My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon
Chapter 349

Oni 2

Amidst lush green nature. Under the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, the pleasant coolness and the familiarity among companions make the conversation lively.

"Speaking of which, I've also heard that demons were actually foreigners."

Nina-san leans against the tree behind her, crossing her outstretched legs and resting her chin on her hand. Nodding, huh? That crimson-red scorpion suit still looks great on you today.

"Yeah, that's the most plausible theory. During the Warring States period, the average height of Japanese people was around 140 cm. So when a large Caucasian over 180 cm appeared before them, people back then probably couldn’t believe they were the same species."

However, Serai-san, holding a cup from her water bottle, voices her doubts while taking a sip.

"Hmm~, but y’know? There are also stories about helping shipwrecked foreigners, right? Even if they were foreigners, it’s not like they had horns on their heads. So wouldn’t people back then have been able to tell the difference between foreigners and demons?"

"Oh, that’s a good question. True, Westerners aren’t demons, so they don’t have horns. But I think distance and time played a bigger role than horns."

Well, there was also that era when they called Westerners "demon beasts," but...

"Yeah. For example, imagine a foreign ship wrecked near Japan’s coast. If people on land could see it, the fact that they were on a ship—a marvel of civilization—would make even unfamiliar figures seem less like demons or monsters."

"Hmm~, you think so?"

"Yep. Humans fear what they don’t understand. So if someone arrives on something understandable, like a ship, even if they look different, they’d seem closer to us."

Right. If they’d arrived on something like a weird cloud or a glowing UFO, the story would’ve been very different.

"Then why did they mistake shipwrecked foreigners for demons?"

"First off, foreigners likely started washing up in Japan around the Age of Exploration. That’s when European nations sent out ships in search of treasure and adventure. Back then, Japan—before it was called the Land of Gold, Zipang—was still uncharted territory. Without maps or knowledge of ocean currents, ships would get caught in storms and sink. Crew members would be tossed into the raging sea."

"Without GPS or radios, being stranded in the ocean with no land in sight must’ve been terrifying."

"Exactly. If they had lifeboats, maybe. But during a storm, lowering one properly would be tough. Most would cling to wreckage, drifting for days. With no shade, their skin would burn bright red. They’d ditch their clothes—too heavy to swim in. Over time, their hair would get matted from salt, their beards overgrown. By the time they washed up on a Japanese shore, they’d look just like red demons—'Aah! A demon, a demon’s here!'—that kind of reaction."

"Ehh… I guess that makes sense. But would it really happen like that?"

Well, it’s just one possibility. But think about the colors typically associated with demons—red, blue, black. Don’t you think there’s meaning there?"

"Fufun. I already figured it out, so I won’t say anything."

"Huh? Shizu, you already get it!?"

"Hmm~, if red demons are from sunburn… oh, blue ones are sick people!?"

"Bingo. If Japanese people who’d never seen foreigners encountered a pale-skinned person sick or injured, they might think they were blue-skinned demons. But if they saw another East Asian, even if they couldn’t communicate, the similar appearance would make it clear they were human. That’s why we only say red and blue demons, not yellow or green ones."

Well, in Onmyōdō, yellow and green demons exist, but villagers with no knowledge would judge by looks. Green, being close to blue, wouldn’t register as demonic if the castaway was East Asian. As for black demons… yeah, better not touch that.

Oh, speaking of which, what color would an oni-babaa be? The demon hag’s mystical suit was bluish-black, but she herself had normal skin. Hmm, not sure.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. So maybe Momotarō’s 'demon-slaying' was actually about fighting foreign pirates?"

"If you interpret the legend realistically, yeah. The whole 'born from a peach' thing was likely added later to give him heroic origins. The original story was probably different."

"Huh? So the story changed?"

"Yep, Serai-san. The Momotarō tale we know today is a kid-friendly version. Originally, the old couple ate the peach and regained their youth, which led to Momotarō’s birth."

"Ehh?! So the whole 'baby popping out of a peach' thing was just a rushed plot twist? That’s way too abrupt!"

"But explaining how babies are made to little kids is tough. Some would freak out. Remember how Mochi got harassed by those brats at Rua’s apartment?"

"Ugh… yeah, those kids…"

Come to think of it, at Rua’s place, Serai-san got surrounded by snot-nosed brats yelling stuff like "Your boobs are huge!" and "Are you pregnant?" Well, kids being weirdly fixated on adult stuff is universal. Like that one kid who casually called her mom by her first name—total mental toughness.

"Anyway, Japan’s famous demon Shuten-dōji was eventually slain by the warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu. He might’ve just been a bandit so ruthless he was called a demon, like how Momotarō’s origins got simplified. Even in Hinduism, the goddess Dēvī’s wrathful form is the demonic Kālī. And then there’s the cow demon and will-o’-wisps—things that don’t even look human get labeled as demons. Honestly, demons are a mess."

"'Wrathful demon-wife transformation'… Getsu-san, you sure have a weird way of putting things sometimes."

Ugh, I got carried away and blabbered too much. The curse of being a nerd—when your passion takes over, you can’t shut up.

"Whatever! No matter what kind of demon shows up, it’s no match for mighty Mochi-chan!!"

Serai-san kneels up, striking a guts pose toward the sky. Her battle suit adds to the heroic image.

Then, suddenly, the sound of something heavy crashing through the underbrush approaches. Holding their breath, they tense up—and glimpse a shadowy figure with two pointed horns through the thicket.

…Wait, Serai-san, did you just jinx us big time!?