#but yashiki is cool

[callias-w]

Old man yaoi

[self-indulgentmanic]

Hey chat did I cook?

[pacing-er]

I can't believe Mashita's canon reaction to Fan Service Yashiki was "You'd look better if you smiled more 😏" He calls Yashiki creepy all the time but he's making advances like a creepy male coworker XD

[devil-tarts]

death mark 2 is good because i got to hear two grown ass men make meowing noises

[spirithunter-deathmark]

No Mashita I don't think that's it....

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

I'm not going, but...well...today...that was really cool. You, I mean.

[australet789]

i finished watching Death Mark 2

I have to agree with the majority that the writing seems... flat. Specially Yashiki's intelligence. I have always ALWAYS hated when someone makes an already inteligent character, dumb, just so the antagonists/others look smarter. Like, that's a horrible thing to do, it shows how much you dont have the skills to progress a story.

There are ways to demostrate a character is undergoing a "negative" character development, such as trauma, that 100% Yashiki has. Like, show him being more paranoid about Mary, that the reason he trusted Michiho and Doryou it's because they seemed human and he wanted to believe in humanity, so the fact that they ended up being not only a ghost but a DOLL, impacted him better (or worse in this case), so he continues his obsession with the spirits and Mary.

Heck, even you could have improved the fanservice they do sexualizing the female characters by making Yashiki hallucinate they are dolls! The potential is there, but they went the easy route with the "teacher/student" age gap thingy when there's already a ship with an age gap (Yashiki/Mashita) that people wanted to see better!

Hence why i didnt like the two girls. I honestly HATED they were revived. It didnt feel like a reward for the hero doing a good job. It felt like bullshit.

Out of the new characters i felt like Konoe and Abe were the most interesting. Sakamoto tried to be a more serious Hiroo but failed since the latter went through development already, so it felt like a waste.

I did feel bad for the spirits, which i think it's the goal. I didnt like the CGs (please, hire the previous artist or at least dont put googly eyes on everything), but their stories were sadder. But again, the point of Death Mark is exactly that: save the humans AND the spirits to get to the afterlife. Not to revive them. The point is to feel the spirits pain because you couldnt save them in life, but at least give the the peace they deserve while focusing on the living.

Not everything is complains though. I loved seeing the previous cast. They were the shining stars in the whole story, with better development. Even baby Hazuki having a little charming DLC was sweet to see. And The Departed was cool as a ghost and concept.

Anyway i hope Death Mark 3 gives up more of Mashita and Yashiki and the final mixure with the NG cast.

(Also Maruhashi, my beloved, you wont ever be missed o7)

[yendeena]

Yashiki & Mashita (Spirit Hunter: Death Mark) Zine

Hello cool people.

I've never modded for a zine before but I want to try hosting a digital-only one. I'm thinking of making one focusing on the relationship between Yashiki and Mashita from Spirit Hunter Death Mark! Please keep an eye out for it!!!

[ghoooooooooooooooost]

my review of death mark 2 after playing it again in english this time: kinda weird that michiho never says anything n that the last fight is just an hour long sex scene between yashiki, mashita n daimon huh. pretty solid horror game tho 👍

(real thoughts under readmore; spoilers mentioned)

jokes aside i still stand by calling the game 'the roughest' bc it really is imo

i've seen a few ppl go to bat for the plot but me n a lot of my friends agree that it just wasn't as strong. everything abt michiho n hime's writing + the writing surrounding them in general pissed me tf off which didn't help. teacher-student situations are back but unlike in the first game, it's students aggressively pursuing teachers... uncomfortable! the scissors chapter did handle it a bit better than i expected (esp since the teacher turned her down) so i did get emotional at the end of it but circling back to michiho's behavior after that is so UUUUUUUGH. n the writers never let yashiki firmly tell them to stop it sucks so much. don't get me started abt the fanservice cgs i'll blow everything up. why'd they make it woooorse

the girls should've just been silly rude teenagers. i don't think they should've been the departed at all *points at my au*

however! the writing for returning characters is super good. they're what makes the game worth it in all honesty, it's so nice to see all these comrades yashiki made in the first game trying to help n protect him. plus the fun stuff where they're cutting each other's hair n front of a ghost n meowing at rocks n shit. it kinda makes me wish death mark 2 was just.... death mark..... the sequel.... as in a direct continuation of dm1's plot w mary?

art wise i like the ghosts but they're not as unnerving as the prev games. also yashiki doesn't look as old n tired booo - he's beautiful to me either way but still

i notice some people have a hard time figuring out if they're doing the right thing or not n it makes them frustrated. the fact that there's so many unavoidable casualties this time definitely adds to that

side note: it's cool that the first thing you see when you start a new game is a flash of the bad end cg. scary

final verdict: personally i think it's mid. this will not stop me from drawing a bunch of fanart where i completely make things up xoxo

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 10 - Onmyoji

With their resolve renewed, Kisara and Satoru returned for the last time to the Masquerade love hotel, waiting for an irritating long amount of time for the tardy Yashiki to arrive. Mashita was more than angry with his partner being so late - How dare he? Why would he be late, when the situation is so dire, and they had to act with haste to save not only Banshee and Hiro, but everyone else involved - Themselves included.

