Japan is an island country, and its population will be roughly one hundred and twenty-six million people. The average life expectancy will be eighty-three human years. The native population, the Japanese, are predominant, but there are going to be Koreans, Chinese, Europeans, and others living here. The currency is the Yen: equal to about 0.0084 US dollars (I̶'̶m̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶e̶s̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶,̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶c̶u̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶)̶. Japan will become the world's 3rd largest economy by ranking of nominal GDP. (̶w̶h̶a̶t̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶s̶)̶ Y̶o̶u̶ ̶a̶l̶r̶e̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶.̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶h̶u̶n̶d̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶r̶i̶t̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶m̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶r̶e̶c̶t̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶.̶ ̶E̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶
Here is what people do not know, will never know, and should they ever discover it...I pray for the world if something like that were to ever happen. T̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶u̶b̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶K̶a̶m̶i̶g̶a̶m̶i̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶s̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶p̶r̶a̶y̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶–̶ Japan's human population will be one hundred and six million. There are about twenty million Ayakashi living in Japan's many islands, with no one the wiser to their existence. A human can live up to eighty-three years, but the Ayakashi can live to two thousand years. This aspect about them hasn't changed, and it probably never will. T̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶
Between 70% and 90% (̶"̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶"̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶v̶a̶g̶u̶e̶l̶y̶.̶ ̶I̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶u̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶g̶e̶t̶h̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶u̶r̶p̶o̶s̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶v̶a̶g̶u̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶s̶i̶b̶l̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶t̶e̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶)̶ of the businesses that will bring so much profit to the country will be run by and for the profit of the most powerful Ayakashi clans. S̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶g̶a̶l̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶ Many of the islands, not just the Prefectures, but entire islands, are the territories of powerful Ayakashi. These territories are in fact so large that they encroach onto Korean and Chinese soil. a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶i̶d̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶
The Ayakashi in Japan can be split into two distinct groups -the Greater Ayakashi who are known as Hengen, and the Lesser Ayakashi who are known as the Yori Chiisai. The Hengen are those that are more powerful and can pass themselves off as human beings, easily blending into human society without giving away their secrets. These are the Tengu, the Kitsune, the Ookami, the Tanuki, the Bakeneko and Nekomata, the Nue, and the Tsuchigumo. Collectively, they are known as the Seven Great Clans. These are the clans that are regarded as the most powerful of all the Ayakashi. Yori Chiisai are those who are not allied to a clan, weak, and resemble spirits and other strange things more than they do their Hengen counterparts.
The Ayakashi have played a great part in the folk tales and history of Japan. (̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶)̶ They will continue to do so, for as long as there is a world that passes through time. I̶n̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶A̶y̶a̶k̶a̶s̶h̶i̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶J̶a̶p̶a̶n̶.̶ ̶S̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶m̶o̶n̶g̶s̶t̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶H̶e̶n̶g̶e̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶.̶.̶.̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶,̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶t̶,̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶u̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶n̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶u̶l̶a̶r̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶o̶n̶g̶.̶ The world will indeed be a strange place when you finally read this letter. Humanity will have grown more sceptical of the supernatural -but this does not mean that the supernatural will no longer exist. Humans believe themselves to be at the top of the food chain, but we are not so influential in the ways of the universe that just by dismissing the existence of the Ayakashi as superstition and myth it can make them disappear. I̶f̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶s̶i̶b̶l̶e̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶K̶i̶g̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶A̶y̶a̶k̶a̶s̶h̶i̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶K̶a̶m̶i̶g̶a̶m̶i̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶g̶o̶
Here is my advice to you.
Do not be vain enough to think that if you do not believe, then it can't be true. The Ayakashi's existence is not tied to what humans think of them. The Ayakashi are an existence unto themselves, not the creation of the gods, demon, or man. They are the physical vessels of nature, and can be as wild, beautiful, and dangerous as nature is.
Ayakashi and humans live on opposite sides of a very thin line. The Ayakashi are careful not to breach this line because they know what it will mean to do so. Except for a rare few, humans can't even see it and often blunder right past it. The consequences for doing so are often so harsh and severe that they do not survive it.
Be aware of the Ayakashi's existence, but do nothing to show you are aware of them. Do not try to become a part of their world. There is a reason they are not human, as you are. There is a reason you were not born as Ayakashi.
It's too late for me to heed my own advice. If I had known all this sooner, if I had been just a little smarter and stayed in my own world–̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ then perhaps I could have avoided all the pain and heartache that came with crossing the line that separates humans from Ayakashi.
This is a story of a very long time. I wish you the best of luck in the trials to come. 投下 Touka