where?"

Hoichi asked, still clutching his biwa.

"In this world, there are still many lingering attachments wandering as grudges. Demons like the ones from tonight are also increasing. We shall travel to places associated with the Heike. With your biwa and my wooden fish, there may be souls we can guide."

"...I am afraid."

To Hoichi, who said this honestly, the monk smiled just a little.

"It is good to be afraid. That is the rein that keeps the soul intact."

And then, as he looked at Hoichi from the shadow of his hat, he whispered low.

"But remember this. What strikes down a demon is not prayer, but dance. The compassion of the Buddha lies in silence."

Pok... pok...

The sound of the wooden fish rang out again.

Hoichi did not even find it strange that it was still ringing automatically. He just felt somewhere in his heart──that there was something hidden beyond this sound.

It was──for example, the sound of the monk "dancing."

No, the sound that "sounds like he is dancing."

His sword cannot be seen. His battle cannot be seen. But ears do not lie.

Hoichi stood up quietly along with the continuation of the sutra.

"Shall we go, Monk?"

"Indeed."

The monk quietly took his cane sword and turned his back in silence.

The shadows of the two stretched out into the light.

A blind biwa priest and a sword dancer serving the Buddha.

Their journey had only just begun.

◇

Behind them, in the shadow of a decayed pillar──

In the corner of the hall where no one should have been, there was a faintly swaying shadow.

As if to say that "something" still remained.

As if something that desired "ears"──

Was still watching Hoichi from somewhere even now.

Pok... pok...

The wooden fish was still ringing.

Prologue (End)

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