"You're late. What the hell took you so long?" Mashita snapped at the man whose approaching steps were approaching idly. "You know damn well time is of the essence right now." Yashiki cringed a little, feeling the full brunt of the detective's anger. "Daimon's prepared for the worst, too. He's made arrangements to transfer them." 

Kazuo remained mostly silent, his head hung in realisation. He knew their condition was bad, but since he hasn't physically been there to witness their savage outbursts and feral behaviour, he must not have truly understood how important it was to act as soon as possible. Time truly was of the essence. 

Seeing how worked up her boyfriend was, Kisara placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly, driving him backwards to take a little break and cool off while she explains the rest of the situation to their partner. "We ran into Shou while on our hospital visit." she began, speaking in a solemn voice. Apparently, the son of the Taira leader is acquainted with Shou and his gang, so they hang around the Hotel area rather often. No wonder the whole situation is a bit of a hot topic for them. That is exactly why, seeing people going in and out of the Hotel, plus the ghost rumours, made him quickly realise it was them going through with an investigation. 

Nagashima contacted the blasted fortune teller, who told him everything about the case. Neither of them wanted children to get involved with more death-threatening matters, so of course, they told him to stay out of it - Kisara did all the talking, of course, since Mashita would only provoke the boy into coming to help. However, she is still afraid he might still go out of his way to help, as hhis manly way of returning the favour after being saved from the Death Mark. Chivalrous indeed, but not now.

As if on cue, a lovely young lady approaches them, with the prettiest, most serene smile possible. Watanabe Moe was there to report on the rumours. "I heard something amazing from someone who was there at the time!" she chirped, very proud of herself and her hard work. "She was one of the high school girls who was up to no good during that time."

"That must mean one of the girls who wrote in those nasty notebooks, saying they were afraid Sayako would rat them out to the school principal, right?" Kisara attention was entirely piqued.

"Yes, exactly! Her name is Akiko. The editorial department helped me track her down." Moe smiled proudly, speaking of the girl who studied at the nearby highschool and chose this rather illicit yet well-paid part time job. "Let me show you what Akiko said about her classmate, Sayako." Moe pulled a voice recorder from her bag and hit the play button, and the girl spoke as follows...

Yeah, a friend introduced me to a part time job. It was whimsical... Ah, I mean, I just did it on a whim. We're supposed to meet at the hotel, Masquerade, and there's a system there where someone introduces us to customers. You get a lot of money from it, so everyone was dying to get hired. But one day there was... An incident of sorts. Someone at school found out about the job. Some goody two-shoes class rep, Sayako, said she was gonna tell her teacher, Nakamura.

Everyone freaked and apologised to her, saying they'd stop. She wouldn't listen. If our parents found out, it'd be the worst thing ever! We begged, but she didn't budge. In the end, she left class saying she was going to go to the police with Nakamura. We were totally freaked out, so I went to the Hotel that night - I mean, at that point, there was no harm in going, you know? Ha ha.  But then... She was there. 

Sayako was standing in front of Masquerade in the drizzling rain, in a red raincoat...

She said she was going to the police, so who knows why she was at the hotel, but it made us all jumpy and on edge every day after that. Except... Nothing ever happened. Soon after that, Masquerade shut down. I guess they uncovered something.

"Yes, just as I suspected..." Kisara hummed softly. "What about Sayako?"

"I don't know exactly, but apparently she stopped coming to school. According to Akiko, she just suddenly stopped showing up."

"That testimony sounds far too perfect. Who uses a raincoat anyway? Most people just use an umbrella nowadays." Mashita snorted, rolling his eyes. "She must have dramatised it a little."

"Maybe the raincoat was a signal for the person she was supposed to meet there." Yashiki concluded.

"... Professor Nakamura, maybe?" the red haired lady's eyes widened with dread. "If that's true, then... What if Nakamura is directly involved with Sayako's death? We've seen the kind of torture devices around that place - What if some kind of accident happened, which led to the ruination of the Love Hotel?" they remained quiet for a while.

"If that's all you have to tell us, hurry up and go home." Satoru urged the young journalist as soon as he saw the fear in his girlfriend's eyes. That's no place for any girl to step in, let alone one as innocent and naive as her.

"Um... So I really can't come with you? I worked really hard..." she tried her luck again.

"Please, don't push the subject, Moe. The last thing I want is for you to get involved in this... Depravity." Kisara explained in a motherly voice. "Not only the ghost is exceptionally violent, but... The whole place is just... Filth." Moe simply sighed, giving up. "I don't want you to be the third victim."

