Kays Translations

Chapter 100: Mamono-kun

When the Spider Witch politely declined Mamono-kun’s request to conduct an ecological survey in Okutama, he looked disappointed but backed down without protest. He then dried himself off with a towel and changed into casual pants and a T-shirt. In an instant, he transformed from a typical kappa yokai into a kappa yokai who had failed to blend into modern society.

Even as he changed clothes over his swimsuit, he stubbornly refused to remove his kappa mask. My curiosity got the better of me, so I asked:

“Are you not going to take that mask off?”

“Nope. It’s part of my body.”

“It’s part of your body!? So you’re a wizard? A kappa-type elemental?”

“You’re familiar with kappas? That’s rare. I am technically an elemental… but I think there’s a misunderstanding here. I hate to break the illusion, but I’m not a real kappa. I do like kappas, but unfortunately, we’ve never confirmed their actual existence. When I say ‘part of my body,’ it’s just a figure of speech. This is a mask. My real face is just an ordinary human one.”

“Oh. So you’re not a real kappa…”

“Well, I am Mamono-kun, so it’s not like I have a real face anyway, you know?”

Mamono-kun explained everything politely, while contradicting himself at the same time.

In short, he’s like one of those mascot characters at a theme park. There’s no person inside—he is the character. Got it.

“I had the impression that children of Transcendents turned out pretty… inhuman, but Mamono-kun seems pretty normal.”

Mamono-kun’s head was entirely that of a kappa, but from the neck down he looked human.

If that head is really just a mask and his real face is a regular human one, then his original appearance is likely just a completely normal human.

Though, as he said himself, Mamono-kun is Mamono-kun, so maybe there’s no such thing as an “original” appearance.

The Flower Witch’s child, and the Flame Witch and Hiyori’s child, are both full-blown elementals. I’d sort of assumed all monsters looked non-human, but apparently that’s not always the case.

Because Mamono-kun’s mask was so finely crafted and fit so perfectly to his skin, I could easily read the expression of surprise on the kappa’s face when I spoke. Honestly, it was even easier to read than a regular human face.

“Say, just a hunch—but do you actually know what an elemental is, mister?”

“They’re the children of Transcendents, right? Uh, though now that I think about it, I might’ve heard another definition before…”

“The definition has changed over time. About fifty years ago, your version would’ve been correct. If I may, I’d like to explain—it could help avoid some misunderstandings.”

Mamono-kun then kindly explained what “elemental” meant.

An elemental is someone who:

Can control magic energy (mana),Is born with a Gremlin, Has human ancestry.

Elementals fall into two main categories:

Children of Transcendents. Fuyou, born via self-pollination by the Flower Witch, was born with a Gremlin (hidden under her petal skirt). Fire lizards (Salamanders) have Gremlins in their belly as juveniles, and in their chest when mature.
They can control mana, and their Transcendent parents were originally human.
Thus, they’re of human lineage and qualify as elementals. The other is Children of Beast Tamers. Children born to someone who has undergone Gremlin implantation might also be born with a Gremlin themselves.
Those born this way, who can control mana and are of human descent, also qualify as elementals.

Mamono-kun’s parents were both Beast Tamers from Hokkaido who had Gremlin implants, so he was born an elementals.

However, having implanted Gremlins doesn’t guarantee the child will be born an elementals. While the birthrate of elementals is gradually increasing, it remains very low. The total elemental population is still quite small.

“How low are we talking? Even if the odds are small, it’s been about 90 years since the Gremlin Disaster. Wouldn’t a lot of regular humans have been replaced by elementals through generational change?”

“Oh, you’re interested? It’s a bit technical, but I’d love to get into the details. It makes me really happy when someone’s curious about this stuff.”

When I raised my hand and asked a question, Mamono-kun cheerfully dove into a deeper explanation.

I went to sit on the riverbank to listen, and the Spider Witch silently offered one of her forelegs. I gratefully sat on it.

Thanks to years of international research, the principles behind demon births have been clarified.

Basic rule: At least one parent must have a Gremlin implanted.

The longer the implant period, the higher the chance of the child being born an elemental.

If one parent has had an implant for 1 year, the odds are 0.01%.

If both parents have had implants for 20 years, the odds are 0.4%.

Elementals are born rarely, but children of elementals have a high chance of also being elementals.

If only the mother is born with a Gremlin, there’s a 90% chance it’s inherited.

If only the father is, 5%.

If both are, 100% inheritance.

“Huh. So it’s mostly dependent on the mother. Sounds a lot like mitochondrial inheritance.”

“!? Mister, you know classical biology? Don’t tell me you teach at some university? Were you a pre-Disaster biology major or something?”

“Mamono-kun, he’s a relative of the Blue Witch. He’s… been through a lot.”

Mamono-kun jumped at my offhand comment and I panicked for a second, but the Spider Witch stepped in to smooth things over.

Yikes. I guess the standards for knowledge have changed a lot over the past 80 years.

Before the Gremlin Disaster, this level of biology would’ve been high school material—but now it’s considered university level. That’s rough.

I might seem relatively smarter now, but on the flip side, I don’t know much about what’s common knowledge today—like elementals—so it all evens out, I guess.

Apparently, there’s even a real theory similar to what I said about mitochondria.

To put it simply, humans originally had pathetic low-spec cells.

But during the course of evolution, they fused with primitive lifeforms and gained high-spec cells, becoming stronger humans.

