How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

It seems this human is somewhat different from other humans... Chapter 274, The Mermaid Princess: Then you are my family.

No... it's not just this human.

The image of the girl who resembled her reappeared in the Little Mermaid's mind.

That girl was different from the others.

They were all willing to sacrifice themselves for others, unlike other humans.

Is this the power of 'family'? It not only gives people the tenacity to surpass their limits, but also enables them to face death head-on...?

The Little Mermaid desired this power more and more.

If she could obtain this power, she would be able to lead the sirens even better.

With this thought in mind, the Little Mermaid withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, replacing it with seriousness and earnestness. She looked at the clear water and rising sun, and said coolly, "Human, your integrity surprises me. You are the only one I have ever seen who can keep a promise without fear of death. So, let's make a deal."

"A deal?" The somewhat unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened, and the black-haired boy looked puzzled as he listened to the princess's words.

Having just finished observing the mermaid princess, he was already pondering how to quell her anger.

This war was started by humans without their consent. The sirens paid the price of hundreds of lives for their actions. Although hundreds of human soldiers also died, this was not a reason to quell the anger.

Because this is something humanity brought upon itself.

Even if Shimizu and Asahi explained to them that the soldiers were innocent, the Little Mermaid would not accept these reasons.

Therefore, he had to think of other ways.

As for the mermaid princess's condition that she would spare the humans if he died in place of Tamura Yoko, Shimizu Asahi would never agree to it.

He still has things to do, people to meet, and a long future ahead. The day when humans and monsters can live in peace has not yet come, and he has accomplished nothing yet. So how can he die here?

If the opponent resorts to force, he will fight to the very end.

However, just as he was preparing for the worst, the Little Mermaid offered to make a deal.

This struck him as odd.

"Yes, a deal. If you help me obtain the power called 'family,' I can spare your life."

"The power of 'family'?" Shimizu Asahi paused for a moment, but quickly realized that she was referring to the 'family' that Yoko had mentioned to her.

So, what the Little Mermaid Princess needs to know now is why the leaf has become so resilient?

Although it's unclear why the Little Mermaid wants this power called 'family,' since she brought it up, Shimizu Asahi naturally wants to seize it. If the problem can be solved peacefully, who would want to start a war?

only......

What should I say to my family?

A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

"What, you don't agree to this deal?"

The princess mistook the boy's somber tone for disagreement with the deal, so she frowned slightly, a cold and heavy aura inadvertently emanating from her.

Sensing this pressure, Shimizu Asahi immediately showed a troubled expression and said, "No, Princess, that's not what I meant. It's just... family isn't a power. It's just a term of address, a way of addressing relatives who share the same bloodline. So... even if I wanted to agree, I couldn't help you obtain this power."

"Blood relatives?" The princess's already furrowed brows deepened, and her tone became even more unfriendly: "Do you think I'm a fool, or are you simply implying that all those humans are that girl's relatives?"

"Well... in general, family members do refer to relatives with blood ties, but there are special cases, such as people who are very important to you, who can also be called family members."

"For Yoko, every member of the Tamura family is her family."

"Is it someone very important to you?"

Her furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but quickly furrowed again, and a thoughtful and serious look appeared in the princess's pale yellow eyes. "Then, where can one find 'someone who is very important to them'?"

"..." Princess's words made Shimizu Asahi rub his head. He said somewhat awkwardly, "Princess, 'someone who is very important to you' is someone you have to find yourself. There's no such thing as finding someone just by looking for them somewhere."

"If I really had to say, 'someone who is very important to you' is someone on whom you entrust your thoughts and emotions. You will be happy because of their happiness and angry because of their anger. You may even feel that everything about them is everything to you... But this person does not exist from the beginning. You have to find them yourself and confirm them yourself. This is someone that only you can find."

"The person to whom you entrust your longing and emotions, the person you feel is your everything?"

The boy's words were completely beyond the princess's comprehension. She couldn't understand why, if what Shimizu Asahi said was true, this person would replace her or even control her. All she sought was the power to become stronger, not to be controlled by someone.

"It's incomprehensible that humans would seek out someone who can control them. If such power requires paying a price, then such power is better left unused."

A deep disgust surfaced on her delicate face, and the Little Mermaid decisively abandoned the idea of ​​obtaining this power. However, after she finished speaking, Shimizu Asahi responded helplessly, "Princess, this isn't manipulation... So-called family is equal, it's just..."

"But... this..." Although she wanted to explain clearly, she couldn't find the words to say. Shimizu Asahi scratched her head in distress and could only give this answer: "Princess, family cannot be explained with words. When you have a family, you will understand what family means."

"Having family?" The princess frowned, instinctively wanting to resist the possibility that the important people were the ones who controlled her. However, the scene involuntarily surfaced in her mind—the girl who smiled gently after learning that all the people she wanted to protect had left.

That smile was the purest smile, a beautiful smile she had never seen before.

How could someone with such a smile be someone who is being manipulated?

If... the important person is truly not the one controlling you, then... finding an important person isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The princess, having secretly made her decision, exhaled a breath of stale air, and then calmly asked, "So, human, can you become someone important to me?" (Chapter 275, Chapter 272: A Twist of Fate Leads to the Abduction of the Mermaid Princess)

"......Um???"

The princess's sudden words made Shimizu Asahi blink unconsciously, her dark eyes involuntarily revealing a look of utter astonishment.

Why did the topic suddenly change so quickly? I was just explaining something, how did I suddenly become someone important to you?

Isn't that a bit too hasty?

He rubbed his temples, looked at the mermaid princess, and said with some helplessness, "Princess, being an important person isn't something you can just do on a whim. Besides, even if you said it and I agreed, I could never become your important person."

