Arataki Itto, after collecting his wages, first took the Arataki Gang underlings for a grand meal before heading to his part-time job at the Pop-Up Tea Shop.
Fuyumi lay in front of the shop, basking in the sun, contemplating the negotiation with Kujou Sara she had planned for the next day. She was determined to win Sara over completely and have her defect to their side.
Life was very peaceful, with customers coming and going to buy milk tea, non-stop.
Around 3 PM, Thoma delivered a letter.
It was from Kamisato Ayaka.
"Fuyumi, my brother won't be home tonight."
Upon reading the simple yet obvious hint in the letter, Fuyumi understood. She had Thoma return and tell Ayaka that she would definitely be there.
"Liben, I have something to attend to and need to go out for a bit. I'm leaving the milk tea shop to you. Remember to pay Arataki Itto his wages tonight!"
Before leaving, Fuyumi didn't forget to remind Liben.
"Don't worry, boss. As a qualified merchant, this small matter is in my hands!"
Liben stood at attention and solemnly promised.
Liben's excellent work attitude successfully earned him double the salary.
Arataki Itto and his gang had a busy afternoon. After receiving their day's hard-earned pay from Liben, they happily went shopping with their brethren.
However, as he was returning to the Arataki Gang's headquarters, passing by the Pop-Up Tea Shop, he spotted a figure lurking suspiciously by the shop door, seemingly trying to pick the lock.
Arataki Itto had assured Fuyumi that morning that the security of the Pop-Up Tea Shop was his responsibility. Yet, by evening, someone was causing trouble.
Wasn't this a direct slap in the face?
He could tolerate much, but not this!
"Hey, you over there, where are you from? Don't you know this street is under my protection?"
Arataki Itto handed the food he was holding to a subordinate beside him and walked directly towards the thief.
"Idle and unproductive, you've disgraced the pride of the Oni! You have no right to lecture me!"
Hearing the sound behind him, the thief looked up at Arataki Itto. A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes, but it quickly subsided, replaced by a hint of disgust and disdain.
"You... are you?"
Just as Arataki Itto was about to retort, he suddenly noticed the prominent oni horns on the thief's hat, which sent a tremor through him. He seemed to know the thief's identity.
"You have your ways, and I have my life. Don't look at me like that, you irresponsible fool. You could never understand our predicament!"
The thief cast a cold glance at Arataki Itto, then quickly put away his tools and fled towards the back of the building.
Arataki Itto's confusion grew. He didn't want to let the other party escape easily. He had the Arataki Gang members take the food back first, and he alone pursued the thief.
During the chase, Arataki Itto couldn't help but recall the story of the Red Oni and the Blue Oni.
The fate of the Oni, as told in fairy tales, was true – the Blue Oni chose self-exile, and only the Red Oni survived.
Long ago, Inazuma was a dangerous place. At that time, if one sought the protection of the Electro Archon, it was necessary to maintain good relations with humans.
Oni, born proud, found it difficult to seek acceptance from others. In this process, the Oni gradually split into two factions: the Red Oni were more amicable towards humans, while the Blue Oni were more stubborn and obstinate.
In Arataki Itto's view, there was little difference between the Oni, and they distinguished their stances simply by painting different colors on their horns.
Because humans were very wary of Oni at that time, the Red Oni strove to find a way to live peacefully with humans, while the Blue Oni frequently clashed with them.
If this continued, the Oni would never be accepted by humans. At this point, the most respected leaders from both the Red and Blue Oni stepped forward...
They drank and made a vow: the Blue Oni would play the role of the villains, helping the Red Oni integrate into human society. However, the leader of the Blue Oni also proposed two conditions:
First, the Oni must not hold prejudice against humans. Before being accepted by humans, they must first accept humans in their hearts. They must not bully the weak or give up on themselves.
Second, the Red Oni must integrate with humans but not to the point of pleasing them. The Oni should earn human respect through their upright character, passionate spirit, and formidable strength.
After that, due to their decision to sacrifice themselves, the Blue Oni tribe gradually diminished in number and eventually disappeared...
Arataki Itto had heard the story of the Red and Blue Oni since he was a child, but he never thought that the Blue Oni tribe would still exist in Inazuma.
He had always deeply admired the Blue Oni tribe for choosing self-sacrifice. Yet, to his surprise, they had resorted to robbery.
He had heard before that merchant caravans on nearby islands were frequently robbed by wandering samurai, and among them were Oni.
Arataki Itto speculated that the Oni who robbed merchant caravans with wandering samurai was this very Blue Oni.
But Arataki Itto was greatly perplexed. Why would the proud Blue Oni engage in bullying the weak? Didn't the Blue Oni always value 'pride' more than life itself?
"Hey, stop running! It's me, a descendant of the Red Oni, Arataki Itto!"
Arataki Itto accelerated and performed a backflip, blocking the Blue Oni's path.
"Hmph, a lazy good-for-nothing like you. I've known about you for a long time!"
"Hahahaha! I knew it. My reputation has long spread throughout the four seas and eight directions!"
"Enough is enough! There's a limit to fooling around. Every Blue Oni, since birth, remembers their mission and knows about the so-called destiny of sacrifice. But what about the Red Oni? You know nothing about my name, Takuya, or the tragic experiences of my kin, nor do you care, right? Because sacrificial beings are meant to be forgotten, aren't they?!"
Seeing Arataki Itto still grinning foolishly, Takuya was enraged and questioned him loudly.
"No, it's not like that. I just didn't expect the Blue Oni tribe to still exist..."
Arataki Itto's laughter abruptly stopped, and he fumbled to explain.
"You mean... the Blue Oni should be annihilated and never appear before the world again, right?"
"Of course not. Why would you think that?"
Despite Arataki Itto's usual chattiness, he became somewhat flustered when questioned by Takuya, the Blue Oni.
"Since you still remember the pact between our two tribes, you must also remember the pride of the Oni. How could the proud Blue Oni bully the weak and rob the innocent? Why have you broken the promise that has been kept to this day?"
Arataki Itto took a deep breath and looked intently at Takuya.