Bending the upper part of his body down to feel around with his hands in the murky water beneath him, which covers his feet up to his ankles, a young man with radiant golden hair pulls out a clump of weeds with a single yank.
They had grown out of control in the cultivated fields due to a long period of human abandonment, but now this place had been "donated" to the newcomers, so Asahiko took advantage of the morning to lend them all a helping hand.
"So, were the ones who attacked you panther yokai or not, kid?"
Grabbing another clump of weeds with his bare hands, Asahiko, who had already removed the bandages that previously made him look like a mummy, briefly turns his head and looks at the boy beside him helping with the manual labor.
That boy from among the refugees is no older than ten or perhaps twelve years old, something that can be deduced from his still chubby face and features much softer than those of a teenager.
"Panther... yokai?"
"Of course, since when have I been a brute like Inuyasha? I didn't even explain to the kid what I'm talking about."
Shaking his head while looking up at the sky for only a few moments before looking away, because for a second he thought he saw Inuyasha's face on the horizon and got so startled that he quickly turned his face away... By the way, what a terrifying situation.
Finally calmed down after that "near-death experience," Asahiko takes two quick breaths and begins physically describing the panther yokai.
"They have tails like the ones cats have, and the same ears too. Some of them even look like anthropomorphic cats that walk on two legs like humans."
"Anthropomorphic?"
"Well, Inuyasha isn't the only one with a limited vocabulary... Wait! I've been mentioning him too much, that idiot must be talking about me right now!"
Bringing both hands to his head, Asahiko grabs a handful of his golden hair and playfully pulls it to the sides, all while twisting his body as if he were a snake.
Once he has calmed down, and also noticing that the boy seems more willing to talk after his exceptional performance, he puts on a perfect smile and continues with his explanation.
"That is, they have two arms, two legs, and one head. Although these yokai have bodies covered in fur like cats, in addition to some extra appendages such as ears and tails."
"That sounds terrifying, a cat with a human shape watching you at night from the corners and rooftops... No, I didn't see anything like that that night."
"Then tell me... What was it that attacked you?"
"It was... It was... It was something never seen or heard of before. It wasn't an ogre, an imp, or anything the elders knew about... It was something else."
Trembling slightly despite the faint "charm" Asahiko has affecting his subconscious, the boy tightly grips the weeds still in his hands and describes the thing that attacked them during the night.
"They had, they had... Multiple spider-like legs, huge claws similar to those of crabs, and a strange tail they used to pierce flesh."
"That description... Was its stinger, that strange tail, poisonous?"
"Yes, that's right! Everyone, everyone who was struck fell to the ground after just a few seconds... Only to be completely devoured without any resistance!"
"Alright, alright, calm down a little, kid."
Using his charm directly on the child, Asahiko manages to calm him down by force, and at the same time strikes the hilt of Clouded Fang, thus drawing the coward Saya out of his hiding place.
The old man had lived in these lands for decades, so it would be perfectly understandable if he knew something about a possible "giant scorpion" and whether it represented any danger. The problem is that besides being a coward, Saya is also a damn hermit, so good luck getting him to know anything about the current era.
"No, I have never heard of a creature like that."
"Well, I was already expecting too much from you, even though you've literally lived for... Centuries? And you're telling me you don't know such a distinctive yokai?"
"It isn't that easy, young Asahiko. The weakest yokai, the cannon fodder, are born from humans' negative emotions and twisted desires. It is impossible to recognize all of them or their distorted forms."
Gently stroking his long white beard that reaches beyond his chest, the small floating spirit speaks calmly and makes it very clear that he is telling the truth by putting on a serious expression.
Or at least that's what he thought he was doing, because from Asahiko's point of view, the "useless" sign over Saya's face only grew a little bigger, forcing him to sigh in disappointment.
"Perhaps Souga knows something. He traveled with Inu no Taisho for quite a long time, and you already know how much he likes spying on the outside world."
"...Tsk, I don't think he'll answer. That idiot's been angry ever since I beat him up in a dream the other day."
[Hmph, merely ordinary animals distorted by the environment's negative energy. There is nothing to fear.]
"So... Simple?"
Raising an eyebrow at the unexpected answer, he had truly been expecting some problem related to Inuyasha. He looks at Clouded Fang and remains silent.
[What were you expecting? It's normal for a village or two to disappear because of a yokai attack. The only strange thing here is that these weaklings are still alive. Normally they would have died on the way or been used as appetizers by their attackers.]
"It is just as Souga said. Perhaps you should even keep an eye on all of them."
"Haa... Well, I'm injured, it'll become Inuyasha's problem."
Casting aside all responsibility in the matter, since it doesn't seem to be related to the panther yokai but rather to something big and troublesome, Asahiko looks toward the horizon before smiling.
Clearly, he was smiling at Inuyasha's face that had previously occupied the sky, an obvious hallucination, but if he's happy... Who can say anything to him?
...Some time later...
"So you left the problem to Inuyasha!?"
Nibbling on a red apple while perched on the branch of a nearby tree, Shippo points a finger at the young man with damp golden hair, who is peacefully resting beside the tranquil river.
Well, although it would be more accurate to say that he seems to be photosynthesizing, since he is positioned atop a rounded rock and bathing his body in the sunlight, just like cold-blooded reptiles when the weather is hot.
"How can you even think I'd do that, Shippo? I order you to retract such slander right now!"
Making the effort to raise his arm for a few moments before finally letting it fall, Asahiko at least tries to put on the expression of someone who is offended, though in the end he gives up as well and simply stays lying there.
If something can be solved with words, then why resort to using your hands? Yes, it's not that he has become complacent, it's simply that it would be a waste of this beautiful afternoon to chase after that fox.
"Eh... You just sounded exactly like Miroku when his old clients found him. He always says something about being slandered and then acts offended."
"Cagh, haha, just a coincidence."
"Hmm, I don't know. You two have always been way too similar. I wouldn't be surprised if you also had some shady business... Something like being a yokai hunter or something."
Finishing the apple he had been eating the whole time, Shippo is strangely accurate with his ideas, because as everyone will remember, Asahiko really did pretend to be a yokai hunter together with Kikyo.
"I think... I think you know too much, Shippo."
"W-Wait, stop, stop, don't come any closer!"
"Relax, little one. Good old Asahiko just wants to talk."
Opening his previously sleepy blue eyes, Asahiko closes and opens his hands several times before smiling at the little fox, making him almost fall off the branch.
Fortunately for him, at the end of the day he is still a yokai, so he quickly recovers and doesn't hesitate before running toward the forest. He had to get out of here right now. He had seen firsthand how Miroku silences his creditors, and he doesn't want to suffer the same fate!
"Come here, Shippo! I'm only going to make you bald or something, it's not that big of a deal!"
"Help, Kagomeeee!"
"Hahaha, Kagome isn't here, Kagome left.... Kagome is leaving your life~"
Creating the kind of net used to catch flying insects, Asahiko calmly jumps from the branch of one tree to that of another as he continues chasing Shippo, always making sure he knows where he's coming from.
The "hunter" may be treating it like a joke, but the poor "prey" is going to be traumatized for life, although it's nothing Kagome won't be able to fix.