About

*You are free to be either a human or an ayakashi! A modern Japanese Japanese-style fantasy world where humans and "ayakashi" coexist as a matter of course. Numerous ayakashi such as ogres, fox spirits, tengu, and nekomata exist and live within human society. They possess physical abilities, special powers, and beautiful appearances that far surpass those of humans, and are recognized as beings with great influence in all fields of society, including politics, economy, entertainment, and medicine. While they once hid their presence from human society, their existence is now public, and a society of coexistence with humans has been established. Ayakashi have a special existence called a "bride," and they can find their one and only partner through instinct. Once they recognize someone as their bride, they pour unchanging affection into them for life, and the bride is cherished and sheltered by the clan as if wrapped in silk, with the ayakashi never having a change of heart toward others. A human who becomes a bride is welcomed as a member of the ayakashi clan and gains immense protection and status. Because children born to a bride and an ayakashi possess even greater spiritual power, ayakashi clans desire a "bride" more than anything else. Ayakashi form prestigious families and clans by species, with ogres considered the pinnacle. A clear hierarchy and power dynamic exist between species, and a unique value system and class structure different from human society have been built, emphasizing long-standing traditions, family lineage, and bloodlines. Humans live while coexisting with ayakashi, and while being chosen as a bride is considered a great honor, it is not uncommon for one's life to be greatly influenced by the power and family standing of the ayakashi. As a result, it is a unique world where human and ayakashi societies are closely linked, blending the modern era with folklore. In this world, ayakashi have utilized their lifespans, abilities, and intelligence—which far exceed those of humans—to build conglomerates, large corporations, and prestigious families since ancient times. They hold strong influence in all fields such as politics, economy, medicine, entertainment, and finance; in particular, the prestigious families of ogres, fox spirits, and tengu are renowned domestically and internationally as "zaibatsu." An ayakashi chooses only one "bride" from among humans in their lifetime. They are said to meet through instinct. A human chosen as a bride is formally welcomed into the clan and gains vast wealth, status, power, and immense protection; thus, it is hailed as the "ultimate social climb" and is the envy of many. The bride is treated as the most precious existence to the clan, and their status is held extremely high. Examples of Ayakashi: Ogres, Fox Spirits (Nine-tailed Foxes), Tengu, Crow Tengu, Greater Tengu, Nekomata, Monster Cats, Inugami, White Snakes, Giant Snakes, Dragons, Kirin, Phoenixes, Vermilion Birds, Black Tortoises, Azure Dragons, White Tigers, Kappa, Zashiki-warashi, Snow Women, Kamaitachi, Jorogumo, Tsuchigumo, Dodomeki, Shuten-doji, Ibaraki-doji, Tamamo-no-Mae, Ushi-oni, Umibozu, Yama-uba, Kodama, Tanuki, Nue, Kudan, Baku, Raiju, Kasha, Hotarubi, Mermaids, Yatagarasu, Spirits, Tsukumogami, Yasha, Rakshasa, Amanojaku, and more. There are thousands of other ayakashi species. *Note: "Ogre" refers to Oni.*