However, Arataki Itto had no intention of distancing himself from Takuya.
[Arataki Itto angrily said: "Sacrifice only lets you escape reality, only gives you personal relief…"]
["Listen up, a true man of the Oni clan would never resort to such a cowardly solution! Don't tarnish the pride of the Oni with your sacrifice!"]
["If the Blue Oni are suffering, then we'll go bring them a new life."]
["If we've already made mistakes, we'll go atone for them properly."]
["If reality treats us cruelly, then we'll smash reality to pieces!"]
["But before all that, you stand behind me properly and stop thinking about self-sacrifice!"]
Readers couldn't take it anymore. Itto, please stop! We really can't handle this! We're really about to become your fans!
So, is the Arataki Gang still recruiting? I don't mean anything by it, I haven't switched sides, I'm just curious, really no other intentions.
Kujou Sara sighed as well. Arataki Itto, no wonder Kuki Shinobu follows you.
Takuya was deeply shaken by Itto's words, standing frozen in place, ignoring the awakened Nogata. Nogata rushed forward, snatching the talisman and tearing the "explosive tag" apart.
Nogata: Art is an explosion, ha!
The successive explosions caused the building to collapse, and Nogata, who claimed to have an escape route, was immediately crushed by falling rocks.
Facing the danger, Itto told the Traveler to protect the hostages who hadn't escaped yet, while he rushed toward Takuya amidst the explosions and collapse.
["Leave this to me! There are still people who haven't escaped—go save them!"]
An illustration showed Arataki Itto weaving through falling debris, running toward Takuya.
[Takuya shouted: "Don't worry about me! Get out of here, this is what I deserve!"]
[Arataki Itto roared: "Shut your mouth!!"]
A massive rock fell, and Itto leaped up. In the illustration, his back glowed with "Oni tattoos," and with one punch, he shattered the rock!
Smash it!!
The impact of this illustration didn't just shatter the rock—it broke the readers' stubborn mouths, harder than stone.
As he landed, the ground collapsed, and Itto leaped toward Takuya through the falling rocks, using them as leverage.
The scene froze on Itto reaching out a hand toward Takuya.
Now, readers stopped being stubborn. Alright, I admit it, I'm a fan of Itto.
You know, Itto and I have always been good brothers.
I've never, in any setting, said Arataki Itto is a fool. Let that be known.
The story wasn't over yet. The Traveler successfully saved the hostages, while Itto arrived late with Takuya.
[Itto plopped down on the ground, wincing: "Ouch, that hurts."]
You ask where it hurts? Obviously, his butt!
[Takuya asked: "Why go to such lengths for me?"]
[Itto said matter-of-factly: "Because we're both Oni, with the same blood flowing through us."]
["Mom and Dad never taught us to abandon family."]
["…You should've come to me sooner."]
Itto sat on the ground, no longer as dashing as before, but his words still carried charm.
[Takuya: "But your own life isn't exactly great…"]
[Arataki Itto laughed: "Hahaha, that's my own choice!"]
["In my Arataki Gang, everyone's kind of a misfit."]
["Akira, he snores super loud. Genta, he's got a bad temper. Mamoru, he can't tell colors apart…"]
Readers couldn't help but interject—okay, but not being able to tell colors apart is a bit much, right?
["Granny Oni got called 'Granny Oni' because she took me in. Everyone's been discriminated against or mocked, but, well, who cares?"]
[Arataki Itto gave a carefree smile: "Don't worry, the Arataki Gang is full of weirdos. What's one more?"]
Let me declare again: I've never called Itto a fool. I've always been a loyal fan of Arataki Itto.
After much consideration, I've realized Arataki Itto is the best leader, the best detective, and the best friend.
Itto's story ended with him promising Takuya he'd take care of the Blue Oni.
Then he got arrested. He said his Arataki Gang members would look after the Blue Oni, but not one of his crew escaped either.
It was like the King of Hell calling roll—every named person got locked up by the Tenryou Commission in the slammer.
In the end, he entrusted the Traveler, who, luckily, had connections, or she'd have been locked up too.
The entire Arataki Gang nearly got wiped out. Thank goodness Kuki Shinobu was outside to clear their names and take care of the Blue Oni clan.
Without Shinobu, who knows what kind of mess the Arataki Gang would've ended up in?
Without Shinobu, this family would've fallen apart sooner or later.
The Traveler told Granny Oni and the others about what Itto did.
[The Traveler asked: "Is he always like this?"]
[Granny Oni smiled kindly: "Yes, that's his most lovable trait, isn't it?"]
["He does what he thinks, sincere, brave, and unwavering."]
["Back then, when I took him in, everyone thought I was strange and called me 'Granny Oni.'"]
["I've never found that name offensive. In fact, I'm quite proud of it."]
[Granny Oni looked up at the sky, a proud smile on her face: "Because Itto is my 'pride.'"]
"Granny…" Itto squirmed a bit. Seeing Granny Oni talk about him like this, he was deeply moved but too embarrassed to show it.
A real man doesn't just cry like that!
No worries, the readers cried for him. No wonder Itto's such a great guy—he had a great guardian.
It's no surprise that, despite the discrimination he faced as an Oni, his personality remained so cheerful.
Behind him was a family that always supported him and took pride in him—that was the source of his confidence.
How does that saying go? A kid like this might not end up on a podium, but he won't end up on a rooftop either.
Readers turned the page, but the story was over. However, there was a comic strip lovingly drawn by Teacher Albedo, continuing the earlier Blue Oni and Red Oni story.
To show gratitude, Lucian added some Albedo expression stickers next to the illustrations.
To show sincerity, one of them featured Teacher Albedo holding a cross and a Bible, with the word "Amen" written on it.
Back to the point, this comic strip continued the story from where the Blue Oni left.
[Over a long time, the Red Oni finally became friends with humans, and the idea of bringing the Blue Oni home sprouted in his heart.]
[The Red Oni didn't know where the Blue Oni had gone. He climbed the highest mountains and crossed the widest rivers, finding many traces left by the Blue Oni.]
[But the more traces he found, the more the Red Oni was certain that the Blue Oni was deliberately hiding.]
The illustration showed the Blue Oni hiding in the bushes, secretly watching the Red Oni.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Albedo: About 'Amen'
"Hm… I don't quite understand. It seems to be some kind of divine teaching? But it's unrelated to Teyvat's gods, which makes it quite intriguing."