kscans

Chapter 228 - The Local Hanako-san ④

"Mmmph. Sorry for gettin’ us sidetracked. Jimoko-san, please give us the info on Feiko-san."

"I’ve been thinking this for a while, but your naming sense is… well, whatever. About Feiko-san’s combat style."

Looks like Jimoko-san adopted the Feiko-san nickname too. I thought about pointing it out, but I decided to let it slide since I didn’t want to derail the conversation any further.

"She’s a wizard type. In addition to the curses we specialize in, she has mastered various systems of magic from both the East and West."

I guess it’s due to their nature of being influenced by human thoughts. Apparitions from urban legends are skilled at curses. A classic example is the Kuchisake-onna. The way she asks, "Am I pretty?" and you answer, "You are pretty," then she removes her mask and asks, "Even like this?" is famous. This series of exchanges is a ritualistic process, a question and answer session that further strengthens the curse.

"However, it’s not that she can’t handle close combat. In fact, she’s stronger than some who specialize in it. It seems she trained considerably to compensate for her weaknesses."

"Man, not an original bone in her body. Why’s she trying so hard to be average?"

Since they’re in a group, she should just have someone else cover for her. Specialized builds stand out more than well-rounded ones. Hasn’t she ever heard the phrase jack of all trades, master of none?

"But her skills are the real deal. Apparently, she defeated a Yatsukahagi-class apparition in the west all by herself."

"Oh?"

Yatsukahagi is another name for the Tsuchigumo, a term for those who did not submit to the ancient emperors, but it has a different meaning in the Supernatural World. It’s an index of strength used by apparitions, indicating a level on par with what the ancient apparition slayer Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his Four Heavenly Kings would face. There are other such indexes, and this community has never really standardized them.

"By the way, Dr. Kawasaki, what’s your combat style?"

"I’m also classified as a spellcaster, I suppose. If this were a personal matter, I’d bring out Kaiser, but that’s not an option here."

…Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen Kawasaki on the job, and she’s actually quite professional about it. Though, considering the reaction of the person who tried to honey-trap me before, I guess that’s to be expected.

"I specialize in techniques related to spatial interference, beginning with barrier arts."

"Does that mean you excel at defense?"

"No. I’m confident I have a decent amount of firepower as well. My close combat skills are minimal, I would say."

"But this one can also use shikigami and stuff, so she’s fine at any range," I added. Jimoko-san nodded in understanding and placed a second photograph on the table.

"Next is this one, number two, the Kuchisake-onna."

"I’m telling you, don’t kill your own uniqueness. Are these guys lost when it comes to fashion?"

You can’t even tell who she is if she’s wearing a pantsuit and a full-face mask. The coat and mask are basically their common uniform, so don’t get rid of those.

"Her style is pure close combat. But she fights bare-handed, without using a knife or scissors."

"I said don’t kill your uniqueness."

"There are other members, but there are only two more that I consider a threat."

She placed down a photo of a stereotypical Western beauty, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin.

"Rika-chan. A pure combatant."

"I said don’t kill your uniqueness."

However, this beautiful girl was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.

"The Headless Rider. Also a pure combatant."

I said don’t kill your unique… wait, no?! This one looks exactly like the image of a Headless Rider!

"You should’ve killed that uniqueness instead!!"

"What are you so angry about?"

"Their appearance doesn’t really matter, does it? Shall I continue?"

Dammit, they’re really getting on my nerves…

"The hierarchy of strength is roughly Feiko, the Headless Rider, Kuchisake-onna, and Rika-chan, in that order. If we use me as a benchmark, facing Feiko and the Headless Rider is pretty much impossible. I might be able to handle Kuchisake-onna and Rika-chan if they come at me one on one. I’m almost certain these four will be the ones to attack me. I don’t think you need to worry about the others."

I see.

"Kawasaki, can I take the Headless Rider?"

"Oh my, I thought you weren’t going to get involved until the last minute?"

"Well, if Jimoko-san’s assessment of their strength is correct, it seems like you could handle it alone."

In that case, I might as well have a little fun.