"Oh... Okay, I understand." her smile returned immediately. "But you better tell me all about it later, okay? Oh, and, be careful!" she expressed her worries, before disappearing through the streets. With not another word uttered, the trio stepped inside the cursed hotel. "It is not right for the dead to meddle in the life of the living." Mashita grumbled to himself, his grip on Kisara's tightening a little. 

Much to their incredible trepidation, the whole lobby was unlike the previous evenings - This time, it was fully covered in those forsaken spider webs. "Bring it. Time to make our appointment with our lady friend." Mashita mused dryly. 

Just then, the creaking groaning of the elevator moving echoed loudly, as it came back to the lobby level... Which means, there was someone already there, and judging from the noise, they must have went up to either the 4th or 5th level. Hopefully... It wasn't Shou, or any of their friends.

Beginning with their investigation on the 4th floor, they first looked at the familiar painting of a masked feminine figure - This time it was a young girl, running down a trail. 

Next, they entered the room on the left, with the familiar Venetian masks. Searching the nightstand, they found another of those guestbooks, but the entries... Were entirely different from the previous ones. They covered a number of horrifying topics such as devil worship and different kinds of torture. It was impossible to tell which were reality, and which were delusions... If any at all. Every word was surging with a twisted, single-minded appetite for destruction. 

"Haha, that's quite the hobby." Mashita smirks with disgust. "The handwriting differs by page. This was written by several guests." he pointed out.

"That means... The higher the level, the more depraved the practice?" Kisara gulped, remembering the pain she suffered the previous evening.

"They're like moths drawn to a flame. You wouldn't even know to look at them." Satoru answered, seeing the apprehension on Yashiki's face. He believed too much on the good nature of people, and was often left disappointed. "Hate to say it, but the kids working that part time job were probably part of it, too."

"But wouldn't Akiko speak with more dread about it, then? She sounded too light-hearted to have been subjected to the torture described in this guestbook." Kisara made a note about it.

"Safety, a good pay and complete confidentiality guaranteed." Mashita patted her head, seeing the disbelief on her face. "Just because you wouldn't subject yourself to masochism and other weird stuff for money, doesn't mean poor or curious innocent girls like her wouldn't." he could see the way her face grimaced with more unease. "After all, the one who sold his soul was probably most nervous about all this mess." he huffed sarcastically. "Still... These people have quite the imagination." 

He continued to idly leaf through the pages, only to stop at a certain phrase that said - "Jorogumo's Punishment".

"That's a Spider Yokai that can shapeshift into a beautiful woman. All Jorogumo are women, and they can only reproduce with human men. In fact, the spiders from yesterday... They were Joro spiders." Kisara explained. "But... The punishment... Could it be what we experienced in the elevator? Or what happened to Banshee?"

"Nope." Mashita clicked his tongue. "You might not be ready for it, but let me tell you what's written here." Kisara shuddered, not ready for what was to come.

Jorogumo's Punishment is a recreation of a certain urban legend. > You capture the largest spider you can find - A wild one would be best. > Sharpen the sacrifice's senses with drugs > Use a mouth speculum to keep their mouth open > Throw the spider in their mouth If they manage to swallow it, they're innocent. If they don't, or the spider escapes, they're guilty. It's a witch trial meant to judge truth from lie. ... If I get a sacrifice that needs punishing, I'd like to try it out immediately.

"Hey, calm down. Take a deep breath." Kisara didn't even realise how much she was freaking out, until her boyfriend placed his hands on both her shoulders and captured her attention. 

"... Sayako... Must have been subjected to this..." she gulped, petrified by only imagining such a situation, and trembling softly.

"We... We should get going already. We're wasting time." Yashiki shook his head quickly, trying to get rid of the mental image, and quickly checked the bathroom, only to return empty handed.

In spite of their fright, they went on to examine the room on the right also, only to find some blood in the bath water, and a cylindrical object in the sink drain, but they had no way to fish it out momentarily, so they decided to go up to the 5th floor where they were met with more spiderwebs, a switch, and the last picture of a masked woman, holding hands with a child.

Much to their surprise, the door to room 502 was locked, to the only place to go on this floor was the room on the right, 501, which was completely pitch black. Yashiki shone the light inside, and as soon as he did, both him and Kisara yelped in shock at the sight of the webbed out corpse chained on the wall by the wrists and ankles.

"A body finally turned up. Let's check it out." Mashita squeezed her hand twice to gain her attention. This was the peak of the investigation so far.

In the corner of the room there was a decorative coffin leaning upside down on the cold and humid brick wall, and sure enough, the only useful thing they found inside, amongst the useless junk, was a book - A Yokai Encyclopedia - And they found out the Jorogumo initially killed by drowning people, and it targets woodcutters and hunters who are always saved at the last minute by using a tree stump which the spider takes instead, and the protagonist escapes. Weird, but there's no point in nitpicking folklore.

