Crossover anime, a daily life that begins with hunting supernatural beings.

A crimson glint flashed, and a thin line appeared on the little boy's neck.

An unbearable pain spread from his neck throughout his body. He let out a few incomprehensible "ah ah ah" sounds, released his grip on Sakurai's hand, and rolled on the ground. The little boy was engulfed by flames invisible to the naked eye. After struggling for a while, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

It turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared.

"Do you like it, little Saeki Toshio?"

"If there's any way you can come back to life."

"Feedback is welcome!"

Sakurai said this as he rolled up his trouser leg and looked at the almost disappearing bluish-purple handprint on his ankle.

Ignoring the sharp, venomous scream from the woman beside him, Sakurai used the bartender's information to identify the little boy.

The boy's name is Toshio Saeki. He disappeared when he was only six years old after his parents died.

The bartender also sent his death story to Sakurai.

He was locked in a closet by his enraged father before his death.

Unable to escape from the closet, he moved to the ceiling and witnessed his father's brutal murder of his mother.

Ultimately, after his father was killed by his mother, who had become a ghost, he was unable to leave the wardrobe and starved to death, becoming part of "Ju-on".

He was not even as big as a little boy when he died, yet he suffered such a tragedy. Even Sakurai would feel sorry and regretful about this.

But--

This does not mean that he deserves to be forgiven for becoming a member of Ju-on who assisted Kayako in killing people.

Those who act as accomplices to evil will not be forgiven either.

Whatever the reason, after his death he became a henchman who slaughtered humanity.

The only outcome for claws and fangs is to be cut off.

There is no other possibility.

Sakurai can't control what others do, but at least with him, there's absolutely no possibility of it happening.

In Sakurai's view, the only way out for Toshio Saeki is to completely disappear from this world.

So..

Having solved the "door-opening kill" problem, it's time to take it a step further.

As if taking a stroll at a friend's house, Sakurai walked briskly into the cursed house.

【Ju-on】·Kayako, please take care of me from now on.

Can you make my heart race?

The complete form of ghost stories, Ju-on.

Walking on the abandoned tatami mats, Sakurai kept his eyes slightly narrowed the entire time.

His strong fighting instincts told him that he was now being "locked on" by something inexplicable.

The ever-present curse, which could attack him at any moment, became increasingly intense after he stepped into the house.

It is ever-present and inseparable from us.

Later, Sakurai even felt the other party's naked, almost face-to-face killing intent.

And that appetite and desire that have become almost unyielding towards me.

It's really disgusting. This thing, this sticky feeling is really nauseating.

It was as if something with disheveled hair and covered in wounds, hanging somewhere he couldn't see, was making a constant gurgling sound, its eyes filled with his reflection.

She was filled with terror and an eerie aura, and all she could see was herself.

Like all the supernatural tales to date, Kayako, a ghost story, is also filled with "desire" for herself.

So, am I really more popular with the supernatural than with humans?

Unfortunately, all I feel towards you is pure and unadulterated murderous intent and hostility. Beyond that...

I have absolutely no good feelings towards them.

Otherwise, if given the chance, perhaps we could have a romance between a human and a ghost.

Well...

That's impossible.

Sakurai only has two approaches when it comes to the supernatural: kill it now or let it linger and kill it later.

Well...

Now perhaps we could add an option to save this for her late-night snack.

In short, Sakurai is known as the "paranormal killer".

He is absolutely incompatible with the supernatural.

48. The Grudge Returns

After a quick search of the first floor and finding nothing of interest, Sakurai turned his attention to the stairs leading to the second floor.

As Sakurai stepped onto the stairs to go up to the second floor, a pair of pale hands grabbed his body in the dark room.

A woman, deathly pale and with a face contorted into a grotesque grin, appeared out of nowhere behind Sakurai. Her hands, neck, and even the bones in her entire body seemed broken, exhibiting unnatural deformities and twists.

They resemble puppets on strings, or building blocks randomly assembled by mischievous children.

Facing downwards, she first grabbed Sakurai's back and then climbed down.

Kayako, her face contorted and covered in wounds, clung tightly to Sakurai's back, and then...

He hugged Sakurai's body.

The entire process took only three seconds to complete the "seal" on Sakurai.

The moment Kayako touched him, Sakurai's body froze in place, just like when Saeki Toshio had touched him not long before. His skin instantly lost its color and turned bluish-white, as if it had lost a lot of blood, a sickly white.

Kayako, embracing Sakurai like a lover, rested her almost displaced chin on Sakurai's shoulder.

Kayako's long black hair fell vertically in front of Sakurai, and a strange smell of rotting corpse emanated from her body, eventually filling Sakurai's nostrils.

If someone else smelled it, they would probably gag instantly due to physiological nausea.

Unfortunately, her target was Sakurai.

This move had absolutely no effect on Sakurai.

I didn't feel nauseous because of the stench, nor was I afraid because I couldn't control my body.

After receiving a greeting from Toshio Saeki, how could he possibly panic over the same scenario?

Sakurai stood expressionless, and with one foot suspended in the air, his center of gravity shifted forward, causing him to fall forward uncontrollably.

At the same time, the hand that was frozen in mid-air slid down to the waist due to gravity and the pressure of the stairs, and just happened to touch the Aragami Fang that was always tied to the waist.

The crimson blade gleamed the moment it touched the back of his hand, and an invisible heat enveloped Sakurai's body. In less than a second, the heat spread from Sakurai's body to Kayako, who was tightly embracing him.

The strange, bubbly sound of bubbles distorted, and Kayako released Sakurai's body as if she had been electrocuted, just as if she had been forcibly pressed against with a red-hot iron. A large amount of white smoke was sizzling from Kayako's body.

Smoke filled with a foul stench.

With her mouth agape, she made a few muffled noises and glared venomously at Sakurai before disappearing after a brief pause.

It's as if it never existed.

The room, now silent again, is empty—no ghosts, no supernatural tales, just Sakurai performing a bizarre silent play all along.

"Ah..."

Sakurai finally regained control of his body, braced his left hand on the step, pushed down and then stood up straight again.

"Not bad attack. Anyone else would have been killed in an instant."

"As expected of a complete ghost story."

Sakurai, who was quite pleased with Kayako's sudden attack, made this assessment.

Then...

The raised foot finally landed, stepping onto the first step leading to the second floor.

Bubbling sounds filled the air from all directions, and pale arms stretched out from every corner around Sakurai.

Countless pale-faced, distorted women all simultaneously emitted muffled sounds as they surged toward Sakurai's location.

A pale, scarred face, an empty appearance, and a gurgling sound like sparkling water.

These guys...

They're all Kayako.

"If sneak attacks don't work on me, are you resorting to ganging up on me?"

"But I can't do anything about this level of attack."

With a whoosh, the Aragami Fang shot out, casually piercing the chest of Kayako, the first one to approach him. Too lazy to waste time on this clone, Sakurai hissed—

"Roar, Aragami Fang—"

"Expand the domain."

"A Hundred Flowers in Full Bloom, Blazing Flames Devour Souls".

The crimson lotus blooms, then withers.

Sakurai closed his eyes and then walked up step by step.

After a 119-second countdown, all was silent.

It was exactly the same as when he had closed his eyes just now.

Besides, the tatami mats emanating a foul stench...

Pitch-black ashes.

When Sakurai opened his eyes again, he had already gone up the stairs to the second floor.