The Looking-Back Demon Tale (A Side Story of Hoichi the Earless) [Night 7] Thunder on the Mountain Pass, Vow at the Shrine (Serialized Short Story)

A demon tale told night after night by the woman of Shokan-ji Temple.
What is told is the ending of someone who lived in Gion—
But that ending is not just one.
The same mystery, different endings.
The truth is left to the ears of the reader.
The 'Looking-Back Demon Tale', a side story to 'Hoichi the Earless', is now unveiled.

Click here for the main story

Click here for the previous episode

Night 7: The Loyalty of Kakuichi and Hikoshichi, Part 2
Thunder on the Mountain Pass, Vow at the Shrine

◇

—Pluck.

In the quiet night, a single string of the biwa resonates.

“Crossing a mountain pass is not a task that can be accomplished by speed or brute force alone.
What is needed is one thing: the heart to simply keep moving forward—
However, I would like you to hear tonight just how difficult that 'moving forward' can be.”


◇◇◇◇◇

Tonight, I shall tell you the story of two messengers who crossed mountains, rain, and 'hesitation'.

It was on a morning when the scent of plum blossoms had begun to drift that they left Musashi Province, aiming for the capital.

Leaving the Hojo mansion behind, Kakuichi and Hikoshichi spurred their horses.
Frost still remained in the fields, and the farmers, though holding their hoes, looked up at the sky and saw the two off.

“Did something happen?”
The two passed by in silence, not answering the question.

The villagers they passed might have noticed the unsettling color of the sky.

The road crossing rivers and fields toward Odawara.
In this era, a road was little more than a beast path. The horses' hooves were often deflected by stones, making progress difficult.

Yet, the two moved on in silence.

On the way, Hikoshichi caught sight of a single plum branch blooming quietly among a bamboo grove.

“Kakuichi... it’s spring.”

“No, it is still winter.”

“Hmph... you’re the same as ever.”

Such brief exchanges were a moment of respite in their journey.
But they did not stop. After all, the mission they carried was heavy.

Before long, the mountains drew near, and a damp wind brushed against their skin.
It was the wind inviting them to the Hakone Pass.

As they reached the ascent, the horses' steps suddenly became heavy.

“...Kakuichi. The road is mud.”

“...After the rain?”

The two dismounted and, pulling the reins, headed toward the foot of the pass.

At that moment, in the distance—

Rumble, rumble...

The bottom of the clouds groaned low.

Kakuichi looked up at the sky, and Hikoshichi clicked his tongue.

“This is coming. A storm...”

The road was narrow and crumbling. They could never climb it on horseback.

The two looked at each other, removed the saddles, and let the horses go.

“...Sorry about this.”

Hikoshichi gently stroked the horses' necks.
Then, taking the talismans and luggage from the saddles, they steadied their footing and began to climb.

At that moment—

RUMBLE!!

The heavens tore open.

Thunder shook the mountain.

“...Whoa...!”

Along with a sound like the clouds tearing apart,
the voice of thunder echoed as if the bottom of the sky had shattered.

“Kakuichi, it’s here...”

Hikoshichi muttered, gritting his teeth.
Following the burst of thunder, large drops of rain began to fall from the sky.

SPLASH!!

On the narrow mountain path, the already muddy ground instantly turned into sludge.
Losing their footing, it was not easy to move forward or back.

“...! Kakuichi, look at that, a shrine...!”

In the shadow of the trees, there was a dilapidated shrine.
The roof was tilted, moss grew on the eaves, and the sacred rope had long since been severed.

“Get in!”

The two ran into the shrine in silence.

Whoosh... rumble...

The wind blew through, the rain pounded, and thunder roared again in the distance.

“Haa... haa... what a journey this is.”

Inside the shrine, Hikoshichi brushed the rain falling from his hair with his hand.

“Kakuichi, are you listening...?
I wouldn't say I'm scared, but... somehow, my chest feels restless.
It’s as if someone is whispering, 'Don't go'...”

Kakuichi nodded quietly while wringing out his wet clothes.
And said one word.

“...Me too.”

“Huh? Even you feel that way?”

“...I feel it. But I will not stop my steps.”

“...Hmph, I suppose so. We are messengers. There’s no way we can turn our backs.”

Beside their conversation, strange ink marks appeared on the pillar of the shrine.

—When the curse from the west is broken
Do not cross this pass

“...Kakuichi, this is...”

“Don't worry about it. It's just an old legend.”

“I guess so... let's go. Either way, we've already decided.”

When the two left the shrine, the sky was still dark,
and a flash of lightning illuminated the far side of the mountain through the gaps in the rain.

“Loyalty is to never stop walking.”

“I know. Forward—just forward, right.”

And the two began to walk again.

◇◇◇◇◇

“...Yes, about that night.
On the mountain where thunder roared, the two men chose to move forward.
Returning is a path, and moving forward is also a path—
But their backs never once faced the mountain.”

—Pluck.

The sound of the biwa cuts through the night again.

◇◇◇◇◇

The mountain rain pounded the earth, struck the leaves,
and eventually absorbed its sound deep into the mountain pass.

The road afterward was like a small stream mixed with mud and water.

Soil clung heavily to the soles of their shoes.
Every time a wet tree root slipped, Hikoshichi groaned.

“Damn... at this pace, it’ll take thirty days to reach Kyoto.”

“It would take ten days on horseback.”

When Kakuichi muttered this, Hikoshichi looked up and laughed.

“You’ve got a point. But Kakuichi,
even if we went back to the horses now, that road is collapsed.”

“Then we have no choice but to walk.”

“Indeed. And there’s no option to turn back.”

The two shrugged and laughed together in the rain.
Even while knowing that this journey might be a path without end.

Eventually, the rain stopped, and a faint light shone in the sky.

Looking back, blue sky could be seen beyond the pass.

Without looking back, the two walked on.

Kakuichi did not stop his feet. Hikoshichi also moved on in silence.

Beyond this pass, there were still many difficult spots.
Human emotions, the whispers of demons, mysteries lurking in the darkness...

But for these two,
there was no choice but to 'move forward'.

◇◇◇◇◇


—Pluck.

“Now, the two who crossed the mountain of thunder.
What awaits them ahead is colder wind and deeper darkness.
But... loyalty is not something you shout loudly.”

She gently taps the body of the biwa.

“Under the roof of a small shrine,
the two men exchanged a vow. Not with words, but with their steps—”

—Pluck.

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