Mashita put on the rubber gloves and dared to touch the mummified body; Traces of dried skin fell of on impact - The body was mostly a skeleton otherwise. A long time passed since it's been to this place - At least a year no doubt. "Small stature, but based on the thickness of the bones, it's likely an adult male." Satoru affirmed, but neither he, nor Kisara can tell the cause of death. "He must have been in pain when he died. His face is all twisted."

"Probably a guest. Freak." Kisara scrunched her nose in disgust, watching as the detective threw a cheap lighter from its belongings to his partner.

Inside the bathroom, however, they only found clumps of hair, paper waste and a bent hanger which they can use to fish out the cylindrical object from the sink. Weirdly enough, there was no mirror on the wall in this place.

Returning to the sink on the 4th floor, they found out the mysterious object was the key to Room 502, the Deluxe Suite. What a discovery - Kisara was curious how that would be different from the other rooms.  Yet another torture chamber - Similarly to the others, it contained a broken wooden horse and a crucifying X on the wall where the sacrifice would be punished.

Yashiki lifted up the wooden torture device, only for Mashita to flash his light on a metal took. "What's that?" Kisara crouched down to pick the metal thing... A mouth speculum. "Maniacs..." Satoru spat, seeing his girlfriend fall down on her knees, the depraved metal thing echoing loudly with a few clinks at it returned to the ground. "Damn it, not again." he immediately panicked, throwing himself down and gathering the poor girl in his arms. "Snap out of it! Kisara, snap out of it! Damn it - Damn it!"

A white light flashed before Kisara's green eyes, blacking out... And though her consciousness returned, albeit hazy, her vision didn't. She began whimpering, breathing ragged and weeping violently in his arms, her body stiff like she was deep in rigor mortis. She knew what it was, and she wanted to be struck down by lightning instead - To drop dead already, before anything could happen. With her mouth forced open like that, her tongue forced out and drooling, the leather blindfold over her eyes; Her cold, naked body forced to kneel on the hard ground, the multiple pairs of arms holding her in place...

She was experiencing the horrors of Sayako during her Punishment. "Let us commence the judgement!" a man spoke theatrically behind her. "The court has decided to give the accused a fair trial and will judge her crimes. The trial will now begin." it didn't matter how hard she was crying, or how she pleaded and begged for mercy in her mind. "I shall put his spider in the accused's month, and if it crawls out, she is guilty. If she can swallow it, she is innocent." 

Mashita feels her body jerking around frantically, her moves haphazard. He had no clue that him restraining her movements was similar to what she was experiencing in her vision. "He-... Lp.... Me...! Plea... Se... He... Lp...! Sa... Sa..." his eyes widened with infinite shock - It was the first time she was trying to directly call out to him, and wasn't speaking as the victim. She must be terrified out of her wits, and she calls out to him, her words gargled and garbled, out of sheer fear... Or drugs too. 

The men jeered as the one released a giant spider inside her mouth... And crawled right down her throat...

For a few seconds, Satoru had to take his arms away from her to cover his ears, as she shrieked in such a high pitch, and trashed around so violently, that not even his strength could hold her down. "KISARA, IT'S ME - KISARA! LOOK AT ME - KISARA!" it took both men to jump on her and drag her away from the door, as she tried to spring away. 

"DON'T TOUCH ME! SPIDER - GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!" she sobbed and screamed and whined, jerking around so violently that she risked dislocating her joints and damaging her body more than it already is.

"Forgive me." gritting his teeth, he raised his hand to the woman he loves so much once again, and struck her face down hard enough for her to remain immobile; Her knees weakened and she fell lax in their grasp. "Please don't make me do this ever again. It hurts me more than it hurts you.

"Satoru..." Yashiki slowly let the woman go, and stepped away to investigate the decorative coffin, letting the detective pacify her. "Satoru... Satoru..." once again, she whined and mewled in his arms as he cradled her tightly to his chest. "No more... No more, I don't wanna..." she sniffled and sobbed so hard, his heart broke. "They did it... Sayako... The Punishment... They broke her... They tortured her..." she hiccupped again and again, her voice barely decipherable. "Their hands... They held her down, and... And... Urgh... Those furry legs... Going down my throat... And... And..." she suddenly pushed him away, vomiting her guts out painfully. "I'm gonna die... I'm gonna die..." 

"There now, pretty girl, you're all gross." Mashita took out a handkerchief and wiped away the barf from her lips, and all her snot and tears.

"B-Better...?" she whimpered tearfully. She looked so pitiful, poor darling.

"Much better." he kissed her forehead before helping her stand up. Although she was shaking still, she was at least conscious, alert and somewhat focused. It was good enough for the moment.

"Are you okay?" Kazuo muttered, his head hung as if he felt guilty for her experiencing that vision. With a weak smile, the girl nodded, which prompted him to show the book he was holding. "It seems to be a Demon Encyclopedia. It looks similar to the Yokai one." it had pictures of demons and crests, with their characteristics written next to them. It only reinforced the idea of demon worshipping and cults. "I also found some bath salts and insect-repelling cream in the bathroom."

