Chapter 292

Haruto reached out, plucked Myōga away from the candle stand he had been frantically circling, and set him down nearby.

Once his feet touched the floor, Myōga first rubbed his tiny legs where they had been burned, then bowed deeply to Haruto.

"Thank you very much for the help!"

After thanking him, Myōga looked up at Haruto, and a trace of surprise quickly entered his eyes.

As a flea yōkai, Myōga possessed an unusually keen sensitivity to the quality of blood.

To him, high-quality blood was practically a delicacy.

That was exactly why he was so fond of Inuyasha’s.

Although Inuyasha was only a half-demon, he was still descended from the Great Dog Demon Tōga, so the quality of his blood surpassed that of many full-fledged yōkai.

Haruto’s blood, however, felt even more extraordinary.

Its quality far exceeded Inuyasha’s and was already comparable to Tōga’s.

There was no doubt it would taste incredible.

At the same time, though, Haruto’s blood also gave Myōga a powerful sense of danger.

He had the distinct feeling that if he actually tried to drink it, something terrible might happen to him.

In the end, Myōga wisely decided not to take the risk.

After all, the reason he had survived for so long was precisely because he knew when to be cautious.

He swallowed hard and reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Haruto.

Myōga’s arrival did not change much for the group.

With the villagers’ arrangements, everyone soon retired to their rooms for the night.

Around midnight, however, a sudden commotion came from the courtyard.

Haruto rubbed his eyes, opened the door, and looked outside.

Cool night air carrying the dampness of dew washed over him, clearing away the last traces of sleepiness.

Almost at the same time, doors to several other rooms opened.

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippō all stepped out as well.

In the courtyard, Sango was gripping Hiraikotsu and relentlessly chasing Miroku.

Miroku kept dodging while urgently calling her name, but Sango seemed unable to hear him.

Her eyes were empty.

Her movements, however, were frighteningly sharp.

Inuyasha stared at the scene for a second, then gave a huge yawn.

He scratched his messy silver hair with an irritated expression.

"What the hell is this?"

"If you two are having a lovers’ quarrel, can’t you do it in your own room? It’s the middle of the night. Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Kagome covered her forehead and sighed.

She had apparently reached the same conclusion.

After all, Miroku had spent most of the day chatting with the village’s young women and had even asked one of them whether she would bear his child.

Sango had not looked particularly happy about that.

So Kagome naturally assumed that Sango had finally reached the end of her patience and decided to settle the score.

"Whatever. Let’s go back inside."

"Miroku-sama probably deserves a beating anyway."

Kagome turned to head back into her room, hoping she could still get a little more sleep.

Shippō folded his arms and nodded vigorously.

"Exactly! That lecherous monk deserves it!"

"Something’s wrong."

Haruto suddenly spoke.

"Sango looks like she’s sleepwalking."

Her breathing was steady.

Far too steady for someone moving so violently.

It was closer to the breathing rhythm of someone deeply asleep.

"Really?"

Kagome looked doubtful, but decided to keep watching.

Inuyasha and Shippō did the same.

Haruto did not explain further.

He continued observing Sango and Miroku.

The scene felt strangely familiar.

So he expanded his En and carefully sensed Sango’s condition.

Almost immediately, he detected a presence somewhat similar to Myōga’s, yet clearly different.

At that moment, Haruto finally remembered what part of the story this was.

His expression turned slightly strange.

After thinking about it, however, he chose to say nothing.

By then, Miroku had been forced all the way back against a wall with nowhere left to retreat.

"Sango’s being controlled by something!"

Hearing that, and remembering Haruto’s earlier observation, Inuyasha decided it was better to stop her first and ask questions later.

He rushed forward.

One hand caught Sango’s swinging wrist, while the other pressed down on Hiraikotsu.

The moment he restrained her, Inuyasha also realized something was wrong.

"Sango! Sango, wake up!"

Sango’s body suddenly stiffened.

The fierce pressure surrounding her vanished.

The emptiness in her eyes faded.

Then her eyes closed, and her entire body went limp as she fell unconscious.

"Sango!"

Miroku hurriedly caught her.

When he felt her breathing remained steady, he finally relaxed.

Then his hands unconsciously shifted a little lower.

Even while unconscious, Sango reacted on pure instinct.

Her arm snapped upward.

SMACK!

A loud, crisp slap echoed across the courtyard.

A bright red handprint immediately appeared across the left side of Miroku’s face.

Miroku froze.

So did everyone else.

A moment later, Sango slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked blankly, looked around at everyone gathered nearby, then down at the Hiraikotsu still in her hand.

Finally, she looked at where she was standing.

Her confusion deepened.

"Wait... why am I out here?"

"I was sleeping inside."

Sango frowned.

She had absolutely no idea why she was standing in the courtyard in the middle of the night while still dressed in sleepwear.

Then she turned toward Miroku.

The bright red handprint across his face immediately caught her attention.

Her expression became even more puzzled.

"What happened, Miroku?"

"What’s wrong with your face?"

Miroku covered the burning side of his cheek and forced out a smile that looked more painful than crying.

"N-Nothing..."

He certainly could not tell her that he had placed his hand somewhere he absolutely should not have while she was still half-asleep and gotten slapped for it.

"What exactly happened just now?"

Kagome stepped forward and looked curiously at Miroku.

"Why was Sango suddenly being controlled and attacking you?"

"I’m not completely sure either."

Miroku’s expression turned serious, with a hint of lingering unease.

"I was sleeping normally when Sango suddenly pushed open my door."

"She didn’t say a word. She just came at me with Hiraikotsu."

"I called her name over and over, but she never responded."

"But I’m certain something was attached to her."

Inuyasha frowned and leaned closer to Sango.

He sniffed carefully for several seconds.

"That’s weird."

"There’s no suspicious yōki."

"Doesn’t seem like a yōkai possession."

At that moment, Myōga slowly crawled out from Miroku’s collar, trembling visibly.

He looked toward Inuyasha and asked nervously,

"L-Lord Inuyasha... are you sure?"

"You really don’t smell anything suspicious?"

Inuyasha did not answer.

Instead, he looked at Myōga with growing suspicion.

"Gramps Myōga, when the hell did you climb onto Miroku?"

He had already felt earlier that Myōga was acting strangely.

And cowardly as Myōga usually was, even he was not normally this nervous.

Myōga acted as though he had not heard the question at all.

He leaned forward anxiously.

"Lord Inuyasha! You really didn’t smell anything suspicious?"

"Nothing at all?"

That reaction immediately sent Inuyasha’s suspicions through the roof.

"Myōga."

"You’re hiding something from us, aren’t you?"

"Spit it out!"

Faced with Inuyasha’s interrogation, Myōga’s eyes darted nervously from side to side.

He refused to meet Inuyasha’s gaze.

"N-No, nothing at all... Really!"

"Lord Inuyasha, you’ve misunderstood!"