- Mangaka : Shouoto, Aya
- Publisher : VIZ
- Genre : Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo, Harem, Supernatural
- Published : January 2019
Momochi-san Chi no Ayakashi Ouji (The Demon Prince of Momochi House) Vol. 13 Introduction
Kasha’s pretending to kill Himari but only separating her from her body takes quite a toll on both her and Aoi. Yet again, Aoi must pour over old books for answers and Himari finds herself becoming more ayakashi-like. Aoi resorts to summoning Kasha for help, but it’s not Himari’s soul that re-enters her body! Locked out with someone impersonating her, Himari can do nothing to stop Kasha’s nefarious plan from unfolding.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
While we were led to believe that Kasha had murdered Himari in volume 12, it turns out he only pretended to. At this point, it seems like just a crappy thing to do to get a rise out of Aoi, his favorite thing. Aoi would rather rely on his own power to restore Himari but his desperation drives him to contact Kasha and try to make a deal. Disturbingly, Aoi tells Kasha that he is slowly turning into the Nue permanently and Kasha may eat the remainder of Aoi’s soul in exchange for saving Himari. Kasha accepts the deal.
The scene shifts to Himari’s spirit staring at her human body when it suddenly sits up. It announces that it’s fine and pretends to be Himari even with Himari’s spirit desperately yelling for others to notice her. Even Aoi accepts that Himari has been safely returned to her body. Her panicked voice no longer reaches any of the ayakashi or lesser yokai. Her faces go from horror to resignation as time passes and no one acknowledges her. It’s unsure just how much time but it’s unnerving seeing how horrified she looked at the start and how listless she looks in the next scene. We know at least by nightfall Himari has a bit more resolve and goes to find out if her body can at least see her but she encounters her body going into Aoi’s room! Himari watches, shocked and embarrassed, as her body tries to aggressively seduce Aoi. It first appears comical with Himari’s flustered reactions but then the severity of the situation becomes apparent. Something sinister is in Himari’s body and can even make use of her powers as landlady of Momochi House, banishing Himari’s spirit with an evil smirk.
Himari’s situation becomes more grave as the gate to Momochi House disappears leaving her with no way to return. She starts questioning her own identity and running aimlessly through the forest before running into a familiar face. Despite his supposed memory loss, it’s Mr. Nachi. Having somehow made new deals with ayakashi and attempting dangerous rituals, some of his power has returned. He offers to listen to Himari with a kind voice, and she reveals to him her predicament. Mr. Nachi has her think carefully about what she lost and how she might return home but Himari seems hopeless. While she’s lost in her thoughts, Mr. Nachi’s shikigami attacks her again. She starts running as Mr. Nachi tells her to stop fighting and die and that she can’t return because she’s useless to everyone.
Apparently, he remembers just enough about the power of Himari’s house to see her as an enemy. Himari is terrified but she thinks of her powerful bond with Aoi and is able to escape Mr. Nachi back into Momochi House. Inside, Aoi has dropped the act and drawn out the real spirit in Himari’s body; Kasha. Nevertheless, Kasha manages to steal Aoi away with him just as Himari returns to her body. Everyone but Hakka has been put under a sleep spell so Himari forces Hakka to take her to Kasha’s residence. While wary of the immensely powerful demon Kasha is, Hakka has a weakness for forceful girls.
Himari starts to worry Aoi might have feelings for Kasha when she hears about an upcoming wedding at the residence and Hakka’s accusation that if Aoi wanted to leave, he would. Thankfully, they find Aoi before Kasha and Aoi asks them to look for his soul in a room of clones made by Kasha. Despite being identical, Himari manages to return the right soul to Aoi. All seems well until Aoi says he can’t leave with Hakka and Himari yet.
1. Himari’s Alive! Sort of
With the horrible cliffhanger of Himari’s ghost above her ‘bloody’ body, it was reassuring to so quickly learn she was not, in fact, lost to the void. Kasha seems to enjoy few things more than snuffing out innocent lives so we wouldn’t put murdering humans past him. The subtle changes that take over her spiritual form, like random feelings of wanting to return, also give a small glimpse into the world of ayakashi.
1. Himari Thanking Mr. Nachi is Maddening
When Himari’s at her most vulnerable, Mr. Nachi appears to ‘save’ her. This was only done to determine if she was still connected to Momochi House and of what use she might be to Mr. Nachi. He uses the same sweet voice with which he tricked a young Aoi into taking on the lonely role of the Omamori-sama which Himari even recalls as she’s running from him. Despite all this, she still thanks him for talking with her and, though inadvertently, giving her the tools to return. She doesn’t do this sarcastically either, she does it whole-heartedly because he’s still her teacher.
Final Thoughts
This sure was a stressful read! The return of Mr. Nachi and Aoi’s mysterious and perhaps intimate past with Kasha make us wonder, just what is waiting for us in volume 14? Especially with the weird maze Mr. Nachi seemingly left behind in volume 12 and his reappearance in volume 13, we can’t ignore the possibility that he will once again pose a serious threat to our Momochi residents in the future!
Author: May
