The red oni happily invited the villagers into his house.
The snacks were the ones the blue oni had made earlier.
The rice balls were also the ones the blue oni had made earlier.
Only the steaming tea had just been brewed by the red oni himself.
After the villagers entered, they carefully looked around at the decorations, saw the snacks on the table, and the steaming tea.
"It seems we really misunderstood Brother Red Oni before."
"Brother Red Oni is truly a warm and hospitable oni."
"May we taste these snacks?"
"This tea, was it picked from that tea tree on the cliff? It smells so good."
"I really want to taste it right now."
In their villages, resources were relatively scarce.
Getting to eat such delicious snacks was not an easy thing.
The red oni said happily, "Please sit down and help yourselves to the snacks and rice balls."
The villagers said a little embarrassedly, "Then... we'll have a taste."
After looking around the room, the villagers noticed that the animal bone decorations on the walls were gone.
In their place were landscape paintings and portraits.
All of them were the blue oni's work.
The villagers sat down at the table without hesitation.
Looking joyfully at the snacks and rice balls on the table, they carefully reached out and picked up a piece of snack.
They put it in their mouths.
"Mm, it's really delicious!"
"It's even better than the snacks bought in the city!"
"Brother Red Oni, I didn't expect you to be a master at making snacks. Could you teach us how to make them?"
"Please, you must teach us!"
After eating one piece of snack, the villagers' expressions lit up.
This was the first time they had eaten such delicious snacks.
But hearing the villagers' words, the red oni was troubled.
These snacks weren't made by him. They were made by the clever blue oni. If they wanted to learn, the blue oni would have to teach them.
But the blue oni had become an evil oni in everyone's eyes.
If he appeared before the villagers again, they would definitely throw beans at him.
The red oni could only brush it off. "Of course I'll teach you. But I don't have time today. Next time for sure!"
The villagers said happily, "Next time for sure! Don't forget!"
The red oni: "Hahaha, I won't forget!"
The villagers: "Alright, we're full. Time to go chop wood!"
After expressing their thanks to the red oni, they took their axes and went back up the mountain to chop wood.
At that moment, in the villagers' hearts, they had completely accepted the red oni and considered him a friend.
That very night, after the red oni had entertained wave after wave of guests, the news that the red oni was a kind oni spread throughout the surrounding villages.
More and more people came to the red oni's house as guests.
They finished all the snacks and all the rice balls.
Even the tea was completely drunk.
Looking at the empty plates and the empty teapot, the red oni's heart was full of joy.
If the blue oni knew about this, he would surely be happy for him too.
Oh, right.
It was time to go find his best friend the blue oni and thank him.
Thinking of the blue oni, the red oni couldn't wait to go to his house and play.
To tell the blue oni about the villagers' visit.
"He was pelted with so many beans by the villagers and chased and beaten by me for so long. Blue really suffered."
"I wonder how his injuries are."
"Let's go see Blue."
After saying that, the red oni locked his door.
He headed toward the blue oni's house.
He passed the mountaintop covered in blooming flowers.
He jumped over a small stream flowing with spring water.
It took him half an hour to finally reach the other side of the hill.
He saw the blue oni's house.
Compared to his own, the blue oni's house was more refined.
Like an oni's work of art, built beneath a large tree in full bloom.
Before he even reached the door, the red oni couldn't wait to call out, "Blue, Blue, we succeeded! I've come to see you!"
But no matter how the red oni called, there was no response from the blue oni.
The red oni called out again, "Blue, open the door! I've come to visit you! I brought your favorite mountain fruit!"
Still, no one answered.
The red oni was startled.
Had the villagers' beans been too much and seriously injured Blue?
Had he hit too hard and hurt Blue?
The red oni quickly pushed hard and forced open the blue oni's door.
"Blue, Blue—"
"Are you home?"
Unfortunately, after going inside, the red oni still couldn't find the blue oni.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in the red oni's heart.
What was going on?
Had the blue oni gone out for something?
To pick mountain fruit? Or fetch water?
The red oni was very confused. He decided to sit in the blue oni's house and wait for a while. When the blue oni returned, he would tell him about becoming friends with the villagers.
Just as the red oni sat at the table waiting for the blue oni, he suddenly saw a piece of paper covered in writing on the table.
The red oni quickly picked it up and saw the handwriting. It was his good friend the blue oni's.
He read it in confusion.
[Red, my best friend. Though I am very reluctant, by the time you read this letter, I should have already gone traveling.]
[I'm very happy to have spent a joyful time with you, Red.]
[Red, you don't need to come find me. In the villagers' hearts, I have become a complete evil oni. If the villagers discover that Red is friends with an evil oni, they will see Red as an evil oni again. Then all our efforts will be wasted.]
[Don't worry about me. No matter where I go, Red and I will always be good friends.]
[By the way, Red, you are the pride of the oni. I hope that after you integrate into human society, you can change humans' misunderstanding of oni and help more oni.]
[Your eternal friend]
[—Blue.]
On the letter, there were traces of tears soaking the paper. It was obvious that the blue oni had been crying when he wrote it.
After reading the letter, the red oni stood frozen in place, unable to believe its contents.
Impossible.
He and Blue were best friends. Blue couldn't have left.
"Blue, Blue—"
"Where are you?"
"Don't joke with me. Come out quickly. I brought your favorite mountain fruit!"
"I found you. Come out!"
But in reality, the red oni knew the blue oni didn't like jokes.
And he didn't like pranks.
But the red oni refused to accept it.
After walking around the blue oni's house and searching inside, he still couldn't find any sign of the blue oni.
The red oni finally understood. Blue had really left.
From his moist red eyes, a bean-sized teardrop fell.
"Blue, I will never let you be alone."
"I will definitely find you!"