Part 5: Chapter 3

   Meanwhile, Nakajima had reached the end of the burial pathway, led by Yomotsu-Shikome. Before him stood a burial chamber. It had to be the spot where Izanami lay.
 I've finally made it here...
   The chamber itself had no door, but a silvery, fluorescent relief in the floor by the entrance gave off an aura as if guarding the chamber within. It resembled a Solomon Hexagram quite a bit.
   Yomotsu-Shikome with her chin as if to urge him inside. As Nakajima started to enter, she gently placed Yumiko down so that he could carry her on his back.
   "Aren't you coming in?"
   As Nakajima spoke, the monster woman looked as if struck by fear and awe and shook her head. And all of a sudden, Yomotsu-Shikome thrust her long arm down her throat, all the way down to her elbow. Her green neck expanded, and she fiercely vomited. An awful stench wafted up from the bile, and Nakajima reflexively turned away. Yomotsu-Shikome, on the other hand, retrieved two glowing blue spheres from amongst the vomit and presented them to Nakajima. While he didn't particularly want to take them, he didn't want to ignore the beastly woman's kindness, and grimaced as he accepted the gift.
   The phlegm-covered spheres felt very light, and fit perfectly into his hands.
   "What are these?"
   In response to Nakajima's question, the giant woman made a motion of striking her slimy hands together.
   "Am I supposed to knock these together?"
   Yomotsu-Shikome nodded over and over again, narrowed her eyes, and opened her mouth halfway.
   Was that just a smile? Nakajima started to feel a fondness for the monster.
   Right at that moment, the sound of someone's cry from the far end of the burial pathway echoed throughout the area. Yomotsu-Shikome shuddered with surprise. Looking behind several times regretfully, she started back along the path.
   Stooping over so that Yumiko would not slide off his back, Nakajima wiped off the spheres given to him by the monster woman on his slacks, and knocked them together forcefully. Bright orange fireworks flew in all directions, but aside from that, nothing seemed to happen.
   Are these supposed to be used in some sort of ceremony or something?
   Unable to find an answer, Nakajima dropped the two spheres into his pocket and straddled over the relief under Yumiko's weight.

   The burial chamber itself smelled slightly of flowers. It was about four meters long in every direction. Dozens of pots as high as Nakajima's waist were lined up all around the room. Looking inside them, he could see oil gathered in the bottom. It appeared to be what was giving off the smell of flowers. Most likely, it was a pomade offered to Izanami. Right in front of him stood a white granite dais. On top of it lay ashes in the form of a cross--no, that of a person lying on their back.