Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

—–

“So what do you guys like doing, like… in the clans and stuff?” Monica asked, making an effort to sound more outgoing and speak up.

“Oh, us? Well, we’ve been pretty busy over the last few years,” Matsuo replied. “Mostly we hunt Yokai or Mutated Hollows. And… sometimes bigger threats show up—criminals or demons.”

“Ooh, that sounds dangerous!” Alma said. “What do you mean by criminals and demons?”

“Evil sorcerers,” Harumi explained. “Yakuza who wield spiritual relics or weapons stolen from museums. Members of… the Chaos Gate.”

“The Chaos Gate?” Emily asked, narrowing her eyes. “Wait, I’ve heard of them. They’re a huge criminal organization, right?”

“They are,” Harumi sighed. “They’re currently the biggest threat to Japan’s peace, and they have branches worldwide. We’ve dealt with their hitmen a few times—they’re always incredibly strong and troublesome. The last one we fought was half a year ago. They were creating Corrupted Domains in areas rich in Miasma, where Yokai and Hollows multiplied. They were basically farming them for resources.”

“Wait, what? I had no idea that was a thing,” Elena said.

“Yeah, some organizations that really know their stuff do it,” Erika said, taking a big bite of roasted meat she’d dipped in soy sauce and wasabi. “The Chaos Gate doesn’t want destruction—not the way most people think. They profit from both normal society and the supernatural underworld. Their goal is expansion and money. Destroying society would hurt their bottom line, so sometimes they even protect cities from threats.”

“Technically we shouldn’t have gotten involved back then,” Matsuo sighed. “They were farming resources from a Corrupted Domain, sure, but that domain was actually containing a ton of Dark Energy, preventing it from decaying into Miasma elsewhere. Hollows and Yokai kept spawning in one spot instead of spreading out and endangering more people.”

“We still destroyed it,” Frank said. “It was wrong. They were using the souls of a family that died in that old house as fuel—constantly generating dark emotions and energies, then decaying them into Miasma through some formation so Hollows and Yokai could manifest.”

“Huh. That’s awful… but also complicated,” Elena said.

“Yeah, it’s really a matter of perspective,” Maria added, her red eyes gleaming sharply. “Do you let them do something that benefits society as a whole in exchange for a few souls? Or do you stop them—even though it means more lives get endangered later—just to save those souls? It’s definitely food for thought.”

“Yeah… I guess so,” Frank sighed. “I just did what felt right to me.”

“…” Matsuo nodded. “Alright, who wants more meat? Let’s eat! We can talk about something else, yeah?”

“Yeah! I was wondering something…” Alma said, raising her hand. “Umm… What exactly are Yokai?”

“Eh? That’s your question, chubby girl?” Erika teased.

“C-Chubby? I’m only a little big…” Alma muttered, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Nah, you’re a cute fatty~” Erika chuckled. “Kind of makes me want to take a big bite out of those meaty little arms or legs, heh.”

“Eek!” Alma ducked behind Emily as Erika’s predatory gaze locked onto her.

“Hey, I know you’re a werewolf, but please don’t act like a rabid, starving dog around my friends!” Sofia snapped.

“I was joking~ Hahahah!” Erika laughed. “We don’t eat humans… not anymore. I never have, but… well, some of my family members did—”

“Oh my god, Erika, don’t talk about that while we’re eating!” Matsuo interrupted, yanking her tail.

“Ouch! Hey!!!” Erika growled, baring sharp teeth—only for Matsuo to shove a bowl of meat in front of her.

“Eat this instead of fantasizing about your classmates, weirdo,” he said.

“Oooohh, more meat~!” Erika licked her lips and dove in with chopsticks, adding rice on the side.

Matsuo nodded and turned back to Alma and the others. “Anyway, you were asking about Yokai, right? I’m sure Akatsuki-sensei will cover it in class later, but… Hollows are basically amalgamations of negative energy and emotions that pour out of people’s daily lives. They’re invisible to normal eyes and usually harmless unless you have mana they can drain—or they mutate and learn to eat souls. Yokai are more traditional: spirits born from belief and fear itself, not just a byproduct of negativity.”

“Yeah, Japan has so many traditions, and we’ve got hundreds—maybe thousands—of different Yokai,” Harumi added. “It gets complicated. Most of the country is still very superstitious. There are whole Realms where Yokai are born, and they enter our world at night during the ’Hour of the Ox,’ when the boundary between realms thins and they can cross freely. Once here, they can latch onto a person or object, stay permanently, grow stronger, have offspring, and eventually become a serious problem.”

“So Yokai are like a natural disaster? Just… born?” Elena asked. “If everyone stopped believing in them, would they disappear?”

“At this point, no—even if humanity went extinct, Yokai would probably keep evolving,” Frank explained. “But in the past, belief played a bigger role. I came to Japan a decade ago with my mom. After I awakened my powers—when lightning struck my phone for some reason—I started seeing them. Sometimes I take care of them. Other times… they’re too strong.”

“Sounds really interesting,” Elena said, rubbing her chin.

“Yokai, wow… they seem so different from Nightmares,” Alma said. “Right?”

“We’ve mostly fought Nightmares and Nightmare Demons, so this is a nice change from those freaks,” Emily sighed. “I wonder if we could find a cute one—like a Yuki Onna or something.”

“Yuki Onna usually live on big mountains. You’ll definitely find them on Mount Fuji,” Matsuo said. “It’s best not to get too close to their nests. We do take down Yokai that disrupt daily life or threaten people, but they’re also part of our world—residents of the Spiritual Realm. Unless they’re actively dangerous or planning to be, we leave them alone. Some aren’t bad at all; powerful embodiments of nature, they protect forests, animals, entire mountains, even the seas.”

“Ohh…” Anna said, nodding. “That’s so cool. They’re really like spirits or gods. Yokai can be anything… huh?”

“Yep,” Elena agreed.

“I wonder if you could tame one and turn it into a summon, Anna,” Elisa said. “Have you ever thought about that?”

“I haven’t, but that does sound cool!” Anna replied.

—–