3
Kokkuri was a brand of necromancy that had enjoyed explosive popularity in Japan for a time. Its influence was immense, boasting an infamy so great that it was still banned in certain areas of the country.
The name Kokkuri was a mishmash of several Japanese mythical beasts (that roughly corresponded with foxes, dogs, and raccoons). It was typically believed that one summoned lower-level animal spirits when conducting the ritual.
In Subaru’s world, the game had fallen out of practice long ago. Even so, the ritual’s order of operations and the tools required were still well enough known to remain in the cultural zeitgeist.
“Kokkuri cannot speak. So, to communicate with Kokkuri, we must use this device.”
“A pen and paper? What do we do, write letters back and forth?” Rem asked timidly, morning star in hand, as she watched Subaru spread the white paper on the table. She was dressed for battle—an unusual sight on a typical day in the mansion. In other words, Rem considered this very much an atypical combat situation. She was ready to smash Kokkuri to bits when it came out.
“Blasting it away the moment it’s summoned—that’s gotta be some bad karma… Sorry, but Kokkuri is invisible. Um, this pen isn’t for Kokkuri to use. It’s for me. See? Scribble, scribble…”
“What terrible handwriting. I can feel your lack of daily study emitting from it.”
“Shut up, Big Sis. It’s legible, that’s all that matters.”
Ignoring Ram’s stronger-than-usual sass, Subaru continued to write the letters and numbers onto the paper, undaunted. In order, he wrote this world’s version of the alphabet.
“Lastly, you write down numbers…and columns for male and female. And lastly, lest we forget, we draw a gate for Kokkuri to come and go through.”
After writing the alphabet in perfect rows, followed by the integers one through nine, and the options male-female and yes-no at the top of the paper, all that remained was to draw a little red torii gate at the top, and your Kokkuri summoning paper was complete.
“Emilia-tan, a coin, please.”
“Okay, just don’t spend it on anything silly.”
“You know, this back-and-forth makes you sound a lot like a freeloader who gets all his money from his girl.”
Ignoring Puck’s almost slanderous remark, Subaru set the coin Emilia gave him on the torii gate at the top of the page. Then, with a nod at Emilia and Rem, the three sat at the table.
“Before we begin, here are the rules. First, each of us puts an index finger on this coin—do not remove your finger from the coin until we’re finished. Otherwise, we’ll have a big problem.”
“O-okay, understood. I won’t lift my finger, then… Should I freeze it?”
“No, uh, you don’t need to make yourself physically incapable of moving your finger—it’s more a mental focus type thing. Also, Kokkuri is a hollow who answers our questions, but it’s a stickler for tradition. If we break the procedure, we’ll get scolded, so please do as I say.”
“We’ll be scolded…” Rem pondered. “Meaning, that moment will be our opportunity to strike. I think I understand now just what it is you want from me, Subaru.”
“I think you don’t understand what I want, so I’m enacting a flat ban on violence, okay?!”
Between Emilia’s nervous face and Rem’s eyes filled with faint-blue bloodlust, Subaru was starting to feel uneasy. But around them also stood the fiercely antagonistic Beatrice and an increasingly battle-ready Ram. Roswaal and Puck were their usual selves, but them being their normal selves didn’t provide much reassurance.
For a start, there was never any need to be so vigilant for the arrival of a mere Kokkuri—
“It’s because it always flares up during the most pointless moments that a boy’s sense of romance is difficult to control…”
“Save your pointless ramblings for yourself and just get on with it. Come now, quickly!” Beatrice snapped.
His cynical quip condescendingly rejected, Subaru pulled himself together and touched the coin with his index finger. Rem and Emilia followed suit until the three index fingers pressed together atop the coin.
A faint tension rising inside, the trio held their breaths—and the ritual began.
“Kokkuri…Kokkuri…answer our questions. If you’re listening, please send us over to YES.”
Like a magic incantation, Subaru recited the canned line. Upon hearing the words, Emilia and Rem pressed into the coin. But there was no change to the coin. Glaring at the motionless coin, Subaru licked his dry lips and repeated the line.
“Kokkuri…Kokkuri…answer our questions. If you’re listening, please send us over to YES.”
But still, nothing changed.
Organically, the tense air in the room relaxed. Emilia and Rem sighed in relief, and behind them, a cynical sigh could be heard. With the stakes as high as they were, this result was bound to make even Beatrice cross.
But just when they thought it was over—
“Ah!”
Emilia yelped in shock, and speechless, Rem’s eyes opened wide. Subaru, too, held his breath. The coin with their fingers on it had slowly moved toward YES.
Feeling the beseeching stares of his two companions on him, Subaru hastily gave the next order. “P-please return to the gate.” The coin proceeded to move from YES back to the torii gate, and Subaru gained the conviction that his necromancy was a success.
It was a ritual influenced by ghosts and the collective subconscious of the participants, and they had made it over the first hurdle. From this point on, Kokkuri would show its true abilities.
“O-okay, it’s with us now. So, if we ask questions, Kokkuri will answer them for the most part. Do either of you have anything you want to ask?”
“S-Subaru, won’t you show us how first?” Emilia stammered.