"How... Exactly will that help us?" Mashita cocked an eyebrow, looking weirdly at the man, who simply shrugged

With their investigation finished in the 5th floor deluxe suite room, they exited into the corridor... Only to meet... Shou? Just as expected, however... He looked... Angry? Tormented? No matter how Masamune tried talking to him, it was fruitless - The young man remained unresponsive. When he tried to approach him, he was held back by the detective, who pointed out the oddity in the otherwise volcanic behaviour. His face was stiff into a grimace. 

"I-I was looking for you... This whole time..." he spoke with such difficulty. "I-I-I'm going to... K-Kill you...!" he rose the metal bat he was hiding, getting in a stance and moved in to attack. 

"Get back!" Mashita dragged back his flabbergast partner by his coat, only to notice his girlfriend crouching a little, getting in a grappling stance of her own. "Idiot - What the hell are you doing?!"

"Have you forgotten who I am?" she scoffed to her boyfriend, as he watched with wide eyes as she easily evaded the bat to the side, wrestled the bat from his grasp, and hit him over the head with the butt of it, making him fall to the ground. "Kisara Shogun." with a smirk, she winked playfully at him.

"Kisara Dumbass." he shook his head in disbelief. "Yashiki, help me drag him out. We need to get our third victim to the hospital."

With some difficulty, they were able to get the young man outside of the hotel. Kisara whistled, and at once, a few Yakuza gathered and bowed to her. Giving her clear instructions, the men placed him in the car. "Yashiki, go with them." both men looked weirdly at her. "Sayako asked us why we were at the hotel - And Satoru answered, implicating me being his wife. At this point, you are not seen as her 'Sir' anymore, but he is. Sayako wants to see her respected Nakamura, who got her into this mess to begin with. She must have forgotten that detail." she scoffed. "You've been in all investigation, and she's attacked us all - Because everyone other than 'Sir', is an extra. Only the two of us can go."

"How reassuring." Mashita spat, annoyed at the situation.

"... I feel odd leaving you right at the end." Yashiki frowned, skeptical at the outcome.

"Then go to the hospital with Shou, get Daimon to check your headache, and return. Maybe that will give us enough time to reach Sayako out and get to the last phase of the exorcism." the young woman debated, and with nothing left to refute, Yashiki hopped in the luxurious black Subaru.

"... Was your car a Yakuza gift?" Kisara's smile only widened at her boyfriend, but said nothing.

With some reticence a mustering courage, the couple entered the Masquerade Love Hotel for the last time, and were greeted by the distant silhouette of their ghostie, giggling hollow through the lobby. She told them she will be waiting on the top floor, in the room of masks, before disappearing into the elevator. The combination... "The paintings!" the two looked at each other in realisation.

1st floor was the Masked Bride 2nd floor was the Masked Girlfriend 3rd floor was the Elderly Masked Woman 4th floor was the Masked Young Girl 5th floor was the Masked Mother So the combination was... 42153... ?

True enough, the elevator took them to the 6th floor; As soon as the doors opened, they were met with the musty stench of yet another torture chamber. It smelled of strong iron and blood.

"S... I... R..." Sayako's voice drifts on the wind, along with her giggles. "I've been waiting for you..." "Listen, kid, I know you want to meet the man you respect, but I am not that person." Mashita spoke with unexpected calm.

"Liar... You always... Lie..." her voice became more spiteful.

"I'm not lying." Satoru refuted immediately, which earned a desperate scream splitting the night. It was the same shriek that Kisara made when she was being tortured.

"Stop your temper tantrum. You know this won't accomplish anything." Satoru's voice became more authoritarian. "You're dead, and Nakamura won't come see you."

"This time... This time...." the ghost sneered. "I'm... I'm going to test... You...!" with an echoing wail, the corporeal image of a grey spider bride hung upside down from a bunch of webs, right in front of them.

"I've done my part - What now, Kisara Guuji?" Satoru grabbed her backwards, putting a safe distance between them and the ghost.

Countless Joro spiders fly out of the darkness and start crawling all over their body, and the swarm keeps coming in an endless flow. Kisara's screech had enough vibration to keep them off of her, but Satoru was forced to place the gross mini-massager on his leg and watch as the pests began to get confused and get off. Thank goodness.

Red Riding Hood lets out a gusty sigh as glittering white threads fly through the air from her mouth, trying to use her spider silk. "Quick, the wooden thingy-" Kisara helped her boyfriend place the Spanish Donkey head over them as a protective shield. Strangely enough, the threads seemed drawn to it and only wrap around the wood.

"Sir..." the ghost got dangerously close. "Who's... In the wrong...?" she asked eerily. "I only did... What was right..."

"What's right is for the law to decide, not for us." Mashita would know all about wrong-doings, but the spider lady stared deeply at him, giggling lightly.

