I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 11
1-11. Hime-sama (Princess)
Some time had passed since then, and I was lying on the futon in the room I was given.
I had eaten and been dressed in a child-sized kimono, which was comfortable but felt a bit chilly. My stomach also felt a bit uncomfortable.
Outside, it had become completely dark, and lanterns were lit. The garden of the second palace of Oni Castle had lanterns that contained fireflies, which glowed in the night. The garden seen through the glass of the snow-viewing sliding doors was softly illuminated, creating a calming atmosphere.
But where I was, it was pitch dark. I had spent a long time in dark places, so my eyes had grown accustomed to it, and I could vaguely make out my surroundings.
Normally, it would be bedtime by now, but tonight, I was staying up a bit later because I was told I would meet someone called ‘Hime-sama’.
However, something felt strange. Uchikage-Ojichan had said that she would come if I waited in the room.
It was really strange.
I looked around again, then closed my eyes and tried to listen carefully. It was still a dark tatami room, and I couldn’t hear much. The only sound I could hear was the chirping of insects in the garden.
Would she really come at this late hour? And why did it have to be at night?
“It’s weird… Should I go to bed?”
I crawled under the futon and lay on my back, looking at the ceiling. There should have been a simple wooden ceiling, but something strange was visible.
At first, I thought it was the wood grain of the ceiling boards, but it turned out not to be. Because… it was moving.
“Huh-?”
From the ceiling, a young and cute oni girl appeared, showing only her upper body. She stared at me intently. She had a single red horn and a beautiful kimono in bright colors. The oni girl with a faint sakura-colored aura seemed to have noticed something and happily smiled before retracting into the ceiling.
What was that, I thought, as I sat up. I looked around, but I couldn’t see the oni girl anymore.
But that was only for a moment. This time, the oni girl suddenly appeared right next to me.
I was genuinely surprised.
“Whoaa-!!?”
“Yuuzen-chan!”
The oni girl jumped up with joy and continued to twirl in the air. She seemed to be expressing her joy with her whole body.
On the other hand, I jumped out of the futon, stumbled back, and huddled in the corner of the tatami room. The floating and swirling oni girl, and the way she appeared through the ceiling and the floor, made her look like a ghost.
“A ghost…!?”
“Ahh! It’s been so long! It’s been so long! I’m so happy, Yuuzen-chan! I can finally keep my promise! Yay! Yay!”
A completely un-ghostly voice and rather noisy movements. Could this be the Hime-sama that Uchikage-Ojichan was talking about?
However… despite her ghostly appearance, she was… not scary. At this late hour, when most people were fast asleep, was it even possible for such a noisy ghost to exist?
But she seemed genuinely happy, and her whole body was radiating joy.
Then, the sliding door opened. Uchikage-Ojichan was there, looking at the delighted oni girl with a genuinely exasperated expression. He sighed deeply and then grabbed her by the head.
“Waah! What are you doing, Uchikage! That’s so rude! So rude! And why can you even touch me!?”
“How rude indeed. I was asked by Karna to prevent you from scaring Yuuzen. It seems I’m a bit late now.”
“Then why can you touch me?”
“Through the Dark Medium.”
“Aaaa- don’t grab my head with that sticky thing!”
The oni girl wriggled and struggled to break free. But Uchikage-Ojichan’s grip seemed strong, and he didn’t let go.
Watching this scene, I began to understand that this oni girl, despite her ghostly appearance, was not frightening at all.
Uchikage-Ojichan had come, and he had even captured her. It seemed like it would be safe to have a conversation now.
“U-Uchikage-Ojichan, what’s going on?”
“She’s Hisui-Hime-sama. As you can see, she’s a ghost, but she has her own consciousness. Her skill is special. She has been living on as a ghost for this long to fulfill a certain wish.”
“Eeh… But how can you touch her?”
“It’s due to her medium.”
“Why did you grab me like that!?”
” ? Yamibaito? .” (Dark Medium)
“Uwaaaah! You’re so mean! Stoooop it with that sticky stuff on my head!”
He let go suddenly, and the oni girl sank under the tatami in an attempt to get away. She had been struggling with all her might to keep her hands and feet against it.
However, she quickly resurfaced and started flying around the room again.
“I’m free!”
“It’s midnight. Try not to get too excited. I’ve been telling you that…”
“I know! No need to mention that! I just want to talk!”
“Uhh-…”
“It’s fine. Hisui-Hime-sama doesn’t have any means of attack right now. She only maintains her consciousness and this form. Don’t worry.”
“Whoa, she’s so cute! So obedient!”
“…I wish she had been like this in the past.”
Uchikage-Ojichan had a distant look in his eyes. I wondered what had happened in the past.
The oni girl floated closer and sat in front of me, even though she was just assuming a sitting posture since she was a spirit. As far as I could see, it didn’t bother me.
She smiled and greeted me with a friendly tone.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Hisui!!”