Nazrin
Nazrin's Fantasy Rebirth Story
Naaaaazrin?
???
It's rude to show up on someone's doorstep this late, you know?
Nazrin
But on a night like this, with enemies lurking in every corner, I must say I'm impressed you made it here unscathed.
Nazrin
Hang on a minute, would you? I have to give the little mice their midnight snack.
Nazrin
Under enough stress, animals forget to eat. They lose their sense of self-preservation.
Nazrin
At times like that, they need to be given food, so that they might remember its necessity.
Nazrin
Right now, everyone's afraid... Afraid of the Lost Word Incident.
Nazrin
And just like that, they're all asleep. With a little food in their bellies, they realized how tired they were.
Nazrin
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Nazrin
I've heard what's going on from Hijiri and Shou. They know you as well I do.
Nazrin
And as it happens, I also heard from the owner of Kourindou. If I'm not mistaken, you've come...
Nazrin
For these.
Nazrin
Pretty sure you know this already, but my ability is to find sought-after items.
Nazrin
There's nothing special about these dowsing rods.
...I know.
Nazrin
Me and Shou are disciples of Bishamonten... and Bishamonten is the guardian deity of treasure.
Nazrin
But don't get confused. Treasure doesn't simply refer to things you can sell at a high price.
Nazrin
Treasure has to be rare. Even if something's expensive, if you can buy it at the store, treasure it is not.
Nazrin
We disciples of Bishamonten are experts when it comes to treasured items and how to use them.
Nazrin
When you use a tool, it gets imparted with your magic. The more you use it, the more it becomes an extension of yourself.
Nazrin
Even if item and user are separated, their connection remains. You can get a certain god to teach you more about ownership.
Nazrin
What I'm trying to say, is that there's a part of me in these dowsing rods.
Nazrin
So they can help you find whatever you're looking for, and assist the owner of Kourindou in his plans.
Nazrin
But I need them... so I'm afraid I can't give them away.
Nazrin
Not even to you. I hope you understand...
O-Of course I do! (This isn't good...)
Nazrin
I can give you an old pair, though.
Really?!
Nazrin
Yep, feel free to use them however you like. You're OK with this, right?
I-I sure am! (Phew...)
Nazrin
Hahaha, there's that smile.
Nazrin
Now, where did I put them? Wait here a minute. I'll go take a look.
Nazrin
This brings back a lot of memories...
Nazrin
I wasn't keen on all this at first, but I'd never defy an order from Bishamonten.
Nazrin
I knew how busy he was, but it's not like I had much time to spare, either.
Nazrin
Tell you the truth, I wasn't the least bit interested in watching over some run-down temple in the middle of nowhere.
Nazrin
All I could think about was finding some excuse not to do it.
Nazrin
...Hm. Something doesn't feel right when I try and remember the past.
Nazrin
It's almost like these aren't my memories. And each second, they change ever so slightly...
Nazrin
Actually, let's not worry about that for now.
Nazrin
When I arrived at the temple, I was greeted by a Buddhist priest and magician named Hijiri...
Nazrin
And a beast youkai named Shou, who was frowning right at me.
Nazrin
At first, I thought the priest was the one who wanted to be Bishamonten's envoy.
Nazrin
So I couldn't believe my ears. How could such an immature beast youkai ever hope to act as Bishamonten's avatar?
Nazrin
Youkai are spiritual beings. Getting physically hit isn't a problem for us, so long as our spirit is unharmed.
Nazrin
But the downside is that being spiritually immature is far more serious than it is for humans. It can be deadly.
Nazrin
Bishamonten is both kind and strong. I knew Shou couldn't compare to him... which was perfect!
Nazrin
I couldn't have been happier. It wouldn't be long before Shou screwed up big time. And when she did...
Nazrin
I'd report it and get the temple shut down. Then I'd go back to relaxing until I received my next orders.
Nazrin
But there was something I'd overlooked.
Nazrin
Bishamonten was also known to have a spectacular frown.
Nazrin
So anyway, I started watching over Shou as instructed, but she refused to screw anything up.
Nazrin
Eventually, I got tired of waiting and decided to take matters into my own paws.
Nazrin
...I should mention Bishamonten gave me permission to test Shou's strength, so I wasn't doing anything wrong.
Nazrin
There were still plenty of youkai living near the temple who looked down on all things Buddhist.
