I am Succubus!

Chapter 165 – Mitsuo, the Lesser Kami of Aokigahara

"Name's Mitsuo. That's about all I can remember. Sorry for possessing your friend and all! This must be a real shocker, I'm sure." The spirit in Kana's body rubbed the back of his head apologetically.

We brought Kana back to the tent and woke Mikami up to help make sense of what was going on. Imagine my surprise when I got to her tent and, although it wasn't the usual face mask worn at work, she instead wore a custom-tailored sleeping mask that also covered the top half of her face.

Kenta and Sai, the guys we saved from drowning, retreated back to their tent for the night. They wouldn't stop thanking us after their college buddies packed their things and left. Seeing two succubi and having a boy half their size send them flying into the water was too much to deal with.

"Kana's more than just a friend. Which is why we're trying to exorcise you from him. Now that we can speak with you, maybe we can come to an understanding for you to give him back to us?" I asked the onryo.

Mitsuo glanced down at the hands which belonged to Kana. He clenched them, digging the nails into his palm as though seeking to feel pain, and then unclenched. Nothing about him seemed particularly vengeful or violent as an onryo was described.

"Whether you believe me or not, I'm afraid I can't. I just don't know how to," Mitsuo confessed.

"Do you know anything from your past life? Current life as a spirit? Anything other than your first name?" Mikami pressed him.

When Mitsuo shut his eyes to search his memories, he winced in pain.

"I'm sorry… I can't remember a thing. However…" Mitsuo gazed out of the tent in the direction of Aokigahara.

Was it an urge to search for his shrine or something else? We followed his gaze to someone standing by the edge of the waters. A man. He was clutching something in his right hand, then proceeded to pitch it into the waters before returning to his tent.

Seeing that, a dark shadow fell over Mitsuo's face that was heavy with sadness. Then his stomach rumbled like a starved bear.

We stared at him, appalled.

"Oops, sorry! Looks like this body skipped dinner. Don't suppose you guys got any chow?" Mitsuo asked.

Mio and I fixed him some noodles to eat. We soaked in the warmth from the steaming water filling the enclosed tent. Mitsuo gorged himself in all of it, scarfing it down like he hadn't eaten in centuries.

"Huuu! Thanks for the meal! That really hit the spot." Mitsuo laid down on the sleeping bag, stroking his bulging belly.

"Say, you really sent those guys flying earlier. You go around doing that often?" Mio asked.

"Not sure what came over me. When I heard what was going on from the tent, I kind of just… moved. Well, those bastards deserved it. Enough goes on in the world that we don't need more bullies ruining it for others," Mitsuo said.

"Hmm… I'm going to turn in." Mikami stood up and stretched her arms. "You guys should get some rest, too. We'll get up early and begin our search."

A part of me wanted to stop Mikami as an apprehension gripped my chest. We went to sleep that night, Mitsuo slipped off soundly, but I couldn't shake an unnerving feeling.

When morning came, I realized why.

"Kana's gone!" Mio exclaimed, snapping me awake.

There was barely any sunlight, and what little was diffused into our tent casted an eerie glow. As I shook the grogginess away and took stock of the tent, Kana was sure enough nowhere to be seen. I brushed a hand over where he had been sleeping, but the space between me and Mio was mostly cold. Only our ambient heat warmed the sleeping bag.

"Why would Kana leave? Was it Mitsuo?" I wondered aloud to myself.

We looked around the campsite and asked campers if they saw Kana, or at least a boy around our age. Not a single person recalled seeing him.

I walked up to the edge of Motosu Lake. Aokigahara, otherwise known as Suicide Forest, was just across these waters. The expansive forest in which countless people have lost their lives or purposefully gone missing in. Why was Mitsuo's shrine in a place like that?

Something shiny washed ashore. A silver ring with a small diamond inlay. The ring got caught on the pebbles, so I picked it up before the waters could reclaim it. This was no doubt expensive, so what was it doing out here?

"As much as I envy your lovely relationship," Mikami began as she emerged from her tent, "we probably shouldn't waste any more time. I had a feeling he would leave at some point in the early morning. Now I know."

