Chapter 83: The Seal Comes Ashore (Eighth Update)

What does a seal’s smile look like? Qiao Qiao had never seen one before, but now she finally knew. It resembled that awkward smile of the uncle next door, who in his thirties still hadn’t found a girlfriend and spent each day playing video games, occasionally helping his mother take out the trash and encountering children just returning from school. The smile was awkward, harmless, and tinged with a hint of timidity.

However, the moment the seal spoke, Masato Yukidei, Ayano Fujiwara, and Qiao Qiao all drew their weapons. Three pipe foxes circled around Masato, who wore traditional hunting attire. Ayano could not unfold her ritual bow in the cramped space, so she held only her kagura bells. Qiao Qiao kept it simple, gripping a massive revolver. Behind them, they shielded Ariko Asano.

“Please wait, honorable ones. I am not a suspicious individual,” the seal said in fluent Japanese, panic in its voice. Unsure whether to freeze or surrender, it simply flopped onto the floor and exposed its belly—a pose seals adopt when basking in the sun, utterly defenseless.

“Do you have a residency permit?” Qiao Qiao was the first to ask.

“A residency permit? What is that?” The seal tilted its head.

“As expected, an illegal immigrant.” Qiao Qiao cocked his gun, making the seal shudder and tremble.

“No, no! Exorcist sir, I’ve only just learned to speak, and I haven’t yet mastered transforming into a human,” the seal hurriedly explained.

“Go on,” Qiao Qiao gestured with his gun. He wasn’t a devil; since the creature showed no hostility, he would listen to reason.

The seal began to explain its situation. It had once been a happy seal swimming in the Arctic Ocean. Its favorite pastime was sunbathing on the shore. One day, though, it was injured by a hunter’s fishing net and discovered by fishermen, who sent it to a local animal rescue center. Eventually, it was transferred to a research institute in Okinawa to recuperate and occasionally perform for humans. A few days ago, it was sent to Nagoya, and after a performance, it suddenly awakened its spiritual consciousness.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiao sensed something strange. He glanced at his companions, who all wore puzzled expressions. The spiritual consciousness of a yokai is akin to human self-awareness—the ability to think. When a creature is still just an animal, it possesses consciousness, but this is closer to instinct. They may grasp the concept of individuality and engage in basic communication, but true awareness remains distant.

Through decades of accumulating spiritual energy and extending their lifespans, animals gradually develop spiritual consciousness. At this stage, their bodies remain animalistic, but their minds—or the way they think—approach that of humans. Some creatures with particular physical structures can even learn to speak human language; parrots mimicking speech, for example, are not simply repeating phrases but practicing communication. Such animals are known as half-yokai.

Like the cherry tree Qiao Qiao had recently destroyed, which could use spiritual power to control vengeful spirits and gather more energy. Whether it could speak, Qiao Qiao wasn’t sure, though it hardly mattered now.

Once spiritual consciousness has arisen, animals begin to accumulate spiritual energy purposefully, soon able to transform into human form. If the seal had been passively gathering spiritual energy and happened to awaken its consciousness in recent days, that would not be unusual. Yet Qiao Qiao pulled out the tourist handbook, which described many of the aquarium’s animals. He turned to the page for the seal.

This gentleman, named Rocky from near Greenland, was about five years old according to his medical records. For a seal, this is adulthood, ready to breed the next generation. But from a yokai perspective, awakening spiritual consciousness in five years was remarkably swift.

Was it extraordinary talent? Qiao Qiao didn’t think so. He recalled Suzuka. Among yokai, there existed techniques rumored to accelerate an animal’s transformation. According to Qiao Qiao’s understanding, these techniques were likely connected to the Jewel of Four Souls. Though Suzuka’s current medical checkup showed nothing amiss, such unnatural methods often left lingering aftereffects. Remembering the three yokai he’d encountered, who seemed to hail from the dominion of ancient powers, Qiao Qiao had little fondness for the Jewel of Four Souls.

And now—

A seal that awakened spiritual consciousness after just five years; was this yet another trick of those yokai?

“So, you’ve only just awakened consciousness, know little about residency permits or the plight of yokai, and chose to stay here?” The Fujiwara priestess broke the silence with her question.

“If I suddenly spoke to the keeper, wouldn’t he be startled?” the seal replied.

“Indeed,” Qiao Qiao nodded, glancing toward the keeper’s exit. According to the Exorcist Association’s investigations, most modern yokai transformations occurred within wild populations, cultivated by older yokai. Urban animals rarely transformed, since the spiritual energy in cities was too thin to extend their lifespans to awakening age. That this seal could awaken consciousness was truly exceptional and deserved careful attention.

“By the way, most yokai who awaken consciousness tend to escape; why are you content to stay here?” Masato Yukidei regarded the seal’s honest face. With consciousness, an animal becomes a half-yokai, gaining self-awareness and pride, usually unwilling to be kept by humans. But this seal seemed perfectly at ease.

“There’s regular feeding, a place to sleep and play, and I’ve heard they’ll arrange a mate for me to breed pups. In exchange, I perform for just a few minutes each day and get two days off a week. Why would I want to leave?” the seal replied, bewildered.

His words left Masato speechless.

“Well said,” Qiao Qiao nodded. In this world, perhaps even humans didn’t live as carefree as this seal.

“Regardless, you must register with the Exorcist Association. Asano priestess, please notify them.” Ariko Asano, responsible for contacting the Nagoya Exorcist Association, nodded and picked up her phone to call headquarters.

“By the way, before and after awakening your consciousness, did you encounter any unusual yokai or humans?” As they waited for backup, Qiao Qiao asked casually.

“Oh, yes,” the seal replied. “There was someone who spoke to me.”