Chapter 16: Not a Tanuki, a Mujina
Tn: This chapter is re-written at 5 / 19 / 2025
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A bundle of firewood might not change a life of poverty, but it's enough to keep a family fed for a day.
That was reason enough for some young people—despite knowing the forests were filled with strange and dangerous things—to pick up their dull hatchets and venture into the wild.
All for survival.
Aside from firewood, sometimes they'd stumble across other unexpected treasures—like barrels and crates left lying beneath trees.
Of course, no ordinary folk would leave supplies just lying around like that in the wilderness.
Most of the time, these were stockpiles gathered by hilichurls—food and water scavenged from who-knows-where.
Sure, it was usually just a few Amakumo fruits, Sunsettias, or cabbages.
But for poor families in Inazuma, even that was a precious haul.
If you were really lucky, maybe you'd even find some Mora or shiny trinkets tucked inside.
That was exactly what this young man was hoping for today.
He'd heard rumors that there was a hilichurl camp nearby, so he came out to try his luck.
But… whether this place actually belonged to hilichurls was a little questionable.
Sure, there were signs—broken branches, half-eaten fruit—but something felt off.
Even hilichurls knew Amakumo fruits needed to be peeled and boiled to taste good.
But the ones here had been bitten into raw.
Who the heck eats raw Amakumo like that? Some kind of savage?
Still, even if it wasn't hilichurls, the forest had gifts for him today.
Nestled in the undergrowth was a small wooden barrel—smaller and more refined than anything hilichurls could've made.
It looked almost like… a miniature wine cask.
"I-Is this my lucky day?!"
The young man blinked, heart pounding with excitement, and ran over to inspect it.
If it really was a barrel of wine, he could sell it for a decent amount of Mora.
He knocked on it a few times.
Thud thud
Didn't sound like it held liquid—maybe something solid?
Didn't matter. Anything stored in something this well-made had to be valuable.
Brushing off the leaves that had gathered on top, he frowned when one stubborn leaf refused to budge.
It felt… stuck.
"Huh? That's weird…"
He tried again.
And just as his fingers scraped the leaf—
POMF!
A puff of smoke exploded from the barrel, and when it cleared, a fluffy tail had suddenly appeared beside it.
"TA-TANUKI?!"
The boy's face went pale. He bolted.
Everyone knew the forests were home to tanuki spirits—playful little youkai who loved to prank humans.
They weren't exactly dangerous, but people still saw them as omens of bad luck.
Tanuki were known for their tricks and illusions, often changing their shape to deceive travelers.
That leaf-on-the-head transformation?
Classic tanuki mischief.
. . . . . . .
"I'm not a tanuki… I'm a mujina…"
The barrel was now gone.
In its place stood a petite figure dressed in a ninja outfit.
She stretched lazily, rubbing her eyes like she'd just woken from the world's longest nap.
It kind of felt like… someone had smacked her on the head while she was asleep?
"Senpai, what time is it now—huh?!"
Still groggy, she turned to ask her fellow Shuumatsuban ninja what time it was…
Only to realize the forest was completely empty.
Everyone was gone. She was the only one left.
"…Did they ditch me again?"
She blinked a few times, trying to process the situation.
Yup. Probably fell asleep again during a mission.
Yup. Definitely got left behind.
"…Not like that's a bad thing."
She yawned again, mumbling to herself.
Last night, she'd been ordered to sneak into some Fatui executive's room and gather intel.
Who would've guessed she'd be caught?
And not just caught—chased for ages by that guy.
If it hadn't been for that tengu woman suddenly showing up and interrupting him, Sayu honestly didn't know what might've happened…
They say the Fatui peel off tanuki hides and turn their thick fur into cloaks—
Wait, no! Sayu isn't a tanuki—she's a mujina!
It's all the Fatui's fault anyway!
If that guy hadn't chased her for so long, she wouldn't have gotten so exhausted and fallen asleep during a mission!
And if she hadn't dozed off, her teammates wouldn't have left her behind… again.
Hmm… now that she thought about it, what was her mission again?
"Uwah—!"
The second that memory returned, Sayu's half-closed eyes flew open like a pair of lanterns.
"Crap, crap! I'm gonna be late!"
It hit her all at once—that was why she got left behind.
Her team didn't leave her behind to let her nap peacefully.
She'd been assigned a new mission!
And she had to meet that woman before noon…
Otherwise—
Otherwise…
She shuddered, recalling the woman who once forced an Oni to eat soy-based ramen despite being horrifically allergic to it.
The poor Oni had almost ended up in the afterlife, all because he didn't want to seem rude by refusing the dish.
He ended up bedridden for an entire month.
And the one who made that ramen?
That woman.
Sayu trembled.
Someone who could strike terror into a fearless Oni like that…
That woman was not to be messed with.
Absolutely not.
No time to waste—Sayu had to get moving!
With a quick series of hand signs, she called out her ninjutsu:
Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash!
Wind swirled around her, thick enough to be seen with the naked eye. Sayu tucked her limbs in tightly as the wind cocooned her form.
Then—whoosh!
She spun forward like a wheel, zipping through the forest.
This technique was fast—very fast—but it came with a price.
Rolling like a wheel meant one thing: extreme dizziness.
Even Sayu, a specially trained Shuumatsuban ninja, could only hold this form for so long before the world started spinning around her.
But right now?
She didn't care.
Being dizzy was nothing compared to facing that woman's wrath.
Thanks to her wind-enhanced sprint, Sayu actually managed to reach Inazuma City before Bai Luo, despite starting later.
"Urgh... s-so dizzy…"
Just outside the city gates, she finally hit her limit.
An Akita dog barked nearby as she clung to a cherry blossom tree, nearly vomiting up everything she'd eaten the night before.
Wait— what had she eaten?
Oh right. Just a raw Amakumo fruit.
They were great in soup—sweet, fragrant, nourishing.
But raw?
Ugh. Sayu gagged at the memory.
Still, there was no time to dwell on that.
After shooing away the noisy dog, she staggered over to a nearby waterwheel and splashed cold spring water on her face.
The chill helped ease the spinning in her head.
Peeking around cautiously, she scanned for anyone suspicious—no sign of followers.
Good.
Wobbling on her feet, Sayu made her way into Inazuma City.
It wasn't particularly crowded, even during midday.
Though most citizens lacked Visions, the Vision Hunt Decree still hung over them like a crushing weight.
People preferred to stay home, avoiding patrols and questions from the Tenryou Commission.
Unless absolutely necessary, few dared to roam the streets.
"Crap— I'm gonna be late!"
She glanced at the sun overhead, doing some mental math.
Even at full speed, she was going to arrive at Uyuu Restaurant at least three minutes late.
"Ugh… that terrifying woman is not going to forgive me…"
"Terrifying woman?"
Just as Sayu was about to spiral into despair, a teasing voice reached her ears.
"Who's this terrifying woman you're so scared of, hmm?"