In the night, outside the village, bonfire after bonfire illuminated the dancing villagers and the children playing and chasing each other.
Beyond the light, a shadowy figure poked his head out from behind a tree, gazing longingly toward the bonfire.
He was searching for the red oni.
But unfortunately, after looking around, the blue oni couldn't find the red oni.
"I wonder how Red is doing."
"With these human friends, he should be living well. At least he doesn't have to fear being pelted with beans anymore."
The blue oni watched the food in the villagers' hands with envious eyes.
And the children playing and chasing each other.
In truth, to avoid exposing his relationship with the red oni and dragging him down, the blue oni hadn't wanted to come back. He hadn't wanted to attend this bonfire gathering.
But he hadn't seen the red oni for nearly a month.
The blue oni was also worried, afraid that the straightforward red oni might be bullied by the villagers. That was why he had come back to take a look.
As long as he got one look at the red oni, he would leave with peace of mind.
He absolutely wouldn't cause trouble for the red oni.
Just as the blue oni was looking around for the red oni, his stomach suddenly growled.
To make it to this bonfire gathering, he had traveled for a whole day.
He had been hungry for a long time.
"Strange. Shouldn't Red be dancing with the villagers?"
"Where did he go?"
"I'll wait a little longer. If Red still doesn't come out, I'll have to leave."
Enduring his hungry stomach, the blue oni poked his head out from behind the tree again, searching for the red oni.
But he still couldn't find him.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in the blue oni's heart.
Had something happened to Red?
Just as the blue oni was worrying, a strange cry suddenly came from behind him, startling him.
"Wah—"
"Blue, I finally found you!"
"I knew you would come back to see me. We're best friends!"
It was the red oni's voice.
While the blue oni was searching for the red oni, the red oni had suddenly appeared behind him, giving him a fright.
The red oni said happily, "Blue, you must be hungry! Here are some roasted mountain mushrooms and your favorite mountain fruit!"
"Hurry and eat them while they're hot!"
The red oni happily handed two skewers of roasted food to the blue oni.
But when the blue oni turned around and saw the red oni, the first thing he thought of wasn't catching up or embracing him warmly.
It was to run.
To leave this place as quickly as possible.
He couldn't let the villagers see him walking with the red oni. He couldn't let them know they were friends.
If the villagers found out, they would hate the red oni again.
Seeing the blue oni flee, the red oni, who was holding the roasted mushrooms, was stunned. He quickly ran after him, shouting, "Blue, I finally found you. Don't run!"
"We're best friends!"
"Hey, even if you're going to run, at least finish the roasted mushrooms first. I can hear your stomach growling!"
The red oni chased after him, shouting from behind.
When it came to intelligence, the red oni couldn't compare to the blue oni.
But when it came to stamina and speed, the restless red oni was superior.
Even while holding roasted mushrooms and eating as he ran, he could stay right behind the blue oni.
And so, the blue oni ran ahead while the red oni chased.
The two oni ran for a long, long time, getting farther and farther from the villagers' bonfire gathering, until they could no longer even see the firelight.
Finally, the blue oni, who was running ahead, couldn't run anymore. He plopped down on the hillside.
He stopped running.
The blue oni gasped, "I can't run anymore. I'm not running."
He had already been hungry for a whole day and had no strength left.
And now he had run for so long.
The blue oni was both exhausted and hungry. He lay flat on the hillside, looking up at the twinkling stars.
The red oni also ran to the blue oni's side.
Gasping for breath, he lay down beside the blue oni. "Hahaha, Blue, did you forget? When we were little, you couldn't outrun me. How could you outrun me now?"
The blue oni panted, "Red, you shouldn't have chased me. If the villagers find out, all our efforts will be ruined."
The red oni suddenly laughed. "Haha, I don't care about that! As long as I get to see Blue, I'd be fine even if they threw beans at me!"
The blue oni was speechless.
And so, the two young oni lay on the hillside for a while.
Suddenly, the blue oni's stomach growled again.
He had been traveling all day without eating. He was truly starving.
Hearing the blue oni's hungry stomach, the red oni suddenly remembered the roasted mushrooms in his hand. "Blue, there are still two skewers of roasted mushrooms here. You eat them first!"
"When we get home later, I'll make you something good!"
The blue oni was speechless.
Though he wanted to leave as soon as possible, the aroma of the roasted mushrooms was irresistible.
He took the mushrooms and ate them in big bites. "Thank you, Red!"
The red oni smiled. "Hahaha, Blue, we're best friends. No need to be polite with me!"
The blue oni was speechless.
After finishing the roasted mushrooms, the blue oni looked at the red oni's excited, smiling face and seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
The red oni smiled. "Blue, if you have something to say, just say it!"
The blue oni hesitated for a moment, then said, "Red, you should understand the oni's situation very well. There are hardly any of us left in the world."
"On this trip, I searched many places, but I couldn't find any trace of other oni."
Since the oni elders had passed away, only a few of the new generation of oni remained, scattered across Inazuma.
The red oni also said seriously, "Yes, I know."
The blue oni continued, "For the oni to survive, we must adapt to the life of this era. Now, you've succeeded."
"Even if I stay here, I can only hide."
"For the sake of the oni's survival, I must go to other places and find other ways to integrate into human society."
In truth, ever since the two powerful Raiden sisters had unified Inazuma hundreds of years ago, the oni had already fallen.
Only by integrating into human society could they have a chance to survive.
Hearing this, the red oni also fell silent.
Indeed, the blue oni was right.
Even if the red oni forcibly kept the blue oni by his side, he could only hide him away, never letting the villagers discover him.
For a lifetime, bearing the name of an evil oni.
Hiding everywhere, living in the shadows of the world.
If they did that, it would be far too unfair to the blue oni.
The red oni looked at the exhausted blue oni before him, extremely reluctant to let go. He gripped the blue oni's hand tightly, unwilling to release it.
His eyes instantly turned red.
Tears poured out uncontrollably.