B4trans, it seems that Shiki is casting doubt on the theory of the new youkai being a kamaitachi, because those are supposed to come in threes (with panel 3 being an Imagine Spot of what Youko being attacked by kamaitachi would actually look like).
Whoops, she must have been one of the OTHER Mustelidae-family sickle-based youkai! Because there's totally bunches of them. (Also, that explains the mouse-like ears...)
Yamaitachi (other word for stoat). Still an itachi.
NWSiaCB said:
Whoops, she must have been one of the OTHER Mustelidae-family sickle-based youkai! Because there's totally bunches of them. (Also, that explains the mouse-like ears...)
Garrus said:
I was wondering why she was alone, to be fair. Are there any relatives to the kamaitachi in folklore?
A lot of prefectures have their own variant. Most of them are pretty much the same though. Some kind of weasel youkai with sickle-wind powers, just under a different name.
They are other mustelid youkais, though they are not necessarily always depicted as being as closely associated with mustelids/weasels as the kamaitachi (as in, they are depicted as small animals that might be a mustelid, but not necessarily so). The closest I can think of that fits is the kuda-gitsune ("pipe fox"), which is variously described as a (miniature) fox, rat or mustelid.
But kuda-gitsune is also another name for the stoat (as in Mustela erminea the species), so, hmm...
...kamaitachi.I'm so sorrry!
That must have huuurt!
The girl herself hadn't even noticed...S-So...Are you really a kamaitachi?What manner of youkai are you?I'm really so sorry!She has quite the unique crying visage to her...Why's that?Kamaitachi - these weasel youkai operate in groups of three, to wit:
The first knocks over the person
The second cuts with a blade
The third applies a salve
then they vanish...Is the kind of youkai they are...But it appears that she was moving about by herself, no...?But above all that...You... you're not a weasel... but a stoat, are you not?It's true! A stoat!Quite...
Sto... stoat?
Oh snap, this handfeel♪*Shink**blaaaank*...*pet* *pet**Uu?**pet* *pet**sniffle**sniffle**squeek!**squeek!**sob*...*squeek!**squeek!**Bam!*Urgh!Her ears are round!