Led by Yomotsu-Shikome, Nakajima had reached the end of the burial pathway. Before him, a burial chamber stood; 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 entryway’s floor emitted an aura, as if it were guarding the chamber within. It strongly resembled a Solomon Hexagram.
Yomotsu-Shikome gestured with her chin as if to urge him inside. As Nakajima started to enter, she gently placed Yumiko on his back so that he could carry her.
"Aren't you coming in?"
At his question, the monster woman looked struck by fear and awe and shook her head. 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 vomited fiercely. An awful stench wafted up from the bile; 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 beast 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 fondness for the monster.
The sound of someone's cry from the far end of the burial pathway echoed throughout the area. Yomotsu-Shikome shuddered with surprise. She started back along the path, regretfully looking behind several times. Stooping over so that Yumiko would not slide off his back, Nakajima wiped off the spheres the monster woman had given him 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, Yumiko's weight on his back, waddled over to the relief.
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 stacked up all around the room. He looked inside them and saw oil gathered at their bottoms. They appeared to be what was giving off the smell of flowers. It was most likely a pomade offered to Izanami. In front of him, a white granite dais stood. On top of it lay ashes in the form of a cross.
No, it was the form of a person lying on their back.
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