Nurarihyon

The little yokai cheered so loudly it felt as though they might bring the whole Enma-tei crashing down.

Then the revelry began. The yokai raised their cups, and more and more came over to toast Aoko and the other two. Even knowing the three were drinking juice, they never tired of it.

The ones offering toasts were all little yokai, though. Great yokai like Ibuki-Douji, Shuten-Douji, and Tamamo-no-Mae stayed in their seats, drinking alone or toasting one another.

The banquet seemed divided into two groups. On one side were the little yokai led by an old yokai.

On the other were the great yokai who had survived since the days of Mount Oe.

Aoko caught Tamamo Cat as she came by carrying dishes.

"Teacher, what's going on? Why are you serving food here? And why are we getting this kind of treatment?"

"I usually work at Enma-tei and practice my cooking while I'm at it. Benienma is one of my cooking teachers too, meow!"

"And isn't it perfectly normal to throw a welcome banquet? Just relax and enjoy it. Everyone's friendly, meow!"

Tamamo Cat's answer explained nothing. Aoko still had no idea why they were being treated as honored guests.

At least it was clear the yokai meant well. This just wasn't the sort of banquet the three of them wanted.

Aoko liked rock music, not a racket. Alice didn't even like rock, and Manaka Sajyou found the noise unbearable too.

So the three quietly endured it and waited for dinner to end. They even considered leaving early.

At some point, the old yokai who had spoken at the start sat down beside Aoko. None of the three noticed him right away. If he had attacked, none of them would have had time to react.

"This ought to be a