A Spectacular Service! All Pray For A Good Harvest/Story/Chapter Eight

I’m so beat. Why’m I the only one who has to confess this much…

はぁ、ひどい目にあったぜ……。なんでオレだけ、あんなに繊悔を しなくちゃいけないんだ！

Because you get up to the most shit, genius. Well, thanks to your sincere confession, at least the cloud is mostly gone at this point.

そんだけお前がやらかしてんだろ。お前が繊悔したおかげで巨大雲もだいぶ小さくなってきたしな。

All we have left to finish is the oni chasing ritual. After that, we should be in the clear!

残すところは、鬼追いの儀式だ。これを成功させれば、巨大雲も消えんだろ！

Alright, Sanshi, show us that oni’s mask you’ve been working on.

よし……散脂、作ってた鬼面を出してくれ。

I… can’t.

鬼面は……出せません。

Huh?! But you said you were done making it yesterday!

なに！？昨日、完成してただろ！

Yes, but… turns out this isn’t at a level I’m satisfied with yet. It’s not like the furious yaksha’s image I envision in my head. I have to tweak it a lot more before I can show anyone.

やっぱり、納得がいかなくて……。あれじゃ、オレの理想の鬼なんかじゃない。もっと夜叉を体現するような面にしないと。

It’d be more effective for me to play the demon’s part rather than to use the mask at this point. Even then, I wouldn’t be able to inspire the terror I have in mind when I think of a yaksha, or an oni.

昨日の鬼面を被るくらいなら、オレがそのまま鬼として出た方がマシです。でも、それでもまだ理想には遠い……！

Oh. Yeah, I forgot you were the type to hold yourself to a ridiculously high standard.

……そ、そうか。お前って、自分に妥協しない奴だったんだな。

But then that leaves us in a bit of a pickle… Mekira, can we get the ritual done without using the mask, maybe?

しかし、どうするかな……。鬼面がなくても、鬼追いの儀式ができるか迷企羅に聞いてみるか。

Mekira’s sleeping like a log at this time, I’m afraid.

迷企羅君なら、この時間は眠ってますよ。

Already? Ah, is it past 6pm? It completely slipped my mind that he falls asleep at this time…

もう寝てんのか？そういや、十六時過ぎたか。あいつはこの時間になったら寝ちまうのを忘れてたぜ……。

So… you guys wanna give it a shot without the mask? There’s no point using the one we have if Sanshi isn’t happy with it…

このまま鬼面なしでもやってみるか？散脂の理想の鬼面が作れねえんじゃ、どうにもならないしな。

Isn’t the problem just that Sanshi doesn’t have a clear image in his head of what he wants? In that case, we can just supply him with some ideas of our own to define what it ought to look like more clearly, right?

散脂は理想の鬼のアイデアがなくて作れないんだろ？ だったら、オレ達がアイデアを出してやればいいじゃないか？

Sounds like a plan! Man, even you say something smart once in a blue moon, huh?

なるほど。たまには大日も良いこと言うじゃねえか。

For the love of all that is holy, please don’t go overboard. If you destroy this mask a second time I will not be controlled.

余計なことしないでくださいよ。また壊されたら、たまったもんじゃない。

Don’t be such a wet blanket! Anyway - when you say demon, you think ‘overwhelming presence,’ right? So how about just making it like my face?

そう言うな！鬼と言えば圧倒的な存在 ！オレのような面はどうだ？

There is not a single chance in hell that your face could ever live up to my ideal.

あんたがオレの理想とか 一番ありえないですね。

Uhm… then… what about designing it with a theme in mind… like the red-horned demon…

じゃ、じゃあ……赤鬼……とかはどうかな……。

Great idea! There’s even specific demons like those namahage we could try to go for…

はいは―い！なまはげとかもいるよね☆

None of these even approach the image I have in mind.

どれも違う。

にべもね―な……。

Like I said, just give me some space, please. I will make an oni mask that shows off all my ideals perfectly.

だから、ほっといてって言ってるでしょ。オレの理想を作るまで、待っててくださいよ。

We’ll never have it ready in time if we just keep twiddling our thumbs waiting for it. Lord Jizou, don’t you have any other ideas?

そんなの待ってたら、いつまで経っても終わんないよお！ 地蔵様は何かアイデアはないですか？

Me? Well… to fight like a demon, or an oni, is also a pretty popular saying, isn’t it? So maybe Sanshi can visualize someone he thinks is the unrivaled strongest…

俺が？う―ん……強くて怖い……。 戦いの鬼とかも言うよな。散脂が一番強いと思う相手とか……。

The unrivaled strongest… that’s obviously Lord Tamon.

俺が一番強いと思う相手……。多聞様だ。

‘Tamon?’

多聞？

That’s right! Lord Tamon himself is my ideal! Why did I take so long to realize this simple fact…!

そうだ！多聞様こそがオレの理想だ！なんで早く気づかなかったんだ！

His fierce gaze as he gallantly rides on the battlefield… His virtuous spirit that puts everyone else to shame… he is exactly my ideal!

戦う時の鬼のような戦いぶり、誰よりも強いその精神……！まさにオレの理想そのものだよ！

Uh-huh…

お、おう……。

Okay! I know what I’m aiming for. I can make the hell out of this mask!

よし、イメージがわいてきた......!これで作れる！

And that was all it took…?

……それでいいんだぁ……。

He always flies off the rails when talking about Tamonten, doesn’t he…

相変わらず、多聞天のこととなると、人が変わるね……。

I can’t believe his ideal isn’t me, but whatever, at least he’s pumped to get the mask made!

オレじゃないのは納得がいかないが、鬼面は完成できそうだな！

Yeah. Now we finally have a shot at completing the oni chasing ritual.

ああ。これでやっと、鬼追いの儀式ができるようになるぜ。