Nazrin
I heard Shou wasn't great at hand-to-hand combat, so I got the little mice to hide Shou's spear on the mountain.
Nazrin
Why, you ask? Duh! 'Cause I wanted to see how strong a fighter she was.
Nazrin
Shortly after, she ventured up the mountain weaponless for some midnight training against the youkai there.
Nazrin
I hadn't given her the Jeweled Pagoda yet, and without her spear, I knew the youkai would beat her black and blue.
Nazrin
Which would be the end of the temple. Hijiri would turn back into a human, and Shou would turn back into a regular youkai.
Nazrin
A youkai temple was never going to last, so I figured it'd be better for it to end sooner rather than later.
Nazrin
The little mice took longer than expected on the mountain, so I went to look for them. But when I did...
Nazrin
I found the leader of the non-Buddhist youkai in the middle of the forest. I completely froze.
Nazrin
...It wasn't 'cause I was scared or anything. Even I'm strong enough to take down a youkai like that.
Nazrin
It's just... it was a snake. Or was it a nozuchi? Maybe it was a type of Rakshasa.
Nazrin
My memory really is all over the place... Ah, well.
Nazrin
Anyway, the reason I froze is because the youkai leader had taken the little mice hostage.
Nazrin
Actually, no. It was more than that. The youkai was trying to rob the mice of their very being.
Nazrin
That's right... It was about to swallow the mice whole.
Nazrin
But Shou's spear was lying beside the youkai, beyond my reach.
Nazrin
And there was no time to fire the Jeweled Pagoda.
Nazrin
There was nothing I could do...
Nazrin
But then, with a roar like thunder, a great tiger leaped down from the heavens and stomped on the youkai's head.
Nazrin
It was Shou Toramaru.
Nazrin
Then the very next second, she rolled her eyes and said, "There you are," while walking toward her spear.
Nazrin
When she noticed me and the little mice gawking at her with eyes wide open, she tilted her head in confusion.
Nazrin
Then, with a great big smile, she said, "Thanks for finding my spear!"
Nazrin
To her, being on the mountain at night and taking on the youkai leader without her spear was no big deal.
Nazrin
Turns out, Shou used to rule the mountain, and the youkai leader was nothing more than her lowly former follower.
Nazrin
The next morning, Shou dragged the youkai leader to the temple by the neck to be her new disciple.
Nazrin
What's that poor youkai up to these days, again? ...Hm, my memory's all fuzzy still.
Nazrin
The reason Shou was frowning the day I arrived was because she'd just finished training and listening to Hijiri's sermon.
Nazrin
She's nothing like Bishamonten, and yet... I can't find anything to criticize about her.
Nazrin
I decided back then that I'd watch over her forever.
Nazrin
I found them. And just as my story was ending.
Nazrin
I used these dowsing rods to locate Shou's spear when the little mice went missing on the mountain.
Nazrin
They're old, but they still work. Take good care of them for me.
I will. Thank you, Nazrin.
Nazrin
...Finally. There's been a whiff of treasure in the air since you first arrived.
Oh, so you knew I had this?
Nazrin
Of course. You still have a lot to learn about me.
Nazrin
But thank you for bringing this.
Nazrin
It sure looks valuable. And it's imbued with some barrier-related effect.
Nazrin
...I know why you're giving this to me.
Nazrin
But even forgetting about that, I'm grateful to you and the sages for such a beautiful garment.
Nazrin
Thanks.
I'm sure it'll suit you!
Nazrin
Hehe...
Nazrin
You have to hurry off, right? Will you give a message to Rinnosuke?
Sure thing.
Nazrin
...
Nazrin
As you know, many treasures find their way to Muenzuka from the outside world.
Did you find some kinda special treasure?
Nazrin
No special treasure, but I did find something.
Nazrin
I found a potential piece of the puzzle.
Nazrin
I've been watching over that place for a long time, but lately, I realized something...
Nazrin
Things have stopped arriving from the outside world... Completely stopped.
No way!
Nazrin
Tell Rinnosuke he was right.
Costume Presentation
Nazrin
It seems I misjudged you. No, that's not quite true. Your true value will soon be tested. I know you're searching for clues to help us resolve the big incident, and I'm sure my great patron also has a plan in mind. I'll gladly lend you my power.