“Yes…I think that’s for the best,” Rem agreed. “I still don’t see any hollows.”
Emilia was sincerely scared, while Rem still mistook the ritual’s purpose as an ambush for the ghost. Since they revoked their question-asking privileges, Subaru thought for a moment, then asked:
“Kokkuri, I have a question for you—is Emilia scared of hollows?”
“Subaru?!”
Emilia gave an accusing shriek—but the coin was already moving. The coin slid onto YES, making Emilia’s feelings—already obvious though they were—clear.
“Thank you, Kokkuri. You may return to the gate.”
Satisfied with the results, Subaru gave the command to return home, and the coin slid gracefully to the torii gate. That was how a session of Kokkuri usually flowed.
“So there you have it—those are the basics of Kokkuri. All we have to do now is ask Kokkuri more questions so it won’t get offended… Emilia-tan, why are you giving me that look?”
“I-I’m not scared, I swear! I think that last answer was a mistake. I’m sure you moved the coin yourself, Subaru. You can’t fool me!”
NO
“Hyeep?!”
Kokkuri mercilessly smashed Emilia’s cute little attempt at obstinance to pieces. Shrieking and recoiling from the rebuke, Emilia quietly croaked, “I’m sorry…”
And then, the previously passive Rem hurled a question at Kokkuri with a shockingly out-of-character bravado: “Almighty Kokkuri—what’s for supper tonight, meat or fish?”
M E A T
When Kokkuri slid along the letters to answer what was for supper, Rem thanked it, then looked up at Subaru and Emilia. “I do believe Almighty Kokkuri’s answers are credible. There isn’t any fish in the kitchen groceries, so we’re having a meat dish tonight for supper…and I was the only person who knew that before this moment.”
“Uh…wait, doesn’t this mean this ritual is kind of incredible?” Grasping the intention behind Rem’s comment, Emilia’s free hand flew to her open mouth in shock. Her violet eyes fluttered, then she stared at the coin and said, “Kokkuri is incredible. I’m utterly shocked.”
T H A N K Y O U
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you. And you’re being really polite with us, too.”
I T H A P P E N S
“Really? Does it often happen to you? But…being misunderstood must make you feel very sad, so I really am sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
I T S A L L G O O D
“Was Kokkuri always this casual?!” Subaru snapped.
Kokkuri’s response to Emilia’s gracious remorse seemed oddly sloppy.
Meanwhile, the coin slid freely over the paper, painting the mundane conversation into a rather bizarre tableau.
That being said, Emilia seemed to trust Kokkuri now. The fear in her eyes over hollows was gone. And seeing the heartwarming cultural exchange unfold before her, the war drums in Rem’s eyes had seemed to quell.
“Lady Emilia, may I speak with Almighty Kokkuri next?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Kokkuri, will you speak with Rem now?”
S U R E
“Wow, it spelled out SURE instead of just moving to YES!”
Kokkuri was no longer the ritual’s guest of honor—it was the fourth participant.
It was all quite different from what Subaru had imagined based on rumor, but perhaps this is just how the Kokkuri of this world was—a far cry from the nasty rumors of Japan’s Kokkuri.
“Is Subaru satisfied by the meals I prepare every day?” Rem asked.
H E L I K E S T H E M
“Does Subaru enjoy his daily chores at the mansion? Does he feel fatigued?”
A G O O D F A T I G U E
“Do Subaru and my big sister get along?”
T H E O P P O S I T E O F H A T E I S I N D I F F E R E N C E
“Does Subaru—”
“Excuse me, Rem? You don’t have to ask Kokkuri. I’m right here.”
“Um, but I’m too shy to ask you directly…”
“Yeah, but this format is about as direct as you can get while technically still being indirect!”
He didn’t get what was embarrassing Rem, but Kokkuri was every bit as friendly as Rem was shy. However, Rem’s curiosity appeared to be sated for the moment, so the matter was closed for the time being.
“Okay, I’m reluctant to do this, but let’s say good-bye. Kokkuri, thank you very much. You may go now.”
“Thank you very much. I’d love to chat later.”
“I pray that your journey home is safe and uneventful.”
Subaru stuck to tradition, while Emilia and Rem gave Kokkuri an incredibly fervent farewell. The coin headed for the torii gate as they said their good-byes and the former tension in the room melted away—everyone knew then that Kokkuri was home.
“So that’s how it works. What’d y’all think? Kokkuri wasn’t a scary hollow, right?”
“To my shock, no, it wasn’t,” Emilia said. “I couldn’t see it—but I know it was really there. Maybe it’s a spirit…but it didn’t feel like a spirit…”
“As far as I could seeee, there was no mana activity. It was quite mysterious, but I dooo get the sense that I just bore witness to the wonders of necromancy.”
Once the ritual was over, Roswaal broke his silence and nodded in admiration. Receiving the top magic user’s seal of approval, Subaru felt a personal sense of pride for Kokkuri.
“That was definitely not the work of a spirit,” Puck agreed. “If it had been, Lia and I would’ve noticed. What did you feel, Betty?”
With a quiet, resentful voice, Beatrice answered, “I still don’t approve. A hollow’s very existence is blasphemy toward spirits.”