"Bitch, you let our Kana just walk off like that?" Mio snarled, grabbing Mikami by her jacket.

"I needed to be sure. The man we saw by the waters yesterday was the same guy I saw leave much earlier. Mitsuo followed after him not long after he left," she explained.

"But what is that supposed to mean? Why would Mitsuo follow a stranger?" I asked.

"It's a hunch. You said Mitsuo is a lesser kami, right? As a cross between a spirit and kami, he's being anchored in your boyfriend's body likely as a result of other people's prayers."

Prayers? But the only kind of prayers out here would be….

My eyes flicked to Aokigahara, nicknamed Suicide Forest.

"If we look for them now, we won't even know where to start…" I grumbled.

"S-Saeko, we'd like to help!" Kenta said with Sai, stumbling to catch up.

"We've come across a few shrines before. Maybe one of them is what you're looking for. We know you're a succubus that can fly and all, but it's hard to search when the canopy's blocking your view of the ground," Sai added.

They were right. This was our first time here, and we knew nothing little about the layout of the forest or where to begin to look. 

"You guys just wanna help, hoping to get in our pants, huh?" Mio smirked, elbowing Sai in his ribs.

"N-No! We just want to repay you from last night!" he exclaimed.

I breathed deep of the lust oozing from them that said otherwise.

"Well, I'm not going to say no to help. I just hope you guys are prepared for how we're going to get there," I said.

"We're not going to walk?" the boys asked.

Mio and I carried the three of our human friends across Motosu Lake. She had Kenta and Sai in each hand, while I carried Mikami. 

Suffice to say, neither of the boys were doing okay.

"Please, don't drop me! I'm still traumatized from last night!" Sai cried.

"I'm not scared… I'm not scared…" Kenta covered his eyes with his free hand.

On the flip side…

"Yahooooo! Best camping trip ever!" Mikami howled, clearly having the greatest time of her life.

We reached Aokigahara in no time. The vast forest, currently blanketed by a layer of morning fog just above the canopy, drilled a sense of fear into me. Even Mio was awestruck by the sheer immensity and shaken by an otherworldly dread.

Following Kenta and Sai's direction, we landed deep within the forest and past any hiking trail or beaten paths. The tall, gnarled trees stretched into the skies like monuments, and the uneven terrain made it easy to lose footing. Distant, indiscernible screeches echoed across the forest. It was like we had set foot in another world.

"No matter how many times I come here, it still creeps me out," Kenta said.

"You're sure Kana would have come through here?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sai answered confidently. "Or at least pass through here first. Most people take this route because it's the easiest way to go deeper into the forest, and  without being seen by hikers from the initial entrance."

As we began our search, it became increasingly clear how easy it was to get lost. Everywhere looked the same. If I couldn't fly to get out of here, I'd be getting anxious.

"Here's one shrine," Sai hollered some ways ahead.

It was a stone lantern with a wooden cabinet, much of which had been covered in moss. The hinges on the cabinet had been rusted to hell and back, so the door hung loose. Wilted flowers on the ground indicated some people had passed by some time ago, but definitely not recently. 

"This isn't it. Kana would be around if it was. I also don't sense any spirits inhabiting it," Mikami said.

"Wait… You can sense spirits? As in… real spirits?" Sai gulped.

Come to think of it, although they knew Mio and I were succubus, the idea of ghosts and yokai was still a fictional thing to them.

"Do you know if there is a shrine building instead of an altar?" I asked Kenta while Mikami and Mio teased the other guy to death about ghosts.

"There was a rumor floating around my university's camping circle about a shrine here. No one's ever found it, but they think it's somewhere farther southeast from here," Kenta explained.

"What do the rumors say?"

"Well… You know how a lot of people come here to commit suicide? Some of my senpai say that it was built ages ago by a group of six youths who made a pact to leave the world together. It's believed that one of them got cold feet and ran away, but when he got back to the village, they sent a search party to find the rest. They found bodies instead, and everyone blamed him for their deaths."