"Sir... Come with me... The only thing that matters... Is your life." the Jorogumo extended her arms towards the man.

"You have no right to touch or lust over my husband." Kisara slapped away her hands, getting protectively in front of him.

"Who are you to determine a person's worth anyway?" Satoru chimed in also, countering the self-righteous girl.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" she shrieked desperately, so loud that they see white - Then her maddening eyes glare down at them menacingly as she dangles even closer to them. "How do I look... To you...?!" was she actually trying to seduce him?

"I have a wife, Sayako. No woman, including you, exists in my eyes." though Kisara's heart swole with glee and love, the spider spirit giggled erratically.

"What do you like... About me...?" her interrogation was far too long for their liking.

"Your Honesty." Satoru guessed wildly, and her giggle must mean success.

The ghost of Sayako calmed down, and she smiled serenely. "Thank you, Sir... Let's..." her figure wavers, and then... She smashes through the window and off, into the night.

"Did she just... Jump? Just like that...?" Kisara blinked, staring weirdly at the broken glass; The bustling city could be heard out the window.

"Guess so." Satoru muttered, wiping his sweaty brow with his sleeve. "Hey, what is this...?" the red haired lady turned to see what he was looking at - A dangling red thread... Wrapped around his wrist. "What the hell...?!" 

"SATORU!" Kisara yells her lover's name as he is yanked towards the window. She latched onto him with all her strength as he tried to brace his legs in an attempt of resistance, but it was all in vain, and he was thrown out into the night sky.

---

He should be plummeting to the ground - Yet something's holding him up to awkwardly dangle in the air. He thought his jacket got lucky stuck in a glass shard or a loose nail, or whatever cartoonish thing that saved his fate - Instead, looking up, he saw both Kisara and Yashiki using all their strength to hold onto him and drag him up. His partner was gritting his teeth in effort, holding onto his arm, while Kisara's both hands were gripping painfully into his coat and flesh, her nails scratching deeply into him, as she was bent halfway off the window herself.

"You got fat, Satoru!" she screamed at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Masamune grumbled, exerting too much strength into dragging him to safety. "Give me your other arm, my grip is slipping --"

"HURRY UP!" the girl also yelled in frustration. "Grab onto us already!"

"Lucky me." he scoffed, grabbing the two and getting pulled back in the torture chamber of the top floor. After a lot of effort, the three stumble back onto the dusty floor, back to safety. The only sound heard was their echoing hard gasps for breath as they sat there in darkness.

"What the hell happened while I was gone? Is she... Gone?" Yashiki asked, curious and bewildered.

"Yeah, she's gone - Out the window, alright - And she thought it a cheeky little thing to drag me out with her." Mashita spat in disgust and anger. "Stupid spider girl."

"I'm glad you got here when you did. I don't think I could have done anything to save him." Kisara muttered breathlessly.

"Yeah. Your dumb ass would have toppled over with me like some kind of weird double suicide." he chuckled weakly, getting back on his feet and dragging the other two up. "Enough self-pity. We're done here. Let's get out of here before we become asthmatic."

The rain had already stopped, and the cool wind on their cheeks hinted of autumn. "Let's drop by and see Daimon." the brunet affirmed off-handedly. "Give me your keys."

"I can drive." Kisara blinked, confused at her boyfriend's sudden wish to drive.

"Have you gone mad or what? You're shaking like jelly. Don't even bother arguing." she looked down at her hands and hummed, realising her was right. Then, she looked at Yashiki and himself - They, also, were trembling.

"You two are the same. Let me handle this." just the same, she whistled for her Yakuza friends to drive them to the hospital, and then back home.

Before he got in the car driven by the leader himself, Yashiki took out a handkerchief and wrapped the spider laying in a small puddle nearby, and put it in his pocket. "I take it the spirit was purified?" the old man asked.

"Yes... With much effort and almost dying." Kisara muttered bitterly.

"Could you tell me what exactly happened?" Mr. Kazuya asked.

"The high-school girl said she was going to the police to bust her highschool colleagues for prostituting themselves at the Hotel. However... She didn't go straight to the police. She went to the Hotel... And there... She got, beaten, drugged, tortured. Jorogumo's Punishment, if you've heard of it, and much more. And... I think she went crazy or something. Threw herself off the window, maybe. Suicide...? The full story is a little hazy for me." Kisara told the story as best as she could.

"The teacher she respected, Nakamura - He manipulated her. Instead of going to the police, he convinced her to go to the hotel and show him proof." Mashita chimed in. 

"Really? I suspected that, but do you have proof?" the girl's sight snapped at him immediately.

"Yes. A teacher from a school near the hotel was arrested for breaking the law." he explained. "Akiko's testimony piqued my interest. She said they were scared they'd be reported, but nothing happened. Just like you suspect, it means Sayako never got to the police after she tattled to the teacher." he smiled emptily. "She sought salvation from a criminal. How ironic."

