仮面の裏へ - (Kamen no Ura e - To The Hidden Side of The Mask)

Gate

As Seiji warned, he woke up early.

Chie woke up to him getting ready and considered falling back asleep until she realized that meant she'd have to go find him and possibly run into dozens of his family members alone while doing so.

The two of them got breakfast, then headed outside to join other oni in lining the path to the gate.

Some lay fresh gravel, while most drove thin posts with lanterns at the edges of the path.

Chie and Seiji helped place lanterns, Chie getting increasingly curious as they went further down the path.

Eventually, Chie was able to spot it.

A torii made with unfinished wood, criss-crossed with rope covered in talismans. "Is it sealed?"

Seiji nodded. "It's a major gate, so all sorts of stuff could come through without proper measures."

"Then...where do the yokai you fight come from?"

"Other gates." Seiji shrugged. "Most major ones are sealed, but lesser yokai can slip through just about anywhere."

Chie wrung her hands. "So...that other oni..."

Seiji continued placing lanterns. "We just have to hope he was really, really old."

Chie nodded and returned to work as well.

Once the lanterns were all placed, someone called Seiji over. "Guess it's time to practice the precession..." He grimaced. "Think you'll be okay by yourself for a bit?"

Chie laughed. "Of course I'll be fine." She shrugged. "I'll see if I can find Yuki."

Seiji joined the others, and Chie was going to leave as well when she saw them begin to rehearse.

It resembled a traditional Bon Odori, but they all held lanterns as they danced.

Chie also couldn't help but notice Seiji standing in the back, and while the others all chatted and joked between runs, Seiji was silent.

Seki then ran up from the other side of the path and joined the practice, pulling Seiji from his silence.

Chie frowned.

"Oh, Chie!"

Chie was surprised and confused when the voice came from ground-level until she spotted a red cat by her feet. "Murmur! I haven't seen you since we got here!"

Murmur sat down, tail twitching, and gave her a smug look. "Well, that's because unlike you, I've been working hard."

With the swish of its forked tail, dozens of white orbs appeared, circling Murmur. "Twenty-six lost souls. All caught by yours truly!"

Chie gaped. "So...those are actually..."

Murmur cocked his head. "Do humans not celebrate Obon?"

"Well – we do, I just... didn't think that..." She looked up at the lanterns that lined the house. "Do...these lanterns actually attract lost spirits?"

"Why else would you put them up?" When Chie didn't provide a satisfactory answer, Murmur stood. "Well, I'm gonna go give these to Seiji so he can take them to the other side. See you later!"

Chie waved, watching the cat bound over to his owner.

When the parade started, Chie didn't actually manage to find Yuki, so she stood quietly near the back of a group of oni.