"Uwah… That sounds terrible. I can't imagine how they can just blame a kid for that, especially after he lost his friends—"

"Come on down from there, man. It isn't worth it. She isn't worth it!"

Everyone stopped walking and turned their heads like prairie dogs. That was definitely Kana's voice, but it sounded like Mitsuo speaking.

"What do you know? Chinatsu was the love of my life! I can't believe she would cheat on me like that… I just… I don't want to go on without her anymore!" another man's voice cried.

We chased after the conversation and found them both. A man, possibly in his early 30s, was standing on top of a large rock. He clutched a noose that hung over a tree branch.

"Don't come any closer!" he shouted at us.

"Perfect timing," Mitsuo said in deep relief. "Help me convince him to come down before he seriously hurts himself."

"Wait… Weren't you the guy by the water last night? Does this belong to you?" I asked, showing him the silver and diamond ring.

The man's eyes went wide upon seeing it, then filled with tears.

"How did you…? It doesn't matter. That was the ring I wanted to propose to her with. It's just junk to me now. Please, just leave me alone. Let me go in peace," he pleaded.

"Why don't we just charm him down from there and get it over with?" Mio asked.

"No!" Mitsuo interjected. "Then what about tomorrow? Or the day after? What if he just comes back or finds another way to take his life where we can't help him?"

"Interesting…" Mikami muttered under her breath as she observed quietly from the side.

Saving him was a piece of cake. Even if he were to put the noose over his neck and jump, Mio and I would be faster. However, Mitsuo was right. There had to be another way.

I expanded my aura as far as it could stretch to find the nearest succubus. There should at least be a few who were still searching for the shrine like I asked. As soon as I detected one, I ordered her to our location. Now to buy some time.

"Look, I know you're suffering. Heartache sucks and there's not a lot we can help you with. What I can do is introduce you to a succubus to take your mind off things. How about that?" I offered.

"Succu… bus?" The man glanced tearfully at me.

Mio and I shedded our human forms to reveal our true selves. Immediately, the area filled with the scent of lust emanating from the three men.

The succubus I called over landed in front of me in the kneeling position. She sported a punk appearance with her curly hair dyed purple, piercings on her nose and ears— and very clearly her nipples, bulging out from underneath the ripped shirt of a rock band graphic.

"Queen Saeko. I am Stella, at your service!"

"Stella, this fellow was recently cheated on. Why don't you stay with him for a little while and show him how much more there is to enjoy in life," I ordered.

"It would be my pleasure," Stella glanced over her shoulder to him and said in an oppressively sultry tone.

"What's it gonna be, pal?" Mio asked the suicidal man. "Gonna leave this world now or get some poon—"

"You know what? Screw Chinatsu! I choose the succubus!" he exclaimed.

In his eagerness to come down, he lost footing on the rock moistened by the forest mist. Everyone panicked. Mio and I unfurled our wings to catch him, but Stella was quicker on the draw and carried him down safely.

Already the guy was smitten, most likely out of lust though. Both of them began their trek out of Aokigahara, and it looked like the Mr. Heartbreak was going to be just fine.

"Thank you," Mitsuo said with a sigh.

"Not that we would've let him take his life, but you were really hung up about making sure it wouldn't happen. Normally, gods didn't care as long as someone passed on," I remarked about a certain few in particular.

"I… actually hear their voices. That man just now, it wasn't because I chanced upon him. I followed him and ended up losing sight of him, but knew exactly where he was when he spoke."

"Like you're some sort of radar?" Mio asked.

Mitsuo nodded.

Something told me that Mitsuo and the story Kenta mentioned were connected. I had no solid proof. At least not until we find the shrine.

"Mitsuo, do you think you can lead us to your shrine?" I asked.

"I can," Mitsuo said. "I sense the location of my shrine, too."

The spirit hesitated, but he ultimately began walking. Presumably to the shrine's location.

"W-Why are you calling your boyfriend Mitsuo instead of Kana? Is this some sort of weird roleplay?" Kenta whispered.

"It's a long story, but I'll explain everything once this is over," I promised.