"Nakamura... So this is why he was truly incriminated." the Taira leader gruffed. "He was my son's teacher also. Everyone knew about the business of Masquerade. My son spread the rumours to his willing classmates. That Nakamura was one of our top clients - One of the depraved ones also. I didn't think he'd dare do a mistake, considering he had my son's eyes on him constantly."

"But... From out ghost encounter, it seemed to me that Sayako... Had a crush on Nakamura. Stemmed out of respect or something. And the red thread of fate... That's a soulmate metaphor." Kisara pipped in also.

"I saw a photo of him. Thin, tall, handsome, sharp - The type popular with the students." Mashita huffed back.

"So much like you, huh?" she smirked at her boyfriend. 

"Is that why you fell for me? 'Cause I'm dashingly handsome?" he shot right back, only to see a shameless grin along with a nod of her head. "Unbelievable." 

"Jokes aside - Did she kill herself? Or what happened to her?" the girl asked again.

"People found her wandering the streets idly, before she was admitted to a facility. Her mental state was broken beyond repair, and she threw herself off the 6th floor window of the hospital. The night of her death was cold and rainy like all these evenings we went to the Hotel." he continued the summary of his personal investigation.

"I understand." the girl sigh. "That kind of torture... It's impossible to get over. It was terrifying, degrading, humiliating, agonising." she shuddered again.

"What about Nakamura?" Yashiki asked, curiosity taking over him.

"He was arrested for drug and weapon dealing, and ended up telling about high school girls being involved in Masquerade." Mr. Kazuya confirmed Satoru's clues.

"And Sayako wore a red raincoat because having your partner wearing all red was a code that you were planning to use the VIP suite on the top floor - No doubt, she had no clue about that." the man continued. "Nakamura hanged himself in jail."

"To put it lightly." the Taira leader chuckled enigmatically. "Thank you for uncovering the truth of why our business failed. Making deals with weak men is in your detriment more than theirs, unfortunately."

Soon enough, they reached the hospital. Daimon mentioned that miraculously, all three victims calmed down at the same time, and regained consciousness, with no lasting symptoms. They were going to be fine very quickly, and out of there, able to go back to their daily life. 

With all that out of the way, the trio returned to their lives also - Yashiki kept looking around for clues on Mary, while Satoru continued his detective work and Kisara went back to her medical practice.

That is... When her much beloved boyfriend called her over in his study, to take a look at the investigating work he was doing - Tens and thousands of papers and writings scattered all around the desk, carpet and trash, some plain, others crumpled up, yet all of them had the same center piece.

Hyakki Yagyo, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

"So... Are we back in business... Onmyoji Kisara?"

< Previous Chapter

[apurikottotii]

feburary song recs!

this month was also CRAZY. first few days of the month were incredibly sinusoidal. i got really close with some friends, because some friends were being incredibly distant. almost threw up from disgust/stress at one point lol. but it worked out fine and the middle of the month was really fun. it reassured me that things were going to be okay. unfortunately things aren't always perfect so that doubt and mistrust keeps creeping up on me, but to be honest i don't really care much anymore. is it alright to let some things fade away?

--- newton dance - nayutalien x chinozo

okay so i heard this ruinene cover- from project sekai: a new voice, i think- on youtube and it's so cool. the voices fit so well (BOTH OF THEM) and the song is perfect for them and so cute. i love the theme of sciencey space love songs nayutalien does. it's SO CUTE. "can't fight your pull of gravity!" is so sweet. the tuning style makes it even more cuter. dfnisdfjnasdjfnadk. and nayutalien has a way of writing songs that scratch that itch in my brain- maybe it's the harmonic minor lol.

--- speak now - taylor swift

listen. i don't listen to pop. i don't like pop. i hate taylor swift. however. however. i love the story this songs tells. it's such a stereotypical straight story, I KNOW. but who doesn't love a stereotypical sort of sweet love story once in a while. the instrumentation is simple yet unique (for pop lol). the way she structures the chorus is different from other songs i've seen.

--- kosho yashiki satsujin jiken - teniwoha

otherwise known as "murder case at the mansion of antiquarian books". I LOVE SONGS THAT TELL A STORY (can you tell??) ESPECIALLY. MURDER. CASES. THAT. IS. SO COOL. sadly the lyrics are hard to understand but i still love it anyways. i especially love the wonderlands x showtime cover because the "sho" and "lie" parts are emphasized when you have several different voices, in different octaves, with different timbres. I LOVE EMU'S VOICE IN THIS. her cutesy voice is mixed with her lower register and it sounds GREAT. this is one of the (few) songs that work with her very cutesy childish voice. the line distribution makes this song so delicious. and oh my god. EVERY CHORUS. PUSHES. DOWN. A HALF STEP. THAT. IS SO COOL. it keeps dropping when you expect it to end or go higher. SADFNAISDUFNAISUDFIU. teniwoha, thank you.

