It was Ekishin who yelled. He took a defensive stance, and grab the sword at his waist. Rokuta hurriedly stopped him.
“Stop it! Everything is fine.”

“But, Taiho, that’s...”
“It is definitely a youma. However this one is tame, and follows what Kouya tells it.”
“How can that be?”
“Mysterious, isn’t it? It is shocking, but it is true.”

Rokuta said, and Ekishin eased his defensive stance without totally letting his alerts down. However, he kept his hand on the handle of the sword. That is unmistakably a Tenken, a type of youma. Ekishin was told that youjyuu (mystical beast) can be tamed, but definitely not for youma.

“Everything is all right. See, there are people around.”
Rokuta said with a smile, and Ekishin took a look. There were several people at the youma’s side. Earlier, the youma caught his complete attention, and he didn’t notice the people around.

“Oh... Okay.”
Ekishin finally let go of the handle. Rokuta smiled, and turned to look at Kouya’s face.

“The big one, he doesn’t change a bit!”
“Yeah,” Kouya nodded, and walked up to the youma.
“--See, it is Rokuta. Do you remember him?”

He said, and turned his glance to the people standing beside the youma.
“--You find it?”

Yes, the people replied as they lowered their head, so they must be Rokuta’s servants. It is nothing suspicious for an official, Rokuta thought to himself as he looked at the people. One man in the middle held a small baby in his arms. Rokuta saw him give the baby to Kouya, and dropped his jaw.

“I can’t believe it! --Is that your child, Kouya?"

Kouya smiled as he held the baby. The baby was sound asleep.
“No, you are mistaken. I find it, so as to meet you.”

Smiling gently, Rokuta held the baby out to the youma. The youma opened its beak, complete with sharp teeth inside. Before the dumbfounded Rokuta could make a cry, Kouya put the baby right inside the beak of the youma.

“--Kouya!”

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