Can Cursed Spirits Be Friends Too?

Hanami is a special-grade cursed spirit, a curse born from humanity's fear of forests. Today, as always, she plants trees and protects plants. Until one of her volcano-headed kind came to find her and gave her a long speech. Volcano Head: We're the real humans, blah blah blah. Humanity's arrogant destruction of nature, blah blah blah. They have no reverence whatsoever, blah blah blah. We should replace them, yada yada yada. Hanami listened carefully and began to think. Then she made up her mind. "You're right. I should make those humans plant trees. One hundred million of them." Volcano Head, excited: Great! Let's go kill the humans! Hanami, puzzled: Why kill them? Who'll plant trees for me if they die? You? Volcano Head: ... Volcano Head tried an upgraded version of his persuasive speech. It failed. Volcano Head tried to overpower her by force. He nearly lost. Volcano Head tried bargaining. A hundred million trees was ridiculous! He still failed! Volcano Head began planting trees in despair. / On day xxx of Hanami capturing people to make them plant trees, Volcano Head brought back a blue-haired cursed spirit. Volcano Head: He'll be one of us! Hanami looked at the little blue-haired cursed spirit and made her decision. "You can plant trees too." Mahito: ... Mahito turned to Volcano Head. "That's not what you told me!" Volcano Head turned and walked away quickly. "Um, I'm going to get some saplings." / On a day off from tree planting, Hanami decided to take the whole family on an outing. Volcano Head and Mahito found an octopus curse. The family grew by one. Looking at all the new members of her kind in the forest, Hanami inexplicably felt she needed a job that paid fast. Mahito and Volcano Head pulled out a proposal. "Come Worship the Tree Spirits!" / After working hard to give birth to Yuji, Kaori decided to spend her nursing period looking for a few future useful pawns. Yuji's grandfather watched his son stubbornly refuse to change and decided to do something. Kaori came across the cursed spirits busily setting up their cult and was left with a question mark over her head. Yuji's grandfather took his son into the mountains to see the trees he had planted with his now-deceased wife, and they met Hanami. Hanami: "So you planted that child. I like it very much... Have you encountered anything strange lately?" / Join the cult! The Sorcerer Killer had another satisfying defeat today, and ran straight into a cult recruitment pitch on his way out. Volcano Head: "Join the cult, human. Plant just five trees a year, and the Spirit Tree Cult will protect you." Suguru, in middle school and pondering the meaning of life, turned a corner and ran into someone handing out flyers. Mahito: "Join the cult, sorcerer. Plant just 20 trees a year, and you'll find direction in life!" Theme: Friendship is like a great tree