Puck’s eyes widened. “Betty?”
Ignoring him, Beatrice shuffled over to the table and said, “Younger twin—I’m taking your spot. I’ll have to expose this farce for what it is, I suppose.”
“Hey now, Beatrice, that was uncalled for,” Emilia protested. “There wasn’t a bit of hoodwinking at this table.”
“Hoodwinking—you don’t hear that word much nowadays…” Subaru murmured. “But anyway, are you saying you doubt Kokkuri? Then how do you explain what just happened?”
“I’ll ask the questions here. Unless you’re afraid of me exposing the truth, I wonder? Well, too bad.”
“Now I’m really miffed… You’ll be sorry, drill loli.”
Rem surrendered her seat to Beatrice, and Subaru sat back down in his chair. Beatrice glared at Emilia and said, “Might you switch out too, I wonder? My efforts would be pointless if too many Kokkuri cultists were at the table. Allow Betty and Brother to brilliantly expose the blasphemy.”
Subaru rolled his eyes. “‘Kokkuri cultists’? That’s a leap. And how would Puck even participate?”
“Could I use my tail?”
“Agh, fine, whatever. Use your tail.”
Puck flew over the table and stretched his long tail to the coin. Beatrice and Subaru touched the coin, and the unorthodox setup was complete.
“Subaru…”
“Don’t worry, Emilia-tan. Just you watch. I’ll protect Kokkuri—”
“Okay. I trust you.”
Emilia clasped her hands in front of her chest in prayer and nodded at Subaru. With a nod back, Subaru took a deep breath and poured his concentration into the torii gate on the paper.
“Kokkuri…Kokkuri…sorry to bother you again, but if you’re listening, please send us over to YES—whoa, that was quick.”
P E S K Y
“I know, I don’t blame you for getting angry—we summoned you right after we sent you home. Sorry about that.”
The grumpiness somehow communicated from the letters on the page made Subaru bow his head to the table in shame. But the two Kokkuri newcomers widened their eyes in shock.
“At the very least, I didn’t move it,” Puck said. “What about you, Betty?”
“No…I wouldn’t do something so shameful. Fine. I’ll pretend you really are there and tear your reputation to shreds, I suppose.”
F O R S H A M E
“Kokkuri sassed you, Beako.”
“Grraaa, indeed!”
Anyway, for now, Team Kokkuri got one point. No longer angry over being summoned again so quickly, Kokkuri moved to the letters F I R E A W A Y to indicate it was awaiting their questions. The coin swirled atop the paper, showing that Kokkuri was losing patience.
“Come on, Beako, ask a question. Go kick its ass.”
“Kokkuri, how do we get rid of you?”
“Why do you have to throw a wet blanket on everything?! The only person you’re allowed to ask that question to: Clippy! Stupid virtual assistant—nobody asked you for help!”
H O W D O I G E T R I D O F Y O U ?
“And dang, Kokkuri is a sadist for Beako!”
Just when Beatrice thought she had the upper hand, Kokkuri issued a dramatic clapback. Even Kokkuri saw through Beatrice for the punching bag character she was.
“Okay, how does Lia feel about me?” Puck asked.
H A N D F U L O F A D A D
O R M O M
“Hee-hee, this’s fun,” Puck giggled. “Okay, how do I feel about Lia?”
H A N D F U L O F A D A U G H T E R
O R M O M
“Wait, you’re both mother figures to each other sometimes?” Subaru snorted.
Puck smiled vaguely while Emilia vehemently shook her head in denial. It was an unconventional parent-child relationship, but Kokkuri’s perception was astute.
“H-hmph! Well, how does my brother feel about Betty, I wonder?”
P O L I T E
“Huh? What’s polite supposed to mean? He thinks of me as polite?”
A S K P O L I T E L Y
“Why has this pesky hollow been uniquely rotten to me, I wonder?!”
Either out of utter exasperation (or amusement), Kokkuri was quite hard on Beatrice. After a barrage of evaded questions, the formerly furious little girl was thoroughly disheartened.
Regardless, Beatrice could no longer deny Kokkuri’s existence with their feud having progressed this far. So, in a way, it was mission accomplished. This meant it was time to send Kokkuri home—
“Oh, Subaru, might I ask one final question?”
“Hm? Oh, Rem, you’ve still got a question?”
Her hand still raised, Rem answered that she did, which baffled Subaru for a moment. As a rule, the only people who could ask Kokkuri questions were the participants at the table. Kokkuri didn’t seem bothered by it, though.
F I R E A W A Y
“Dang, Kokkuri, how gracious of you. Okay, Rem, ask your question.”
“Thank you very much. So I’ve noticed recently that the mayonnaise we keep in the kitchen seems to have depleted overnight. What is the cause of that?”
The moment Rem’s innocent question was hurled at the table, the coin that held Kokkuri—which once slid freely along the table—went completely motionless. The coin stayed at the torii gate, gave a slight quiver beneath their fingers, and then moved no more.
The three participants held their breaths and stared at each other. The sight was very confusing for Emilia and Rem.
This brings us to where our story began.
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