Now, a similar kind of evolutionary event is happening.

Gremlins are a type of lifeform.

They feed on electricity, reproduce by spreading spores, and expand across environments.

Just like mitochondria once fused with ancient cells to enhance biological capabilities, demons have fused with Gremlins to become enhanced beings.

Children of Transcendents (who are demons) lack reproductive ability, but Gremlin-origin elementals can reproduce.
Because of this, it’s said that eventually, Homo sapiens will be replaced by Homo magia, the elementals variant, through generational turnover.

Currently, there are about 20,000 elementals in the world.

But that number is slowly and steadily increasing.

Demons may not be as powerful as Transcendents, but they have high mana and can control it. They can’t produce unpronounceable sounds, but they’re essentially upgraded versions of old-model humans.

Most countries—including Japan—have some degree of pro-elemental policies.

Things like subsidies for elemental-to-elemental marriages, support for childbirth and parenting, even sperm donor programs in some nations.

In the right country, elementals are basically nobility.

So that means, in another country, Mamono-kun would be considered nobility!?

Even though he’s that weird guy wrestling monster fish in the river while wearing a kappa mask?

Well, listening to him lecture like this, I do genuinely think he’s an intelligent scholar.

But what even is a scholarly person who refuses to take off a kappa mask? The kappa style is just way too distracting.

“Since there are marriage benefits for magic beings, does that mean Mamono-kun is married?”

“Ah… well, there were some things. The first time ended because of cheating. The second time, we got as far as an engagement, but she ended it. I suppose I can’t blame her, looking like this. I’m single now.”

That… actually sounds very familiar. A suspiciously familiar romantic history.

Better steer clear of this topic.

Let’s change the subject.

“By the way, where did you get that kappa mask? I assume it must be the work of a renowned craftsman?”

“Oh, I made it myself.”

“You made it yourself!? M-Mamono-san!”

Vast biological knowledge.

Passion for fieldwork, even risking his body.

And the craftsmanship to create an incredibly detailed mask himself.

This is a man worthy of respect. I must address him with “-san.”

“Could I take a look at the mask? Actually, could I have more than just a quick look? I’m going to look now. Hmm. Hmmmm. Even the inner side is detailed… whoa, this texture is amazing! The scales look tough, but they’re soft and moist to the touch! And each scale has a core inside. You can’t tell from the outside, but… wow! Wait, did you even design the nostril structure in the beak? This isn’t just some random hole. I can tell, I get it—this is based on the theory of what the nasal cavity of a kappa would look like if they had a sense of smell, right? The sewing may not be perfect, but this quality more than makes up for it. This isn’t just cosplay—this mask has biological realism! It feels alive!”

After obsessively examining the super high-quality kappa mask and all the knowledge, ingenuity, and craftsmanship poured into it, I suddenly snapped back to myself.

And I turned pale.

C-crap.

Did I do it again?

I should have learned from the Hiyori massage incident that examining someone without permission is incredibly rude.

“Um, Mamono-san, I’m really sorry for touching you like that out of nowhere. That was very rude of me…”

“Not at all. I’m just happy someone appreciates the greatness of kappas. Really. It’s rare to even find someone who knows what a kappa is these days.”

Even though I had done something pretty rude, Mamono-san flapped his kappa beak and laughed, graciously forgiving me. Mamono-kun-san! What a generous soul.

“Seriously, though, it’s amazing. What do you even have to eat to come up with something like this? I mean, not just the skill, but the concept is brilliant. To dive this deep into the biology of a fictional creature… you’ve got the brain of a genius from another dimension!”

“You have a good eye, sir. Actually, the original idea wasn’t mine. I simply observe the body structures of natural monsters very closely, study and understand their systems, and then integrate and harmonize those concepts. Monsters are always willing to share their wisdom with those who sincerely try to understand them. They’re truly wonderful beings…!”

I was fired up by Mamono-kun-san’s passionate words as he raised his fist.

“Woooooah, that’s so cool! Learning from nature! That makes so much sense. I mean, the dragon furnace’s multi-layer structure came from gremlin biology. Honeycomb structures from bees, sharkskin swimsuits… nature’s tech has always been a source of inspiration.”

“Ohhh! You really know your stuff! How about this—if you’ve got time, why don’t you come over to my place? I keep a variety of monsters and have some fascinating specimens. I’d love to show you the natural art that monsters create.”

“Yes! I’d love to! That sounds amazing!”

Mamono-kun-san extended the invitation, and I eagerly agreed.

But as I was about to follow him without a second thought, the Spider Witch tugged at my sleeve to stop me.

“Hey. What about the date scouting…?”

“Ah.”

The original purpose finally returns to my mind, which had gone fully into craftsman mode.

The angel in my head pins Iruma down and pummels him while whispering, “Let Mamono-kun-san wait. Prioritize the date.”

Alright then, date takes priority.

Mamono-kun-san is a good guy, but even if I visit his place, it’ll be exciting in a fun way—not in a romantic, heart-throbbing kind of way.

I asked Mamono-kun-san for his address, promised to visit another day, and reluctantly parted ways for now.

At first glance, he seemed like a completely bizarre and unapproachable weirdo—but after talking with him, I found he was a comprehensible weirdo.

We got along well, and just maybe—really maybe—I might have made a friend who’s about 80 years younger than me.

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