"Is that so... But among humans, you are the only one I think is fairly good. If important people carry longing and emotions, then I think the most likely person is you."

"Hmm... If women can become important to each other, I think that girl could too."

Qingshui Chaoyang gently exhaled a breath of stale air; he had almost figured out the princess's personality.

Despite his immense strength, he possessed a slightly air of naiveté, completely unfamiliar with the rules and language of the human world. Therefore, he was no longer surprised or astonished. After a moment's thought, he simply explained, "Important people don't just refer to humans; even siren can be included."

"Sea monster?"

Upon hearing this, the princess subconsciously glanced at the surrounding siren, then shook her head and said, "None of these guys are important to me."

"Human, since you have promised to help me obtain the power of 'family,' then take on this responsibility and strive to become one of my 'important people.'"

"..."

Is that it? Princess, won't you reconsider?

Although the princess spoke casually, as if deciding what to have for dinner, her words revealed her firm resolve to do it this way, allowing no room for denial or refusal. Even if Shimizu Asahi disagreed, she would not listen.

In other words, she recognized him as the most important person to her.

'Oh dear, is this a bit of a problem...?'

However, her decision has created some trouble for Shimizu Asahi...

If he wants to leave this era, he must go to Izumo. If he wants to go to Izumo, he cannot stay on this island. If he doesn't stay on this island, the mermaid princess will face two choices: either leave with him or keep him here.

Personally, Shimizu Asahi naturally hopes to be the first, but even so, his actions would be very troublesome.

The monsters of this era probably don't understand human society. If they go to human society without anyone's help, they might unknowingly reveal their identities. Even if he follows them, there's no guarantee that the mermaid princess won't expose her identity.

However, once the mermaid princess's identity is revealed, his actions will be hindered...

Therefore, Shimizu Asahi would prefer to leave alone, but that is impossible. If he wants to leave alone, the result will be that he will be tied to this place by the princess and unable to leave for the rest of his life.

Left with no other choice, he could only sigh silently and say helplessly, "Whatever the princess says, goes."

His agreement made the princess nod in satisfaction. However, after nodding, she noticed the error in the boy's words and said, "Human, if what you say is correct, important people are equal to each other, then you and I are also equal. So, if I am wrong or have done something wrong, you are free to refute me. You don't have to force yourself to be with me."

"Although we are equals, occasional concessions are necessary... Hmm, the princess probably can't understand this yet, so I won't explain it for now. But that's alright, these things are better experienced firsthand, and you'll understand in the future."

Shimizu Asahi tried to explain his actions, but then he thought that the princess didn't understand anything, and even if he explained, it would probably only cause more problems. So, he scratched his head and ignored the question.

Hearing him say that, the princess stopped asking questions. Then, she stood up and said, "Alright, now that you've become an important person to me, it means you've become a member of this island. Although we don't have this custom, you humans do, right? When someone joins a family, a banquet is held."

"Therefore, we will also hold a banquet as a way of welcoming you."

"However, my understanding of humans is incorrect. I only know that banquets require performances and food. Besides these, what else needs to be prepared?"

“Princess, it’s not appropriate to hold a banquet so soon after the war. Besides, I’m also preparing to go back... If I go back too late, the generals will worry about me.”

Shimizu Asahi gently shook his head, indicating that it wasn't necessary to go to such trouble. However, the mermaid princess denied his statement, saying, "There's nothing wrong with it. We are monsters and don't care about these issues. Besides, these are the rules followed in your human world. I'm just welcoming you according to these rules."

"If you are afraid that those humans will worry about you, you can send a message to them, just as you did not long ago."

"So, do you have any other questions?"

"......there is none left..."

The Little Mermaid has already gone this far, so what else can he say?

So, Shimizu Asahi finally agreed, but he didn't say anything about the banquet arrangements. After all, he didn't know anything about the things to pay attention to at a banquet, and besides, with the most important things like food and wine, it didn't matter whether the other things were there or not.

Since Shimizu Asahi had said so, the mermaid princess said nothing more and directly ordered the sea monsters to make preparations.

Although it's a bit late to prepare now, perhaps because the monsters don't care much about the spectacle, they'll just bring over fresh fish, shrimp, fruit, and fine wine.

To be honest, Shimizu Asahi initially thought there was no fine wine on the island. After all, the island was completely isolated from the outside world, making it extremely difficult to obtain wine from humans. However, when the yokai brought out jars of wine one by one, he was stunned. He never expected that there could be so much fine wine in this place.

It's no wonder they're called monsters; even if they don't know much about the human world, they must still have some fine wine hidden away.

And so, the fish, shrimp, and fine wine multiplied, soon piling up into several small mountains. At the same time, the sea monsters took out the dry firewood from the cave and lit several bonfires.

The preparations are almost complete. Next, it's time for the feast between monsters and humans.

—The Little Mermaid Princess's banquet for Shimizu Asahi began amidst the misty rain. Chapter 276, Section 273: The Princess's Joy

The torrential rain stopped at some point, and the dark clouds in the sky dispersed without anyone noticing, revealing the starlight and bright moonlight once again.

Shimizu Asahi emerged from the cave and rubbed his slightly flushed cheeks.

It's unclear whether all monsters possess an instinct for revelry; despite it being their first banquet, they acted as if they'd done it countless times. Especially the part about grabbing people to drink—if the mermaid princess hadn't noticed he was struggling and deliberately let him rest, he probably would have collapsed by now.

Even so, he still needed to go out for some fresh air and sober up.

"No matter the era, monsters are always this crazy."

A cool night breeze blew in from afar, and Shimizu Asahi's drowsy head cleared up a little. He couldn't help but think of his experience on Mount Suzuka a week ago. Although three hundred years had passed, the result was the same... Oh, no, this time he wasn't drunk, so he was in a slightly better state.