"If that’s the case, I will leave him to you."

"Thanks. Heh heh, I’m gonna taunt the hell out of him with my driving skills."

Laws and crap don’t apply to ghosts, after all.

"…Hah. I’ll leave all the details to you two. Is that alright?"

"Yes. But I do have a few questions."

First of all, why is she being targeted? Given the enemy’s goal of becoming the original, Jimoko-san is certainly an obstacle. But that’s just something that would happen along the way to achieving their greater purpose. Yet, from the job request and the way Jimoko-san was talking, she’s certain an attack is imminent. Kawasaki voiced her doubts about that, and I felt the same way.

"They hold a grudge against me."

Jimoko-san booted up her laptop, did a few quick operations, and then turned the screen towards us.

""What is this?""

"The Fakers’ homepage."

"Urban legends have homepages now?"

"Shouldn’t they be the ones people make sites about?"

"It’s to recruit comrades. They can’t accept urban legends of the same type that have already joined, but it seems any new urban legend can join as long as they’re motivated."

To make it easier for such individuals to join, they’ve lowered the barrier to entry, so it seems any urban legend can access it easily. Jimoko-san’s theory is that their inability to filter out duplicates of existing members is not just a technical issue, but also a form of declaration.

"In addition to showing they won’t back down an inch, I think it’s because they’re aware that what they’re doing is unreasonable."

""Are you for real?""

It was enough to make Kawasaki and me retort in unison.

"So, what’s the deal with this site?"

"I used a handle name on their message board and trolled them so hard that I received a death threat."

Saying that, Jimoko-san opened a saved log of the message board for us to see.

"Whoa, Jimoko-san is way too good at flame wars…"

"Nah, isn’t it just that Feiko-san has zero tolerance for trolling?"

The phrase "seeing red" perfectly described Feiko-san’s meltdown.

"I mean, why would you do something like this, Jimoko-san… huh? Satou-san?"

I had the same question, but I understood the answer almost immediately. We’ve known each other for a while now. I know Jimoko-san’s nature very well.

"Kawasaki, she’s a hate tank."

"Ah, so it’s to protect the other urban legends in the Kanto region."

Today was the first time Kawasaki and I had heard of the Fakers, but they must have been a rumor in the urban legend community. Jimoko-san knows her own limits. She can accept that a person with no arms can’t be blamed for abandoning someone about to fall off a cliff. But if she does have arms, it’s a different story. Jimoko-san is the type to do everything she can within her reach.

"…It’s not, really, like that."

"Oh my, how cute."

"Right? Jimoko-san’s a real femme fatale."

I decided to leave it at that, before Jimoko-san got flustered and angry.

"Well, if that’s the situation, we can control the timing of the attack."

All we have to do is provoke them in the flame war.

"Can I use your handle, Jimoko-san?"

"It has spiritual body authentication… oh, right. For you, Hideo, that’s not an issue."

"Exactly. Let’s see here… oh?"

When I opened the message board, I found Feiko-san having a friendly chat with the other users. Now, behold the trolling skills of the man they call the one-man three pillars of flaming, harassment, and chaos!!

"Wow, she’s already taken the bait. She really has no tolerance for trolling."

"I wonder what kind of face Feiko-san is making as she types that."

"This kind of face."

While continuing the flame war with one hand, I projected a real-time image of Feiko-san into the air. In a dark room, she was typing on her keyboard, her face bright red, grinding her teeth. It was hilarious. Man, she’s using a nice computer. Looks like she spent a good amount of money on a build-to-order machine.

"Huh, how did you…"

"There’s a spiritual connection through the message board, so it’s easy to trace it back."

Whoa, I can almost hear your teeth grinding. You okay? Aren’t you worried they’ll wear down and you’ll need dentures soon? When I typed that, she got even more pissed. She doesn’t know I’m watching, so she must be annoyed that I hit the nail on the head.

"Oh, got a bite. She says she’s coming to kill us tomorrow at the witching hour."

"On a normal internet forum, this person would probably get their information disclosed immediately, wouldn’t they."