Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 87

　In the original "Firefly of the Dark Night (Yamiyo no Hotaru)", which is filled with hidden routes, the protagonist's choice of equipment, skills as so-called "exorcists", and jobs are crucial for reaching different endings.

　In the first scenario, the protagonist starts with a random choice of either swordsmanship, spear techniques, archery, kenjutsu, or staff techniques, but since this is still early in the scenario, it does not make much impact on the ending, although it may affect the status of the protagonist later on.

　The real branching point comes in the second scenario, after the protagonist is adopted by the Onitsuki family, where they choose their equipment and abilities. Even though the equipment and skills themselves can be changed later, the selection not only affects the mentorship with the exorcists but also the events that occur throughout the story.

　For example, selecting archery increases the chances of encountering events with Onitsuki Ayaka, such as her being chest-busted. Choosing kenjutsu leads to interactions with Gorilla-sama and Blue Demon (oni), while choosing Shikigami techniques increases the chance of being drugged slowly by the young-looking old hag and to be corrupted by the Minister of the Left. Finally, choosing the swordmanship is a must if you want to go the Darth Tamaki route, which kills all the characters in the game.

　However, swordsmanship is particularly difficult and risky in this game. After integrating the experiments of many fans, it was found that selecting swordsmanship as the main skill leads to various unreasonable events that have a 40% higher chance of occurrence, and the number of bad endings is the largest in the game.

　So, for that reason alone, the swordsmanship should be avoided as an option. Moreover, this pattern was far more troublesome and ominous compared to the normal route. After all...

　"Ippon!"

　A loud bang filled my ears as Miyamizu Shizu, the judge, pronounced so. A moment later, the wooden sword, torn from its handle, fell to the ground.

　"Oops, I'm sorry. I overdid it because of the sword's sharpness," apologizes the noblewoman with purple-blue hair dressed in a furisode, which is not really suited for rough work, who carries burdock.

　"T-thank you for the match," Hotoya Tamaki, who had just sparred with her, stared dumbfounded at the hilt for a moment, then bowed reverently and admitted defeat. At the same time, the spectators in the dojo murmured in unison.

　It was late November of the 13th year of Emperor Seiri's reign... As winter deepens in northern region, the villages and cities become more isolated due to heavy snowfalls. In the dojo set up in one corner of the Onitsuki family's mansion in the valley, the family members were engage in sparring matches to pass the time.

　During winter, exorcism jobs are scarce, and to maintain their skills and for entertainment, the Onitsuki family holds these sparring matches, which are not uncommon.

　Even so, there are many people interested in the newcomer to the house, the protagonist. And most of them let out a sigh of admiration at the scene of the match.

　(It's not surprising. Even with a handicap, it was still a surprise to see Tamaki take that crazy lady's blow.)