Kekeke no Toshiro Part 1 (21)
Toshiro successfully neutralized the zombified residents by making full use of the cloth imbued with the power of the tortoise-shell pattern, but a giant scorpion, the incarnation of an evil spirit, appeared from inside the clock shop. Fuki-san, the shopkeeper and guardian of the Bridge of No Return, was in a dying state, her body pierced by the giant scorpion's poisonous stinger. The giant scorpion mocked Toshiro and attempted to tear Fuki-san apart with its pincers. Toshiro's anger swelled to a level he had never felt before.
Battle of the Bridge of No Return 4
(2218 characters in body)
"Give Fuki-san back..."
"Huh?" The giant scorpion positioned its pincer near its own glowing red eye. Does it have an ear around there? It keeps making poses that tick me off.
"Hey, old man. If you don't do something soon, this old lady is going to be shredded to pieces~"
The giant scorpion clicked its pincers. It's not even a crab, yet it's foaming at the mouth. Acting all high and mighty for a bug. Oh, aren't you an old timer too? Lately, even I have times where I start drooling without realizing it if I talk for too long. But this is no time to be saying things like that!
"What are you mumbling about? Well then, I'll turn you into meat skewers along with this old lady."
While still skewering Fuki-san, the giant scorpion swung its poisonous tail down at me. I jumped back instinctively. Or rather, I flipped backward and narrowly dodged the scorpion's strike. The giant scorpion raised its tail high again. With that momentum, Fuki-san slipped off the poisonous stinger and was sent flying into the rubble of the clock shop.
"Oh, look at that. The old lady slipped off, didn't she! Can't be helped. In that case, I'll sting you, and then I'll skewer the old lady again later."
Still the same loud-mouthed scorpion. What kind of upbringing did it have? I'd like to see its parents. Wait, are its parents scorpions too? Fuki-san is... not okay, is she? I have to do something, but I have to defeat this guy first. I prepared to counter the scorpion's next move by snapping the tortoise-shell cloth like a whip.
"No more mumbling!" It was just as the giant scorpion pointed its poisonous stinger toward the heavens to swing its tail down. The tip of the tail with the poisonous stinger was instantly severed and fell with a thud onto the giant scorpion's head. I didn't do anything.
"Eh, somehow, my tail feels painful, or maybe light... Eh, it's cut? My tail that I use to suck up poison is cut!"
The giant scorpion grabbed the fallen tail with its pincers and tried to reattach it to its own tail, bending its body more extremely than a scorpion yoga pose. If it were a beautiful woman, I would have wanted to watch forever, but yours is unbearable to look at.
"Toshiro! Now is the time for the Tortoise-Shell Bind!"
T-that voice, could it be...
Behind the giant scorpion, on top of the rubble of Fuki's Clock Shop, was a familiar silhouette. A man standing with a cape in one hand. It's none other than Kekeke no Kidaro!
"Eh, what should I do?"
"Focus your intent on the tortoise-shell cloth! It's the secret technique, Tortoise-Shell Bind!" Kidaro shouted. Secret technique, huh...
"Secret technique! Tortoise-Shell Bind!" I focused my intent while keeping a slightly embarrassed feeling deep in my heart, and swung the tortoise-shell cloth again. I rotated the tip of the hand holding the cloth finely and raised it into the air. A rhythmic gymnastics baton dance. Though I've never done it before.
The tortoise-shell cloth drew a spiral and danced in the air. Gradually, it became cylindrical and rotated like a barber's pole. Seeing that, I thought, oh, I need to go get a haircut. Even if the top is thinning, the sides grow. That doesn't matter, this is for Fuki-san! Take this!
I swung the tortoise-shell cloth down at the giant scorpion. The tortoise-shell cloth wrapped around the giant scorpion as if it had a will of its own. The guy tried to resist with its pincers, but the tortoise-shell wrapped around them first, and it couldn't click them anymore.
"What is this, this pee-smelling cloth, take it off!" The giant scorpion struggled, but the tortoise-shell wrapped around the giant scorpion, which was still maintaining its yoga pose, tighter and tighter.
Since it's a scorpion, I don't know where its chest or crotch is. Therefore, I can't judge if it's accurately a tortoise-shell bind, but the scorpion's folded-up one-package was instantly completed.
"Guh, you guys~, it, it stinks... Let go, you idiots!" The giant scorpion cursed while unable to move.
"Stinks? No, it shouldn't stink, it must be your own smell. I, the tortoise-shell, had it properly air-dried in the shade."
Kidaro walked leisurely past the giant scorpion and sniffed the cloth. I know the reason it stinks. I know, but I couldn't say it.
"I-it stinks..." Kidaro stepped back about three paces.
"This is too intense to be the smell of an evil spirit. How many people have you eaten? Rest in peace."
Kidaro flipped his cape toward the heavens.
"Namushingon... Nomaku... Haa!"
Kidaro's cape grew to the size of the entire property. And when Kidaro swung both hands down, the cape wrapped around the scorpion package.
"Nomaku... Mandabaza... Dankan!! Haa!"
When Kidaro chanted the spell again, the cape returned to its original size. And when Kidaro picked up the cape, the crushed scorpion crawled out unsteadily.
"Nam... Toshiro, finish it off," Kidaro said while chanting.
"Eh, me? No, Kidaro-han..."
"It's to avenge Fuki-san. You were that angry, weren't you?"
I stared at the scorpion desperately trying to escape. The monster that was cursing until just a moment ago is in this state now. It feels empty somehow. What did you want to do?
"This guy is not the final boss yet. There is a nasty guy who hasn't appeared before us yet," Kidaro said while looking at the scorpion in the same way.
This guy, whom Kidaro and I finally finished off, isn't the final boss? Then, where on earth is that boss? Can we win against them? When I looked up at Kidaro, I could see his shoulders trembling. Is he scared too? Or is he weeping for Fuki-san's final moments?
I put all my strength into my right foot and crushed the powerless scorpion. With a small popping sound, the sensation under my foot disappeared. No, to be precise, the sensation inside my shoe, which was soaked and squishy from when I leaked, hadn't disappeared.
Note: This work is purely fictional.
Kekeke no Toshiro 1 Kekeke no Toshiro 11
Kekeke no Toshiro 2 Kekeke no Toshiro 12
Kekeke no Toshiro 3 Kekeke no Toshiro 13
Kekeke no Toshiro 4 Kekeke no Toshiro 14
Kekeke no Toshiro 5 Kekeke no Toshiro 15
Kekeke no Toshiro 6 Kekeke no Toshiro 16
Kekeke no Toshiro 7 Kekeke no Toshiro 17
Kekeke no Toshiro 8 Kekeke no Toshiro 18
Kekeke no Toshiro 9 Kekeke no Toshiro 19
Kekeke no Toshiro 10 Kekeke no Toshiro 20
Toshiro of Kekeke 21 Toshiro of Kekeke 31
Toshiro of Kekeke 22 Toshiro of Kekeke 32
Toshiro of Kekeke 23
Toshiro of Kekeke 24
Toshiro of Kekeke 25
Toshiro of Kekeke 26
Toshiro of Kekeke 27
Toshiro of Kekeke 28
Toshiro of Kekeke 29
Toshiro of Kekeke 30