--- sobakasu - judy and mary

ANOTHER recommendation from a friend. took some time to grow on me. what i find interesting is how the verses and instrumental breaks sound very different (pop vs. rock). my favorite part of this song is how raw and genuine it sounds. it's so catchy i hear myself humming this throughout the day. it's really just a sweet song (about love i think... something like love is like a freckle you can't get rid of ...?). the chorus loops in my mind. the way the singer sings it is so aosdfnasdfnjasdj. makes me smile.

--- new rules - dua lipa

okay i swear i don't like pop. i swear. i just heard it in my dance team's playlist and was like "wow i hate how much they play this song" then proceeded to loop it. i'm NOT going to say it's relatable. i'm not.

--- this is how to be in love with you/umbilical in milgram project

mahiru's cv works so well in this song. and i love the es cv cover too. this song itself is so sweet and makes you feel very warm and fuzzy though it's a little sinister lol. like... this is HOW TO BE IN LOVE WITH YOU?? what an awesome title. i really love the line that goes "if you're kind to me, i'm going to start relying on you, so thanks" or something. it's just such a fun vibe. i love when she sings "o-ver-heat" and "AI NAN DESU YO".

it's getting late so i will just say: yuno is relatable. let's reload the warmth y'all. light the oxygen on fire. or something. "i hope i can be someone you like."

honorary mentions: ke mu san (this meme song SLAPS my #1 listened to lol. the dance is addicting to watch)

[callias-w]

I dont know why I draw Yashiki in such a way he feels so autistic to me. That one drawing walking on his toes?? Self complacent art probably, I love Yashiki so much. He's so weird and cool. He is also always wearing comfy clothes…

[self-indulgentmanic]

so.. Chap 4 of @princess-mach secondhand smoke amiright guys? [iykyk]

If you as a Yashita fan havent read it yet,,, go do it NOW!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/56449396

[pacing-er]

Finally replayed the first Death Mark game and am in the process of playing the second!!! I'm obsessed with it!

The first game was so artistically beautiful and the character writing was sooo endearing 🥰🥰🥰 The monsters and plot were also very unique and engaging. Ofc I'm more inclined to care about characters over plot so I'm gonna gush about my favs: (MAJOR GAME SPOILERS)

The Main Character of the first and second game (with an appearance in the spin-off) is Kasuo Yashiki (alias)/Masamune Kujo. He's definitely my favorite and I think he is very cute and fits my ideal aesthetic perfectly ☺️ Zoom in for a more detailed description but I love how he is a sensitive and introverted person with a shaggy mysterious/slightly scary look. He comes from the Kujo family which has a long history of dealing with supernatural phenomenon and the sole surviving heir of their legacy following his sister's death. He naturally attracts cursed people who he subsequently saves, and they become attached to him and stick around.

One of these formerly cursed people who become attached to him is:

Satoru Mashita! An ex-cop who becomes his (sort of) business partner and is later a private investigator. He is a fan favorite because of his bitchy rude personality and his dynamic with Yashiki is very fun! I think that the wiki sums up his character best:

They become closer and care a lot about each other. They make a very cute ship and there's a good amount of canon cute interactions to fuel my brain rot 🥰🥰🥰 Plus the universe they're in and their respective backgrounds leave a lot of room for angst. Yashiki is an insecure but caring and affectionate person while Mashita is extremely guarded and rude but shows his affection for Yashiki in his own way ☺️ They also save each other a lot throughout the series 💕

If you love supernatural horror and cool edgy art I highly recommend this game! The resources in the first game were very limited but the atmosphere they managed to create regardless is insanely impressive. I don't know as much about the second game yet but they've changed a lot and clearly had a much larger budget XD I'll post an update once I complete it and NG. There are also a LOT of characters besides these two

Fair warning that dark content is covered in these games and there is a lot of Guro/Guro Ecchi content lol

[brainyxbat]

10 Animated Outfits I Love

Decided to contribute. XD Inspired by @thenamelessdoll​!

1. Wasabi’s Main Outfit

2. Wasabi’s Black Outfit

3. Wasabi’s Pineapple Costume

4. Ariel’s Blue Dress

5. Ariel’s Casual Look (Ralph Breaks the Internet)

6. Anna’s Coronation Gown

7. Draculaura’s Main Outfit

8. Daphne Blake’s "Be Cool, Scooby-Doo” Outfit

9. Marge Simpson’s Witch Dress

10. Honey Lemon’s Funeral Dress

[spirithunter-deathmark]

hey hey remember those screenshots from the dlc that was posted by the Famitsu article and one that was posted by Chikami when he was playing the dlc? Here's some rough translation of them!

this one reads," He's the detective's assistant. Hehe, isn't that cool?" (I don't recall Mashita ever agreeing to that Shou lol)

And this one reads, "As a new occult reporter, I won't leave this alone." So based on these to lines of dialogue there's two possible things going on here: we either have Moe setting the dlc premise up before it switches to Yashiki's pov again or we have Moe as our protagonist for the dlc!