We spent what felt like hours wandering through Aokigahara. I almost thought we were being led astray until we reached a dilapidated shrine mostly reclaimed by nature. The vine-covered shrine was small, almost like a tool shed in size. The door was missing, likely looted in the past. Rotting, wooden boards nailed onto the entrance instead. Peeking through the gaps, there was a small box inside that looked like a gray container. Maybe an urn.

"I can't believe it's real! This has to be the shrine our senpai talked about. It's just like he described!" Sai said excitedly to his friend.

"Wow. I knew it was old, but I didn't think it would be in this bad shape." Kenta wandered around back, snapping pictures of it.

While they went around geeking out, Mikami walked up to the front of the shrine and nodded to herself.

"This is it," she said. "I can feel spiritual power coming from it. We can begin—"

"I… I don't want to go yet," Mitsuo backed away.

"You were all for it earlier, and it's not your body. Please, you can't back out now. We just want our boyfriend back," I pleaded with him.

"But there are so many people out here that need me like that man back there. With an actual form, I can actually help them! Aren't their lives worth saving?" he asked.

It finally clicked in my head.

"I think I'm beginning to understand. You ascended from a spirit into godhood because of people taking their lives here. They pray to you, because they're asking for help. You're the spirit of the boy whose friends commited suicide here many years ago, aren't you?" I asked.

Mitsuo stared at me, wide-eyed in surprise.

"No, but I remember now. Mitsuo… Minami, Itsuki, Tohru, Suha, Umi, Oichi… All six of us were supposed to leave together. Mitsuo is the first letter of our names. I'm not one person, but five people inhabiting a single body. The boy who couldn't go through with it… was Tohru. I can't believe how much time has gone by," Mitsuo said in grief.

"It makes sense. The five of them couldn't pass on and became a kami through the prayers of people who also came to take their lives in Aokigahara. You're stuck because you want to steer people away from following in your footsteps," Mikami concluded.

He shook his head. "Close. It was Tohru. At the time, we were guilt-ridden that everyone laid blame at his feet for our deaths. He eventually drowned himself in Lake Motosu. It's our fault."

"Just because you couldn't help him— can't help other people in person, doesn't mean you can't help them at all. When they pray to you in their final moments, maybe you can tell them to think about their loved ones. Someone who might be waiting for them back home, be it a pet or group of friends. I can't imagine what drove you guys to take your lives together, but you all had each other when you were alive, " I reminded them.

"You're right…" Mitsuo gasped, then collapsed to his knees and began to cry. "We were all friends. We promised to be together. We never needed to… But Tohru will never forgive us…"

"Won't he? Your friend passed on without becoming attached or turning into a vengeful ghost. Sounds like he eventually found peace," Mikami assured them.

Kenta and Sai kept their distance. They were a lot more sensitive and aware than I gave them credit for. 

After Mitsuo had enough of crying, he stood up and smiled warmly. "I've inhabited this body for far too long, but I am grateful for the time I spent with him. Give Kana my thanks, and thank you all for giving me this chance to move forward."

"We'll drop by and say hi if we're ever in the other realm!" Mio grinned.

Mitsuo chuckled to himself, then sat down in the middle of the ritual circle Mikami had drawn in the dirt and surrounded with candles. We lit them all, stirring the breeze into a strong gale.

"May I request a favor?" Mitsuo asked as Mikami drew prayer beads from her satchel to begin the exorcism.

"Sure," I said.

"Please live a long and fulfilling life!" He flashed a big smile.

Mio grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers tightly together. The winds picked up even stronger than before, and Mikami quietly chanted against the battering gales. 

Suddenly, it was like someone switched off the whirlwind. Kana's eyes rolled back, and he went limp. Mio and I caught him as he fell. We watched as five wispy spirits slipped away from Kana and flew straight into the urn within the shrine. The eyeball in his hand closed shut and vanished.

Mikami dropped to her ass and heaved a sigh.

"Nnh… Where am I?" Kana croaked.

A wave of relief washed over us.

"Oh, you know. Just out for a hike." I smiled.