022. The Eight-Headed Serpent and the Snake Clan Eight Families

"Do you come here every morning?" Nagumo Uzuki asked.

"Yes." Wakaba Mutsumi nodded.

She put away her watering can at the edge of the cucumber patch and looked at Nagumo.

"Class?" Nagumo asked.

"Class," Mutsumi replied.

The two walked side by side from the planting grounds toward the classroom. Just as they stepped through the door, the school bell rang right on cue.

*Ring-a-ling—*

Mutsumi quickened her pace and hurried to her seat. Just as she sat down, she saw Nagumo arrive at his own desk with steady, measured steps, landing in his seat exactly as the ringing faded.

"..." Mutsumi parted her lips slightly.

Nagumo thought to himself that he had inadvertently brought his old habit of "precision timing" with him again. Ever since he started compulsory education, he had honed this skill to perfection, allowing him to sleep in for those extra few minutes without ever being late. As long as he knew the exact time, he could make it into the classroom at the very last second, no matter what.

Mutsumi glanced at him, then turned around to face the front.

Sitting in front of them, Togawa Sakiko had arrived at the classroom early. Having been classmates with Mutsumi for a long time, she was well aware of her habits. Usually, even if Mutsumi went to water the cucumbers, she would return to the classroom well before class started. It was rare for her to be cutting it so close today.

Sakiko glanced sideways at Nagumo. He had already dragged his chair over to sit next to Mutsumi, claiming he hadn't received his textbooks yet. Mutsumi instinctively shifted to give him the perfect amount of space.

"Ah..." Now it was Sakiko’s turn to part her lips.

Their relationship... seemed quite good. She felt that ever since this transfer student arrived, Mutsumi had changed a little.

But making new friends wasn't a bad thing for Mutsumi. Just as Sakiko was thinking this, the teacher walked in. It was a geography class, and the students pulled out their books, turning to the page where they had left off.

The teacher was dressed quite fashionably, looking more like an English teacher than one who taught geography.

"As we discussed last time, Japan’s geography is complex, characterized by extensive mountainous and volcanic terrain."

This material wasn't particularly difficult—it was mostly common knowledge—so Nagumo prepared to zone out. However, before his thoughts could drift too far, the teacher’s topic suddenly veered in a completely unrelated direction.

"Speaking of terrain, one cannot overlook the Yamata no Orochi from Japanese mythology."

*Huh?* Nagumo instantly looked up.

*Why the sudden jump to mythology? That’s quite a leap in logic.*

He wasn't the only one; the entire class, previously hunched over their desks, sat up. Geography? Boring. Mythological stories? Now that was worth listening to!

Seeing the classroom atmosphere brighten, the teacher seemed pleased. She cleared her throat and continued:

"The Yamata no Orochi is one of the most famous monsters in Japanese mythology. It had eight heads and eight tails, with its massive body coiled around eight hills and eight valleys."

"Legend has it that Susanoo poisoned the beast with sake, and when it became intoxicated, he seized the chance to sever its heads."

"Finally, he discovered a divine sword in the serpent's tail. That was the legendary—"

The teacher paused intentionally, scanning the students. Several who were well-versed in mythology immediately shouted, "Kusanagi no Tsurugi!"

"Exactly." The teacher nodded. "This sword was later offered to the sun goddess Amaterasu and became one of the Three Sacred Treasures..."

The students listened with rapt attention; the room was silent, every eye fixed on her.

Nagumo felt a complex mix of emotions. Of course, he understood the true significance of Susanoo within the *Dragon Raja* worldview.

Many Japanese myths were inextricably linked to the history of hybrids, though most had been heavily adapted over time. It was rumored that in ancient times, the human Izanagi arrived at the execution ground of the White King, who bestowed upon him the Holy Child and the Holy Remains. Izanagi returned to Japan, hid the Holy Remains in the Well of Hidden Bones, and became the progenitor of Japan's hybrids.

But human greed is bottomless. Even those who believe their hearts are as unyielding as stone will find that the slightest crack can invite an irreparable catastrophe. The White King attempted to resurrect himself through the parasite of the Holy Remains, but was eventually stopped. Only a few "Emperors" survived the disaster; their bloodlines gradually faded, eventually becoming the modern-day descendants of the White King—the Ni-Guchi-Hachi-Ke (the Eight Families of the Snake and Crow).

With the geography teacher’s prompt, Nagumo’s thoughts drifted far away. Because the bloodline of the Eight Families did not originate from the Four Dragon Lords but from the White King, their purity was higher, yet they were more prone to falling into the state of "Dead Servants," turning into "Oni."

The Eight Families and the "Men of the Demon Clan" (Mōki-shū) existed in a symbiotic yet antagonistic relationship; every demon in the clan was born from the families. They were shadows that could never be severed from one another. Perhaps at this very moment, the two factions had just finished a skirmish, each believing they had outsmarted the other, and were already plotting the next confrontation.

Regardless, no one in the class dared to interrupt the teacher's storytelling. In the final minutes of the period, she completely abandoned the textbook, enthusiastically regaling the class with local ghost stories and mysterious phenomena—from the yokai legends of Kyoto to the hidden shrines beneath Mount Fuji, and even the rumors of ancient dragon bone ruins...

The students were captivated, some even secretly checking their phones for more information. When the bell rang, the entire class was still lost in the stories.

The teacher nodded in satisfaction, closing her book. "Alright, that’s all for today."

With that, she tapped her notes and walked out of the classroom, humming a tune, clearly in a fantastic mood.

*Another class wasted.* Nagumo watched her leave, his mouth twitching. It was a waste of talent that she wasn't an audiobook narrator. When she actually taught geography, everyone slacked off, but the moment the topic veered into irrelevant territory, the whole class was focused.

*This... is the ultimate secret of a "watered-down" class.*

Time trickled on. The remaining classes were mundane, with nothing special occurring. Nagumo sat beside Mutsumi, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the blackboard, the window, or the textbook on his desk, while his mind wandered through a chaotic stream of thoughts.

Ever since he realized he was in the *Dragon Raja* world, life had been full of surprises. He couldn't help but interpret everything he saw through the lens of dragon history.